Meet Sky, Cody's little sister.

She will be 2 years old this fall. Her hobbies include chasing her ball, herding Cody, chasing her ball, stealing Cody's toys, chasing her ball, getting belly rubs. She has asked for a herd of sheep to keep in line.

Sky is a wonderful mix of dog breeds including Australian Shepard. We really don't have a clue as to what breeds make up Sky, but she does have a strong herding instinct. She is smaller than Cody and weighs in around 50 pounds. Her markings resemble a German Shepard and we often refer to her as a "Carolina Shepard".

In the picture you can see the dull gray color of the grass. There were 14 days in August that the temperatures reach 100 F or above. It was easier to let the grass go into a drought dormancy than try to keep it watered. I did keep my container flowers watered in hopes of fall blooms.




This is one dahlia that managed to bloom during the one of the hottest days.

We have had several thunder storms roam through the last few days bringing relief with rain and cooler temperatures. The one yesterday afternoon brought a downpour with small hail and lots of lightning. The cable modem was off line from yesterday until this morning.










I caught this little guy searching for dinner on a Marigold.


I have a great picture of a garter snake, but I know many people do not like snakes. I won't post the picture here, but here is the link that takes you to a picture of him.


I'm working on my August BJP. Keeping with my theme of Seven, it is about the Seven Seas. Once again the idea that 'seven' is a magical or spiritual number is a major factor behind the 'Seven Seas'. Just which seas make up the magical seven depends upon the time in history as well as the location.

More about the seven seas in a few days.

More lessons learned, more to learn

July’s BJP provided several interesting lessons for me. Some I learned better than others. I think it is finished but then again it may not be. I still want to do something in the sky, but I am not sure anything more is needed. That seems to be a sign to stop.

My first page was completely covered in beads. This one I chose fabric to be part of the design. I used clear beads with colored thread for the seven colors of the rainbow. Cody had his seventh birthday in the seventh month of the seventh year of the 21st century. Cody is an all black dog. It was difficult to show any real detail with beads. I used matt black beads to outline him and to line a few details as his mouth and the curve of his back leg. He has a silver lined brown bead for his eye. His ears are two layers of beads. His favorite red ball is at his feet. He is looking up at the Rainbow bridge where all of his furry friends are waiting. I wanted to represent some of the wonderful dogs and cats I know waiting at the Rainbow Bridge. I just could not figure out a good way to do it. I still have a few ideas that might work out, but for now I am moving on to August.

I thought you might like to see how Cody deals with summer heat. We have a wading pool in the backyard. He likes to step in get a drink and then lay down. He will stick his muzzle under water and blow bubbles with his nose. He has asked Santa for a full sized pool.




Here is a close up of Cody blowing bubbles. Just as it is not easy to bead an all black dog, getting a good picture of one is hard, too.

Among my flowers

This time of year there are many baby green anoles cruising my garden.

I love watching the little lizards scrambling among the leaves looking for little bugs to snack on. The little ones seem to get used to me taking their picture. If I am lucky enough to find them two days in a row, they will stay in the open for longer periods of time.

That is a big help because I am not the fastest or best photographer around. Many times I get the little guy in the frame, focused and then as I slowly press the shutter button, they zoom away.