Today I am...

{loving}

The artist's illustrations above. It's Charles E. Brock.
(5 February 1870 – 28 February 1938)

{writing}

Lists for our Disney trip in November!

{reading}



Sadly, nothing.

The bookworm inside is ashamed to admit this, but lately reading gives me headaches that just won't quit.

{learning}

I've learned that fighting all these grasshoppers eating everything is a lost cause. Even the guy at the hardware store said he stopped carrying all the products meant to get rid of them. You can't fight nature.

And just today, while driving around there were grasshoppers on the car. One of them was sliding up the window shield on its back.

The good news in all this is that they say this madness usually happens only once every 8 years.

{watching}



The first episode of Outlander! I was able to see the first episode free.

I loved it, although it wasn't perfect. I found Claire's narrating to be a little distracting. I understand why it was there, but did it have to be there so often? For instance, when she traveled back in time. The beginning of it was great, but that flashback to the car really pulled me out of Claire's experience. It didn't enhance it for me. If anything, it did the opposite.

One thing that surprised me was that I really liked the actress they chose to play Claire. I was feeling very iffy about her when I saw who they'd chosen. She just didn't match the Claire I've had inside my head all these years from the books, but now I think she fits the mold nicely. She had Claire's spirit, that's for sure.

And I'm loooving Sam Heughan as Jamie. I was going to be the pickiest over him, but I think he's going to be great. If I had to gripe at all, it would be the fact that he's not as tall and big as Jamie is portrayed in the books.

Anyway, us fans have been waiting a very long time for this series to happen. I'm not wild about the lady singing in the opening titles - I find her voice pretty annoying actually - but once those bagpipes come in and we see Jamie clad in kilt....


I really think this series is going to be successful and truthful to the books. I'm happy Diana Gabaldon is so involved.

Not that I can even imagine her NOT being involved. I don't think she would have it any other way, and I don't blame her. I'm just unsure that the TV-14 rating is sufficient. There are a lot of things in this series that are very intense, and a couple of the characters are outright evil.

{wishing}

I'm wishing the new Outlander tv series will be released on dvd fairly soon after the first season airs.

We don't have Starz, and to be perfectly honest I'd rather watch the episodes back-to-back on dvd anyway. Until then I'll just have to break down and read the latest book in the series.

But only once it's released as a small paperback. I refuse to spend upwards of $35 for a book. I vowed a long time ago never to do that again.

{listening}



I'm listening to "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" story from an old radio show in the 40's. I actually have this on a cd and listen to part of it every morning and night.



It's my favorite movie classic, so it's fun hearing other actors in the roles via a radio program. I guess I'm a little old fashioned.

{feeling}

I'm feeling like it's time summer took a hike. The heat index today reached 102 and it's supposed to be the same all week. No rain, but a lot of heat and humidity.... as always. The humidity never leaves.

And I'm not a fan of August!

{looking}



I'm looking out for our baby rabbits. I haven't seen them all week, but I have seen Diana Cottontail. I've seen her eating out front before dusk, and then the other night I saw another rabbit sleeping in the backyard again.

Fortunately, my father did see Diana with the babies over the weekend. For the most part I think they're separated now. They say the mothers leave the babies to themselves once they lose the white markings on their heads, and the babies markings are almost completely gone now.

Update:

Another thing I'm looking out for are snakes! While watering the vegetable garden... (it's basically a bed of weeds now)... I saw one slithering near the gazebo. I think it was another copperhead.

And if the copperheads weren't enough to scare me into becoming a hermit that never goes outside, we now have black widow spiders as well!



By the way, I forgot to mention several weeks ago that as I watering one of the trees a bird... I think it was a crow... started screeching and then swooped down on me! The darn thing ambushed me and just about landed on my head.

WHAT was that about?! The trees here are just starting to grow, so they're little and there was no nest in it.
I mean really, it came out of nowhere and tried to attack me while I was just minding my own business.

{anticipating}

THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH!



FYI: I got the idea for this post from several blogs. Here's a link to one of them.

Old Fashioned Charm