It Feels Like Summer

Indeed it does, temperatures near 90º, humidity high, yes it feels like summer.  Weeds growing like crazy and everything in bloom--Mac's having allergy problems, I did mine in Utah, or so I thought.  I've been weeding in the garden and now I'm wheezing, gotta love those weeds.
This weekend Mac  found a copperhead snake in a flowerbed near the garage.  He's not keen on killing anything, but poisonous snakes should not take up residence near the house.
Swimming in the pool the last 2 days has felt wonderful. We're going out later this week to look for a net gazebo to go on the deck so we can sit outside more--without it the bugs will get us.  For example, even though I sprayed bug repellant all over I have 3 new deer fly bites.  Deer fly are all mouth and nothing repels them.
Summer meals, ribs and potato salad followed by a nap in the heat of the afternoon.
I've been trying to get the house back into shape after our trip and catch up on laundry while Mac has tried to catch up on the yard.  My job is hot and hard because we don't turn air conditioning on till noon, but his is hotter, I don't know how he does it.
The daylillies and the gladiolas are quite spectacular this year.

And here are the latest additions to my National Park animal
zoo, a Utah prairie dog and a 3-line chipmunk.

The Hogback

One more story from Utah.  On the day Mac fished at Calf Creek we were really on our way to an Anasazi village.  To get there we drove scenic route 12, a bypass that runs from Highway 89 to the town of Torrey about a 124 miles away.  It passes through some beautiful scenery, you'll see the remains of ancient seabeds, alpine forests, pink and red stone turrets and sagebrush flats.  It's the road that goes to Bryce and to the town of Tropic where we were staying.
So up bright and early one morning we took off, stopped for ice in Escalante where they have a teeny, tiny petrified forest (we had visited it last year) and off into new territory for us.  We stopped at the Escalante River where Mac talked to a forest ranger who advised him that the fishing was better on the Calf Creek, and it was.  There's a 126 foot waterfall that many people were hiking to, but Mac was after fish and I wanted to paint.
After the fishing we headed back onto Route 12 in search of the Anasazi State Park.  Immediately the road started climbing with rather deep drop-offs on the far side of the road.  At this point I need to tell you I have a morbid fear of heights, not just a fear, an absolute terror of them.  And scenic Route 12 turned into a nightmare.  It was just a narrow 2 lane road with little or no shoulders, no guard rails and a sheer drop off on BOTH sides.  I was terrified, I began to shake and cry, Mac asked if I wanted to turn around and I said YES!  We had to wait for a turn-out and even that scared me, had to close my eyes and not watch while he backed up.  Then back down the way we'd come, me crying the whole way.
When we got back to our cabin I Googled The Hogback and found that people either loved this road, found it exhilarating or were terrified by it like me.  Like I said, I don't do heights and if I do there had better be guard rails, lots of them, high ones.

No photos, my eyes were closed.  But here's the painting I did at Calf Creek.

Five on Friday

I'm a bit late, travel hangover I guess, plus having to go out and get my B-12 shot---about a week late.

I'm going to make this simple, just some photos from our trip to Utah.

The first is from Red Canyon and Bryce viewpoint in the park.

Hoodoos at Red Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Utah Prairies Dogs, an endangered species.  They were so entertaining we visited them twice.

Calf Creek, absolutely loaded with trout, Mac
said it was his idea of heaven.

 The second set is of the Prairie Dogs.

A Pronghorn grazing behind the Prairie Dog town.

The third is of deer, there were 3 in the meadow behind the prairie dogs and when one got close enough I snapped his

picture.



The fourth set is of Mac fishing, he got several days of it in.

He fished at Calf Creek, Pine Lake, the stream at Tropic Reservoir and along the Servier River.  Without a doubt Calf Creek was the best.  I sat and painted while he fished.

Mac with one of the Brown Trout he caught, this one was in Calf Creek

And the fifth is me in the snow, we even made snowballs.

Me sitting by the snow at Cedar Breaks, a national park at 10,000 feet or so.  It was around 52º which felt great after the heat of Georgia.


Check out the Amy at Love Made My Home and the other bloggers participating in Five on Friday.

Home Again

We've been on vacation again, off to Utah again.  We liked Bryce Canyon and that area so much last year that we knew we had to go back.  Rented a cabin from the same people as last time in Tropic.  Perfect location with a good home style restaurant (Clarke's) across the street that served the best breakfast in the world.  Three big eggs cooked any way you want, breakfast potatoes, ham, bacon or sausage and toast.  I never finished a breakfast, we usually carried toast and ham off and had sandwiches later.
We spent the first day in Bryce Canyon, starting at the top by Rainbow Point (9,115 feet) where we did a mile walk, and considering the problems I've been having with my foot I was thrilled with how well it did.  I took almost a 100 pictures, but they don't begin to do what we saw justice.
Bryce is set up with viewing points all along it, you drive, park, get out, do a walk, take pictures, what ever you want.  We spent most of the day there.

Why I Threatened My Foot

My right foot is under strict orders to clean up its act or else.  I'm having trouble with plantar fasciitis, a very painful foot condition where the plantar tendon on the bottom of the foot isn't working right and causes pain in the heel.  I first had this about 14 years ago when I was still working as a teacher.  Poor support in my shoes and a classroom that had cheap carpet on top of concrete, a bad mixture.  Took almost a year to clear it up.  Orthopedic shoes, shoe inserts, orders to never go bare footed or walk up hills.
About 6 weeks ago I started having trouble again, I trace it to an evening we were running about the cobblestone streets of Savannah and I was wearing boots that had little or no support.  The pain had steadily gotten worse and I finally broke down and went to the Doctor.  He had an x-ray done, which wouldn't show the plantar but would show any other problems.  It turned out I have a heel spur and some arthritis in the ankle.  So I sleeping with a foot splint to keep the plantar stretched, have new inserts in my shoes, do stretches, slather my foot in Aspercream and soak my foot in our whirlpool tub.
It is getting better, but with plantar it's a long, slow slog.   The foot knows I mean business, so it's trying.  I have a brother-in-law who's had trouble with this condition, had surgery to release the plantar, 2 more surgeries to remove scar tissue and after nearly 3 years is unable to walk more than a few steps.  So I take this seriously and will do whatever, short of surgery, to help it get better.

