Care Package from the Loveliest of Brothers.

Thank you, Carter, for always thinking of me and mine, and sending us goodies galore!! If it wasn't for your care packages, we wouldn't have ever tried so many things!

Get your act together, Walmart.

Old House Plans

I was feeling all nostalgic, and decided to draw out the plan of the house I was born into,  and grew up in, up till we moved when I was 15. 

19 Hup Choon Kang, Jalan Kluang, Batu Pahat, Johor.

It was a rented house, with an upstairs and downstairs, part wooden and part concrete.  Up till the time I was about 13, all 4 kids slept in the same room as my parents.  We all slept on mattresses on the floor, ( no space for beds, I suppose ), and some of the mattresses would be rolled up in the morning after we got up. There were only 2 bedrooms upstairs and my grandparents and an unmarried aunt took up the other.  When I turned 13 and my older sister turned 15, a small area was sectioned off upstairs to become our bedroom with bunk beds put in. 

It seems somewhat surreal to me that these memories will be gone when my older sister and I are gone, because the two younger ones have been possibly too young to remember this house much.

A Selfie

Just because I know that the day will come when I regret having been so self conscious with such low ( outward appearance ) self esteem that I never took more pics of myself.

Countryside Savagery Part II

This time it's Praying Mantis vs I-don't-even-know-what, on the netting that tries to keep Grasshoppers out of The Fig Bush.

Countryside Savagery

Oh, just watching a Garden Spider help in his miniscule-ly tiny way, to try and help keep the Grasshopper population in check. ( not. )

New Levels of Misery Unlocked.

 

This Week's Flowers

courtesy of the lubby hubby.

We have a 10th Grader in our midst!

Baby Cucumbers

 It's always exciting to see this. Hope it gets to "come to fruition".

The Homestead.

Thought I'd  might as well use the Panorama feature on my phone.

"Outback" as it is, I love this place.

Summer in Texas

Yes, we have THIS to look forward to, all summer, and even beyond. 😣

Such are the Perils of Summer at the Homestead.

Happiness is..

Female, Potentially Successfully Pollinated Cucumber Flowers.

The Bee on/and Sunflower Series

 

Bougainvillea Love on my Mom's 80th Birthday

My mom used to have soooo many different colors of Bougainvillea lined up against the front of our house, displayed in ornate Chinese pots. Her collection was her pride and joy, and would not hesitate to ask for a cutting if she noticed one in a color she didn't yet have. 

We have ONE plant here, in honor of my mom, in a way. It has had a hard time with the grasshoppers, but this year I have tried to place it where it would be harder for them to do it harm.

It looks to have worked. They are finally flowering again after goodness knows how many years.

Seeing them trying to flower against the odds makes my heart full.

Sunset Love

I always marvel at the very idea that the hubs ( ackheloi, his brother ) found this place.  It is ever so lovely; surrounded by pasture and neighbors with horses.

And it has the most wondrous sky, be it at sunrise, sunset, and all times in between.

Workmen on our Road

My curiosity is piqued. Maybe the hubs could call the neighbors and ask, "What's up over at y'all's place?".

Monstrous Munching Machines

The Grasshoppers came, exploded exponentially in numbers year after year, and it looks like they will continue to do so until the Last of Us are gone.

Yes, they only die off / hide away in the Wintertime. 

*&!@#$% beasts.

The "Indoor" Plants

Because of the horrendous grasshoppers, we have had to just keep plants indoors in a place with windows for sunlight and ventilation.

They have been doing well, which is heartening.

I have kept the bougainvillea outside at a higher area, though, and so far the grasshoppers haven't hopped up to where it is yet. 

When they DO start to do that though, it will be time to pop the bougainvillea indoors.

Funnel Cloud

This was a summer cloud trying very hard to freak us out by pretending to be something way more ominous.

Backyardigans

We have wildlife in our back yard, side yards, and front yard. This can be a good thing because it is always lovely to be close to nature....but it can be a bad thing if they destroy your crops/garden.

#perksofcountrylife #perilsofcountrylife.

Such a Pretty Wildflower

This isn't a type of wildflower I see much of out here.  

And although it's pretty, apparently it can be quite the pest.

Just Google Hedge Bindweed.

Time to get a new Bar Stool Chair Thing

Living in a little RV makes you have to improvise and try to make the most of the small living space that you have. My little workstation nook requires a Bar Stool to be the proper height to do any work at. 

The one that I have had broke once and the neighbor helped us weld it back together. That did the trick for quite a while.  Alas, it has broken again.  Time to look for a new one.

Yes, I caved.

I have actually only seen the first season, but thought I'd see how I might look, all beautified and whatnot.

Ah, to be young and slim, I can only wish.

Thunderstorms and Scary Skies

These pictures will speak for themselves just how intimidating the skies can get here, especially when we've actually had tornadoes touch down not that far from us.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia, where most of the rest of my family still reside......