Friday's Ramdon 5

I have really been having a hard time getting motivated.  This winter  has had so many cold, cloudy, dreary days.  We haven't even had much snow to pretty up the landscape.  I shouldn't complain as we have not had the awful weather that others have been having.

I've been debating if I should quit my blog.  But I guess I'm not quite ready even though I hardly get around to posting or to visit any of you. I have been spending more time on Facebook and have connected with several of you there.

My visit to Mayo didn't give me quite the news I was hoping for.  So I will be going back in April for more tests and decide what treatment I will have.

I had a fun weekend over Valentines Day.  I went to my daughter's in Waconia and she and her husband took me out to eat for my birthday on Friday the 13th.  Then I spent Valentine's day at my granddaughter's school where they were having a Show Choir competition.  It is so fun to see all the different schools perform.  They come from all over.  Her group didn't compete because they were hosting the competition.  But they did perform.

Even though this winter has been pretty blah we have had a few beautiful sunsets.

Linking with Tanya at Willy Nilly Friday 5

Have a great weekend and stay warm!

See you next time.

Barb

Waiting for Dinner

More Heron shots from FL.  This Heron was standing right at the edge of a breakwater.  He barely moved  as I walked past him several times.  He was so intent on watching the fishermen's lines to even notice.   I think he thought he could swoop in and grab a fish from the line.  The only problem was the fishermen had only caught one fish all day.

Linking to  Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday

Happy February!  It looks like it is going to be 6 more weeks of winter.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you are having a good week.

See you next time!

Barb

Bad Hair Day

This poor white egret was having a bad hair day the day I took her picture in Florida.

Here is another one on a different day whose hair was a little better.  Can anyone tell me why one has a black bill and yellow feet and the other has a yellow bill and black feet?

I am joining Stewart at Wild Bird Wednesday here

Thanks for stopping!  I hope everyone on the East Coast is safe and warm.

Until next time

Barb

Small Barn Quilt

A couple of weeks ago on my way to my daughter's in Waconia, I am across this barn with a small barn quilt.

A little closer look at the quilt.

I'll be joining Amy at the Barn Collective

Thanks for all your birthday wishes for my Twins

and

Thanks for stopping by!

See you next time

Barb

Willy Nilly Friday 5

1.  My babies are turning 45 today.  How did that happen.  Here they are when they were about a year old.

Here they are again in 1988 when they were graduating.  Look at that 80's hair!

2.  I just finished reading the book, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.   Wow, what a story of survival.  I had always heard and read about WW II in the European theater , but didn't know much about the Pacific theater.  What an eye opener.

3.  Last week we had horribly cold weather with a blizzard one day that had wind gusts of 35 to 45 mile an hour.  One of my bird feeders blew away and I haven't found it yet.  Today though is sunny and 35 degrees predicted.  Much better.

4.  Next week I will be going back to Mayo Clinic for follow-up to see if the spots on my lungs have grown.

5.  Last weekend I went to my daughter's to see my granddaughter in her Show Choir performance.  What energy those kids have.  So fun to watch.

Guess that's all the Willy Nilly things I have for this week.  Stop over here to see what other people are saying for Willy Nilly Friday 5.

Thanks for stopping.  Have a great weekend.

See you next time!

Barb

Birds on the Beach

These are a couple of birds I saw on my first day in Florida.

Sea Gulls

Sandpipers

The sandpipers were very quick so I had a hard time getting a good picture of them.  I'll be showing more birds from Florida later.

Linking to Wide Bird Wednesday

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a good rest of the week.

See you next time

Barb

My first time ever

Spotting a  Great Blue Heron.  Seen at a rookery in Venice, FL heading for his nest.

Head down in the nest.  He's either helping build the nest or feeding a baby.

Posing for me.

Sharing with Wild Bird Wednesday

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week

See you next time

Barb

Merry Christmas from Florida

Well I'm not in Kansas Florida any more but I was last week.  Just a few photos to show now.  I have many, many that I will share later.

Christmas Tree on the beach on Captiva Island

Sunset on the Venice, FL beach

Lighthouse on the beach on Gasparilla Island

Lighted trees at Historic Spanish Point

I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year now as I probably won't get another post written until after the first of the year.  But I promise I will post lots more from Florida.  I could live here a few months during the winter!

Thanks for stopping by and I will get around to visiting you soon.  Until next time

Barb

Sharing with Our World Christmas-edition

Continuing with Barn Quilts

This barn was interesting as it had 2 quilts.  One on the haymow door and a smaller one on a side addition.  Notice the old tractor out front.

A closer look

No quilts on this old barn.  It just happened to be on the same road as all the others.

Sharing with The Barn Collective

&

Rubbish with Roan

Thanks for stopping by

Have a great week and stay warm

See you next time

Barb

More Barn Quilts

Goodbye Fall, Hello Winter.  It's snowing here in Minnesota and I'm not ready for that yet.  I am still showing pictures of barn quilts from last summer.

