Christmas is coming.............

It is only five months away. The small ball is not broken.  The light is hitting it in such a way that it has a different color right at that spot. It really is all blue.  This is an antique Christmas ball from the Lee Wards company.   I will share more about that later.

Thanks for stopping by my post.  I am having a hard time keeping up with it all but my working days at the school as a janitor workmen are about done.

The Grill Man........Andy

My son in Chicago grilled some chicken pieces for their party that they were giving for their young son baptism party.  It was good chicken and he really does like to cook.  He was cooking lobsters a few years back when we were out in Maine visiting the other son and his wife.

It was a busy day yesterday at work.  We finished the waxing of the last of all the hallways.  We were pressured to have them all done by August 1st so we  have them done.  I think that school starts two and a half weeks later so we got done under the wire.  We  have a lot of behind the scene projects to do now.  I think the crew reduces in size after Friday and I remain until school starts.

Cool weather today again and no rain.  It did rain in the state and that helps some.  We have some corn that is still only thirty inches high and a lot of bean fields because they were too late to get corn planted.  We have a field of corn that got in early across the street and I will venture  over and take a shot soon. It is very tall and impressive.  Thanks for stopping by today. 

Monday........

It is a small rose.  There are many buds in clusters.  I really like it as right after I had trimmed it back it immediately sent up new shoots with many buds.  I think it was less than three weeks ago I had asked how to trim it back. 

It is getting a lot of water as I have five tomato plants placed behind it.  It seems happy getting water slopped down onto its roots.

Back at work today.  Cleaning up floors getting them ready for their wax.  We should be done with that by the end of the day. My physical ailments are better.  My work doesn't help to speed up the recovery. My cold is almost gone and my wife still has trouble sleeping through the night with the cough that comes with the summer cold.

Thanks for checking in on me.

Dry Dirt Report....

The soil is dry as evidenced in this shot.  I was going to crop it out but it seems to  make a balanced shot. I have some Asiatic lilies that I need to get watered.  I trimmed volunteer trees out of the bed today and now they could be encouraged with a bucket of water.  I do have more water in my rain barrel from the inch rain that we had a week ago.

This is the one lonely bloom I found behind all the tree starts in that flower bed.  It looks better with the brush cleared and I should get a lot of flowers from it now. I will carry it some water today.

It is cold again t his morning and the furnace thought we would be too cold so it ran for an hour.  It is  comfortable inside but  it is 59 degrees F. outside.  We feel like fall weather with it being this cool.  My wife is still dealing with the last of the summer cold stuff.   I still have symptoms but am pretty much done with it. I have not had a summer cold for years but it sure did travel around here.

It is another restful day for us today.  We will go in and teach our Sunday school classes and then grab something to eat before coming home.  It is back to work tomorrow.  We  have a lot of waxing to do to finish up the high school hallways.  We  have the middle school halls completed and the high school was partially done as of Friday. 

The summer seems to be dwindling away  here.  I will teach as a sub for the first two weeks of school and I then might have some time off for a while. I don't actually know when school starts but I think it is the third week of August.

Have a good day and thanks for stopping by my post.

Sunspot......

It isn't a good sun glow at all but I was trying to show all the apples that are hanging all over the tree. I may make it out today and get an all new set of photos.  It is actually very cold out there.  Our high today will be 74 degrees F.  I had to turn the furnace down so it wouldn't be working.

We have been to the library to rearrange and exchange artwork on the bookshelves.  I think Della sold a painting on the net that was up there on display.  It would be bad to sell it twice and have only one painting.  

Weary day for me but it will be restful.  I don't have many plans and will just take it easy.  I have some stuff to get trimmed out of the flower beds and I need to water the tomatoes.  No mowing is needed or won't be done as it is too dry to mess with right now.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Reversing to green..........

The dry weather has caused almost all of my hydrangea blooms to return to their green color.  We are so dry.   I got off work an hour early today to rest.  I plan to do a lot of resting and relaxing and healing the next two days.  I do have work to do but that isn't high on my list. 

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bees work..............

