Smart Spider

Good morning,

This very smart spider has built her web across the end of our fish pond.  She is growing fat and sassy as she nets just about any bug that stops in for a drink of water.

I love the beauty of the spider web design. 

Lois

Missy - Our New Grandcat

Good morning,

Meet Missy, our new grandcat.

Missy appeared at the patio door of our son's home a few weeks ago.  She looked quite hungry so the rest is history.

Our son and grandson put a notice in the neighborhood newsletter asking if anyone was missing a kitten.  No one answered the notice so Missy is now a member of the family.

Missy was three to four months old when she arrived.  We are guessing she was dropped in the neighborhood with the hope that someone would adopt her.  That's a terrible way to re-home a cat, but this one was lucky that it worked.

Missy is a very lovey and lovable young lady.  She's now micro chipped and has had all of the appropriate medical attention to be a happy family member in her fur-ever home.

:),
Lois

Fried Baloney (Bologna)

Good morning,

Do you have fried baloney in your past?  I don't remember having it when I was a child, but neighbor children got my kids hooked on it when we moved to the house where we live now.  Since then I've learned fried baloney is part of the American Kid Experience.

So, to make his American Exerpience complete, I introduced my Norwegian born American hsuband to this "treat."

We fried two thick slices of baloney...

scrambled some eggs...

sliced some home made bread...

and piled it up with a little ketchup for an interesting taste treat.

It was fun. 

:),
Lois

Celery Tree

Good morning,

I remember growing celery trees with my Mom when I was little.  She'd save the bottom of a stalk of celery and we'd put it in a saucer with water and watch the little tree grow.  In only a few days, we had our tree.

We did the same with sweet potatoes, carrot tops, and other veggies. 

Such fun for kids!  I had a really cool Mom.

:),
Lois

Bumble Bees Abound

Good morning,

Late one afternoon this week I went out to look at the Fall flowers once again.  It's the week of the Bumble Bees here now.

I didn't stand around too long to upset them.  There were hundreds of bumble bees on our Sedum.

Wow!

Lois

More Fall Blossoms

Good morning,

Here is another hibiscus blossom ready to open.  I love the delicacy of the paper thin petals. 

Lovely, aren't they!

Lois

More Fungi

Good morning,

More fungi in the back yard on the logs keeps popping up daily.  I'm sure the great amounts of rain we've received have helped this along.  That's a trumpet vine growing on the log, too.

So pretty!

Enjoy,
Lois

Dock Diving Event

Good morning,

After the Agility Trial (see yesterday's post) at the Eukanuba Performance Games we walked across the grounds to the entrance and the Dock Diving area.

I think we should get one of those giant Black Labrador Retrievers for our front yard at home.  ;)

There were film crews at the event catching the action.  I have a feeling it is coming to a television show sometime soon, but I don't have any details.

Two of these portable docks were set up for the competition.

 

 Wendy and Catherine participated in the dock diving competition the day before and Wendy received three "qualifying" ribbons representing points she earned toward her next title.  She already holds the "Dock Master" title.

Today Catherine and Wendy will use this practice dock so Kjell and I could see Wendy dive.

Just before our turn this gentleman in the wheelchair was practicing with his service dog.  I love seeing the service dogs having the opportunity to participate in these events.

The lady holds the dog...

...while the man throws the toy for the dog to retrieve.

 It was such fun to watch this team!

 The dogs and the humans have a fabulous time!

 Now it's Catherine and Wendy's turn.

 Wendy is a natural for this!  She gets so excited and wants to do this over and over.

 The day was quite warm, but Wendy didn't care.  She was WET!

 Wendy is used to dock diving in a lake that has an AKC approved dock.  Coming out of the water up stairs was different for her, but no problem at all.

 Here's her next "splash!"  Love those ears!

 "I've got it, Mom!"

 Let's do it again!

 Wendy would have done it over and over again, but we stopped at three times so she wouldn't be over exhausted.

That was our fun day at the Eukanuba Performance Games.

What fun!

Lois

Eukanuba Performance Games

Good morning,

We knew we were in the right place for the Eukanuba Performance Games when we saw the pair of giant Black Labrador Retrievers at the entrance of the Roberts Convention Center.

Inside the center we found Catherine and Wendy preparing to perform in an Agility Trial.

Wendy just loves this! 

The convention center where the trial was held is also used as wedding receptions, thus the white banners.  Several years ago Catherine and I were in the same building for a Continuing Professional Education program for Certified Public Accountants.  The room is obviously very versatile!

In the image above the participants are "walking the course" before the actual competition began. Look carefully at the left center of the image.  You'll see a lady in a wheelchair; she is wearing a pink shirt.  This wonderful lady participated in the agility trial in her wheel chair and her service dog, a Black Lab enjoyed the run tremendously!

Eukanuba sponsored this event, but our local Cincinnati Queen City Dog Training Club was in charge of registration and administration for the Agility Events.

Tomorrow I'll have images of Wendy Dock Diving at another part of the Performance Games.  You'll see another service dog with his human at that event.

Lois

Short Road Trip

Good morning,

Last Sunday was a beautiful day so we made a short road trip.

Above is the place you'll see when you watch tennis games coming from Cincinnati.  It is across I-71 from...

...Kings Island.  Although Kings Island is only a few minutes North of where we live, we haven't been here for years.  We don't miss it. ;)

A little further North is rich Ohio farm land.

The corn has been harvested.

Tomorrow I'll publish pictures of our destination for this trip.  We're on our way to Wilmington, Ohio, for the Eukanuba Performance Games.  These are games and competitions for canine athletes.

Come back tomorrow!

Lois

Lamb and Cabbage

Good morning,

My Honey made Lamb and Cabbage in the crock pot and it was marvelous.  It's not beautiful, but it sure is GOOD!  It is Norwegian comfort food that we enjoy at all times of the year.


He posted a picture on Facebook and a friend asked how he made it.  Here's what Kjell wrote:

Needed: Large Crock Pot, Large Lamb Leg, two heads of cabbage, salt, and peppercorns.
Cut the lamb leg in bite size pieces. Cut the cabbage in either wedges or thick slices. Fill the crock pot with alternating layers of cabbage and lamb. Use a little salt and peppercorn between each layer. If you don’t want peppercorn floating around, tie them in a muslin bag. Fill the crock pot up with approximately ¾ with water since there is already a lot of water in the cabbage. Good to go after approximately six hours.
It's even better the second day.....

Yep, it's that easy!

:),
Lois

Sushi Night

Good morning,

The tea is served...

The sushi has been served....

Ready, set...

GONE!

It took Catherine, Kjell, and me less than ten minutes to clear this plate of delicious sushi.

This is one of our favorite outings!

:),
Lois

Honeysuckle Berries

Good morning,

Did anyone else pick honeysuckle berries and mash them when you were kids?  They can get very messy.  I think that was what made them so much fun.

:),
Lois