Thursday......

 We had our old shingles removed today and a new layer of shingles applied.  Did you see at first the guy standing on the edge of the roof.  They had good shoes and textured chaps on their legs so they could hang off the edges of the roof. 

There is debris all over the deck as the felt paper from the past floated down on to the deck.  It is at the end of the day and they have cleared this.

We keep getting great tasting tomatoes from the vines.  We did stop eating them for a while but we are now enjoying them again on the side of our dinner meals. 

When I went to pick a few tomatoes I did take my camera with me. I am glad that I did as the light was low and the photos were more in focus.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Middle of the Week.....

 

 

 

 

 

We are getting the outside ready for the invasion of workers tomorrow. The roofers are coming and everything needs to be moved out of the way.  The hummingbird feeder comes down as well as bird feeders.  It may rain but the crews tend to work through that with the spotty rains that Iowa has right now. 

I am moving slow so I will do things at spurts off and on during the day. I will have to walk the perimeter to be sure I have it all out of the way.  Tarps will be placed on top of roses and plastic pieces are placed everywhere to help them collect the debris from the old roof.  

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Tuesday's Things.....

 As the yellow bloom ages it turns to pink colors. It has proven to be a great purchase for me this spring. We will see how well it overwinters to see if it was a successful purchase. 

Both the aster and the sedum are fall flowers. They are certainly different forms of plants but look good together.  The bees are happy with both kinds of flower blooms. 

Thanks for stopping in today.

Great Colors of Sedum.....

 

 

 

It is a nice sunny day with the afternoon warming up a bit.  We spent the morning downtown Des Moines making a doctors visit for me.  The blending of  old buildings, new buildings and a parking ramp makes finding your way to the office to be difficult.  I found the office but then couldn't find the parking ramp after the visit.  I had to ask for help. The elevator numbers for floor one are lined up with the fourth floor of the ramp. That doesn't make any sense.  

I have new approaches to my meds for my body.  I seem to be not doing as good as I think I am and maybe I will start to feel better with the adjustments to my meds.  My normal may be a better state of being with the new changes.

Thanks for stopping by today.

A Quiet Afternoon.....

 The sun was shining brightly and there was just a gentile breeze making it a good day for the shot. I won't have to go out and unfurl it like I do sometimes when it is windy.

 

 

 

This is a someday project.  It has problems with the top and is missing a drawer.  There are brackets the attach to it that holds a vertical standing mirror. Oak is the wood on most of the parts but it was built with sides of veneered wood.  

I thank you for checking in today. 

Saturday Stuff......

 Looking down from the deck I can see everything is just plain fading as fall weather sets in now.  The posts are there for a gate made by a previous owner.  He had it all fenced in and then used the gat to get into the area for weeding and havesting. 

 

The mums were trimmed back in July but they don't look much fuller than before. The color is nice to see. 

The knock out rose is putting out one last batch of blooms.  On Thursday we have workmen here to replace our shingles.  I am sure that they will be covered with blankets to protect them and probably smash them down. 

One other shot from up above is this one of the tomato and dahlia garden. We are still getting some tomatoes but they are small of course at this time of the year. The rains have helped to green up the yard greener. I have had some problems with my one leg caused by garden work injudy a few weeks ago. I could quit taking deck shots but that would mean I would have to walk down the stairs. I am better but am still guarded with what I do.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Friday's Final Things......

 Early morning views were not so dramatic but there was some good color in it. We didn't get so cold last night.

 

 

 

 

I have lots of quilts that I inherited from my mom.  I can identify most of the makers of the quilts except a couple that were given to my mom by friends.  The clues that tell me that my grandmother Brooks created are two major things.  She always used flannel for the backing of her quilts and she tied them with embroidery thread or a heavier thread instead of quilting them.  I guess the photo isn't totally in focus but on the left side of the picture you can see the strings tied with knots and left with a couple of loose ends and that is what tied quilts looks like.  The ties are spaced evenly at certain corners of the square design.  I have seen baby quilts tied with yarn. 

