Once in a Blue Moon

Well, we've flown by Pluto, now, you know, the Dwarf Planet.  It's amazing that for 10 years there are those who waited patiently for this event to happen.  And the amazing thing is that the scientists weren't sure it would be successful.  TEN YEARS!!  I can only imagine the excitement, anxiety, or just sheer terror they must have experienced until the first photos arrived.

I, on the other hand, can never get a good photo of the moon...Well, "once in a blue" one.

~~~~~

When I imagine

Traveling in outer space

My head is spinning

Leaving Mother Earth

It's impossible to me

I have deep roots here

~~~~~

So, in my admiration to those who strive to gain knowledge of the unknown I say, "Thank you!"  Adventures like these only validate the beauty and complexity of God's creation!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God

Cathy

I'm joining for the first time Little Things Thursday.  Drop by by and visit!

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Hibiscus Beauty

Earlier in the spring I was sure this hibiscus bush was dead.  We had such a hard winter and my knowledge of the  hibiscus being nil is was sure there was no hope for it.  Well, as you can see I was wrong.  There was nothing but dead branches and so I cut them to the ground.  Soon, to my surprise and delight, green leaves started to sprout.  Oh, my goodness, I am grateful for the resilience of the hibiscus.  Beautiful, though it is, it is strong and sturdy. 

~~~~~~~

What a beautiful star I have found in the center of this blossom.  Nature's beauty is indispensable in the light of hope.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

I will also be joining Laura at I Heart Macro to day too.  Why not stop by and enjoy!

Skylar, American Kestsral

Birds of a feather

Will often flock together

Reliance on each

Injured and fallen

There's no one to care for him

And then there's the rescue

I just want to say thank you to The Talon Trust and all other trusts that rescue and rehabilitate injured and endangered  birds and other animals.  All are God's creation and beautiful in his sight.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

I'm joining for the first time Little Things Thursday.  Drop by by and visit!

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Eagle Scout Project

Neil, fellow scouts, parents, grandparents and friends have been helping Neil with his Eagle Scout Project.  And just what is this project.  It has entailed the construction of plywood molds to make concrete planters for Reitz Memorial High School in Evansville, Indiana.  Yes, planters, and the had to make five small ones and two large ones to place on the campus.  It took two weekends to pour, set, and remove the molds.  The trailer only holds 3 small planters.  It requires a full sized tractor and flatbed truck to move the two large one.  So there are still 4 planters to be transported.  These planters are intended to hold evergreen plants and beautify the campus.  

Right now the project is on hold because Neil and his dad are camping with his troop at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.  They return Friday.  They are hoping this will all be in place by July 18, 2015 before classes begin again August 6, 2015 at Memorial and he begins his sophomore year.

Eagle Scout projects over the years have shown me that there is no easy project and each project benefits not only the scout but the environment to which they offer their service.  Hats off to all scouts who achieve Eagle Scout status.  And to all those who support them with their time, talent and treasure I say, "Thank you very much!"

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

I will also be joining Laura at I Heart Macro to day too.  Why not stop by and enjoy!

Happy 4th of July

Freedom isn't free

 It comes through perseverance

And with sacrifice

For proudly she stands

With assurance from above

That long she will wave

~~~~~~
Wishing all a Happy 4th of July
and
A wonderful weekend

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

I'm joining for the first time Little Things Thursday.  Drop by by and visit!

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt II

And the Adventure continues.  Why not come along for the journey?

#6 Bridge north of Kansas City, MO

#9 Festival of the Little Hills, St. Charles, MO

And the West Side Nut Club Festival, Evansville, IN

I know these pictures both have tents in them but they 

are both great fun to visit.  St. Charles because of the

wonderful crafts, art and food and Evansville just for 

the food.

#20 Carter Lake, Colorado

SCAVENGER HUNT LIST

 1. A bouquet of flowers
 2. An ornate door knocker
3. A person walking a dog (or other animal)
 4. People playing a board game or card game
5. Architectural columns
 6. A metal bridge
7. A turtle
 8. Someone "plugged in" to social media
 9. A tent
10. A college or university
11. A cellular tower or television satellite dish
12. A public restroom, bathroom, or toilet
13. A merry-go-round or carousel
14. A traffic signal
15. A flag pole with at least three flags on it
16. A panoramic view, taken while standing someplace high in the air
17. At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms
18. An overloaded truck, car, bicycle or other vehicle
19. A ticket booth
20. A natural body of water
21. A photograph of you with a sign reading "2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt".

Note: you may not use a substitute for this item. If you find something on the list too difficult, you may substitute one of the following items for any one item on the list, except for Item #21:
Alternative A: People eating outside
Alternative B: Someone holding an umbrella
Alternative C:  Rocking Chair

And so I join CHIEF SCAVENGER RINDA @ GALLO ORGANICO

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt I

So I start this adventure with anticipation of fun and enthusiasm.  Why not come along for the journey?

#4 Mom and Phil playing dominos.  She was very good.

#5 Barrington Halll

Roswell, GA

#7 Our friendly turtle.  We found him when we were mowing the lawn.

SCAVENGER HUNT LIST

 1. A bouquet of flowers
 2. An ornate door knocker
3. A person walking a dog (or other animal)
 4. People playing a board game or card game
5. Architectural columns
 6. A metal bridge
7. A turtle
 8. Someone "plugged in" to social media
 9. A tent
10. A college or university
11. A cellular tower or television satellite dish
12. A public restroom, bathroom, or toilet
13. A merry-go-round or carousel
14. A traffic signal
15. A flag pole with at least three flags on it
16. A panoramic view, taken while standing someplace high in the air
17. At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms
18. An overloaded truck, car, bicycle or other vehicle
19. A ticket booth
20. A natural body of water
21. A photograph of you with a sign reading "2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt".

