In late March, FD and I began the big task of landscape cleanup at the rock house. After having many large trees removed in the year since my mother-in-law passed, we were left with a lot of overgrown shrubbery, wild vine, and small saplings growing in iris beds that FD’s grandmother had established more than … More A Tale of Spring Romance
Holiday sugar cookies have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was a young girl, my mom mixed dough each Christmas season, then cut the forms and baked cookies, while my siblings and I frosted and decorated. There was always competition, of course, with each of us trying … More Holiday Cookies ~ A Family Tradition
In early August, our nephew Sid asked if he could come visit for a week before he had to return to school. My sister Juli called the night before to be sure of the meeting location on the north side of Wichita, Kansas – the halfway point for both our parties to meet. Juli would … More Fishing Nomads
FD and I found ourselves quite busy over the 2014 holiday season. We traveled to Dallas for Christmas only to have the alternator go out in the car just a few miles from our destination. FD also discovered an issue with a broken driver’s side door. Uh, that was my fault. The week before I noticed … More Disastrous Dusting
I said I was going to write about this many months ago, but frankly, there has not been a lot of spare time. Most of you know me well enough by now to know that if there is work to be done, I get after it. Do not get me wrong; I am not complaining. … More How I Lost My Husband To An Old Wooden Bridge…
This past week I found myself feeling restless. It had been much too windy lately to work outdoors, so I spent my time keeping busy inside the house. Baking and cooking seemed appealing. I found, however, that while I worked away in the kitchen, I would, invariably, catch myself gazing out the large picture window … More Following the Animal Trail… The Scoop on Poop!
Stepping out to the back porch one chilly morning, I noticed the heated bird bath needed some cleanup. I generally clean the dish and refill it with fresh water every other day. I also sweep the decking below the dish to remove the “droppings” the birds leave behind. Birds can be messy creatures, but I … More The Artistry of Ice in a Bucket
Today, the first hard freeze in our area of Oklahoma arrived in the wee hours of the morning. As I stepped outside into the pre-dawn darkness, I felt the magic of a beautiful sugar frost settling around me. Not a leaf stirred, and no puff of breeze was present to hasten the process. Rather, a … More Sugar Frost in Nature
Please forgive me but, in this post, I must cluck a little about a photography submission I made to Outdoor Oklahoma Magazine earlier this spring. We subscribe to the bi-monthly magazine and a weekly email as well, both put out by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC). As a state licensed wildlife rehabilitator, I enjoy the … More Frosty the Squirrel Makes “The 2012 Annual Readers’ Photography Showcase” in Outdoor Oklahoma Magazine!
One sunny morning in late July, the phone began to ring just as I walked in the front door. I had been outside starting sprinklers and bracing for another day of work trying to keep my plants alive in the 109° plus temperatures we were having. The inferno-like weather was really beginning to wear on … More A Bird’s Eye View!
Back in July, I wrote a post called, “The Day Mr. Maxtor Ate My Photos”. I was quite disappointed at the time, to learn the last two years of wildlife and personal photography where no longer accessible when our external Maxtor hard drive quit working. FD had tried a number of fixes but Mr. Maxtor … More Slaying the Maxtor Beast and Retrieving my Photographs!
