LET THERE BE LIGHT....

                                                           

YES, one hour more of sun starting tomorrow morning. I will love it being lighter out in the evenings. Longer days mean you can get so much more done. Outdoor fun, work or relaxing it's all good!  SPRING forward your clocks tonight!!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

HELL HOUSE 2013

HELL HOUSE ..that's what I used to call the house next door to us where I used to live. What with drug dealers and critters living in it after it was abandoned there was plenty of reason to call it that. The whole neighborhood was on a rampage to have the house torn down or remodeled. While I  still lived there some nice folks bought it and re-modeled it and moved in. The neighborhood was saved UNTIL..mom passed away and we had to give up the old house. It took me months to clean it out and leave that old place. It had been in our family 60 plus years. 

NOW there is another HELL HOUSE..it's OUR old house. The house sat until someone finally bought it for a very reduced price. Neighbors were happy UNTIL....they found out that our house was being used for a loud rock band to play in the garage and the people who bought it were not so very nice. Our old house needed a new roof and many repairs.  The roof was repaired, but a whole lot of the house was left to go unattended. Neighbors called the police numerous times over the noise and had lots of run-ins over this and that. This is how the house looks now..quite the difference

They took out the bushes in the front and trimmed the old pine tree up, tore up the backyard and park cars in it and the yard. New owners are entitled to do as they please I tell everyone who tells me things. It's THEIR house now.  It's sad that the place has to be a problem for others though. I tell them things could be worse at least it is occupied. Life goes on, but inside that old house the spirit of my parents and all the hard work they put into it still lingers. The floors still creak and the doors open and shut on their own, lights flicker and noises are heard once in awhile. I hope the new owner is used to them by now. 

WHAT ME AGAIN!!

Wow two posts in a week..I must be dreaming!!. Back in the old days I could blog every single day. There must have been a ton of things to talk about. Not much these days. I sit here trying to keep warm in the frigid temps we have been having. I noticed this morning that all the frost we have had comes in different patterns each day. This morning I saw this one and it looked like little stars..Can't wait to see what is up for tomorrow morning now..

                                                   

Do any of you remember these things..  it sort of looked like this only it didn't have the hood. Anyway, I found one hanging in the closet the other day. It was made of fleece and looked cozy. Thank God it was one size fits all. It must have been hanging in there for at least 15 years!!! I washed it and dried it and put it on as soon as I could. BOY is it warm!! I loved it! Sis asked me.."Did you shovel snow in that?".. I snorted, "NO..but now I wish I had." It was below zero out and that thing would have been perfect. It doesn't look as snazzy as the one pictured here. I think I will look into one though as inside the house is pretty cold too right now. Sitting watching tv or whatever it really is a handy thing to have. Next question.. IS ONE ENOUGH??  LOL I have used those snuggie things. I have tried several things but this one is really nice. ONLY ONE draw back..  with mine you have to unzip and completely get out of  it to go to the bathroom, is that ever hard in a hurry.. Ackkk...  

WELL enough of my thoughts on that.. Hope you all have a great weekend...

                                               

SUNNY WINTER DAY

December will be with us sooner than we know.  The sun was bright today with clouds trailing across the  blue sky, like smoke from winter chimneys. 

The view from my second floor window was broken only by the mighty  branches of an old walnut tree. Search as I might, I tried to find the woolly worm on my walk today
for signs of winter to come. All I could manage though, was a cotton tail rabbit running into the field .The silence of the day was broken by my footsteps and sounds of a nearby expressway. I looked to the skies and saw signs of the day coming to an end. The sun was beginning to set behind the neighbors barn. Time for walking done today, to search again tomorrow.

LAST ROSE OF SUMMER

The ground covered in a heavy frost, I watched the steam rise off the deck, bright sun glaring down on it. I was glad I had ventured into the yard and picked the last rose of summer.

FALL UPDATE

Very old stove (sold right away)

This stove was very used in several workshops and hunters cabins. It went to a fine home where someone could admire and maybe even use it.  

