Tid Bits

Fall is in the air here. Appropriate since this is officially the first day of fall. We seem to be finding a rhythm with the new season, and the new school year. Eric and I are still playing softball, one more week to go. I took this picture after our game with my cell phone when that little light went off in my head that I hadn't taken a picture yet that day. That little light is dim some days.

Eric and I took a trip south to Winona to visit Brian. It was parents weekend, he needed a few things home, and we wanted to buy him a bike to replace the one that was stolen. It was wonderful to see him, but hard to leave....I miss him! He seems to be making the adjustment to college life pretty well, that helps.

We missed Billy's varsity game on Friday night. The team had a big lead so the 2nd string got to play during the 2nd half. He made a catch that happened to be filmed by a local TV station. They included it in their prep sports extra and mentioned his name. We thought that it was pretty cool.  Billy's number 89.  You can see the clip here.

We did make it to the JV football game on Saturday morning though, and Billy had another catch....here's a picture of just before the ball got there. I don't know how he can concentrate with 3 guys about to grab him, but he does....and it's fun to watch!

Sunday was cold and drizzling, not a great day for baseball but sort of cool conditions for taking pictures. This one is of Billy playing 3rd base. He hasn't played 3rd much during the summer and fall, but he made a couple of nice throws to first the two innings that he was there.

Molly likes to go outside, even on the cool days. Here she is lounging on the patio. She won't look at the camera, it's sort of funny.

Penny had a chew bone outside, she wouldn't look at the camera either....she was very intent on chewing up that bone. Penny...PENNY....nope....not even a glance.

The mums are starting to bloom in the garden, another sign of fall.

We were treated to a pretty sunrise yesterday morning. I hope that the neighbors didn't notice me outside in my night gown....but it was too pretty to pass up.
We have another busy weekend ahead. It's homecoming here, so football tonight, football in the morning, homecoming dance for Billy tomorrow night, and baseball on Sunday. They rhythm of fall. It's making me tired....but I can rest when the snow flies. Right?

Thanks for stopping by.

A Photo a Day

A photo a day, the main reason that I started this blog. I've been slipping up on posting very often, but I'm still taking at least a photo a day. Shall we catch up?

Some flowers at the farm. My mom calls them "naked ladies". They might be, but I don't know for sure. I do know that they come from bulbs and just when you think that they haven't survived from the year before they will shoot up all of a sudden and bloom. Some of the bulbs were from a bed that my grandpa had planted, some were from a friend of my mom. I'm not sure which these are, but I like them.

Cosmos...pretty and pink and dancing in the wind. My go to flower to photograph lately when I've realized that I haven't taken a photo on any given day. See the spider?

Billy played softball with his dad a few weeks ago....so I brought the camera to their game. I got a couple of cute pictures of Billy, but liked this one of Eric the best. I think they were both pretty happy to be able to play together.

My petunias are getting pretty leggy....but the bursts of red on the patio are still pretty.

I took a quick trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum one day. The long hot summer has been tough on things there too...but some of the roses sure were pretty. This one was my favorite.

When we moved into this house 6 years ago we inherited the base of a birdbath...with out the bowl part. So this spring, when I was getting ready for Brian's graduation party and looking for things for the yard that were red I came across this red glass ball....and decided to re purpose the birdbath stand. Something in the yard that doesn't wilt and I don't have to weed or water it...yeehaw.

One of my leggy petunias against the colorless evening sky. Heat and a forgetful water er haven't been kind to the petunias.

Billy's football season is going full bore. They started with a scrimmage before school started, rotating play between 4 other schools. His team is so big they rotated teams within their offense and defense too. Everyone saw some action, so that was good. Billy is # 89.

We spent an afternoon helping a friend cut and remove some sod from her yard to make room for some perennial beds. It was a cool, drizzly day....but it made it easier to work. I liked the color of some petunias she had growing in a pot.

We had moved our bird feeders away from the house last spring....this little sunflower sprouted from the rocks underneath the feeders. Better than thistles I guess.

This was taken at the end of August when the cone flowers were fading...but still pretty.

Eric and I took a quick trip north to Bayfield, Wi. to see a concert at the Big Top Chautauqua at the end of August. We stopped to stretch our legs and look at the boats that were docked in Washburn. It's so peaceful there.

We scored 2nd row center seats to see Greg Brown perform a concert at the Big Top. Lots of new songs with a getting older theme. Yep, can relate to that!

We golfed in Hayward Wisconsin on our way home the next day. It was unseasonably hot and humid....but we had lots of fun anyway.

We hurried home from golfing so we could watch Billy's first varsity football game. He even got in for a few plays! I volunteered to take pictures for the games from the field, this one doesn't have Billy in it, but I like the sunshine and the action.

The next morning the Junior Varsity played. The kids that don't see much playing time on varsity get their chance in the JV games. I requested to change my volunteer assignment from Varsity to JV....and the gal in charge was fine with that. There are a lot of people that have volunteered so I'm not leaving them short or anything....and I'd rather take pictures at JV...less pressure!

On the Friday night of Labor Day weekend Brian took the train home from college for the first time. He greeted us with a smile and a big box of laundry. Gotta love college kids!

We spent some time at the cabin and on the farm for the long weekend. There were lots of little sunflowers blooming in my mom's yard. So pretty. They look like fall though!

The mums along the wall at the church in our small home town said fall too!

A quick snapshot of my boys after church. Eric and I had some wedding pictures taken by that tree years and years ago. The tree has a bigger girth now too.

Cosmos in the fading light, must have been a busy Monday.

Billy on his first day of his Junior year. It really hit home that morning that we only have one boy at home right now. Sad.

My favorite inkjet printer bit the dust, so Eric and I went shopping for a new one. I loved the sky and tried to capture it with my cell phone. It sort of worked. And I found a new printer on sale...so it was a good day after all.

Cosmos in the fading sun....do you see a trend here?

Let's change it up with a bouquet of roses from the grocery store. Yummy colors.

Another varsity football game, taken from the stands just before the National Anthem. Another unseasonably warm evening. Billy is one of the tallest boys on the team. The sunlight makes his hair look really red. He got in for 7 plays in this game!

The JV game for Saturday was cancelled, so we had a rare day off....we decided to go golfing with a friend....and then enjoyed a sunset at her house after our round. I love the view from her backyard....so serene. I will always be a country girl at heart.

In addition to High School football, Billy is playing baseball this fall too. Um yes, we are sort of busy right now. It might explain my lack of blogging. And house cleaning. And anything else I need an excuse for. He got a couple of hits off of some fast pitchers...it was fun to see.

Sunday baseball double header, Monday after school JV football game. They won, but the coaches weren't happy with how some of the kids were playing. I guess Mondays are rough for football and most everything else. It was 90 degrees again that day...maybe that was the problem.

Monday night the winds picked up, Tuesday the temps were barely 70 degrees, and after editing football pictures all day all I had time for was a fading light Cosmos.

Tuesday temps were cool, Wednesday and today have been darned cold...not even 60 degrees either day. 90's to upper 50's in a matter of days. Goodbye summer, hello November. I took this picture of the cosmos thinking that it might be the last one I could get...there were freeze warnings for the Twin Cities last night.

The forecasters were wrong...surprise...but fall is coming sooner than later. It's in the air. I can feel it....and I can't feel my toes! Brrr.

Happy fall.....thanks for stopping by!