As I said before, last weekend we went hiking in Overton Bottoms Refuge, on the banks of the Missouri. It's an amazingly beautiful area, full of biodiversity. This is a nice little pond we discovered. You may notice that the opposite bank is quite level, this is because there is a rail line running along it. We discovered that it is an active rail line, well.. barely active, because we got trapped by a *very* long train which parked across the only exit to the refuge for at least 2 hours! There are many worse places to have been trapped. Trust me, I know after going on road trips to the desert in jalopies! We had alot of fun doing more in depth exploring, driving back to the (blocked) exit ...and doing more exploring :) Next time, we'll bring a picnic

Peachtree Farms

We all went exploring in the Overton Bottoms Refuge yesterday, and on the way passed this AWESOME farm, Peachtree Farms. Click on the image to see it full size, I wish I had gotten a better shot. It was very inspiring, every building appears to have been renovated. I think my favorite part is the aviary which used to be a grain silo! Another feature that I just LOVED but didn't get a picture of was a house-shaped trellis with a peaked roof that was covered in bean vines. Looked like such a darling picnic spot! The old chinked log cabin on the right has a cute little porch off the front. Even the barn looks like it's been renovated, and every building is so tidy looking. Something to shoot for!

We are receiving some much needed rain finally:) I had almost forgotten how pleasant and peaceful a rainy day can be, it really brings me back to my Pacific Northwestern roots. Well, as peaceful as a day can ever be when there's a toddler in the mix! The morning glories really appreciated the rain too. They are so prolific, and have been blooming for months, what a great plant. I don't mind if they're a little weedy. Okay, so I still have an affinity for purple, alright?

Turning inward

Hi , I'm back! Blogger was having trouble so I haven't posted for awhile.

I found this cutie a couple weeks ago while on an evening walk. I have such a fascination with creepy crawlies, guess I've always been a tomboy ;) The spot this guy chose was on the fence surrounding the Boonville cemetery. Sounds peaceful, right? I love the little antennae on his booty, wonder what they're for?
And the next photo was taken a couple days later. That stripe around the chrysalis looked like it was made of gold and pearls, so beautiful. I think chartreuse is my favorite color now, after years of purple being "it" I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the little butterfly at just the right moment when he emerged, but alas, the next time we walked by the cocoon was empty. I guess that's just how it goes sometimes. Nice to know he made it out :)
I saw on another blog that in Europe, to have a picture framed in black means that the person is dead. This gave me pause, as my blog is framed in black, yikes! But then I was like, wait, this CERTAINLY is not Europe, it's Misur-ah! And besides, I like the way it looks. So, this layout stays :) Hope you're all pleased

The REAL me

Well, I figured I probably shouldn't be portraying myself as a corncob in my profile, so here is a picture of the REAL me ;) In my bathroom mirror in fact. Before my Flick'r addiction, I never would have done something this silly. I mean bathroom protraits, really folks! But photography is so fun (like many addictions) The wall behind me was in mid-remodel, right after I tore down the nasty blue wallpaper with pink flowers. Have I mentioned yet that wallpaper sucks a**? Don't use it unless you want to torture some poor future homeowner who you don't even know. Anyhow, now the bathroom is *very* cute, the wall by around the mirror is sagey green, and the rest of the room is light lavender-blue...Aaaww relaxing... It's important to have a nice bathroom when you spend so much time in there cleaning up after your rugrat!

Woman Work

Woman Work, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

Woman Work

I've got the children to tend
The clothes to mend
The floor to mop
The food to shop
Then the chicken to fry
Then baby to dry
I got company to feed
The garden to weed
I've got the shirts to press
The tots to dress
The cane to be cut
I gotta clean up this hut
Then see about the sick
And the cotton to pick

Shine on me, sunshine
Rain on me, rain
Fall softly, dewdrops
And cool my brow again

Storm, blow me from here
With your fiercest wind
Let me float across the sky
'Til I can rest again

Fall gently, snowflakes
Cover me with white
Cold icey kisses and
Let me rest tonight

Sun, rain, curving sky
Mountain, oceans, leaf and stone
Star shine, moon glow
You're all that I can call my own.

-Maya Angelou

This is my first project with the old Morse sewing machine Juliet helped me revive :) A VERY simple dish towel apron, all straight stitches, but it was still challenging for me! I'm happy with how it turned out, and hope to branch out into more complicated stuff soon. I've been (mostly) domesticated!!!

Peace

Peace, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

Jeffy is such a good daddy :) I was trying to take a picture of Rowan's cute pout, but before I could get the camera, the mood changed to some thing much sweeter...

I'm not religious, but I pray for peace to any god or goddess who will listen:

An end to violence
An end to retribution
An end to the practice of calling murder "collateral damage"
An end to bigotry and egotism

and beginnings too...

The beginnings of peace
and forgiveness
and tolerance

Smartass's vs a Asshole

Smartass's vs a Asshole, originally uploaded by C.D.2006.

Okay, I didn't take this picture, but it cracked me up so bad I had to share the joy. You all know who Mr. Phelps is, right? What a great photo op for him ;)