A Great Article on a Great Brother!

In July, my brother Jay (Jim) of Willow Winds, held his M.O.S.S. (Michigan Outdoor Survivor Skills) class. The Detroit Free Press sent a reporter, and an awesome article on the experience was published in the paper. Make Fire Eat Catails gives a great description of the 5 day class offered to those who wish to learn primitive skills. So if you like, pop on over and see why I'm so proud of my brother!

Morning Breakfast Guests

This morning, I was awoken by my chickens carrying on in a way I'd never heard. Bobby kept nudging me til I got up to see what the commotion was all about. Then before I could get out of bed I heard this blood curdling squawk and was afraid a hawk had gotten one of my hens. I ran to the porch to see what was happening, and not a chicken was in site. They were hiding!

Where I scatter their food, were these two Guinea hens! My girls were terrified! I mean this couple makes a terrible screeching noise! So I ran back in the house and grabbed my camera. I followed them out into the back and starting snapping pictures.

This little bunny came running out of the horse field to investigate. I've never seen Guinea hens around here, so this was a treat! My hens didn't think so, though.

Bright, then not so "Chipper"

Andy has a favorite perch, it's called my shoulder. I cropped me out, after all I just woke up and was still in my nightgown! I love Andy's picture though, and thought I'd share.

Chip on the other hand, was just waking up and he wasn't too happy about opening his eyes to a camera in his face! If looks could kill, huh?

Beautiful or Creepy?

I guess it depends on if you have arachnophobia or not. I'm not fond of spiders, but will look at them. When we were kids, these garden spiders were in abundance. I haven't seen one for many years. I was surprised to see this one in my tomato patch, hovering above three big red ones I was ready to pick. Needless to say, they're still in the garden!

Night Beauty

Have you noticed, when taking photos of flowers in the dark of night, the vivid colors seem to pop right out against the black sky? This is my favorite time to grab my camera and head outside.

So take your camera for a walk tonight, and see what beauty is in your yard! Then show us your pictures ok? I'd love to see them!

Port Huron Lip Dub

For the past 5 months, I've been on the planning committee for our city Lip Dub. What is a Lip Dub? According to Wikipedia: A lip dub is a type of video that combines lip synching and audio dubbing to make a music video. It is made by filming individuals or a group of people lip synching while listening to a song or any recorded audio then dubbing over it in post editing with the original audio of the song.
This lip dub was made to promote the city of Port Huron. We used the songs, "America" by Neil Diamond, and "Summer in the City" by Lovin' Spoonful. The first part, "America" was filmed along the St. Clair river front. The International Bridge to Canada provided the perfect back drop. This picture, by our videotographer, Scott Bert, shows just a portion of the parkway and participants. There were over 50 groups participating, some being March of Dimes, Parrot Heads, dog walkers, a senior clog group, Red Hats, classic cars, and jeeps just to name a few.

The Red Hat Ladies rode on the party boat, displaying their purple dresses and red hats. What a hoot!

My sister Kathy and I were in with the dog walkers, me with Chip, and her with her cock-a-poo Paddy. You can see my hubby Ken in the window, taking the picture.

Pine River Stables brought this horse painted in the American flag! This photo was taken by committee member Rob Richards.

A boat regalia passed on the river, adding to the water life. Picture by Scott Bert.

The finale was held at Vantage Point, a popular area for viewing river activity. Here, people lined the property and the rocks, waving hundreds of American flags. Photo by Dale Merrill.

The turnout was incredible! This photo was also taken by Rob Richards, the following was taken by Mark Rucker.

The lip dub will be shown on You Tube in about 2 weeks. I can't wait to see the completed project, and will share the link as soon as we get it! In the mean time, you can go on You Tube, search lip dubs and see what other communities have done. Then maybe you'll want to find some interested parties in your home town, and join the fun!!

Lazy Days of Summer

My cats reflect how I feel in this heat. Just laze around in the cool, and don't move!

Mitzi sleeps in her basket,

and Toby sleeps in his.

Andy amazes me with his balance, sitting on the skinny arm of the rocking chair!

Just give Tyler a box anywhere, and he's totally content.
Me, the recliner. In between household chores, that's where you'll find me!
How are you dealing with this unusually hot summer?