Ahhh..... the Ability to Take a Walk in the MORNING.... think, relax, renew......

Hello Friends,

I love to take walks; I mean I REALLY love to take walks. I do not live next to a beach or a river or the mountains, but being a nature girl, I can always find something delightful on my walks. Yesterday, it was the sound of the birds. Of course, I cannot take photos of bird songs, but if I could, I would blow it up in extra large and look at it everyday. There is just something joyous in the happy sounds of birds. It kind of reminds me of the bird friends in Snow White and Cinderella. My brother is horrified of birds; cannot stand them at all. But not me..... They bring me joy....yesterday I was fascinated with all the trees in my neighborhood; which probably accounts for all the birds! Since I live in central Illinois, there are no hills to climb or ledges to avoid which makes it possible for me to have the luxury  to think and reflect.... and enjoy the birds songs!

So ....as I join Five for Friday (or as I often call it "Five for Friday on a Saturday.... "), here are few thoughts I had  on my walk yesterday.....


 1.  Yes, I am still in charge of our butterfly garden at school. We have had so much rain lately, so I haven't gotten the chance to get over there and check for Monarch eggs/larvae, but here is a photo from one of the garden boxes from a week ago. The milkweed is doing great and there's lots of evidence of chewed leaves, but so far, I haven't seen anything... Part of the joy of summer for me is having the gift of time. In the school year, this garden is pretty neglected BUT I do bring my kinders to the garden often to look for insects, plant varieties, and colors. I am starting to worry about bee allergies, though, and wondering how to keep the education in the garden in a safe way for my little ones....

2.  And here are a few photos of my garden at home.....

Clematis is not my favorite flower. It is very leggy and is a monster vine, so you have to be vigilant to make sure that it is not choking the rest of your plants.... but this photo shows how gorgeous it can be if wants to be!

I think I have too many flowers in pots this summer, but I have a pretty bad rabbit problem this year, so I have had to rescue a few flower friends and the pots seemed to be the way to do it. Just pop them up high where those little rabbit faces cannot reach....

3.  We added a new young bull to our very small herd of Hereford cattle... Yep, he's a bull alright... Poor guy.. .Here he comes from a place where they wash his HOOVES and the first thing he does at our farm is sink into the mud from all the rain we have had..... The GOOD thing, though, is that he is going to have a happy life. All our cattle live in a pasture, receive no steroids, and basically are allowed to live a life that doesn't involve staying inside a stall for its entire life. I love the way my husband and son raise them!

4. A fun part of summer is all the fresh veggies and fruit that we can get. I envy those of you who have access to fresh produce year round. This is my son creating an amazing dish from all the veggies from his garden.... carrots, beets, arugula, peas...... yum..... And... no, although I wish had a huge wonderful kitchen, sadly, I don't... I WISH that I had an island with a stove and lots of room to chop and cook. That doesn't keep me from enjoying a delicious meal, though.. There are worse things in life, right?

5.  And finally..... I was blessed to have one of my posts included in the Teachers Pay Teachers blog this week. I am so honored. If you click the image below, it will take you to my post BUT if you click the Teachers Pay Teacher button at the top left, you will be able to read and enjoy all the other posts.....

And lastly.... click the button below to take you to Five for Friday... I love you Kacey for providing this platform to share....

Until next time,

Blessings,