Striking Out
A mid-August early-morning bike ride yielded what I called a patriotic day. On my way up to Lock 7, I saw a red fox at the base of the water on the other side of the canal. Unfortunately, he took off before I could get my camera in place. Strike one. I slowed my pedaling [...]
Walking in Another’s Shoes
You always know when you need another pair of shoes. Less than a year old, these sneakers have seen better days. They've put on a lot of miles, done a lot of outdoor work and earned their keep many times over. Stitching at the toes and bending points threaten to break but I procrastinated buying a new pair [...]
The Spice of Variety
Summertime brings color into our lives...in the form of green grass, yellow and red birds and multi-colored blossoms. This is one of four different colored gladiolus blossoms that bloomed over the past few weeks from bulbs I planted earlier this year. I LOVE seeing all the beauty nature has to offer. Although it's barely mid-August, one of the [...]
Fruits of Our Gardens
I planted some wildflower seeds earlier this year, seeds that were supposed to attract hummingbirds and songbirds. Since I had just put a couple inches of soil down on top of old soil, I wasn't sure what was going to come up. I tilled, raked and scattered seed, hoping for the best. After a few weeks, I hesitated pulling out what [...]
Taking the Leap
I heard a commotion through my open window one early afternoon. It wasn't the normal noises ducks and ducklings make, but more of an urgent quacking. I heard that once before when a mama duck squawked boisterously when a red fox threatened her young ones from the side of the canal. This day when I looked out, there were five [...]
10-Minute Changes
Miss Abby takes a break after 10 minutes of playing with her toys. Abby taught me a valuable lesson about using your time for the things that are important to you. As I washed my dishes, I realized it only takes about 10 minutes to do them. Other projects throughout the day -- sweeping the floor, sorting and beginning a [...]