Wordless Wednesday... RED WHITE BLUE... Keep It Wordless!

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This week's Wordless subject...
RED * WHITE * BLUE!



Wordless Wednesday at French Lique, Texas Participants

1. The Bliss Journey 2. Angela 3. bj 4. Susan@thoughtsfromovertherainbow 5. KBeau (Kathy) 6. Sandi 7. Candy 8. dana of the stone rabbit 9. Cathy 10. Michelle@Sweet Something 11. Lynn 12. Barbara@Purple Goat Lady 13. Carol 14. Terry 15. Christine 16. Anne Fannie 17. Linda @ Seasons of Life

18. printersdevil~Felecia 19. Renee @ Cottage Lifestyle 20. Ldy ~~Dy 21. Joyce 22. Leah 23. Simlpy Heather 24. KayC 25. Beth 26. Charlotte 27. Ceekay 28. Kathy 29. Sherrie 30. Mozi Esme 31. Naomi 32. Aimee 33. Ginger~Wilmington, NC 34. Lynn's Lovelies

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Blue Monday...Morning Coffee and Hummingbirds...

Please visit Miss Smiling Sally's Blog for more Blue Monday... this Monday and every Monday! Thanks Sally... now hosting from Tampa, Florida...

A nice cup of Hazelnut Coffee on the front porch...

and a new Hummingbird feeder from Ricky...so I can Hummingbird watch up close... Wishing you a beautiful Blue Monday... and rest of the week, from down here in French Lique...

Sunday Favorites... Revisiting "The Road"...

This post was originally published on 06/25/08. I am an avid reader... though due to an eye condition, much of my reading is now listening to audio books...and I have an ever growing "to read" list that I update weekly. Rarely do I "reread" something, just because I don't have the time... maybe after retirement gets here... but then that's another story... "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy is one of those rare books that I have read twice... (read once, listened once...) If you haven't had the chance, this book is well worth the read...

Please visit Chari at Happy to Design on Sunday Morning for more Sunday Favorites...

If you haven't read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, I highly recommend that you do. I've now read it twice, which is rare for me. I have so many books on my reading list that I keep it in a spreadsheet - so I really don't have the time to re-read something, except, perhaps, a classic read from long ago. "The Road" is a masterpiece of writing; a tale of a post-apocalyptic world, and the love of a father and son as they travel "The Road". It's interesting, McCarthy's vision of this world; and heart wrenching - the complete and utter love and devotion that the father has for the son and vice-versa.

Well worth the read... and apparently a second read. Oh, and did I mention that this is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel.

Working steady to keep my brain from turning to mush... down here in... French Lique.

Oh lighten up... will ya! it's Friday in French Lique...

What a week... what a week... people in Hollywood droppin' dead left and right... Barack Obama on TV more often than Fidel Castro in the 1950's... Governors and Senators caught in compromising positions - so to speak... I think it's time to lighten up a bit... don't you?

So, for your viewing pleasure this Friday... here are a few photos of things I see in French Lique... nearly every single day... They may not be purdy, but there's no drama required...

Hummingbirds at the feeder.. okay... if you enlarge it, you'll see ONE Hummingbird... but those little buggers are fast!

an old house on Pittman Road... I like to take the "long-cut" so I can drive by it when I go to the Post Office each week...

Fried Pork chops, Okra and Tomatoes from the garden... this is Ricky's favorite meal and I try to make it for him every week when the garden is in season...

Our neighbor across the road... raises these beautiful creatures... they are Charolais Cattle... pronounced around here "Char-lay"... but I imagine the French would frown upon that...

and the flock of White Wing Dove that I feed every morning, and then watch while I drink my coffee and read your blogs..

So.. "thar ya go"... that's takin' it easy down here in French Lique...

Ya'll have a good weekend and stay cool...

Goodbye to an Angel... and to the King of Pop!

Farrah Fawcett Dies of Anal Cancer
Fawcett, 62, Was Diagnosed With Anal Cancer in 2006
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDJune 25, 2009 -- Former "Charlie's Angel" Farrah Fawcett died today at age 62 after a long struggle with anal cancer, her spokesman told media organizations.

