August Is Upon Us!

I still haven't got any art work scanned though there is a 'ton' of it that needs to be scanned. I may get around to doing that later today and if that happens...we will have two posts for the day.

July went out with a bang last night. A good old-fashioned thunderstorm to rattle the bones and shake the windows! We saw one hell of a lightning show, got a bit of rain and some swift winds blowing through. Nothing too severe in my own backyard but that cloud on the northern horizon looked a bit hairy as it ZOOMED across the prairie. It was dark out when the storms hit. We stood in the backyard watching the lightning before the rain came along. That big black cloud to the north reached all the way to the ground and I'm pretty certain there was a tornado in it! I've never seen a storm move as fast as that one was moving. That particular storm was many miles to the north of us and we didn't get anything out of it. It was lightninging and thundering the whole while we watched that storm scoot on its way and then the temp dropped like a rock thrown from a rooftop, wind and rain came. I haven't been out to see how much water is in the rain guage. Not a lot, I'm sure.

I woke up this morning feeling like something the cat dragged in. Not sure why I feel so ragged this morning! Yesterday was a busy day for me and it may be that I just overdid it then. I'm taking it easy for today!

I finished another book yesterday. I had four pages left to read in it and could't keep my eyes open another moment. Took a three hour nap and read the last four pages when I woke up. An excellent book all around! Terah reccommended it and gave it to me to read. The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy by Stewart O'Nan. If you come across a copy, by all means give it a read. It is well worth the time you'll invest!
I have not chosen a new book as of yet. I am reading two other books at the moment as well. I forget the name of the one about the human body. It is loaded with text and pictures. The other is We Are Still Married by Garrison Keillor, a book of short essays and stories. This goal will be met before the year is out!

My granddaughter should be arriving into the world quite soon! Her mama was having contractions on Thursday again. But no baby as of yet! Just playing the waiting game waiting for Annie to greet the world. Soon!

Pug is staying with me for a few days just cause she needs a break from Dory, a pit bull puppy. She's having a great time harrassing Fred. Hopefully by the time Annie comes into the world, that pit bull won't be living at Pug's house. Dory belongs to some friends of the kids' that are staying with them for the time being. I have nothing against pit bulls. Dory just doesn't like to share the food even if it isn't in her own bowl. She was refusing to let Pug eat so Pug came to stay with me for a few days. Fred gladly shares his food bowl!

Last night after the storms had moved on and it was just sprinkling outside, Fred stood in the driveway at Susan's barking his fool head off. I went out to see what he had. It was a young possum, soaked to the bone and playing dead like possums will do. I'm assuming it was playing dead, it was dark out and Fred wouldn't let me get a good look at the critter. I picked it up by the tail to get it away from the highway (with Fred as well). It didn't appear to be injured. I'm not sure if Fred frightened it into playing dead or if someone hit the poor little thing on the highway and it got tossed to the shoulder of the road. Fred was carrying it around in his mouth like a prized possession for a bit though. No clue where it is this morning. I've not been outside to see if it's laying in the backyard.

RW and Lou were here while the storms were happening. Was good to see the two of them. The younguns were with their dad so I didn't get to see them. Haven't seen the younguns for weeks it seems. All are fine though.

I have been working on little books this week. I have about a dozen more covers done, just need to make them into books. I spent Tuesday morning cutting papers for the pages. I have no stash of junk mail left after having done that. I have enough pages to fill all the covers that are ready though. Susan is saving junk mail for me as well. I have used different types of junk mail for the inside pages. If it's blank on one side, its of use to me for the little books.
I still don't know what I will do with all those little books, but something will happen with them eventually. I need to branch out and put other things on the covers so they will appeal to a great many different kinds of tastes. I cut up an Esquire magazine on Thursday and made a few with men on the front covers. Also made ones with horses on the covers. Still need to branch out though...the subjects that can go on the covers is unlimited! I'll be working on little books for some time to come. I need to figure out another binding for them so that they don't all have the same binding. I'm on the look out for 1/2 inch book rings to use for them. I have 1 1/2 inch rings, but those are WAY too big for the little books.
I will be plugging along with book making. My contribution to recycling!

