A storm moved through last night, and the tornado sirens went off in town. We can barely hear them from our house, but we can usually sense the bad weather approaching. Of course there are also warnings on the television and on our phones. I snapped a few photos of the ominous looking clouds.
Jon was doing his storm chaser impression.
Thankfully, he had the good sense to come home from the golf course. :)
There were some pretty nasty looking clouds.
It did seem to be moving fairly fast.
We moved inside when it started to rain,
and Jon continued to watch the sky.
He was joined by Adam and Jim.
The shingles on my poor barn were hanging on for dear life.
Thankfully, the storm split, and went around us,
so we didn't get anything damaging at our home.
I did hear there was some damage in the southern part of the county.
Our prayers go out to the people of Joplin, Missouri and other areas
who have been devastated by terrible storms recently.
I hope you will join me in prayer and help if you can -
A rather miscellaneous post today, so I thought I would link up with Miscellany Monday.
Matthew was here after school on Friday, and after a walk outside, he decided he needed a treat from the snack machine in the break room out in the seed plant. He made his selection, but...
it was stuck!
I hate when that happens.
He knew just what to do, though, as he made a couple passes at beating the snack machine. (Sorry for the blurry phone photo - he was a moving target!) When he was successful in dislodging the stubborn chips, he said, "Aunt Janet says to use your hip!" She must know what she's talking about. :)
After Matthew went home, Jim and I headed over to the lake listening to my new CD that came in the mail. In case you might not know, Craig Terrill is a former Boilermaker football player, born and raised in Lebanon, Indiana, who played for the Seattle Seahawks. I remember him best for the way he always hugged his mama when he ran onto the field in Ross-Ade Stadium, and for the blocked field goal in overtime that was returned for a game-winning touchdown against Wisconsin. Good stuff.
Later that season, we happened to run into his mama in the street at the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena. It was fun to visit with her in the excitement before the big game at the Granddaddy of Them All. :)
I guess he has always had a band, and since I follow him on Twitter, I learned of his new CD, "Genuine." We thought it was pretty good. And autographed. :) Check it out at his website.
Jennifer and Bryan joined us at the lake Friday evening, and they went biking in Brown County on Saturday morning. Jim and I did not go biking :) but met them in Nashville for lunch, at what is quickly becoming our new favorite place, the Big Woods Brewing Company. Again, I present for your viewing enjoyment, the Pulled Pork BBQ Nachos. And they taste even better than they look.
On Sunday, Jim was convinced to spray off the boat slip covers with the pressure sprayer. After at least 30 minutes of work and frustration before getting it started, and a short interruption by a lightning storm, he went to town spraying away.
And he was even still smiling. :)
He actually sprayed everything in sight, including his finger. Ouch!
It was fun (?) getting everything ready, and we're looking forward to a great time next weekend with everyone home.
This morning, I noticed that the peonies in our own yard were blooming. I love peonies. They seem like an "old fashioned" flower. Maybe that's because they are often long-lived, with some plants growing and flowering for more than 50 years. You can read this and other interesting facts about the state flower of Indiana here.
Last weekend, Jim and I had the opportunity to visit The Flower and Herb Barn in Brown County. It is in the same location as the Farmhouse Cafe and Tea Room, which I've written about before, here, and here.
The grounds and gardens are alive with flowers, plants, herbs, bullfrogs (noisy ones!), and garden decor. I love to just walk around and enjoy all the beautiful corners of the garden display. This is a wysteria in bloom. I really want to find a spot to plant one, either at the lake or at home. The one I had never had blooms like this, and it was, you might say, unintentionally eradicated last summer.
I don't have much of a green thumb, but I would love for someone to plant and maintain a beautiful garden for me. I really love flower gardens, but I don't have the knowledge or the know how to grow one myself. I do well to grow a few geraniums in a pot!
They have all kinds of garden ornaments there, many of which appear to be antiques. I liked this one because of the fleur de lis on the end.
Same here. :)
Everything seemed to be blooming, and it's tempting to want to load up the wagon with some of each.
I've heard hostas are easy to grow, so maybe we should try some at the lake.
