Friday, August 12, 2011

Friday-noon

I found this silly bookmark when I was cleaning my desk!
Made with a rubber stamp I borrowed from my friend, Lynnette, on one of our craft weekend marathons when I lived in Minneapolis. He is just so goofy! Glad I found the barefooted wizard again. :)
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We had two beautiful days where I could actually open the place up...day and night! Blue skies and big puffy clouds, 70s and a breeze...well, windy. Anyways, it was glorious!!
Karma was thrilled to have the big living room windows open so she could sit in the chair in her sideways spy position...
...to observe the people and swallows.
The swallows love our building. The first summer I lived here we had a nest on top of the light fixture on the balcony. Loved it! Karma and I would sit and watch them come and go thru the bedroom window or the porch door screen...but what a mess to clean up afterwards!! Bird poop just wants to smear--LOL!
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Anyways, Leah put up the mesh screen for me after that, so I am one of the only apartments who doesn't ever have to worry about swallow nests every year. They are always nesting someplace (especially love third floor)...diving and swooping...babies begging. Delightful little birds. Karma was just a tiny kitten when she first became an avid swallow watcher.
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Just been puttering about. I did take the fern in the bathroom, soak it well, and then cut away all the dead parts underneath. Looks much happier now. :)
Dagan and Leah didn't make it over on Wednesday. They needed to stay home and do laundry and pack. Dagan had a heart/pacemaker checkup down in Minneapolis on Thursday. They are visiting friends and will be back on Sunday, so I am going either tonight or tomorrow morning to go check on Sammy and Annie. Do me some deck plant checking...some poop scooping...prepare a kibble banquet...and have me some cat chat. ;)
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I just checked online...looks like we're expecting storms this afternoon and tonight but a sunny day tomorrow, so I guess I'll go in the morning. They're used to a weekend (two nights) on their own, so they'll be fine. Not that they might not have gotten into something they shouldn't--but you can practically stand over a cat and they can manage that right in front of you--LOL!
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Have a great weekend!
Me...I am hoping to finish cleaning my desk and file cabinet--LOL! ;)
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"The grateful heart sits at a continuous feast."
Proverbs 15:15

18 comments:

Furry Bottoms said...

That goofy wizard is so cool!

Anonymous said...

Those pictures of the clouds are gorgeous! Nature at it's finest. Sounds like you have some things planned for the weekend. Hoping you have a great one!

DJan said...

So you have an ongoing appointment with a barefoot wizard? I think that's pretty cool, and I do love that picture! Glad to hear the weather is better and the awful heat has abated. Love the picture of Karma the Swallow Whisperer! :-)

Unknown said...

Love the clouds photos - have you seen my link to the Cloud Appreciation Society (or google it)? They have a marvellous book about Clouds.

Anonymous said...

I thought that was Santa Claus until you said wizard LOL Cute picture for sure!

Im so jealous you had nice days to open your windows, Karma is just so cute staring out the window like a nosy neighbor hehehehe!!

AliceKay said...

Loved the goofy wizard bookmark. He looks like quite the character.

Karma sure is interested in the happenings outside her window. She seems riveted to that chair. LOL

Lots of white puffy clouds in your skies. We had lots of them yesterday. We were supposed to have another nice day today, but there were lots of clouds sometimes, and the sky was overcast for awhile. It's a nice night tonight, tho. I have the windows open and can hear all kinds of night time noises from crickets, tree frogs, and whatever else is out there making those noises. (crickets actually get on my nerves...lol) Rain is coming back tomorrow night and Sunday.

We have a lot of barn swallows around here. Dad has lots of bird houses and barns to attract them. Swallows can be pretty messy, but they're a very pretty bird.

I hope Dagan's appointment went well, and I hope he and Leah have a nice visit with their friends in Minneapolis.

Your fern is looking great. It must really like your apartment. :)

I hope you have a great weekend, too.

Toriz said...

Glad you were able to have the place opened up for a while. :)

Bird watching is always nice, bird poop... Not so much! :)

Hope Dagan's chheck-up went well.

Good luck with your sorting this weekend... Don't over-do it!

Personally I have some cards to make (now that I've finally finished the tiger), some things to pack, and some more blog posts to catch up on, since I got so busy sorting the tiger I haven't been online for more than sorting a few e-mails for a few days.

laurak/ForestWalkArt :) said...

oooooh...LOVE the clouds...i'm so jealous of your cooler weather! we're getting a little more rain than usual down here...and it helps to cool things off...but then it tends to just get a little steamy!
so you have ever growing lists of things to tend to...me too...and the list never seems to get shorter...cross off one chore...add two. :)
cool barefoot wizard!! it's always nice to find long lost & forgotten things...
have a great weekend!

Rita said...

Nikki--Glad I found the silly wizard again. I thought I lost him years ago. :)

Angela--Things to do this weekend--AND excited to see my friend on Monday! :) Hope you have a nice weekend, too.

