The Heat Is On

This has been one of the hottest weeks I can remember.  There’s a new water park that the kids went to and seemed to really enjoy.  I was disgusted to see all the places with large umbrellas were reserved leaving me with a dwindling shadowed spot on the concrete to sit on.  The crowd seemed to really like the water slide but Gabby wouldn’t have any of it.  Finally as my shadow dwindled completely it was time to leave.  I noticed this door on the building as we left.  I expect it’s talking about chlorine but wow, what the heck are they putting in the water?  Getting home it was still so hot but that didn’t stop me from going out to watch the sun set.  I happen to really love what I call a cotton candy sky.  Other times the evening’s offer is more what I’d call a silhouette special and I like that too.  Another style I love in sunsets is the ray effect (like my technical terms?). Looking at skies like this makes me feel a sense of peace .  I know I’ve mentioned that before but I can’t say it enough.  The biggest even we had this week was anything but peaceful.  Looking out on my favorite view I saw what I knew wasn’t a cloud…a massive fire forced many evacuations and left a horrible mess for many families.  Not surprising to see this considering that it’s been in the hundreds for several days and this with a red flag warning and high winds it was a recipe for disaster.  It makes me have all the more compassion for those in Colorado.  That said it’s good to appreciate what we have and pray for those that are struggling.  God bless and keep you.

Nature’s Bounty

We have had it be so cool lately that evenings and mornings are just downright cold however it seems the heat begins to kick in as of today.  We’ve been really enjoying evening walks and I guess it’s a good thing since we’ll be waiting until the heat of the day subsides some before we head out.  There’s an amazing rose on our route that smells just as good as it looks.  I only wish I could share the heavenly smell with you!  There’s been a virtual explosion of blooms lately and that may be do to the cooler weather…whatever the reason I love to see what there is out there.  I like to bring my son and Gabby along on my walks.  There’s a little hidden park off the beaten road that they enjoy playing in.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen any other kids over there for some reason.  I don’t complain because it’s very peaceful.  It can still be quite warm by the time we reach the park so the shaded areas feel great.  Fear not this lonely slide finely gets company once Mike and Gabby get going.  Here’s my little monkey on the monkey bars.  Someone put some money into this park and I appreciate it.  Looking at my kids having such a good time I feel like the richest man in the world.  These red seeds on the trees really are beautiful.  I always loved them as a kid because you can drop them and they float down to the ground like graceful helicopters.  Finally it was time to leave the little park once again.  I expect we’ll return once again today. 

 

This morning I went out to inspect our garden and was amazed at the Pansies that are flourishing.  I could barely fit them all in a little vase.  It seems such a cheery way to start the morning don’t you think?  I had a time of it deciding where to put this vase…should I leave them on the outside patio table?  I guess it doesn’t matter, wherever this goes it will brighten things up!  The front yard has its treasures too.  Just look at this delightful little rose!  The morning light provided such a nice effect today.  The cool of the morning provides a lot of dew that the flowers relishbut I admit it makes me wonder just how cool it will be as our time to go to a new mountain cabin approaches…I’m think it will be pretty cold in the mornings and evenings.  Whatever it is I am excited to see it and I don’t intend to miss the forest for the trees.  This is it for a bit my friends, have a great day!

Partially Cloudy

It’s been a real battle with the weather lately.  We suffer days of gloom that seem to stretch on and on then the heat comes back and somehow we never seem to catch up for the normal rainfall, I don’t get it.  The cows are out to pasture…they don’t seem to care one way or another .  Mostly the storms bring horrendous wind…that’s what seems the most outstanding about them to me.  I really love pine, it’s something I’ve always deeply associated with all I love about Montana and here it’s standing bravely against the approaching storm.  I am used to looking at violent storms and these really aren’t that violent for the most part.  I appreciate the battle the blue sky has been waging because today it really appears to have won the battle…unlike yesterday where it was fighting for dear life.  I have been having time with Gabby lately entertaining her.  Our time seems to be spent blowing bubbles and picking flowers.  Today we hope to go for a walk and visit the park which she really loves…especially if her brother comes along.  Lately I’ve been drawn to the view around the deck…likely because of being around there with Gabby so much.  I do love to photograph things from the backyard…partly because the view goes on foreverand it always gives me a sense of peace.  No matter whether it’s stormy or clear, I love to see what’s going on back there.  Our deck has a wooden railing that I wanted to take some picture through and today was the day…notice how clear the weather is today.  Yesterday the wind was so strong that I was glad for our synthetic fence…not sure a wooden one would have faired so well.  Sometimes I feel the urge to take a different sort of picture so I thought I’d take a shot at my tin that came with my Skull Candy headphones (which ironically enough wouldn’t work well to hold my headphones).  Evening brought a nice sunset…bright but not all that spectacular.  Today we had a visit from another large bumble bee…different than the younger one before.  I suppose it’s trying to take a break from the wind.  I knew it would be tough to take many pictures in the wind but I went for it anyway.  These little flowers found a way to thrive in a most unlikely spot, while in the field that seems a bit dry now I found a bloom I’m not all that familiar with…pretty don’t you thinkalso these delicate purple ones stuck out to me as well.  I love the flowers we grow but honestly wild flowers are the true stars to me.  I actually like some of the imperfections in the naturally grown flowers.  Today I have more pictures than words…but I don’t mind.  Our view is simple but like the field that stretch out from our backyard, I love it.  This is it for another week…soak up the view and have a great day!