Summertime in the Ozarks

Freshly baled hay near the Finley River in Ozark. Everything is very lush and green right now since we've had several nice rains lately. It's been hot and muggy but somehow when everything is green it doesn't seem as bad.
The front of a friend's house in the country. It's such a gorgeous location and was planned to look like it's been there for years.

My hydrangeas in my side-yard. They're the most beautiful blue. They'll fade out some and then I can cut and dry them. Sorry about the bird poop. You know what they say -- s___ happens.

These are some of my tomatoes. Everytime one starts to ripen a rat eats it. That rat has eaten so much poison that it should be long gone but it continues to eat my green beans and tomatoes. You don't know how much I dislike that rat but nothing seems to faze it. He just sets there & watches me & eats that poison and then moves on to the garden.

This is some of the eggplant I planted in my front flower bed (with the hostas). It's got lots of blossoms on it and one even has a baby eggplant.

This is the zucchini I planted in a planter in the front yard. It really is beautiful greenery for a planter and the big golden flowers really show up with all the greenery.

My yard is so much work but when I finally get to start picking the veggies, it's all worth it. I've already had tons of peppers and I'm getting ready to freeze some for winter -- yea!!! Luckily, rats apparently don't like peppers and zucchini.

My Friday treasures....

Turned out to be a good day for finding new stock for Leola's. This door is one of a set of 6 that came from an old cabin in Mississippi. They have the original hardware and have never had any finish on them. They were made from wood on the land where the cabin was built. Aren't they a treasure?
This shows the hardware.

I found a couple of ladders and a great white cabinet.

Aren't these the greatest frames? The largest one is probably 36" tall and in almost perfect condition.

It's suppose to be very hot this weekend so I'm going to try to get some sewing done. I'm making dust ruffles and pillow shams for a friend's twin beds and I'm having a little problem getting my sewing done. I'm going to get a movie and set the machine in front of it and stay cool. Maybe I'll have pictures soon. Happy weekend!

4th of July at Linda's

Sage enjoying his sparklers.

We had such a good time on the 4th of July at my sister Linda's house. The kids swam in the pool and watched the air show overhead then after hotdogs & dessert, they watched the amazing fireworks extravaganza. It was wonderful weather -- a nice breeze blowing and in the evening you actually needed a jacket.

This is for my friend, Barbara, who asked why my sister Mary was never in our pictures. She's been in Colorado with her daughter, Jennifer, and her family and she's here just for a few days & will be returning soon. This is Mary and sister Jean.

Stella is waiting for her hotdog after having a nice swim.

Mike's sister Susan & her husband, Mike, came for the weekend. We had such a good time and I managed to get lots of projects completed. Yes, you can actually use my spare bathroom and not get locked in.

Stella and Dad playing a game.

Mom and Phoebe playing with sparklers.

Allison still playing with fire.

John Lake and Phoebe.

Where does summer go? Seems like once 4th of July goes by, we're on the downhill slide. Oh, well, I won't worry about that tonight.

Happy 4th of July!

I'm getting everything ready to go to sister Linda's house for a picnic and to watch the fireworks tonight. A local church does a mega display right by Linda's house so we can set up on her hill and watch the whole thing. I made brownies and rice krispie treats so I'm ready to go. It's showered a little bit this morning but it's not suppose to rain long.

I had hoped to have my first tomato by today but they just need another day or two. The garden is looking great except for the rat that is eating my green beans. We've had another infestation of Japanese beetles. They love the hollyhocks, crepe myrtle, ferns and various other vegetation in the yard. I try so hard not to spray but they would strip the foliage in the yard if I didn't. Where the heck did those bugs come from and when are they going back!!!!! I wanted so badly to bring in a bouquet but when I checked the flowers out everything was orange, hot pink or pink. For some reason all my gladiolas so far are orange or hot pink. I do have blue hydrangeas so maybe I'll pick some of those.

Mike's sister, Susan & her husband, Mike (we have waaaay to many Mike's in the family) are coming this evening for the weekend. We're going to buy paint & sometime soon Mike N. is going to paint the house. He always has me make a list of things I need fixed when he comes. Lucky for me, he doesn't sit still very well so he likes to have some jobs to do. He just wants a little time to run to Grizzley's & Bass Pro. Susan and I plan on getting out tomorrow and going to Leola's and doing a little shopping at local flea mkts.

My little Sweeties came this morning all dressed in their red, white and blue so of course, I had to take some pictures.

