This looks like a member of the guilty party from the other night...  sneaking out of the yard.

Five Years

Patrick and Audrey ~ 1950s
Five years ago today, Patrick, you left us suddenly.  The shock and sorrow eased over time, but there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of you.  I still want to reach for the phone to call and give you the highlights of the day and hear you gasp or hear that laugh I loved so much.  You remain in my heart always and I will keep talking to you until I see you again one day.  This world is not the same without you, dear brother.  I love and miss you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Carol !!

It makes my heart happy to wish you another Happy Birthday, "Careostar".  I respect and admire your constant homage to our Maker and I thank Him for bringing you into my life all those years ago.  You are a beautiful lady with a beautiful heart and soul.  I wish you all things good in your next year.

♥

Deer

 Poor little guys!  Something or someone knocked over our two little deer last night.  We are pretty sure that deer were the culprits as there were hoof marks in the mulch and I saw deer in the yard this afternoon.  I set them back up and reinforced them with large rocks in case the deer have another unruly party under the cover of darkness.

Rain

Day 4 of rain and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.  We needed it, so I won't complain.  Our brown dry grass is now bright green and growing again.  I am always amazed at what rain does to the earth and the flora.  Everything literally comes back to life.  The rain has been pretty steady, but light in nature.  No downpours. I'm sure the deer and other creatures are very happy to have the streams full of water once again.  Soon, the trees will be dressed in glowing colors and the smells of Autumn will surround us.  I love this time of year. 

Light has no shadow!  

The Bible says:  "God is light, in Him there is no darkness."

Papal Visit to USA

Thank you, Pope Francis, for your visit to our country.  We are blessed to have you here.  If only all the people of the world could come together, love each other, and help the poor, what a wonderful world it would be.

Throwback Thursday

 My brother, Patrick, lived on Lake Texoma in Pottsboro, Texas.  In 1971, Fisho and I drove there to spend a week with Patrick and his family.  We crammed everything imaginable into that week including a fun day on the Lake.  After our boating adventure, we spotted this copperhead.  Everyone insisted it was dead, so we took this photo of me with it.  As soon as I got up, the snake started to move.  Was I lucky or what?

1971

Jim Fish Memorial Tournament

Receiving the Jim Fish Memorial Golf Tournament Trophy for 2015 is Scott Robb, my son Casey Fish (in the white shirt), Tony DiDonato, and Tom DiDonato.

Casey and his good friends have been playing in his dad's memorial tournament for 18 years, Every September, Casey makes a trip to Ohio to play in it. This year, September 14th was the 4th time his team has won the event.  You can see the excitement on their faces and I'm sure Casey's Dad, who was an avid golfer, is proud.

September 23

September 22

"I saw old autumn in the misty morn 

Stand shadowless like silence, listening

To silence."

~ Thomas Hood

~ Photo by Audrey

I put blue ribbons on my fence to show I appreciate and respect the men and women of our local police department.  They patrol our neighborhood and I believe they will have my back should I ever need them.

I thank Heaven for the rain today.

A new visitor today ~ first time Mr. Hawk stopped by.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Amanda !!

Many birthday wishes are headed to South Carolina for my beautiful daughter-in-law, along with wishes that I could be there to celebrate with you.

Have the BEST day filled with all the things you love.  I will be down there sometime this Fall and we will do something special in celebration of your birthday and Casey's, too.

Happy Happy Day!!

♥

♪♪ Splish Splash, they are in my birdbath, on this gorgeous Friday afternoon...♪♪

~ Photo by Audrey

September 18

"Only the knife knows what goes on in the heart of a pumpkin."

~ Simone Schwarz-Bart

~ Photo by Audrey

Outside my window right now!!

September 16

"September is transition, halfway to autumn.  Birds migrate, and even a small yard with a modest stand of trees can provide small moments of wonder at nature's variety. Purple martins, with criss-crossed tails, string out along the telephone wires.  Warblers alight briefly, one of the many feathered transients, as robins begin to disappear.  Flower box plants begin to wither and are replaced by puffs of chrysanthemums ... yellow-white, lavender, amber and deep burgundy."

~ Patricia Martin Zens

~ Photo by Audrey

September 15

"Autumn is the time for remembering summer's gentle breezes... the time for crisp bright-colored leaves to fall to the earth below. All summer long they have hung overhead in lacy formation, their life-span one short spring and summer, making room for the new buds to rest during the winter... to bring forth new life in the spring... Fall is a bright and glorious end to their short stay."

~ Carol A. Davis

~ Photo by Audrey

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, dear Jake !!

This sweet little guy was born four years ago today.  He has filled my heart with more love and joy than I can express.

September 14

"Oh, happy bright September morn, how sweet and soft you are, How very warm your morning sun, how bright your evening star.  Across the hilltops dawning breaks, to start a full new day.  The world is fair and nature smiles, as autumn finds her way."

~ Garnett Ann Schultz

~ Photo by Audrey

September 13

"I like best of all autumn, because its leaves are a little yellow, its tone mellower, its colors richer, and it is tinged a little with sorrow.  Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor of the power of summer, but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age.  It knows the limitations of life and is content."

