The old mural...

From when Danny was on his way, and our house was still just over 800 square feet. And he was our FOURTH baby, who was going to share the room with Mommy and Daddy (they all did anyway). I wanted to give him a special corner, so I painted this above where the "glorified toy holder" (i.e. "crib") was going to be. There were also glowing stars hanging from birch branches hanging from the ceiling. We didn't have a lot of money or real estate, but we were creative.

Now Aaron has that room, and at fifteen, says the bird is lame, so it was painted over with recycled paint last week. Took this for the memories. Glad to have a bigger house now, but it wasn't that terrible when we didn't.

So glad that the couch is a "Craigslist special." Clementine P.C. (for my Personal Cat) likes to go under it then pop out.

A garage sale chandelier for ten bucks...

And Aaron turned fifteen, Jesse got a mohawk, and the mommy and baby kitties both have evil eyes for Halloween. And how can I turn the pictures of their sides with this crazy program?

rest in peace, little brother.

I could have been kinder. I could have been so much more.

Rest in peace, I love you, I hope you have found all that you could have imagined.

Garden employee of the month...

Watching out for bugs, and maintaining the shape of the rose...

We are brats together in our garden...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-iH9LTL3To

I know I should have gotten the cat fixed...

But hopefully I can find good homes for her babies, all four of them, two boys, two girls, white with points, striped tabbie-ish. Oh, and the bouquet? I will pick one for anyone who takes a kitty home. If they can get past the mother, that is. She looks pretty fierce.

Flowers without borders...

Better than borders without flowers, I guess, but I will admit the garden looks like an overblown floozy this time of ye

a pic of all of them...

We met Dustin at the park for my dad's family reunion. He is looking better, I think. Sometimes that's all a mom has to hold on to.

Oh, and Danny is not mad. His glasses needed adjusting. He has astigmatism, and gets a look on his face without them. Also, notice, still no haircut. He has promised to wear his glasses everyday if we don't make him cut his hair. Sometimes he looks like John Lennon in them.

In the silvery summer evening...

Dad and Danny take turns swinging in the sprinkler

flowers for work...the garden is on a roll this month.

Someone is leaving our group, and I've enjoyed working with her, so I brought in a bouquet.

Color from the garden...

And so we five at home got away, and played on the beach...

Of course, I felt guilty. I always feel guilty. But the break gave us all renewed strength.

Embrionic Pancake Journey (with apologies to Jefferson Airplane)

Jim made pancakes from scratch one morning, and this one looked like an ultrasound pic.