Sun for once!

By Elizabeth Prata

Good morning! I hope you all enjoy this SUNNY day. If you're sick of the rain, here's the reason, and it's not your imagination! NWS rainfall totals as of yesterday for the last 90 days in Athens are 215% of normal, with 14 inches MORE than the 12 inches we normally get. 26.81 inches. And when it wasn't raining we have had little sun, mainly cloudy days have invaded our winter this year. And the rain of course.

I am not kidding, I don't know how people in Seattle do it. We have had practically three straight months of rain, steady, hard driving, cold rain. Yesterday was only one of a very few scattered sunny days and today too. Phew.

At school we were all getting cabin fever with the constant indoor recesses. People on car rider duty came back in with soaked shoes, rain coming down sideways and the umbrella no use. Kids were getting bonkers from needing to release energy, and the pervasive dark affected the staff's mood. Seattle, I got to hand it to you.

Yesterday was a nice day so I took advantage and ran to the Library after school to pick up my interlibrary loan. When it's 42 degrees and raining buckets I just don't want to run errands. I want to scuttle home and put on sweatpants and a comfy shirt and curl up! I have to hand it to Seattle again, my productivity declines when it's raining.

So the book I'd ordered is The Prince of Providence: The Rise and Fall of Buddy Cianci, America's Most Notorious Mayor. My family is from Providence and I was born there. I grew up in Rhode Island during the Cianci era. He was a colorful man, that is for sure.

While I was at the library I stepped into the Book Sale room, the Spring Friends of the Library Book sale had opened yesterday. I scored 10 books for $16, a nice price. Eight of them are theological books I plan to give away. I had to wade through Osteens, Lucados, Joyce Meyers, Gloria Copelands and other heretical books to get these. I snapped up some good ones and will give them to people in church who want them.

I also got two for myself. One is a coffee table sized book called Log Cabins, looking at architecture and interior design. I lived in a little bungalow on a lake for many years and I loved it. Fireplace and stone chimney, flagstone patio outside, all cedar walls inside. It's one of my design aesthetics. The other is a book labeled Chick Wit, funny books aimed at women. I thought I'd give it a try.

The puddles in the yard this week have been lake sized. This one has shrunk a lot since Thursday.

Flowers blooming!

Lines and shadows

Just a nice, rural yard, trailer, shed, trees, pergola...ahhh.

I was so tired yesterday that as I browsed at the Library Book Sale I could feel my energy literally draining away. I knew I was operating on fumes and to continue my plan to drive to The Special Store (vintage shop I love) and then Kroger to do groceries would be a stretch. I was stupid-tired. Plus I had a headache getting worse by the moment.

I drove home and put on my comfy clothes and actually fell asleep for two hours! That hasn't happened in a long time. I'm usually tired on Friday after school but I don't like to nap on weeknights. I woke up long enough to fry an egg and then after a little while went back to bed.

The good thing is I have lots of energy to enjoy this day, bask in warm sun, feel the crisp air, listen to the birds singing, and just...be.

I hope you have good moments this day to stop and as they say, smell the roses.

Backyard Spring 2019

By Elizabeth Prata

For some reason this week seemed to chew me up and spit me out. I had no particular issues and nothing untoward happened. It was just a busy, hectic, long week that took a toll on my body and mind.

I did write two major discernment articles this week on my other blog, one about Lori Loughlin and the College Admissions Scandal, and one about Francis Chan who seems to be sliding toward apostasy before our eyes. Those kind of articles take a toll on me.

Nevertheless, this morning is sunny, crisp, bright, and filled with birdsong. A new day to admire creation and be thankful to our Lord for the ability to go forward in joy.

I took a walk around the yard this morning, to see the flowers and hear the birds. There are many mature trees in our yard and along the quiet one-way street. There are pastures too. The birds love to fly through the yard and over the fields, alighting from tree to tree. The grass in the yard is also filled with wild flowers. As I walk I'm stepping on a springy cushion of verdant grass dotted with purple violets. I feel like a queen, being able to tread on such richness.

Here are some pictures from my short amble around the grass and bushes.

