Lens-Artists Photo Challenge 94…at home

I’ve been thinking about doing an “at home” post for some days, so this seems to be the perfect time, although choosing photos was a challenge. I decided to go with all iPhone photos, using only photos from our house or yard. We’re blessed in that we can go out and walk or bike and I walk regularly, but I’m not using any of those shots today.

This torch cactus bloomed the day after we moved in. One day there were no flowers, the next, splendor. The flowers only lasted a day or two, then wilted, dried up, and fell off. But earlier this week, I woke in the morning to round two, pictured here. Perhaps because of the heat (almost 100F), the following day they were already wilted But, oh, what a glorious day of flowers that was!

I love sitting outside, reading, hoping to see a hummingbird while I have my Nikon out, writing, or just enjoying the flowers. So far the hummingbird has eluded my camera, but one of these days… Anyway, the waiting isn’t definitely not a trial! And you know that “discussion” about real books vs. e-readers? Thank goodness for e-readers these days and virtual checkout from the library!!

We were fortunate that scarcely anything was damaged or broken during this move, but a cup from a set of English china given to me by my great-aunt was in two pieces. Although my husband glued it together beautifully, the seal isn’t tight enough to hold liquid, so I repurposed it as a soap dish for a bar of Arizona orange blossom soap made and given to me by my niece as a welcome gift.

In the evening when the sun is on the other side of the house, my husband and I have started sitting on the back patio enjoying a glass of something cold with a snack, some crispy chickpeas in this instance or some olives from nearby Queen Creek Olive Mill. Our table is a red Coleman cooler older than our marriage, the chairs folding camp chairs, but the company and the ambiance are priceless.

Finally, because some of you asked about house photos, here’s our new dining room with the front door to the right. The coat stand (hat rack right now as it’s much too hot for coats) is made from one piece of wood and uses horseshoes as the base, a gift from my parents many years ago when we visited Cody, Wyoming. It’s one of my favorite things. The cherry china hutch houses my husband’s Waterford crystal and antique glass from my side of the family, the table and chairs are Amish, bought after we were married as was the Karastan carpet. It’s already feels like home here.

for Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #94…at home