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"Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful."
- Unknown

"That which does not kill you, makes you stronger."
- Handed down through the ages.

"Life's tough. It's even tougher when you're stupid."
- John Wayne



I've MISSED You!

Good morning!  I wrote the text in brown yesterday but could never get around to posting it.  Finishing it this morning, I'm in red.

Wow.  A day at home.  Ahhh, the simple bliss of it!  It seems like so much longer, but I guess it's only been 7 solid days working in a row which I haven't been home (except to throw some food at the chickens, take the most cursory of glances at the electrical system and sleep).  Oh, AND perform tick checks.  The ticks have been particularly horrible this spring.


I'm soooo tired that all I want to do is curl up with a good movie . . . although I know I'd just fall asleep.  And, there are SO many things that simply HAVE to be done around here!  I am running out of work clothes, so I MUST make that laundry soap today, and, and, and . . . .  My theory is, though, that if I get one part of the house clean, I should be able to KEEP it clean since I'm hardly here, right?  That's the idea, anyway.

After the hot, sticky start to the summer, we've dropped back into typical temperatures, which have been lovely . . . at least for me, working down by the lake.  Up here, at Swamp River Ridge, it's still been warm during the days, but the night temperatures have been dropping down into the 40s . . . LOVELY for sleeping!  The mosquitoes have even seemed to ease up a titch (knock on wood).  It's been a few days since I've had to sleep underneath that mini tent . . . although I should have pulled it over me this morning.  Instead, I pulled the covers over my head . . . which only really succeeded in making me feel as though I was suffocating.


The blueberry blossoms (above) show real promise of a good harvest this year.


Check out this camouflage, will you?
Without cheating by skipping ahead, do you see the bee on the center blossom?


Yeah, well, s/he's NOT the one so perfectly hidden by Mother Nature!  Isn't that AMAZING?!  Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE spiders, but this one was actually beautiful (and not black, so that helped)!  And, I was so wowed by the camouflage that I had to share it.


"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the Spider to the Fly . . . .

6 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos, except for the icky tick. Our newer dog has a shorter, sleeker coat. But our sweet old black lab used to get ticks and it would be so hard to find them until they'd gotten big and ugly.

    Glad you have a day at home and I hope you can enjoy it and feel rested up before you jump back in again

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  2. That photo is AMAZING! Kind of looks like a space alien (that is, the way they are portrayed, LOL). I actually envy your ticks because at least you can see them, we have these tiny ones that are like a freckle and are really difficult to spot. The dogs are on Frontline so at least they die if they get on the dog, but I always get the heebie-jeebies checking the kids! They aren't bad in the yard, but the playground they go to is all mulch on the edge of a swampy forest, they are everywhere! So glad you got a day off, you must be exhausted. I finally made my detergent this morning, although it was just a little batch of powder since I didn't have time to make a big liquid batch. The blueberries look amazing, and your little northern berries are so much more flavorful than our huge Southern Highbush variety

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  3. Becky, yep, the ticks are much easier to find on Maisy (Golden Retriever) than Tucker (long-haired Cardigan Welsh Corgi). Generally speaking, I DO have to wait 'til they get, as you say, "big and ugly". I really want to get Tucker clipped, but finding the time is proving a bit difficult! :)

    Erin, great minds! (The space alien thing. I thought so, too!) I *am* fairly exhausted. My day off really only succeeded in proving that to me! You know how sometimes you know that you'll do okay as long as you don't stop? Yep, that was me. But, if I can just make it to the end of this month, once we've been open for a week or two, I should be able to have a regular schedule again.

    And, I got the pot on the stove for the laundry detergent, but that was as far as I got. I'm still sorting thru the baskets of ironing to find something suitable to wear each morning!

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  4. OMG - that's a tick??? I thought it was some sort of strange identity tag piercing!

    Only a little more than a month til I'm in your area - hope you'll be able to make time for sushi! (or at least pizza :)

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  5. Jenyfer, I STILL haven't gotten my passport renewed! Must, must, MUST do! Maybe I'll make your arrival my 'try to get it back by' deadline.

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  6. You can mail it in for renewal, can't you? And I KNOW you have a very efficient post office in your area :)

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