Sylvia's Simple Shots

Wildlife in the river valley has been scarce this year.  I don't know if the wildfires north would affect the number of animals here.

There have been fewer sighting of chipmunks and song birds.  It's is possible that my going out later than I usually do has affected what I see.

It's been a tough summer and I have to admit getting up bright and perky before 7 am has not happened much this year.

It's been more like 9am which means the animals have just moved on with their day and are no longer where I expected them.

We had some heavy rain this week.

This is the lamp post in the back alley and you can see the rain dripping off the fixture and driving sideways.

A set of house shoes which I hope will keep my feet warm and not create too much static.

I bought these back in April when the weather was cooler.  I have not worn them much as the temperatures warmed outside.  I expect as the temps are cooler I will be inclined to wear them.

I managed to remove the few splatters of white paint.  The price was great!

I found this small teapot at the thrift store this week.

It is 3 inches tall and a bit wider than that.  It is made by Fitz and Floyd.

Fitz and Floyd Special Teas Collection Mini Deck of Cards Spade TeaPot.

I love teapots of all sorts and I really like this one. The price was under $5 and it has no chips or cracks.

I will add it to my displays shelf.

L is for Lawless by Sue Graton.  It is always a pleasure to reacquaint myself with Kinsey Millhone.

She decides to do her landlord Henry Pitts a favor.  Johnny Lee who lives in the garage apartment next to white stucco house with very tall grass in the front yard. His grandson Bucky and his wife Babe live in the house.  Johnny has passed away and Bucky would like to give his grandfather the military funeral he is entitled to but there seems to be a problem with Veteran Affairs records. Could Kinsey make a few inquiries.

Things are not as they seem, there is a break in at Johnny's apartment.  Chester, Johnny's son has a conspiracy theory. Who know?

Meantime, William who is Henry's brother is set to marry Rosie who runs the local bar and eatery where they often hang out. 

Kinsey's involvement takes her on a wild trip, encountering a very dangerous character.  Does she make it back for the wedding.  Another great story!

This is art by a tradesman.  I found these markings on a cement wall at a parkade in the area.  I will presume that he/she was cleaning off their brush after applying tar on the surface of the structure.  I thought the shapes were very intriguing.  I have converted my shots to black and white and added a bit of contrast but they are pretty cool!

Sylvia's Simple Shots

It is coming to the end of summer. Fall colors are starting to appear and I am not ready.

This little chipmunk is getting ready for winter. 

His cheeks were so full of seeds from this large rose hip. They create food storage areas called larders to give them food for the cold weather.

They eat seeds, fruit, nuts (acorns being one of their favorites). Worms can be in their diets but that must be only a summer food.  Hard to store food that walks away.

 

I was over visiting my aunt recently and she offered me some cosmos flowers.  I said yes please.

These make such nice cut flowers for the table. My Mom grew them every year. I did have a couple of vases which were not packed.  I love this cube vase.

I so want a flower cutting garden when I get a new place. Cosmos flowers are very easy to grow, come in a lot of different colors, last a long time in the house with fresh water, and make my heart full.

 

 

 

I am discovering that I really like books set in Ireland.  This book Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams was a pleasure to read.  The 2 main characters are Nicholas Coughlan and Isabel Gore. They are destined to meet but have many life experiences before that happens.

Nicholas has a tough life because his father quit his regular job because he felt that God wanted him to be a painter. The father spent a lot of time away from home painting then when he was home he was in his home studio. Painting did not generate a lot of money. Things from from bad to worse until he has lost both parents.

Isabel grew up in a good family but she felt responsible for an accident her brother had so that colored her world view. They live on a small island in the Galway bay.

When she finishes school she travels to Galway to attend higher education and grow up a bit away from Mom and Dad. She ends up with a job in a wool/tweed store and dating the son of the owner. 

Nicholas is on the hunt for one of his father's paintings which was given to Isabel's father for a poem he had written. He arrives in Galway and meets Isabel (who was home for a visit) and her parents. 

