230/365 Changing Seasons

Summer’s lingering

Dusk has disappeared - nightfall

Is dark and sudden.

229/365 Morning Sky

Darkness sits heavy

In the sky, reluctant to

Relinquish  the night.

228/365 Hot August Night

Air conditioners

Compete with cicadas to

Fill the night’s silence.

227/365 Running Late

Chastised by ticking

Hands, I face my clock content

With my dawdling pace.

226/365 Answering Machine

Treasured voices stir

The heart’s deep recesses with

Precious memories.

wandering

It's funny where the mind will take us.

Today I had a vivid recollection of

choosing my first bottle of moisturizer.

 

Early 30's.

Late-80's.

Living in PA.

 

I had playground duty several times

each day at the school

our children attended and

decided it was time

to protect my skin from the elements.

 

I chose Oil of Olay

and splurged on

the frosted glass bottle with a pump.

My products have changed over the years

but not my dedication.

 

google images

 

I am a moisturizer.

The outside world may see me without

makeup, mascara or lipstick,

but I never skip the moisturizer.

My face, neck and chest are

slathered twice daily.

 

I've recently added the back of my hands

to that list.  With all

the anti-aging properties

packed into these new formulas

it seems a shame to pass over

my hands, which often bear the brunt

of careless use or exposure.

I do use lotions on them

regularly

but this takes only a sec

and it makes me feel that I've

done a good thing.

 

 

 



225/365 Vision

Turning visions to

Reality requires a

Patient and deft touch.

224/365 Dogs Days

Oppressive heat and

Scorching winds send my dog in

Search of shaded rest.

223/365 Black Night

Steamy clouds obscure

A waning moon struggling

To light the thick night.

Passing Time

I've just applied the top coat to my nails

so I'm doing a bit of surfing waiting for everything to dry.

I work tomorrow and need nice nails.

 

Scrolling through Pinterest it occurred to me

that I haven't eaten any  pasta for over

three months.

Brown rice, wild rice, potatoes, but no pasta.

 

Last night I sautéed

 banana peppers from our garden

with red and orange peppers,

mushrooms, spinach,

and potatoes from the garden.

Of course, there is no photo.

You'll have to believe me when I say

it was colorful and tasty.

And will be repeated soon.

 

This pin:

 

will be used in the next few days.

It looks so tasty!

And the ingredients are already on hand!

It's too easy

- and enjoyable -

to eat the same rotation of foods.

 

Pinterest provides a nudge from time-to-time

 reminding me that some options

are really quite simple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



222/365 Hummingbirds

Zooming swoops driven

 By unseen wings bring tiny

Wonders into view.

221/365 Miserly Skies

Parched ground opens in

Search of moisture denied by

The cloudless heavens.

Free time

As I have nothing pressing on my calendar

- or mind -

today, it seemed like a good time for a new post.

 

"Our" hummingbirds are back.

The swooping sound made by their wings is always

a delight to hear.  And they make an odd

chirp, almost like a dolphin's chatter,

that always surprises me.

 

Sadly, this year, I won't be watching for them

while reclining indulgently

in my hammock.

It has disintegrated.

String by string.

You can't imagine how much I already miss it.
I'm glad it held together long
enough for Aidan to enjoy while he was here.

 

Earlier this morning I went through my tee shirts.

The rag bag will be replenished,

with some going on to the Goodwill .

The other day I went through my pants.

It's rather embarrassing that there were so many

items in both the "keep" and

"toss" piles. 

 

The plan was to do no shopping for a few

more weeks.  Make what I have

work for these last few weeks of heat

and enjoy some new fall clothes.

That is still the general outline of my plan,

but, there are some gaps- literally -

that need to be filled.  Now.

And everyone has everything on sale

so tomorrow I will pick up a few essentials.

 

And scope out some of the fall offerings...

 

 

 

220/365 Wednesday Morning

Cotton ball clouds dot

The pale morning sky above

Bustling commuters.

219/365 August

Sledgehammer heat beats

Against the pavement putting

Fall musings on hold.

218/365 Storytime

Captivating tales

Fire our imagination

Opening new worlds.

217/365 Details

Small tasks, easily

Ignored, nag the list-maker

To be included.

Final Report

My ten week session at Farrell's is history.

We finished with testing in the morning

and a party last night.

Monday morning it starts all over again.

 

Here's my final tally:

14.6 pounds - lost.

16 total inches - melted away.

4.03 minutes shaved from my mile

bringing it under 12.

Sit-ups, push-ups and flexibility all increased.

 

I will also add,

 with some relief at the thought that my photos will remain private,

that it was not enough to win the $1000.

I'm honestly thrilled for Katie,

who was in my 9:15 class.

The money will be used for college expenses.

 

 I am more than pleased by what I've

accomplished in these past ten weeks.

And look forward to what comes next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



216/365 Laughter

The laughter children

Generate is healthful – the

True fountain of youth.

 

 

We had great weather for our day at the fair.

Saw more than we'll remember.