This was taken Weds. at Leola's. We couldn't figure out why no one was buying patriotic then in the last week, we've been selling patriotic like crazy. I love red, white and blue all summer but seems so many are either using rusty wire look or all white. Luckily, we have a little of everything at Leola's.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

A Leola's get-together -- Pam's birthday

Last week we celebrated Pam's birthday with a little party at my house. Brenda made her chicken salad and egg salad that she used to make for her tearoom "The Lodge". She had the tearoom several years ago in a big flea market in Ozark and it was wonderful -- especially her food. She made the edible bowls out of refrigerator biscuits that she stretched over small pyrex bowls and baked in the oven. It was a great idea and totally edible. I fixed bruschetta with tomatoes I bought at farmer's mkt. and my very own basil and garlic. I purchase asiago cheese bread from Panera (they make their own bread) and grill it in the oven with olive oil, garlic and parmesan cheese. Then top it with my tomato, basil, garlic and olive oil mixture -- nothing better. We added some delicious watermelon and what a feast! The cupcakes are Judy's and she served them on a cupcake holder she purchased in Door Co.

Brenda fixed a wine drink. She cut up fresh peaches, added some sugar and let it set for about an hour. You drink the wine then serve the peaches for dessert. Yummy!!!!So happy birthday to Pam. Our next birthday will be Brenda's in July. Hope everyone has a great week and finds some reason to celebrate. I'm celebrating the fact that it's cooler and dryer in Missouri and Linda's bringing her tiller over to help in my garden. I took the day off from Leola's and plan to get caught up on a few things.

Door County, Wisconsin & my 200th post....

The pictures below were taken in Door County, Wisconsin. It's such a beautiful place. You feel like you're at the ocean but you're actually on Lake Michigan. There's one little village after another lined up along the shoreline. We stayed in Fish Creek. There are no McDonald's or Applebee's. Everything is home-owned. Do you know how wonderful it is to not see a Walmart for 3 days! What is incredible is that the same shops and restaurants are there now that were there when we first went there years ago -- or almost all. No one has come in to run them out of business. The beaches are incredible and what you rarely ever see is litter. I didn't see one dirty diaper while walking on the beach: no plastic Walmart bags and no McDonald's cups. It's truly an amazing place.
These pictures were taken on a trip to one of the several lighthouses in the area. We even picked up shells to bring home.

Linda and Jean are setting in front of a whole row of lilac bushes. The aroma was amazing.

Here we are in front of the lighthouse.

We had such a good time. Next time we're just going to stay in Door County for a week. Maybe in the fall.


Today is my 200th blog. Who would ever believe I would have that much to say!!! This has turned out to be far more fun then I ever dreamed and I've made so many new friends. I'm amazed at all the changes in my life since I started and how much I've grown because of it. Thanks to all who continue to read my blog and to all those who take the time to leave a comment and continue to give me encouragement. It means more then I can ever say. Have a great weekend.

Augusta Restaurant in Iowa....

This was one of our favorite restaurants on our trip. They had a homemade sign on their window that they had the best pork tenderloin sandwiches in Iowa and we agree (not that we've eaten any other pork tenderloin sandwiches in Iowa but these were something else). They were served with sweet potato chips. We had them cut ours in half and we shared but we could have quartered them and had enough. Is this not a beautiful plate of food?

The couple who own the restaurant were originally from Iowa but had moved to New Orleans. After Katrina they decided to move to Augusta and open a restaurant.
For dessert I had the yummiest strawberry shortcake and the other girls had beniets (sp.) with chocolate filling and chocolate drizzled on the top. It was almost a religious experience.

We loved this poster! Is it not the truth! Mike wouldn't dance unless he had a couple of beers & most men I know are the same way.

It is very hot in Mo. this week. I'm sure we hit 100 today and I'm having the women from Leola's for dinner in celebration of Pam's b'day. There will be no dining on the porch tonight.

Happy Father's Day....

I couldn't let Father's Day go by without paying tribute to Allison's Dad. Mike loved his Allison more then he ever dreamed he would love a child. I'm not sure that he saw himself as a father until she was here and he was instantly the devoted Dad. He never thought he was babysitting when he was alone with her -- he realized he was her father and was equally responsible. He was almost always the parent who got up with her at night because I was never good at missing sleep. When she woke in the night, she yelled "Daddy" because he was the one who usually showed up. He was a wonderful, loving Dad who continued to give Allison love and support until the day he died. He loved her dearly which is a huge part of why she's grown to be the person she is. This has been a rough Father's Day for her but thankfully, when you have 3 little kids who need you it doesn't give you much time for pondering. She's lucky to have a supportive husband who is also a devoted and loving father for her children to help her through the rough times.

He may be gone from us but he will never be forgotten. Happy Father's Day, Mike!