Fall: I Welcome You With Open Arms!

The image below makes my sweat glands quiver...

Popsicle anyone?? After suffering through the horribly oppressive summer heat that feels the need to bring a side-dish of humidity, I can't adequately convey in written word my enthusiasm for the fact that Fall weather has officially arrived in the Ohio Valley. Haul out the pumpkins, get the mums in the ground, open up the windows, build up the bonfire and crank-up the tractor for the hay rides because Fall is upon us! Yay!

Summer, I turn up my nose to you and your ridiculous heat. My sweat glands are personally thankful that your time on center stage is through. It's been real, but take a hike until 2011!


Okay, okay, enough with the drama, but seriously, it was one of the hottest summer's in recent history. But now that cooler temperatures are here, I have hit the outdoors to ready the flowerbeds for fall (which translates as pull the weeds that have taken over in my neglect due to medical microbiology over the summer and second semester nursing two weeks later.) Seriously at one point there was a weed by my front door that was nearly taller than me. And I'm 6-feet tall...it wasn't a skimpy weed!

So normally, I just skip decorating for fall because I'm too excited and ready to just decorate for Christmas, but I am taking a different approach this year. As I get older, time does indeed seem to be racing by even faster. I've thought a lot about this lately. My dad told me once, "Don't wish your life away." It was in the context of me whining about not being able to go out with friends or do the things my older brothers could do. I am quite certain it followed me saying something like, "I wish I was older so I could do that." I'm sure we've all been there. But my dad's wisdom was more than I understood at the time. I get it now. I don't want to wake up when I'm 50, 60, 70 or even Lord willing 80 years old and think to myself, "Why didn't I live more in the moment instead of always pining for the tomorrows?" Sure, it is wise to set goals and make plans (as long as one's heart stays open to God's plan even if it alters our own.) But I want every day to count. This summer was a stretch for me. I love to be outside, but I dread to be hot. And it was melt your face off hot, but I made the best of it. I think the most fun this summer was "Camp Amby." Every now and then I have the privilege of entertaining the various kiddos of my friends and family. And in addition to games indoors, I added to my kid-entertaining-arsenal a slip-n-slide, a sprinkler and some water guns. It was hot, but we stayed cool and had a watery blast in the meantime!

And so with summer behind us, fall upon us and winter ahead (insert childish squeal here!) I am planning to continue to make the most of each day. I'm working on new fall decorations and will post pics soon (I hope) of my creations. Until then, I'm posting some inspirational and "cooler" photos from the days past of my favorite seasons.

The picture below was a little gem I rediscovered when going through my photos from Alaska. I took so many pictures while I was there, I honestly forgot taking some of them! This one was on a tour of a native village set up for tourists taking the riverboat cruise on the Chena river. It has the feel of "ready for winter." Which speaks of my mood three seasons out of the year! Ha!


And I don't have high hopes for a good snowy winter like we had this past winter, but I'll keep my snowy pictures close by to remember the days of hiking in the snow with a frozen nose and joyful heart. : )

Summer Fun: Camping

Unfortunately, this camping trip is not a recent one. This dates back to summer 2009. A weekend trip with my brother, sister-in-law, two nieces and of course, a very, very excited Daisy Lou.


It is a favorite thing of mine to pitch a tent, hang the hammock, start a fire and lay or sit beneath the canopy of trees.


And a camping trip with any one from my family proves to be a fun adventure! We always know how to make things interesting. On this particular trip my brother Eric waged a contest to see who could get a fire going first. From the start, he didn't lay out any rules or mention items we couldn't use, therefore, I made my way to my hiking pack and pulled out the following items: My survival knife, fire starter sticks, and a lighter.

If my memory serves me correct, I do believe he gave me a hard time about the lighter and fire starter sticks once he saw them, and I politely reminded him that he never said what we could and couldn't use. His method involved tree sap and striking flint. (which I'll get to the tree sap in a bit.)


So guess who got a fire started first!? Yep. I was never a boy scout (for obvious reasons) but when it comes to the outdoors, I'm always prepared.

