Macro Monday

Photo through a piece of bubble glass.

Sunday Stills – Potluck

Time for Sunday Stills – Potluck.  After many, many hours of trying to get my photos loaded, my wireless keyboard working and everything else out-of-the-way, I present to you my “potluck” of photos.

This is the barn at the Nixon farm where I lived for a few years when I was a kid.  Before we lived there, my Grandparents worked the farm.  Eveything is in shambles now, but the memories are still there.  The house is inhabited by raccoons and who knows what else.  I remember sitting on the well top and waiting each day for the milk man to come and makes his pick-up.  His son started coming with him and I thought he was the most handsome fellow that I’d ever seen – besides my Dad. 

 This is the end of the barn and just thought this was a very different angle.  There was a resident buzzard perched on top watching our every move.Buzzard feathers and cow patties – you had to watch your step.This is the shelter house at Fort Hill.  We’ve had many family reunions here over the years.  It’s just a neat old stone and wood structure.The dogwood and redbuds are blooming right now and stand out against the new green just beginning to appear everywhere.This is the spring where my Grandparents got their drinking water for many years.  It’s been updated since then with new concrete  sides.As we headed home for some supper, we found this little guy getting his supper, too. 

Check out other Sunday Stills at:  http://sundaystills.wordpress.com

Have a great day!

33 Years Ago Today……

…..my, how time flies! 

This morning bright and early the Pressman and I went to the local hospital health fair.  We were in a waiting room with several of our friends talking and catching up on chit chat and they called my name to come sign my papers.  I looked at the clock and it showed 6:57 a.m. and as I wrote my name and then filled in the date it struck me as to where I was and what I was doing on this date in 1977.  It was a Saturday morning and beautiful outside, the birds were singing, the sun was shining and I awoke a little earlier than normal with this twinge in my back, then a twinge in my tummy.  It’s 5:30 a.m., everyone is asleep.  Besides, the last time pains like this occurred it took hours and hours to have that baby.  Really, it was two days.  I’m not getting in any hurry this time, no more of that lying around in the hospital waiting and waiting.  Not this time.  I’m going back to sleep and at a respectable hour we will get up and take that short jaunt to the hospital.  Anyway, those twinges will probably go away.  I already knew that this one was going to take his good old-time getting here, he was already 6 days late as it was.  Why get in a hurry now?  I mean, I’m going to have to clean up after this kid, change his diapers, feed him, wash his clothes, make sure he has washes behind his ears, brushes his teeth, wears matching socks, tucks his shirt tail in, gets to school on time, gets his lessons, gets to his games on time, says “thank you” and “yes, ma’am”, run him to the emergency room time and again, doesn’t act like a heathen when he goes to church – that’s another story for another day – doesn’t stay out too late, doesn’t skip school, doesn’t drive too fast….I think I’d better stop while I’m ahead. 

I’m going to lay here and sleep for just a little while longer…..well, maybe another hour or so.  Twinge…twinge…TWINGE!  Ok, maybe we had better head for the hospital, but it’s still only 7 a.m.  Everybody up and at’em.  We’re going to the hospital.  The twinges still weren’t that bad so we really didn’t hurry.  Mom came and picked up the #1 kid and off we went.  It’s just about 7 or 8 miles to the local hospital, no need to hurry.  About half way there we noticed smoke billowing up into the sky.  Oh, excitement, the old County Home was burning.  Come on Pressman, can we just stop to watch for a little while?  He just slowed down a little and then on we went.  He wasn’t going to stuck out in the country with a screamin’ holerin’ pregnant woman.  You know, he does that same thing when we are driving and I see a garage sale, he just slows down and then about a mile or so later he says, “did you want to stop?’  Just like my Dad, he did the same thing.   I should be use to it by now. 

Anyway, we arrive at the hospital, there’s the wheel chair, the nurse and off we go to the maternity area.  Back then they only had one delivery room, none of this suite stuff back then, just one itsy bitsy little ol’  delivery room.  Well, wouldn’t ya know – it’s busy.  “Tell that woman back there to get a move on!  My twinges have turned to pains!”  For some reason my the Pressman had to leave the room and when he came back in he said, “guess who’s in the delivery room?”  At that point I really didn’t care ‘who was in the delivery room’.  I just wanted her outta there and me in.  Guess who – what is this, 20 questions?!  I was just laying there thinking in my mind, just give a big push and get the heck out-of-the-way.  Well, come to find out, I knew who it was.  It was this primpy little thang that was a couple of years behind me in school.  Her initials are GL.  That was her first and middle name.  No one ever just called her by her first name.  It was always G…. L… – GL get out of there!!!  Do ya need some help?  Well, finally, a nurse came in and said the GL’s baby had arrived.   Good, let’s go, let’s do this – huff, huff, huff!  No, we can’t go in there yet, they have to clean the room.  Where is Mr. Clean when you need him?  In my mind’s eye this seemed to go on for hours – finally, it’s our turn.  It’s a few minutes before 9 a.m. and we are finally getting our turn in the delivery room.  Well, at a few minutes after 9 we had a plumb baby boy. 

Happy Birthday baby boy!  33 years!  It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long ago.  You’re still my baby boy, you will always be no matter how old you are or where you are in this world.  I love you! 

PS! – Happy Birthday S, I know that you will always be your Momma’s baby girl too!

PPS – BOTH of you behave tonight!!  This message is from both of your Mommas.  GL, I just know that you would want me to say that.

I Love Spring!

