Where's Dinner?
Occasionally we are treated to a visit from a hungry great blue heron. This one stopped by this evening and was perfectly content to keep looking for dinner while I snapped its picture.

Great blue heron are four to five feet tall with a wingspan of up to six feet.

They also wade in our creek looking for food. Sometimes they hunt at night. It's a very eerie feeling to have one of these enormous, prehistoric looking birds rise up out of the water and fly over my head when it's dark outside.

Pansies Planted
This is the first time I've ever planted pansies in the fall. According to what I've been told, they will bloom during the winter thaws and in the spring before the ground warms up enough to plant annuals.

One of these pansies smiling at me in February would make my day, so it's worth a try.

The torenia clown mix annuals I had planted in this spot weren't happy enough to keep blooming until the first frost. (First frost here is usually the first half of October.) They went to seed and I ripped them out. Maybe they needed more care than I gave them, but I have little patience with plants that need babying. I won't bother planting torenia again.

The impatiens I planted last May are still blooming and looking great. I plant them every year. No other annual I've tried does as well here as the impatiens.

Making Waves
The Making Waves socks are done!

This is the second sock - the August/September sock - in the Six Sock Knitalong.

We're given a pattern to start with. Then we select our own yarn. These socks were knit with Regia Line Steps color 5366 using US #1 Addi Turbo 24" circular needles.

The twisting stitch pattern pulls in, so the 64 stitch cuff was reduced to 56 stitches for the foot.

The CIC vest and socks knit from the Making Waves stitch pattern are here.

Introvert's Lucky Day
I didn't have to alphabetize my spices. The Knitting Meetup was cancelled due to the leader being called out of town. I was going to make myself go just to prove that I could do it. Now that I've been given this reprieve, I'm not sure that I'll sign up to attend again.

Bird Banding
This morning I attended a bird banding session at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. Eight of us met in the parking lot and our bird-banding guide took us on a hike to check the mist nets in the marsh. We walked uphill, downhill, and in the mud for over an hour. Then we hiked back to the barn where they do the actual banding. The session lasted two and a half hours. When I got home, I ate lunch and took a nap.

The nets are called "mist nets" because they look like mist. There's a good picture of a mist net at this web site. It also has a good overview of the basics of bird banding.

Our banding guide was an enthusiastic young lady who has been banding for six years. From the end of August to the end of October sixteen nets at different locations are rolled out at dawn each day that weather permits. On a good day, about a hundred birds are caught, banded, and released. The nets are checked frequently. The birds are untangled and put into fabric bags for transporting to the banding barn.

The banders all appear to be very conscientious about keeping the birds safe, as calm as possible, and getting them processed and released as quickly as possible.

It's especially important to get the birds out of the nets before something happens to them. Deer and chipmunks will munch on birds caught in a net.

A storm moved through the area last night. The front took the migrating birds with it so there were not many birds in the nets this morning. A few goldfinches, warblers, a catbird, common yellowthroats, and a yellow bellied flycatcher.

Seeing the birds up close I was surprised at how small and delicate they are. They look much tinier in captivity than they do when they're sitting in a tree.

The warblers accept their fate passively. The chickadees struggle and peck. The catbird bit, but wasn't strong enough to do damage or create pain. Our guide has gotten blood blisters from grosbeaks and cardinals. They have very powerful beaks and they don't let go once they bite.

I'm still processing everything that we saw, trying to sort out my feelings about bird banding and wondering if I want to volunteer to help next year.

The Introvert Gets Social
When I was working, I planned for and valued my time to be quiet and be alone. (DH Bob doesn't count. He's another introvert and shares my need for peace and quiet.)

Now that I'm not working, I'm careful to plan for times of social contact each week. It is important to get out among other people.

This week I'm trying something new, knitting with a group. The Kalamazoo Knitting Meetup is meeting Wednesday evening at Applebee's.

I'm signed up to attend without knowing a single other knitter who is going to be there, or how they're going to be dressed, or what kind of knitting they're going to bring, or what kind of snack they're going to order to eat, or how I'm going to find them after I get there.

I'm only assuming they are going to bring their knitting. I've never seen anyone knitting in Applebee's.

And, what do you order to eat while you're knitting? I use knitting to keep my hands busy so I don't eat.

Sometimes I put events on my calendar with good intentions of attending. When the date arrives I think of a compelling reason to stay home. Like: I have an interesting book to read, or I'm tired, or I'm not sure I can find the place, or I need to alphabetize the spices.

Writing about my intention to attend the knitting meetup on Seasons of Violet makes it more likely I'll attend. If I don't, I'll have to fess up on Thursday.

Thursday morning there is another adventurous (for an introvert) event on my calendar: "Fall Birds Up Close. Spend the morning with a Kalamazoo Nature Center bird bander."

The Nature Center bird banders put out nets to catch the migrating birds, band them, and release them.

I know almost nothing about bird banding and I have many questions.

It seems to me that banding a wild bird might not be a kind thing to do. Does the band bother the bird? Does the bird freak out when a human hand holds it and pinches a band on its leg?

And what about health problems caused by the band? When a fledgling is banded, doesn't it outgrow the band? Could the band get caught on something and endanger the bird? Doesn't it get dirty and/or moldy under that band?

If it doesn't rain on Thursday morning, I'll report back on everything I learned about bird banding. Unless I decide I have to alphabetize the spices.

Any thoughts on bird banding?

On the Wine Festival
Kimmy is almost nine years old. This is the year she discovered the band playing in the bandshell. At her request, we sat on the grass directly in front of it to wait for the fireworks.

Being completely "out of it", I'm not sure what kind of music they were performing. It had a beat and it was loud. I could tolerate it, but I wasn't sorry when it ended an hour after we sat down.

There was a middle aged man in a purple teeshirt dancing right up in front of the band. He was not keeping time to the music. His movements were more comical than entertaining.

At first Kimmy giggled at him. Then she wanted to know what was going on.

I told her he was something like Forrest Gump. She got the message. "Oh, he's mentally disabled." We both wondered if Purple Shirt might get escorted away.

Purple Shirt danced for the entire hour. The lead singer let Purple Shirt play the tambourine for one of their numbers. At the end of the set, the female lead singer put down her microphone and danced with Purple Shirt.

Kimmy watched carefully and learned that being kind can be cool.

And the fireworks were the best ever.

On the Circus
The circus was wonderful and not at all tacky. If it comes to your area, I highly recommend it as quality entertainment. All three generations, Kimmy, Mother, and I, enjoyed the entire two hours.

When I was in grade school (fifty plus years ago) we attended a circus outside in a tent. Even as a kid I recognized that the costumes looked shabby and the animals didn't look happy.

The circus we saw today was completely different. The costumes were beautiful, everything looked fresh, and the animals looked loved, well cared for, and eager to entertain.

There's another performance tonight. If someone offered to take me, I'd go again.

On 9/11
Before the circus performance began, the ringmaster invited everyone to stand for a moment of silence. Year three and I still choked up.

How can W justify the way he is using our military elsewhere while Osama Bin Laden remains a free man?

Tomorrow afternoon I'm driving to Battle Creek to pick up granddaughter Kimmy after school.

It turned out that Kimmy's dad is out of town for the weekend. I was told to keep her as long as I wanted, so we have big big plans.

Friday evening we are headed to the Paw Paw Wine and Harvest Festival for carnival rides and fireworks.

