Living on the Edge

Welcome to the month of June!

 The weather here has been absolutely beautiful for the most part.

Usually by this time of year in NC, even before summer officially arrives,

it is really hot and humid and pretty much stays that way until fall.

~

This week, my Friday morning excursion took me to a park I had never visited before.

Great Bend Park is located on the Haw River,

which extends 110 miles from the piedmont to the coastline of NC.

I arrived right around 8:00 AM and there wasn't another soul in sight.

I thought for just a fleeting moment about me being there all alone...
and then I forgot all about it.

Risky? Maybe.

A gentle breeze whispering through the trees accompanied by the songs of the birds

 were the only sounds to be I heard as I walked along the trail.

Follow along with me, won't you?

I will tell you though, that I was just ever-so-slightly distracted from my gorgeous surroundings.

I kept glancing down at the ground...and not just because of the bumpy trail.

 I had read a review of the park and this one comment in particular went something like this...

"Beautiful place to hike but watch out for snakes."

😲

Thank the good Lord, I saw not a one.

Risky? Possibly.

Not really very smart? Some might think so.

 I wasn't on the trail very long until I began to hear the river up ahead.

This might be where the park get it's name...Great Bend...just guessing.

Up a bit further, I came to the dam where I stepped up onto a stone retaining wall to see the falls.
Oh...no worries...there was a ledge to keep me from falling over the edge,
although I could have jumped if I'd have wanted.
I may have an adventuresome spirit, but not that adventuresome.

And then I saw something(s) moving on the very edge,
w-a-a-a-y over on the far side of the falls.



My trusty zoom brought them closer and closer.



I was shocked that they were standing so close to the edge!



I stood there and watched them for what seemed like forever until they finally took flight.
Of course I had put my camera down by then and missed that shot.



So whatever you may think about my somewhat risky hike,
all alone.........except for the unseen snakes...



...this is really what I consider living on the edge.

It was a lovely hike and no doubt I will be returning.

Next time I just may take Jim with me...

 ...but I'm not making any promises. 😉

I'm sharing with Maggie at...
Mosaic Monday

  

Hodgepodge: Winging My Way Into June

Well, here we are on this last day (and Hodgepodge) of May...
...it not only means that summer is almost officially here,
but that after today the first half of 2017 is officially over.
Can you even believe it?
It also means that there are lots of little winged critters out there flitting about.
Over the long holiday weekend, I was able to capture quite a few...

well...not actually capture capture them, but you know what I mean :)

Dragonflies just amaze me and there are so many different varieties down at the pond.

There is a certain red one that wouldn't be still long enough for me to get a shot.
I will be looking for him the next time.
~
I had yet to see many butterflies this spring...

...until I brought home this planter of Lantana...

...and they came out of nowhere within an hour of setting it on the deck!

The bees are also quite fond of them.

And then there are the are those gorgeous thistles...

...the bees love them too!

So, enough winged creatures for one post.
Let's get on with the business at hand...Joyce's Hodgepodge...

...where she asks the questions and we write the answers.

1. What makes you feel accomplished? Explain.

Okay, I'm just gonna tell it like it is...on those rare occasions when I do feel a sense of accomplishment, it's because I have either just finished a major project of some kind or have gotten some very much needed deep cleaning done...you know, the kind that we all I keep putting off. I have so many things I need to do but it wears me out just thinking about them so what do I normally do? Grab my camera and head for the country. 😉

2. If you had your own talk show, who would your first three guests be? Tell us why.

The likelihood of me having my own talk show is just as likely as who my first three guests would be, so I would like to invite the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to come sit on my stage...and of course, they would only need one chair. I would ask [them] about all of the whys and wherefores of certain circumstances throughout my life. The Father might tell of how He created the universe and the love that He has for all of us, the Son might talk about His ultimate sacrifice and responsibility of carrying out His Father's will so that we could all be saved and the Holy Spirit would be there to help us try to understand it all. I would also ask Him [them] if we will see our pets in heaven. If they declined my invitation, I would just have to wait for my answers until I get to heaven.

Farther along we'll know all about it
Farther along we'll understand why
Cheer up my brother live in the sunshine
We'll understand it all by and by.

3. Do you have a great burger recipe? What's in it? What do you like on a hamburger and where is your favorite spot to order one out?