I work with a guy at school this summer who set up two bee hives directly west of on the other side of town.  His bees have helped the entire town as I have pears all over this tree for the first time ever since I have had the tree.  The tree is probably twenty years old. My apple tree that did so well was bless again this year by those bees as I have a tree covered with apples.  It is a good deal to have beekeepers in the neighborhood.

I would show you apples but the shots seem to always turn out blurry.  I hope we get more rain tonight so the fruit will fill out a lot more.

Friday tomorrow and the week is done.  It will be good to have a couple of days off and the weather is a little cooler.  Both of us are better with our summer colds.  My wife's heart doctor described the same cold and said it last for three weeks.  Thanks for stopping by today. 

Tuesday........

This is the other hardy geranium that I bought for a buck.  I now have all of the colors that are available at the retail stores.  This is a stronger pink than the other one that is so pastel pink.

I am now feeling better.  I won't say I am back fully but I worked today feeling like I had earned my money.  My poor wife is a couple of days behind me with this summer cold stuff.  She should turn around by tomorrow.  Did I tell you the cold came from the Dominion Republic.  A friend that I work with came back with it and shared it with the janitorial crew.  My boss and I had it for about the same amount of time.  I had not made the connection until I noticed he too was sneezing and blowing his nose all the time, too. I hate summer colds.



Thanks for all of  your concerns from you out there.  I wasn't reading mail much, getting mail, and barely got any blogging done.  I know I am better because I have taken photos the past two days now. My legs and feet seem to be doing a lot better also and I think that I will survive that for now. It seems to be the kind of thing that will raise its head once in a while.



Thank you for stopping by today.....Hey I got a Christmas present today, cool stuff.  I will tell you about it latter and thanks to you three in the cabin in the woods.

Move the darn garden hose........

A summer cold hit me on Thursday of last week and by Friday evening wiped me out.  I shared the cold with my wife on a delayed schedule but we are both better now Monday night.  It was the kind of cold that one could have a truck run you down and one would welcome the relief.  I slept for ever and we were home bound for the entire weekend.

I am back to work and Della is up and at it a little  She is still a lot under the weather but we did get  her to the heart scan schedule for this afternoon.  We ate at the House of Pancakes and came home. She will visit the Doctor on Thursday to read the results.

When you really do feel like the walking dead, you really don't move the garden hose out of the way to make the shot.  I did take another shot this evening and it eliminates the hose.

This is the one true red hardy geranium that I have in my collection .  I don't see it for sell very often as the sell the less variety more.   I did pick up some new varieties and will share them.  They were a dollar apiece and since I winter them over it was perfect to buy them even tough they were small.

We had a little rain Saturday.  We  have storm warnings going off right now for the evening so maybe we will have more  water on the ground.  The  state wide bike ride is going by here close by tomorrow and they are tonight staying in a neighboring town.  Storms tents and bike riders really don't mix.  I have lost so many blooms now in the yard and the cracks in the soil are large.

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Sunday's Single Shot.......

The lack of rain and wind beats up this single bloom.  It has become a sad thing with no rain for so very long.  I am trying to water what I can.

Back to work tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by my posting.

Friday.......

The survivor of the heat is doing well.  I water it once in a while and it just keeps blooming.   I rained today for about three minutes. We had a wet sidewalk. Saturday is coming.  I am glad. 

Chicago Flowers......

My son and his wife have a few things planted in their backyard at Arlington Heights.  The two lilies were looking great while we were on our visit to their house.

A two colored lily was the other one that they had blooming.  I see they had lots of buds ready to open right after this one.

This is a nice photo of the proud parents at the church.  He is such a great addition to their family and to ours too.

Thanks for stopping by today.

A J..........

Our grandson AJ will be five months old on the 23rd of this month.  He is growing fast.  We last saw him he was weighing about 7 pounds and now he is up to 14 pounds.  As you can see he is already reading books without words.  His dad spends a lot of time with him reading little books and the little guy is just at the age to look at all the wild colors and be curious about what he is seeing.  It  has been over a week and a half since we were out to see him. We really had a good time seeing and holding him and also visiting with Patricia and Andy.

I keep the potted plants watered as rain is scarce.  This hardy geranium is really looking healthy sitting out the patio.  I had white regale lilies bloom and fade so quickly this summer that I didn't get a single shot of them.  The dry spell sit in and they didn't like the hot air or wind.