How often do you see a bird house and a picket fence next to a barn!

This close-up shows the names of the family members

Sharing these with Amy at The Barn Collective

&

Tex at Good Fences

Thanks for all you comments on my last post!  I am still having trouble finding time to visit all of you.  Sometimes I visit but don't leave a comment.  Just know I am thinking of all of you.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week and I'll see you next time.

Barb

More Barn Quilts

Here is another barn with a painted quilt seen in south central Minnesota last summer on the way home from Wabasha

I'm sharing these with Amy over at The Barn Collective.

Have a great week everyone!

See you next time.

Barb

Colorful Fence

Here is a colorful fence made out of skis that I saw while on my trip to Wabasha along the Mississippi River last summer.

Linking with TexWisGal at Good Fences

Have a Happy Halloween and a good weekend,

See you next time

Barb

Barn Quilt

Cousin Ardell and I took a short vacation at Wabasha, MN the end of July.  This is a barn with a quilt that we saw on the way home.  We saw a lot of other barns with quilts too.  I'll be sharing them on Mondays with Amy at http://rosestreetreflections.blogspot.ca/.

Thanks for all you kind comments on my last post.

Have a great week and I'll see you next time.

Barb

Letting you know

that I am still alive on this planet. I never meant to be gone for over 3 months.  It was supposed to be 2 or 3 weeks so I could get my house cleaned and gardening done.  That didn't happen.  I guess I just lost all my enthusiasm for blogging.  I did write a post almost every day in my head but it didn't get into the computer.  I mostly read and went swimming, plus a few trips to Mayo Clinic in Rochester for doctor appointments.  Finally found a doctor willing to do the surgery to remove 3 cancerous nodules in my neck.  Had the surgery September 30th and all went well.  What a relief to get that over with.

We have been having some beautiful fall weather with warm temps and gorgeous trees.  Here are a couple of pictures of my back yard. Most of the leaves here are already on the ground

 And some of the trees around town.

I hope you all had a great summer and are having a wonderful fall.  I promise not to be away for so long again and will get around to visiting you all soon,

Until next time

Barb

A Little of This and That

I have a variety of photos for you today so I thought I would participate in several memes .

1. First off is a fence near the stables at the place we stayed at in the Black Hills

2. Next are some of the critters horses that people staying there could ride.

3.  Here are a couple of photos from my daughter's wedding last Saturday evening at a golf course.

My daughter and her new husband right after the ceremony.

My son-in-law with his new family...my daughter and her two kids.  The kids stood up with them. Notice the shoes flip flops the guys are wearing.  He said he would only wear a suit if he could wear his flip flops. :0)

4.  While I was in the Black Hills most of my peonies bloomed.  This one was a little later so I got a good picture of it.

5.  Last but not least, I won TexWisGirl's colored pencil drawing for June.  It arrived in the mail today!
Doesn't she do the most magnificent  work with colored pencils. The wood duck has landed in my kitchen, but I think he will find his way to my computer room above the desk.

She also sent me this cute little card with one of her drawings of a humming bird.

Joining

Good Fences at Theresa's The Run *A* Round Ranch

 Willy Nilly Friday 5 at Tanya's Around Roanoke VA.

Saturdays Critters at Viewing Nature with Eileen

Sorry  I haven't been posting or visiting much.  Time just sees to get away from me.  I will be posting more photos of the Black Hills and my daughter's wedding soon.  Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

See you next time

Barb

ps  I'm having a little trouble with those 2 horses.  They don't want to be centered in the middle of the page

Great Faces, Great Places, South Dakota

That is the slogan for the South Dakota tourism.  Here are the great faces.  Well I can't say the one in front is so great. :-)

This is what you see when you walk in from the parking lot.  It is known as the Avenue of Flags   representing the 50 states, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

A closer look a the faces.

This shot was taken at night during the lighting ceremony.  It was very impressive.  They showed a short video of how the faces were carved into the mountain. Afterwards they called all the service men and women in the audience to come down and give their name and which branch of the service they served in.  There were about 40 people who came down.

You can read about the history of Mt. Rushmore here .

I will be showing more pictures from the Black Hills and the Bad Lands as I get them edited.

Thanks for all your kind comments on my last post.  Have a great week and I'll see you next time.

Barb

Stay Sky Aware

That's been the words to live by this week as we have had a very rainy, stormy week in Minnesota.  Not so much where I live (other than the 5 inches last Sat) but many places have received 10 or 12 inches of rain or more. And there is flooding in many parts of the state.

One evening as the clouds were pulling away and the sun was setting it created a very orange sky and colorful clouds.

Photos are all SOOC

Sharing at Orange You Glad it's Friday

Sky Watch
&
Weekly Top Shot

Last week I spent several days in the Black Hills of SD.  I have close to 200 photos that I will share here and there as I get them edited.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great weekend.

See you next time.

Barb

By the way, the consensus of the old car in the last post is a Chevy Corvair.  I think you are right.