Trumpet Vine

 Good morning,

Do you see the orange flowers in the image above?  Those are Trumpet Vine blossoms.

 Here is a zoomed image.  If you've had experience with these, you know the hummingbirds love them.  The vines are also something you will live with forever unless you move.  

I planted what looked like a dead (at least totally dehydrated) piece of trumpet vine about thirty years ago to attract humming birds and it worked and kept working.  The humming birds visit and once in a great while I manage to get a picture of them, but not today.  

Also, those Trumpet Vines are now everywhere.  They will grow on tree trunks, fences, and just on open ground.  We have them everywhere.  But, that's ok.  The lawn mower keeps them under control on the lawn.  ;)

All the best,

Lois

Summer Sunset

 Good morning,

I took this image of the evening sky while I was seated at my patio table.

So very pretty!

Happy Summer,

Lois

I-75 Bridge Going North Crossing the Mighty Ohio River

 Good morning,

I was lucky to get an image between the steel of the I-75 Bridge as we traveled North from Kentucky after lunch with friends recently.

To the left you can see a portion of the Cincinnati skyline.

What a gorgeous day!

All the best,

Lois

 

 

 

Cincinnati Sports Venues

 Good morning,

I snapped this series of images as we crossed the Ohio River, then moved across Fort Washington Way in Cincinnati. 

 Fort Washington Way is a divider between the buildings that make up the Cincinnati skyline and our sports venues.

 The dividing "line" is quite distinct, isn't it....

 Downtown Cincinnati used to be the center of business and commerce, but all of that has changed during the past 50 years.

The sports venues and the many restaurants and shops that come with them are a great source of revenue to the City.  The business offices and retail stores have largely moved to the suburbs. 

So, there is change through my lifetime and there will be surely more change after I am gone.

Cincinnati is a beautiful city and a wonderful place to raise children.  In addition to this expanse of "temples of sport" on the river, we have a world class Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, are leaders in Medical Research and Treatment, have outstanding colleges and universities, and have one of the oldest and best Zoos in the country, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens.  Of course, there is other history here where we have produced US Presidents and leaders in industry.

The very best attribute Cincinnati has is its people who are known to be kind and generous.

We have traveled the world, but I am always glad to come home to Cincinnati.

All the best,

Lois

Lunch With Friends

 Good morning,

This is why we made the trip across the Ohio River to Northern Kentucky:  Lunch with good friends.  We manage to get together at least a couple of times a year and it is very special when we do.  The common thread of our many years of friendship is the three guys who have worked or do work for Royal Caribbean.  Also, Tor was the Best Man in our wedding sooooo many years ago.  ;) 

From the back:  Tor and Teresa, Gary and Lynne, Kjell and me.  

Sadly, the seating arrangement and noise in this restaurant weren't optimal for conversation.  We'll look for another one next time.

But, it sure was fun to see everyone!

If you have good friends, don't wait to see them.  See them often.

All the best,

Lois

Roebling Bridge

 Good morning,

Some folks will look at this image and think they are seeing the Brooklyn Bridge repainted, however that is not the case at all.

This is the Roebling Suspension Bridge across the Ohio River between Ohio and Kentucky at Cincinnati.  John Roebling built this one before he built the famous Brooklyn Bridge.

When I was a child, we called this one the "singing bridge" because of the sound the tires made as we drove across it.

More to come of our trip to Kentucky....

Lois

Downtown Cincinnati - P&G Towers

 Good morning,

I shot this image through the windshield of our car as we were on our way out to lunch with friends.

Here we are approaching downtown Cincinnati on I-71.  Those twin towers are the International Headquarters of Procter and Gamble.  

More images to come from this outing....

 Stay tuned,

Lois

Tiny Pink Rose

 Good morning,

This single tiny pink rose was struggling to bloom out in front of our home.  I used to have 60 rose bushes along the front walk up to the house, but those days are long gone.  This sweet rose bush is one of only a couple of survivors.

Such a pretty shade of pink....

Memories....

Lois

Bread Day

 Good morning,

The house smells wonderful again.  

It's bread day.

:),

Lois

 

 

A Favorite from Long Ago

 Good morning,

Recently, I made a favorite from my childhood.  

That's a Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich.  It's Jif Peanut Butter and my home made bread.

Oh, this was good....

What simple treats do you remember from your childhood?

Lois

Little Lizards!

 Good morning,

We have little lizards here in Cincinnati now.  They weren't here when I was growing up, or even 45 years ago when we moved to our current home.  This one was spotted at the side of our gold fish pond.