Not sure what exactly is on the agenda for today. Until I finish my first cup of coffee, won't be anything but me sitting here tapping on the keyboard, yakking at you all.

The fields of sunflowers are in full bloom right now. The flower heads just opened a few days ago. The fields are just gorgeous! Yellow as far as the eye can see in some instances. Wheatfields are very pretty, but sunflower fields can't be beat in their beauty. I wish I had had a camera with me when I drove by those fields. I can't do them justice with words alone!

My little trees are doing wonderfully. Someone needs to go out there and weed eat the tall grass growing around them though as the grass is taking over! The little trees are troopers though and growing nicely. I'm glad they got rained on last night...they were in need of a nice long drink. We don't have 147 of them anymore though. Sam mowed a couple of them off on accident last week. I'm really not sure just how many are left. A herd of them though...it will be so nice when they get tall enough to block the north wind and the blowing snow come winter. That won't happen this winter though. The little devils are only about a foot tall right now. Give them another summer or two and they'll be tall enough to start doing some good in the winter.

The wild gourd plant in the yard is HUGE and covered with little gourds. The gourds are of little use to anyone but it's a gorgeous plant nonetheless! Sprawling over the berm out there by the trench. I bet that sucker is all of twenty feet from one end to the other and a good 8 to 10 feet across. It was so pretty a few weeks ago when it was covered with bright orange/yellow flowers preparing to set on gourds. I've read that the Native Americans considered the gourd sacred because the root of this plant is shaped like a human. It resembles a human form. I like this plant cause it is tenacious....grows year after year in the same spot and just gets bigger and bigger. The one I'm talking about here is in its second year in the spot in which it grows. It's going to be a great big plant next year!

The marijuana crop is as tall as the trailer house out back. I didn't plant the marijuana, it grows wild and I see no reason to do away with it regardless what the state has to say about it being illegal to grow. Mother Nature planted it, not me and I don't think the state should decide what Mother Nature can grow! It's a lovely plant! Sam mowed a path through it the week before last. The plants are probably a good ten feet high, some even taller. The path is like walking through a forest. Though it is quite smelly when doing so! A tolerable smell....just don't want to linger in there too long! When you walk through the path, you feel as though you've gone to another place where everything is green! A nice little secret hiding spot! (If you can stand the overwhelming smell for any length of time!) I wouldn't smoke this stuff as it is just ditch weed and it won't get you high! It will only give you a headache and make you wish you hadn't been so stupid to think it would get you stoned! It won't give anymore of a buzz than you'd get smoking a rope made from hemp! Cause that is what it is basically; hemp.
Don't get me started on the benefits of hemp and the stupidity of the government to ban growing hemp. Marijuana has NEVER killed anyone cause they smoked too much of it! Hemp and marijuana are related and that is the reasoning behind the government's ban on growing hemp. Crazy is what it is! Billions of dollars from an industry that has been around for centuries and the government says, "Nope, you can't grow it! It's too much like cannibus!" That' BS if you ask me! But unforunately for all those who would like hemp to be legal to grow, they forgot to ask my opinion. And those who think marijuana should be legalized and legal to grow as well....again....they didn't ask my opinion. Just like they never asked yours either!

It is now August and I made the resolution to stop smoking back in January. Well I won't be able to afford to smoke this month, so I'm giving it up! I am smoking my last cigarette at the moment and there will be no more! Not sure what I'll use as a substitute for the next two weeks but I am not buying another pack of smokes! Wish me luck it sticks this time. One day at a time is the only way to look at the quitting smoking business. I think it will be one hour at a time for the first week or so! I can stop though! I know I can! I've done it three times before! I just have to perservere and not give in to the cravings that WILL come! I better stock up on toothpicks and lollipops!

I had a roadtrip overnight from Thursday into Friday. Short jaunt. Lovely time had and I'm ready to do it again!

I suppose I should get busy and do something productive before the day gets too far gone. You all have a fantastic weekend! Gather up as many hugs as you can stand this weekend! I got started on the hug campaigne on Thursday! I'm ahead of the game! I shall come yap at you all again later with some artwork to show. Hopefully I can manage to get that done this sometime today.
Until next time:
Peace
831