If a tree falls in in the wee hours of the morning when everyone is asleep,does it still make a sound?

After days of rain and wind (thanks to Tropical Depression, Fay) I do know that the answer to the title question is undeniably "YES!"

I woke with a start last night (okay, more like 3 am) when a loud thud shook the house. Lexi, Queen of Barking Greyhounds, went out to investigate (loudly), so Brian got up to check things out. Seeing nothing, he figured it was a microburst of wind and went back to sleep.

By dawn's early light, however, the source of interrupted sleep was clearly evident: a massive tree in our backyard gave up trying to keep its roots in the soggy ground and fell to the ground, taking a half dozen smaller trees and two portions of the fence with it! Now there is a nice clearing up at the top of the hill, and lot of cleaning up to do! Most of the work is just is removing branches and tree from the neighbor yards and fixing the fence. The tree itself will become the earth--and the cycle of life will repeat over time.

That's Dolce in the hole where the tree used to be rooted!

And so it goes

It is apparent that school has begin with all the schedule craziness that accompanies it! Who knew it would be near the end of August before time allowed a moment to sit and think and reflect?




Stamper's Quest has been well-recieved---beyond my wildest imaginings. Over 18,000 hits in three weeks--there must have been a hunger among rubber stamp artists for something new.

Carrie is off to college and in just a few days has settled into dorm life, classes, and a whole new adventure. It's exciting to see her move forward with her life. We're thankful for unlimited text messaging on our cell phones, but after all the years of uncertainty, it's is a joy to see her spread her wings and prepare to fly.

Of course, Caty Mae and Corinne are fully involved with classes and homework and swimming and band---and church activities, too. My own classes begin next week, so by Labor Day, the schedule for the rest of the year will be completely in place. Bring it on!