Mr. Tree (112/365)

Dorothy: [Reaches to pick an apple from the apple tree, the tree grabs the apple and slaps her hand] Ouch!
Apple Tree: What'd'ya think you're doing?
Dorothy: We've been walking a long ways and I was hungry and... did you say something?
Apple Tree: She was hungry! Well, how would you like to have someone come along and pick something off of you?
Dorothy: Oh dear! I keep forgetting I'm not in Kansas!

The Wizard of Oz. 1939. MGM. DVD.

TIME:  6:05 PM
PLACE:  Backyard
SUBJECT:  Face on a tree trunk

After supper, StellaDella told me that she wanted to show me something outside.  I asked if I needed to bring my camera…well, duh! Mom.  She directed me to the pine tree and explained the supplies used in her design.  Leaves for the eyes, a piece of corncob for the nose (she had to reach under the fence to get that) and painted mud for the mouth.  I’m glad I took a photo – we had big storms again this evening, so I’m sure that the face will not be there tomorrow morning.

The Fat Lady Is Still Singing (084/365)

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.“

Doug Larson (English middle-distance runner who won gold medals at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, 1902-1981)

TIME:  8:49 AM
PLACE:  Work parking lot
SUBJECT:  Snow on tree bud

Someone needs to make sure Mother Nature takes her meds ‘cause she is going from one extreme to another this week here in the Midwest – she had us at almost 80 degree temps earlier in the week to waking us up to a layer of wet snow this morning.  Oh well, at least she is keeping us on our toes.

Lichen And Bark (064/365)

“Our lives should go between the lichen and the bark.”

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), U.S. philosopher, author, naturalist. A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (1849), in The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, vol. 1, p. 411, Houghton Mifflin (1906).

TIME:  2:25 PM
PLACE:  Girl Scout Camp
SUBJECT:  Lichen on branch

The two girls and I left at 10am this morning for an overnight stay at Girl Scout Camp with StellaDella’s troop.  It was cold and rainy, but the lodge we stayed in was warm, dry and had its own kitchen and bathroom.  I had volunteered to oversee the craft activities and assembled three different crafts for the girls to make.  They also went on three hikes, performed a skit and of course, made s’mores around the campfire.  Even with all of that, they were still up, running around like crazy, until midnight.

Peeling Bark (015/365)

“As the poet said, "Only God can make a tree" - probably because it's so hard to figure out how to get the bark on”

Woody Allen (American Actor, Author, Screenwriter and Film Director, b.1935)

TIME:  2:00 PM
PLACE:  Josephine’s Tea Room – Godfrey, IL
SUBJECT:  River Birch trunk

I met up with three friends from high school for lunch at Josephine’s Tea Room in Godfrey, Illinois today.  I left about 10am and didn’t get back home until almost 4 – it was a nice “Me” day.  HH was home with the kids, but unfortunately, he was sick, as in can’t-get-out-of-bed sick.  That didn’t stop me from leaving though.  (I mean, if the roles were reversed, do you think it would have stopped him from going?  Um, that would be a big, fat “No”)  I fed the kids breakfast before I left, but they had to fend for themselves for lunch - which they have done many, many times before – it should have been a no-brainer.  But apparently, they had issues with all the food that was in the house, because the second I walked in the door, I was bombarded with whining...“We’re starving Mom!” “There was nothing here good to eat!” “What’s for dinner?”  Awww, those poor babies. *rolls eyes*  Well, there was no way I was going to cook anything, so I was a bad mom and just picked them up McDonalds.  And that was my Saturday.

Octopus Roots (259/365)

   
“Tell me, O Octopus, I begs,
Is those things arms, or is they legs?
I marvel at thee, Octopus
If I were thou, I'd call me Us.”

Ogden Nash (American Writer of humorous poetry who won a large following for his audacious verse. 1902-1971)

TIME:  6:36 PM
PLACE:  School playground
SUBJECT:  Tree roots

The grade school had an open house this evening.  We signed in in the foyer and MB and SD were given a paper.  They were required to visit the different areas of the school with their parents and obtain the signatures of different teachers and school workers.  A trip was made to see the secretary, the school nurse, the computer lab, the library, each of their classrooms and finally, back to the foyer where there was an information table for Scouting, fund drives and school spirit wear.  Once all the squares on the paper were signed, then they could enter the cafeteria and exchange it for pizza, lemonade and cookies.  After they ate, they joined the other kids who had headed out to the playground.  A gigantic game of tag was organized by the older children and they all ran around the school grounds like crazy people.  This tree is one of three that is by the swings, monkey bars and slide structure. 

