Images of Icy Implications

We're up to the letter "I" in our A-Z Photo Challenge, go see Martha if you'd like to join in. I hope all these variations of Ice will help cool your day off.

Incomprehensible Icicles

Insane (or Icky) Icy forest

Irreplaceable Ice cream cake with Icing - you can have a piece if you’re so Inclined

Imaginative Ice sculpture

Ice from my Ice machine

Icy cold at Iverson park

Icy waters (it would be Ignorant to go in there)

Ice cube ornament

Macro Dragonfly Study

Which one is your favorite?

Why are they called Cliff Swallows when they live under bridges?

Cliff Swallows are always so much fun to watch and I was happy to find a huge colony near home. I often swing by if I get near just to sit and watch the feeding of the babies.

Feed me!

No, feed me! Why does this baby and the one above it look different? Are they different kinds of swallows or just different stages of development?

Would you go away so I can feed my babies?

They build their nests very close together, right on top of each other even. I don’t think people would be very happy living this close.

They are amazingly quick and this is the best I could do at trying to catch one in flight.

The nests extend the entire length, from one side of the bridge to the other. I think it odd that they all chose the south side of the bridge. Only a handful made nests on the north side. I wonder why that is.  Imagine how many mosquitos we would have if not for these guys.

Careers - Then and Now

Irish Coffeehouse is looking for a new career. She would like to know what we dreamed of being and what we became. She would even like to know what we would do tomorrow if we could have any career.  Now I got a little wordy, so if you want to just catch the highlights, I have made each job in a colored font, so feel free to skim.

When I was a little girl I dreamed of being the first woman on the moon or the first woman President. I knew neither of those would ever come true but it was fun to dream. As sadly, boring, as it will sound I truly, in my heart of hearts wanted to be a wife and mother, nothing else.

I was a candy striper ages 13-17. At 16, when I could finally get a paying job, I waitressed at an Italian place called Mama Mia’s. They have long since closed and I really miss their food. But waitressing was a fun job and I have done it since and would happily do it again.

I was able to get my certified nurses aide (CNA) during my senior year of high school, in fact I graduated top of my class and received an award that I forget the name of right now. I worked in a nursing home, then on the cancer floor of a hospital, then I got married and started having my babies. And let my certification expire.

Many moons ago, I decided to go to college and started getting a degree in Medical Technology. I managed to keep a B average in my full-time schedule even with 4 children under 6 years old. I don’t imagine I’ll ever finish that because I really can’t see myself sitting looking through a microscope all day, anymore.

Throughout the years I have had various jobs but only when needed. While the kids were little I babysat and sewed displays for Wal-Mart and for a few ladies. A few years back I decided I would like to sew for people again. I got my first order - a wedding dress - after that order I decided no way was I going to do that again. I finished the dress and adjusted the dress - the lady was a size 22 who brought me a size 20 pattern to work from, uh yeah.

After my divorce I had to get a job, no ifs ands or buts, I spent several months working eBay but the solitude was too much. I put out applications and took anything I could get that would pay more than eBay, and ended up working for a TPA (third party administrator for medical insurance). I answered calls for several self-insured companies and while it was fun I looked for better pay. A legal secretary job fell in my lap and since it was $1.50 more an hour I took it. With both of these jobs I was able to be home when my kids were so it worked out well.

Within the year, Home Depot came to our town and I applied. I got hired to work in the phone center making $2 more an hour. Yippee. Of course I took the job and stayed with them almost 4 years. When I met Dennis I was the scheduler (and trainer) and I transferred to the Corpus Christi HD when we moved to Texas. My HR manager in TX really let me have more responsibility and I totally loved it there, even got offered the district trainer position.

When Dennis took the job in Wisconsin, 8 months after we moved to Texas, we decided I needed to be able to stay home with the 5 teenagers we were moving around. So, that’s how I came to be back home, a wife and a mother, albeit with a dwindling nest.

For the second part of Ms Irish’s question, if I could have any career right now I would love to be a travel photographer.

watch me grow

You may remember back in March I planted a whole slew of seeds, tomatoes, wildflowers, and various flowers (along with some cactus that have been demolished by dogs and baby). I have watered, tended and talked to my little green babies for months and now I am beginning to reap some benefits.

First I discovered the tomatoes plants were beginning to bloom. Yay, we might have tomatoes after all.

Since I planted some wildflower mixes I don’t know what all of the flowers are but I’m liking them so far. I think I have actually seen some of these in the wild. Let’s look a little closer.

I just love the fuzzies on the tomato plants.

Moss Rose is a favorite of mine and I really think it’s because my mom always had a huge pan full of them. So far I only have yellow ones, but yellow is my mom’s favorite color.

They are so delicate and frilly. The blooms are not much bigger than a quarter. So it’s really neat to see inside them like this.

Dunno what it is. But it’s pretty, no?

This is the moss rose again, but I really like it because you can see the sheen in the petals.

For quite a while before this bloom opened I feared the buds had died on the stalk. They looked kinda brown and dried up, then the next day one popped open, one more the next day, and another the next.

Our first tiny little tomato! We now have 10-15. Won’t be long now.