A Sunday Sign

If based on the post title,

 you think that you may be blessed with a religious bit of wisdom,

I'll warn you that there's nothing scriptural or inspiring about the following photo.

There's a lot to admire about this little sign that I saw in a store window in Staunton.

The GI Joe figures photoshopped on the squirrel....

and if they can get a werewolf 

then what trouble would a swarm of bees

or a rattlesnake be to these guys?  

I love a little imagination!

Enjoy your Sunday! 

Special Company

There are some houseguests and company 

who require special treatment while they're visiting.

You might be thrilled to see them, 

but you've got to work a little to be a good hostess

and your routine has to change to accommodate their presence.

When they're in the house, you'll want to remember to at least 

brush your teeth and comb your hair 

before going out to fix the morning coffee.

You might even feel that you've got to get dressed and take a shower before breakfast!

And then there are those guests who breeze in the door 

and instantly make themselves at home. 

They've seen you at your worst and aren't judgmental.

Half dressed in the morning?  Who cares?!

Dishes not done?  Who cares?!

Piles of laundry on the floor?  Who cares!  

They don't mind if you're in your pjs in the morning 

because even though they've brought along their own bed, 

they'd rather sleep 

right there in the bed with you!

Yes, 

Atta has her friend Murphy visiting for a few days

while his owners the keepers of his house 

are out of town.  

If something's wrong with his accommodations then he gently lets us know....

He's not above silently and patiently reminding us when it's dinner time.

"If I stare at the food bin long enough, the lid will open and the bowl will be filled."

If he's still hungry later in the evening, 

he gets the message across 

that he'd appreciate a little more to eat.

With good friends, you can chill out in the kitchen and watch the minutes tick by.

Now that he's visited numerous times,

the persnickity member of the house 

(aka Noel the Tabby Cat) 

has him fully under her clawless control 

through her feline powers of mental intimidation.  

He's the kind of friend who takes over your favorite bed 

and you don't mind a bit

not even a little bit

Nope, not at all....

Well maybe it bothers you a tiny bit. 

But it's worth it to have your best friend in the house!

A Weekend of Music and Food (again!)

Saturday we spent the afternoon getting ourselves

"Back to the Garden."

The town nature center/educational garden is Boxerwood Gardens

and it was time for the annual 

BoxerWoodstock Music Festival.

I wore my best hippie shirt and tucked a flower in my hair 

but herbal tea was as crazy as we got.

We ate some BBQ, listened to the bands and watched kids and dogs play.

And with perfect timing, we left for home minutes before the rain started!

Just like at the original Woodstock, 

certain festival goers were in varying states of nudity; 

thankfully all of those were under the age of 3!

On Sunday, I roasted vegetables from the farmers market 

to bring to the annual Newcomer's Club picnic.

The clear weather and cool breezes brought out a good crowd
of about 60 club members

to enjoy the food and views from the two story pavilion atop the hill in Glen Maury Park.

A Newcomer's Club may sound a little hokey,

but we've made some good friends and had lots of fun outings since we joined. 

The activities range from the weekly hike to book groups, 

supper clubs, eating out and wine tasting groups and on and on.

Since you can be a member forever, 

there are "Newcomers" in the club

who've been here for over 20 years!

We left the park and went straight to the early evening Taize service at church.

Then out for an drive in the country before sunset

and that folks was our weekend!

Walk in the Woods

The daily rains have slowed our progress on the woods trail.  

Plus the chainsaw has decided to die twice

and is currently kaput again.

So while trail #1 has finally made a loop, 

it requires some acrobatic climbing over downed trees to make the circle.

The other morning when I was having my morning coffee on the back porch, 

I heard what sounded like running water.  

Hmmmm....

Since we don't live on a creek, 

it meant that our little drainage "stream" and the feeder from our spring 

were running fast enough to hear from the house. 

It was a sloppy mess in the woods.

I really shouldn't have trod up the trails 

but I was oh so curious to see the water levels.

The rains have made everything SO green!

This tree is hanging over the steam bed with all it's might and is almost totally undercut.

I love the triple ledge of rocks at this little "waterfall".....  

 Sure enough at the confluence of our two streams, 

we had whitewater!  

Burbling over the stones it was loud enough to hear all the way up at the house. 

 I'm excited to get some landscaping around the house, 

but the woods are delightful and a constant source of new things to see.

Confused Weather

The morning of the Fourth of July,

it was foggy 

but there were patches of promising of blue sky here and there.

After we finished our breakfast on the porch,

out of nowhere came a heavy rain!
A gully-washer....

Then the harbinger of good weather:

a rainbow!!!

We were hopeful that it might be sunny for a change.

But drat!

No more than 30 minutes after the rainbow sighting,

this is what the same view looked like:
pouring rain.
The kind that looked like it might last all day.

I read a poem last week that called the weather "confused"
and I've decided that's exactly what's been happening here lately.

Confused weather.

Sure enough, forty-five minutes later, 

the skies were beginning to clear up,

so I decided to chance going into town

for the Declaration of Independence reading.

What's that I spy as I'm backing out of the garage?

A second rainbow over the hills in one morning!  

This one wasn't anymore correct on the weather forecast than the first,
since we had at least 3 more rains later in the day.

 But it was a grand sight to see!

Fourth Festivities

The rain had stopped at the courthouse Veteran's Memorial,

but it was a fairly slim crowd of about 50 adults and children

who attended the yearly reading of the Declaration of Independence yesterday.

It may have been because of the worrying news recently from the Middle East

or because I'd recently visited Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello,

but I made it a priority to be present for the reading this year

and was glad that I did.

Nine High School Students Each Reading a Section of the Declaration

Later that morning, it was time for the 

Children's Bike Parade.

The rain had started back up (yet again!)

so the number of children was much less than last year.

But still about two hundred or so intrepid kids

pushed and pedaled their way in the drizzle

down Main Street on scooters and bikes.

At 7 pm after several more showers interspersed with sun,

it was time to pack up the picnic gear and head to VMI's parade ground.

Joe had been there all day 

since his Rotary group is in charge of the Balloon Rally and evening festivities.

He was Czar of the "Inflatables"!

Hot air balloons, kids playing, fireflies,

a delicious picnic, music, a drenching downpour,

the company of good friends

and finally dazzling fireworks!

The Gardening Bug

Are you thinking that Matt and Suzanne are still here?  

No, they stayed a fun-filled week,

then hooked up the motor home 

and went on their way 

to visit with Amish friends in PA and attend an auction.

That's one serious motorhome!  

I'd love to see a photo of it parked by the Amish farmhouse!

In the last post, I was moaning and fantasizing 

about wanting help from the gardeners at Montpelier.

See the bare bed and weeds growing in front of the house?

As it turns out, who needs Montpelier?

Not me!!

Through an introduction from Arthur Bartenstein 

(who helped with the stoop and step design of the entryway)

a local plantswoman extraordinaire is going to help 

with the design and implementation of the front beds!!  

Hallelujah!! 

In friendly county fashion, she invited me to her home 

for lunch and a visit 

so that I could see her garden

and get some ideas now that I've moved up several gardening zones.

Maybe I shouldn't have gone...

It was like bringing a recovering alcoholic to the Jack Daniels Distillery.

Or maybe a heroin addict to a poppy field?

Heaven, absolute heaven....

Oh, I feel the gardening itch coming on strong.

Repeat after me:

"I will NOT go into gardening in a large way again....."

Yeah right.  :)