Friday is here and we are staying home all day today.  I watched my yard being mowed yesterday.  It was long overdue and he actually mowed it shorter this time.  His machine matts down everything but within an hour the grass does raised back up and it does look more even.  

Thanks for stopping by today.

Thursday...

 

 

 I have not had any hollyhocks for two years when the voles came and ate them. There must have been a stray seed out there as this is a new growth of one.

 I got a new catalogue today that offered me new dahlias to order.  I like them but I think that I have enough of them if I just get them dug this late fall before the snow falls.

A photo that is not of a flower.  This sits in the garage being kept just because of its history.  It was my dad's back from the farm in which we lived  starting back in 1953. The torch handle is still red as if it has not been used. I do remember seeing my dad pump the pressure into the tank of whatever the fuel was that was put into it.  Propane torches did get invented probably in the 1960s. 

Thanks for stopping by today.

Back In Time....

 It is an old photo taken by my nephew 25 or 30 years ago you can see my dad in his bib overalls. The location is on a hill along highway 34 in southern Iowa.  The location is near Murray, Iowa. Dad passed in 2000 and is buried near there in the Murray Cemetery. 

The unique history story is of course the threshing machine and the old barn.  I think the barn is now gone and I am not sure if the machine still sits there along the highway.  Just to the south of this place is a ravine along the rolling hills that shows the wear and tear of the Morman Trail. The souther rout of of the Mormans passed there down through the valley and up another ravine that ends up in Murray.  The trail went along an area of the town before the town was founded and it is now a main east/west street of the town.  My grandma owned a house next to the trail. A hand carved sigh is on a post there to mark its memory. 

As the weather patterns move and change as we move into fall our sunsets look like this in suburbia. The angle of the sun is changing and the reflections of light look more fall-like. 

The heat and cold has weathered my hosta. When we get a good freeze it will be flattened. We had a half inch rain that was much needed a couple of days. 

 

 The zinnias are fading too as the mature into dead heads. They look good at a distance and I have a few weeks before I will have to clear them. I saw a black swallowtail flying around there yesterday from the distance of the sunroom so you can see I don't have a photo of it. People who raise milkweeds are having abundant hatching of monarch butterflies this time of the year.  I would like to do that but I would have to fine a country gravel road in which I could dig up some plants. 

 

 

I am under the weather health-wise right now but I did muster up some energy to go take photos last evening.  We hit the supermarket and pharmacy and stocked up on things yesterday.  I had to take a rest after that adventure.  Thanks for stopping by today.

the Moon.....

 I was out bringing in my flag and it was hot. The breeze was strong from the south and the flag was out of control in the wind.  I looked up and there it was again.  I went in to find my camera. The first shot is always taken to get it in view. Smaller in size and lighter in color but it is good to capture it.

Adjusting the focus to pull it in and this is what I got.  The moon is farther to the left of me this time of the phases and the surface does look a little bit turned.  The night was clear and there were no parts of any house in the way nor any street lights messing with the taking of the image.  The warm breeze in the face is unforgettable when it is happening at night. 

Shots.....Three.

 

 

 

Random Shots.....

 

 

 

 Have a great Thursday. 

Middle of the Week...

 Harvest time when there are not tomatoes left in the house to eat. The larger tomatoes are all gone but the medium sized are still out there in a small number. The pear shaped tomatoes came on late so they are abundant. 

A morning glory that is still hanging on in the afternoon is turning red before it shrivels up. The glories really like the cooler weather. 

My newest rose darkens in color as it ages. The bush can have a variety of colors on it at one time as it starts out lighter in color and then turns darker pink. 

The zinnia has a similar formation of its petals to the dahlia but it is more compact.  This color is subtle and different than all the other bolder colored ones.  I need to mark it so I can collect its seed. 

There are a lot less blooms on the yellow rose but they last ones are sure looking good. The Japanese beetles seem to have left the area for now.  They loved the yellow rose more than any other of my roses. 

We started off cool this morning but have warmed up to a comfortable temperature. It is nice to see the sun today.   Thanks for stopping by today.