Saturday morning, Monette, Kimmy and I are going to the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, the Greatest Show on Earth. I just bought the tickets last night and Kimmy doesn't know yet.

When she gets out of school and piles in my car, she always asks me what we're going to do while we're together. I'm looking forward to hearing her thoughts when I tell her the plans for this weekend.

Have no idea what to expect with the circus. It could be very wonderful or it could be completely tacky. Or, it could be both tacky and wonderful.

Anyone been to the circus lately?

Goldenrod and Fireworks Time
In the fall, the goldenrod rises above all the other wildflowers in the back field and turns the landscape yellow. Some of the plants are six feet tall.

This picture was taken a week ago when the blossoms were new. The golden blooms are on the wan already and everything looks and feels like autumn.

It was an uncharacteristically chilly August and it doesn't appear we're going to get the August heat wave in September, either. Tonight when we took the dogs out for their late evening walk, I had to wear a jacket.

This coming weekend is the Wine and Harvest Festival in Paw Paw. I've been attending for fifteen years and it has always been festival friendly weather. On Friday evening they have a beautiful fireworks display over Maple Lake. For the past five years, Kimmy and I have gone to see them.

This year is the first time the Wine and Harvest Festival falls on the weekend Kimmy spends with her dad. Daughter Heather is going to check with Kimmy's dad and find out if I can pick Kimmy up from school on Friday and take her to his house on Saturday morning. He's a nice guy and we get along well, so I expect him to agree unless he has other plans for Kimmy that can't be changed.

Does your location have a fall festival?

Second Doggy School Picnic
Wednesday evening was the second doggy school picnic at Lake Michigan to make up for the horrid weather we had at the first one.

It was beautiful. The temperature started out in the low 80s (F), the sun was shining, and the water was calm.

Hagar Park is one of the few "dog friendly" Lake Michigan beaches. It is approximately forty miles west of our house. A very pretty drive through the Michigan countryside.

It was hard to decide which little dog to take. Sunny went last time so it was Pappy's turn. On the other hand, Sunny loved it the first time, it was her third birthday, and she is going to miss going to doggy school next week because of Labor Day. So, Sunny got the nod and away we went.

Since it was a weeknight, the beach was almost empty when we arrived. I admit I was surprised - but pleased - to find so few people there. The twenty doggy school dogs were the only dogs there.

The golden retrievers looked like they were having the most fun. They ran, swam, chased sticks, and shook themselves off on everyone and everything. But the goldens were just more obvious about their pleasure. Every dog there enjoyed the picnic in their own way.

After Sunny and I went down the fifty-six steps to the beach, I was able to lure her out into the knee deep water a few times. Her knees, not mine. The water was about two inches deep at most.

It must have been doggy peer pressure at work because Sunny has never liked getting wet. Sunny is a small, fourteen pound dog. Two inches was a lot of water from her point of view.

After a while, Gail the trainer started giving swimming lessons. I hesitated on letting Sunny participate, not knowing how traumatized she was going to be. But she seemed to be in a receptive mood, so I allowed it to happen.

Gail took Sunny out over Sunny's head, about eight or ten feet from shore, and set her down in the water. Sunny's eyes bugged out of her head, but she held her head up and paddled to shore. Then she ran around the beach in a big circle and came back for more.

When I picked her up to hand her back to Gail, Sunny was willing to go back in the water. She swam the distance and ran her victory loop three more times before the end of her successful swimming lesson.

I really do think that Sunny had as much fun as the goldens. It was just a different kind of fun.

The food was wonderful and plentiful. Gail grilled brats and everyone brought a dish to pass.

Two of us with little dogs ate with our dogs sitting in our lap. The rest of the dog owners were amazed that a dog could sit next to a plate of food and leave it alone.

The other small dog was probably trained to leave the food alone. Sunny was unsure enough of her surroundings that she wanted to be on my lap and she knew if she nosed my food, she was going to get set down on the scary ground.

My little dogs are very very smart.

Blogiversary
Seasons of Violet is one year old today.

It's been an interesting year with 247 posts and over 6000 "unique" visits. (A unique visit means the same visitor is only counted once per day, even when they visit multiple times in a day.)

I never fooled myself into thinking I would write everyday. My goal was a minimum of three posts a week, and I met that goal. It seems to be a reasonable goal, so I'm extending it for another year - four more seasons.

My biggest blogging surprise was the way nature pictures starting taking over Seasons of Violet last spring.

My biggest blogging thrill is to get comments and know that someone is actually visiting Seasons of Violet. Welcome. Please come back. And leave a comment, even if it's just "hello".

This was the first Seasons of Violet post on September 1, 2003. It was written during last September's ennui. I was in month 9 of a 15 month weight loss effort, I was anticipating losing my job, and many of my long time work friends were getting unceremoniously kicked out the door into a non-existent job market.

Picking a Name
A few weeks ago I made a list of names I might possibly use for my blog. They all included the word violet, because violet is my e-mail name and my Windows theme.

After making the list, I sent it out to some family and friends for their thoughts. Most of them thought that "Violet Blooms" or "Blooming Violet" was the best name because either it reminded them of spring or it indicated that I was blooming. Blooming as in personally growing and becoming a more complete person.

So glad I asked. I do have days when I'm blooming. They are rare and wonderful days.

Many of my days I am just trying to survive. Sometimes I'm depressed and/or tired. Sometimes I feel crummy. Sometimes life seems heavy and hard. Those are the days I need to write the most.

I'm sure everyone will be surprised when I don't use a name containing "bloom". Instead, I'm going to go with "Seasons of Violet" to represent the changing times of my life.

My dear husband Bob, in his great wisdom, picked that name from the start. He knows me well.

It's been a great year. Thank you for coming to Seasons of Violet.

Weddings
Questions from Sunday Brunch were late getting posted this week, so I'm late answering them.

1. Indoor or outdoor weddings?

Only very brave and daring people plan outdoor weddings in Michigan. I've never attended on outdoor wedding.

2. How many weddings have you been in?

Only two. And one of those was when I was the witness for sister Doris when she married John at the courthouse.

3. When you were married (or if there is a wedding in your future), what type of wedding did or would you have?

When I married the father of my children in 1965, it was a very traditional church wedding. That marriage lasted ten years.

During that season of my life, I had the entire crown of my hair bleached out platinum. For my wedding, I had a rinse put on it so my hair color wouldn't look dated in future years. How funny that I never though about the entire hairstyle looking dated.

I worked in a high fashion beauty shop and we were heavily into backcombing and hairspray. The hair you see in this picture was not meant to move. And it didn't.

Second and forever husband Bob and I were married in 1975 at the courthouse by a magistrate. We each had a friend stand up with us and only my two children attended.

I thought it was important for the kids to be there so they would know for sure that Bob and I were truly married. Heather was seven and John was five. Neither one remembers the occasion. There were no other guests and, unfortunately, no pictures.

We wore matching home sewn flannel shirts in a gold and brown plaid. Bob wore blue jeans and I wore a gold corduroy mini skirt.

We celebrate our twenty-ninth anniversary on September 18.

4. Have you caught the bouquet or garter?

Nope!

5. Tell us about a funny, scary or memorable wedding moment.

Mother used to work for a very conservative Dutch lawyer named Ron. For most of my high school years, I babysat for Ron's three little children.

Ron and his wife attended my wedding and in the reception line he gave me a big kiss on the cheek. Then he blushed and blurted out, "I just kissed the babysitter!"

