Bandit and Samson

Last week Bandit met my neighbor, Ellen's kitten,

Samson. We didn't have time to take pictures or

let them play very long so we decided to set up a

play date.

Last night was a perfect evening to be outside.

The neighbor family came down and before long

one of the boys was sent to get Samson.

Bandit was thrilled.

Samson was curious.

They had a wonderful time.

Isn't he just toooo cute???

Caption This Photo?

For Outdoor Wednesday this week

I'd love

to have you play along....

This is my neighbor Ellen's kitten.

He came down for a play date with 

our dog, Bandit.

They had so much fun.

I'll share more photos later but for now

you can be creative, funny, serious....

just tell us how you would caption this picture.

Hope you'll stop by and see other
fun Outdoor Posts.
Our Hostess, Susan, at A Southern Daydreamer, has
amazing lightning photos in her post today.

Lilies and Hydrangea

Things are getting busy at Hospitality Lane.
Lots to do before Chelsea's 15th Birthday Party
on Sunday.....

The menu is:

Hamburgers
Hot Dogs
Chicken Tenders
Sausage...all done on the grill

Pasta Salad
Potato Salad

Baked Beans
Corn on the Cob

Watermelon
Canteloupe
Cake

We have invited more
than fifty people.
We'll see how many of them
show up. Of course, Sunday
is the Fourth of July so that
may impact the attendance somewhat.

Last evening as the sun was dropping
lower in the sky it was setting off
the flowers in the front flower beds
so beautifully.....



These are more of the lilies I bought
as a fundraiser
just after Easter last year.
It is fun to have them blooming now.



We have two hydrangea shrubs.
Mine is pink
while Mikey's is blue.



There is so much that needs
to be done in the flower beds.
The weather got so hot so early
and then stayed hot that I am
way behind.

Thankfully, after today the weather
is supposed to improve and we will
get out there and get it done.

But for today, we are off to order the cake,
purchase pretty paper plates, let the
kids bowl, and then I have a dentist appointment
to finish a crown and place a small filling.

So....no lack of things to do!

I hope your day is amazing!

Tranquility In the Blueberry Patch

It was the perfect morning.

Low humidity, blue skies

and birds singing their little

hearts out....

This is the entrance to the blueberry patch.

This year someone has tied the bushes up.
In years past they had looked much more wild.

I began picking, thinking how very long it
was going to take to fill my quart container.

Most of the berries still needed time to truly ripen
but in a self pick patch like this one
it is not likely to happen.

People get excited and pick anything that
is blue so you just have to do your best.
Fortunately, I like a tart berry
so it works for me.

In the mosaic you can see my mother
getting her baskets filled.

I meandered, looking around...
watching the birds
and
picking if I had to.

I picked one quart.
She got two.

Georgia picks with more attention
to getting just the best berries so she
also got fewer berries but you can bet
they were the biggest and the sweetest.

Back home again
and with a day or two
for the berries
to sweeten up
Chelsea made a blueberry pie.

It was eaten quickly at
the Fellowship Meal at church
yesterday.

Thanks for stopping by.
I am joining up with both
Sally's Blue Monday
and
Mary's Mosaic Monday.

For a precious post about
Sally you should visit
LaVoice.
I would say that the tone of this
post is true also for Mary.
What wonderful hostesses these
ladies are.

Have a wonderful day.

You are just...

the Best!

Wineberries....

Rubus Phoenicolasius

(That's for you, Mikey and Emily...

Two awesome students who are working to learn

Latin Plant names!)

A form of raspberry

which was growing in and near the

blueberries....as we picked today.

Aren't they gorgeous?

You know I have to save the blueberry photos
for Monday, don't you?

And then they may even be in the form of a Mosaic.

I've missed Blue Monday and Mosaic Monday

the last couple of weeks.

So, hang in there,
I promise to share blueberries...

Soon!

Oh!  And Mrs. Rabe wrote a new post
over at our shared
Homeschool Blog.
You'll also see a new Header.
It shows our children involved in a
Service Project Last Fall.
They worked hard and had a great time!

One more thing...
Chelsea's Chocolate Cake is in the
running for Allrecipes Photo of the Day tomorrow....
You can vote here if you feel like it!
She is 100 Truffles.

Update:  Yay!  Chelsea's photo is on the
front page of Allrecipes.com.
Thanks for the votes!

My Chelsea.....

Credit for this photo goes to our dear friend Lindsay who
blogs at Girl in Nature. 

I love my girl!

She is so creative and smart.

This summer started off hard

for her because she is used to

having every moment filled and

when school was finished she was

left with a lot of free time.

So...she is finding lots to do.

For example this week she picked

blueberries with the Grandmas.
I'm going along to pick more

 this morning.

I'll be the one with the camera!

Not only did she pick these blueberries but then

she made a marvelous blueberry banana bread.

Yum....moist and sweet.

The blueberries have just enough tartness to 

make your mouth happy.

It has been a couple of years
since I have picked blueberries but I love the

quiet of the hillside with nothing

but blueberry bushes and chirpy birds.