~ Lin Yutang

~Photo by Audrey

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Sue !!

Neither time nor distance can take away what we have been to each other.  I am with you in spirit today, wishing you calm, quiet, love, happiness, and good health for you and your loved ones throughout the next year and thereafter.

Have a beautiful day in every way.

♥ 

Our Very Own 9-11 Memorial

These two steel beams, weighing 16,000 pounds, are from the World Trade Center ~ they have been refurbished and placed in front of Fire Station One in downtown Salem.

In 2016, our city will permanently dedicate the memorial on the 15th anniversary of 9-11 with a formal plaza around the monument.

I visited this site twice today.  I can't imagine how it must feel to visit the site in New York City ~ as I stood next to these beams today I experienced many emotions.  

We are fortunate to have this memorial in our city.

September 11

"Sweet as cherries, bright as berries, light of my moony sky."

~ Catherynne M. Valente
~ Photo by Audrey

Throwback Thursday

Audrey

No date on photo, but I'm guessing I was 3 or 4, which made it 1951 or 1952.  I am on that back porch I loved so much on a chilly day wearing a darling coat and hat. How I wish Mom was still living so I could thank her for dressing me in lovely clothing when I was too young to know the difference.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Dan !!

Wishing you a wonderful day and may the next year be a healthy joyful one!

September 10

"Autumn mornings: sunshine and crisp air, birds and calmness, year's end and day's beginnings."

~ Terri Guillemets

~ Photo by Audrey 

Tears of Joy

  

Audrey and Kathy, 1953

It seems the older I get, the easier it is to cry over happy events.  Happiness and surprises brought squeals of delight and big smiles when I was younger.  Now when I am happy and something really touches my heart, the tears begin to flow.  After finding a large package in my mailbox yesterday and seeing what was inside, the tears began.

This beautiful wood carved statue of the Blessed Mother was sent to me by my very first close friend ~ my best friend through my childhood years ~ Kathleen. We lived a couple of doors away on the same street and did everything that little girls do together.

Kathleen now lives far from me in another state across the country.  Unfortunate, because I would love to give her the biggest hug right now.  Over the last few years, we have connected through facebook and recent events spurred some communication outside of facebook.  How this unexpected lovely gift touched my heart is hard for me to put into words.

Kathy, memories of our childhood together remain in my heart forever.  I am SO touched and happy to add this beautiful statue to my Blessed Mother collection.  Thank you ever so much for your kindness.  And, yes, keeping in touch sounds like a great idea to me.  

September 9

"The spirits of the air live on the smells of fruit; and joy, with pinions light, roves round the gardens, or sits singing in the trees..."

~ William Blake (1757-1827) To Autumn

~ Photo by Audrey

Taste of Asia

Met up with sweet friend, Tricia Scott, at Taste of Asia for lunch.  We had some serious catching up to do.  Spring Veggie Rolls and Curry Puffs were the taste of the day for me.

September 8

"There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky ..."

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

~ Photo by Audrey

Labor Day Lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings

 Waiting for the chicken...

 My tummy is full ~ now I want to go home and sleep...

OH MY!!

September 7

"I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house."

~Nathaniel Hawthorne, The American Notebooks, 10-10-1842

~Photo by Audrey

September 6

"But now in September the garden has cooled, and with it my possessiveness.  The sun warms my back instead of beating on my head...  The harvest has dwindled, and I have grown apart from the intense midsummer relationship that brought it on."

~ Robert Finch

~ Photo by Audrey

September 5

"September morn

Do you remember how we danced that night away

Two lovers playing scenes from some romantic play

September morning still can make me feel this way."

~Neil Diamond and Gilbert Becaud

~Photo: Audrey 10-10-1971

September 4

"The foliage has been losing its freshness through the month of August, and here and there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first gray hair amidst the locks of a beauty who has seen one season too many."

~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

~ Photo by Audrey

September 3

"September fattens on vines.

Roses flake from the wall.

The smoke of harmless fires drifts to my eyes.

This is plenty.  This is more than enough."

~ Geoffrey Hill, September Song Poem

~ Photo by Audrey

Throwback Thursday

September, 1961 ~ 54 years ago - Photographs are a miracle that help us remember the magic of days gone by.

This is my Grandpa Kopka ~ Mom's Dad.  He came to America from Czechoslovakia, worked hard, raised a family, and was never sick or hospitalized until the day he died in his 80s.  I'm glad we lived with him for a number of years ~ it made it easy to spend time with him and really get to know him.  And dear Patrick at 19, with golf balls in hand.  It appears that he was practicing putting.  His life centered around Golf from a young age.  

I miss their laughter.

September 2

"Happily we bask in this warm September sun, which illuminates all creatures."

~ Henry David Thoreau

~ Photo by Audrey

September 1

"Lord, it is time.  The summer was very big.  Lay thy shadow on the sundials, and on the meadows let the winds go loose.  Command the last fruits that they shall be full; give them another two more southerly days, press them on to fulfillment and drive the last sweetness into the heavenly wine."

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

~ Photo by Audrey