There Are No Words...

Do not stand at my grave and weep,



I am not there, I do not sleep.


I am in a thousand winds that blow,


I am the softly falling snow.


I am the gentle showers of rain,


I am the fields of ripening grain.


I am in the morning hush,


I am in the graceful rush


Of beautiful birds in circling flight,


I am the starshine of the night.


I am in the flowers that bloom,


I am in a quiet room.


I am in the birds that sing,


I am in each lovely thing.


Do not stand at my grave and cry,


I am not there. I do not die.

~ Mary Elizabeth Frye.

In Remembrance

Alone Again...Naturally...

Edited to add:

I love you all..thank you for the sweet comments. Please forgive me for being so silly and selfish and self absorbed. I think that the last 3 weeks of busy-ness and being so tired have taken their toll on me! And yes sweet Chris, part of it is MENOPAUSE! *laugh*

I promise I will become more regular at posting and do more visiting as well. I fully understand people not leaving comments. I DO I swear. I do the same things I am afraid. : (

I guess that, after almost 3 years of blogging, I was beginning to think I had worn thin on people.

But I love all of you and love what blogging has brought to my life. I am thankful for you, for it.

God Bless you all. See you on Tuesday!

...as a child of the 60s and 70s, so many things remind me of song lyrics from that era. Anyone else remember the song in the post title? *smile* Yes, I have been a naughty bloggy friend and not visited as I would like to. These past 3 weeks have been crazy and this weekend is no exception. I have so many photos and postings to share with you all. But I must pop in and say something. I am beginning to feel quite alone here of late. Maybe it's just the Summer funks for me or whatever but I find myself wondering if I should continue blogging. I seem to be losing visitors by the handful these days and so many old friends don't drop by like they used to. Maybe I am just tired and cranky and menopausal (probably!). I may not "give the people what they want" so no one cares anymore. *shrug* I dunno...maybe I am just feeling sorry for myself.

That's probably it huh?

Bloggy World has given me far more than I ever expected or deserved...new and oh so dear friends, a new found joy in the world of photography and a chance to express myself a bit from time to time. I treasure these things.

I am at my brother's this weekend, staying with my nephew while they are away. It has been a wild weekend of high school tours and birthday parties and my Mom is still not feeling as she should so that is a huge concern for me. I hope to be back blogging regularly by Tuesday and, even if I am just talking to myself, I think I will be here. I always did talk to myself anyhoo.

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend...Summer is officially here!

This Memorial Day, take a moment to pause and remember all of the men and women of our Armed Forces, past and present, who unconditionally give of themselves for us.

Then go grill a burger or two...

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q, who will get over her funk soon

In Our Hearts

In the United States, today is Memorial Day. This day is often considered to be the *unofficial* kick off of the Summer season. There will be family picnics and children happily splashing in swimming pools. Some couples will go fishing, others, to the beach. Many folks will use the day to plant flowers and some will catch the new movie blockbuster. No matter how you choose to spend your day, please try to take a moment to remember the men and women, of every nation, who fought and died to preserve freedom around the globe.

Weekend Shenanigans

I hope your weekend has been a sweet one. We started ours on Saturday morning with a visit to Rolandia Miniature Golf Course.

Grace and her BFF, The beautiful Ms. K. What better way to cool yourself on a warm day than a Water War! There was the sweetest Mama and Papa Mallard living right in the middle of the golf course. Their little ones seemed happy and healthy and I just had to get a few shots of them!

You first...no, YOU first...noooo...YOU first... Sssh...come on. She will never know we left.... Surf's Up!

And then we said goodbye.... On Sunday we enjoyed a wonderful sermon at our church and had a delicious brunch at The First Watch, one of our favorite spots. Grace and I LOVE their omelets and fresh fruit. Mom had the spinach Eggs Benedict which looked amazing. Bill usually gets their cranberry pecan pancakes. Yummy! After eating all that great food, we headed over to Cox Arboretum, where we met some friends for walk through the park.Our Grace with the lovely Ms. N. This is Zipp....he is a highly trained Border Collie who lives in and works for the Metro Parks. He keeps the geese at bay, never hurting them, so there is little to no problem with those lovely creatures. Zipp is amazing to watch. He is also a love...he had lots of down time on this day, so was making sure that each of us had a chance to scratch his head and rub his ears! I considered it an honor! There was a wedding in the park this day...how could I not take a peek? I was able to get this shot while the couple were having photos taken. The groom's family is from India and I was able to chat with them and the bride's father. Such lovely people. This little guy was not a guest at the wedding...and he seemed a bit miffed. Grace had been invited to her BFF's Uncle's home for swimming and a cook out this evening. Bill and I jumped at this chance to see "Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull". Did I enjoy it? Oh YEAH!! Then it was off to our community's Dog Park. Kipper loves to go and *run with the pack*! I did not take my camera but here is a play by play....Kip gets shy at first, the dogs already there come up for a sniff. They all do the "Bumsniff Mambo" (A term coined by a dear friend!), decide they can all be friends and begin playing. Eventually the big dogs on the other side of the fence begin to taunt the little guys and challenge them to an, "up and down, next to the fence, until the first one drops", race. Then it is off.... Up and down, up and down, back and forth...until all doggies are panting and slurping water and collapsed on the grass. Oh it was sight to behold! Today will find us working in the yard and then hosting a little family cookout.

For those of you here in the US, I wish you a happy and safe Memorial Day. To ALL of my blogger friends, I wish each of you a safe, happy and sunny week!

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q

The Poppies Blow In Flander's Fields...

IN FLANDERS FIELDS.

In Flanders field the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

~~By Major John McCrae, May 1915.~~