The storm yesterday afternoon has 

made the weather more bearable.
Lower humidity and a lot cooler.
Much better for blueberry picking!

So a couple more quarts of blueberries 

are in our future.

Yesterday my dear husband celebrated a birthday.

Now, in his dreams birthdays would go by with

little fuss... but that is not going to happen.

Miss Chelsea saw it as a wonderful opportunity 

to make a cake.  

We know that you can't go wrong with chocolate

and peanut butter!

The hard part was that I had purchased a generic brand of

peanut butter which tasted just fine.  

However, when Chelsea

used it to make her icing it got all shiny.

Not at all what she had in mind.

Now, for a girl who has gotten used to 

turning out beautiful baked goods every time

this was just too much.

I mean, why do these things happen when it is 

a project that is so important?

But, I told her that this is to be expected and 

that we would just find a way to make it work.

I went out on errands and returned with a name

brand peanut butter.  Chelsea still didn't trust the 

recipe for icing she had been using so she made her 

own.  It turned out so very well.

This Momma is so proud that my girl, 

who wanted to give up, didn't.

The end result was both beautiful 

and extremely tasty!!!!

So....Warren is another year older

and we have three peanut butter pies in the 

freezer...a product of the icing gone wrong.
Made while I was out running errands.

Life is good

once again.

I hope when life gives you shiny peanut butter,

you make amazing pies!

How Great Thou Art...

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the works Thy hand hath made,

I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,

thy power throughout the universe displayed:

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art! how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art! how great thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander

and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;

when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,

and hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze;

And when I think that God His Son not sparing,

Sent Him to die -I scarce can take it in.

That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin: 

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art! how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art!  

how... great.... thou.... art!

From Wikipedia:

Carl Boberg, The Author of the Poem which was later put to music said:

"It was that time of year when everything seemed to be in its richest colouring; the birds were singing in trees and everywhere. It was very warm; a thunderstorm appeared on the horizon and soon thunder and lightning. We had to hurry to shelter. But the storm was soon over and the clear sky appeared.

"When I came home I opened my window toward the sea. There evidently had been a funeral and the bells were playing the tune of 'When eternity's clock calling my saved soul to its Sabbath rest.' That evening, I wrote the song, 'O Store Gud.'"

This is the partial story of the Hymn we love so much...to read more go to Wikipedia.  It would seem that the song has progressed over the course of many years giving us the gem we know today.

Keeping the Animal Theme Going....

Last Friday, shortly before we left town

I checked the chicken coop and found a

freshly hatched chick abandoned.

My heart sank because we wouldn't be

there to care for it and it would surely

die. However, in an attempt to give it

every chance we set it up in a tub with

a light and did something I never, in a

million years thought we would do.

We gave it to Warren's Mom.

She did offer to take care of it

but I am pretty sure she was thinking

in our garage. 

Nope! 

We marched that

sweet little chick right into her office

and plopped it down. Turned the heat

lamp on it and gave her instructions.

Bless her heart Georgia mothered that

chick until we got back. 

She even called at one point while 

we were gone to say that the 

bulb seemed to be too hot  

and could she put one with 

less wattage in?

Yep! 

She cared for this precious little

chickie.  Never thought she'd be caring

for chickens when she moved in next door!

It is beautiful.

The prettiest one there is, in my opinion.

Not that it hasn't been trouble...

We put it under a Momma one evening when

they were all settled in for the night.

She accepted it and has been good to it.

But, the other hen, who has chicks of her

own did not. She was getting mean.

So I crawled in the coop, captured her and

took her to the other side.

Back to the rooster for the mean hen! 

That ought to

fix her attitude.

Well, wouldn't you know that sweet little

chick that Georgia took such amazing care

of squeezed itself right through the chicken

wire to the same side as that indignant

hen. Now, I had a skirt on and the access

to that side is a door that is about four

feet off the ground. I tried to get in but

couldn't do it fast enough...so...who do you

think crawled in that coop? You guessed it!

Georgia to the rescue! 

She scooped up that

chick and we gave it a stern talking to.

We brought it back to "the good side".

So far it is staying there.

Sigh....

This is getting a bit over the top.

The drama of the chickens!

Happy Outdoor Wednesday.

I'll be linking up.

Are you linked?

Many thanks to Susan for hosting

this event each week.

A Conversation...In Pictures

Hey Cat!  You are not supposed to be on the road.

I'm the good pet.  See?  I am not on the road!

Dog, Dog, Dog.  You are such a baby.

Whining because you can't think for yourself.

Always trying to please the humans!

Oooh, those are fighting words!

Now get over here in the grass so 

I can set you straight!

There now, that cat will think twice before he

goes on the road again....

now where was that awesome

potty spot?

Ahhh....now to enjoy my victory!

I can take that dog any day of the week!

Note from the Mommy human...

These two carry on like this on a daily basis.

They are such great friends.

Nobody gets hurt.

It is either  funny or painful to watch

depending on your mood on a 

given day.

Thanks for stopping by.

Catch you later!