It is spring!  I think it’s my fave season – at present, anyway.  I’ll probably change my mind in a week or so, but for now it’s my fave.  Gee, I’m getting into this cyber-talk or whatever you want to call it.  I still can’t tell a ‘short’ story – I love details.  Just ask my kids.  When I tell a story about something they are standing there with their heads shaking, their hands motioning to help me get along with the subject and then there’s that eye-roll thingy that they do.  The Marine is especially bad at that – he’s use to the hurry, hurry, hurry life of the Marine Corps.  I called the base for him, knowing that he should answer the phone, but I was soooooo confused when someone at the other end said, “hellosgth======speakingcanIhelpyou?”  Now you have to imagine this being said at an extremely fast pace, I mean extremely fast. There was no punctuation in there at all, just “hellosgth======speakingcanihelpyou?”   All I could say was, “huh? who is this?”  From the other end I heard, “Mom, it’s me.”  “Oh, OK, I couldn’t understand you.  Could you please speak a little slower?”   I found out later that they all speak like that – I guess it’s a Marine thang!

OK, back to the story.  See, I told you I couldn’t tell a short story.  I’ll be off track again before the end of this post.  I’ll try to control myself, so stick with me and if I begin talking like a Marine just slow me down. 

Oh, yea, I love spring, it’s my favorite fave season of the year.  Tully and I took a fast walk around the yard yesterday and I snapped a couple of photos of some the new flowers that are out.  My daffodils and tulips, except for a couple in the front yard are all spent, caput, finished, dead,  but, the lilacs are blooming and they smell sooo wonderful. 

Oh, yea, another thing about spring is that my “adopted ladies” are laying their beautiful brown eggs again and so are those cute little gals with the hairy legs – oh, that sounds nasty.   They are cute, hairy legs and all and they lay the cutest little white eggs you ever saw.  Takes about three of them to make a good large egg.  Mrs. Carpenter just ordered some new baby chicks and I can’t wait for them to come.  She also got a new rooster.  Boy, is he ever a good cockadodoodler.  That fellow starts about 5:30 in the morning and he doesn’t run down all day.  I know what his problem is.  She has him in a pen all by himself.  What respectable rooster wants to be shut up in a pen all by himself when there’s a dozen or so big fluffy nice hens running around outside.  Poor guy.  Maybe next week when she turns  him loose with the “ladies” he won’t want to crow so much or so early or so late in the evening.  I’m going over and have a talk with those “ladies” and get them all riled up – I know, I’ll read that article to them that was the new Redbook magazine.  Well, maybe I’d better not read that to them, I really don’t know how they would react to it.  Those of you that get Redbook, know what article I’m talking about.  “Let me tell you ’bout the birds and bees and the flowers and the trees and the moon up above….and this thang called love”.  You’d much rather read those words than to hear me sing them to you.  If you really want to hear me sing it, just give me a call.  OK, I’m off subject again.  I have a feeling that I just spiked the sales of Redbook for this month – wonder if they will give me a cut of the sales?  The Marine is rolling his eyes (he would be if he were here/heaven help me if he reads this) and the other kid is ignoring me.  He does that when I get this way.  I think this is a story I will have to keep you informed of, so stay tuned.  I’m talking about the chickens and the rooster, not the kids.  Gee, the Pioneer Woman has her “High Heels and Tractor Wheels” saga and I have a saga about the rooster next door dreaming about the day he gets turned loose with all those fluffy hens.  They’re all fluffy but one.  Tully decided he would “play” with her a couple of weeks ago, she’s fine, just minus a few feathers.

Back to the subject….oh, yea, spring.  I’d better post a few pictures of some of the things that I get excited about now that it’s spring.  Enjoy.

Aren’t those just beautiful?  Those gals do a great job.

Oh, I’ve got to go and cut some of these to bring into the house.  Gosh, I wish you had a scratch-n-sniff computer screen.

This is a bud on the quince tree.  Soon it will turn into………

……..this.  Isn’t that pretty?  The honey bees just love’em.

Well, that’s all for today.  I’m going to make some notes for my “birds & bees” talk with the “ladies” next door.

See you all later – Sharon

Sunday Stills – Hands

I didn’t read the challenge until yesterday and thought I was going to have to go outside and take some quick snaps of the husband and the Carpenters next door while they were working in the yard and garden.  As I prepared my camera for the task I decided to take a look back through the photos that I had taken a couple of weeks ago while visiting our new family member.  What I discovered were hands…tiny little hands, the hands of a new Daddy, hands of a new Grandma and Grandpa and the loving hands of a new Great-Grandma.  

Their first encounter – Great-grandma and baby Kash.

Hands of love – Grandpa taking his turn with the help of great-Gma.

In his Daddy’s hands – big safe hands.

There’s nothing like a Grandma’s touch, especially the touch of a new Grandma.

Then…the touch of the hands of a sweet little friend coming to visit the first time…..

The one set of hands that I didn’t have a photo of were the hands of Momma A….hands of a wife, nurse, wonderful cook and most of all a great new Mom.

I can’t wait to watch these little hands grow and discover the world around him…..

To see other “hands” check out:  http://sundaystills.wordpress.com/

Have a great day – Sharon

Sunday Stills – Easter

Easter this year will be spent with my hubby, one of our sons – our other son is riding his new toy in the sand and dirt in Arizona – my Mom and my Aunt.  My Sunday Still is of a little bunny flower pot holding a beautiful daffodil from my kitchen garden.  Have a happy Easter everyone.