70's Banana seat bike (sold)
It's the end of September already. Boy time is flying right into winter. All those tasks we have to do to get ready for it have to be done. One was have a sale and get rid of some of the stuff I had in storage so..off I went to some friends house and we put on a sale. Long days of setting up things and putting on prices..but it got done. The weather, however only co-operated a little. So we sold as much as we could the first day and what was left is going slowly due to rain and cold.The tarps covered the many parts and supplies we had on tables that were covered due to the rain.

Many antiques went very fast, mostly to a lucky person who got there ahead of others.
Most of the items were MAN RELATED tools and sports goods. No wonder we had such a large turn out. These old skillets were really nice in their day..he took them back in the shop and buffed the rust off and all of them sold right away. It was just a little effort to make a great sale item for someone. 

 I think if the rain and wind had not happened we would have sold out everything, as it was some people hate the miserable weather to shop in. Can't blame them a bit!

Old deer camp stove that ran on wood and propane..
lookers many..no takers.                                                   

DON'T LAUGH

While moving and such last week I found myself in need of a snack so off to the store I went. I came across this stuff in a weird package. Low and behold it was on sale and I thought ..why not?? So I tried it. Just so happened that when I was trying it out, the manager of the storage park came by and saw me sucking it out of the package.
Embarrassed me to no end, but hey,.. I told him it was tasty! There was nothing in the package but applesauce and cinnamon. The cinnamon cut my craving for lunch, and I got right back to work. I wouldn't recommend this to small children, because of the screw on lid, but NOW I can see why the kids like those yogurts in a tube. Tasty and no spoons etc.

 My next venture into the store led me to the aisle where I could purchase those frozen delights in a bag..YEP.. took those outside to keep cool in the heatwave days we have been having too. I think I have been sent back to my childhood this summer by just the heat and the need to stay chilled. NO, no one saw me eating those pops, but if they had I probably would have offered them one too!!

HOPE YOU ALL ARE HAVING A COOL WEEK!!

BLESSED RAIN

I think I now have some idea how the settlers used to feel when they waited days and weeks for some rain. Last night, it came in buckets, accompanied by thunder and lightning. I somehow wanted to just run out and stand in it, but in the middle of the night that wasn't such a great idea. Seems every time it rained in Michigan it either went north or way south of us, missing the middle altogether. Well anyway we got our little drink of water. Not sure how long it will be until the next one. The plants needed that and so much more. Our ground here was so dry I am sure it just soaked right in and is still dry down below some.


Apologies to those who commented and they did not get published,I had no idea until I came back to my dashboard there were some ready for attention! 


Seth..I used calamine lotion on the ivy and that really did the job on the blisters that oozed. I used Benadryl cream for the itching and burning. Mine burned a lot and I thought that so odd. I hope you never have another encounter with that evil plant. I avoid any plant now that even resembles that stuff. ICK!


 Now that I have been around my sister's cat for awhile, I have figured out that it is a really laid back way of living being a cat. She sure is spoiled and sleeps a lot. Not sure of her nightly routine but in the daytime she is 
pretty quiet. Dogs have their duties to be watchful of their owners and such but this little lady is not very watchful. The heat is so bad this summer I feel bad for so many animals who might happen to be homeless right now. She lays right in front of the fan most of the time during the day,trying to stay cool.

Spent too many hours in the heat yesterday in the storage and paid dearly for it. Sure have learned that those places are like ovens. The farther you are from the doorway the less air you are going to get. Had to stop for the day and rest up.

All should be gone by the end of this month so no more hot days out there for me.

Sad to see it go though..lots of great memories there. 

Local news is that gas prices went down to 3.33 here and stations were busy while the price was low. I actually bought a gallon of milk last week for 1.99. Guess I got lucky. Didn't need a gallon, but a half costs more so why do that.Neighbors report that the house that mom owned is getting an inside makeover right now. Walls and such are changing from wallpaper that was at least 30 years old to paint and that is quite the improvement. Little by little they are making it their own too. My great nephew  celebrated his first birthday with a chocolate cupcake. Ate every single crumb. I am sure he will end up a chocolate lover like his mom and grandmother are.

They celebrated the birthday by moving into a new home of their own. No more renting for this family. Congrats to them. 

