Rohling Studios

Vacations, Holidays, Family ETC ETC ETC

   It is Sunday afternoon.  The holiday is over.  My daughter and her family are on their way home.  The vacation is over.  Everything is quiet except my mind.  It jumps from one thought to another.  Snapshots of the last month keep clicking through my head.  I went to San Diego to celebrate the birthdays of my son and grandson.  They were born on the same day in June.  Ben as usual put a lot of thought into it and the time and it was great.  San Diego is a wonderful city!  I love the weather!...and the Ocean!

We spent much of our time by the water.

 

Flocks of pelicans are not something we see here in Wisconsin.  What a thrill!  It is not unusual to see seagulls  because we live on Lake Michigan.  However, in all my years of living here I have NEVER seen a seagull nesting!  So I have to kind of wonder where they nest around here.  I caught this one just as she was sitting back down to keep keeping her babies warm

The sky was full of birds and other things....

The ocean had a few sites we don't see here either....

But the best things that were in San Diego are right here...

the hands of my son holding his son's hands!  That is the very best thing in the whole city of San Diego!  They playfully refer to this little guy as "The Beast"!  It is funny when you see him because he is the farthest cry from a beast....he is sweet and beautiful...but the nickname has stuck.  He will probably be forever nicknamed "The Beast" or maybe "B" for short. 

The day after my return my daughter and her tribe came in from Arkansas.  To say the least I have been spoiled by my children for the last month.  Pictures will be forthcoming!  Of course they will have to be limited to little fingers and little toes but that's ok....pictures will follow none the less. 

Dad

I wanted to get this out for Father's Day but I was in California with my son celebrating his first Father's Day.  So here it is...a little bit late but here none the less.

Dad

He was tall (a gene inherited by my first son, Paul).

He had a laugh and a wide grin.  (My middle son, Ben, inherited that.

He had curly hair when he let it grow a bit. 

He smoked a pipe and smoke curled around his head as he read the newspaper.

He always walked faster than me and I would run along side of him as he held my hand…afraid that if I didn’t keep up he would let go.  He had a long stride.

He loved to watch wrestling…the early days of wrestling when the wrestlers had names like “Gorgeous George”.  Wrestling made him laugh.

He got a twinkle in his eye when he was teasing.

He liked nice things but he didn’t have to have them.

He always wanted to live in a cabin in the woods.

He carved beautiful birds from pieces of wood.  He quit carving them because too many people wanted them.

He didn’t question anything except himself.

   

He loved my mother, wrote her notes and brought her roses all the time.

He didn’t believe girls should go hunting. He loved to go hunting.

He liked to read.

He taught me to play chess when I was very young.

He could never sit and talk after dinner.  He was always the first one up from the table and he had a compulsion to scrub the dishes before he put them in the dishwasher.

He left work promptly at five o’clock every week night. 

He slept in the passenger seat when he took me driving.  Occasionally he would wake up to say, “You had about a coat of paint between you and that car”.  Then he would go back to sleep.

He made maps as a Marine during WWII and was stationed in Hawaii.

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He grew a mustache and kept it for the majority of his life.

He could sing!  Oh, he could sing!

He loved his mother.

He wrote wonderful letters.

He didn’t like it if someone messed up his hair.

He liked to cook and bake bread.

He was sentimental.

He loved babies and his grandchildren.

He was ticklish.

He was a strong swimmer

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He liked rocks and could tell you lots of things about them…like what kind they were, how they were formed and what kinds of fossils were in them.

He was a real family man.

He loved to take us all for a “drive” on Sunday afternoons.

He was “the best” with an outdoor grill! 

He was handsome.

He liked dogs.  So much that he bought one when mom was in the hospital recovering from surgery.

He wasn’t afraid to do housework when it needed doing.    `

He collected stamps.

He blew his nose very loudly and we laughed every time.

He always filled the gas tank, washed the windows and, cleaned the windshield wiper blades.

He liked to play cards on hot summer Sunday afternoons, drink beer and have a shot or two.

He made us go to mass every Sunday morning. 

He woke us up for school every morning and dropped us off for mass (yes, mass before school….everyday) on his way to work.

He loved scary movies and he hated them at the same time.

He took us for our yearly flu shots.

He was scared of bees and spiders but he was brave when you needed him to be.

He took a long time getting ready in the bathroom.

He wore wool socks. 

He had tons of cotton handkerchiefs folded in his handkerchief drawer.  He blew his nose very loudly. 

He was very Catholic.

He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when he was 62.

He has been gone for 12 years.

I miss my Dad.

