Celebrating!

Today we celebrate 48 years together...

Feeling thankful...

And blessed!

(Yes, we met in February, got engaged 6 weeks later, and married in September - all in the same year - 48 years ago... Crazy, I know!)

Create a Personal Perfume?!

I recently noticed an interesting sign in a nearby mall...

Create your own perfume?!

That could be interesting!

But - ever since I had a student who was extremely allergic to scented products - I stopped using them. (The slightest whiff, and she would pass out.)

Ground Hog

I recently saw this ground hog near a large building, here in the city...

A few people had stopped to see what the animal would do next...

Suddenly an extended hand offered a treat!

Oh! 

That's what the groundhog was hoping would happen! (But the treat has to be just the right size!)

Arnprior CHIPS!

Yesterday Terry and I headed towards Arnprior...

And we HAD TO stop in at Wes's CHIP stand!

Business was steady... (A dozen cars in the parking lot...!)

The weather was great, so I hope outdoor dining is still around for a while! 

(It's another way of "shopping local"!)

Still Life

It's that time of the year when every bowl of ripening fruit (or tomatoes) makes me want to take out paints and a canvas...

The vibrant colors are perfect for painting a "still life"!

Looking Up!

Cooler evenings have been bringing me outdoors for a walk before dark. 

If I'm lucky, the skies are stunning - like this break in the clouds over the college. 

A little later, a full moon was rising in the south. 

The moon looked larger in real life. Pictures only hint of the beauty of the real thing.

Large (Mystery) Insect

I was sitting outdoors with a friend when I noticed a very large bug on the lawn chair next to us.

It was at least two inches long - and it moved along slowly, first backwards, then forwards.

Too heavy, apparently, to fly - though it had wings - it eventually fell off the chair and into the grass, where it was harder to see.

I took a picture, then forgot about it - until I felt something on my bare leg... and there it was, climbing up!!

Why didn't I take a picture?! Instead, I stood up and it fell off... We headed indoors.

But my little encounter with this large insect I don't remember ever seeing before, reminded me that the world is full of mysteries: I am but a small part of the natural world I live in. Around me live more bugs than I'll ever know!

And... another mystery: When it landed on the ground, the winged  insect could have walked in 360 directions - why towards me and up my leg?! Fortunately, there were no bites!

When I sent her a photo, my daughter suggested it might be a cicada.

Could it be a silent cicada? Is there such a thing?! It gave us no song.