Scrapbook Club

Our scrapbook club met today, after a couple of months hiatus due to inclement weather. It was good to get together with the ladies again. All of us have reasons to need the fellowship the club provides. Two of the ladies are widows...one lost her husband recently, and one lost hers about a year ago. One lady's husband is seriously ill, and I'm recouperating from a heart procedure.

We dwelled on none of that, though. Instead, we talked about our favoite basketball team's status in tournament play, what our grandchildren and great-grandchildren are up to (showing photos all around, of course), and the cute and annoying things our dogs do...two of us have Shih Tzu's, one has a Dachund, and one has a Heinz 57.

And of course we worked on scrapbook pages and exchanged ideas about the craft. The two-hour session flew by. Can't wait for next month's meeting.

Spring Flowers

Neither snow, nor tornado, nor flood can stay the appointed appearance of the first spring flowers. The crocus and daffodills in our yard are happy reminders that I can now shrug off winter doldrums and look forward to warm-weather activities.



Spring is everywhere evident around town...in the snowy white blossoms of Bradford pear trees, the pink tulip-like blooms of magnolia trees, and the bright yellow of forsythia bushes. Little nodules are appearing on other trees, too, promising a burst of green leaves soon.



Time to go for long walks outdoors, plant the veggie garden, plan camping trips. It's time for spring cleaning, too, and maybe I'll get around to some of that. Maybe not. Right now, it's time to stop and smell the flowers.

More Flood Pics

The sun is out, the day has been warm, and the waters have receded a couple of feet. But just like yesterday, the roads in and out of town are clogged with traffic...gawkers and Lookie-Lou's from our town, and from other towns, cameras in hand, on a sight-seeing tour. We were among them.




Unlike yesterday, some barricades have been set aside to allow folks into the city park for a better view of the churning river water that still floods pavilions and playground equipment. We are amazed by this awesome force of nature. It is, literally, the biggest show in town.





In the photos above, muddy waters tumult over the submerged dam; a sign warns of a road underwater; a yield sign tilts comically in water; a playground jumping horse looks eerily like the Loch Ness Monster; and a bait shop...a fisherman could buy bait and then fish right off the porch.

Flood, Part Two

In these photos, a huge and ancient oak tree stands beside a flooded pavilion; a black train engine seems to skim along the top of the water; a fish market and garden nursery are partly submerged in water; and a home's lower level is flooded.

Eternal optimism...that's the only reason I can think of that would prompt folks to build businesses and homes on a flood plain. Of course, it's been about 25 years since the river has gotten this far out of its banks, and in that time memory fades, I suppose.

I'm grateful that our home is far above flood level. It got wet enough around here that the yard was deep in puddles, but we live safely away from the river.

Flood, Part One

The Easter season of 2007 brought freezing weather that killed fruit crops in our state. This year, after several days of torrential rains, many communities, including ours, are flooded. As the photos above show, the river that runs through our town has exceeded its banks to inundate low-lying fields and a city park.



In the top photo, the rising water threatens to cover the highway bridge that spans the river. When I shot this photo earlier today, I was told that the river is expected to crest sometime tonight, which probably means that this main traffic artery will be closed.



The other photos were taken at the city park. I'll post a few more photos in "Flood, Part Two."

About Butterflies

Turn about is fair play, they say. Last Thursday, I spoke to the Master Gardeners about how to photograph flowers, and today a Master Gardener spoke to our Extension Homemakers group about attracting butterflies to gardens.

My photos above show a butterfly feeding at sweet William flowers in our yard. Other flowers, shrubs and bushes that my Master Gardener Hubbie has planted, and that our speaker recommended, are coreopsis, bee balm, butterfly bush, black-eyed Susan, hibiscus, yarrow, impatiens, zinnias, thistle, rose of Sharon, cone flowers, coral bells, and a plum tree.

Our speaker noted that treating flowering plants with herbicides and pesticides, however, will kill butterflies. She also pointed out that butterflies are cold-blooded and need lots of sunshine, which means that flower gardens meant to attract them should be in the sun at least half of the day. A source of water, such as flat containers of wet sand, should be provided, too.

She noted that a few plants and trees that make good caterpillar food are curly and flat parsley, fennel, Queen Anne's lace, and apple and cherry trees.

Some interesting facts that the speaker related about butterflies are:

*they taste with their feet and smell with their antennas;

*their wings are made up of scales;

*most butterflies prefer pink, red, purple, or yellow flowers. Our speaker said that purple is a real favorite;

*they don't have mouths that allow them to bite or chew...they feed through a long, straw-like tongue, called a proboscis;

*North American Monarch butterflies migrate up to 3,000 miles to warm weather climates in the winter.

Wearin' o' the Green

They say everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day, but it happens that Sis and I can rightly claim the heritage, since our father's side of the family descends from that nationality.

Mother is mostly French...petite, with brown to almost black hair (in her youth), a heart-shaped face, high cheekbones, and pert nose; but I inherited more of my dad's features, with a diamond-shaped face, non-existent cheekbones, and skin coloring that loves autumn colors. Sis glows in spring colors that complement her fair complexion and sandy hair. Her looks derive more from Dad's side than Mother's, too.

St. Patrick's Day isn't a big deal in our town, but it's fun for me to wear green, including a green pin in the shape of a leprechaun's bowler hat that I drag out just for this one day.

Tonight, we enjoyed a new salt-free recipe for corned beef and cabbage. That's it for St. Patrick's Day. Now it's time to turn our thoughts to Easter.