We don't think there are any natural predators to keep the lizard population under control, except for our one year old Labrador Retriever, Lily.  So far, though, the lizards are faster than Lily, but she keeps trying.

Ah, yes, more summer fun!

;),

Lois

Kjell's Smoked Cod

 Good morning,

Here's another summer dinner that hit the spot.

Kjell marinated, then smoked and orange-glazed cod.  I added the rice with locally grown (on our patio) chives and a crispy salad.

So good!

:),

Lois

Test Candle - Mosquito Zapper

 Good morning,

This was the first test candle I made to see if coffee beans and cloves really keep mosquitos away.  It seems it does work.  I've ordered bulk wax on line and add my own spices.  I researched both coffee and cloves for safety for dogs to breathe.  Coffee is fine for dogs, but cloves are not safe for them so I don't add them to candles that we use inside. 

I made this candle in an old pickle jar.  Now that I know it works, I've made many more so always have one burning whenever we are outside on the patio.

Our 15 year old Labrador Retriever, Erik, takes extra time getting in and out of the patio door so mosquitos take the opportunity to come inside.  Kjell has set up his electric bug zapper in the "library" just inside the door.  Throughout the evening, when we hear the crispy zappy sound,  we all cheer.  One more mosquito that won't be inside to bite us!

Ah, yes, Summer....

;),

Lois

Lily's Stick Stash

 Good morning,

Lily is such a funny little dog.  She collects things on her "deck chair" on the patio.  Of course, I don't let her bring these things into the house so this is her collection spot.  

Her largest collection is of sticks.  All sizes of sticks.  Sometimes she drags huge sticks (logs) from the fireplace logs.  That's a tiny one you see in the image above.  She also has her peanut butter bone out there.  She carries stuffy toys (bottom right) outside constantly, too.  I collect those and send them through the washer and dryer before they are allowed back into the living room.

Lily is a little over a year old now.  Generally (ha!), Labs settle down a bit after their second birthday. We'll see....

:),

Lois

Summer Supper

 Good morning,

We love easy summer dinners and this is a favorite.  It's shrimp served on my home made bread with a little mayonnaise.  The crunchy salad makes it all perfect.

What is your favorite summer meal?

Happy Summer!

Lois

Bird Watching Lily

 

Good morning,

Our baby Lily spends a great deal of time watching the birds at the bird feeder outside our living room French doors.   

"Where are they, Mom?"

Here they are!  This is a short video from the camera inside the bird feeder.  We just love watching the visitors.  Kjell designed and built the bird feeder that features a solar panel that powers the camera that sends images to our phones 

Such fun!

Lois

Needlework and Wood Working Update - July, 2024

 

Good morning,

Welcome to our July Needlework and Wood Working Update.  This is where we pull together images of all of the items we have completed since the last update.  

Above is a very touching image of a Dog at the Pearly Gates.  Quote from Pope Francis, December 13, 2014: "One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God's creatures."  $58.  More information and images are here.

 Of course, Kjell enjoys making Viking theme wall art.  Above is the Viking Ship Drakkar.  $66.  Only one available here.

 This is a new color combination and I am delighted with it.  This new large afghan blanket will be appreciated by a man or a woman.  It's a great size for a recliner, couch, or bed.  $185.  Only one available here.

 This new large afghan blanket is in some of my favorite colors.  This one, too, will be perfect for a couch, bed, or recliner.  Only one available.  $185.  More images and information here.

 This bright and beautiful blanket is 54" x 54" so can be used on a couch, recliner, or bed. It will brighten any room in your home, dorm, or in a hospital or hospice room. $170.  More information and images for this one are here.

 This redwood color Toilet Tissue Topper is one of many available in a variety of colors.  $8.  This one is here. 

This cloche hat can also be used as a night cap, chemo cap, or bad hair day hat.  It's available here.  $8.

 This Royal Purple Cloche Hat is here.  We have a wide variety of colors and sizes of Cloche Hats here from $8.

That's another month of completed items from our Wood Working and Needlework Studios.  As the saying goes, "Do what you enjoy and you'll never work a day in your life."  We are tremendously enjoying our retirement "jobs" creating and making items for the shop and sincerely appreciate your encouragement, likes, shares, comments, favorites, pins, tweets, and purchases, too! Thank you for supporting our USA small business since 2011!

 All the very best,

Lois

Bug

 Good morning,

Kjell has been having fun working with the camera on his Samsung phone.  As you know, our phone cameras are getting so good these days that it's no longer necessary to always carry around large digital cameras.