Farrah's swimsuit poster made her an icon in the 1970s. This is the poster... I think every male under the age of 30 in 1976, had this poster hanging on a wall somewhere in his domain. I know my "soon to be" husband had it... hanging in his bedroom. It never bothered me though.. because she was beautiful, and you'd had to have been blind not to notice that in 1976. (Did I mention I had Farrah Hair in the late 1970's?... Yep... I had Farrah Hair... and I loved it!)

She was also a Texas gal... from Corpus Christi on the Gulf Coast... and a Catholic. I liked her when she was one of "Charlie's Angels" (she made me want to be a ditzy blond private eye)... but the performance I liked her best in was "The Burning Bed"... I had read the book prior to the movie coming out. Usually, the movie can't hold a candle to the book for me, but her performance was so amazing...

Her interviews in the past 10-years didn't help her image any. At times, she was almost incoherent... slurring speech... mind wandering... and that was before being diagnosed with cancer. One thing she always was... beautiful.

It was painful to watch her last interview... you could see that she didn't have long. Losing Farrah is like the end of an era... She really was a very special gal... She was, and always will be, an Angel... Happy Trails Farrah...

and then there's this... holy cow!

Michael Jackson, the world-famous pop star, was pronounced dead after suffering a cardiac arrest on Thursday afternoon. He was 50.

Jackson died after slipping into a coma while at the hospital, according to reports. The official cause of death has not been announced.

I was never a big Michael Jackson fan... though he was an incredible talent... What a tragic life he lead... his passing is sudden and unexpected... and so it goes... Hopefully he will find peace now.

This photo of Michael is how I prefer to remember him... Goodbye Michael.. you were a Thriller...

Origami Art...

Because you all enjoyed my WW photos... I thought I'd share a few more with you. These art pieces are from an origami art contest at the Hirchhorn Museum in Washington DC held in 2007. I think they are amazing and beautiful. I hope you enjoy...

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stilt houseballerina
bridal gown
man climbingfootprints
castle

(note: this is in a room...not on a table. It's huge!)
falling leaves
saving man
falling skeleton man
thinking skeleton man

and that's what I'm thinking about down here in French Lique...

Wordless Wednesday...Bloggers Choice!...Keep it Wordless!

If you'd like to join Wordless Wednesday, link your WORDLESS post below.

If you find your link removed from Wordless Wednesday, please read the instructions Here, prior to reposting.

This week's Wordless subject...

Blogger's Choice....

Wordless Wednesday at French Lique, Texas Participants

1. Jo 2. Candy 3. Nancy@MyCraftyLittlePage 4. Aimee 5. Becky 6. Kathy 7. Debbie @...Plate Addict 8. Sue@sullivan&murphy 9. Ita @Something To Share 10. dana of the stone rabbit 11. Barbara@PurpleGoat Lady 12. Diane - Four Paws and Co 13. Karen @ Nittany Inspirations 14. Michelle@Sweet Something 15. Lazy Mom Amanda 16. gee 17. Marjorie...Molly 18. Dawn 19. Terry 20. Linda @ Seasons of Life

21. KayC 22. Chandy 23. Anne Fannie 24. kitti 25. Ginger 26. Renee @ Cottage Lifestyle 27. Laura @ White Spray Paint 28. momma 29. Joan@How to be a Housewife 30. Simply Heather 31. Smiling Sally 32. Charlotte 33. Cindy 34. Tee 35. Sherrie 36. Lynns Lovelies 37. Joyce 38. Jane (Blondie) 39. Ann

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Goodnight Ed... and Goodbye...

Ed McMahon, 86 years old, a television pioneer who warmed "The Tonight Show" couch for nearly 30 years as Johnny Carson's jovial sidekick and announcer, died today.

Me and My Shadow.... Metamorphosis Monday...

Metamorphosis Monday is hosted by Susan ... If you'd like to see more of Metamorphosis Monday participants, link here to visit Between Naps on the Porch...