This is my night time splint, looks like a medieval torture device doesn't  it?  It's actually not too bad to sleep in and if it helps then I'll stick with it.

Grumpy Old Lady Time

Time for a little old lady rant.

Note to the new nurse in my Doctor's office, ditch the perfume.  I was only there because I was having trouble with my foot.  If I'd been sick your perfume would have done me in.

To my neighbors, many of whom have lived in this neighborhood for 25 years or more, there are no sidewalks here , never have been .  So when people walk here they walk in the street.  The posted speed limit is 20 mph, try it some time so we don't have to dodge you.

Advice to my foot, you better shape up or drastic measures will be taken and you won't like them.  The evil looking night splint came in today and I have a feeling it's going to make you very unhappy.

Enough ranting, have a great Memorial Day Weekend.

Five on Friday

I'm joining in with Amy at Love Made My Home and others for Five on Friday.  Running late this week, my piano tuner was here this morning and I got behind.  But my piano sounds wonderful again.  We talked about me getting a baby grand, which I want, but just not yet.
This week's Five has to do with books, surprise, surprise.  I'm a big fan of books about English history and culture,  both nonfiction and fiction.

My first real introduction to English history was through a series of books written by Thomas B. Costain a Canadian  author who began writing historical novels when he was 57.  He wrote, among others, The Silver Chalice, The Black Rose, Below the Salt, and the ones that hooked me on English history: The Conquering Family, The Magnificent Century, The Three Edwards and The Last Plantagenets.   This is where my deep fascination with Richard III began.

Another series that I've read, reread and read again is The Camulod Chronicles a fictionalized account of King Arthur by Jack Whyte.  It begins long before Arthur's birth with Merlin.

The legend of King Arthur has fascinated me all my life and I think this is the best series ever written about him.

The third, and again, one that I've read and reread is T. H. White's The Once and Future King .  Another retelling of the Arthurian legend.  Disney adapted this book to make The Sword in the Stone, but this book is so much better than that.

The fourth is Bill Bryson's Mother Tongue, how English became English.  When I become frustrated with how words are pronounced I reread this one and have a chuckle of two.  Bill Bryson is among my favorite authors.

And the fifth is William Manchester's 3 volume  The Last Lion, a 3 volume biography of Winston Churchill.  The first volume was over a 1,000 pages and I found it utterly fascinating.  It went from his birth to the 1930's.  I'm getting ready to start the second volume that will carry through the second world war.

These books represent just a small part of my obsession with England.  Click on the icon below to see the others who are blogging on Friday.

Tuesday Was Better

No need to call out the bug removal squad today, house appeared to be insect free.  I went in the pool for the first time this year, it was 92º and on our deck even warmer.  Couldn't find my swimsuit, I suspect I threw it out last year it was a bit faded and saggy from sun, chlorine and me.  So I swam in shorts and a top.  You couldn't hear my scream more than a few blocks so the water wasn't too bad.
We ate lettuce from the garden today, if it gets much warmer it will all die as will the peas.

One of Mac's Box Turtles

Gardenias

Gladiola and Buddleia

Lettuce

Buddleia with Butterflies

More Lilies

Our neighbor's Magnolia tree

Lantana

Blue Hydrangea

Pink Hydrangea

Mac was busy transplanting tomatoes and hollyhocks, now he has everything out of the greenhouse.  I guess we're ready for summer.

Been That Kind of Day

Melted a spatula in the oven while cooking today, lovely smell.  Yes I know I shouldn't keep them in the oven, but that way I always know where they are or where they were in this case.  RIP spatula.  Then the cat trapped a wolf spider over by the pantry, scooped her up so she wouldn't be playing with it and yelled for Mac.  He carried it outside.   Then going into the dining room he found a centipede that Miss Kitty had already played to death.  And it's only Monday.

LInk

People are having trouble following the link I put in for Names, so I'll try doing it again.  It will lead you to the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog and on that blog you'll find her post for May 16 entitled Links I Love and What's On My Nightstand.  The third bullet down will take you to the Name page.  It's in Time magazine, but I don't know how to find it through Time.
Hope that helps.

Names

I always find it fascinating the way names come into and out of fashion.  For instance the five most popular boy and girl names right now, here in the States, are:

1	Liam	Emma
2	Noah	Olivia
3	Mason	Sophia
4	Ethan	Ava
5	Logan	Isabella Yesterday when I was reading Modern Mrs. Darcy post about favorite links I found a link to find out what my name would be if I had been  born in each decade.  When I was born my name was the 21st most popular name.  So using that they showed the 21st most popular name for each decade.  Here's what I would have ended up with: My name today would be Grace My 2000s name is Alexandra My 1990s name is Crystal My 1980s name is Erica My 1970s name is Barbara My 1960s name is Laurie My 1950s name is Marilyn My 1940s name is Ann My 1930s name is Marjorie My 1920s name is Edith My 1910s name is Lucille My 1900s name is Sarah My 1890s name is Cora Grace, Alexandra and Erica would have been ok, the rest of these names I would have hated.  What would your name be if you had been born in a different decade?