In fact, we're able to take images in RAW format on our phones now.  That, to those of us who work with digital images daily, is absolutely fabulous!

That bug looks pretty good in her close up!   Very nice image, Sweetie!

:),

Lois

On The Road

 Good morning,

Guess whose car this is....

;),

Lois

Kjell's Garlic Shrimp

 Good morning,

This image looks like it is from a classy restaurant menu, but it is an image of Kjell's Garlic Shrimp.

This was fabulous!

Thanks, Sweetie.  Let's do this again.

Lois

Anna's Tea Rack

 Good morning,

Here are a few more images of the tea rack that Kjell built with Anna last month.

Anna drew a tea rack that she asked Grandpa to make for her to use in her first apartment.

 Kjell designed it and cut the pieces.  Then Anna came over and they assembled it together in his workshop.

 Perfect!

 I especially like the engraved "label" you see at the top of this post.  So very cool!

All the best,

Lois

Hello Bunny!

 Good morning,

Catherine took this image as she was leaving home recently.

Sadly, we don't see so many bunnies around here these days since the hawks and coyotes have shown up. It was nice to see this one.  I think the critters like our property because we don't use chemicals on the lawn.

Happy Summer!

Lois

Happy Birthday, USA!

 

Happy Birthday! 
United States of America!

What Happens in Vegas....

 Good morning,

Catherine sent me this image from the airport in Las Vegas.

I'm really glad "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...."

;),

Lois

Peace Lily Blossom Hiding

 Good morning,

I love my indoor garden as much as my outdoor garden.  There are always lovely surprises.

While moving the leaves so that I could water a plant in the dining room, I discovered this pretty blossom hiding among the beautiful leaves.

So pretty!

Enjoy,

Lois

Lily Surveying Her Domain

 Good morning,

Lily takes her job as Back Yard Monitor very seriously.  

For long periods of time she sits on the patio and carefully surveys her domain, making sure no bird, butterfly, or other scary creature invades our space.  

Should that occur, she is quick to chase off the threat.

She is very good at her job.

;),

Lois

Car Service - Pups Waiting

 Good morning,

Catherine sent me today's images.

What do you do when you need car service and you have two pups in the car?

You take them out and sit by the front door of the dealership with them while you wait.

Fortunately, Teddy, left, and Elsa, right, are very well behaved babies.  Teddy belongs to our friend Erica and you know our Elsa from posts here.  Teddy was having a play date with Elsa when all of this occurred.

The pups were quite popular with people coming and going at the dealership.

 Catherine had a large crate in the car that accommodated both of the pups for the short time they waited.  In fact, the pups preferred to be in their "house" than out of it.  She only took one crate out of the car while they waited;  in the car they have their own space.

Our pups travel in their "houses" in the car for a number of safety reasons.  In case of an accident, we certainly don't want our precious babies running free on the highway.  In crates, they can move around, stretch, see out, and stay comfy either sitting or lying down.  They are also not able to get excited and jump into the driver's lap while the car is moving or going through a drive-through. 

 So that was the excitement for the pups that day.  I think they are just precious - so well behaved!

All the best,

Lois

Allie Rae and Me

 Good morning,

This is our friend Allie Rae (right, of course) who met us for dinner in Columbia, SC, on our way home from Florida recently.  We've known Allie all her life and her parents are dear friends of ours.

We were exhausted after our trip aboard Mariner of the Seas and it sure shows!

Yes, Allie is tall and I'm getting shorter.

 :),

Lois

Sunrise Reflections

 Good morning,

I'm a member of a Facebook group called The View From My Window.  It's a fun group of people from around the world who share images taken from their windows.

I posted this one of the view of the sunrise ON my window recently.  It was just so pretty.  I saw it when I stepped out on our patio with the pups early one morning.  Had they not awakened me, I would have missed this.  

How lucky I am!

;),

Lois

Red Porch Lilies

 Good morning,

Our porch lilies were incredibly beautiful this year!  I planted them in these pots several years ago and they continue to return and delight us.  There is one pot on each side of the steps to the front porch.

 We can enjoy them from our dining room, too.

 I took this image and the following images while the flowers were just beginning to blossom.  There are so many blossoms this year!

I believe I bought these at Lowes.  I used to do a great deal of gardening, but my back and knees aren't cooperating any more, so I am gardening in flower pots.  :)

Gorgeous!  I hope they return another year.

All the best,

Lois