Do you have a funny wedding story to tell?

eMail It
See the little letter with the arrow in it just before the Comments line at the bottom of the post?

If you click on it, it gives you the opportunity to email a link to whatever I wrote to someone you think might enjoy it.

Blogger is enhancing its blogging features at a pretty quick pace. I'm looking forward to adding some of the other enhancements to my blog soon. First I need to update my template. I'm using an old Blogger template that doesn't have everything it needs in it to handle all the new Blogger capabilities.

My nephew Mike's Blogger weblog uses one of the newer templates. Monette isn't able to display it with her Mac, so I'm a little hesitate to make hasty changes. I will make sure I can backtrack when I do add new things.

NEXT BLOG May Ruin Your Day
If you want an awful experience, play with the new Blogger NEXT BLOG button on the upper right of the screen. It will take you to a randomly selected Blogger blog.

The intent is that you will be able to find wonderful new Blogger blogs to read. The reality is that you will see some really awful blogs and maybe get a virus.

Melodee of Go Ahead: Read My Mind reported that when she used the NEXT BLOG button a virus started to download itself on her computer. She was rescued by her virus software, but she isn't going to try the NEXT BLOG button again.

I played with NEXT BLOG a few nights ago - before reading about Melodee's experience. I didn't get a virus, but I didn't see anything worth reading either. There sure are a lot of very bad blogs out there. Bad writing, bad grammar, and bad content.

Do you have a good blog to recommend?

Dog Days of Summer
Last night as Pappy and I were leaving doggy school, there was a four month old Papillon puppy waiting for the next class. How wiggly. How cute. How snuggly.

We have three dogs. We do not need a puppy.

This morning as I was coming out of my sleepy stupor I briefly thought it would be fun to look at Papillon puppies on the internet. Bad idea!

Every September I start looking for something different, something to add a little excitement and interest to my life. That's how we ended up with three dogs. Fortunately, as I sipped my cup of coffee, sanity reigned. I realized that this September unrest is an annual cycle and it will pass.

September 2001 I started looking at small breeds on the internet intent on getting my first lap dog.

Sunny was born around September 1. Her mother and two of her siblings were found along side the road, taken to the pound, and ended up at a foster home in Big Rapids.

I found her on Petfinder, a wonderful site where you can search for any type and breed of pet in any geographic area. (Warning: Lots of sad pictures. Soft hearted people will end up with a new family member if they visit Petfinder.)

My search was for "terrier". Sunny came up as a papillon terrier mix. In reality, she is much more mixed than two breeds, but she did look like Jack Russell and papillon mix with some poodle for curls. I was smitten, sent in the application, and waited.

Fifteen families applied for Sunny. Fortunately, because she was so small, her foster mother thought she needed to live with a older couple, so we were selected.

Late October 2001, we became the parents of a unique and wonderful two pound mutt puppy to go with Glory, our five year old lab mix. I named her Sunshine because she brought sunshine into our lives. I had forgotten how much work it is to have a new puppy. It turned out to be the perfect cure for my September ennui.

Around the first of September, 2002, I went out to Petfinder just to see if there were any Papillons for adoption in the area. We had never had three dogs at the same time, and I was sure I didn't want three dogs. Just looking.

And there was Pappy, looking back at me. I briefly considered what life might be like with three dogs, said a little prayer, sent the link to DH Bob, and promptly forgot about the sad little dog in the picture.

That evening I was sitting on the couch, Bob was online, and I heard him say,

"We have to get him."
Huh?
"This little Papillon. We have to get him."
Oh. OHHHHHHHHHH!

The adoption of Pappy took almost two months. It required a seven page application, references, and a home inspection. Really.

Late November, Monette and I drove a round trip of 500 miles to pick up Pappy. He was in much worse shape than I had been told, both emotionally and physically. A dog who has been abused or abandoned always comes with "issues" and needs plenty of work and attention. Another canine project and cure for my September ennui.

September 2003 life was exciting enough without getting another dog. I was anxiously waiting to lose my job and it was just about September when I learned my January termination date.

This September it is not going to be another dog. I think I'll just give lots of love to the three dogs we have and wait out the September blahs.

Sunny Still Leary of Chair
Sunny has a hard time with change. She is not sure why we have new scary chairs in our house. She is still very cautious around them.

This chair has been in our house for two weeks now. It replaced a chair that Sunny loved to sit in. For this picture I picked her up and placed her in the new chair. She stayed long enough for the picture, but she prefers the older furniture that she knows is safe.


Pappy Knows What a Chair is For
Pappy, on the other hand, checked out the new chairs shortly after they arrived and decided they were benign. A few days later, he hopped up in this one and claimed it for one of his favorite snoozing places.

The Blahs
WOW. It's Wednesday already and I haven't posted since Sunday.

That's because I've been feeling creaky and cranky this week. Everything I've written sounded like whining, and I didn't want to publish it. It was obvious when I read my writing that I have nothing legitimate to whine about. I just seem to be in a bad mood for no good reason.

Actually, I have many things to be thankful for and, in general, things are all OK. But boring. Maybe it's post-company let down.

The summer is almost over. I always feel like September is the time for a new start. But I'm not starting anything new.

There is a French word for what I'm feeling: ennui, a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction.

Ennui is a good thing. My ennui makes me look at my life and find things that need changing and other things that need to be eliminated. On a more positive note, my ennui has me looking for something new to add to my life to make it more meaningful and interesting.

Are you starting something new this fall?

Making Waves for CIC
For each sock in the Six Sock Knitalong I've challenged myself to do a corresponding vest and toddler pair of socks to send to CIC.

For August and September the knitalong is using the Making Waves stitch pattern which turned out to be perfect for CIC.

The vest is based on the What's In My Pocket Vest Pattern, size 2, 72 stitches around. It was knit with a bulky blue Lopi wool on size 10.5 needles. The Making Waves stitch pattern is in the center 24 stitches of the front and back.

The Making Waves pattern stitch pulls in, so for the socks, I cast on 28 stitches for the ribbing and increased to 32 for the waves pattern. They are knit from a turquoise Cascade 220 wool on size 5 needles.

The Making Waves socks I'm knitting myself for the knitalong have been on hold for the last few weeks while I work on a project I can't share. I expect to get back to them by the end of the month and finish them early in September.

What is a Coastal Disjunct?
From the Michigan Nature Association website:

"A coastal plain in Michigan? Yes. What is a coastal plain disjunct plant? It is one that is separated or disjoined from its usual location, the coastal plain along the Atlantic Ocean. Certain counties in southwest Michigan have marshes with such plants."

On this beautiful August afternoon I took a guided walk through the Hamilton Township Coastal Disjunct.

I heard about the coastal disjunct field trip while on a Kalamazoo Nature Center field trip. I thought it sounded like something an amateur naturalist shouldn't miss.

I especially wanted to know how the coastal plants ended up in Michigan.

The answer? Nobody knows. According to our guide, there are some theories but none of them have been proven. He didn't think any of them made sense and he didn't tell us what they were.

We came across this cicada hanging from a shelf fungus and shedding its skin. It brought out more cameras than any plant we saw.

Family Fun Day
Tuesday was "Family Fun Day" with Uncle John and Aunt Anne visiting from Idaho. We spent the day at the Binder Park Zoo. What a wonderful memorable day we had together.

The last time eight year old Kimmy saw her Uncle John and Aunt Anne in person, she was only two years old. It didn't seem to matter. John and Kimmy took up like they'd been playing with each other for her entire childhood.


