collage – a photo challenge

It’s Saturday morning and I’m home, on the deck, again. It’s a lovely morning it’s cool and calm and the birds are chirping up a storm, or perhaps it is because I can hear the birds and everything else with much better clarity. Ivy sits perched at the edge of the deck surveying the yard and the garden beds beyond.

I wanted to write this post yesterday, but life got in the way. It was Bastille Day, France’s national celebration of independence. It was also Pandemonium Day, really, I am not making this up. Today is either tapioca Pudding Day, Gummi Worm Day, Orange Chicken Day, or Pet Safety Day.

We returned from the lake, and the duck butts, Thursday evening. I had a couple of appointments yesterday and I leave for a three-day social studies conference in Raleigh, North Carolina tomorrow morning. I was born in Raleigh and I have not been back since I was a baby when my mom and dad moved, or returned (as I learned) to Decatur, Alabama. I image much has changed in Raleigh since – the population in 1960 was 93,000 and today it is close to 450,000.

I was enjoying yesterday’s early morning on the back deck, that time of day is the best time to enjoy the deck. The sun rises and brightens the front of the house and the entire backyard is in full shade, the deck remains in the shade until late morning when the sunrises higher in the sky. I was the only one up, except Ivy when my mom called – it was wonderful to hear her voice. She had news to share and I listened. I am glad I had gone home to visit in April. August will mark 50 years since we moved in, and we’ve been there ever since. I still call it home, even though I haven’t lived in the house since May 1984. I was six, almost seven when we moved in, that home is where the memories of growing up remain.

Mom and I talked about the things moms and sons talk about – I shared our air conditioning saga and we talked about my upcoming trip to Raleigh. I got all sorts of information about my mom and dad BK (before kids). I may have heard the stories before, but now they seem more relevant, more important. That is the one caution I give to my own students – listen to your parents and grandparents, pay attention to their stories and lessons, because one day you’ll want to know more.

Before my mom called, I had strolled the yard with Ivy following me at my heels enjoying the bright colors of the garden. The garden, really B’s, is a collage of sorts. More lilies have bloomed as have the coneflowers, the black-eyed Susan’s will be blooming before next week. and the new bed B and I prepared for more peonies and more lilies lay getting ready. We’ll be planting in mid-August.

There you have it a collage of a post with all sorts of loose ends. The air conditioner needs replacing and the new system, including a new furnace, is being installed Wednesday. I return from the conference Wednesday evening. I am looking forward to the adventure.

It’s gonna be a great day. But before the day ends they’ll be all sorts of activity. Yesterday was a little bit of pandemonium, really it was. I will not be partaking in any of today’s celebrations, except to make sure our home is a safe place for Ivy. So, I better jump up, jump in, and seize the day – really seize the morning, there is a lot to be done before I lay my head down for the night. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, one piece of the puzzle, making a bigger picture – a collage of sorts.

What goes into your collage?

Today’s post is inspired by this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage. This week, share a collage with us. It can be a collage you find out in the world — a grouping of flyers on a telephone pole, patches of plants in a bed of flowers, a parking lot checkered with colorful cars — or a collage made of multiple photos. (What a great use of a tiled gallery! Nudge nudge.) If you want to indulge your inner arts-and-crafts nerd, make a paper collage and share a photo of that.

Blogger’s choice!

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