2025


January 4. The first of the many apple pies. This one says RL + SL	January 12. We love our little wrens. They know they are cute and show off a lot. They bounce like they had springs in their legs.

January 12. This one says in Russian, I Love You	February 19. And of course in Latin it means the same.

February 23. Garlic planted late. Should have been in October.	February 25. Big storm with high winds. Took down our really high mimosa which was probably the highest in town. I cut and hauled the easy stuff, but had to get the pros in for the big and high stuff. Hated to lose the top part because the butterflies and hummingbirds loved the blossoms which lasted a long time into Summer. Still what is left is pretty substantial.

March 3. The sign that spring is almost here. We love our buttercups!	March 7. Daughter Travis brings over Puppy and Raven (Ray Ray) so I can take them to Colleen O'Connell, one each day. Colleen retired from a law office and learned dog clipping to have a nice hobby. She charges rediculously low prices and only does one a day, so she stays booked up and we make appointments months in advance. Not my idea of fun, but she loves it. You never know.

March 15. Well, it's pretty obvious I'm running out of snappy decorations.	March 28. Not bad for a comeback!

March 30. This is the bald eagle nest down the street. You can see it from the road now, but later, when the leaves come out you can't. We see them now and then flying up or down the river. Once one lighted in a tree across the river in the winter and we could see it with the binocs.	April 2. Found dead on my bike ride. It was in the middle line, so some a..hole deliberately ran over it. This time of year the turtles are leaving the river for the fields and many get whacked crossing the roads.

April 4. Well, Ok. Old but good.	April 10. The name I adore!

April 24. To my "flower of happiness," or some such. Before baking.	Same pie. I sprinkled too much ginger on the top. Forgot to sprinkle it inside the crust. Sherry wasn't there to supervise.

May 3. Now she is "my sunshine." So true. Always upbeat and optimistic.	Another turtle trying to get across Pennington Bend. I pick them up and carry them to the other side. If I forget I sometimes get peed on for my reward. Well, what's a turtle know about why you're messing with it?

May 5. Rose breasted grossbeak. On it's way back north they now and then stop by to say hello and have a bite.	May 7. I had a new t-shirt that was too tight (mainly around the tum tum. So I painted this monarch butterfly on it and gave it to Betsy Garber, our friend who saves many monarch babies every year. She loved it. The green egg says, "Wait, Mom!" and the mom says, "Don't worry! Betsy is on her way!"

May 16 - More pies.	June 8 - Pennington Bend is on the Cumberland River and much of the river bank is wooded. Plenty of critters down here. Unfortunately not all of them make it across the road.

June 14 - Big "No Kings" rally at Bicentennial Mall. It was raining when we got there but stopped not long after. Sherry was there and got wet like everyone else. I came after I parked the car which took a while. So, guess what? I didn't get rained on.	Many homemade signs. This one was one of the best and not as full of unacceptable four letter words as some.

Here's Sherry with her rain streaked sign. Good one though. Much admired by many.	Afer the rally we visited Burdell Campbell, our 90 something year old friend who, with her husband Ernest, was one of the first to pioneer Germantown when it was an undesirable neighborhood. She and Ernest created a beautiful garden next to their house. Still amazing even though Ernest is gone.

June 16 - Sug up the garlic a bit early since most of it was half dead, which is how you know to dig it up--according to Jim Taft who taught me how to grow it. Pretty good crop, but bulbs not as large as they might be since I didn't plant it until February. Should have been in October.	June 17 - Well, we still have plenty of foxes, although you don't see many in the daytime. Sherry spotted this one in our back yard/

June 19 - Our friend Betsy left her butterfly cage with us when she and Steve went on Vacation. Here are two just out of the chrysalis and two still in theirs. Also note the two remains from those already hatched and gone.	June 20 - Here is one resting after blowing up its wings and before taking off for the big world outside our open garage door.

June 20 - Here's another one just crawling out of the cage. He was gone about an hour after this.	June 20 - Saw this skink on the walk. Haven't seen many this year. I think our cat Miss Jane Tabby may be catching them.

June 20 - A rate visitor. A white breasted nuthatch. Note the extreme claws ment for hanging on as it climbs down trees head first poking in cracks for insects.	June 24. - Another victim of speeding traffic on Pennington Bend. Some people just won't take it easy and a 35 mph speed limit means nothing to them.

June 28 - I got tired of thinking up messages and used a nice jumble instead.	June 28. Sitting on the deck with Sherry and we saw this female turkey apparently sitting on a tiny branch at the top of the tree. Go figure!

July 4. A 4th of July Pie honoring my sweetie.	July 15. Dug the garlic and hung it to dry and here it is ready to go in a paper sack until needed. I wish all veggies were as easy to grow and store through the winter.

July 17. Here is the blue bird nest from our house along the fence in front. Two of the eggs failed to hatch but two young birds left the nest a week ago, so I knew these were duds.	July 19. It's young turkey time and these are still following mom. Good plan.

July 25. This baby rabbit was beside the road in almost the same spot for almost a week. Showed no fear of my bicycle as I went by. Not too good.	July 26. Well, I was running out of messages so I did a cartoon instead. The apple pie was just as good.

August 7. Harvest time. Lots of okra that kept coming for another month or more. Banana peppers and cukcumbers would last another week or two.	August 10. Another cartoon. Running out of ideas.

August 11. First day of school and Zinnia helped Lucas create this one of a kind hairdo. They said they used "Gorilla Snot" to make the prongs stand up. Oh well, we were pretty goofy at that age.	August 21. Here is our little visitor. One of 3 females and one male that came and went all summer and into the fall.

August 22. Here's pretty boy. Not much of a gentlebird, however, since he would dive bomb the girls at the feeder.	August 24. Another salute to my honey bunny.

September 18. I planted three plots of Heavenly Blue morning glories along the fence at our old hose down the street and only one did anything.	September 18. They are so lovely.

August 25. Whoa. This one got away from me. I try to pick them smaller but they really hide well in the leaves.	September 19. Red Tailed Hawk on the bird house along the fence in Travis's big lot.

October 14. Female deer and young ones at Gleeves farm. The big wood lot to the south of this (right side) is now bulldozed up for a big development. We are trying to keep the traffic off Pennington Bend and may succeed. However, that is 6 acres of habitat the deers, turkeys, and other critters have lost.	Our neighbor down the street has this curved mirror to help him get onto the street. Here I am on my bike making my daily 30 minute ride (unless the weather is bad).

November 1. This is a frequent visitor this year for the first time. It's a red breasted nuthatch and it loves our peanut butter feeder and sunflower seeds.	November 26. Getting colder and most of the sycamore tree leaves are gone. We heard the Kestrels and saw them coming and going up there all summer and fall, but never saw their next. Now they use the very top for a lookout post and are plain to see.

December 2. We are delighted to have a yellow rumped wabler visit our peanut butter feeder.	It won't light on the top and nibble at ease but insists on fluttering while grabbing a bite. Looks like it's spending more energy than it's getting. Oh well, it knows best.

One of the women that cleans our house worked at a hotel and folds everything in sight. Here are our dirty clothes so neatly folded. We have to unfold them to wash, of course.	December 24. Miss Jane Tabby likes a new bedroom now and then so she is trying out the laundry basket.

December 24. Really cold last night and the frost plants bloomed.	December 27. Still looking for new decorations for my pies. This is the compass pie. I ate South shortly after the photo shot.