FAVORITE GRAPHIC

Yesterday I shared a favorite photo. Today I am sharing a favorite graphic (found on Pinterest). It was the dog who ‘spoke’ to me. We used to have one called Jason when I was 18. I can’t remember who named him. Not exactly a dog’s name but whenever I hear of a Jason mentioned, you can guess who it reminded me of. Beautiful dog with such a sweet temperament.  

Thanks for visiting today and I hope all goes well for you wherever you are.

A POEM

The rain is raining all around

It falls on field and tree.

It rains on the umbrellas here,

And on the ships at sea. 

Rain

By 

Robert Louis Stevenson

One of the most famous four-line poems by this Scottish author was first published in his 1885 collection, A Child’s Garden of Verses. Despite its extreme simplicity, the poem was highly praised for using a child’s perspective to connect a small, local observation to a vast, global landscape.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - AROUND AND ABOUT FOR MONDAY, 9/21/26 AND TUESDAY, 9/21/26

Today I am sharing a few photos from rainy days throughout the years. The first one is an elk we saw at Benezette in Pennsylvania more years back than I can remember. The rest are just around and about. 

“And who art thou?” said I to the soft-falling shower. “I am the Poem of Earth,” said the voice of the rain. 

~The Voice of the Rain by Walt Whitman, "Leaves of Grass"~

Monday, September 21st, 2026 (last Monday ): I went to my usual place and had my hair shaped and trimmed. The lady I go to always does a great job and makes me look presentable. I have been going to her for several years. I made another appointment for two months from now. I forgot the last appointment and felt really bad about it, but she was very nice. 

Lady was very proud to tell me they had had the place redecorated, and I said how lovely it was, and how bright. Truthfully, my eyesight was particularly sensitive. I thought it would be a little gauche to shield my eyes or put my sunglasses on. I kept my eyes closed for most of my appointment, which I do anyway when my head is lowered as she works around me. No big deal, I couldn’t help be happy for her as she was obviously very proud of the new look. She and the rest of those who work there were happily chatting to their customers.  It is a very friendly place. There was a darling little boy getting his haircut and he was being showered with smiles. He was having a good time with all the attention.

As for me, I was in and out in 15 minutes. I go in with my hair wet as I have my mother’s problem and get dizzy when hanging my head low over the sink, doesn't matter if it's forward or backward. I stopped that several hair appointments ago. It takes a lot of time off the process. Gregg was surprised when I texted him to say I had finished. Sometimes she gets a phone call from a potential customer in the middle and stops to answer. This gives me a chance to have a nosy and see who is in the other chairs. She had no phone calls this time. I am always happy to see my nice, tidy hair. 

This afternoon it started raining. Fortunately we were home before we had a torrential downpour. This is what our skies looked like on our way out. It was trash pick-up today.

At 6.51 p.m. the temperature is a low of 65 F/18 C, and the low on Friday will be the 51 F./11 C. Mother Nature has flipped her switch. 

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026: I had a weird dream last night. I dreamt I stuck my head into the garage from the laundry room door, and a lynx was sitting on an old chest of draws we keep out there. He poked his head around the corner and stared at me. It’s my habit at night to make sure we put down the garage door. We had but I closed the door into the house pretty darned fast, in my dream. Then I went to bed. I know it was a dream because I wouldn’t have just gone to bed. I would have been on the phone to animal control. As it was, I was very careful opening up the laundry room door this morning, just to check, and then I laughed at myself. It was such a vivid dream. No lynx staring back at me. I don’t usually remember my dreams unless they are to do with animals. Go figure that one out - or maybe not!

It sent me on one of my curiosity searches and I looked up where their native habitat was. It is limited to the dense, snow-heavy northern forests of Canada, Alaska and the northernmost tier of the United States. We do get Bobcats, however, but I knew this was a Lynx. The Bobcat is the only wild feline found in our state. They are common in the Dismal Swamp and the mountains of Virginia, rarely seen in other areas.

Reading on, I found that there were two captive 10-month old Siberian Lynx stolen from an animal park in Winchester, Virginia in December 2016. They were eventually found safe in January 2017, after being dumped on the roadside in West Virginia. There is an article here. A lady, who knew of their disappearance, lured them into her garage and called animal control. They were extremely tame and inseparable. Apparently they were very thin and ran right over to their keeper when he turned up. He said they were ready to go home. 

