I am ok

I have not been online much at all since my husband passed away but wanted you to know that I am ok and will be back as soon as I am able. Thank you for all of your kind words and heartfelt wishes for peace and comfort. It means the world to me.

Kate Young

Just breathe

Andrew Young

July 25, 1956 – September 16, 2013

I have no words.

Images from my phone

It’s 4 PM on a Thursday afternoon and if I were working, I’d be getting ready to quit after what would probably have been a long and busy day. It’s been just over three weeks since I took an extended absence from my job in order to care for my husband, and I’m getting into a kind of routine {finally}.

I still set daily goals for myself and today’s were to call Verizon {about the crazy-high invoice I just received}, to bake an apple pie {and go to the orchard to get the fruit], and to write a post {for heaven’s sake, it’s been since Sunday}.

The post I’m sharing this afternoon consists entirely of images taken over the past several days using my Samsung Galaxy S4 phone. I used the Aviary photo app to edit and crop most of the the pictures for publication.

 

 

My blogging friend, {Kerri}, tells me that she believes this to be a red-spotted purple butterfly. I’d previously posted it on Instagram. If you’d like to follow me there, there’s a tab on the right of this post.

 

 

This lovely specimen is living almost right outside our back porch door.

She is huge.

 

 

I don’t know, just some stuff along the garden fence.

And when I say garden, I mean weed haven.

 

 

In a month, these and all my geraniums will have new homes in the window sills throughout the house.

 

 

Himself. In repose.

 

 

I used Be Funky for this edit. Blackie’s favorite seat is on the coffee table.

 

 

You’re probably wondering what this is about.

Sometimes I run out of things at home. Our son works at the Acme. Why call or text, when you can take a picture and just hit send?

 

 

I baked a pie today.

My husband has been talking about pie for several days now. He’ll ask what’s for dinner and I’ll tell him and he’ll ask if there will be pie. So I figured I’d better bake one.

 

I think it came out pretty well. I’ll let you know how good it is. If you’d like to make your own, you can fine the recipe here: {Favorite Apple Pie}. I believe I used Ginger Gold apples, which are very limited right now. My favorite apple to use for pie is Stayman Winesap but they won’t be ready until next month.

Thanks for stopping by ~

UPDATE: Oh, my good gracious, the pie was freaking awesome. Huge hit. Huge.

I am just a pilgrim on this road

It’s Sunday morning and I’m still in my pajamas, listening to music on my Cloud player and enjoying some freshly brewed coffee. Although we have a back-up Keurig machine, I still make coffee the old-fashioned way. I bring a kettle of water to boil and pour it over a glass Melitta pot that has a cone filter. It’s worth the extra trouble and my husband seems to appreciate the extra effort.

What I’ve listened to while writing this post:

Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band – Pilgrim

Essie Jain – My Darling

Collin Hay – I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You

Melody Gardot – Some Lessons

Rodriquez – I Think of You

Sam & Ruby – Heaven’s My Home

Norah Jones – Treat Me Like a Fool

Nick Drake – Place To Be

The photos below were all taken over a two-day period in either the early morning light or the early evening light. And photography is all about the light, isn’t it? I tried to position my chair to capture the beautiful September bokeh.

 

I absolutely love the color going on in the background of this one. I have a few photography props in the yard, including this old wire cage that a friend gave me for my birthday one year. I’m sure it was meant to be used indoors but the birds like to perch on it and it’s getting more use outside.

That’s a tufted titmouse, by the way.

 

 

And this is a lovely little nuthatch.

 

 

I was hoping someone would stop by this feeder so I could capture the colors. I just set this one up a couple of months ago under the dogwood tree next to the house and it’s been a bit hit. That’s a little chickadee there.

 

 

A tufted titmouse is about to take off with his prized seed.  We only feed oiled sunflower seeds here, so the birds with the smaller beaks take their seeds to a nearby branch and crack them open to get the prize inside. The cardinals and the finches stay at the feeders and crack their seeds right there because their beaks are made for crackin’.

 

 

Not a great shot, but I’ll take it. And there’s that cool wire birdcage again.

 

 

I love this one for the pretty colors, and the fan from the tail of this little chickadee.

 

 

And this.

 

 

Off to enjoy her prize.

 

 

The zinnias on this side of the patio are still blooming but over the weekend, I replaced other pots with chrysanthemums as things are beginning to look and feel like autumn is coming. The past two days have been absolutely stellar although this morning feels much warmer and more humid. It’s been great not having the AC running and listening to the crickets and owls while falling asleep at night.