I do not have a special burger recipe when it come to beef burgers. I usually just buy good ground beef and freeze my own patties or get the gourmet burgers that are already frozen. Jim does the grilling and he prefers the burgers to be partially frozen when he cooks them due to them falling apart. (Don't tell him, but I think it's because he gets impatient and turns them before they're ready.) We usually add BBQ sauce to them, only when cooked on the grill. Occasionally I do make turkey burgers and although I don't have a certain recipe I follow, I do add lots of seasonings and spices to improve the flavor. There is a favorite restaurant in our town called the Blue Ribbon Diner and they make a mean bacon cheese burger that is probably my favorite.

4. What's the biggest anxiety producing thing you do on a regular basis?

Hmm...I've had to really think about how I was going to answer this one. For the most part, I am not a worrier or a stressed out person by nature. My job is not a cause for anxiety, I actually enjoy it very much...except for that time about a year ago when I was learning EPIC. I can't think of one thing that causes me anxiety on a regular basis....sorry, not sorry. Now if I was answering this question a couple of years ago, it would be a different story. Living with an alcoholic in the family, whether they are under your roof or not is a roller coaster ride...mostly heading in a downward motion. Those of you who read my blog know a little about our son's addiction, subsequent rehab and current recovery-in-process. I never take a day of his sobriety for granted but the constant anxiety is no longer a daily part of our lives, Praise God! Also, on July 1st Jim will officially be an old person and will start using his Medicare. There may be some anxiety there...we'll see. These days, for the most part, getting my next post written and posted in a timely manner might possibly cause a minimal amount of anxiety.


5. This is the last Hodgepodge of May. Tell us about your summer plans.

So far, we have plans to travel to see the Tennessee bunch near the end of June and in late July, the whole family will make the trip to Ohio for my family reunion. The photo below was taken two years ago at our last one and the day before, my oldest brother, Bob, who lives in SC was hospitalized and unable to make it. I edited the photo and added his picture as a way of including him in spirit. Since then, the cancer that he had a couple of years ago has reared it's ugly head and is currently in stage 4. He recently told his doctors that he wanted no more chemo (which was severely debilitating him) and that he wanted to return to his active lifestyle and have quality of life for as much time as the Lord allows him. We are all praying that he can make the trip to Ohio.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm stuck on my random thought and it's getting late. I feel just a tinge of anxiety coming on....😓

Saying Goodbye to May and a June Hodgepodge

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF JUNE!

May is nothing but a memory as we make our way into the halfway point of 2016.

Can you believe it??

~

Our beautiful local strawberries are just faint memories as well.

The ones in the grocery store just don't compare.

What is more beautiful than a juicy, red, ripe strawberry?
~
And since this is Hodgepodge, I guess anything goes, right?
So I'm sharing some photos of this lovely specimen.

I was walking down the driveway one evening with the dogs and it fell out of the tree on my head.

I had lived here almost 20 years before I knew what they were.

It wasn't until I googled it (of course) that I discovered it was a bloom from a tulip poplar tree.

And if you know anything about me at all,

you surely shouldn't be surprised at all that I did this with it.

~

So what else does one add to a hodgepodge post?

How about a goat, a rainbow and a fence...all in one photo.

 

So on to the Memorial Day weekend...

The highlight, other than having a 4-day weekend, was a visit from my Tennessee bunch!

Olivia was on a mission to get her ears pierced now that she will be in the second grade next year.

That was how old her mommy was when got hers pierced and she was ready!

She requested that Mawmaw (that's me) be present during the event...so off we went.

It all happened so fast, she didn't even have time to flinch!

She picked out the cutest earrings, don't you think?

 ~

And what's a Memorial Day holiday without a little red, white and blue dessert?

Okay...let's get on to the Hodgepodge questions, shall we?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

1. Tell us about one fun thing on your June calendar.

Well, I would if I could...but as of this moment, I have absolutely no plans to do anything fun.

Of course, my idea of fun may be traipsing through a field of milkweed, chasing butterflies.

As a matter of fact, I do think I noticed some blooming a few days ago...

...so I just may be having some fun this weekend :)

2. How careful are you in the sun? Do you tan or burn? Do you make it a point to see the dermatologist every year? 

I don't spend a lot of time in the sun but when I do, I'm probably not as careful as I should be.

 I usually burn at first then tan (a little) but never get to that desirable golden color.

 I have never seen a dermatologist...shame on me.

3. Describe a time when you wanted to 'throw in the towel'? 

I had to think hard on this one and honestly, I don't know that I ever have had those feelings.

I am an eternal optimist and even though there have been MANY, MANY storms,

nothing has ever caused me to lose all hope.

Thank you, Jesus.

4. What's a song you love that has a day of the week in the title or lyrics? 

I love the Carpenter's music so it would probably be "Rainy Days and Mondays"...

