Summers Harvest...oh so sweet

Every year I look forward to gardening. It is PURE THERAPY for me. Hubbie put in a second garden plot for me this year and I did a little experimenting...I have never had the space to grow watermelons or pumpkins...I have plenty of space at The Glen.

Garden ready for seeds.

My first vine flourishing with all the early rain we received.

OH! My Baby! Isn't it a beauty????

UNbelieveably SWEET and delicious.

See the natural "Y" in the flesh? It is so pretty.

Once they are all ripened, picked and eaten we will have had our FILL of watermelon!

Now, a question for you. My Papaw always cut thick slices of watermelon and ate them with a salt shaker...he said the salt brought out even more sweetness. I prefer mine WITHOUT the salt...do you salt YOUR watermelon????



Now...for the pumpkins...

Cooler nights

We have had four glorious days of cool nights, brilliant, sunshiny days in the 70's and clear, BLUE, BLUE skies. A tiny glimpse of fall that is short lived as the temperatures are to go back up into the nineties in the next day or so. We find ourselves sitting on our porch and enjoying this amazing weather! LOVELY!

I had to get up VERY early this a.m. to drop a teen at a sporting event so came home to a house FULL of sleeping people and QUIET. I brewed some coffee and headed to the front porch swing to enjoy this glorious morning...until

I had some company arrive:



I simply CANNOT share ANY space with these Wolf Spiders! They are PLENTIFUL here at The Glen. They are nocturnal and have a party on my porch every night...but once the sun comes up I NEED them to go!!! I have anxiety simply LOOKING at this photo!!

I do NOT think I will EVER appreciate this large creation of our God's! UGH!
GET OFF MY PORCH!! I mean it OUT! OUT! OUT!

POST SCRIPT: If you think I TOOK this photo you are VERY wrong. Photo compliments of Google Images. I would not get THIS CLOSE to a Wolf Spider ON PURPOSE even with a telephoto lens! ACK!

Fly, fly away

This summer has brought an extraordinary number of butterflies to our area. I have no education in this area but know that I have enjoyed the many varieties that have come to live at The Glen. I planted two Butterfly Bushes (or Buddleia davidii which is a flowering bush that is native to China) two years ago and the butterflies certainly do love them. We can count as many as 20 butterflies flitting about the bushes at a time.

What is it about butterflies that is so calming and graceful? They truly are amazing creatures.

This bush is lavender but they come in a variety of soft colors.

This is my favorite variety of Butterfly...the blue on the tail is so pretty.

Everyone is familiar with The Monarch...they are plentiful.

These photos are NOT the clearest but can you squint at this one and tell me what this little creature is??



“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you”
~Nathaniel Hawthorne

First time for everything...

For the first time in 16 years I find myself ALONE in my house...all FIVE kids departed The Glenn today for school.

The verdict is OUT on how I feel about this...

Empty, quiet rooms...my little guy is off to Kindergarten...but he is so little...

No one on the playground or in the Enchanted Forest...


It is VERY QUIET around here...

THEME THURSDAY...to brush...

till delightfully coiffed...






Click HERE for more Theme Thursday.

Many thanks to Beppie who makes all things fun and to Jen and Abby for including Miss Emma in the wedding celebration!

What IS that smell????

Our teen boys came home from Marching Band Camp bursting with stories and also bringing along some house guests. The creepy crawly kind and the STANKY, nasty kind...oooooooooo weeeeeeeeee! THIS Momma had them unpack their loot in the garage! GAH!



What you CANNOT see in this photograph is how the flies are surrounding this laundry with the glee of finding a ripened picnic in the park!

Off to do laundry!!!!

Draggin my feet!

I WILL admit it...I get excited about a NEW pack of colorful Crayola's, fresh tips just waiting to cover the pages with life. BUT, school supplies have been OUT and on the shelves for WEEKS and I hate it that this signifies the END of summer! I am likely to pull an ALL OUT FISTY PUFF about school starting in less that two weeks! WHERE did the summer go?



I guess I need to suck it up and be an adult.
But, I don't WANNA!!

Do you hate to see the summer come to an end???

See ya later.

My earliest memory of Uncle Michael was him sitting at my Mamaw's breakfast table. Uncle Michael and Aunt Joyce lived out of state and when they came to visit it was EXCITING. It meant that Cousin Tony was coming (and later, Michelle) and another playmate was always welcome. My custom was to eat breakfast at home and then take the brief walk to my grandparents to eat "cooked breakfast" with them. Michael had a slow, southern style accent and always talked to me. (Some adults do not have time to chat with children...kids know this) He also would play checkers and I loved to play checkers. Not really a tea drinker at that young age Michael introduced me to hot black tea with milk and sugar and I drink this with GREAT pleasure to this day.

Michael died on Sunday. I hate cancer. Michael lived his days to the fullest. He laughed, told stories and made wisecracks...he sang "I'll do it my way" at our Karaoke party with such enthusiasm...we all laughed until we cried. Michael, Aunt Joyce and his family have many, many good memories before he was sick but even more added after his diagnosis. As we watched him slip into the gates of heaven Aunt Joyce said to him..."we won't say goodbye...we'll just say see ya later."


Uncle Michael with Cousin Bep

Home on the range

Took two of my favorite guys to the driving range...




This one is cute but refused to use a driver...he insisted he use a Putt Putter. Hmmmmm...just check out that form!! Oh, and look at the golf balls that are about three feet in front of the green. A golf pro in the making!

Mitchell is SERIOUS about his golfing and would stay all day to practice.

Sam...not so much...when he is done...HE IS DONE.

Sam likes to do what his big brothers are doing...don't know if he will ever be big enough to caddy for them! I don't think napping on the course is allowed!