I really liked this pretty garden angel. Maybe she should replace the dalmatian statue that came with the lake house. My boys think he should find a new home. At the bottom of the lake. :)
I even caught a busy little bee hard at work in a pretty peony.
This is a rhododendron. So pretty.
And I loved this hydrangea. Beautiful. We may have to find a spot to plant one of these.
A colorful bottle tree.
The "shopping carts" provided by the gardens for our convenience.
We tried not to go overboard buying things to plant. We ended up with some ferns to hang on the porch and two flats of impatiens. Besides, we'll want to be sure there's a reason to go back. Of course, Jim thought we needed some garden soil. I guess dirt is not really dirt when you're planting a garden!
Another Wednesday, another Hodgepodge. Thanks to Joyce for hosting. Click on the button to visit her blog.
1. What reveals more about a woman-her refrigerator or her purse?
I would say her purse. A refrigerator in the home of a large family such as ours, takes on a life of its own. I have watched an evolution of beverages, leftovers, and yes, the occasional (ok, frequent) science project live and thrive in the depths of our Sub-Zero. A woman's purse, however, is her own private domain. I do fear that my purse may not reveal much information, since I'm not one to carry much around with me. As long as I have a credit card and my driver's license, I'm pretty much good to go. Maybe that is revealing after all.
2. When was the last time you went to the zoo? Where? What's your favorite zoo animal?
I think the last time I went to the zoo, was when I was still teaching first graders, so about seven years ago. We took an annual field trip to the Indianapolis Zoo. I am pretty sure it was pouring rain that day, and I convinced my group that there really weren't any animals out in the "plains" area. We went from the waters building, to the desert building, to the dolphin pavilion, dodging raindrops between buildings. It wasn't until the bus ride home (love those field trip bus rides) that my group learned there were giraffes, and elephants, and zebras there after all. I only felt guilty for a minute or two, or not. Besides, we were dry. :)
Of course, I had to dig up some old photos of our gang at the zoo, just for fun. Jim, with Jonathan on his shoulders (yes, he was a little dude once upon a time), and David, Jennifer, and Andrew (1989).
I had to include this one of Jennifer, because it's just so darn cute.
Little Jonathan again, saying one of his first multi-word sentences, "I see baby camel sleeping." He hasn't stopped talking since.
Another trip, a couple years later, with Andrew, cousin Jessica, Jennifer, and David in the photo. And an elephant, of course.
And since Jennifer has grown to love goats (not) in her job as a vet tech, I wanted to include this one of her hugging the little horned one.
As for my favorite zoo animal? I have always loved the polar bears, especially if they are swimming.
3. What social issue fires you up?
The abuse of children.
4. Are you a coupon clipper? If so, are you extreme?
I was just discussing this topic recently. I am not a coupon clipper. I know there are folks who are professionals in the corporate coupon world, and I admire their savvy money-saving ways. My past grocery shopping was usually focused on leaving the store with the same number of children with which I arrived. Most of the time, I was successful. Now, when I finally do go to the store, I want to get in and out with a minimum amount of time and trouble.
5. What is one of your favorite souvenirs brought back from your travels?
I love this little tap-tap napkin holder I got on my first trip to Haiti. There was one like it on the table in the guest house (later destroyed by the earthquake) where we stayed and ate our meals. Tap-taps are the main form of transportation in Haiti. They are colorful and crowded little buses driving wildly around the streets of Port au Prince. The napkin holder sits on my kitchen windowsill and reminds me every day of our Haitian friends.
6. Lemon meringue or key lime?
Key lime.
7. What is the most beautiful word you know in any language?
Je t'aime
Te amo
Ya ti-bya lyu blyu
Ani o hevet oth kha
I love you
And the rest of the words to the beautiful song,
"Love in Any Language" sung (again) by my friend, Sandi Patty.
Pause the blog music before you play the video.
8. Insert your own random thought here.
I wanted to share the brand new music video by another one of my favorites, JJ Heller. Jim and I had the opportunity to see her at a concert recently, and she and her guitarist husband Dave were talented and genuine in their performance. The song is "Control" and it's all about giving it up. Giving it to God. So hard to let go. You can read a little background on the song over on JJ's blog, lovely little things.Pause the blog music before you play the video.