My brother had success with the tree sap, and Punkin sure enjoyed burning and charring things just because she could! But before long, with the combined efforts of all our flames and charred kindling, we had a blazing fire just perfect to start dinner with!


Another fantastic thing about camping in this family, is that you're sure to eat well! I can remember dad cooking up fried potatoes, eggs, bacon, and sausage for breakfast and roasts with carrots and potatoes for dinner, or pork chops...it was and is always a culinary delight!

My brother made a delicious Low Country Boil, minus the shrimp this time but chock full of cajun seasoning!

The picture above is proof of how much of a weenie I truly am...I must confess that although I speak highly of the outdoors and praise a Mighty God for His beautiful creation, the one thing that can send me running and screaming like the girl I am is a spider. Go ahead and laugh or chuckle or shake your head in disbelief, but before I can even get one foot in my hammock I spray the perimeter with bug spray. If not, I have these visions of laying quite comfortably in my hammock, swinging ever so slightly and watching the tree tops dance in the wind and it all being brought to a halt by eight legs and two beady eyes. So yes, I am a weenie. But I'm okay with that.

Okay, so now for the educational portion of this post. My brother taught me something, that my other brother taught him. Tree sap makes a great fire starter! Above is a picture of Punkin scraping sap from a pine tree. When lit, sap will burn for quite a while, and in the process will also ignite small kindling and leaves. Below is a shot of some sap burning.





And to continue on with the fun educational portion of this post, I also had to get a little inventive on this trip. I've reached the age where I can no longer sleep on the ground when camping, I (and my joints) prefer an air mattress these days. I had let a friend borrow mine so I searched my house for the next best thing. I have a self-inflating mattress, but it doesn't do the trick for me, but I found a pool float in my laundry room and figured I would give it a try.


I ended up sliding the pool float down into my sleeping bag to keep it contained and from shifting out from under me. I had a quilt with me to cover up with so it all worked out perfectly! I slept so well that night, that the pool float is now and always will be a permanent fixture in my hiking pack. Much lighter than an air mattress and takes less time to inflate too!

All this talk of camping really has me wanting to make haste to the great outdoors, but alas the school and work schedule will not allow it most likely until next summer. Reminiscing is the next best thing : )

Friday Night Photo Assignment

Gotta love these Summer Concerts in the park!

I was commissioned to photograph Skip Bond and the Fugitives as they took to the stage this evening. To my delight, these fellas are from Bowling Green, KY., a town dear to my heart as I lived there for five years some years ago. Great to talk about a town I adore with actual locals! : )



The concert was on an hour rain delay, but that gave rise to some fun umbrella shots. These ladies were fabulous and willing to wait how ever long it took to see the band. They are big fans.

And these are some of my favorite images! While standing in front of the crowd taking shots of the band, a nosey little bug made it's way down my shirt! I thought I kept feeling something on me but could never feel or find it so I didn't pay any attention and kept shooting pictures. Finally I cornered the little bugger between my hand and shirt and then it bit me! I quickly made an escape behind the stage to try to get it out and hopefully not be seen wriggling and squirming and looking down my shirt by all of Henderson! After I gathered myself I looked up to see this....


What is neat about these pictures is that you can see the rain falling when the picture is enlarged. I like back-lit silhouettes anyway.

So aside from the pesky wardrobe invader, it was a fun night! Now, off to piddle with the sewing machine and a dress that is in the works before hitting the hay and then another photo session tomorrow with one of my favorite clients!

Going to the Dogs...

It has been a perfect July day in my book. The windows are open on the house, it's hovering around 80 degrees with little humidity and a breeze that causes me to pause and be thankful each time it makes it's way through the quiet house.

I have been quite entertained by my little dog Daisy Lou these past couple of days. And of course today is no exception. And while most bloggers are posting pictures of their adorable kiddos enjoying this hot summer weather, I will post some pictures of my little pooch. Seeing as I don't have any kiddos yet, and Daisy has yet to make her official blog debut!