Whoever stole them were never found but they were thought to have also taken a spider monkey and a lemur from the same park. Those animals were  found in Glen Daniel, W.Va. after they had been sold to an unsuspecting buyer???

What a strange story, poor animals! And who knows, maybe I read about this years ago, had totally forgotten about it, or maybe saw a nature show a while back and forgotten about that. Why a Lynx suddenly popped into my brain last night, who knows? Winchester is the town we go to for the Museum of the Shenandoah. 

Gregg was happy I remembered enough to tell him about it and always tells me about his. He remembers all of his dreams. Is that a Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus thing, or is that an age thing, and yes I am smiling, and also blathering?  How about you, care to share? 

Well, that’s two days from last week.  I didn’t remember to jot down the others. Just as well!

Below is a frog that separated from a rain gauge I bought years ago  I decided to turn him into today’s signature sign-off to fit in with this rainy-day theme.  

I hope you are having a great weekend. Thanks for dropping in. I hope you are having sunny but not too hot a day where you are. 

Hugs from…

 

AROUND AND ABOUT A BIT THIS WEEK, AND ANN’S SEPTEMBER HAPPY MAIL

I am starting off with Ann’s September card. The month is zipping right along and I didn’t want any further time to disappear before I mentioned her Happy Mail. She continues to delight those of us who receive them, with her thoughtfulness and wonderful creativity.

Thanks always Ann, you are such a dear friend.

I hope everyone’s week is going well. It was another glorious week for cloud watching here, a little more drama in those skies today. (We have had ongoing construction work on our roads for the last three years, adding an extra lane or two and working along several miles of road. We are nearing the end of our section. I'm sure they will be moving down to another. That's usually how it goes right?)

"Nature is a mutable cloud, which is always and never the same."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

We thought this looked like a very odd Toyota, but it wasn’t long before the penny dropped. It was no Toyota I had seen before, and yet even from a distance, familiar. It wasn't until we got closer that we saw the owner had a sense of humor, or was it something more?

We followed him for a few miles and then the Tesla Cybertruck turned right. 

I went back to cloud watching.

The skies started brightening up later but not before we had a downpour. This short video was at the beginning. It fell heavily afterwards. It's been all quiet today, apart from Mama Squirrel coming for a drink. (Today it got up to 89 degrees F. - 32 degrees C. The leaves are turning, we see signs everywhere and Fall is definitely around the corner.) 

It seems the appropriate time to share one of the jigsaw puzzles. I completed it a few days ago. I don't know what that red umbrella and those beautiful flowers are doing there on the wet cobbled street. We could write our own scenario. Any takers? No, me neither!

One day we decided a trip to our favorite cafe was in order. Hubby took a photo of me. Seriously, how many of you prefer to be behind the camera instead of in front of it? He, like me, loves to play on those phone apps and he changed me into a sketch and finally got my approval. I told him to take the lines out. My skin looked like the Grand Canyon and it ain't that bad yet. Smile Denise!

They were serving their coffee in Christmas mugs. The one I am holding has a wreathe with two cardinals and the word “love”. I can probably purchase one. If I didn’t have a zillion mugs in the cupboard, it might have come home with me, but we are still in the process of downsizing. It’s taking forever! Yes Ms. Kondo, it still sparks joy. That’s the problem, there are too many things around here that spark joy! I am keeping a few favorites that remind me of places we have visited over the years, and also treasures that family and friends have given. The rest are going to the man who keeps a big bus in one of the large parking lots. It's run by our local church where all donated items will be going to a good home.

A few days later we were at the supermarket and my sweet tooth checked out all the different kinds of fudge and cookies, but our sensible personalities took over, and we concentrated on fruits and veggies, except... 

that we were out extra early, missed breakfast and it was lunchtime. We had a slice of pizza in their restaurant area. We could have bought a whole one for less I know but at $4.00 a slice, in our minds, it prevented us from scoffing the lot during the rest of the day. We are trying the mindset of portion control, and those hiccups/side trips are much less than they used to be. Pat on the back for us, yay! 

We saw a family member this week. Last week too as we looked after his vehicle while he was away. Our airport is only half an hour from here. It was good to see him both times as there was a chance for a good catch-up. 

