Celebrate!

The month of June brings a day of celebration for me. It’s the month of my birth. Before my birthday, which has now passed, I began thinking about how I wanted to celebrate. A friend of mine, Sandra, recently wrote about her birthday celebration on her blog Reflections and Nature. I know she’d love for you to stop by and read about her day and see a little of the beauty of Switzerland. That got me to thinking about my upcoming birthday.

I spend most of my birthdays alone. Now, before you get sad about that, understand that I enjoy being alone. I enjoy being by myself on my birthday, at least during the day. Jerry is home for dinner and the evening. My birthday began with breakfast which I ate outside. I read a while, but then got the urge to go somewhere. I think I was influenced by Sandra’s scenic walk!

I gathered a book, a couple of magazines, my camera, and my binoculars; then headed to a park near the Arkansas River. Oh, and I stopped by and got my favorite lunch; fried chicken strips, tator tots, and a biscuit. Not healthy, but it was my birthday and I was celebrating!

I had a wonderful afternoon, listening to the river rushing by! We’ve had a lot of rain recently and the river was high and fast. I saw a red-winged blackbird, ducks, a blue heron, and various other more common birds. They kept up a constant chorus around me mixed with the chattering of squirrels and the laughter of children. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. It is a tradition that we go out to eat to celebrate birthdays. On Sunday Jerry and I enjoyed a wonderful Mexican meal with our son and his family.

I was wondering how you celebrate your birthday? Do you make plans or have traditions or are you open to spontaneity? 

Scene & Story May 2017

The month of May was a busy month with family times, beautiful garden strolls, and road trips. Needless to say I took a lot of pictures, but as I looked back through them one stood out above the others. It was taken at Springfield Botanical Gardens in a section which included the oldest cabin in Springfield, barns, a kitchen, a granary, and a one-room schoolhouse. The buildings weren't open the day I was there, but steps had been provided under the windows so you could peek inside. As I stood there with my face pressed to the window of the schoolhouse, memories flooded through me. First, memories of a scared little girl as she walked into a classroom on the first day of first grade and then memories of a smiling little girl as she met friends and fell in love with her teacher. The little girl was me and my first grade classroom looked much like this one. It was not a one-room schoolhouse nor did we have slates to write on. but my classroom did have desks, book shelves, and a world globe just like these. What really stirred my memories were the books scattered about. I remember some of these books like the one on the lower right desk, Someday Soon. I read that book. In fact, I have a copy of that book. Since I didn't go to kindergarten or day school, the first grade was where I learned to read. I still remember the excitement of learning to read simple words.

Run Spot.

Run, run, run.

Oh, oh, oh.

Funny, funny Spot.

In case you don't know, Spot was a dog belonging to Dick and Jane in a series of school readers. While there are many memories of my first grade, learning to read was the best!

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I'm linking today with Scene & Story hosted

by Sarah and Lee.

Join us each month as we choose a photo and tell a story.

A Walk in the Park

This past weekend Jerry and I were in Springfield Missouri for a National Street Rod Show. While searching online for a motel, I discovered that Springfield has a botanical garden. Since it was just a couple of miles from the hotel we chose, I talked Jerry into dropping me off while he went to get our truck registered for the event. He was reluctant to drop me off at a strange place in a strange town, but I assured him I would be fine. I was more than fine. I had the most wonderful afternoon strolling through the garden which covered over 100 acres with 26 themed areas. I knew my time was limited so I planned my route through the garden with three specific sections I wanted to see . . . the butterfly house, the lake, and the Japanese garden.

I was surprised that I was able to stroll through most of the garden areas. I only missed a couple of small ones on the other side of the lake.

Butterfly House

Drummond Lake

Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden

I blogged about the Japanese Garden over at Focusing On Life this week. I would love for you to hop over there and read about it. There were winding paths, three small lakes, water cascades, a ceremonial teahouse, a moon bridge, and a meditation garden. The 7.5 acre traditional Japanese Garden was my favorite section. 

The rest of the pictures are random shots throughout the garden.

Well, here's my ride, I need to go!

I hope you enjoyed this quick look at Springfield Botanical Gardens!