In a recent trip to visit my brother and sister-in-law, to Daisy's delight she got to come along too! You see, Daisy has two cousins Bentley and Crumb that she has come to adore! The relationship used to be that she merely tolerated their presence, but she has now come to accept that she is not "top dog" and must learn to share her human and environment with 3 other Douthit dogs.

Here you see Louisa (one of Daisy's numerous nicknames) with her new little hedgehog buddy. He was a gracious gift from Aunt Amy, but Daisy, acting as if she were a two-year-old, latched on to this little critter and claimed him as her own the entire weekend!


Aunt Amy, just so you know, she is EVER so grateful for your generous gift! ^^I believe it was love at first sight between the hedgehog and Daisy!

A little siesta with the hedgehog....

A little roughhousing followed by some cuddling....


still more cuddling the next day...


and a thank you to Aunt Amy, Uncle Jason and her cousins Bentley and Crumb....


My little Daisy Lou is the greatest little pooch. We have enjoyed a lazy summer day and I have found great enjoyment in bursting into fits of singing "My buddy and Me" as Daisy carries her little buddy all around the house.

For My Feathered Friends...

Welcome to what I have deemed my "bird sanctuary."

Essentially, the overgrown fence line at the back of the property has become too big of a beast to be tamed by one gal. So as the saying goes...if you can't beat 'em, join 'em...and I'm big enough to admit defeat. Instead of cursing the jungle in my backyard, I have chosen to embrace it. To cultivate it lovingly, trim it as I can and enjoy it for the wildlife that it brings my way.

As I have laid in my hammock evening upon evening, I have enjoyed watching the numerous kinds of birds flit back and forth. Some are "twitter-pated," others are chasing worms and still others are just content to nest upon the branches and serenade me as I swing back and forth.

I've been wanting to add several bird feeders in the back so I can attract more birds, watch them eat and play and of course keep them fat and happy! My budget is an issue, seeing as I'm back in school and can't justify the expense of several new feeders. Therefore, I turned to google. The results yielded the ever-popular 2-liter soda bottle feeder. Which is nice, except I don't drink soda. So this meant nothing more than a scavenger hunt for me! I raided my office and lo and behold the lightbulb went off when I saw my collection of CD spindles.

Okay, so on to the real reason you're reading this! The "how to's" of the CD Spindle Birdfeeder.

What you will need:
1 pair of needlenose pliers
1 Box cutter knife
1 CD Spindle
Some rope (I used raffia)
2 sticks (you could use chop sticks, popscicle sticks...)


First, using the pliers, I poked three holes in the base of the spindle to allow any moisture to drain out. Then, using the pliers, I poked two holes in the side at the top of the spindle cover. I gathered several strands of raffia together, twisted one end and ran it through the holes and then tied it together at the top creating a loop to hang the feeder on.


Then I made the holes for the sticks that would give the birds a spot to perch. I attached the cover to the base to give the sides some support. Once the pliers break through, you can twist them to make the hole large enough for your stick. Do the same thing on the other side. You can place as many of these as you want. I went with two since I was using a smaller spindle.


Once the holes for the perches were finished, I then took the box cutter, and VERY carefully made a horizontal cut about half an inch above the perch, then two vertical cuts, going up from each end of the horizontal cut. This creates a flap. I then had to score the plastic from the inside to get the flap to stay open. This is done by making a light cut at the top of the flap. The flap will then push in and stay open and keep bird seed from just pouring out of the feeder.


Here is a detail shot of the flap going in:


Here is the completed construction and the tools used.


I went with a very earthy, natural look to compliment the plastic : ) Here is the finished product hanging in the backyard. The birds have already discovered it and are feasting away!

And then for your viewing pleasure, here are a few more pictures from around the bird sanctuary. I missed getting pictures of all the honeysuckle while it was in bloom but in the spring the back is just filled with it! I love the smell!




And of course, Daisy Lou has her running trails beneath the mass of vines and branches, there is a ground hog that calls the bird sanctuary home and I think she likes hunting it.