The ending was very good and worth the heartaches that these two young people went through to find each other.

I was out shopping with my sister this week when she came into town with my brother in law on errands. 

She was looking for art supplies. Earlier, I had a conversation with one of my aunts and she recommended Payne's Gray for outlining watercolor if the black marker was too harsh.

I also needed a very small brush to make thin lines and I found this set of brushes at the thrift store for a great price. 

We both found what we needed between Staples and Michaels. First time I used the coupon on my phone. Worked great.

I am working on watercolor Christmas cards again but inspiration is hard to find.

I picked up this small book a while ago.  A simple blessing by Michael W. Smith.

He describes when he started offering a blessing to the audience at his end of his concerts.

He wrote a blessing to cover certain things he wanted to share and pour out to the world at large.

It was well received and many of his fans communicated with him about what changed in their lives as a result.  Of course, it is very hard to give a blessing without it having some of it fall on yourself.

The practice changes Michael's live as well.

Just a nice positive and encouraging book.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I found this little chipmunk on my walk the other day.   

Spring green is slow to come so I hope they have enough to eat.

I have not seen many yet this year so I don't know if the population is down.  I generally see quite a few.

It may been that some have decided to stay in their little warm homes for a little longer sensing that things have not warmed up a lot.

I finished this book this week.  Fireside by Susan Wiggs.  The title does not seem to match the story to me.

Bo Crutcher is a baseball player hitting his stride a bit later in life and has achieved a place on a pro ball team.  Just as things are turning around a call sends his life into a spin.  Heading to Texas to pick up a boy he has never met.  He knew he had a son but the mother had not allowed him to be involved.   Now she is in trouble and turns to Bo to help out.

Being a father is a huge learning curve.   He does his best and makes slow progress in gaining AJ's trust.

In the meantime he met a girl quite by chance as her life was spinning out of control.  Later, they meet again and she is able to help prepare him for his professional career and still be a Dad.

All works out in the end but the ups and downs are challenging.  A good book.

The hiccups with the sewing machine have been sorted out.  I can say the servicing as restored all the functions and it purrs!

These machines are real workhorses.  So despite being 50 years old it just keeps on sewing like a dream.   I will make sure that I oil it more regularly.

It was out of commission for a month with the back and forth visits.  I guess I needed time to design my tote and purchase the fabric so it all worked out.

You will see that I have already put it to good use on a Tote project.

Here's the bespoke tote I designed and sewed over the weekend.

I needed a bag to carry my camera, my purse and my everyday bag.

You can read about all the details in this post.

I have used a couple of times already and I am very happy with the result.

Of course, the color combo is perfect.

This is a small books as far as the size of books I normally have been reading.  True Believers by Linda Dorrell.

It was a quick read and very compelling story.  Set in the mid 1050's in the southern states it deals with racism, ignorance, and social expectations.  She is a single white woman of privilege who bucks the tradition when purchases a church with her inheritance.

She is led to ask a black man ,Otha Lee which she has known most of her life to work on the restoration project. He is a handyman, a bit of a farmer and a preacher.   He has no building to worship in so his congregation has been meeting under a large tree.  He agrees to take on the project and as luck would have it a younger man, Joseph has recently come to town looking for work. Perfect!  

They make a great team but the very hot summer makes progress slow.  The project is a success once Peggy, Otha Lee and Joseph address their pasts to reveal that this was the perfect project for them.  Excellent read.

Mosaic Monday - My Walk

I've put together a mosaic of photos from my walk yesterday.  
Top left is a chipmunk which is the first time I have photographed one.  It is quite small and with the stripes quite different from a squirrel. 
Top right is a thistle in bloom releasing it's seeds to be planted by the wind who knows where.
Bottom left is a Red Breasted Nuthatch which is quite small bird which a photographed near a bird feeder near my place.
Bottom right is a purple flower which I have not been able to identify. It was quite tall.

Sharing with Maggie at Normandy Life who hosts Mosaic Monday #51.