Haiku

Morning sky and clouds
Sunlight touching the treetops
Streetlight still shining

Through the sunroof

Sometimes I just look up.

NOT a gourd

A pinecone, just starting to open. If I remember, I will post a photo of it once it has fully opened.

(By the way, you're welcome for ending the gourd series.)

Brave, or just really hungry?

Who was the first person to ever see this and think, "Hey, that looks like something I want to eat"?

(Yes, it is a close-up of yet another gourd.)

Not corn

Yes, you guessed it-- a close-up of a gourd.

Pear with warts?

Nope. A highly-textured, but unappetizing gourd.

Fall = gourds

Decorative and useful

A casserole dish that is used primarily as Morgan's "cookie" jar. It's where we keep her Milk-Bones.

The screen porch

Ahhh. Surrounded by bushes, it seems as much a treehouse as a screened-in porch. Fall and Spring are the best times of the year to be out there. And in Winter we get to use it as a giant walk-in cooler.

Field of Foods

Mile after mile of corn and beans. (Soybeans that is.) Some say it's boring; I think it's beautiful. And it's home too.

Soybeans

There are so many things I love about the fall. One is the way the bean fields turn from green to gold.

Here is a close-up of some soybeans growing near Fisher, Illinois.

Old shirt

Embroidered above the breast pocket. A gift from Roger Radatz shortly after 9-11-01.

Sunday dinner, the beginning

Green and yellow peppers is the first smell on the way to Misha's requested birthday dinner of Italian sausage with red sauce. Yum.

Cleaning Saturday

It takes a village to raise a child and it takes this many different bottles, brushes, and paper products to clean the house.

Shuffleboard

A game from the past in the place that time forgot: shuffleboard at Shady Shores.

This pic was taken last year when I went undefeated against Terri. Yes, that's right-- she did not win a single game!

I expect to repeat as champion this year.

The Shady Shores glider

How many times did I just kill time on these gliders? Waiting to go to dinner, or to head to the beach, or for the rest of the guys-- and later, a girl, and still later, the kids. One year I spent nearly the entire week on one because I was "grounded". Grounded on vacation is never fun.

But I look forward to going there and wasting time on one this fall. Just for one night, Terri, Morgan, and I will just hang out and enjoy a quiet time.

Ahhhh, Shady Shores.

_______ market

Some call it "Farmer's". Some call it "Produce". In Mokena, it is the "French Market". I'm not sure why.

My "work bench"

Skylight

Looking through the forest preserve pavilion roof on a beautiful day.

Ten years ago

September 11, 2001 was one of the darkest days in American history-- certainly the darkest in my memory.

We all have our own memories. Many lives were ended and many more were greatly affected by those who died that day. Still others made decisions to devote their future to protecting us from ever having to experience those extreme emotions again.

But the changes that have taken place to American transportation, to public gathering places, and to the world's political climate have caused everyone to lose some freedoms and feelings of carefree safety that we had previously enjoyed.

Any innocence we had left was stolen that day.

Tequila sunrise

That's the name of the glaze on this shallow bowl. Love it!

Handle

On my dresser.

Zinnia

From our garden. The white is actually the back side of petals that haven't fully opened. They seem to come out of the center in a hypnotic spiral pattern. This flower will make you very sleepy... keep staring at the center... your eyes are getting heavy...

Yes, I went back

Monday I rode my bike to the fest, paid the $2 to park in the bike corral, and walked to see Tom and Betsy at the Clay Coyote booth. I told Tom I had an empty backpack and he said, "Let's fill it up."

So we did.

Monday's treasures: two bowls, a small cup, a coffee mug, and a serving tray.

Like what you see? They ship anywhere... ClayCoyote.com

Happy birthday, Mom

Mary Jo in 1936.  She would have been 76 on 9/6/11.

New treasures

Each year the town next door hosts its Fall Festival on Labor Day weekend. Our highlight is seeing the new pottery that Tom and Betsy create and bring all the way from their studio in Hutchinson, Minnesota.

This is what we bought this year: a medium-sized bowl, a small casserole dish (currently used as Morgan's "cookie" jar), and shallow serving bowl.

As I write this, there are still a few more hours before the Fest closes. I may make one more trip up there...

Ahh, Fall!

Last night, Terri took this pic of a yard ornament we have. It's a farm implement welded on to a piece of rebar and resembles a sunflower. It was dusk, I was building a fire in the chiminea, and the temp was perfect-- truly a Life is Good moment!

My dresser

This is the first thing I see most mornings. And it is usually dark and somewhat blurry and at this angle when I see it.

The window seat

Terri always wanted a window seat and this is what she looked forward to most from our remodel.

The seat cushion was custom made and took longer than the demolition, new floor, new cabinets, new countertops, painting, plumbing, electrical, window treatments, and Amish-made furniture built from scratch. Yes, she likes it.

Sparrow condo

I like that they used a feather to decorate the exterior. I'll bet it's groovy inside.