Djan--LOL@the Swallow Whisperer!! :):) (The barefoot wizard does look like he'd be a real character to meet! )

Alice--I did go look at the Cloud Appreciation Society, but it costs to join. :( I had to pass. Thanks, tho. :)

Lynn--I barefoot Santa would be pretty funny, too. ;) Karma is like a nosey neighbor. Reminds me of one of my grandmas who always knew what the neighbors were up to--LOL! Altho, Karma pays waaay less attention than my grandma did! ;)

AliceKay--When the swallows are swooping Karma is definitely riveted! ;)
When I first moved here there was a small pond in that field across the way. I could hear crickets ands frogs and toads--the whole symphony of night critter song. I really missed it when they filled it in with dirt and plowed the fields under. We still have crickets, but not as loud. They don't bother me unless they are in the house--LOL! Happy weekend!

Tori--Even two days being open was heavenly! I'll be careful not to overdo. Don't want to be laid up when my girlfriend arrives!! :):) Hope you got a pic of the knitted tiger.

Laura--The cooler weather would be nicer if it wasn't so sticky! We're not used to so much of this up here. Like this morning (Sat) it was low 60s but the humidity is 97%--so you stand in the sun and it feels like 80! You move you sweat. Yuck! Steamy--yup! You'd think I was in Florida! LOLOL!!
I had to laugh--yes!! Check on thing off the list and add two more!! So true!
Hope it cools off for you! :)

Toriz said...

Glad to hear you don't plan on over-doing it. :)

Haven't sorted the pics yet, but some time between now and Monday I'll grab pics - or perhaps persuade Kelly to take pics - of the rocket, the tiger, and the cards I've been working on today. :)

Dee Ready said...

Rita, I just finished reading all your postings of the last few days--the 3 Prologues, the Intermission, the two Flowers and Garbage, and today's. I had to keep reminding myself to breathe when I was reading the story of your struggle with good and evil in your life.

My early background was Roman Catholic and so your story reminded me of the dark night of the soul that St. John of the Cross experienced in the 18th century. He is not a saint to emulate--some craziness really with regard to mortification--but he did go through the dark questions that hounded you. He went through a dark forest. A labyrinth that exhausted him. Until finally he just let go and accepted the graciousness of the moment.

Which is to say there was a Buddhist moment of mindfulness.

Finally, I want to share one thing that was said long ago to me by my mother. "Dolores, you find what you look for. If you look for good, you will find it. And if you look for bad, you will surely find that too." Those words were, for me, what flowers and garbage have become for you. A touchstone.

Blessings on you in your journey.

Dee Ready said...

Rita, in my comment, I neglected to thank you for your comment today on my latest posting. I feel that the Holy Oneness of all Creation is made up of all of us and I especially grateful for all those who have touched my life with graciousness. Thank you

Donna @ The House on the Corner said...

The wizard is awesome! I'm assuming you could change the color scheme and use it for lots of different scenarios. I can just picture it in green as a geriatric leprechaun :-)

So jealous of your weather. There's not a break in sight down here - it's time like these that I halfway believe in global warming.

Rita said...

Tori--Good deal! I'll look for them. :)

Dee--I don't think my dark night of the soul would compare, but it definitely was one! ;)
I totally agree with your mom! What a sage woman. Seek and ye shall find--literally. Look for evil, you'll see it everywhere. Look for love and goodness and you'll see it everywhere. True! True! True! :):)
You are most welcome and thank you much!! You are inspiring! :)

Donna--Yes! You could color him up any way you wanted to. Funny, I have never seen that stamp anywhere since. I think it belonged to a friend of Lynnette's who was over crafting with us. Been so long I can't remember for sure. He makes me chuckle, tho--and he has a leprechaunish look--LOL! ;)
I hope the weather will break for you guys down there pretty soon. It has been such a crazy hot summer for so many people. Hang in there, Lady!! :)

Serena Lewis said...

The cloud pics are beautiful! The barefoot wizard looks a little mischievous to me. lol

Serena Lewis said...

Gosh, is it that time already re. Dagan having another pacemaker check-up? How often does he go for these check-ups?

Intense Guy said...

I hope all went well with the check up - since it must be over by now.

Karma is a born swallow swooper see-er uh? They (the birds) do put on a good show... the poop we could without though.

Rita said...

Serena--Yes, the wizard has that devilish look to him! LOL!
Dagan goes down once a year to Minneapolis for his hands-on checkups with the cardiologist and the pacemaker person. He does pacemaker check-ups over the phone in the meantime.

Iggy--Dagan's checkup went well. They're putting him on a blood thinner, tho. He has to go in for bloodwork first...and of course he hasn't gone yet. Mr. Laid Back--LOL! He's fine. No rush. ;)
Karma is a born observer in general--LOL! She was born to watch the world go by. ;)