Bless him, he let us use his vehicle for taking things to our local garbage center as it has a truck bed. Gregg made a big dent in the garage, another yay! (This latest pile of 'goodies' was beyond taking to the man in charge of the donation bus). 

When I went out later I said to my dear man, "Where's the ironing board?" I got a sheepish look and an "Errrr....ironing board?" I had put it out there temporarily when I cleared out the area where I stored it. He said, "I thought you didn't like ironing anymore?" True, not that I ever did like ironing but there are times I need one. Oh well, we saw the funny side and there is a new ironing board in our future. And dear Ms Kondo, my ironing board never exactly sparked joy, but I was sorry to see it go.

We have noticed a lot of seasonal decorations in the stores, and saying it seems much earlier than last year. Merchants are getting a head start. A couple of weeks ago we saw these on our way out of the neighborhood. That skeleton is about as tall as I am. It’s huge!

I am not a skeleton person but I can’t seem to help myself, everything is a photo op. The following snapshots are of my favorite house for decorations. I have admired the effort they have put into it for several years now. They have added new ones this year. I'm going to wait until nearer Halloween before I ask Gregg to drive us through the neighborhood at night, not on Halloween but before, or maybe even afterwards. None are taken down too quickly. 

I'm sure these will all be lit up at night and will look exceptionally scary. Personally, I would like to see a few dragons, smiling yes! 

I realized I didn’t have any Halloween decorations and treated myself to a trio of scarecrows in witch hats. That's about as far as I go, and handing out the candy on the night. It is now 43 days until the 31st.

Thanks for looking and take 

good care of yourselves out there.

Enjoy your day.

ON MONDAY...

we were out bright and early that morning and were off to Costco to pick up my prescription (prism) glasses, which will fix my double vision. I went to the ophthalmologist a few weeks ago, which I mentioned on here at the time. I was told I had an astigmatism. 

We had momentarily forgotten that it was Memorial Day and Costco was closed. No matter, we decided to go shopping. Driving out of the neighborhood we saw a few houses decorated with flags and banners. This was one of them. On the way to the supermarket, we stopped at a traffic light and this dog very kindly posed for me.

He was definitely showing me his best side.

and was momentarily curious about us.

A few days ago we had glorious skies and I was interested in this cloud formation...to me it looks like someone is lying back on a deck chair.

But the skies have been more like this lately.

For years we used to pass this old house, and it had been empty for as far back as I can remember. It had seen better days. One day when we drove by, there was fencing all around. We realized its days were numbered. Not long after that it was bulldozed.

They have been building this ever since. It's for people to rent personal storage spaces. There are another two similarly designed buildings nearby, one right next to it and another not too far behind. We are still in our decluttering stage at home, and this place always reminds me, we need to get cracking on that again. 

Gregg got his linguiça (pronounced "leen-GWEE-sah) from Harris Teeters on our shopping expedition. We don't have it all the time, but I found a recipe for smoked sausage, cabbage and potato cooked in a slow cooker. I asked him if he would like to try it, as a potato and cabbage combo are a favorite dish of his. His mom used to cook it for his birthday meal when he was young, but with a boiled ham. He's not a big fan of smoked sausage and the only time we ever go to this particular supermarket is when he gets a yen for linguiça. I will use it in this recipe. We can't find it anywhere else around here.

It's a Portuguese sausage that is a real nostalgia item for him. He remembers when he visited relatives in New England. His mother's family used to fix it - very popular up there - and when relatives from that area visited, they would always bring a batch for the family. Gregg's step-grandfather was of Portuguese heritage. I only met him once, not too long after we were married. He passed away and I didn't get the chance to meet him again. I took to him right away, a dear man. Wonderfully gracious and kind in nature. He was a true gentleman, everyone loved him including me.

Added this the next day (26th). Up early again and were at Costco’s at opening time. We were still third in line to see the lady at the eye-glass department. After 20 minutes she handed me my eye glasses that I had ordered. I didn’t want bifocals/trifocals as the last time I was never able to get used to them, and as at this stage I am worried about falling, I splurged and bought three pair. I now have reading, distance and sunglasses, all prescription and prisms. 

