High Heat Blooms

Aww…some Monday

Lucy has been to the groomer for her “Summer Doo”. Lucy visits her groomer every 6-8 weeks for a grooming. Her groomer previously groomed Cocker Spaniels for show, so Lucy gets a little special attention when she visits the shop.

Her summer cut involves trimming the feathers and chest a little shorter than her fall and winter cuts.

Lucy thinks she looks like a million bucks when she come home from grooming and I tend to agree. That little glitch in her right front paw is from an IV at the vet. She had to have a few teeth removed and they shaved that leg to insert the IV. It’s all good now. Have a blessed week.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

The theme this week at 4M is, there is no theme. Pick anything that suits your fancy. Well I am sitting here in the office listening to a Rita Coolidge vinyl and reminding myself just how good she was back in the day. I just think I’ll share a couple of cuts with you.

Aww…some Monday

This spring a pair of robins built their nest on the downspout of our house and raised their family. For a couple of weeks these three little ones had their mouths open from the crack of dawn until the setting sun. The parents were very busy keeping food on the table for this trio. This image was captured about ten days ago and the little ones were almost ready to leave the nest. They are gone now and I will remove the nest. Maybe I’ll get another pair next year.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Today is Memorial Day. Originally called Decoration Day and honored those who lost their lives in the Civil War, the name was changed to Memorial Day after World War I and honored all who had lost their lives in military service in all wars. The 4M challenge this week is to spell Memorial Day with the first letter of the songs we select. Honestly, I don’t believe I have ever posted that many songs at once, so I think I will put a little different spin on it. I will select songs from the era’s of several wars.

First up is the Civil War. My great grandfather was a member of the 15th Kentucky Cavalry. Probably the most famous song to come from that conflict was The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

The next song come out of World War 1. It was supposed to be the war to end all wars, but it ended with an armistice. That is, no one surrendered and no one, everybody just agreed to quit killing. One of my grandfathers served in the army during WWI. Whenever we send our sons and daughters into conflict, our constant prayer is that they will return home safely. The song that expresses that hope is Til We Meet Again.

My father served in the Navy in World War II. His ship took part in the invasions of Iwo Jima, the Marshall Islands, and Sipan. World War II gave us the “Big Band Sound” and none better than Glen Miller. The song, American Patrol.

My final selection comes from my personal experience. I served in the Army in Vietnam (1967-68). The music from the Vietnam era as filled with protest songs. It was not a popular war and history would tell us it was probably a conflict that we should never have gotten involved with. For my final selection I call on Creedence Clearwater Revival and Fortunate Son. Have a blessed week.

Patio Blooms

Last week was a busy week at our house. We had a couple of events to attend, but the biggest event came Sunday afternoon when the last grandchild, the only grandson, graduated from high school. Graduation was originally scheduled for Saturday morning, but two inches of rain cancelled the ceremonies and pushed them to Sunday afternoon. Our post graduate party was scheduled for Sunday at 2:00 p.m. but had to be pushed back to 4:00 p.m. It was a long and very special day.

Nana has made a t-shirt quilt for each of the grandchildren. I think I enjoy the memories captured in these quilts as much and the kids.

This year all four grand kids brought their quilts home and I captured an image of all of the quilts. This represents four graduations over the past eight years, but the the t-shirt collection started by our daughter began over twenty years ago. There is a lot of love in these quilts. This is what being a family is all about.

Oldest Grand Daughter 2014 Grad

Middle Grand Daughter 2018 Grad

Youngest Grand Daughter 2020 Grad

Monday’s Music Moves Me

It’s another free choice week at 4M and like Curious Cathy, I have recently re-discovered an artist. A friend of mine gave me a vintage vinyl that he picked up at a local store. The artist is Steve Winwood his music is a joy to the ears. Have a blessed week.

Awesome Monday

This week I am using the tag Awesome instead of the usual Aww…some Monday because we have another graduation to attend. The grandson and youngest of the grand crew will graduate high school this coming Saturday morning. It is an awesome achievement but a bittersweet time realizing that all the grand crew are now young adults. The time has passed so quickly but we have been blessed having them all grow up in our town. Nana and I have been to numerous baseball games, basketball games, and choir concerts the he has participated in. We would not have missed this for the world. Future plans for him currently include trade and entering the workforce.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

This week the theme at 4m is cars and racing in honor of the upcoming Indy 500. I grew up in the 60’s muscle car era so finding songs about cars and racing is truly in my wheelhouse, so I have decided to put just a bit of a spin on the theme. In the 60’s, if you were at the height of your professional career, a country music star, or just wanted to ride in the lap of luxury, you owned the biggest car on the planet…a Cadilliac!

Have a blessed week.