I've had this wall art piece for a couple of months... I bought it for my home office from Wilson Graphics Etsy Shop... Now, the reason for this purchase was...

it made me think about how shadows are often so much larger than the thing they are a shadow of...and in my office... I have a baby... that perhaps dreams, that someday, he will grow up...and be a big boy... but for now... he'll have to resign himself to knowing that, his shadow reflects the metamorphosis of the big boy chandy he will become someday... down here in French Lique...

and a note about the chandy shadow... I completely forgot to take photos of it's installation... I followed the directions supplied by Wilson Graphics very carefully... and though, due to it's large size, it was a little cumbersome for one person to install it alone, once I got going, I found it pretty easy to do. It does take a while... with all the little "crystal" pieces, which have a tendency to want to stay on the paper you peel off... I used my Martha Stewart boning tool... and with a little patience and care... Voila'! I would highly recommend Wilson's products... I've bought others and been disappointed, but no disappointment here! I love it!

Daddy's Girl... Revisited... Sunday Morning Favorites...

This post was originally published on 06/18/08, on another blog that I post to for family. I suppose when we lose our parents, it always leaves an emptiness, regardless how old, or how young we are... Revisiting Father's Day and My Dad...

Please visit Chari at Happy to Design on Sunday Morning for more Sunday Favorites...

and a Happy Father's Day to all the Daddys out there giving their children love and security... and wings.. Thanks Daddy.

This is my Dad. He died when I was 21 years old. He was 46. That was in 1976, 32 years ago. It dawned on me today, that I have been without my Dad longer than I was with him.

That fact led me to wonder why it is that I still miss him? Why I always think of him at birthdays, holidays, Father's Day. Why I wish he were still here when I have a problem and need some advice? Thirty-two years is a long time.

That's him... showing off his fish - one of his favorite sports. And with that big King Edward cigar hanging out of his mouth. He was an outdoorsman that loved hunting and fishing of any kind. He was a muscian who loved to play the guitar and sing Eddie Arnold and Jim Reeves songs on the front porch of the farmhouse.

He was tough, and tender. Angry, selfish - Fun and generous. On my 18th birthday, he gave me a beautiful card wishing me the happiest of 18th birthdays. On the inside he had written, "18 years ago today was one of the happiest days of my life". That was my Dad. I still have that card.

He was a complex man. He had a hard life, and in turn, did not make life easy for those that he loved. He never quite found happiness, and he left his children still searching for that elusive happiness after he died. Some of us found it, and some of us still search.

I loved him. I was "Daddy's Girl".
Happy Father's Day Daddy. I miss you.

Cloche Party... I just couldn't resist!

I tried so hard to resist... but I couldn't... Marty's Cloche Party just called my name... after seeing several of my favorite blogger's party post... well... I got my camera out and took a couple of photos of my one and only cloche... it's old... I've had it for 20-years...
It sits in my office on a bookshelf... housing a pair of S&P birdie shakers and two little mice from France... next to my vellum covered books, a fleur de lis book end and a mercury candle votive filled with scrolls of French books pages...

My little birdies came from Marshalls... and my little mice... vintage find from France... they are one of my favorite things... I paid $4 for them...

Well dear friends... that's all the cloche-ing for today... from down here in French Lique...

Fresh from the Farm... down here in French Lique...

I don't know about you.. but one of my favorite things to eat in the summer is homegrown tomatoes. Like these, sliced just right... all you need is a little salt and pepper and a fork!

Ricky "picks" the garden every evening... right now... mostly tomatoes and okra... he loves fried okra... Ricky "picks"... I wash... dry and wipe off... then sort... the okra gets refrigerated in a "green bag" until we have a "mess enough to cook"...

The tomatoes get set aside in an open cardboard box to continue to ripen...

and after Donna's comment below, about freezing tomatoes... I had to show you this photo... when we get too many ripened, and we've given some to everyone on our list... I freeze them whole by laying on a baking sheet in the freezer, then pop them individually into freezer bags... for use later... when tomatoes are out of season... great for use in cooking anything calling for canned tomatoes! and this past weekend... it was time to harvest the potatoes...
This is about 150-pounds of Irish Potatoes... Ricky's favorite...
He was quite proud of these big fellas... so he measured them...
and he photographed them... so he could show the boys at work... and now they're laying out to dry for a few days... then they'll be put into burlap feed sacks and stored under the house till it comes time to eat...
My Ricky... he's a pretty darn good farmer... amongst other things...

down here in French Lique...