...happy summer...meet Mr. July...

...this is Alex who lives with us now...it is a long story...

...he has Valley Fever and it almost got the best of him...

...after surgery, and a long convalescence, he is enjoying life once again...

...we give him an anti-fungal oral medicine twice a day...

...he doesn't like it, but is such a gentleman about it...

...he lounges around inside the house as well as his favorite outdoor spot under the arbor...

...he is such a good eater now...

...he has gained back some of his weight loss...

...don't you think he is a lovely accessory in our white home...

...Alex is the most affectionate of all of our kitties...

...but he really is modest and can't quite look at the lens...

"There are no ordinary cats."

-- Colette

...just a little postcard from home...

...on a recent walk, the first photo snapped was of this scene on my front porch...

...just couldn't resist 'playing' with it...

...the following are random shots of  pretty blooming plants around town...

...well, except this little mourning dove...he's just curious...

...so colorful and intricate...

...just had to play with the olives on a branch...

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

...home canning...sweet & simple...

...such a sweet little boy...was then...still is...

...this little storybook doll from my childhood waves to me every day...

I love her...

...and this little teddy brings me a flower every day...how sweet...

...canned tomatoes ready for use...

...top shelf category...

...there is nothing sweeter to me than vintage white buttons in a jar...

...these folks are instant relatives...kept safe along with vintage buttons...

...such a sweet little girl...was then, still is...

...little bits of this and that...

...every bird needs a bit of bling...

...more bling in unexpected places...

...my beautiful mother and handsome father...

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."

Laura Ingalls Wilder

...little birds make me happy...even though some are not songbirds like those who sing to me as I enjoy my morning coffee on our back porch...

"If you want to be happy, be."

 ~Leo Tolstoy

...sweet little hollyhocks continue to bestow beauty and joy even after the blossoms are gone...

...these hollyhocks date back to the early 1930's when the Godbey family settled in our town...family members have wisely kept seeds and have generously shared them as a tribute to their early family history in Boulder City...

...each little pod has an abundance of quite sizable seeds that get blown around by our desert wind...

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." 

~Albert Einstein 

...the quintessential spot on a warm summer day...perfect for reading, relaxing and daydreaming...

"Each fairy breath of summer, as it blows with loveliness, inspires the blushing rose."

  ~Author Unknown