Last night, I re-watched two movies, one on Netflix stream and the other a Netflix DVD. The first was Witness, one of my favorite movies of all time. I could watch Harrison Ford over and over again in this role. I remember when it was being filmed all those years ago, and they were working on the train scene nearby where I worked at a weekly newspaper at the time. Our editor went to get photos and returned dejected after seeing Kelly McGillis, in full Amish costume, smoking a cigarette. He was weird, that editor. I just laughed.

The other was You Can Count On Me, Mark Ruffalo’s break-out role. He stars with Laura Linney and they play orphaned siblings. It’s just a beautiful movie and they are so perfect in their roles.

 

 

And the hummingbirds are still out and about.

 

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I hope your Sunday is beautiful and the coming week brings nothing but good.

Thanks for stopping by, my friends.

Weekly Pinterest finds

It’s time again to share some of my finds on Pinterest, a place I visit occasionally and try not to stay too long. I have a bunch of wonderful recipes pinned to one of my boards and have been trying out several of them. And if my waistline is any indication, they have been quite good. Damn that waistline.

Here are several of my recent finds. Clicking on the link below each photo will take you to my pin where you can click on ‘website’ in some cases.

 

 

This one is just cute.

Super Kitten

 

 

Beautiful portrait here. Wow.

Mare and Foal

 

 

This image is by a photographer who used to work with my son in New York. About a year ago, he quit architecture to pursue his passion in photography and was recently selected as American Photo Magazine’s One to Watch and was featured in their Sept/Oct issue. I visit his blog daily and love his work.

James Chororos

 

 

I love everything about this from the color of the walls to the window treatment, the display of plates, the drawers under the seats. I think it’s great.

Breakfast nook

 

 

 

 

I wish I had taken this one.

Flaming Leaves

 

 

Wish I had a hat this cute, too.

Cute hat

 

 

I made this for dinner last night and my husband proclaimed it ‘pretty good’ which, for him, is high praise. He’s a man of few words but he knows what he likes.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp, Skinnytaste

 

 

Freedom.

Sailing

 

 

LOL here.

The Cool Family

 

 

This is just plain beautiful. Wish I knew where to find that sweater.

Ruffles

 

 

Ok, you are never going to guess who this is. Don’t scroll down yet!!

She’s a famous entrepreneur who began her career as a model.

Martha Stewart

Did you guess?

 

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It was beautiful here today. Friday is supposed to be a chilly 71 degrees. I can’t wait.

Thanks for stopping by tonight. Hope you enjoyed some of these finds.

Welcome, September

Oh, how I have wanted September to finally come. I think this has been the summer of my discontent although I’ve tried hard not to complain about it. So let’s leave it at that.

I miss school, my co-workers, the children, and heck even the parents. Most of them, anyway. Ha. Plus, it’s been quite an adjustment from my busy, hectic days to the quiet, solemn ones of late. But they have not been bad. Not at all.

It’s so good just knowing that I’m where I need to be.

 

It’s been sticky and very warm lately and I ventured out to what’s left of the garden to take a few macro shots this afternoon. Then I came in and put on a pot of water to boil for tonight’s dinner of Buitoni ravioli with marinara sauce while I played with these few images in Photoshop.

 

I watched a cute movie this afternoon on Netflix stream called View from the Top. It’s camp and funny and I actually laughed out loud a couple of times at this 2003 feel-good flick. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Applegate, Kelly Preston, Mike Myers, Rob Lowe, and one of my favorite guys, Mark Ruffalo and the cool thing is that they all look like they had a lot of fun making this film.

 

 

Besides the autumn poets sing,
A few prosaic days
A little this side of the snow
And that side of the haze.
~Emily Dickinson

 

 

“The flowers of the grass spend their brief life while we gaze at them.”

~ Artist Utagawa Hiroshige

 

 

Oh, it's a long, long while
From May to December
But the days grow short,
When you reach September.
When the autumn weather
Turn leaves to flame
One hasn't got time
For the waiting game.
Oh the days dwindle down
To a precious few . . .
September, November . . .
And these few precious days
I'll spend with you.

~ from September Song, Kurt Weill composer

Willie Nelson sings it {here} ~
 

 

Manor house bokeh.

 

 

And finally George, who says hello.

 

Hope your week is a pleasant one, my friends.