I was very nervous but she gave me the long distance ones first. I put them on and my double vision disappeared immediately. I just about clapped my hands. It sounds dreadful but I have been living with this double vision for a year. At first I was waiting for it to get better. It took a while for me to go to my doctor, but eventually admitted to myself it definitely wasn’t going away. I did have my eyes checked by another ophthalmologist in the beginning,  as I already had a regular appointment. I can’t remember what he said about my double vision, after just getting the usual things done. Everything else was tested. He suggested going to my regular doctor if it didn’t get any better. 

Many appointments at the doctor afterwards, it was off to an ophthalmologist who was more local. She was amazing, looked so very young, was incredibly thorough, softly spoken and the kind of professional who puts you at your ease immediately (you can see the post about that visit here). She diagnosed the astigmatism after looking at all the results. 

I will take photos of the new glasses soon. They have boring frames and maybe I should have spent more time with frame designs, but I didn’t hang around and wanted out of there.

Anyway, a little bit of a ramble today.

Thanks for visiting and I hope

your day is a great one.

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - IT'S RAINING, IT'S RAINING, THE OLD BIRD IS MOANING...

 

Uh-oh! Groaner alert!

And uh-oh, mirror alert, unexpected visitor!

He's really friendly but hungry and had me tell you he is a vegetarian. He just heard about all the birdseed around here when he was passing through. The birds agreed to feed him and welcomed him to their table.

Thanks for dropping by, even though it is still raining groaners around here.

But we all know that's how it goes on a 

Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder.

Have a great weekend everyone.

For our international friends to translate by using my sidebar widget.

Photo 1: 

"You have got to be kiddng me. It's raining again? There goes my new hairdo!"

Photo 2:

"It's raining again? Where is the mirror?"

Photo 3:

"What did one raindrop say to another?

Two's company, three's a cloud."

"Oh boy!"

Photo 4:

"I am very cute yes?"

"Back away and drop the mirror!"

I HAVE FOUND…

such joy!

I have found such joy in simple things;

A plain, clean room, a nut-brown loaf of bread,

A cup of milk, a kettle as it sings,

The shelter of a roof above my head,

And in a leaf-laced square along the floor,

Where yellow sunlight glimmers through the door.

I have found such joy in things that fill

My quiet days: a curtain’s blowing grace,

A potted plant upon my window sill,

A rose, fresh-cut and placed within a vase;

A table cleared, a lamp beside a chair,

And books I long have loved beside me there.

Oh, I have found such joys I wish I might

Tell every woman who goes seeking far

For some elusive, feverish delight,

That very close to home the great joys are:

The elemental things - old as the race,

Yet never, through the ages, commonplace.

~Grace Noll Crowell~

(10/31/1877 - 3/31/1969)

“I Have Found Such Joy”

(These are a few joys that I have found close to home, along with a lot of those mentioned in Grace’s lovely poem.)

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - IT STOPPED RAINING

I have felt a little under the weather and have taken a blog break for a few days. These few posts have been set up beforehand.  I will be back sometime next week.

And that’s how it goes on a 

Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder. 

Thanks for stopping by

and have a great weekend.

For our overseas friends, a transcript for the translation button on my side bar:

1st Photo: rainy day on our deck.

2nd Photo: Sophie Squirrel: "I am happy it stopped raining so hard."

Daphne Dove: "You won't have to cover your head with your tail."

3rd Photo: Froggie 3: "I thought we were going to float away."

Daphne Dove: "I have ordered water wings for us all."

Sophie Squirrel: "For me too? I am not part of your family. I don't expect you to include me."

Daphney Dove: "You too! We live on the same blue dot. Carl Sagan said that. As far as I am concerned, we are all related."

Carl Sagan's story of the Pale Blue Dot can be found here.

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - ARE YOUR FEATHERS STAYING DRY?

 

"I have never seen a banana couch before" they said. "She has some very interesting furniture!" ("She has a lot of interesting things in her imagination," she said.)

Camera lady is cleaning the closets and drawers out this week. She came across Thinhorn while looking for things to discard. She found him on vacation years ago and couldn't part with him. He was a reminder of a lovely time, so now he's part of our Saturday Morning family. He will be popping up every now and again.

Thinhorn was delighted to be so warmly welcomed. He knew he was going to be very happy here.

And that's how it goes on a Saturday Morning at the Birdfeeder.

Thanks for flying in.

I hope you're hanging in there and 

your feathers are staying dry.

Have a great weekend!