Graduate Schools Trip, and Come Visit! I'm Having a Giveaway!!

My older son and husband flew to Florida last week to visit a couple of graduate schools that my son is considering attending next year.  They took some pictures that I thought I'd share with you.

taking off

hotel where they stayed

the view from the hotel

a cool palm tree (probably not too exciting to those of you who live in Florida, but to those of us who see mostly elm, oak, and maple trees, palm trees are interesting)

on campus at one of the schools

my son

a pier at a nearby beach

This is an Italian restaurant where they dined one evening. Although I don't know for sure, I would imagine that the tables inside were those cute little bistro sets, you know, the ones with chairs made of curlicue wrought iron and a round table top on an iron pedestal.

coming in for a landing

I'm sure some of you noticed that there was a link there under the pictures to

an online furniture site.  That site is one of the over 200 sites that are part of CSN stores.  A while back, some of you may remember that I did a giveaway on my other blog for a prize from CSN stores.  Well, they have contacted me again and would like me to do two more giveaways, one from this blog and one from my other blog. (The link to my other blog is over there in the sidebar if you want to enter in that giveaway too.)

So now, one of you, my lucky readers, will win a $50 gift certificate to CSN stores from this giveaway.  A couple of restrictions you need to know, I can only give this certificate to a resident of the United States or Canada.  Apologies to those who read this blog who don't fit into that restriction.  Also, the gift certificate can not be used to cover shipping costs for what you order, but there are numerous items in the online catalogs of these stores that have free shipping, so don't let that stipulation stop you from entering the giveaway contest.

Now, this is what you must do to enter the contest.  Click on this link to visit the Dining Rooms Direct CSN store site.  Look it over and then click on your back button to return to this blog.  Leave me a comment telling me which of the bistro sets you saw there that you liked the best.  That's all you have to do to enter.  If you are already a follower of this blog or if you become a follower, I will give you a second entry in the giveaway when you leave a comment telling me which is your favorite bistro set.

You will have until 5:00 pm Eastern Standard time on Wednesday, September 1st to comment here on this post to be entered in the giveaway.  I will use a random number generator to choose a winner.  I will notify the winner who will have until 5:00 pm Eastern Standard time on Friday, September 3rd to get back to me with their email address.  If I don't hear back from the winner by that time, I will choose another one.  The $50 gift certificate which can be used at any of the CSN stores will then be emailed to the winner.  If you'd like to comment here but don't want to be included in the giveaway, just don't mention anything about your favorite item from the link in your comment. Also, don't forget I am running a second giveaway on my other blog simultaneously, so be sure and visit over there to enter that giveaway too!  Good luck!

A Poodle in the Park

In my poetry picture poll a few posts back, some of you requested I write a poem using all of the pictures from the poll in a poem.  I decided to give it a try and this is what I came up with.

A Poodle in the Park

So much to do

for a poodle in the park.

Chasing runaway bunnies,

it's hard not to bark.

So much to sniff:

 flowers around a rock,

hickory nuts that look like toys,

by the fence-- a shoe, a sock.

And oh so much to see...

 pink porcupines up high,

down low some prickly green,

and buzzards floating by.

On the way back home now,

can you hear the cicada buzz?

The poodle is getting tired.

He's not as bouncy as he was.

The lily by the fence

and sunflowers in a row,

the poodle perks up a bit.

He's back home now, don't you know.

And though the park is fun

being back home is really good too,

especially for a poodle dog

whose nap is overdue.

Wedding Day Wishes--Video for a friend

My blogging friend Netster is getting married on September 12.  He asked if his blogging friends could make a video greeting for him that he could share during his wedding dinner.  I told him that I would, and this is the video that I made for him.


Congratulations and best wishes to you and your lovely bride, Netster!

Here are the words to the poem, if you'd like to follow along.

Wedding Day Wishes

To the bride and groom

on this your wedding day,

listen closely to me now

for I have something I'd like to say.

As you repeat your vows,

as the husband takes his bride,

remember the love you feel right now

for the one that's by your side.

For there will be days ahead

when dinner gets burned.