Note: you may not use a substitute for this item. If you find something on the list too difficult, you may substitute one of the following items for any one item on the list, except for Item #21:
Alternative A: People eating outside
Alternative B: Someone holding an umbrella
Alternative C:  Rocking Chair

And so I join CHIEF SCAVENGER RINDA @ GALLO ORGANICO

I'll have my picture later, but today just join in and have fun!!!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

Sunday in Newburgh

Ron and I had a glorious walk this morning.  When we walked down by the river there was a cool breeze and as if on cue the barges were on parade.  Then on the way home we stopped by Ben and Penny's and the flowers were just beautiful.  My it's grand to live in a river town.

~~~~~~

Found this toad stool on the walk home.  Flat as a table just waiting to be set for tea by the fairies.  It's a grand day for tea in the garden.  

~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

I will also be joining Laura at I Heart Macro to day too.  Why not stop by and enjoy!

Going Home

Loyce Mae Lowry McGlone

May 11, 1925 to May 26, 2015

The Lowry Clan

Mom was the 4th of five children.  She told me once she was so glad when Aunt Clara was born.  She was no longer the "baby"!  Her dad died when she was just 18 years old.  And then the years passed and Mom was the last of the Lowry clan.  Her Mother, two sisters and two brothers had all Gone Home.  I asked her one day how it felt to be the last of her family to be living.  She said it was lonely but then she always had us.  "Who can be too lonely when so many who are here care about me."

Mom's Senior Picture

Janesville, Wisconsin

Mom and Dad were married on March 1, 1946 at St. Catherine of Siene Church in Denver, Colorado.  Mom joined two other families who loved here dearly.  She became a McGlone and joined the Catholic Church.  Daddy's mother had died when he was 13 years old and his dad died just 6 months after I was born in June of 1947.  But there were The Folks.  Aunts Mary, Rose and Ida and cousin Pat.  She dearly loved these ladies as they did her.  And growing up we all experienced the love they contributed to our family.

Mom and Dad just before my arrival

Summer, 1946

Daddy died in June, 1995 just before his 80th birthday.  Since Mom no longer had any family living near her we, her children, suggested she move near on of her children...not to be confused with living with one of her children as she never would have stood for that.  She moved to Versailles, MO.  Where she lived for 5 years before finally settling down in Billings, MT.  There she lived, happy in her Mission Ridge Community for 15 years.  Her friends were countless and her generosity and humor were renowned.  

Four Generations

 Mother, Daughter, 

Granddaughter and Great Granddaughter

Summer, 1999

And then just two weeks after her 90th birthday Mom went home to be with other family and friends.  I miss you, Mom, but I envy you the reunion you are having.

Home to the Father

A grand reunion begun

Celebrating life.

The consolation

Death becomes a whole new life

It's eternal JOY!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

I'm joining for the first time Little Things Thursday.  Drop by by and visit!

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Spring, Glorious Spring

It Must be Spring

by May Fenn

Hush, can you hear  it?

The rustling in the grass,

Bringing you the welcome news

Soft, can you feel it?

The warm caressing breeze,

Telling you the sticky buds

Are bursting on the trees.

Look, can you see them?

The primrose in the lane, 

Now you must believe it-

Spring is here again.

The Bee

by Emily Dickinson

Like trains of cars on tracks of plush

I hear the level bee:

A jar across the flowers goes,

Their velvet masonry

Withstands until the sweet assault

Their chivalry consumes, 

While he, victorious, tilts away

To vanquish other blooms.

His feet are shod with gauze,

His helmet is of gold;

His breast, a single onyx

With chrysoprase, inlaid.

His labor is a chant,

His idleness a tune;

Oh, for a bee's experience

of clovers and of noon!

Wishing all a glorious week filled with blossoms and bees, and the aromatic fragrances only Spring can supply!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God

Cathy

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

I will also be joining Laura at I Heart Macro to day too.  Why not stop by and enjoy!

Floral Haiku

Lavender and pink
Air is filled with fragrances
Sweetest Aromas

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!

Cathy

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

I'm joining for the first time Little Things Thursday.  Drop by by and visit!

Hibiscus Beauty

Earnestly waiting

Hoping and praying for this

Hibiscus beauty!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Cats Will Play

Cats play with the yarn

All tangled, in disarray

Cats do this you know

Untangle the mess

This is inimitable

So NOW the cats nap

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy 

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

A Daffodil Day

The bee's are buzzing

Daffodils are blooming

Spring is all the rage!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

Happy Easter!!!!!

Brothers and Sisters: Do  you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?  Clear out the old yeast so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened.  For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.  Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1 Corinthians 5:6b-8

Easter Morning Liturgy

Happy, Holy and Joyful Easter!!!  

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

Peace Lily

There is something so very beautiful yet simple about a Peace Lily.  It has beautiful blooms on strong stems.  It seems to have dignity.  It is a plant with a strong constitution.  How else could it survive in my house or any house for that matter when one forgets to water it?  But, it does.  It reminds me when its leaves fall limp, and they spring up again when fed just to say, "Thank you?"  It is so forgiving.  If real peace could be this simple.

~~~~~~

Peace Lily my friend
Offering so much beauty
Sadly less returned

What the remedy
I will show the tenderness
She truly deserves

~~^j^~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

I'm joining Little Things Thursday.  Drop by by and visit!

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Butterflies and Flowers

Awoke this morning to 7 inches of snow in Indianapolis.  We drove 3 hours south and west, home to Newburgh to still frigid temperatures...I do wish it were spring!

So while waiting I'll just dream of those gorgeous blooms just waiting to "spring" forth!!!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.