I miss you Sam!!

I miss you Sam!!
I miss you Sam!!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Pet Pride!


Hey guys, get up off your tush and lets go see Bozo over at his pad in Mubai! It's always a fun time when we all get together and talk about what's been happin', Bro! You know? Get you human to click on The Man's pic and sign you up! We'll be waiting for you!!

We had a really nice day today with sunshine!!! And Maggie May is staying with us this week while her humans are out of town. Before she came over though Mojo was taking a nap in the sunshine -- getting rested up so she and Maggie could play hard!



I'm just hoping they'll let me play some, too, but they always say I'm too little!!



Mojo, Maggie May and Mojo's Dad enjoyed resting under a tree after they had been playing for a while. Ah, well, maybe tomorrow they'll let me play some, too.

Shadow Shot Sunday!


Ready to find or create or fake some shadow shots? The reason I included faking them is that I was almost that desperate this week as we've had no sun! But I dug some out of my hoard and hopefully you haven't seen them all or you don't mind seeing them again! We'll have some sun again one of these days -- I think???? Anyway, for those of you who don't know about this addictive pastime that so many of us have gotten involved in, it's Shadow Shot Sunday and is hosted each week by Tracy over at Hey Harriet, so click on the icon and hop over to her blog, sign in and show and share the shadows that you discover!

My favorite turtle family!



This glass looks so plain until the sun shines through it and it takes on a whole new look!



Happy Ducks!



My Mother's Day Hanging basket really spread out the past couple of weeks!



Funny how something as ordinary as a dish rack takes on a new look with the colored glasses.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Weekend Reflections


Weekend Reflections is hosted by James each week beginning Friday at 11 AM. It's another wonderful way of opening your eyes to new and different kinds of beauty. Click on the icon and join us! If the icon doesn't work here is the address and you can click on it instead: http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/


Sunshine has been really scarce again this week, and of course, once it did come out again on Thursday, I had no car! Oh, I know, whining and complaining doesn't help the situation at all, so here's what we have for today.

Some colored reflections in the window in the breakfast nook.



Then it was back to my watery favorites! Love those upside down ducks!



Of course, this one is a favorite, although I'm not sure if I posted it before or not, but I think it's so cute that you wouldn't mind seeing it again! Those white spots almost look like eyes -- keeping watch on the backside maybe??



And those soft, watery tree reflections!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Sky Watch Friday!


So, have you been looking up lately? What's happening with the skies over your part of the world? Sky Watch is hosted each week by Klaus and the Sky Watch team of Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and me! Check out your skies and share them with people from all of the world who contribute to this meme each week!

We're still paying for our breathtakingly beautiful "early" spring and you have to stay on your toes, camera in hand for those occasional breaks! They're worth the effort, but they have been few and far between lately! But here's some that I caught over the past week. The first two were minutes apart, but there was a subtle changed.



Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth
are never alone or weary of life.
~ Rachel Carson ~



Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
~ Albert Einstein ~



If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy,
if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you,
if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand,
rejoice, for your soul is alive.
~ Eleonora Duse ~



We cannot command Nature except by obeying her.
~ Francis Bacon ~



Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~John Muir



The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man. ~Author Unknown ~

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Evening, Wisdom and Beauty



What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.
Aristotle



Stern
grandfather
mountain visages,
serious in age,
tired in their cracks,
rising up
to the sky
with
breathtaking
craggy faces,
a lifetime of
working,
growing,
battling,
nurturing.

Softened occasionally,
by the cool
green,
alive in the
mountain breeze,
grandmotherly
spaces,
soft,
and flowering
through the ages.

And the little ones ,
come rushing by,
gurgling,
splashing,
jumping over rocks,
with
a breathtaking dive
into the
exciting
ice cold
hotly exciting,
Pool of Life,
below.....
Posted by Ugich Konitari to Sylvia From Over The Hill at June 2, 2010 7:28 PM

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
Rachel Carson





The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with his friendship.
Ralph Waldo Emerson



Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things.
Author Unknown

A New Perspective

This piece is already a year old and some of you may have seen it before, but it surely does give one a new perspective. I know it boggled my mind!



The year is 1909.
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some statistics for the Year 1909 :
************ ********* *********
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles
Of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average wage in 1909 was 22 cents per hour.

The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year ....

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .

Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
Were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. '

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used
Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from
Entering into their country for any reason.

Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea Hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school..


Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health'
( Shocking? DUH! )

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help..

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A.!
Plus one more sad thought; 95 percent of the taxes we have now did not exist in 1909

I am now going to post this on my blog where others all over the WORLD will have access to it all in a matter of seconds!

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
IT STAGGERS THE MIND

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Evening, Wisdom and Beauty



Everything has been figured out, except how to live. ~ Jean-Paul Sartre



Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
~ Anthony J. D'Angelo



We have been friends together in sunshine and in shade. ~ Caroline Norton



Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.
~ Author Unknown



Keep your face always towards the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.
~ Walt Whitman



It takes both rain and sunshine to make a rainbow. ~ Proverb

ABC Wednesday - T!

Got your dictionary out? You ready to play with the letters? It's that Time again! ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt and the ABC team of Denise, Roger, Troy, Jay, Barb, Gattina and me! So, Talk it out and come up with some great words that start with T!

T is for Trains, Tigers, a Titmouse and Tall Tales!

And T is for Turtles!



T is for Tulips!



T is for beautiful Trees!





And T is for Twilight!

Monday, May 31, 2010

That's My World

My World is hosted each week by Klaus and the My World Team, Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and me! Today I am dedicating my post to the men and women who have given their lives that we might continue to enjoy Our World.

Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers;
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



On thy grave the rain shall fall from the eyes of a mighty nation!
~Thomas William Parsons



Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. ~ John F. Kennedy



The dead soldier's silence sings our national anthem. ~ Rev. Aaron Kilbourn



The story of America's quest for freedom is inscribed on her history in the blood of her patriots. ~ Randy Vader



I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. ~ Albert Einstein

Sunday, May 30, 2010

MicroFiction Monday


>Susan at Stony River Farm hosts Microfiction Monday. She posts a picture and you compose a story in 140 characters. You can click on the icon to get further instructions. To help you along she has posted a wonderful link that counts your characters for you! How great is that! You can get the counter at Design 215.

This meme is easy and it's fun! Thanks, Susan for hosting.

And here's the picture for the day!



Don't be belching fire at me, Billy Boy! I'm the one who turned you into a dragon.
One more fiery ass remark and you're a mouse - for good!

What Can I Say?

What Can I Say?
I'm interested in almost everything. Use to like to travel, but it's too expensive now. I take Tai Chi classes, swim, volunteer in a Jump-start program for pre-schoolers. I'm an avid reader and like nearly everyone these days I follow politics avidly. I'm a former teacher and Special Projects Coordinator for a Telecommunications company, Assistant to the President of a Japanese silicon wafer manufacturing company. Am now enjoying retirement -- most of the time. I have two daughters, one son-in-law and two sons scattered all over the country. No grandchildren.

Portland Time