April 23, 2015...

     



              April 23 was a good day in my corner of the world. Nothing earth shattering happened.  The day was a slow laid back, just this side of awesome, kind of day.  It was time to finally enjoy a little sunshine, fresh air and get our yard mowed for the second time this year. Of course,  two days of forecasted rain begins tonight. I can almost hear the grass laugh as it plots to grow as fast as the dandelions.

       Tommy and I drove to town early, to once again stock up on  groceries. While we were there, Tommy bought me a bouquet of flowers...multicolor daisies. I placed them in a vase in front of the living room window. My favorite gifts are things I do not ask for.

       Once the groceries were put away we decided to mow. We have a huge yard and finished in record time. The trim work isn't finished and probably won't be today. Both of us are a little on the tired side. Neither one of us like to use the weed eater. I usually pretend I can't get it started. Sometimes that excuse works, sometimes it doesn't.
     
        This is just a portion of the backyard leading out to the pond. I would like to have the pond drained and doubled in size.  We have had this plan for thirty years . . . not sure this will ever happen.

     After mowing, we sat in the backyard trying to decide what to do about dinner. Since neither of us wanted to cook, we decided to go to a little bar and restaurant at Portland to dine on fish sandwiches, onion rings and beer.  The bar is usually dark and fairly quiet.  The food is good and the beer is better.  It is within walking distance of the Missouri River. ..another plus. 

     While we were making plans, I sat down in the yard to play with our dogs. I wanted a good picture of Sandy, our yellow lab, and me. She is getting so old,  it hurts me to watch her walk at times. She will be fourteen years old in June.  I hate the thought of losing her.

                                  
        This photo didn't get it. Neither did the one taken when both dogs knocked me flat on my back...and then tried to roll me in the damp grass.  In the photo below. . .  we all walked away laughing.  No family shots taken today!

                                                  
       
After Tommy and I cleaned up we drove to Portland. We both  wanted to see the river as much as we wanted to eat.

As always, everything was delicious. . . messy but delicious.  After eating we drove down to the river and I took a few photos. Springtime was captured in the midst of an evening show.  The water was pretty, fairly clear and almost quiet.  Not one tree silently sailed underneath the river water, racing by at  forty miles an hour, to erupt in front of unsuspecting fishermen, or me. The river has been known to rip a hidden tree out of the water... hurl it into the air, and suck it back down with an appetite from Hell.  It startles me, scares me and always fascinates me with the force it shows.

                                              

 The dogwood  trees are hidden in the woods along the banks of the river. Their bright white colors shocking amid the dark overgrown forest. 

   We drove home satisfied and content. The rolling hills looked as lovely returning home; as they did on our trip down to the river. It would be a fairly early evening for us. . . between the mowing, the fish platter, the beer and the river, we were more than relaxed.  We arrived home about thirty minutes later.  I walked to the back yard to admire our hard work once more and this is what I saw . . . missed dandelions.  I will worry about that tomorrow. Mother Nature usually gets the last laugh making her presence known to us in various ways. She  knows we can rearrange her appearance for a time. She also knows she will be back with a stubborn vengeance. Mother Nature was here first.