New Roses & Keeping out the woodchuck...

Photo 319 - August 7

The extra rain that we've had has done wonders for my new rose bushes. I am very happy to see that a bunch of new ones are in bloom.

Over the weekend Trinka and Zeeva had a run in with the woodchuck, and Trinka actually had it pinned on its back on the ground by the mulching box. I was more afraid that it would hurt one of them, so I called the dogs off and put them in the house, and the critter wiggled under the fence and hid under the neighbor's tree. So Jeff and I decided we would try to cover up the window well and see if that kept it away. Unless it has some super special excavating capabilities, it might be blocked out for good.

My work...

Photo 318 - August 6

It was not easy to pick out a handful of my pictures to display on the wall in the living room. I'll still have some additional pictures in the bedrooms, and my grass/dewdrop macros will have their own spot in the living room, but this wall is all my stuff. Dale and Kayla gave input and suggestions, picking from pictures that I've posted on my blog. And Laura and Kayla gave me lots of suggestions when it came to the layout (James just piped in that it was "busy" which was not very helpful). I'm really happy they're all on the wall, and I'm pretty excited about how the wall turned out. I'm just afraid that I may have to rotate pictures if I come up with other ones that I like better.

50th Anniversary!

Photo 317 - August 5

Today I was privileged to be able to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pastor Robert McClelland's ordination, as he presided and preached at our service this morning. Of those 50 years, 25 of them were spent at St. John, and he presided at my and Dale's wedding, baptized and confirmed Laura, Kayla and James (and Kristin), presided at Dad's funeral, and preached at Kayla and Kenn's reaffirmation of their wedding vows. He also threatened to unbaptize Laura, Kayla and James if we didn't come back to St. John upon our return from South Dakota. He conveniently doesn't remember saying that. Needless to say, he's been a pretty integral part of our Christian life, and we offer our heartfelt congratulations to him on this milestone!

Sunflower Fireworks

Photo 316 - August 4

When I first saw this picture I fell totally in love with it. I loved the bright colors...and it was flowers - one of my absolute favorite subjects. But it was expensive. It wasn't particularly expensive as far as artwork goes, but it certainly cost more than any piece of art that I ever bought. But it was on sale, plus I had an additional coupon in my email, and Dale liked it, so I splurged. It's a big picture at 24 x 48" but it found the perfect home in James' room. I thought that I was going to have to do some rearranging, but the fit on the wall was amazing. I have two more complementing pieces coming this week and I sure hope I can find a place in the room to showcase them as well as this one.

Oklahoma!

Photo 315 - August 3

I love musicals...and Oklahoma is one of my favorites. Dale and I started going out in high school while he was a part of that Oklahoma production, and Dale and Kayla performed together a few years ago in the Port Summer Theater production of it. Tonight it was Renee and Rebecca's turn, and they did an awesome job!

Didn't plant those...

Photo 314 - August 2

So...is it the squirrels, or the chipmunks? Hard to say. I would imagine it's whatever critter chewed up my tote to get at the sunflower seeds, and is systematically planting them everywhere. Unfortunately, they don't understand that putting them in the ground does not save them - it just creates more stuff for me to pull out.

The hibiscus are blooming!

Photo 313 - August 1

It's August! I can officially (with at least a little confidence) say that Dale will be home next month! That's pretty exciting...and hopefully the time will fly by and not drag because we're at the end.

The hibiscus have been blooming for a couple days now. I think the lack of water has taken its toll on them, though, because the red ones, which are usually as big as dinner plates, are significantly smaller this year. But they're still pretty, and there are still a bunch of buds waiting to open.