Mistakes will be made.

Lessons will be learned.

Angry words

may sometimes be spoken,

but please take care

that no hearts are broken.

Be patient and forgiving

and keep your sense of humor too,

because there will be times ahead

when you need to share a laugh or two.

The days in the future 

won't all be cheery.

Sometimes you'll be sad.

Sometimes you'll be weary.

But my wish for you today

is that there will be much more good than bad,

that your love for each other will grow and GROW, 

so that the love you feel today

 will be the very least of love that you've had.

Buzzards on Branches

Buzzards on Branches

At dusk they look like big black shriveled prunes,

stuck to the dead branches of the tallest trees

as they settle in to sleep.

But in early morning, when the light is new,

they remind me of wrinkled leather hats that have been

carelessly tossed on the hooks of a coat rack.

A sudden noise lifts them,

sends them swirling,

 as if they were caught up in a strong gust of wind.

They circle around and settle back in and down,

slow and graceful, patient,

choosing the perfect branch to perch upon,

talons curling and clutching, locking them on.

The rustling of their wings

as they spook and return

sounds like an old umbrella 

opening and closing.

Up and down, out and back.

From their vantage point

high above all, in the branches there,

they are sentries,

keeping watch,

on guard.

They keep me company,

and remind me

that we,

 all of us,

have a purpose. 

Please Enjoy the Music While You Wait

I will be without my computer for the next two or three days. The library is going to set up my home computer with remote access to my computer at work.   This will allow me the opportunity to work from home on occasion should I need to or desire to.  As a result, I will need to be offline so that this can be accomplished.  I'll be back before long.


In the meantime, I thought I would share with you a couple more songs from when my son played with the City Orchestra at the Ice Arena at the end of July.  I posted about it previously along with another song that they played here if you'd like to know more about it.


Eleanor Rigby

Blue Fire Fiddler:  I didn't catch the end of this because I ran out of room on my camera card, but there's enough here to listen to.  I really like this one and wish I had gotten all of it recorded.

Dancing Grandma: You Go, Girl!

I haven't had you up and dancing for a while.  I came across this and thought you might enjoy it.  She's 70 years old.  I hope I can move like this in another 20 years.

Lost and Found at the City Pool

Lost and Found at the City Pool

A towel, some shorts, a pair of shoes

Lifeguards are surprised by what they find.

A thermos, T-shirts, soggy suits

The kids leave these things behind.

At the end of the day, swimmers go home.

What’s left is gathered and hung to dry.

A fence becomes a lost and found,

an odd exhibit to passersby.

“Careless kids,” their parents say,

but I think they’re just carefree.

A forgotten towel doesn’t mean that much.

Kids are kids. That’s how they’ll be.

There'll be plenty of time in days ahead

to keep track of this, and that, and the other.

 Now’s the time to have some fun.

Sit in the sun.

Splash a bit.

 Make a memory with your brother.

Max the Poodle

Max was voted the favorite in my last post, so here is a poem about him for you as promised.  For those of you who voted for something else, I will also write a poem about the pool fence and perhaps eventually some of the other pictures I posted, so stay tuned, if you are interested.   Thanks to all of you for voting!

Max the Poodle

With a well-aimed snout,

arranging the pillows; 

rooting.

Tugging, lifting, scratching, scooting.

Max the poodle makes a nest

of throw pillows on the couch.

Max the poodle needs to rest

He's a worker, not a slouch.

Finally, with them placed just so,

he climbs up to the top.

Gives a sigh, stretches out, 

lies down with a flop.

Max the poodle makes a nest

of throw pillows on the couch.

Max the poodle needs to rest.

He's a worker, not a slouch.

A quick three hour nap,

and then, ready to go again.

Time to bark! "Mailman's here!" 

Max always tells us when.

Max the poodle makes a nest

of throw pillows on the couch.
Max the poodle needs to rest.

He's a worker, not a slouch.

All that barking's done him in.

A dog's day is long and hard,

 but when let outside,

he summons strength

to chase a squirrel through the yard!

