After hitting the courts bright and early on the Fourth, we left Rockford and headed towards Chicago. We made a quick stop at the first McDonald’s somewhere in between. Apparently this is the museum, although it was closed. But the kids were still pretty awed.  How much more American does it get than eating hot…

I split this into two posts for a surprising reason. For much of this trip, I left my camera behind and took photos with the hipstamatic. At one point I actually forgot my real camera back at the hotel. Anyone who knows me knows that my camera is like an extra appendage, so it was…

These wonderful little leaf skeletons are the result of a quick walk to take out the trash. Every now and then, when I see skeleton leaves in tact, I’ll pick them up for my boss. She’s an amazing mixed media artist who can make magic out of found objects. But these leaves are somewhat rare…

When I went to Springfield for the state tennis tournament, I found these great little handmade stoneware pendants at a hole in the wall bead store. But I misplaced them once we got home. SO happy to say that I found them this evening. I’m really looking forward to putting them to use. Gonna be…

The steady hum of cicadas, soft blinks of the firefly, bare feet in the grass, daylight that lingers on and on… sometimes I really wish I was a kid on summer break. 

Every day I admire my neighbor’s coneflowers — especially the white ones. I didn’t even know they came in that color. Apparently I’m not the only fan. Lately I’ve seen these bright little goldfinches  chowing down on them. It’s like a little bird buffet. And then while I was fixing dinner, I figured out that…

The kids have a tennis tournament this weekend and the heat is simply brutal. Just sitting and watching from under a shade tree today wiped me out. We started to go for a walk this evening but ultimately decided never to get out of the car thanks to the heat. I took the above photo…

Last night Tanner and I went to see Sting and his Symphonicity Tour here in town. We’ve been looking forward to this for months and it was even better than we’d hoped. There wasn’t an opening act; it was three straight hours of Sting and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He also had a small percussion group and…

“People think pleasing God is all God care about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.” — Alice Walker, The Color Purple The top photo is one of three robin’s nests in our parking garage. The babies are so big now that you can see them…

Miss Violet sunbathed in the space between the storm and front doors today, stretching and using every square inch of space. And what didn’t fit naturally, she managed to cram in there. She’s such a mess. But she saw more sunlight than I did today. My day was spent at home doing laundry and baking…

After a late afternoon thunderstorm blew in and blew back out, the air was cool and oh-so-nice. Which may have something to do with why I saw more than two dozen deer when I walked through Powder Valley tonight. By the road, on the pathways, in the nature center front yard…they were everywhere. It felt…

This purple coneflower has a secret. Look really close at its spiny center. See the little ring of tiny yellow stars? How cool is that?! Get this — I didn’t even know it was there until I pulled it up on the computer and saw it really big. I felt like the flower had given…

Trying something a little different tomorrow. In addition to a necklace and earring set, I’m donating two enlargements of my photos — possibly including the above image — to a silent auction to benefit the Episcopal City Mission. I don’t know why this makes me a little nervous. I always worry a little about my jewelry…

Action plan: finish my big work project* tonight so I don’t have to work again tomorrow night.  Goal: have time to make made-from-scratch pie! Outcome Measure: 100% offspring satisfaction with said pie (hullo, it’s pie!) *Have you ever had one of those moments that you step outside of yourself, look in at your life or…

One of the things I love about our office is that they use an abundance of wildflowers in the landscaping.  Purple coneflowers, black-eyed susans, purple mallows and other sorts of lovelies. But it’s about more than just flowers. It’s about the attention to detail and the conscious effort to respectfully nod to the earth and…

Funniest. Website. Ever. Is “ever” an exaggeration? Oh, perhaps. But some of that site’s photos had me laughing so hard that I was in tears. Lest you think that I only laugh at the expense of others, here is my contribution to the less-than-ideal virtual family photo album.  Easter 1972. This image is clearly not in…

Sun. Rain. {HOT!} BRIGHT sun. HARD rain. {HOT!} Puffy white clouds. Dark, ominous clouds. More HARD rain. Grey. {HOT!} Puffy white clouds. More BRIGHT sun. {HOT!} A 30-minute excerpt from the weekend weather. Somewhere between the HARD rain and the Puffy white clouds, I went outside and my camera instantly fogged up. Made things look really hazy.  So this morning…

Really quick walk tonight and I saw all kinds of stuff. Baby bunnies bouncing around, seven deer chomping lazily on the nature center’s landscaping, a ginormous raccoon skulking about and lots of new flowers and trees blooming. I’d never noticed before, but Queen Anne’s lace looks so much prettier from the back. And a certain…

Lovely curls… …and buds with five o’clock shadow. Why the whiskers? Quotes on change are so cliche, but I read one today that I loved. “It’s not so much that we’re afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it’s that place in between that we fear…It’s like being between trapezes….

Maybe if I don’t move, she won’t notice me.  Sorry, little guy… I noticed. For a rodent with stripes, you’re pretty cute. Please don’t chew my plants. Here’s another attempted illusion that doesn’t work but isn’t so cute. New fad in China — people painting their dogs to look like other animals. Pandas are cute,…

I think a visit to the Farmer’s Market and a berry pie is in our future. Update: Thank you for the good thoughts and prayers – Bender has been found and he’s home safe and sound.

Quickly and quietly, the work week has crept up on me. Again. 

In honor of his birthday, here are a few life lessons we’ve picked up from my dad: Tennis shorts are totally acceptable as winter attire when accompanied by a parka. It is possible for a man to eat a bowl of cereal and shave on the way to work… while driving.    “Twip,” “Fiddlesticks,” “Schmoe,” “Squirrel,”…

This fine fellow was in the parking lot at Powder Valley before I walked a few miles this evening. He was bold and seemed to be in a hurry. Doesn’t he look like he’s smiling a bit? 

A little bit of gardening, sleeping, jewelry making, French Open watching, nature walking, church going, book reading….oh, the possibilities. Hello, weekend. I’m so glad to see you. Would very much appreciate prayers  for the safe return of my colleague’s lost puppy.