Paul and Peter Rabbit

ARRRRGGGGGGGGGG!  I just typed my whole entry and then it disappeared!!!!  So I won't be as wordy this time around....more pics instead...Sunday Paul and Laura and I went to the new Indiana Jones movie.  I loved it!!!!  Laura sat on the edge of her seat most of the movie!  It was as fun to watch her as it was to watch the show.  Afterward we went back to their home and sat on the porch.  It is a second floor porch and Jimmie (seen above being loved on by Paul) thinks it is his MANOR.  There is not a worry that Jimmie will jump up on the railing, bark at anyone or stick his head through the bars.  He is the world's best mannered dog!  Paul is very good with plants so the porch is lovely.  There are hanging pots...

and pots on ledges......

He is very good at mixing flowers that I would never think of mixing together...

It must be the artist in him....

 

He has the green thumb that I don't have!

  (I just love these!)

It is here that Jimmie spends time on his chaise....never jumping up on the railing...never knocking over a pot or disturbing a flower....

It is here that the story changes!!!!

I have a very large maple tree in my yard.  I also have two mischievous dogs...well...one more so than the other!  Because of the shade and the dog activity in my yard I have to reseed a part of it every now and then.  This happens to be another one of those years.  I bought rabbit fencing to keep them out and that worked until Jimmie visited and showed them how to jump the fence.  (Something he would never do at home.)   This year Paul built the rabbit fencing to be two stories tall so that no jumping would happen while the grass is seeding.

Lanterns were hung to make it appear more foreboding and even an orange electric cord was added to  emphasize the danger of jumping the fence.  (Note Gus sniffing the border as if this were the Berlin Wall!)  Below you see Rosie respecting the three week boundary.

And then you see Gus checking to see if I see him....

He decides I cant see him and proceeds to pull a Peter Rabbit stunt....

And under he goes!!!

He pulls his back legs through last; while checking to see if he has been spotted.

Yep!  I caught him!!!  the head goes down...and he acts like he is invisible.  I think of Peter Rabbit and Mr McGregor.  He scampers back to the fence and Rosie lets him know he was busted!

She is really barking at him like she is his mother as he pulls himself through!!!  Both of us lecture her and talk in low firm tones.  He looks very innocent and sorry.  The next day when I catch him...this is his exodus shot!

I again let him know how disappointed I am.  He tells me he is sorry but that he can't guarantee that he will not do it again. 

ooooooooooooOOOOOOOOO  there are some scarey looking clouds coming and the wind has picked up so I'm signing off and getting my dogs away from the electric rods I have as a fence!!!  (As I close there is an ominous roll of thunder and Gus is running for the door!)

Thanksgiving

 

It is the week of Thanksgiving already!  How can that possibly be?  Sometimes I wish I could slow time down or get a few do overs!  That's not a comfortable feeling.  I am happy to say I will be taking some time off of work to enjoy my family this week.  I have missed them!  There is so much to be grateful for this year.....difficult, unhappy, or disappointing moments make me recognize when I need to make time to slow down and think about the good things.

It is easy to feel like a teenager on the other end of life...I don't know where to go from here....or what I want to do when I grow up!  But...I am reminding myself that life doesn't always have to go the way I plan it....I just need to bounce with it and remind myself that there is so much to be thankful for.   

   

Happy Thanksgiving!  If you are reading this...you are probably one of the things on my gratefulness list for right now!

It's That Apple Picking Time Again!

Now and then I like to get into my truck and drive without a destination...to go nowhere special...to see what the day has to offer...to head out without an arrival point or time that is set in stone....And....South Eastern Wisconsin is a beautiful place to explore.  After steering down a few back roads I found myself HERE!

I couldn't resist the urge to check it out.  My truck almost turned into the drive all by itself.   I have been taught since I was a child that the apple was the downfall of Adam...it is irresistible!....you DO know that don't you?  Didn't Snow White even have that problem?  And what drove Johnny Appleseed to wander around in bare feet with a sack of said seeds to plant.  (I have loved that man since I was a child!!!  There is something about a person who ambles around trying to leave the world a better place!)  So......who could blame me for stopping at this colorful invitation by the side of the road,  "Brightonwoods Orchard Established in 1950"?  I had to take these pictures to share this place with you!....Drive in with me and visit their charming grounds! 

 

Pumpkins and apples and autumn seem to go hand in hand!

Isn't this the most charming tree-house?  The flag boasts Bucky Badger!

 

My grandmother had an apple orchard.  She loved to tell a story about trying to locate me in the branches somewhere.  She would chuckle as she pretended to be calling to me....walking through the orchard and cocking her head to follow a little voice yelling back, "I'm up HERE, Grandma!" 

My children share my love of apple orchards.  When summer turned to autumn we always made a trip to the apple orchard where they each picked a bag of apples.  It was followed by a hay ride to "the back forty" where they collected acorns.  We all sat on the ground that was getting cooler with the change of seasons.  We'd sample an apple or two from their bags on the walk back through the orchards. And they tumbled into the car with rosey red cheeks that foretold of the cold winter to come.

