Is it coming? Spring? Knock ...knock?? Helllo?
Well, here I am! Back again! Jennifer got me "talked" into it. We'll see how long this lasts!!
In the meantime,
I'm out finding myself

Faaaaalllllliiiiinnnnnggggg...

So I received an email today from a "friend" with a bunch of beautiful trees from all over the world. I looked at the pics and told him there were so many beautiful trees here it was almost crazy. We are fortunate to live in an area of the world where things are so lovely. Winter can be Challenging but even that can be lovely. We are so lucky to have this most awesome season before the onset of Winter.

Looking UP at the gorgeous leaves. I wish I had a nice camera ...

More of the neighbors (I can see this from my kitchen window. That field on the left is full of sweet corn in the summer!! Yummy stuff.

Trying to be artsy fartsy about some leaf pictures. Trust me ...this doesn't do justice to the amazing color.

My toes covered in leaves!! The orange polish (called "A Good Mandarin  is hard to find') almost matches.

I just had to show off the amazing mum I picked up at the farmers market last weekend.

More awesome color from the road side.

If I had a nice camera you would see how Absolutely Amazing this is ....doesn't do it justice ...I promise!

More crappy roadside pics of the Beauty.

We live just a very few miles from the Iowa/Minnesota border AND Jesse James road. Named  because there is a small cave where Jesse James and his crew of nasties stayed when they were on their way to Northfield to rob a bank.

Sumac and some bossies and in the background.

The Hesper Friends church with the amazing trees.

More of the Friends Church with the blue recycling container in the background.

Looking UP at the color.

A cool stepping stone at the Blue Owl

The Blue Owl (aka Blue Bird -it's really your choice).

This is our neighbors house. Evidently it used to be a hotel in which Jesse James and his nasties stayed after they got tired of the cave.

 

This is the street right out in front of our house.

Even the garden looks like fall! We still haven't dug the potatoes and some beets are still out there along with some kale.

This is the neighbors backyard. Lovely huh?

So NOW you've really seen some lovely trees. I really do wish I had the talent of a real photographer but I did what I could with what I have.

In the meantime, I'm out finding myself ...

Try, try again ... right?

Still gardening! The Chamber Pots are growing! Hooray for that!

It's raining and raining it seems! We've gotten a fair amount just in the last day or so ...

2 inches 4 tenths in case you can't read off the crappy cell phone pic! I am grateful we haven't blown away or flooded though with all of the mess the world is in right now.
The garden is starting to grow. I finally got the darn thing tilled the day before mother's day and got a bunch planted the next morning. The lettuce type stuff and kohlrabi is coming up nicely. I still don't have the potatoes or tomatoes/peppers planted but they are all waiting to go into the ground -if the rain/cool weather ever quits!!
Happy Memorial Day weekend all! We look forward to a busy weekend of grad parties, birthday parties and a party of our own! Remember to attend one of your local Memorial Day ceremonies. They are always very neat. In our tiny little burg we have two cemeteries and the local Legion comes every year and does a neat little reading of all Vets names and playing of Taps.  It's very moving.
I'll be back soon ...I Hope!
In the meantime, I'm out finding myself ...

yeah I'm a voyeur ....so what???

I know the title sounds a little creepy but let me explain please.
I am an avid reader. I have been all of my life. I think I like the transportation factor of reading as much as I like the peek into another person's experiences and feelings. I love me the Facebook. Why? Because, I guess, deep down I'm a stalker. I love reading other people's blogs! Yup, I'm a creeper. In all honesty it comes from a good place but I just really love others stories!
This brings me to Maggie Mason . If you don't read Mighty Girl you surely should begin immediately! I'm serious! Stop reading this foolish drivel and GO there!!!
Maggie posted recently about childhood memories (of course I can't find the original post but that link will take you to a really good place! I promise! GO THERE). I got completely sucked into this post the other night. Reading these little blurps really struck me for some reason. I was amazed at how similar, yet completely unique, each entry was. Each one rang true for me to a certain extent. I just loved it. You've got to check it out!
Then today T9 posed a question to their Facebook fans and I'm sucked in again! I have loved the idea behind their company since my friend Kat turned me on to them a few months back. You have to get out and see them too! You don't even really need to shop, read these women's stories! They are Awesome! It is not only a great marketing tool but a way to make a real connection with the company (this is why shopping locally is so great but that is another post for another day!).
So now you know about me huh? I'm a crazed stalker person but I hope you go and read some of these links and I'll keep linking you to many others I feel are worthwhile reading.
In the meantime, I'm out finding myself ...

Tip Toe through the Tulips ....

Last week the early flowers started poking through and today we have our first bloom! Whooo hooo!! If I'm lucky I'll have things blooming constantly now through the first hard frost!! Hooray for spring!!

In the meantime, I'm out finding myself ....

The Annual exam .....

Um so you don't want to hear about mine? Hmmm, well you are no fun at all!! Seriously though, you do want to hear Heather's! Go read it!!! You have Ovaries!  That is as good as Chamber Pots!


In the meantime, I'm out finding myself ...

Chamber Pots ... because I am a child I think this is Hysterical.

You'll notice that I've started a page for my gardening/yard work. I think every year that I need to start a diary of what I plant/harvest and when and then I never get around to doing it. This year with the blog is going to be. the. year.
We finally had a nice weekend this past weekend and I couldn't bring myself to stay inside so we got a bunch of yard work done. Gosh winter is hard on things! It is hard to believe the junk that gets spread out in the yard through those snow covered months! I don't have a ton of space in our house but tried again this year to save my geraniums. If you want an EXCELLENT tutorial about this Carol posted on the other day! Go there! Read it! Do it! (I'll wait here ..... ok you back?) My mom and grandmother have done this for years with tons of success. I, on the other hand, haven't had that much luck until this year. I think I've managed to save a few of the babies from last year.
Part of what I was trying to save were the awesome candy striped geraniums I planted in the pots that sat out in front of the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce last summer. I didn't get those babies to live but the Chamber Girls should enjoy some of the other colors I was able to get to survive from the pots my mom and I planted last year (and most quite a few year earlier as well). I have the Chamber Pots started and hopefully by the time the Iowa Weather is decent enough to leave them out there will be some lovely flowers for the Girls and other visitors to enjoy!

Sorry, as usual, for the crappy cell phone pic but in a few weeks these pots (if I don't kill 'em first) should be full and lush ready for the Chamber!

In the meantime, I'm out finding myself ....