Happy May Day

Going to WordPress Camp Tomorrow

Tomorrow I’m going to WordPress camp. This will be the first time that I have started from the very beginning on just about anything. I’m going to the foundation track to get my perfect foundation of WordPress. I know people who have gone and gone to the accelerated classes and we’re completely lost let’s hope the beginning is the right place for me to start. Anyone else going tomorrow? I look forward to seeing you there.

Getting Ready for a LONG Road Trip!

Sometime after I retire at the end of February we will be embarking on a long trip. This is something I have dreamed of all of my adult life. My ex-husband and I had this conversation numerous times but there was NEVER any money to do this kind of thing. I am not exaggerating when I say he would get stuff out of the thrift store dumpsters and sell it at garage sales to make money because he couldn’t keep a job. He had all kinds of interesting ideas that would never happen so this trip was just a dream for many more years.

When I married my current husband of 20 years we had no money-NONE. He worked at the zoo training elephants and I worked at the Houston Park District. Maybe we made $40,000 between us but we had insurance to pay, house payments, child support to Robert’s ex wife. On Thursday before payday we would float a check at the grocery store……knowing it would not clear before we could get the paycheck in the bank the next day and we would either buy groceries or go on our BIG SPLURGE of the week and go to the Chinese Food Buffet and pig out on a myriad of yummy food. Either way it only lasted until the next day when we were back to 29 cent a pound chicken. 10 pounds for $2.90!

Over the years things got better. MUCH BETTER! Robert and I worked and saved and worked and saved. And now we can relax a bit and travel more. So in February when I leave the Joliet Park District after 17 years as part of an early buyout, before I start one more project, I am going to take a few months off and travel. We are going to go visit Victoria in Key West, We are going to go to state parks that we have never been to before and we are going to take off our watches and only look at a calendar (which I have lived by for 17 1/2 years) when we need to put another reservation number on it.

Yesterday was a FUN DAY. We took our Grandson Christopher with us to look at Travel Trailers. He was so excited when we told him that YES, he could go in all of them. He LOVED this experience almost as much as I did. There are bunks of all shapes and sizes for 11 year old boys to sleep in, dream in and play games in. There are all manner of fun things for Grandma too! Some have Islands in the KITCHEN! Heck, I don’t even have an island at my house. Some have granite counter tops! I don’t have those either. Some have 2 bathrooms! NO KIDDING! 2 bathrooms in a travel trailer. Such fun!

Looking for Peace

I am forcing myself to write something! I am sitting at my table in the dining room thinking about the trip to Hawaii and how peaceful and calming it was to stand at the Lavender Farm and look out across the fields and see what seemed like all of Maui and take in the silence. Virtually no cars, no traffic, no people noise. The silence of peace.
That is the kind of peace I am looking for in retirement. At least on a somewhat more regular basis. A balance of peace and excitement would be nice and that is what I am working on now so that when February rolls around there will be fun, excitement and peace.

Photo Friday ………………Fall is on it’s Way!

I have had the privilege to manage Pilcher Park Nature Center for the past 17 years. I love Pilcher Park and I love Nature! I am now ready to go see the rest of the world. My heart will remain here but on February 28, 2014 I will be turning my keys over to the new Nature Center Manager. May their journey be filled with as much fun as mine was!

Photo Friday ………….. Butterflies and Flowers for you….

Pilcher Park in Joliet, IL has a beautiful meadow hidden in the woods. You won’t find this one from your car. You will have to go to the Nature Center and walk on the Pilcher Interpretive Trail from the Nature Center to the Greenhouse. You will find this gem on that path.

Among the coneflowers, Queen Anne’s Lace, Wild Bergamont/Monarda/Bee Balm and other prairie plants you can see how beautiful this meadow is:

Photo Friday Flower………….. Pink Thistle

When driving back home from Bryce Canyon National Park we saw an amazing field of pink thistle. It was so beautiful. Not only that but there was a storm coming in and that made for some beautiful clouds over the mountains. When the storm hit ……… it REALLY hit! We ran for the car but not before I got this amazing shot:

A HUMMINGBIRD Moth! Then we ran to the car and sat while it hailed on us and wondered what we were going to tell the rental car company about the hail damage. But when we got out………..there was none. Happy Friday all!

Photo Friday Flower……….. Rose

There are so many beautiful roses in this world. When we lived in Texas folks used to go rose rustling all the time. They would go to old cemeteries and find old plants and take cuttings and propagate them. I never had much success with that. I am much better at rustling a fan or two of an old Iris at a cemetery. Whether you rustle them or buy them they can add some fabulous color to your garden.

Have a Sunny Day Friends……………..

This is a sunflower from our Organic Community Garden here in Joliet, Illinois. I thought I would post it today to give everyone a chance for a sunny day!

Photo Friday Flower……….. Daylily Flowers

Daylily flowers come in all shapes and sizes. There seem to be a bazillion different colors. I love them all. These are the easiest flowers to grow and propagate in your yard. They are nearly impossible to kill and they offer color all summer and into fall. The photo above is what most aficionados call a ditch lily. They are often referred to as weeds. In my opinion flowers are just weeds that have been moved into your yard. 🙂 So I have some of all of them. Cultivated or wild they offer beautiful color. There are MANY different sizes, shapes and colors of these lovely lilies.

A more cultivated variety is this yellow beauty: