My World

It's Time for My World.

Go visit the My World site to see more of our world or, even better, to participate yourself!

I was trying to decide what pictures I would share with you about My World. I was watching the Home Run Derby, part of the Baseball All-Star Game and decided that I would show you my two favorite baseball parks in Houston.


This is the scoreboard at Minute Maid Stadium, home of the Houston Astros. The Minute Maid corporate offices are located in Houston and they paid for the naming rights to the stadium. The stadium is built on the grounds of the old Union Station and is attached to part of the old Station building. That's why you see a lot of railroad trains around the park.


The roof opens and closes. Good thing in this horrible heat. No one would be able to play if it was open. You can see the shadows the window and roof cast on the field. Makes fielding interesting sometimes.

Batting practice at Minute Maid.

Here's my other favorite park, Reckling Park home of the Rice University Owls. These pictures were taken during Fall Ball last year. Scoreboard first.

The Owls have been quite successful -- scholar athletes. They take their studies seriously along with their baseball.

Batting practice at Reckling Park. In the background you can see the Texas Medical Center.

We do enjoy baseball!

A Simple Woman's Daybook

Simple Woman’s Daybook

For Today...July 13, 2009

Outside my window... the sun is shining brightly. Not a cloud in the sky.

I am thinking...that I’d better get a move on. Off to the gym.

I am thankful for...another day on Mother Earth.

From the kitchen...bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. Still using home grown tomatoes. It has amazed both of us how long our tomatoes have lasted on our balcony in all this heat. They came to an end today when I picked the last one.

I am wearing...my standard gym clothes - red shorts, gray Planet Hollywood T-shirt, tennis shoes

I am reading... Miss Julia Takes Over by Ann B. Ross. This is the second book in the Miss Julia series. It is a southern cozy with just a little bit of mystery. Quoting from Publishers Weekly “Imagine Aunt Bee from the Andy Griffith Show with a lot more backbone and confidence and drop her smack in the middle of a humorous, rollicking plot akin to that of the movie Smokey and the Bandit and you have the tone and pace of Ross’s entertaining second novel.” What’s funny -- Ross’s characters remind of people I know (or have heard about)! Great summer reading and I have 8 more in the series before I’m caught up.

I am hoping...for a break in the heat! We did have some rain last week -- one day when it rained in the morning, stayed cloudy, and broke the heat advisory (feels like temperatures are between 105-110 degrees F. or more). Wish the high pressure would move on down the road!

I am creating...Mrs. Piggy is finished (crochet), but I have to get some more yarn to finish up the little piglets. Here’s the finished Mrs. Piggy. Piglet photos to follow when they are done.

I wanted to make sure you saw her tail. She makes me laugh out loud!

I am praying... for Anne Marie and Cydney Marie, Jean and Carol

Around the house... it’s too quiet! I wonder what the kitties are doing? Mr. Dragon has feed the birds -- I can hear them outside talking to each other (Mr. Dragon and the birds).

One of my favorite things...rain!

A few plans for the rest of the week...staying cool is big on the list. I need to get to Sam’s Club. Make a dermatology appointment. Mr. Dragon has two more color pencil workshops. I need more pink yarn to finish the piglets -- Michaels here I come. Otherwise, stay at home and stay cool.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...I’ve always had a fondness for Mary Engelbreit and this card was in my mail this week from my Saurian Sister in California.

To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman’s Daybook. While Peggy is on summer vacation, more Daybook posts can be found at Grandmother Wren’s

Today's Flowers

It’s so hard to find someone who doesn’t like flowers. Flowers represent all our best feelings.
To see other flowers from around the world, visit the virtual flower shop at Today’s Flowers, created by Luiz Santilli, Jr.

This is what is currently blooming in our backyard in Musashi's Garden. We have loads of beautiful Ixora blooms in gold and red. Ixora are native to India and Sri Lanka. Ixora is too tender to grow outside of the tropics and subtropics. It prefers a warm, humid climate with temperatures rarely dipping below 50F. They need protection during the winter months in the Houston area.

A fairly small, bushy shrub, usually only 5-10ft tall. There are dwarf varieties that are much smaller. Ixora will flower when only a few inches high. It is commonly used a hedge or small garden plant. They prefer to grow in full sun. Plants have only moderate drought tolerance. We have drought conditions here and water every day.

The plant is mainly grown as an ornamental, but its flowers also have some medicinal uses.
I hope you enjoyed seeing what is blooming in Musashi's Garden.

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts, we make our world.

~ Buddhist Saying

Joy to You!

Camera Critters 66

This week for Camera Critters I'm going to take you to our back yard
and another visit to Musashi's Garden.
We've had several bird families visit to feed and enjoy the bird bath.
Here's one of those families - a father and his babe.

Where's the food dad?

Quick! Go into the song and dance routine.
She's watching!

Can we eat NOW?

Where did Dad go?

(Click on the photos to make them larger.)

Have a wonderful weekend.

Joy to You!

Security Blanket

Julie over at Moments of Perfect Clarity (an outlet for the madness with occasional flashes of insight) and some of her blogging friends are telling a secret about themselves every day for 30 days. Her first secret was - she still has her security blanket. She's told other secrets about hitchhiking, being deported, going on a friends honeymoon - all delightfully written, but it was the security blanket that I kept thinking about.

I don't remember having had a security blanket as a child. Did you? I do remember a couple of stuffed toys that I carried with me everywhere - or tried to. Each one had a music box in them (love of music came early with their help). One was a little brown dog with large floppy ears. I remember that to wind the music box I had to twist his tail (do not try this on a real dog). He played Rock a Bye Baby. The other was a brown teddy bear. He had white paws and a white muzzle and he played Rock a Bye Baby, too. I don't know what happened to the little dog, but I do remember that the poor teddy was falling apart. He had been repaired so many times. One of his legs was hanging by threads. He disappeared one day. So sad.

One day before Mr. Dragon and I left New Mexico for Texas, I went shopping (junking) with a dear friend. I found this:



Oh my goodness. I'm sure the whole world heard my cries of delight. White paws and muzzle, big head and a music box in his belly that plays Rock a Bye Baby. No major damage. Just a little dirty. He looked so lonely and unloved. I took care of that. He was my only purchase of the day. Guess I was looking for a security blanket to take with me on our big move. New Mexico had been home for 23 years. We were leaving a life we knew for one we had no idea about.

Soon he wasn't the only teddy that came to live with us.

I found this little guy soon after coming to Texas. He's smaller, newer and plays (thank goodness) the Teddy Bear Picnic. These two bears started my bear collection. I really don't have that many. I've given some of my bears away. These two bears remind me so much of that little girl who loved animals and who loved her security bear. They'll always be my favorites. I'll share more of my bears some other day.

Did you have a security blanket?

My security blanket today?
Easy.
Mr. Dragon and myself.

Joy to You!