...even though most of my Mondays are usually no worse than any other day of the week,

 and I really do like rainy days...as long as they don't go on and on.

5. Are you a fan of berries? Which one's your favorite? What's the most recent berry dish you've eaten? Which blueberry breakfast food appeals to you most-blueberry pancakes, blueberry yogurt, or a blueberry muffin? 

Berries are probably my favorite fruits and I'd say raspberries would be at the top of my list.

I have never made Jim or Adam a birthday cake...they get PIE...black raspberry to be precise.
Black raspberries don't grow well around here so we try to get them when we visit Ohio or Virginia.

Since Adam was here this weekend and since we will not see him on his birthday in July,

he got his birthday pie a few days ago :)

Although I do love a good blueberry muffin, Cracker Barrel's blueberry pancakes are the bomb...

...for breakfast or just about any time you have a hankerin'!

6. What's something you want to do before your next birthday?

I am always setting weight-loss goals and never making them happen.

Shall I try again???

7. June 1st is National Say Something Nice Day, so let's all say something nice here. 

Let me just say that I am blessed in so many ways, beyond anything I could ever deserve.

One of those blessings is this community of bloggers that I have been a part of for almost 3 years.

I truly appreciate each one of you and consider you my friends.

Thank you for your encouragement and prayers!

8. Insert your own random thought here.
My thoughts throughout the week have been on our precious blogging sister, Vee.
It kind of amazes me that I can feel such sadness for someone I've never met.
As I mentioned above, our blogs really do connect us to each other's hearts and lives.
May she continue to draw comfort and strength through our Heavenly Father.

~
So head on over to Joyce's...



...and see what the others are saying!

Milk Thistles in June

 "Cut thistles in May, they'll grow in a day; cut them in June, that is too soon;
cut them in July, then they will die."

~Mother Goose rhyme

I love milk thistles....I just can't help myself.
I'm absolutely struck by the beautiful prickliness of them!
And it seems to be peak season for them here in my neck of the woods.
Is there something wrong with me...
...that something so...ordinary...so random would delight me so??

I do realize that everyone may not share my views.

I am not a farmer and I don't know if farmers like them much.
I understand there are many health benefits and many parts of them are edible,
although I also read that they can be somewhat toxic to cattle and sheep.

It's amazing what you learn about something that you basically knew nothing about...

...just because you think it's beautiful and do a little research.
I didn't realize that milk thistle is in the sunflower family either...interesting...



So here are basics....straight from Google:

Milk thistle, or Silybum marianum, is a member of the Asteraceae (Daisy Family),
(hmm...it seems the daisy and the sunflower must be related too!) and is also known by several other names, including Blessed Milk thistle,
Spotted thistle, St. Mary's thistle, Marian thistle, Holy thistle and Variegated thistle.
 It should not be confused with Blessed thistle, Cnicus benedictus.

And here is a link, in case you just have to know more about them...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silybum_marianum



"A PASTURE POEM"
~Richard Wilbur

This upstart thistle
Is young and touchy; it is
All barb and bristle,

Threatening to wield
Its green, jagged armament
Against the whole field.

Butterflies will dare
Nonetheless to lay their eggs
In that angle where

The leaf meets the stem,
So that ants or browsing cows
Cannot trouble them.

Summer will grow old
As will the thistle, letting
A clenched bloom unfold

To which the small hum
Of bee wings and the flash of
Goldfinch wings will come,

Till its purple crown
Blanches, and the breezes strew
The whole field with down.

"Do not blame the thistle that you see no beauty."

~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie

When I was little girl, I was taught to say a little tongue-twister,

right after I had lost that first tooth...

..."Sister Susie sat on a thistle" ...

...except it came out "Thister Thusie that on a thistle".

Remember that??!

Here's another cute tongue-twister I found...

A TONGUE TWISTER
~by Ken Nesbitt

My sister kisses thistles she's a thistle kissing sis, thus a thistle's itchy bristles never miss my sister's kiss. My sister wishes thistles weren't as itchy to the kiss, as the thistle's bristles itches make my prissy sister hiss. My sister's hisses whistle as she kisses with a swish, so my sister kisses thistles with a thistle whistle wish. And here's a few more shots before I go...

“He that has a good harvest must be content with a few thistles”
~Spanish Proverb
~
Hmmm...there's a lot of truth there, I'd say...
...sometimes I feel like I got more thistles than produce!
But...God is GOOD...ALL the time!

Enjoy your week :)


Sharing at:
Mosaic Monday
Roses of Inspiration
Pink Saturday