Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Black Fly Season

In honor of black fly season which will soon be upon us I asked my designer, Nap Warden, to put some bugs on my blog. Aren't they cute? Too bad the real ones weren't as cute and didn't bite! We have started noticing a few as we walk each morning and evening. The days have been lovely and warm so they are starting to wake up and are looking for some nice skin to bite! Yuck! I can take the cold winters but I sure do intensely dislike black fly season. Glad it only lasts a month or so.


We've been waking up each morning lately to the sound of rat-ta-tat-tat. We couldn't figure out what it was at first but on closer examination we discovered that our mixed up woodpecker is back again this year! Last year he pecked on our tin mailbox for some unknown reason and this year it's our tin gutters! Can't be any bugs there to eat so don't know why he is doing it! It's a hairy woodpecker and we have them around a lot but usually they peck on the old dead trees that have bugs in them.





We had our Awana closing program Sunday night. D and T and K were all there ready to accept their awards for a job well done. They certainly learn a lot and love it to boot. This is cousin K singing the Awana song.


D got right into the singing too!



Here he is getting his award.



This is Son handing out awards in Sparks the group that T is in. DIL works in this group too.



Here is T getting her awards and then deep in thought.




Awana is a fabulous program, we worked in at for many years until it was time for some of the younger ones to take over but we still work on some of the special functions.
Came across this picture while going through a box of old pictures a while back. This is my sister on the left, Dad, me in the front and my other sister on the right. I think we must have been ready to go to church as we are dressed up. My mother must have taken the picture. The dog in the corner is Brownie, we had him for many years and he was the consummate Heinz 57 breed!


Went to the stable this morning. Couldn't ride as Ann hurt her back plus I needed to get back as the air conditioning people are here adding some more units onto our central air. One place that I am VERY excited about is my sewing room! Yippee! When you get the iron and steam going down there it gets really hot so this will make it much more pleasant. I'm working on an adorable Halloween/fall wall hanging right now. I want to keep them all for ME but try to restrain myself. This one is all cut out and tomorrow I will start putting it together.

I have come up with a name for a new venture that I am going to do and it's going to be called 'Seasonal Samplers'. What do you think, is that catchy?



Today we are going to an award ceremony for my FIL in Portland. He is being honored by Junior Achievement for his business accomplishments over his 91 years. The whole family is going together along with some of the staff from the main office. We are going on a big coach bus so should be fun! Guess I'd better get my 'business attire' picked out and slap on some make up and try to look presentable. I don't like wearing much make up, never have, but some occasions call for a little paint on the ole barn. :O)

18 comments:

Susie said...

I love your black fly background, but they don't sound in the least bit pleasant!
Your woodpecker is quite confused. We have one that visits our old apple tree each year (he looks much like yours.)
Seasonal samplers sounds great and that Halloween one is so cute. Will you be setting up a shop, or what?
Congratulations to your FIL. Sounds like it will be a wonderful celebration.
love you!
xoxo

palmtreefanatic said...

nice looking woodpecker;)

congrats to your FIL
and awanas, wow!

kdwhorses said...

The woodpecker is a pretty little thing, but they are annoying with all the pecking. We had one last year that choose the tree right by our bedroom window! And he was a strange bird and would start pecking in the middle of the night!
Great name for your projects!
HAve a great trip!

Mississippi Songbird said...

I enjoyed reading your post today.. Love the photos too.. The kids really do enjoy AWANA.. They were sad that it has ended for the year..Have a great evening...

Donna. W said...

I'll trade some of my ticks for some of your flies. When I'm in the woods mushroom-hunting, I seem to bring back ticks of all sizes. It would help if I'd remember to use the Deep Woods Off.

Marcy said...

I hope that the black flies aren't too bad this year! So, do you find your wall hangings in a book and follow a pattern? I still have not pulled out that pattern and all the stuff to make some pajama pants that I bought in January. Oh well...maybe once we get moved and I can make a mess again...

Callie said...

Love your Woodpecker, mixed up and all. Steve and I get Downy Woodpeckers and recently a pretty little Nuthatch. Kids are adorable!

Tammy said...

I have only recently heard about "black fly season" in Maine through another blogger! Doesn't sound fun at all! But I love your background! :)

My girls were in Awana for two years too...you're right, it's a wonderful program!
This year we decided to do Missionettes, also another great program. But your pictures reminded me of the ceremonies we went to with Awana! :)

Now, come over and read what happened to us during the nice little Sea World show...;)

Tammy said...

P.S...congratulations to your FIL- what an achievement and celebration!

Linds said...

I love the flies too. On your blog, that is, and certainly not here. I also think the seasonal samplers idea is great!
I love your posts.... so busy and happy! What exactly is Awana?

Frazzled Farm Wife said...

I have never seen a woodpecker pecking on tin before....lol.

Anonymous said...

I just got a Birds and Blooms where they say this time of year woodpeckers are trying to attract a mate. Yours has discovered that metal amplifies his drumming. Not so dumb after all.

Really like your proposed business name. Someday hope to purchase some of your quilts as quilting is a talent I do not possess.

Donna L.

Carole Burant said...

Swat! Swat! Swat! I'm swatting all the blackflies you have in here! hehe Such a darling background, I just love it...but hate the real blackflies. Between them and the mosquitoes, we can never sit outside comfortably during the summer evenings.

Leave it to you to have a woodpecker that doesn't know he's supposed to be pecking wood, not tin! lol We have a NORMAL one, he's forever in our tree! hehe

D & T look so adorable accepting their awards at Awana...it truly does sound like a great program to be in. I had never heard of Awana until I started blogging!

Awwww look at that picture of you and your family taken soooooo many years ago...now you want to smack me, right? lol I so love looking at the clothes from back then:-)

"Seasonal Samplers"...love it!! You do such gorgeous work, just love that Halloween one.

Congratulations to your FIL...hope you all had tons of fun and a safe trip!! Love ya! xoxox

Dawn said...

What great pictures of the pesky bird! We've had one trying to eat our fake wood siding on our house, too.

The season samples will be wonderful!

Love the background - would hate the real thing! Thank the Lord we don't have that plague. You're the second Maine-er I've heard already talking about being surrounded by them when you go outside. Good thing it's a short season!

We used to get hoards of Miller moths at some point in the spring/summer. Really disgusting - especially when the cats would jump and catch them for a snack!

In case you ever want to reach me by e-mail, there is a link on my sidebar. I'll send my explanation on.

The trip to Florida sounds delightful!

Dawn said...

I forgot one more thing - I LOVE the picture of your family all dressed up for church - looks very familiar!

Alice Grace said...

Beautiful children! Sounds like they had a wonderful awards night.
Love the seasonal sampler!

palmtreefanatic said...

You have been tagged! come see!

Marcy said...

Thanks for all the great home staging ideas! I might run over to TJ Maxx today and get a cute dish and some nice soaps. No, we won't be moving too far...we live pretty far away from work and church and we just want to move closer. Currently, I am driving 45min. to an hour to get to work and church. That's too far!