This old Jeep is parked in the Wild Africa area of the Binder Park Zoo. The kids love to get in it and pretend they're driving.

Uncle John, the passenger, wishes Kimmy would watch where she is going. Heather, outside the window, is enjoying a good laugh over Kimmy's driving. In about six more years, Heather won't think Kimmy's driving is so funny.

Kimmy had her face painted at the zoo compliments of her Uncle John. Yes, that is a spider in the middle of her forehead. Those are spider webs on her cheeks. She liked the paint job, but it itched so much she decided to wash it off before we went out to dinner.


After the zoo visit, Monette treated us to dinner at Applebee's. The waitress was so nice. Taking our picture was her idea and she even shut the blinds so it would turn out.

It was a day I want to remember for the rest of my life - to have my children together and enjoying each other's company. Because we live so far apart, these are indeed rare and precious moments.

Going around the table left to right:

• Me - Monette's daughter. Heather and John's mother. Kimmy's grandma.
• Heather - Monette's granddaughter. My daughter. John's sister. Kimmy's mother.
• Kimmy - Monette's great-granddaughter. My granddaughter. Heather's daughter. John and Anne's niece.
• Anne - John's wife. My daughter-in-law. Mother-to-be of my second grandchild.
• Monette - My mother. Heather and John's grandmother. Kimmy's great-grandmother.
• John - Monette's grandson. My son. Heather's brother. Anne's husband. Kimmy's uncle. Father-to-be of my second grandchild.

Tuesday night is kid's night at Applebee's. Kimmy got dinner for free plus she got a balloon and a red flower painted on her cheek. It was the perfect ending to a day that was as perfect as a day can be.

Kimmy and I didn't plan to dress alike. She knew I had a shirt like hers and she thought I might wear it, so she wore hers. She was pleased to know that I'd thought the same way.

This is so special. It makes it even sweeter because I know the time is coming soon when she will not want to be dressing like her grandma.

Tomorrow (Thursday) morning we are meeting for breakfast before John and Anne drive off across the state to the Detroit Airport. It's going to be a sad good-by for all of us.

My Baby is Going to be a Daddy
This is my son John when he was nine months old. He's over thirty now and here on a visit with his wife Anne.

Remember back on July 30 when I posted about finding two four-leaf clovers?

I wrote that even with the clover I still wasn't expecting the good fortune that came my way when I learned that son John and daughter-in-law Anne were coming to visit the middle of August.

Well after we greeted each other and settled in for a chat, John asked what good luck I got from the second clover. A rather strange question. I couldn't think of anything better than his and Anne's visit from Idaho, so I told him I didn't know.

That was the right answer! He told me the second clover worth of good luck is due to make me a grandmother around April 4 in Idaho.

What a surprise! But a very welcome surprise.

School Days
Questions from Sunday Brunch.

Marshall High School Class of 1963! I'll be swinging down Memory Lane to answer these questions.

1. Did you like or dislike high school?

Neither. High school was what I was supposed to be doing, so I did it.

Even though I didn't think much about not liking it while it was happening, life was better after high school.

2. Walk to school, ride the bus or catch a ride with someone?

We lived in the country my freshman year, so I rode the bus. I don't remember exactly when it was we moved to town, but by my junior year we lived close to the school and I walked.

Marshall was a small town. Many days I walked home for lunch and back to school again.

3. What was your favorite subject?

Math. I loved the beauty of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry.

For the last two years of high school my math teacher was Miss Ruth Ann Erskine. She taught me how to think and she taught me that some things require patience.

4. When it came to doing homework, did you do it right away, wait 'til the last minute or just do it whenever you felt like it?

I did it before it was due.

Sometimes I was doing it at the last minute, but it was always handed in on time.

5. Would you go to your high school reunion?

I attended my ten year class reunion. No one had changed much and there was a lot of pot smoking which I didn't participate in. I'm sure that later reunions were more interesting, but I never went back. My introverted self was much happier staying home.

I think I really must attend our 50 year reunion in 2013 - Lord willing that I'm still alive and able.

What did you think of high school?

Arrival of the Tall People

Friday the 13th was a great day for me. My son John and his wife Anne arrived in SW Michigan from their home in Idaho. They are here for John's sixteen year high school reunion and a family visit.

It's been over five years since we've seen each other in person. That was the wedding in Las Vegas, Anne's home town. John and I keep in pretty close touch with blogs and email so I didn't realize how much I missed his presence.

Now I know I have to fight the inertia that keeps me in Michigan and learn to take that plane to Post Falls Idaho. I never want to go five years without seeing my son again.

Anne and I don't know each other very well, but I know her well enough to say I'm a very fortunate mother to have my son married to such a fine woman. They make a perfect couple and it makes me smile to see them together.

Gotcha with My Headrest
We got a new chair today and the little dogs are afraid of it. Sunny scuttles by it like it's going to reach out and grab her. Pappy is a little braver. After looking it over from afar, he finally went over and sniffed it out.

It's very comfy. I wish I could sit in it with my laptop but the little dogs wouldn't know what to do. I normally sit on the loveseat. Pappy sits on the back of it over my shoulder and Sunny snuggles up next to my left side. This obviously won't work if I'm sitting in a chair.

I will be able to sit in it when I don't have my laptop on my lap because then I can have the dogs on my lap - provided Sunny gets over being afraid of the chair.

Is That an Iceberg?
Last night was the doggy school picnic on a dog friendly beach at Lake Michigan. It couldn't have been colder. I heard we set records yesterday for the lowest temperatures ever in August. August is usually unbearably hot and humid in Michigan.

It was about 60 degrees (F) and very windy. I wore a sweatshirt covered by a fleece jacket with a nylon jacket on top. That kept me warm except for my hands.

Sunny was the lucky dog who got to go with me. She had never been to the beach before and she loved romping in the sand. We're going to have to go back when/if it warms up.

Here Kitty Kitty
Here's a link to a site with adorable kitten pictures. Everytime you click on the button, a new one pops up. Too cute.

Random Kitten Generator

Now I want to find one with random puppy pictures.

Need an Avatar?
Here's something fun - an Avatar Maker. Lots of options for making just the image you want.

An avatar is a graphical representation that represents you on the internet. It can look like you, a completely different person, an object, or an animal.

I selected the options to match my actual appearance. Here is the result:



Don't I look like a friendly granny? How about leaving me a comment?

Another This and That
Questions from Sunday Brunch.

1. How do you like your eggs?

Over easy. That way I know for sure that they're done.

2. What do you collect?

I'm not a collector. I do have bins and bins of yarn waiting to be knit up. Does that count?

3. Do you carry a purse, backpack or briefcase on a regular basis? If yes, does it contain only the essentials or a whole lot of everything?

My purse is rather largish, but I keep it pretty cleaned out and only carry the essentials. That usually includes a pair of socks I'm knitting. What's more essential than having some knitting to pick up when there's time?

4. When is the last time you've read a book, put together a puzzle, built something or did something crafty?

I just finished The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber. Not great literature but a very pleasant little read. The story line revolves around four very different women who meet and bond in a knitting group.

Something crafty? Is this a good excuse to show you my latest completed knitting project? Yes!

Yarn Forward, an online yarn shop, had bulky Lopi on sale for half price. I bought a large amount in bright and pretty colors to make CIC vests. Then, instead of working on either of the pair of socks I have started, I spent the last two days knitting the first little vest. After all, I just had to find out if I was going to like knitting with the Lopi yarn. I do.