Cedar Tree (144/365)

 
“There is a lull to the very air of the place, the creaking of the tall teak forests, the lapping of the canals, the gentle swaying of the little kingfishers who sit like neat blue idols on almost every telegraph wire.”

James Morris

TIME:  7:46 PM
PLACE:  Back yard
SUBJECT:  Cedar tree

As I stood under the cedar tree this evening, the wind started to blow and I could hear the branches creak.  Love that sound.

Distant Red Bird (130/365)

 
“I am too far away from what I love and my distance is without remedy.”
 
Albert Camus (1913-1960), French-Algerian novelist, dramatist, philosopher. Gallimard (1958). Martha in The Misunderstanding, act 2, sc. 2, Pléiade (1962).

TIME:  10:33 AM
PLACE:  Our Lady of the Snows Shrine
SUBJECT:  Northern Cardinal

A cardinal flew in front of my car while I was returning to work after attending a visitation for my cousin’s father-in-law this morning.  I tried taking some photos, but he was quite a distance away and I wasn’t getting close enough in my opinion.  By the time I changed lenses, he had flown away.  Nothing else inspired me today, so this is as good as it gets on this chilly Monday.

The Eighth Plague (307/365)

 
Who knows what sort of seventeen-year locust will next come out of the ground?

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), U.S. philosopher, author, naturalist. Walden (1854), in The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, vol. 2, p. 366, Houghton Mifflin (1906).

TIME:  2:15 PM
PLACE:  The backyard
SUBJECT:  Cicada shell

School conferences started the day off at 8am this morning.  All three children had good reports, DramaQueen and MonkeyBoy both made the honor roll (which reminds me of the bumper sticker “My kid can beat up your honor roll student.”) and StellaDella is right where she needs to be academically.  Way to go kids! – you must get your smarts from your mother. *wink*   

After running some errands, we came home and MB helped me clear the yard and garden.  We filled 4 containers of yard waste.  The yard looks so much tidier now and ready for the winter.  I found this cicada shell while we were clearing out the corner garden bed.  He needed a close-up!

Mountain Of Mulch (255/365)

“A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely.” 

Pam Brown (Australian poet, b1948)

TIME:  11:50 AM
PLACE:  The front yard
SUBJECT:  Mulch

HH picked up 3 cubic yards of mulch this morning for our flower beds.  We last mulched about 4 years ago.  That was when I first edged the areas around the front and side of the house.  It is definitely time to add some more.  Things always look so much nicer with a fresh layer of tree bark.

This evening I went to a trivia night with some girlfriends.  These are friends I made while hanging out at the bar where I met HH.  We didn’t do so well; we came in second to last place.  We did win the honorary title of “Most Fun Table”...so that was something.  It was the pesky sports category that did us in.  I did surprise myself with my knowledge of the “Presidents” category, coming up with the answers from lord only knows where.  Afterwards, we went out for a couple of beers, some girl talk, and reminiscing about the old bar days.

The End Of My Rope (200/365)

 
“The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.”

Carlos Castaneda (Peruvian-born American author, 1925-1998)

TIME: 7:23 PM
PLACE:  The backyard
SUBJECT:  Cedar bark and rope

I’m feeling kind of “blah” today and the color in this picture reflects that.  MonkeyBoy and his team lost their game by 6 runs earlier this afternoon.  They were disappointed, but overall, they had a good season.  After the game, I met my sister at the flea market and browsed the stalls with her and DramaQueen.  It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the high seventies and low humidity - nothing like normal July weather at all!  So why am I feeling blah?  Don’t know, but I’m hoping that tomorrow brings me a better outlook.

Tree Bark (177/365)

 
"I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself."

Edward Steichen (American photographer, painter, and art gallery and museum curator, 1879-1973)

TIME: 7:28 PM
PLACE:  Little League Fields - by the Bantam Diamond
SUBJECT:  Tree Bark

As I was busy today getting ready for the big yard sale tomorrow, I have posted a picture that I took yesterday.  The weatherman informed me that tomorrow should be the hottest day of the year - with highs in the upper 90's and heat indexes of over 100.  That is just lovely.  Boy, do I know how to pick a date for a sale or what?   Sigh.  My cousin Kathleen called me and asked if I could her and our friend Michelle for a quick drink at a local bar tonight.  You know what...I think I just might do that!