Here is another shot of this Asian lilies.   I am home sick today and didn't go to work. I have been working through some tough times with my feet and legs.  It seems that I can only make it for three hours while  I am there and then the rest of the day is just raw pain.  I will take off today and maybe tomorrow if things don't get better soon.  I feel better today as I  haven' walked and worked continually like I do on the job.  Ice baths on my feet have really helped out a lot to get things to be better also.

We have been putting sealer on the terrazzo floors as they have all been sanded down to a fine polish.  They will receive a coat or two of sealer and no wax will ever be put on those floors again.  Terrazzo becomes like polished marble when sanded down the correct way.

I have been unable to approach blogging with any gusto but I will be back for a couple of days for sure.  The weekend is coming so I can get back onto the posting for those days. 

This old house.........1904.

I received a compliment about our old house from a coworker.  She said it was such a pretty house. As a homeowner I can tell you I need to get back to making repairs and remodeling.  It is old and the things you do to old houses don't last long. 


Regardless of all the disrepair I do like it has turned out in appearance.  I always get serious questions about the color of the body of the house and I just say that it is what it is. The artist Monet who lived in France painted his house this color first many years ago and he too planted garden colors around it to make it to look great.  Monet is the waterlily painter and garden painter of all his flowers from 90 years ago.  People still visit his home to day and admire his gardens and the color of his house.  His color was created by grinding up red brick and mixing it into white paint.

Our camera always has trouble taking shots of the Bee Balm in our yard.  It seems to always blur and react to the red flowers.  They are pretty sad this year having been too dry last year.

I am fascinated with the seed pods of the yucca plant.  I took a couple shots of them and this was my best shot.  I  had dug out this plant a couple of years ago as it appeared dead but it did come back on its own.

I am getting a lot of comments that they are not getting my updates on their list.  I changed my address but not the name probably 8 months ago.  I have been thinking about the problem and I think I have the solution.   Go to my site that  you want to follow.  Go to the followers list and tell blogspot that you want to unfollow me.   Then go ahead and follow me again.  I think that you followed me with a different address and this should get you back onto my site with the newer address.  I changed my address as I was foolishly using too much information in my address which could have let people take things from me. 

Thanks for stopping by today.  It is Monday and I am always more tired on Monday evenings.  Have a good rest of the day and take care.

Sunday's Stars.......

It has been a restful weekend. I am trying to stay off my feet for both days before I go back to work.  I do a lot of walking in a stretched out complex of two schools.  If you need a screwdriver, you walk a block to go get it.  If you go for break you walk two blocks down to get there and then two blocks back to the work site. Students who want to be let in down at the gymnasium requires me to walk a block or two to get down there and then return to the work site. It is just a lot of hallways with lots of twist and turns.  I bought some new work shoes for the job hoping that my job will will be more comfortable when I walk.

We  have had good weather but it has been a tad warm.  It is summer and one expects that.  I had to water tomato plants yesterday and flowers too.  I need to water the other set of tomato plants this afternoon out by the garden shed and I will have to carry that water to get there.  I have a hibiscus plant that I am watching to keep it watered well and the stargazer lily at top is really suffering from the lack of rain.  Farmers who dig post holes say that there is a lot of moisture seven inches down but we have very dry soil right now. There were farm fields that didn't get planted this  year and what is planted is at a very young development stage.  The sweetcorn industry just now have corn ready for sale.  It usually is being sold a month earlier.  The weather has just been strange.

The friend that we helped move to Des Moines is taking us out to eat to day to thank us for the deed.  We really are glad she is nearby now as she is all alone and needs someone just to be around.  She loves her new location and apartment.  We are happy to see the new things she is doing and the way she is adjusting so well after the move.

I hope you all have a great day today and thanks for stopping in today.

Saturday's Color

Abstract Design........

Not until I started to photograph this field lily did I ever appreciate all of its color and the variety of parts of the flower.  It is so different than an Asiatic lily.   The colors are just wonderful against the greens of the leaves.