WELL HOPE WHEREVER YOU ARE, YOUR WEEKEND WILL BE A GREAT ONE!

SUMMER VIEWS

I couldn't resist taking some shots of the flowers lately that have burst out just about everywhere. Day Lilies are taller this year than I have ever seen them. That old swing was just waiting for me to keep it company under the trees on a hot summer day.

Hope you all are keeping cool in this heatwave we are having. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

MAY CHANGES..

Still getting used to the new format here at Blogger and finding that, at Chrome, it is a whole lot easier to deal with the changes.. I have to admit I don't have time to fuss with it much so easier is better. I have to keep up though..not going to give in to the establishment. Changes this month could happen quickly and I will try to keep you all posted as soon as I know what is going on. I have ventured back south in Michigan again and not sure if the north is the place for me or not. I sure do miss my little buddy a lot. He was a real cute change in my life for awhile. He does love Rachael Ray..must be her personality or her FOOD!! He kept us moving constantly and at least he slept some of the time. Tell me WHY babies choose to sleep like this..he does it a lot. Knees up, hiney in the air!! LOL




 May 1st..??? HAPPY MAY DAY!!  Wow the warm weather we had in April made it feel like it should be JUNE already. Mom and Dad's birthday's are coming up and it will be sad time for my Sister and I both this year. Mom loved flowers so we are putting flowers out at their grave site today. RED..mom's favorite..no matter what time of year..it had to be RED. Could be roses, carnations, tulips..didn't matter..she just wanted RED. The weather is beautiful here and warm today so that is a plus and we will be able to get out and enjoy the day. I heard the doves this morning and thought of all the mornings I heard them at our old house and knew that spring had truly come with them calling to each other. Nothing much else happening here..hope your MAY DAY is a great one!! 

SPRING OR SUMMER??

Well it is hot enough to feel like summer out there. It has been more summer-like than I can ever remember in March. The animals are all making nests and scampering around. I think I am just wondering how long this will last. Well no matter, soon the sound of lawn mowers will be filling the air. The grass is already coming back up. Gas prices continue to be almost $4 or more and so I doubt we will be mowing it as often as we used to though. Many people have been complaining about the prices of gas and groceries and I suspect that there will be more gardeners than ever this summer. I cannot wait to get some tomato plants growing in pots. They aren’t too safe around here in a garden, as the woods have so many critters to eat them before they even get 6 inches high. Having a garden before, as large as the area in the picture below, well, it was a whole lot of hard work. 

 We tried planting more so that there would be enough for us and the critters. Didn’t work. They ate everything despite all the sprays and nets and high fences. Deer, rabbits, raccoons, and skunks are all seen around here too often. I had good luck with container gardening so guess that is what I will do. Hope you all are enjoying this wonderful Spring-Summer weather we are getting. My daily walks are sure wonderful without the heavy coats and boots etc. I saw a glimpse of some kind of animal in the barn where the car is parked today and sure hope it is NOT A SKUNK!! It moved so fast I could not see a white mark on it. Lord help me, I am so nervous going in there to get the car. Hopefully it is a racoon or squirrel.   

Tonight we took a drive to a neighboring town. As we traveled, we noticed the clouds building and beginning to circle us. When we came back home the skies were getting really dark and we heard thunder. I wondered if there had been a watch issued. We were in a hurry to get back home when we ran across this guy and he was NOT going to move no matter what. Drivers on both sides of him had to stop and turn around or just wait him out. Now I think, even out on a country type road, this should not happen. Finally when cars began to mount up on either side he had to stop unloading the corn and pull over.        

                                                      

I guess he was in a hurry to get the corn in the trucks before the rain came, and nothing was going to stop him. There wasn’t a watch for our area but one for east of us near Ann Arbor. Out of this storm system a tornado touched down in a town called Dexter. Much damage has been reported. It looked pretty bad on the news at 10 PM tonight. Here is a LINK to reports about it. Notice the LARGE homes and the damage to them. Some of the homes in that area are old and have been there decades, others not. They are two-story homes and it takes a pretty good tornado to do that kind of damage. I send my prayers to them all.      Hope you all have a wonderful and

ASSORTED PHOTOS

I have been taking tons of fall photos lately.. the colors here in Michigan have been

very brilliant this year. Lake Michigan has had some calm and warm days too. Beaches are pretty much deserted by now. Ships are coming in every day and the car ferry is almost coming to an end. Fall is here and the tourist season is over. Sun setting over the lake. We appreciate so the warm breezes and dread the winter cold coming.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL FALL WEEKEND!

RECENT PHOTOS

I haven't been taking a lot of photos lately. The recent heat wave has kept me pretty much in cool places. Today the air was less humid and a lot cooler. I snapped this

picture of some guys working in the heat of the day. Sure was glad I wasn't doing their job. It looks hazy and it really was. They were working frantically to get that side of the roof done while it was still in the shade. Takes talent to walk on a roof..I sure wouldn't do it for a living. The next photo was taken today..two BLOCKS from my apartment.

We are three blocks from downtown. A very busy wide street runs right in front of 

the home where this deer keeps showing up.She takes big chances crossing it, and always seems to be alone. The yard is lush with bushes and I think they may just be feeding that doe something really tasty to keep it coming back over and over again. This is the third time I have seen it there in the last two weeks. The neighbors watch for it and the kids have to be so quiet when it shows up to eat. This summer has been a bad one for food and water for critters. Just glad it is NOT a skunk!!

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT COOL WEEKEND!!!

SUMMER DAYS!!!

Imagine my surprise when I went to take out the trash. I came around the corner and saw this "creature" hanging out of the top of the bin. YIKES.. I was glad it was not dark out or I think I would have yelled! I ran back inside to get the camera as the shot was just so funny.  Now why in the world would someone throw out a perfectly good pool toy that still held air?? Well upon lifting the lid I saw that  the other end of said "creature" was missing it's tail. Seems "creature" got into a fight with a mean little dog and well, the rest is history!!

                                                                               It's been quite hot around here and yesterday the local swimming park was sure full of eager kids ready to get cooled off.It used to be an ice skating rink but now it was re-made into and pond or swimming hole for the enjoyment of the community. They even added a beach area. There are plenty of trees for shade too. Locals are wondering why this wasn't done years before? Winters have not been near cold enough here, long enough, to use it as a skating rink. The ice never got thick enough. Kids sure are happy it is here now, because this summer sure has been a scorcher so far.  

I hear the rumble of thunder again..storms are not far behind. Hope you all have a great day today!!! STAY COOL!!

WHAT IS IT???

I certainly have learned a few things from all my years of blogging. If I cannot find the answer on google because I really have no idea what to look up..then I can ask the family of bloggers I know to help me out. Recently on one of my walks I found this huge tree with huge leaves. I thought it was a castor bean tree, but when I googled it the pictures just did not match. So I am kind of stumped. I really think this tree is amazing. I can see it from my apt window and when a storm comes it stands its ground wonderfully.    The leaves are huge, the size of my hand. Some fall off but they remain green when they do.

It appears to have some kind of pods or something on the branches too.  So if anyone out there knows what it is..let me know..the suspense i killing me. I don't see that kind of tree very often around these parts. Most of our trees are elm,oak,maple,chestnut or birch. Will be interested in what you have to say about it.

My feeble attempt to take pictures over the holiday with a camera WITH a setting for fireworks ( yes it does), went horribly wrong.. I think I just could not hold the camera still enough. All the excitement you know.. Oh well at least it was colorful. Hope your holiday was a good one at least the week will be a lot shorter! 

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!  

ODDS AND ENDS

Thought I would post some odd and ends pics that are in the camera. Some are new some aren't.  These are of the old church. Most of the stained glass was removed, but these remain. Reminds me some of a castle. The lights still work and all that is wrought iron work.  Very old church but haven't found the age yet.  Next few are photos before the whopper storm we had.

He sat there a long time before the storm, but didn't catch a thing. The kids were having a great time. After the storm the banks were up to the top..hard rain at least three inches. Lots of tree damage too. Leave you with two more...