Laughed and chatted our way through the day

and slept like logs through the night.

 

Aidan heads home tomorrow.

It's always a short week...

215/365 The State Fair

The panorama

Of sound and motion provides

Amusement in spades.

214/365 Chorale

Evening strollers are

Serenaded by a choir

Of chirping crickets.

213/365 August

Chirping crickets mark

The summer’s changing rhythms

As night crowds the dusk.

Worth a thousand words?

212/365 August Night

Chirping crickets mark

The passing of mild summer

Nights as Fall draws near.

211/365 Game On

Energy runs high

On short legs as father and

Son play together.

210/365 Long Day

Even the dogs are

Drooping as the day winds to

Its reluctant end.

Sunday Evening

Tomorrow begins the last week

of my ten week session of

kickboxing.

There will be final-results testing and tallies

an "after" picture

and a party.

 

I've already signed on to continue

for the next year.

I like the accountability.

I like the workout.

I like the way I look.

The way I feel.

 

We finished putting the deck back together.

(I really missed having my breakfast

under the tree.)

The hummingbird is back.

The green beans have been delicious.

Beets will come into play this week.

 

Aidan is here for the week.

We've already played tennis

and a round of golf.

Had ice cream.

And baked zucchini bread.

The State Fair is scheduled for Thursday.

And I'm certain the days in between will

be filled with a flurry of activity.

 

 

 

 

209/365 Stillness

In the calm, dim hour

Before sunrise, the soft song

Of a bird builds strength.

208/365 Challenge Accepted

Smiling at the thrown

Gauntlet, strategies are drawn

To claim victory.

Transitions

Transitioning any wardrobe
is a process requiring creativity and fortitude.

August in Iowa can be tricky.

September, too.

We can face another six weeks of summer temps

while surrounded by examples of new

colors

scarves

jackets

and sweaters.
 

This year I have the added "complication"

of weight loss.

I just need a few things for work,

so the last few weeks have been spent going through

my drawers and closet,

sorting and building piles, as I see

what will get me through the next few weeks.
I don't want to buy anything right now...

 

One pile is on it's way out the door.

Doesn't fit.

Can't be altered.

Other items have had elastic and/or darts added.

A couple pair of lightweight pants

have received new side seams.

Shoulders have been adjusted.

I have a couple skirts that will see more use.

 

Grocery shoppers may see me wearing this:

I have to admit it has been hanging
in my closet for a couple years. 
I picked it up at a thrift store hoping it would fit. 

 It didn't.
But I liked it and I liked the idea of it, so it stayed.

I googled the label the other day when I wore

 it for the first time.

It's a Hilo Hattie, bias cut, 100% silk dress

that cost me $3.00!

 

Inspired by my sister's love for linen and recent

experiment with color

I did pick up a red 3/4 sleeve linen shirt. 

The dreaded D rings were removed, the strap

simply fed through the loop and tied.

 

The slubby texture means it's not an intensely red red.

Princess seaming keeps it trim.

 

So far, so good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

207/365 Late Night

Framed by my window

A lone star pulses gently

In an inky sky.

206/365 The Grasshopper

Ancient harbinger

Of destruction devours with

Efficient design.

205/365 Rain Clouds

Majestic billows

Course across the sky to grant

Their largesse elsewhere.

204/365 Oblivion

Dreams scroll unheeded

As sleep swiftly carries the

Weary far away.

Fresh Peaches

Tim offered my services to bake

a peach pie

for a couple at Kennybrook.

George found a source for Missouri peaches

and brought some over yesterday.

He added a few extra for us.

 

All I can say is

mmmmmmmmmmmm.
 

We shared a couple peaches last night.
Another was claimed at breakfast.
You don't want to know how many snippets
did not make it into the pie.

 

George's eyes lit up when he saw his pie. 

 

I made enough dough to bake Tim a small one.

His eyes lit up. too.

 

And through it all I enjoyed pleasant memories of

life in Pennsylvania.

 

 

203/365 Remembrances

An evocative

Aroma fills the heart with

Treasured memories.

202/365 Soft Summer Night

Pulsating light from

Countless stars fails to lift the

Darkness of the night.

201/365 Oversight

Some days laughter is

The only reasonable

Response when you err.
 

I had imagined that my daily streak would be broken

at some point.

 

Travel

emergency

 something big

 would eventually interfere with

the rhythms of my life.

 

Yesterday I finished my day early.

Painted my nails

picked up a magazine

enjoyed the

feeling of being done.

 

Completely

forgot

to

write

haiku.

Oops.

200/365 Passing Time

Days fly toward year’s end

Unmoved by our challenges

Or daily triumphs.

  Can you believe this is number 200?!

Something New

I tackled a project, this week, that

had been on my mind for a while-

inspiration from both Pinterest and my sister.

As usual, pictures didn't occur to me until

after things were underway.

 

The mirror used to sit on the dresser.

 

Switched the furniture

-the dresser weighs a ton! -

and added a surge strip and white lights to create

 

a place to do my hair.