Knock Knock....

 

Wanna come out and play?

More like, Wanna come out and see what I haven't eaten yet?

I'm sorry I've been so long gone again but, geesh, I'm just not keeping up these days.

For those who asked, yes, the new baby arrived safely but contrary to best laid plans. (DIL was past her due date so they scheduled her for a c-section but complications arose and she ended up having an emergency c-section prior to the scheduled date.)

Baby Myla Lynne arrived in style (during a tornado warning) but both mom and baby are doing well.

And, yes, Gigi duty went fine and dandy...but, yikes, was I tired LOL.

By now most of you know that each summer I generally do a post about the summer's flowers.

This is this year's.

Because I was too lazy to make it into a couple, separate, posts, be forewarned that there a LOT of photos.

{The cream separator came from our family's farm}

{The first hibiscus to bloom}

{White Admiral Butterfly on hydrangeas}

{One of my favorite places to be: on my bench on my back porch}

{The view from said bench....}

It has been a good year for the "volunteer" plants (ones that just seed themselves from prior years and manage to grow in the bricks of my patio.) Amazing given how extremely dry it has been.

{All of the plants under the tub are "volunteers"}

{Even a volunteer phlox!}

{Morning glories and echinacea}

These plain-Jane white petunias are actually "firefly petunias"... 

At night, without any props or lights, they become magically lit as though by little fireflies:

{Word to the wise: Do not put these somewhere where one has to navigate stairs in the dark in order to see their magic.  Just saying....}

{No flowers here...just a peek looking into the cornzebo with a little "light magic" of its own.}

{A very rare (for Nod - and Wisconsin generally) "stray" Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly playing amongst the echinacea.}

{Not flowers either, and not-so-rare, trash pandas on the bridge. Yes, I was tempted.}

{Sun setting on the tasseling corn after a night of cat yoga with Mia.

There are days life is so very sweet.}

Hope you all are keeping well.

Changes

 

{Heron playing hide-and-seek}

Although it's been a while since I last posted (as usual), I'm certain most of you remember me saying in my post before last that I would not be going to the lake over the holiday weekend and was not sad about it.

Well, yeah...that changed.

At the 11th hour (a biblical reference, believe it or not), the replacement flooring finally came in, and, in a stroke of luck, the flooring contractors managed to fit the project in within days.

I still had no intention of going, however, because the place was still in shambles - boxes everywhere, the toilet still in the bedroom, the vanity still under the stairs, and the contents of the closets (not to mention the pieces of what once the closet) who knew where.

But my son and daughter-in-law started making noises about going up, and because it would likely be the last time in a long time that they'd be able to go (Baby No. 2 expected any day), plans changed.

I contacted the contractors who had done the original work, and they moved mountains to get most of the things put back into place (i.e., the toilet and vanity back in the bathroom, rebuilt the closet, rehung doors, etc.) Yes, there was work to be done...and heavens knows, a LOT of cleaning, but it would, at least, be habitable.

On the day before I intended to leave, I went grocery shopping (did I mention the nearest town is SWAMPED with tourists and traffic on holidays?).  I was nearly finished when my DIL messaged me and told me they were not coming after all...or, if they came, it would only be for a day.

😖

I decided to go up by myself regardless since I knew I should check on things and that there would be more than a weekend's worth of cleaning and sorting, sorting and cleaning, to do.

(And, after all, I had a ton of groceries since I could not bring myself to put everything in my cart back on the shelves.)

It was good that I went but little cleaning was accomplished.  (Another long tale - this one of having purchased 3 floor cleaners...the first of which was defective; the second of which was stolen by one of my husband's "invitees" before I had even opened the box it came in; and the third of which (which was used one time and one time only) was, it turned out, missing a very indispensable part when I attempted to use it this time - a fact I only realized after spending several hours with the online manual and YouTube videos, and digging in every possible remaining box and caddy searching for said part.

Apparently, the "water mitigation team" (a term used ever so loosely) must have "disposed" of it while doing their demolition "mitigating."

Grrrr....

So that "plan" changed as well.

It was beautiful nonetheless...noise notwithstanding.

The forecast had been for storms and rain, but there was nothing other than a brief shower.

The swans were initially elusive They are recluses, I think, like me, but they showed themselves after the interlopers tourists left and things quieted. They had changes to reveal as well:

Two little cygnets (such a strange word, in my opinion, for a baby swan), although the second one is mostly hidden by the reeds in the photo.

I enjoyed the peace after the days of fireworks and firecrackers and, despite not having the magical part for my floor cleaner, did manage to get some things accomplished.

As I was preparing things to go back to Nod, however, there was the sound of a horrendous explosion. It was louder than any of the fireworks in the past many days...and much, much, closer. 