These little vests knit up very quickly. Even quicker than a pair of toddler CIC socks. They are only seventy-two stitches around, knit with bulky yarn on size 10.5 needles. That gives about three stitches an inch and four rows an inch.

I've never timed one from start to finish, but I know I can knit one in two days just sitting down occasionally and knitting for a short time.

5. What was the highlight of your weekend?

So far there hasn't been a highlight - but it's not over yet.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

The Rest of the Story
Thanks for all the comments, emails, sympathy, and advice on my last post.

Now I think it's time I tell you why I attend the church that I attend - the preaching and teaching is excellent.

Once the music part of the service is over, we take our Bibles and get a detailed lesson on a section of the contents.

Our senior pastor was an attorney in Scotland for ten years before being called by God to preach the Word. He is a graduate of Edinburgh University, Scotland. He earned a Master of Theology degree and his doctorate from Dallas Theological Seminary.

He is an intelligent man with a powerful love of the Lord and a strong feeling for the Word of God. His sermons are well organized and delivered with enthusiasm. This summer he is preaching a detailed series on the book of Ruth with numerous lessons and applications for my life.

Many people, myself included, take notes on his sermons so we can go back to the passage during the week to absorb it at a slower pace.

There are some theological points where I believe differently than this church, so I have never become an official member. But I have been a faithful attendee since the Lord led me there ten years ago. Rare is the service where I'm not blessed by the message.

I feel very strongly that the Lord wants me in that church right now - but not forever. Periodically I pray about going somewhere else and the Holy Spirit tells me to stay put for now and keep learning. So that's what I do.

Tomorrow morning, Lord willing, I will be sitting in church with the proper spirit of worship.

Bobbleheads for Jesus
It all started about five years ago when my church hired a Minister of Worship and Music.

Until then there was an organ prelude, lots of the old hymns that I love, a choir that could be heard, and very excellent Christmas and Easter special music programs directed by talented people from the congregation. I loved the music. It played an important role in my worship.

Now we have an orchestra, chorus chants where the same words are repeated over and over, and a choir that can't be heard because the new sound system is drowning out the vocals with the amplified accompaniment.

Occasionally the Minister of Worship and Music gets to give the sermon. Then we all learn that we are to worship with our heart and mind on the Lord. Therefore, if we are critical of the worship service - especially the music - it is because we are not worshiping in the proper spirit.

This summer they let the Minister of Worship and Music preach a five week series on worship. Must be I'm not the only one who needs a musical attitude adjustment. I didn't hear any of it. I skipped church for five weeks, the most weeks in a row I've missed since I started going ten years ago.

I should have gone, because the challenge of keeping the spirit of worship has once again been kicked up a notch.

The latest new thing introduced in my church may be the last straw for me.

Picture this: The Minister of Worship and Music stands on the platform with several other song leaders called a Praise Team. As He talks to the congregation or gives a scripture reading, he has the Praise Team stare at him in total fascination and nod their heads up and down in approval.

I am so embarrassed for these people and my church! I can not maintain a spirit of worship while the Praise Team is looking like idiot Christian bobbleheads.

For some reason the Lord has really put this heavy on my mind, and I don't know what He wants me to do about it.

Would love to hear your thoughts - even if you think I'm overreacting.

Six Sock Knitalong - Sock 2
Making Waves is the second sock pattern in the Six Sock Knitalong. We have August and September to complete the pair.

A progress picture is required, so here it is!

Progress from this point on is going to be slow. August is turning into a busy month plus I'm knitting a CIC vest, a pair of CIC socks, and another pair of socks for a different knitalong.

The socks are being knit with a Regia 4 ply yarn called Line Steps Color in blue. The needles are two 24" Addi Turbo circulars, size US #1.

Yikes
This scary looking bald-faced hornet nest is a few feet above the ground in a bush at the edge of the lawn.

Bob spotted it when he was mowing and made a point of showing it to me so I wouldn't accidently reach into this shrub.

We like to leave nature in peace whenever possible, so we're not going to do anything to get rid of it. When the frost comes this fall, the hornets will all die except the queen. We just need to keep away from it for a few months.

In the Clover

Lucky Clovers
Found these lucky four leaf clovers a few weeks ago but still wasn't expecting the good fortune that came my way when I learned that son John and daughter-in-law Anne are coming to visit the middle of August.

John is coming back to Michigan from Idaho for his sixteen year class reunion at Battle Creek Central. His class is doing reunions in nontraditional years as explained by John on his blog.

The whole family is looking forward to this visit. I'm sure I'll be writing more about it as it unfolds.

Rabbit Foot Clover
One of my favorite plants is the inconspicuous Rabbit Foot Clover that grows sparsely in the back field.

The flowers are grayish with a pink tinge. They are wonderfully soft and fluffy feeling.

When I Googled Rabbit Foot Clover in the hope of finding something interesting to relate about it, I found these pictures which give a much better feel for the beauty of the little plant.

It's a European import, not a native plant. There's nothing impressive about it. I don't think it is the host plant for any moths or butterflies. It appears to have no medicinal uses. It's not very showy. I just like it.

Cloverleaf Socks
Got them done! These are my Cloverleaf socks, the first socks in the Six Sock Knitalong.

They were knit with Canadian Sock Yarn, a worsted weight 80% wool 20% nylon from Halcyon in color Bluejean, a very rich blue.

36 stitches around were knit with 2 circulars, US #5.

The lace pattern has three holes positioned like the three leaves of a clover. If I hadn't of been in such a rush to start and finish these, I would have liked to make them green - like a cloverleaf. But the yarn I had in my stash was blue, so blue they are.

The double decrease in worsted weight yarn made the pattern too lumpy to be worn in a shoe, so I didn't carry the cloverleaf down the instep. I did continue the ribbing down to the toe.

Great fun knitting these. I joined the knitalong late so I was playing beat the calendar to get them done by the deadline.

The August/September knitalong socks, Making Waves are barely started. I'm looking forward to knitting them at a more leisurely pace.

Any clovers in your life lately?

Regression into SHEness

It was a simple, finite task. Take the canisters off the top shelf in the kitchen, wipe the canisters off, wipe the shelf off, put the canisters back. Should take five minutes max.

First, I took the canisters down and washed the lids in the dishwater. Next, I climbed up on a stool to wipe off the shelf. While I was up there, I noticed that the wall over the shelf needed washing off. I found my cloth up there wiping it, but the stool wasn't high enough for me to get all the way to the ceiling.

Climbing down to get a step stool, I noticed a button I'd been meaning to sew on Bob's shirt. I went in the back bedroom to get a needle and thread. While I was there, I remembered I had to send in a prescription today, which meant filling out a form for Caremark. It was very important to have that ready for the mail person, so I sat down and did it right then, put a stamp on it, and took it out to the mailbox.

Now it's fifteen minutes after I started a five minute job. The canisters are unwiped and sitting on the counter, the lids are in the dish drainer, the bulkhead is half washed, the button is still waiting, and I'm standing out by the road pulling a few weeds.

I'm capable of doing housework for two hours and having the house look worse when I'm done than when I started. In fact, many is that time I've done just that.

There's a name for this: SHE, Sidetracked Home Executive. Over 200,000 SHEs, including myself, belong to Flylady, a very special Yahoo group to teach SHEs how to do what's important at home.

Thanks to Flylady, I realized immediately that I'd been sidetracked, got back on track, and finished what I had set out to do.

