Vacating!

Well, technically it's not a vacation.  We're headed up to Oregon to see my son get married, and visit with at least three of our four kids.  And some grandkids!  There will be five of the nine grandkids present, none of whom have met each other, so it will be a momentous occasion.  I'm all Granny-stoked. 

The trip will take us up through California, where we'll stay with my daughter before the AF transfers her to Tennessee--in fact, she and her hubby and sons will head east the day after the wedding.  Then a few days in Bend, Oregon for the wedding and a visit with a son I haven't seen in ten years.  Then home, traveling east through Idaho, Utah, and back to Arizona.  We're taking the Scenic Route, but it's not really going to add much time to the trip. 

So, all in all, it'll be an adventure--longest we've been gone from home.  Neighbors are all lined up to watch the house, take care of our trash, water the plants, and feed the critters.  (By that I mean the javelina, deer, rabbits, quail, and roadrunners who live in our area.)  We've gotten to be such homebodies that I hardly remember how to leave my house.

Our in-laws will kitty-sit for us, since Willie likes to travel as much as she likes taking a bath in a car wash.  Schultz will come with us, though.  He's been traveling since he was a puppy, and is an excellent road companion. 

She heard we were packing and loading...

This is her happy place...NOT in the car.

Schultz at the beach when he was eight weeks old. 

Schultz the Road Warrior at ten years.  :~)

So...we'll see you on the flip side!

Hello August.

Like lots of folks who live where summers are really hot and last a goodly time, August has me longing for fall (okay, actually this can start in July, but...).

Sunflowers make me think of fall, not summer.  Maybe that's because they're at their peak along the ditches and out in the country at this time of year.  Could just be the colors, I don't know. 

My own sunflower bloomed in early July.  Yes, I only had the one, though I planted many.  The rabbits ate well this year.  But the one that bloomed did get HUGE--as big as a dinner plate--though it only grew about 4.5 feet tall.  Here it is once I cut it to dry the seeds.  I'll try again next year, of course. 

Our iris group gave us seeds to plant for wild sunflowers that Monarch butterflies like, so I'll put them out now (it's monsoon season here in the high desert) and hope for the best.  Maybe the rabbits are full.  They look sort of weedy, but maybe the neighbors won't mind since they get the iris show in the spring. 

And while I was out shopping, I came across this bright bunch of red sunflowers!  Made me think of my husband, since red's his favorite color.  So I brought them home for him.  Who says the guy has to always buy the flowers for the girl?  Yes, they really are that red in person.  Amazing, aren't they?  They seem to be lasting a long time, too. 

Well, we're enjoying cloudy days and afternoon rains, so I'm not suffering the heat like my in-laws down in Phoenix are, so I really shouldn't complain.  But I love Autumn, and am ready for a little crisp coolness in the air. 

Y'all have a wonderful week, and a wonderful August!