There's a train track across the street from the glass studio.  The whole area is very industrial, nothing pretty about it.

Except....earlier this week I glanced out the door (because of all the noise from the train), and this was the view framed by the doorway.  I thought the contrasts were really amazing.

It seemed to say, "Take my picture!"  (What it really said was more like "Clackety--clackety--slam--bang--screech," but you get the idea.)

These morning glories are along the fence panel that's directly opposite my patio door.  I've watched them grow from seeds that I started on my window sill.  (Retired people get to watch things grow!)  Originally I had the seed packets near each type and color of seed, but I lost track of which was what long ago, so as the flowers bloom I'll have surprises.

Some of the larger leaves are 7" long by 6" wide! 

These blossoms are special to me, because they're the first ones that are generated by me in my new home.

 

 

 

See that little spit of grass on the other side of my sidewalk?  I hate it!  If I don't keep the grass there green, I can get fined by the H.O.A. 

If I water it with the sprinkler, when I do the rest of the yard, I'm spending a lot of money on watering the sidewalk.  If I water it separately, with just the nozzle, it's 10 minutes every afternoon, and most of the water (hence more money) still is wasted because most of the water goes to the center...and that metal thing in the center has a hole in it that goes straight to the sewer.

Fortunately, it rained today.  This is the most rain we've had in weeks, and I did my best to make it feel welcome.

The nice thing about really little kids is that they're so easily pleased. 

It doesn't look it, but the hill in this photo is quite steep.  It's on my way home from Donnie's school, and he loves it when we drive down the hill to Grandma's house.  I told him it's our roller coaster, and he believes it.  He loves the hill and asks about it throughout the trip every time I pick him up at school.

Our heat wave has finally broken.  It's been at or near 100 degrees F all week, and finally tonight the temperature dropped to 70 degrees by 8 p.m.  Thank goodness!

 

This little "garden" is in my driveway, between my garage and the one that adjoins it.  I planted phlox in the spring, the flowers died, and I was left with just green.  Memorial Day weekend, Cecille, Donnie and I went to a garden center, and I was admiring the pretty little coral colored flowers pictured above.  Cecille bought me one, and I added it to the phlox area because the flowers were already gone from the phlox.

But see the little blue flower...to the right, just where the coral flowers meet the phlox greenery?  It's the same type plant as the coral flowers.  I can't figure out if it was there from the beginning, or if it's a throwback product of the coral flowers.

In any event, it's pretty, and I have to admire it's spunk.

I don't smoke in my house.  I go outside, and Fritz always comes with me.  We spend the time bonding.

I have special glasses to use when I'm on the computer.  I do fine with them in the house, but they don't make things crisp enough to see much outside, so I always change them before I go out for a smoke.

Fritz is always within about three feet of me, wherever I am in the house.  That means he's usually snoozing on the couch while I'm on the computer.

He's so in tune to me, now...when I change my glasses before going outside...he's off the couch and at the door before I'm out of the chair!

 

 

 

 

 

Last year my cousin Linda became a grandmother.  Now he's one, having just celebrated his birthday.  Silly Linda...thinks her grandson is as cute as mine. 

Kenny IS adorable, though...I have to give him that.

And he has a doting uncle who couldn't resist buying him an electric train to ride!

 

Just glass.  No words.  Except these.

Cecille's brother, sister-in-law and nephews are visiting from Hong Kong.  Her mother is also here from the Philippines.

On Saturday she planned a picnic....and what a picnic!....at a nearby park on the Lewis River.  Her cousin's family was here from California, friends of hers from work, and a couple whose younger son is in school with Donnie, along with his slightly older brother.

At one point, a man walked by our picnic area with his dog.  Donnie was thrilled because Fritz has taught him to love dogs.  The man was angry because someone had allowed their dog to poop, but they hadn't cleaned it up.  Donnie very seriously examined it.

About an hour later, he brought his classmate and the classmate's older brother to inspect the poop!  All three boys were totally enthralled by the poop.  Although I took a picture of it (to make the boys giggle), I'll spare you.  I'm sure you've seen dog poop.  If you've seen one, you've seen them all.  It was such a little boy thing to do, it made my heart sing.

Now I'll stop talking and just show some photos of the fun, both at the picnic and in Jim's and Cecille's back yard.







One of the boys got his fish hook caught on some rocks.  Bodgie retrieved it for him.  That water was c-c-c-c-cold!

 

Hope giving you "title status" makes you forget that I haven't gotten your birthday gift mailed yet!



One of the gardening magazines suggested planting viney flowers in front of other plants so they grow up through the plant and add some color.  I got one blossom when I tried it with morning glories on my jasmine.  One is better than none, right?

Donnie (and his parents) gave me a butterfly for Mother's Day.  I hung it on my fence, when my butterfly bush was very, very small.  I cut the bush back when they did the terracing in my yard, but it's grown SIX FEET since then, and I thought the result below was kind of ironic.



I'm hoping the morning glories I planted opposite my side (patio) door give me the same 6' growth.



I'm pretending there wasn't a five-week gap in my postings here.  You may pretend too, OK?