Max the poodle makes a nest

of throw pillows on the couch.

Max the poodle needs to rest

He's a worker, not a slouch.

"Time to eat.  Feed me please,

and then we'll play fetch the ball."

I can't say no to those big brown eyes.

(He snuggles close with just a call!)

Max the poodle makes a nest

of throw pillows on the couch.

Max the poodle needs to rest

He's a worker, not a slouch.

Love wrapped up
 in curly fur,

feels so soft to the touch.

Hard to believe a dog,
 who does so little,

can yet mean oh so much.

Max the poodle makes a nest
of throw pillows on the couch.

Max the poodle needs to rest

He's a worker, not a slouch.

Photo/Poetry Poll--Cast Your Vote, Reader's Choice

I want to share a few photos that I took in the last week or two, but I'd like to ask a favor of my readers.  Take a look at these pictures and then in the comment section, please let me know which one is your favorite and that you'd like to read a poem about.  I was going to write a poem about one of these photos, but couldn't decide which one to write about, so I thought I'd let you decide for me.  Whichever picture gets the most votes, I'll write a poem about it and post it here.

1.  Max, who rules our house, made me laugh this week as he often does.  He pulled and tugged on these two pillows on the couch until he got them just where he wanted them.  Then he climbed up to lay on top of them with his head resting on the arm of the couch.  I think he wore himself out with the effort because he slept like that there for quite a while.

2. I don't know what these are called, but I liked these spiky looking flowers I saw at the park.

3.  This is the flower bed where the spiky flower above was growing.

4.  I like this flowerbed planted around a large rock.

5.   This cactus is an unusual one to be seen growing outside in our area, and I was surprised to see it in the flower bed with the large rock above.  It is on the far side of the rock, and you can't see it in the photo I took.  It caught my eye because it seemed out of place.  It was the only one like it in the flowerbed, and it almost seemed as if someone had just come along and planted it there randomly, that it hadn't been put there by the original landscaper.

6.  This pale yellow lily with a few drops of the most recent rain clinging to it seemed to me to be extra delicate because it was growing next to a rough-hewn wooden fence.  I liked the contrast between the two.

7.  This photo and the next several count together as one vote as they are all of the same subject--the buzzards at the park.  Sometimes I walk through the park early in the morning, and sometimes I walk in the early evening, and sometimes I do both.  Both in the morning and in the evening, I see the buzzards roosting in the very tops of the tallest trees in the park.  Sometimes there are as many as a hundred at a time.  I counted about 60 in just one tree in one of these photos.  There are three or four trees that seem to be their favorites where I can usually find them.

This one was off all by himself for some reason,

but usually I see them in large groups roosting together like this.

This photo isn't as clear as I would have liked, but I was glad I caught him spreading his wings.

8.  My neighbor's sunflowers and tomatoes growing in her garden.

9.  The makeshift "lost and found" at our city swimming pool.

10.  A bunny I spotted hiding in some weeds, and just a few feet away...

another one.  They were obviously together.  I watched them for a while playing and jumping.

11.  You have to watch your step walking on the bike/walking path through the park this time of year because it is covered with hickory nuts that are falling from the trees.  They look like large green marbles and can make for slippery footing!  The green is the outside hull.  Inside is the hard tan or beige colored shell, and inside of that is the sweet nut meat.  You can see some of the tan shells here left behind by some feasting squirrel.

12.  Speaking of what is underfoot, I nearly stepped on this fellow who was sitting on the path.  These cicadas are all through the trees right now making what seems like a constant buzzing, humming, singing noise. If you've never heard them, there is an interesting and amusing video about them here where you can listen to their sounds.  Although some find them annoying, I have always found the sound they make to be a pleasant one.  It's peaceful for me to listen to them.  Here's a cropped, closer view of the photo above.

So, there you have it.  These are glimpses into my world, just some things that caught my eye, that I found interesting or pleasing.  If you have a particular favorite here that you'd like me to write a poem about, tell me which one (or ones) you like, and I'll write about whichever one gets the most votes.  


Hope you all have a pleasant Sunday!