Happy 4th of July!

Wishing YOU well and much joy on this 4th of July.

I Squealed With Delight!

I subscribe to two boxes.

The kitties receive the Kit Nip Box every month

and I receive the My Texas Market box. 

This month the My Texas Market box featured Bourbon and BBQ --
a kick off for the summer season. 

From No4. St. James came Chocolate Chip Bourbon Bombs.
I opened the package 
and memories took me directly to my Granny's kitchen during the holiday.
I think she put Bourbon in everything! 
(Kidding)
She did put bourbon in the sweet potatoes.
No wonder they were so good and so are (were) the Bourbon Bombs!

There was a lot more in the box 
and I squealed with delight when I saw caramels 
from the Dallas Caramel Company -- Bacon and Texas Drunken Nut.
I've had their caramels before and they are melt in the mouth delicious.

*

A dear friend of mine -- also with a May birthday -- went to lunch with me at
McHugh Tea to celebrate our birthdays -- better late than never!

We both had the sampler plate and it was delicious.
Peach iced tea.

Cream cheese and date scones for dessert.
YUM

*

The Passion Flower Vine is flowering in the garden.

I thought I should get the camera out before the squirrels eat the flower!
They really do think the very middle is a tasty treat.

This is the closest I've gotten to an image of the small dragonflies 
that visit the water garden.
They are usually moving too quickly.
I was thrilled (I might have squealed with delight)
when this little guy decided to take a time out on the water lily!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Five on Friday

Willy Nilly Friday

Mosaic Monday

Words On Wednesday

It's no secret that I'm a big baseball fan.

I enjoy watching all ages play.

It's one of the things I like most about baseball -- anyone can play.

Young, old, male, female, tall or short.

From the postcard collection
AMERICA PLAYS BALL: Historical Baseball Photographs from the Library of Congress.

 And, baseball has been popular for a long time.

Collage done for ICAD 2016

No surprise that I not only enjoy watching baseball,
but I also enjoy reading about baseball. 

One of my favorite baseball books is
BASEBALL HAIKU: The Best Haiku Ever Written About The Game 
Edited by Cor Van Den Heuvel and Nanae Tamura.
This book has been in my library for years and is one I really enjoy.
It combines two of my loves: baseball and haiku.

Some of the most important haiku poets of both America and Japan 
are featured in this anthology.
Poets like Jack Kerouac, a longtime baseball fan who pioneered English-language haiku

Empty baseball field
-- A robin,
Hops along the bench


and Masaoka Shiki, one of the four great pillars of Japanese haiku and was
instrumental in popularizing baseball in Japan during the 1890's.


Spring breeze
this grassy field makes me
want to play catch



TEAMMATE: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series For the Ages
by David Ross and Don Yaeger is my new baseball book for this year.
David Ross (AKA Grandpa Rossy) was the backup catcher for the cubs in 2016, mostly catching Jon Lester. This is his story, from his early days in the big leagues to his final year in baseball with the Cubs in 2016. What a way to retire! Lots of life lessons. What it takes to be a good teammate and play the game the way it should be played. It was interesting to read about concussion and its effects on Ross. A fun baseball book!


What's on your reading list?


Wishing YOU well and much joy!

The Second Most Wonderful Time of Year

The second most wonderful time of year
is when peaches make their appearance at the Farmer's Market!
I was afraid there would be no peaches this year.
The best peaches in this area are grown in the hill country.
They need cold weather and they didn't get much last winter.

I've been having peach smoothies for breakfast.

I also came home with tomatoes.

It's bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich time.

With half of the tomatoes gone and only a few peaches left,

a trip to the market next Tuesday is definitely in order!

In Musashi's garden,

the day lilies I ordered from Oakes Lilies are starting to bloom.

Little Grapette was the first to bloom.

2″ bloom, 12-18″ tall, Early Season, Semi-Evergreen. 

Deep grape colored blooms with a deeper purple band around a small chartreuse throat. 

This is Mini Pearl. 

3″ bloom, 16″ tall, Early-Mid Season + rebloom, 

Masses of blush apricot pink blooms are held low on short scapes.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Five on Friday

Willy Nilly Friday

Mosaic Monday

This and That

- June Is National Iced Tea Month 

and that's a very good thing!


- June marks the beginning of hurricane season 
and that is not a very good thing.......

- ICAD (Index Card A Day) started --
June and July --
61 little pieces of art on an index card.

This is my Index Card for June 1.
Mixed-media, paper scraps, ephemera, stamps, fortune cookie.

"The challenge is about the DOING and not the
KEEPING or PRESERVING or ARCHIVING. 
It is the process of creating each day that matters."
~ Tammy at Daisy Yellow


- I had a birthday.

It started by opening all the birthday cards.

*

Flowers from a dear friend.
Too cute!

Instead of birthday cake--

birthday cupcakes --

fudge bites with frosting.

YUM!

-  Musashi's Garden had a visitor -- a charming little lady.....

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Five on Friday

Willy Nilly Friday

Mosaic Monday