A long week of work.  My body is rejecting the type of exercise that I am doing while at work.  It really has taken a toll on my feet and legs.  I hear a lot of you saying out there that it must be time to quit working as a janitor.  You are probably correct.

Thanks for stopping by today.

How many shots........can one take?

I keep finding new compositions as I walk by the window box of hard g's.  This is a different one for me that seems to work well.

A neat little lily.  There is a lily society in Des Moines that has a booth at the Home and Garden Show.  I bought this set of three bulbs from the sweetest couple who sold them to me in a plastic sandwich bag. They gave me good directions and they love the plant that they share it with you as they make a sale.  It is a great color for an Asiatic lily.

White Hollies and a Bug.......

Thanks for stopping by today.  

We attended AJ's baptism on Sunday in Chicago.  Here he is being indifferent to what is going on with his mom and dad, Patricia and Andy.

 

After the ceremony we attended a meal at Andy and Patricia's home in Arlington Heights.  It was a fun day with all of the Chicagoan folk.  We made new friends and enjoy both sides of Patricia's family.

 

There was cake and that sure made my day.  It was layered with fruit and a wonderful frosting.

AJ was tired and hungry and ready for a nap once we were back at his house.  As you can see he is very smart as he is reading already at four months. 

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hostas in Bloom.......

 We had enough spring rain to make the hosta plants bloom well this summer. The lily is on its last bloom already as the heat of the last few days took them down quickly.

Here is another shot of the hostas planted near the Asiatic lily.  Most of hostas are putting out blooms this year.

Thanks for stopping by.  I blogged late today but better late than never.

Looking Good...........

They are doing very well here.  It is the only one variety that I have on the property but it does well right where it is growing.  I have others that are starting to bud out so it will be interesting to see if they take turns in blooming.  The heat was bad today but they seem to not be bothered with the  hot sun.  Thanks for stopping by today.

The Wellmark Building, Des Moines

A very large rectangular building with a large bite taken out of it on the front.  Downtown Des Moines has some impressive buildings as they keep adding new modern business places. Insurance buildings are everywhere.

 

Had a good day off yesterday.  Thanks for stopping by today. 

Have A Good Day!!!!!!!!

 

I could go on and on about the loss of freedoms and the wasting away of good principles of law in our country and yet we are in so much better shape than the rest of the world.

The lack of democracy and the push of specialized causes is not making it in the countries around the world. Socialism seems to work in some countries that already respect law and order  but in most of them it is not the answer and can not bring order to the lack of law and order. 

Representative government works even when one side abuses, lies, steals and cheats.  Sooner or later the unjust will be removed from office and their socialistic ideas will cause them to crash and burn.  Mob rule in politics just like mob rule in the Arab world really does not look out for all the people, just a select few. 

I have toned this down as I really could name names and express real anger over the situations that are happening in this nation the past few years. The liars and cheats do eventually lose in the end, even if there own opinion of themselves keeps them from knowing there fallacies.

Have a good day off today.

 

Flowers for Free......

It is a freebie as the plant grew up with the iris and I didn't clip it back.  Free wildflowers are doing well there. 

Most of my roses are now regrouping ready to put out new buds for the next round. This old fashioned one is still slowly putting out a few blooms. 

My hydrangeas seem to have a few late blooms so I will have more to see as time passes by. The whole set of bushes  have done so well this year.  We are actually starting to get dry now and could use a little rain.  I can't believe I am saying that now after all the rainy days we have had.

I was asked to show this guy when it had more blooms so here it one more of it.  I just saw last night that I have a white hardy geranium that is just about ready to bloom.  Again, the foliage on this geranium is so wonderful in shape. I guess it spread out while inside and now it is just going to stay that way.  I don't see any need to trim it back at this point of time.

One more day at school and then there is a day off from it.  My body is definitely ready for a physical day off from floor machines. Breakfast out in the morning on the fourth and maybe a movie.   I talked to my brother who had a TIA attack a few weeks ago.  He sounds better. He is healing slowly but also did work through illnesses.  I think in this situation he will need to stay up and keep going to get his strength back.  He works for half days and did mow his own California yard, small. It was good to know he has come back from the episode.  

I hope everyone enjoys their day off Thursday. Thanks for stopping by today.