Virginia Creeper Moth

I want this to be a Virginia Creeper Moth but I think it is really a Pandora Sphinx Moth. Johanna, Audri and I were coming back from a hot, breathless walk this evening and found the little guy on one of my house plants, outside for the summer. He is in camouflouge but my eyes are being trained to see "nature" and he caught my eye.

When we lived up to Orient, we used to have Lunar moths come visit our 4 o'clock flowers. They are a big moth and their little wings beat a million times a minute, just like a hummingbird. In fact, we thought they were hummers for the longest time.

Oh, I want this to be a Virginia Creeper Moth just because I like the name . . . we have Virginia Creeper vine growing around our yard.

ANTICIPATION

Wow, a vacation. Working vacation but am looking forward to it. Sometime Sunday we will head for III, pick up some tools and the trailer and head for II. After we put the cement footings down to stop the cabin from settling, which it did, we found that the porch was still settling and pulling away from the cabin. So, we will prop up the porch roof, tear off the old porch and rebuild with pressure treated lumber. The old barn boards have been on there 20 or 30 years and really no sign of rotting, and if I can get them off without tearing them up, we may try to re-use them just for the ambiance. This will all be work, but fun work as we will have 5 days to complete this project. Will let you know later how this all worked out.
Boi

It is that time of year

1925, southern Union County, IA. The Wilson's got together. That is my g.grandfather George Washington Wilson and his (2nd) wife, Mary Willis Wilson. They had 7 children but only after Geo W had 7 children with his first wife. I think that may be my Grandmother Austin, nee Mattie Jane Wilson, front row, first person.

My dad, your Gramps, would have been 11 years old in 1925 but as you see, this picture was for adults only. Doesn't old George Washington Wilson remind you just a bit of your Gramps? George dubba was 88 years old in this picture and he went on to live a couple more years. Mary Willis Wilson was 70 years old here and died at age 82. Gramma Austin, Mattie Jane, was only 35 years old, the mother of 5 living children and two lost little souls. She had two more children after this.

This weekend the Hofmeister's get together. We'd better take some photos so that in another 80 years, descendents will be admiring our photos.

Cottage Garden

this garden, above, is Barbara Zellweger's. Isn't it beautiful? Himself and I took Granny up to look at all the wonderful flowers.

This is my little cottage garden. It is starting to take shape but it has a long way to go to equal Barbara's. I'm not discouraged tho and now I have lots of new ideas!

1 Lucky Woman

Himself is a talented man. He can smoke meat, meat good enough to win contests! Meat tender enough to fight for and to die for (tho I don't like that expression)!

He has, in the past, smoked an excellent brisket or two, chicken and pork loins on the old charcoal smoker at Too and it is always good eating! Then he got to smoking babyback ribs on the gas grill here at home and each time, I thought they were better than the last -- couldn't get any better! But Himself wasn't satisfied. He said on the gas grill, the meat wasn't cooking slow enough so he went out and got this baby. This is his new home boy smoker. This is a "non-professional" model. It is a beaut! And so are those tender, juicy babybacks that just came up out of that smoker this afternoon. Mmmm umm mmmm!