I don't know what this flower is, but I am fascinated with its perching and blooming at the very end of a long twig from the bush it's attached to-

Irises I think. There is a bush at the front of the house facing the street-

The birds like to perch on the top of the mailbox post, and anywhere else on the post, lol.

I wish I'd noticed when I took the picture that the auto focus was on the branch of the tall tree and not on the moon. The moon was slightly pink, reflecting the rising sun's pink-

Fiery start to the day. The sky was ablaze-

Nothing says weekend to me, an educator, than buses at rest. This is of the school across the street-

The sun had just peeked over the horizon and made the trees across the pasture glow-

The violets in the grass. I love them-

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Do you love where you live?

I love where I live. I love the inside of my apartment and I love the outside yard.

On weekends and in summer I go out into the yard and take a walk around. There is an abundance of things to look at. There are a tremendous variety of birds, animals, and plants to marvel over. In spring the rhododendron, dogwood, pear tree, wildflowers, and azaleas are blooming. The squirrels and chipmunks cavort. Cows low in the distance. The vigorous rooster is crowing next door. Robins, crows, wrens, woodpeckers, cardinals, Eastern blue bird, cedar waxwings and many other birds I don't know fly from tree to tree and sing. The train hoots a few miles away. If it has rained, there might be a new variety of mushroom to observe on the tree stumps. A barn cat skulks by. It's quiet except for the birds, sounds I love.

The yard is large and contains lots of different trees. Dogwood, pear, magnolia, live oak, pine, and more. Here is a photo gallery of this weekend's morning rambles.

Yes, the yard is still there

With the heat gone (for now) and the rain gone, I took a walk this afternoon around the yard and up the street. It was very quiet here, the town empty, with folks either at the lake to the east or the huge parade and small town event to the west.

The sheep are looking good!

We had some needed and gentle rain for a while this morning. It was welcome. And the birds seemed to enjoy the leftover puddles

The rain sprung up some bouquets of mushrooms, lol. This yard seems to host the most interesting kinds of mushrooms.

The greenery has grown so tremendously. All the trees and bushes seem so much bigger this year. I'm grateful for their beauty and noise buffer. The crepe myrtle are doing well. Quite colorful.

Fence with greenery. It's one of the borders to the sheep pasture.

Is it a cloud? Is it my hair? LOL, it's pretty white. Need sunglasses.

Blooming garden

The heat seems to have abated with the storms that came through yesterday, and I went outside to take some yard shots. After 6 consecutive days of sitting, I decided to get up. LOL.

The yard looks great, thanks to the landlord's mowing and blowing yesterday, and the rain. It is verdant green carpet, with flowering bushes and budding trees everywhere.

This is some kind of flowering bush along the north side of the house. I know, that isn't too knowledgeable nor is it very descriptive...

Here is a closeup of that bush. It is really pretty. It bloomed in the last few days.

And, even closer.

Now that I am outside, and not inside, the cat doesn't know what's happening. "Where is she? Why isn't she in her chair? What is this screen between us? What is out there?" he kept following me from window to window...

Last year the landlord cut back the crepe myrtle. Or severely pruned. Or, as the Grumpy Gardener says, 'crepe murder.' Anyway, as the crepe myrtle comes back, it looks like Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons...

Last year I'd thrown around a bunch of flower seeds (again, not descriptive, I forget what kind these are) and here they are, nestled against the tree trunk in the front yard.

I planted a pepper, two flowers with a name starting with C, and some other flowers. LOL, I am not a gardener. I just bought what was cheap, pretty, and would last in a sunny spot with concrete, and went from there. If anything actually comes up I will be shocked. I spent a total of 20 minutes. At least I put them in fresh potting soil.

A friend of mine will give me an aloe cutting and also a spider plant cutting. I will stay on the lookout for small succulents to put in my white espresso cups. And now, I'm back down. Up is good. Down is better.

Scenes at Comer

Dusk of a summer evening at Comer GA

Ship to nowhere














Flowers blooming in September, nice.




















Yard art


















Evening light is pretty
















Shadow leaves















Neighborhood cat at gnarled tree root















Birdhouse at edge of yard