PeacefulkT’s Pursuits

Just a quick post today to share a couple of shots of the sweet peas blooming underneath our pine trees.  Enjoy, and cheers!

This was a busy week trying to catch up for some lost time.  I’m really thankful that Clyde is finally getting back his strength again.  I hope no one else catches this crazy summer cold/flu/pneumonia!  We were able to bottle two of our popular wines this week and we have plans for at least two or three more bottlings this upcoming week.

After a solid week of 90+ degree heat and 400% humidity, am I ever grateful for air conditioning!  Dry cool air.  Cool dry air.  Aaaaahhhhh.  Whoever invented air conditioning deserves a medal of Peaceful Bend Presidential Honor.  :)  And speaking of cooling off, the river certainly has been wonderful for keeping cool in this last week.  I’m truly thankful that we live here and get to enjoy such a resource on a regular basis.

I was in Columbia MO yesterday to pour our wines for a tasting there.  100-degree temperatures and hauling heavy boxes of wine made me want a haircut.  So after the tasting ended I went to the mall across the street and chopped off about 7 or 8 inches of split, raggedy, and sweaty hair.  The stylist not only dealt with sweaty hair, but also my onion breath.  And she did a darn good job despite the adverse working conditions.  Thank you mastercuts hairdresser!

A storm rolled through the area after I got home from the tasting.  This morning I woke up to cool temperatures, dry air, and sunshine.  Oh yea.  It really doesn’t take too much to make me happy I guess!

Hope you all had a wonderful week and are enjoying a nice cool start to this week.  Cheers!

I went down to the river this morning, and about 2 minutes later, Julie showed up, breezed by me and jumped in the river.

Actually, she didn’t breeze by at all.  There was no breeze this morning and the humidity was about 380% with a nice low of 90F.  She actually sloshed by smacking indiscriminately at mosquitos the whole way.  I had to dodge one her swipes as she headed into the river.

Well, ok, I exaggerate.  Actually, she walked down, visited with me for a bit then jumped into the river to cool off.  But the mosquitos were bad, that I didn’t exaggerate about.  And it was hot this morning.  And the humidity really was 380%.

I don’t lie.

Too often.

Anehway, I caught a couple fun shots of her head just out of the water as she swam upriver.  If you’re feeling all hot and soggy right now, swim along with Julie and enjoy the 60 degree Meramec waters….

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.  Almost brrrrr.

Pepe and Maggie were interested in what the heck Julie was doing, but neither of us could coax them into the water.  So much for labs being water dogs.

In between my own mosquito swats, I noticed that the water willow (Justicia americana) was just beginning to bloom.  The buds really stood out against the water:

But none in that patch were quite ready to bloom yet.  A little to my right though, in a slightly more protected spot, there were a couple of blooms popping out:

Sweet little plant.  Keep your eye out for these on your next float trip.  Water willow grow in the shallow edges of the river.  Once the water is up to your knees, this stuff doesn’t grow.  But, it sure makes for a nice little patch of color at the edges.  For you Scottish readers out there, the ‘Justicia‘  part of this plant’s scientific name was chosen to honor the 18th century Scottish botanist, James Justice.

If you’re not Scottish, then maybe that little tidbit will come in handy at the next trivia night that you attend.

Cheers!

I have a serious case of it this week.  Must be the 90+ degree heat and 120% humidity.  I’m stifled.  Hopefully I’ll crawl out from under the wet blogging blanket I’m under and post something good soon.  Cheers.

There’s something like a line of gold thread running through a man’s words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.  ~John Gregory Brown, Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery, 1994

There is lots of to be thankful for last week, but all of it is eclipsed by the fact that I am so grateful to have the dad that I have.

Thanks dad for all the love, patience, kindness and guidance you have freely given me over the years.  I don’t know why I got to be so blessed to be your daughter, but I am thankful for you every day!