At work I was never a SHE. I was a project leader. I knew the critical path and I made sure everyone stayed on it - including me. Year after year I was commended for being organized and getting things done on time.

I haven't identified a critical path for housework yet. To my mind, it's a circular, neverending process. Do it and soon it needs to be done again.

Does housework have a critical path?

Garden Reality

I started the summer full of big plans for getting the yard back into shape. I divided the yard up into zones and planned to rotate through them a week at a time getting the weeds out and the desirable plants back where they belong.

Now that it is almost August, I find myself still in the front yard, working my way around and pulling out weeds, mostly oak seedlings.

This picture shows how thick they are. The left side of the picture has been de-oaked, the right side of the picture has not. Some of them are several years old and have a tap root a foot long. Others are new seedlings and are still attached to the acorn, making them difficult to pull out of the ground.

My original plan to cut the little oaks off at ground level was a failure. The seedlings I cut off are sprouting new leaves and I'm going to have to go back and pull them out by the roots.

When I started the project, I wasn't in very good shape so I pulled oaks for fifteen minutes a day. Now I'm in better shape and I go out for a half hour a day.

This is not whining. I have come to enjoy the process. I take out a stool, sit down, pull, and enjoy the outdoors, the birds, the insects, and the sense of satisfaction in seeing the ground cleared. I'm starting to plan what to plant in the cleared patches of soil. It's going to be fun to fill in the front yard garden this fall.

Goin' On Vacation
Questions from Sunday Brunch.

1. What is your favorite mode of transportation when traveling?

Private jet.

Have I ever traveled in a private jet? Well, actually I did once. When I worked for Kellogg I got to take the corporate jet to the East Coast.

It was wonderful. We went directly to the hanger, hopped on, and took off. None of the hassles of commercial flying. And, since the jet was used mostly by the top executives, it was very plush, roomy, and comfortable.

2. If you had the means to travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Israel. Where Jesus was born, lived, taught, died, and rose again.

I need the nerve more than the means. I'm not very brave about traveling in these violent times, and it doesn't get more violent than the things that happen in Israel.

3. Have you ever been to another country?

Does Canada count? If not, the answer is "no".

4. If time were not an issue, how long could you stand to be away from home?

If I had Bob and the dogs with me, I could stand to be away from home for several months.

Without Bob and dogs, I wouldn't want to be gone more than a week at most.

5. What is the funnest or most interesting trip you've taken?

The trip to Las Vegas in 1999 for son John's wedding to Anne was very memorable.

John's dad and I had been divorced for 25 years, and now the two families were coming to together for a very special occasion. I mentally practiced being polite ahead of time and promised myself that no matter what happened I would stay cordial.

It turned out much better than I imagined it could. My ex inlaws were very nice. My ex mother-in-law even gave me a hug when we met at the hotel. My ex sister-in-law gave us a tour of the strip. My ex husband and I had a memorable conversation about the wonderful son we produced and how much we approved of his bride.

I'm sure it was our love for John that had us all getting along. And what better reason to behave ourselves?

Did you go or are you going anywhere on vacation this summer?

Knitalong Sock Status

A quick update on the socks that I'm trying to knit quick.

Both cuffs are done, one heel is turned, the other heel is ready to be turned. I am confident that I'm going to get them done by the deadline.

These are going to be great warm socks to wear with my jeans this coming winter.

Cardinal Fledgling Status
Bob says he saw the male Cardinal feeding the junior cardinal in a bush. I'm sorry I didn't get to see that.

The kids have left the nest and are learning the ways of the world now.

Bluebird Fledgling Status
The nest is empty. I believe four out of the five fledged. One died, I'm not sure how. The parents dumped its poor little dead body out of the box.

On one of my walks I saw the dead bird hanging half way out of the nest box hole, so I must have interrupted the clean up process. I was scared that the entire nest had been corrupted, but when I went back later all was well with the remaining four and the corpse was gone. Pappy found it later - a long way from the nest box.

Leave it to a dog to find the grossest thing in the field.

Knit Quick
People on my sock lists have been talking about the Six Sock Knitalong, so I finally checked it out and joined. (Very cute dog/cat picture if you click on this link.)

A knitalong is where a group of people get together in cyberland and knit their own variations on the same knitting pattern during a set time period.

All the knitalongs I've observed have used Yahoo Groups to stay in touch. That means there is daily chatter on what everyone is doing, how they are doing it, helpful hints, a few nonhelpful hints, and new cyber knitting friends to meet.

The best fun part is the pictures. All the knitters post pictures to the Yahoo group. We get to admire each other's socks in progress and finished.

The Six Sock Knitalong is going to do six challenging socks over a year. Two months for each sock. They are giving out prizes for each sock and a prize at the end to someone who has completed all six socks by their finish date.

It appears the prizes are yarn. Knitters with more yarn than they can knit in a lifetime get excited about winning more yarn. I can't explain it.

The finish date for the first pair is July 31. I joined yesterday. There is going to be some serious knitting around here to get done in time.

The first pattern to knit is Cloverleaf Eyelet Rib Socks. I'm knitting the 36 stitch child's version using a worsted weight sock yarn. When I started knitting it this morning, I thought the finished socks would be going to CIC. I'm delighted to find that the lace pattern is very loose and the socks are going to fit me.

Are any Seasons of Violet readers doing this knitalong?

Black-eyed Susan

Teeshirt Hoarder
Some people save their good linens for "someday". Other people save their good china, crystal, silver. Then there's the people who get diaries or notebooks and don't write in them because they might mess them up.

I've met all those challenges and conquered them. Instead, I hoard teeshirts.

Since I'm usually doing something casual and/or dirty when wearing a teeshirt, I never wear my favorites because I don't want them to get faded or stained.

This enlightenment occurred to me as I was cleaning out my teeshirt drawer yesterday. I had a serious talk with myself about teeshirt hoarding. Then I pulled the waste basket over close.

First, I got rid of all the nasty ones. Teeshirts are cheap and plentiful. What's the point of wearing a worn and/or strained teeshirt and feeling scruffy? Then I got rid of the large ones that hang like a garbage bag on me. (Do I get to brag about losing 40 pounds again?)

I've had this black-eyed susan tee for ten years and hardly ever worn it. Black-eyed susan is one of my favorite wildflowers so I was saving the shirt for a special occasion.

No more! I'm all done saving teeshirts for special occasions. Especially since I don't wear teeshirts to special occasions.

So I wore the black-eyed susan shirt yesterday, enjoyed it, and threw it in the laundry. I'll be wearing it again soon.

Sometimes cleaning out a drawer is more than just housework - sometimes it helps clean out my brain as well.

The Real Thing
Black-eyed susan blooms in late summer which is quickly approaching. We are fortunate enough to have many little clusters of it - like this one - in the back field where I walk the dogs.

The real thing is prettier than a teeshirt.

Are you saving something you should be enjoying?

Are You My Mother?
Standing on a chair to peek into the nest, I was able to trick one of the pair of five day old cardinals into thinking I might feed it. The second dove for cover in the bottom of the nest.

A few seconds after I took this picture, the hungry little bird realized I was NOT his mother. It dove down into the bottom of the nest to join its sibling and to avoid having another picture taken.

Leave It!
Last night at doggy school one of our classmates was telling us about training available in Arizona to teach dogs to leave rattlesnakes and scorpions alone.