I left Brightonwoods Orchards with a bag full of apples...memories that made me smile inside, and with plans to bake an apple cobbler for my neighbors. I was still thinking of my grandmother looking up at me, smiling with relief at finding me in one of her apple trees!

I drove home contented as my truck was shadowed in cornfield after cornfield as I enjoyed a sunset and Wisconsin scenery.

Some days it feels like.."It doesn't get any better than this!"

I Found This Old Truck Yesterday -International L-120 Series

Isn't this the coolest old truck???  Some of you already know that I can not pass up an opportunity to photograph very spiffed up cars and trucks...or very rusty old ones.  Instead of just putting up the photos I used Slide to make a slide show with the old movie filter.  My favorite shot is the rearview mirror that shows the reflection of the trees in the car window!....a reflection of a reflection of a reflection!!!  Is it me... or would you like to take a nice fall day and revisit all the wooded backroads those hubcaps were through?    I hope the engine in my little red truck holds up long enough for me to drive it around when it is this old....for that matter I sure hope I hold up that long!  I LOVE my little red truck!

Stashes O'Stuff

Did you ever notice how some people just don't appreciate your art supplies, (stash of sewing stuff, piles of material, wood, books or metals) in quite the same way you do? 

I get questions like, "Why do you need so much green?".  I'm sure the shock that registers on my face when I am asked a question like that...can not even be read by the person who would even ask it.  I love tubes  and bottles and jars and pens and markers and spools and reams of color!  I even love the dried up palettes after a project is done.  I have to admit that I love a small stack of threads of many colors after snipping the finished edges of something I have sewn.  Yes...I throw it out but I have to tell you that I like it.  I LOVE COLOR!  What do you keep a stash of?  Send your pictures and your url and I will try to post as many as I can...Send me a jpeg of your color collection!  Be sure to tell me a little bit about yourself so I can share you, your work and your stash!

Maybe they are even small stashes....a stash of crayons is always a good thing!

Don't even get me started on material!!!

Mosquitoes Are For The Birds

Here ya go.....proof positive that the mosquito situation here has "gone to the birds".  Lake Debby in my neighbor's backyard finally dried up to hatch swarms of mosquitoes.  It is so bad I can't even let the dogs out for more than brief necessary breaks!  We all hurry from the driveway to the house hoping to prevent nasty little welts everywhere!  This is Racine County Wisconsin.....better known as the home of Johnson Wax...and....do you think I can find a can of YARD GUARD anywhere???  I'm sure it is a pretty popular product with all the rain we've had.   Guess what the weatherman is predicting for the weekend....yep....more rain!  I never thought I'd say it but a snap of freezing weather might be a good for something right about now.

Coming up for Air

No little clup clup sound of these precious little feet on floor....

No little salty little sweaty heads to kiss goodnight after a wonderful day....

No toys, puzzles and trains all over the floor...

No little potty chair in my bathroom...

No more little enchanting little statements and questions (Like..."Gramma, this is a little bitty tiny rock...soon it will grow up to be big like this one!"...as my grandson holds a big rock and a small stone.....or "Oh my, I can't believe my thoughts!")....

No one to appreciate the bonfires ("Make it big again, Gramma")....

However, I am back at work.  I hit the road running  needing to fit clients in during the next three days.  After that I hope to spend some time posting some of my new work and creating more.  My creative side is yearning for some time to get out and at it!  I have loved this summer so far! 

I am overlooking Lake Debby...which occurs at least once a year in the neighbor's yard adjacent to my back yard).  I can see the reflection of the red barn behind it.  We have had a record amount of rainfall this week.  The grass needs to be cut but we haven't had a rainfree day to do it!   There will be much to do this weekend and I know there will be time made for posting...

Enjoy your week!

Black Pansies

Have you ever seen anything like this?!  I have always loved pansies and violets.  I thought I had planted every color pansie there is and then I found this one!!!  I can't even think of another flower that has black petals.   It really caught my eye.  Sure hope it makes it through the winter...(actually,with as much time I put into my flowers... I sure hope it makes it through the summer!) 

  When we got our first house I spent a great deal of time planting "posies" with my grand-mother-in-law.  She was a wise old Danish lady with lots of knowledge under her belt and we shared a love of pansies.  She always managed to find her way to the side of the house when she was visiting and would nip the flowers off the plants.  We had an onrunning friendly arguement over just how early to pick the blossoms off.  Yet, every spring we would be back out there planting more.  Then "Grandma" got Alzheimers and she told me, "Don't cry for me when I die because I NEVER wished to be old".  I told her that was ridiculous because I knew how much I would miss her.  It was December when she passed away.  That night there was a howling snow storm that lasted into the next day.  The next morning when we were pulling into our driveway snow was everywhere except for one small patch on the front side of the garage.  In that very small clearing was one blossoming pansie that wasn't there the day before!  It was a breathtaking purple blossom surrounded in snow!  I can not believe anything else other than it was a "message" from Grandma.