THE LITTLE THINGS

I usually find inspiration to write a post by looking at my photos and seeing a little pattern of what I've been up to, places I've been and sometimes things I think you guys may be interested in.  The other day I thought, man, it's been awhile since I wrote a post but there doesn't seem to be anything to write about.   Then today I thought of a quote that says something to the effect of looking back on your life and realizing it wasn't the big things, it was the little things that counted.  I love that and I thought maybe that's the nudge I need to sit down and just start typing.  

Well, isn't this an interesting photo?  That Milo can be like a bloodhound sometimes.  I have a few outdoor toys for Elsie, we love to play in the backyard.  Milo actually gets into the action by retrieving  a ball when we throw it and dropping it in front of Elsie.  She runs to me or The Husband with it and we repeat.  I don't think she knew that dogs could play like this.  She's also taken a liking to dropping food down for Milo and Layla and they all get a huge kick out of this.  Anyway, Milo knows the smell of rubber.  And he loves to chew it.  We had to stop giving him rubber toys long ago and now we have to keep an eye on Elsie's favorite toys.  So...I caught him doing this the other day, just wanting that rubber ball with a passion.  Crazy mutt.  

This is a little old bench I painted a few weeks ago to fill in a corner of the patio (you can see it in the picture above).  Nothing huge, I just wanted it to be a bright spot.  I kept the legs the original color as it's almost too bright.  I've toned down the bright colors on my patio.  I may just give this a little darker wash.  My garden tools hang on a rack above the bench.  I've heard that it's a good idea to paint the wood handles of your tools a bright color, it makes them easier to find if you lay them down in the grass. Good tip and maybe my tools won't blend in so much with the wall.   I may do this.  

My day lilies are starting to bloom.  I have them in a lot of different spots all over my yard.  It's so big and sometimes I just want to fill areas with tried and true plants that take up chunks of space.  I have yellow and pink varieties in another area~~~I really favor them.  They bloom later in the summer, most likely as they don't get as much sun until mid summer.  

This is my idea of perfect whimsy, Jane Style.  This little chair used to be in one of our more 'natural and shabby" bathrooms so it looks pretty good.  I'm looking forward to seeing it get a little distressed over time.  

The Husband and I are so happy to have Elsie every Thursday night when Kevin plays softball and Mary Clare plays volleyball.  We love it.  She's just in time to have dinner with us.  She can't really chew food but it's so fun to watch her try new things that she can.  She was really intrigued by the jello I made last week.  She didn't know whether to play with it or eat it.

We like to take little walks, she pushes her baby doll in a mini stroller.  I can't help but think that these are the same sidewalks on which I walked with her dad (and the rest of my brood) to kindergarten.  Full circle and another great reason to be happy we've lived in this home for so long.  Forever actually or so it seems. 

I feel like summer has been here for a long, long time.  The things I've accomplished in the yard and garden, the time I've spent outdoors simply started so early that it truly feels like mid summer.  We've  have had a major heat wave, some days have actually hit 90+ degrees and that's very unusual for this part of the country in early summer.  Today was hot and humid but I was determined to get those pups out and active for an hour.  Layla loves grass...in the early morning she goes out and finds a patch of sun and just lies in it.  The other day she was lying on her side snoozing peacefully and she looked almost dead.  My heart almost stopped, then she lifted her head and looked around, and immediately went back to sleep.  For her there's nothing better than sniffing a random spot, scratching at it (a bug?) and then rolling in it.   I caught her in the act this afternoon and luckily had my camera with me.  A video would have been better, she can be hysterically funny.  Another crazy mutt.  They keep me happy and busy.

I'm beyond complaining about my daily running around.  I call my afternoons my 'Doctor Dates'.  I do the physical therapy on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the light therapy for my rash Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Afterward I do the groceries or errands.  By the time I get home its time to start dinner and after that I can barely keep my eyes open.  I am liking the PT though.  Spending an hour stretching muscles you never knew existed is quite exhilarating, for lack of a better word (after the first initial days of pain!).  It makes me look forward to doing the exercises at home and I've been pretty good about that.     

We have some fun things coming up.  We have plans to spend a weekend with old friends at their new home on a lake about 2 hours from here.  Oh!  To wade in the water, eat hotdogs and have a beer at 1:00 p.m.  Ha!  Life's little pleasures.  And we are going to our place in Asheville the last week of July.  My sister in law and her young daughters took a road trip recently and stayed several nights at our condo.  They had a ball.  They loved the pool, I've never been as we haven't been there in the summer.  I know The Husband will want to do some fly fishing so I'm looking forward to whiling away some time by the pool and in the hot tub and plowing through some books I have sitting on my night table.  

That wraps it up.  Do tell what you've been been doing so far this summer.  Any vacation plans?  As I write I hear we are having some terrible storms down in Texas and some are headed our way.  It's hard to be vigilant at night.  Be safe. 

And in closing I want to express my sorrow over the events in Orlando.  I'm sure you share my feelings.  Let's continue to pray for peace while we grieve for the victims and their families.  

Jane x