I have to wonder if the training would work on all dogs. My dog Pappy is a well trained, obedient dog who likes to please. Yet when he spots a rodent, his mind goes completely one-track on rodent chasing.

To trust a dog not to mess with a rattlesnake or scorpion, I'm thinking the training needs to be harsh and memorable. And needs to be repeated at intervals to make sure they don't forget. Not a pleasant thought, but good results are important.

Anyone know more about this?

Male Cardinal Update
There is a male cardinal and he is helping the female tend the little ones. He brings food and sometimes he even sits on the nest to help keep the little naked hatchlings warm.

It's All About Me
Questions from Sunday Brunch.

1. Do you or should you wear glasses or contact lenses?

I'm very near sighted and have worn glasses since I was ten.

2. What is your favorite type of footwear?

New Balance walking shoes. I have flat feet and really need the cushioning and support. They go on my feet in the morning and come off as I'm climbing into bed.

3. What is your worst habit?

I have no idea. It's not that I don't have any bad habits, it's just that I'm unable to place a ranking on the wide range of possibilities.

I could ask DH Bob who's sitting in the same room with me, but I like to think that he thinks I'm perfect. Why ruin a perfectly beautiful summer evening with a question like that?

Actually, I know what his answer would be: "Oh ah, oh ah . .". After almost twenty nine years of marriage, he knows better than to answer a question like that. He's a very smart man.

4. Are you an average, so-so or very good cook?

Better than so-so, but not in the very good category. I'm a good cook. A few things I make are fantastic, but they're other people's recipes. Does that count?

5. Do you spend more time watching television, listening to music or surfing the internet?

Surfing the internet.

Anybody have any good websites I should go visit?

Old Shale Anklets


Just finished knitting these socks for granddaughter Kimmy. She's seen and approved the yarn, but she hasn't seen the finished product yet so I may wait until Christmas to give them to her.

The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in a variegated colorway called "flame" and solid red.

Old Shale has always been one of my favorite lace stitch patterns because of the pretty scalloped edge it creates.

The sock on the right with the cuff turned down is how the sock looks on the foot.

The sock on the left has the cuff up to show how the sock is constructed. First, the lace was knit. Then, after a purl row to make a ridge for turning the cuff down, there is knit 1 purl 1 ribbing to hold the sock snuggly to the leg. The ribbing stops just before the sock gets to the point where solid red is going to show when the cuff is turned down.

I made this pattern up as I went along and I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. I have enough left over yarn to make another pair. The second pair may be for me.

Cardinal Success
Not very far from our side door - the door we use all the time - a cardinal built her nest in a large Rose of Sharon bush.

The nest is about six feet from the ground.

I spotted the nest a few weeks ago and wondered if the female would stay there with all the human and canine activity nearby.

There doesn't seem to be a male cardinal around. Male involvement varies between bird species, so maybe that's typical for cardinals. I'd hate to think something happened to him.

This is the first time I've observed a cardinal nest.

According to my reading, there are usually three to five eggs in a cardinal nest. As you can see, this one only has two. Maybe that's a good thing if mom cardinal has to do all the food gathering herself.

Not sure if they hatched today or yesterday, but here they are! Funny, fuzzy, hungry cardinal hatchlings.

I can't see into the nest without standing on something. And, even then I can't see what's in the nest without bringing the side down with my finger. That's why my hand is always in the bird nest pictures.

New Links on Sidebar
City Birder
Rob writes about red-tailed hawks and other wildlife observations around Brooklyn and NYC. The pictures on this blog are some of the best bird photography I've ever enjoyed.

View From the Porch Swing
Stacy writes a nice friendly bog about her daily life and thoughts.

Go Ahead: Read My Mind
Melodee writes about her life as a preacher's wife and mother of four. Very upbeat and humorous.

Usually I wait a few months before putting a new blog on my sidebar. I found this blog such fun to read that I read her old posts and then decided to wave the waiting period.

Tah's Blog
This is my son John's new blog. He doesn't have to go through a waiting period because he's got pull on Seasons of Violet.

For those of you who like movies, he's written a thorough review of King Arthur.

What's your favorite blog other than Seasons of Violet?

In The Work Place
Questions from Sunday Brunch.

For the past twenty-file years I worked full-time as a computer professional. In January of this year I was "severed due to acquisition".

The only job I have now is part-time volunteer work doing botanical inventory at the Kalamazoo Nature Center.

These answers are for my Kalamazoo Nature Center work.

• 1. Do you work full-time, part-time or do you work a seasonal job? The work is part-time and seasonal, May through October.
  
  
• 2. Are you more often on time, early or late for work? Early. I'm usually early for whatever I'm doing.
  
  
• 3. Have you ever called in sick when you actually weren't? No.
  
  
• 4. How many hours per day do you put in? Two hours once a week.
  
  
• 5. Do you socialize with any of your co-workers? Not yet. We are going to have a get-together of all the volunteers at the end of the season.

Working At the Nature Center
I couldn't be more pleased with my plant inventory partner, Luanne. We match in age, physical ability, and plant identification skills. She's good company, sticks to the task at hand, and has a talent for spotting a species we haven't identified yet before I ever see it.

Up and Over
Our first challenge of the day is to get over this fence. There's a parking lot inside the fence, but it's usually not open during the week.

The first time I tried it, I wasn't confident I could make it over. Now I'm an experienced fence climbing grandma.


Source Pond
One of our destinations is this source pond. It is a half mile hike through an old field and a hardwood forest.

Someday I'd like to just hike out to the pond, quietly sit, and see what there is to see.


Michigan Lily
Last week Luanne spotted a brightly colored something off the trail in a pit like depression. Usually when we spot something that's in a challenging spot, we're able to find the same plant growing elsewhere in a spot we can easily access. Not this time.

While I was wondering how we were ever going to get to them, Luanne said, "Will you help me out if I get stuck?"

Well, of course I would.

It was a beautiful clump of Michigan lilies, well worth the effort.

Silly Success


A former work teammate sent me this picture she took at the Doo Dah Parade.

She also sent it to other people we used to work with without much explanation of what we were doing.

Emailing: Marguerite and her dog.jpg

All,

I took this picture of Marguerite at the Doo Dah parade.

Barb

I hurried to explain so they wouldn't all think I've gone bonkers since losing my job.

Thanks Barb. Nice picture.

For anyone who doesn't know, we were the Briarwood Beach Bums and we were supposed to look funny and stupid. That's the spirit of the Doo Dah parade. We were so successful at it that our group won second place.

Briarwood is the name of the doggy school where Sunny and Pappy do obedience and agility.

This is Pappy in the picture. He was a good sport about wearing the getup. This is the first time I've ever dressed up my dogs. It's not something I do lightly.

It took over a week and plenty of turkey dog pieces to train him to leave those glasses on. I also had to promise him that after the parade he never had to wear them again.

Hope everyone is well and happy and got a laugh out of Barb's picture.

Marguerite

Congratulations to Me

A few weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised to get a letter from Pfizer asking me to pick out a retirement gift.

It just happens that I was in need of a watch to fit my new lifestyle and one of the choices was a very nice Swiss made Movado watch with a leather band.

This is the first expensive watch I've ever owned. When I found out the list price - $395 - I was tempted to stick it in my dresser drawer and put my cheapy back on. The temptation quickly passed, and I've been proudly wearing it for about a week now.

I thought it was considerate of them to let us decline the Pfizer logo on our gift. My eighteen years of employment was with Upjohn/Pharmacia & Upjohn/Pharmacia. (2 mergers, two name changes.)