Have you ever seen those cats in the animated cartoons that shoot straight up in the air when there is a loud sound/bang?

That's EXACTLY what happened with my two cats...despite having been conditioned over the weekend to the noise and sounds of the fireworks they went straight up and scrabbled to hid under the nearest bed.

I ever so tentatively walked around the property in an attempt to determine the source of the noise fully expecting to find something smoking.

What I saw was the old tree that my eagles favored as a roost had snapped in half...

...and one half had landed on my (metal) dock.

So, another change.

(...and yet another thing to deal with.)

Did I mention that the weather at the lake was beautiful? So much better than predicted??

Well, that, too, changed once I returned to Nod.

I awoke a few days after returning to the smell of smoke. 

Like the idiot who ran around the lake house trying to find the source of the "explosion," I was now running around the house here in Nod trying to determine what, exactly, had caught on fire.

This was my view...but nothing was on fire.

It was the smoke from the Canadian...and Minnesotan...wildfires.

We have been on the top of the AQI air quality scale (the maroon/hazardous range) for over a week now.

The smoke has seeped in everywhere despite closed windows and doors and a/c. 

I had an appointment at the medical center and thought that that building, at least, would be smokefree.

No such luck. Even the examining rooms in the far recesses of the building were smoky.  Virtually all outdoor activities and events were cancelled.

By mid-morning, my eyes are so dry and irritated that I wish I could scratch them out. By the afternoon, not only are my eyes suffering, but my head is pounding and breathing gets difficult.

We had a day and a half of somewhat a reprieve but then the winds shifted again and brought more smoke, and we are still under a hazardous air quality alert.

It's unfortunate that this can look beautiful.

Another change: 

The day after tomorrow, this little girl's entire world will change: She will become a big sister.

You may remember that she came very, very, early and things were scary for a long while. Thankfully, she has grown and thrived.

Her mother (and the rest of us) had hoped the second child could be delivered normally (vs. caesarean) given the pain and long recovery time she endured the first time around.

Unfortunately, that's not to be and while one child came out "under-done," this one is turning out to be "over-done."

A decision has been made that, for the safety of mother and child, the child be delivered sooner rather than later via caesarean.

Prayers for a safe delivery for both mother and child would be most welcome if you're so inclined.

Oh, and for me...Gigi duty is going to test me this week as we're embarking on very new territory.  

This one has never spent a night alone without one of her parents present.

😬

A Week from Now...

A week from now, the hoopla will be over (for the most part).

I have always left my patriotic up until Labor Day anyway but, this year especially, I think the celebration should continue all year long.

(I won't keep my decor out that long because...well, you know, Halloween!)

I said I might try to post more photos of Americana decor and, since it's hotter than blazes outside, I'm wasting time inside and decided to share more.

There are a LOT of photos here so be forewarned. I'll keep the commentary minimal...with just a brief description under the photo if I think it helpful. If you have questions on anything, let me know. I'll be happy to try to respond if not in a direct email or in a reply comment, in a follow-up post.

Not all are the best as the windows and design of my home make photographing entire rooms/areas difficult.  

First off, Janice (Prims By The Water) mentioned she thought she saw a "Chessie and Me" cross stitch pattern. Yes, Janice you did.

It was done several years back and is called 1864 House Sampler.

Back to "other photos" - in no particular order.

{Vintage blue and red transferware nestled among excavated English meat pots and lids}

{"Centennial Eagles" - a design by Tina Woltman - also stitched years ago}

{Old chicken cage hung on my entry wall. I have a very large, funky, folk art Uncle Sam that I replace the Red Robin Farm barn with and sports and add a red, white and blue bunting or banner along the top, but I didn't make that far this year.}

The next two photos are close-ups from the cage:

{My vintage sparkler collection}

{Sculpted clay Uncle Sam on stretcher board with flag (by Folk For All Seasons), Vintage cross-stitched flag in the background and antique betty lamp on the side}

{Saltglaze Uncle Sam in a little niche of my kitchen counter...and, yes, I know the word "coffee" is upside down on the little canister. You know I love misfits.}

{More misfits: Excavated broken bisque dolls and figurines from Germany...well, I added the hat and flag...}

{Another of my folkart Santo-type angels...this one wearing a vintage (WWII era) "We Support Our Sailors" sash}

{Little wagon filled with vintage ammunition caps, poppers, tops, etc.}

{Vintage eagle snow catcher - used to catch snow from falling off roofs - on top of my mom's kraut cutter}

{Vintage Turtle Creek Pottery Plate}

{One of my only two patriotic hooked pieces...so as to not disappoint Saundra}

I'm leaving it at that.

I promise.