In Holland, Michigan today we hit a high of 60 degrees. It was overcast with a consistent drippy drizzle and slight wind. Twas not a lovely day. It became a rather lazy day for everybody.

Thus, as the sun goes down on this very dismal day, I offer a warm and clear late July sunset, viewed from the beach at Glen Haven, Michigan. The southern tip of South Manitou Island is viewed in the distance to the right.

We grew a fence today, or at least part of a fence. It's a little drastic but it lends itself to privacy. I can enjoy the patio in my jamies without the congregation across the street watching me on Sunday mornings as they park their cars.

Famous last words...."Kick it -- I'll tell you when to quit".

Thanks again, Tom!

THE LAND OF OZ.....

Some call it a cottage. I call it a little slice of heaven....

A wise woman recently shared this with me: "Pokemonetise: to make money by appealing to the stupid human instinct to collect dumb things." Oh, yeah, this is me.......and others I know. Can you say Beanie Babies?

I can think of many things to post while I'm sitting at work or driving in my car. However, once I'm settled in at home, sitting at my computer, I draw a blank. Duh....it's Tuesday. What exciting things happen on a Tuesday?

Is the fact that Moi (aka, superwife, supermom) was able to secure tickets to the Tigers/Cubs game at Wrigley Field, for which my husband couldn't get, considered an exciting thing? Maybe it will when the credit card statement shows up next month. Egads...what I won't do to get the guys out of the house for a day.

Okay, puzzle time. What is it and where is it (besides in my files). There are several ways to find out without leaving the site...Believe it or not, there is a purpose to my posting this photo. It has a lot to do with my inability to figure out my Comcast storage system.

So, now that you've figured out where this is, tell me WHAT it is and why it's here!

Yup, it's Monday....need I say more.......

So, I'm working on this blog thing, trying to set up a template to my liking. It's still a work in progress. But, then, so is the Always Vintage website that hasn't been touched in MONTHS! Other things get in the way but, since I don't need to mess much with HTML with this blogger deal, I should be able to keep up on this one easier than the Always Vintage site (note link 'more of me' -- you'll note it's a tad out of date).

Please check out the links I added to the right side bar. There's a couple of doozies there...folks who are quite special in my life and make my day whenever they update their blogs (hint, hint, you know who you are, and it ain't Tom!)

Left the rain back in Holland about noonish, heading south to Niles. Spent a few hours at Fernwood http://www.fernwoodbotanical.org/ where we hiked along the St. Joseph River through beautiful woodland, loaded with spring wildflowers.












The facility has quite a bit to offer and is perfect for a day trip. Spring is certainly the time to wander the woodland areas. The gardens themselves will begin to come into their own over the next few weeks.

Zirconium Amazonian by Barbara Barbara -- You gotta wonder...

After leaving Fernwood we decided on an adventure and ended up at another nature facility, Sarett's Nature Center near Benton Harbor. We didn't spend much time there but will return another day for a hike through their 5 miles of walking trails. This appears to be another treasure tucked away along the Paw Paw River.