Second Sunday, Second Sunday. . . .

I don't have a problem taking a picture out my backdoor, I just have a problem taking time to post them. Thus I am doing two months in one. I admire those who do it daily, weekly or monthly. Blogging just isn't one of my finer qualities.
The second Sunday in August we had a brief but forceful rainstorm and I just happened to catch it. It's times like this I wish I had a really nice camera. The branches are right next to the house so staying dry was easy. We haven't had a lot of rain since the first of July, this is typical for our area.
Lots of sunshine helped the garden to grow. We have enjoyed strawberries, raspberries, peas, potatoes, onions, summer squash, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, corn, peppers, tomatillos, and of course zucchini. Some meals are determined by what's ripe that day. Love those meals. This has also meant doing a little canning. I don't necessarily love the work, but totally love the sound of bottles sealing and looking at the newly bottled food lined up on the shelf. So rewarding.
The flowers have done their share of blooming. Just once I will catch the perfect shot.

We were even lucky to have a butterfly stop by for a visit. One of those better camera wishful moments for sure, especially since butterflies are not great about posing.

We gave a few train rides. One of the riders found the apple trees, which are a long ways from being ripe. He tried them out anyway. This is his pucker up and eat a green apple look which was as cute as his 'feel my muscles' pose. Luckily the season for train rides is slowing down. Only one or two more rides to give.

One of the perks of living where we do is the sunsets. There is usually enough dust and clouds in the air for mother nature to be very creative. This one night the sky was particularly yellowish with a rainbow trying make itself known. Spectacular for sure.

Amongst all the happy positives, we must throw in a little sadness as we said good-bye to Patches. She ran across the road at the wrong time. She will be missed. Her personality was so fun as she picked on the dog, took naps in the window sill, followed us around in the yard as she practiced her stalking technique, brought us in live mice and birds for presents, and begged to be held like a baby and petted. Ten months is just to0 short of a life. We buried her by the train, close to where we found her as a kitten one bitter winter night.

Then rolls in September with football. Some days we will have 2 different flag football games and a regular grid kid game going on in the field behind the house. If it happens to be night then we can work late in the yard by the light of the fields. This is my favorite sport for them to play out there. The parents and fans really get involved.

If you look closely you will notice some definite yellow, fall in only a week away so it is inevitable that they trees should start turning. This particular tree is the last to bloom and the first to shed. Next month the picture will show it bare. :(

As for the rest of my goals in life, I have over 30 books checked off. Did a lot of reading this summer. One series in particular, "the immortal Nicholas Flamel" by Michael Scott caught my interest. I shared it with Patrick and we devoured them. I have also been reading the "Alcatraz" series by Brandon Sanderson. He has a great interpretation of librarians. A lot of what I read is designed for jr and sr high school students. I need to be able to recommend or at least know what they are looking for in a book.

As for my indexing, sadly it is getting behind. All the easy stuff is done, requiring me to work on the more challenging stuff, which obviously takes longer. I have about 1625 names to do to meet my goal of 5000.

I am enrolled in two more classes up to BYU-I. I hope I can keep up, so far I am doing okay, but time will tell. One of them happens to be New Testament II. This is what I am teaching in SS. so hopefully this will help me be a better teacher, if I more fully understand what I am teaching.
High school is going strong. It is always fun to see what kind of adventures we will have with the incoming sophomores. They have new rules to learn. It's amazing the change they make when they realize we expect them to be responsible and act more grown up. Sadly I am already looking forward to my next break. I like sleeping in.

Each day is a new adventure.

A.B.C's of who I am

I stole this idea from my baby sis, who stole it from a friend, who got it from ????? It's a cute idea, as it makes you think about the fun side of who you are.
A: AGE - I am a lady and ladies never tell their age, but I will tell you this, I am not old enough for senior citizen rate, I get told I look younger than I am(I think most people are just being king) and only my hair dresser knows what color my hair really is.
B: BED - Queen, I like sleeping with my hubby, I like to cuddle and know that there is someone there. Sadly when I travel with my sisters, they vote not to sleep with me. It's not the cuddling it's the snoring.
C: CHORES YOU HATE - scrubbing toilets, sweeping and mopping floors (it shows), dishes on Sunday afternoons, and cleaning out the car
D: DOGS - yup, we have one, an old decrepit Pug. He has a couple of buddies that live with the renters downstairs. The three of them do a good job of leaving the back yard covered with their own special dog prizes. I'd like them a lot more if they'd learn to clean up after themselves.
E: ESSENTIAL TO START YOUR DAY - does getting out of bed count. hmmmm, how about a piece of toast while I think on it?
F: FAVORITE COLOR - most blues, some greens,
G: GOLD OR SILVER - Silver, but mostly because that describes the bulk of my jewelry
H: HEIGHT - I'm the shorty of the the sibs, 5'1 3/4" on a good day. I may be getting shorter now that I am not as young anymore
I: INSTRUMENTS I PLAY - Piano and not very well at that. I own one and try to do more than dust it by actually sitting down and pretend to play, but only when no one is around
J: JOB TITLE - Domestic Goddess, the rest of the time I work as a Media paraprofessional at the local high school
K: KIDS - Only one boy. I didn't use to think he was spoiled but now I know he really is, not of material things but his parents time.
L: LIVE - On the north edge of a town in Potato Land
M: MOM's NAME - Mom when there is just the two of us (or when I am with the sibs), Grandma when I am talking to our son and Mother when in a crowd.
N: NICKNAME - Ruthie, I guess
O: OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAYS - to have a baby, and to sit by my hubby when he had surgery
P: PET PEEVE - People who let their dog leave prizes on my lawn, parents who enable their kids to be bad or refuse to take responsibility for their poor parenting choices
Q: QUOTE FROM A MOVIE - "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" that Rhett Butler was alright.
R: RIGHT OR LEFT - Right handed
S: SIBLINGS - # 5 of 10, 5 sisters and 4 brothers, with 20 years from the oldest to the youngest, all perfect (NOT)
T: TIME YOU WAKE UP - depends on mother nature, preferable after 7 am but sadly the alarm clock is set for 6. I hit the snooze at least once.
U: UNDERWEAR - of course
W: WHAT MAKE YOU LATE - reading the newspaper, Facebook, untying my shoes, filling the dog's water dish, looking for my cell phone,
V: VEGETABLES YOU DISLIKE - hands down Green Beans, actually most beans
X: X-RAYS - the dentist takes them, and then when I was younger I had my shoulder x-rayed because I was being whiny that year, He could find anything
Y: YUMMY FOOD YOU Make - fresh salsa,
Z: ZOO ANIMAL - jelly fish, I could watch them float forever, they are so mesmerizing. These are not usually found at zoos but I still love them.