The night I heard that Pharmacia was acquired by Pfizer was the night I knew I was going to lose my job, so my career was not with Pfizer. (1,2,3 mergers and you're out!)

Does anyone outside of Kalamazoo remember the Upjohn Company?

Question from What's On.....Right Now??

What's On your 'fun things planned for the near future' Right Now??

Tomorrow I'm picking up granddaughter Kimmy and her friend Paul for a day at Full Blast.

Full Blast has an indoor water park with two, 100-foot waterslides, zero-depth entry pool, water play features, lazy river, and jet spa. Even more fun, it has an outdoor water park with two, 200-foot waterslides, zero-depth entry pool and water playground.

This is a special treat to celebrate the finishing of third grade.

We've done it after every school year so I know what to expect.

I picked up an easy read at the library today for my day at poolside. The kids are old enough now so all I need to do is sit, read, and occasionally shell out some money.

I'm looking forward to watching them have a blast.

Swimming Lesson Gone Bad
When Kimmy was three I started taking her to the "big pool" as she called it. Western Michigan University had family swim time on Saturday afternoons. For a couple of dollars we could use the university "big pool" for a few hours.

The shallowest water was four feet deep, way over little Kimmy's head. At first she sat on my hip and hung on tight as we waltzed around in the water. Later she got a little braver and paddled around with a flotation device.

That spring I signed her up for swimming lessons at Western. The students earned money by teaching the kids how to swim. I had high expectations.

Kimmy was willing and excited. I felt no qualms about leaving the pool area when they told the adults to get lost, and she didn't mind that I was leaving. We were allowed to go very high up in the bleachers and watch the lesson, so that's what I did.

She got put in a group with two little boys and a male instructor. The guy was clueless about kids.

The first thing he did was stand them on a small platform out in the middle of the four feet deep water. They could stand on the platform and have their head and chest out of the water. That was good.

Then, for some reason, the instructor left the group. The two boys started throwing water on Kimmy. Lots of water. She couldn't get away. She couldn't make them stop. I heard her screaming, "I want my grandma! I want my grandma NOW!"

By the time I got down to pool level she was semi hysterical. One of the lifeguards brought her to the edge of the pool and we went to the locker room. She cried and cried and cried - horrible deep sobs while I hugged her on my lap.

When she was done crying she said, "I like the pool. I don't like swimming lessons. I don't like boys!" We never went back.

We found other places to swim and gradually through the years she learned how to do all the water basics without swimming lessons.

.

The Deep End
Kimmy is eight years old now. This is the first year we've let Kimmy go into the deep end by herself. She has fun jumping into nine feet of water and seeing how far down she can go.

In this picture, she's proudly swimming across the deep end. And proud Grandma and Great-Grandma are watching her show off.

I've been freezing in this unheated pool with Kimmy for the past three years. This year I've declared myself too old to swim in cold water. There have to be some advantages to getting old.

The pool is at Great-Grandma Monette's apartment complex.

This is Great-Grandma poolside and NOT working on a tan.

This summer Kimmy lives in an apartment complex that also has a pool. She gets to swim often and should be part fish by the end of the summer.

How did you learn how to swim?

Zoo Day
What Time Is It?
Wednesday Granddaughter Kimmy and I got up at five in the morning, left home at six in the morning and boarded a bus headed to the Brookfield Zoo.

Our bus driver's driving strategy was to get that big bus in the left hand lane and step on the gas. His strategy worked well and trip was completed in a little under three hours.

Kimmy is only pretending to sleep in this picture. Good actress, isn't she?

In reality, she was too excited to sleep. We played hangman for a while and then watched a movie, Stuart Little, on the monitors.

How Hot Is It?
If you've ever been to the zoo on a warm day, you know that it feels at least ten degrees hotter in the zoo than the actual temperature.

Maybe it is because of all the walking - in the sun and on the pavement.

I had told Kimmy we were going to get the souvenirs last so I didn't have to carry them around all day. She convinced me that she needed a hat right away, so we ended up in a souvenir shop almost first thing.

Everything at the zoo is priced way way more than it is worth. The zoo makes periodic announcements about the excess revenue going to the support of the zoo so we will feel good about overpaying.

I was ready to contribute. I took plenty of money in anticipation of paying outrageous prices. There were numerous opportunities to do just that.

Where's the Bear?
The zoo tries to make the animals as comfortable as possible.

Most of the outdoor animals are able to go indoors, which leaves their exhibit area empty for the overheated people who came to see them.

Even when the animals are outside, they are in an environment where it is not always easy to find them.

This is an Alaskan brown bear ripping a box apart behind the log. It would have been fun to watch. It would have been fun just to be able to see the bear.

Hey bear! We came all the way from Kalamazoo to see you. How about coming out from behind that log?

Next let's walk ten minutes in the heat and go see the tiger. There he is! Look! Look! I think that's a tiger ear sticking out from behind that clump of grass.

Kimmy is not impressed by the tiger ear. I'm not impressed either. We go stand in a long line to buy some overpriced ice cream and try to cool off a little.

Is It Real?
Yes, it is real.

The day wasn't a complete disappointment. The lion was impressive, even though he was sleeping.

The dolphin show was the most fun. It was so much fun that I completely forgot to take any pictures of the dolphins.

Can We Get Souvenirs Now?
Yes. Grandma is ready to shell out more money. What would you like to have?

As usual Kimmy makes a good selection. A very cute stuffed wolf and a very cute stuffed tiger.

Well, if you can't see the real tiger, why not get a stuffed tiger?

After the shopping was complete, it was time for some cold refreshment and sit down time.

Our Zoo is Better
Kimmy and I agree that the day was not the most fun we ever had together. We did enjoy each other's company though, and I was impressed at how maturely she handled the disappointments.

We also agree that we like Binder Park Zoo better than Brookfield.

Where is Binder Park Zoo? It's just south of Battle Creek Michigan and about five miles from where Kimmy lives.

If you like zoos, Binder Park Zoo is a must visit. Plan an spending the whole day. There's plenty to see including a 50 acre African savanna.

Kimmy and I are both members, so we can stop in as often as we like. We've never had a bad time there. When we get too hot, we leave and go swimming.

Bird Report

Four Days Old
All five bluebird eggs hatched on Tuesday. The little ones are keeping their parents busy bringing food to the nest.

When they're this little, they don't know enough to be afraid when I open the nest box. They just open their mouths and hope that I'm going to feed them.

Tree Swallows Learning to Fly
There is an electric line running diagonally across the field. Many of the fledglings end up sitting on it while learning the basics of life outside the nest.

When I went out yesterday morning, I got dive bombed by the swallows even though I wasn't anywhere near their nest box. When I looked up there were three of the young swallows on the power line.

Mom and Dad were watching them very closely. Any bird that got near them was chased away. In their spare time, the parents were bringing food and feeding their kids. I'm sure that food gathering is on the lesson schedule, too.

Blogging Vacation is Over
I'm back, rested, and ready to resume blogging!

There's much to write about and pictures to share, but it's late so I'm going to start out with something easy.

Question from What's On.....Right Now??

What's On your clock Right Now??

Remember when these clocks were advertised on TV?

This was a Christmas present from my daughter and granddaughter about four years ago.

Each hour a different bird song sings out the time.

I quickly learned that my tolerance for hourly bird songs coming from my kitchen clock was very low. After the first day I turned them off and they haven't been heard since.

Do you have a special clock?