What Do You Think?

I need your opinion.


If a group of otters is called a romp.


A group of frogs is called an army.


A group of meadowlarks is an exaltation.


A group of blue jays is a scold.


A group of baboons is a congress. (Think about that one.)


A group of giraffes is a tower.


A group of leopards is a leap.


A group of magpies is a tiding.


A group of squirrels is a scurry.


A group of butterflies is a rabble.


A group of hippos is a crash.


A group of weasels is a sneak.


A group of hedgehogs is a prickle.


A group of hummingbirds is a charm.


A group of peacocks is an ostentation.


A group of lizards is a lounge.


A group of possum is a passel.


A group of bees is a flight.


A group of woodpeckers is a descent.


A group of crows is a murder.


A group of jellyfish is a smack.


A group of kangaroos is a mob.


A group of ducks is a paddle.

Then what is a group of Portuguese Water Dogs?


I vote for a splash.
Do you have any other ideas?

See a long list of these collective nouns here.

Summertime

It's summer in Missouri, hot and dry with occasional thundering cloudbursts. All last week the weatherman promised rain, but it didn't happen.


When it's 90+ degrees outside, the dogs don't want to move around much. When I can coax them out they find ways to stay cool. Morgan finds a place under a tree to enjoy a stick.


Bailey takes a stroll in the shade with her favorite toy, her stuffed monkey. She carries it everywhere with her. Usually I don't allow stuffies outdoors, but Bailey always brings hers back inside with her.


Yesterday afternoon the sky got dark and the clouds opened up. It rained so hard that for a few minutes we couldn't see the house across the street. The wildflowers in the yard appreciated the cool rain and presented us with these this morning.


I like keeping a little piece of the yard wild. It looks like a tiny meadow with lots of different flowers planted by the birds.


Nature's colors look so pretty together.


In Pennsylvania we lived next door to a young lady who was four years old. She and I would take walks down a farm road and she would point out the flowers to me. These she called 'Queens and Lace'.


When my little friend saw these growing along the road she told me they were 'Tiggey Liggies'. I liked her names for them and always think of them that way.


It seems early, but the farmers have been cutting hay already. The fields around our place have these hay rolls standing in the fields waiting to be carted away.


They go on and on. It should be good eating and nesting this winter for the livestock.


The Fleur-de-Lis is on my family coat of arms and I'm quite fond of it. I have a necklace and bracelet with the symbol. Last night I took the dogs out for their last call around 11 PM. The rain had stopped and it was slightly cooler than it has been. When I opened the back door out of the garage, look what I saw.


This fellow was resting on the door staying out of the rain dripping from the trees. I raced for my camera, but he was quite content to sit there and was still there when I took the dogs back inside and turned off the lights. He's a Clymene Moth aka the Fleur-de-Lis Moth.

Now just in case some of you are also suffering from temperatures in the 90s and above, I thought I'd show you this photo taken by my cousin.


The house on the right is hers and this is the street where I lived when I was in highschool. We usually had winters like this, though in recent years they've been milder. This was taken in February of 2007. I remember walking to school thru snow tunnels just like this and sometimes higher. Feel cooler now?

" Despair "

Standing in the midst of my dreams..

Feel trapped between egos and aspirations..
With darkness for company.
Dreams, those dreams chasing me, mocking me..
No, they ain't my worst nightmares.
I admit I wanted those to be a part of my life,
To some extent, at some point of time.
With care and imagination,
Woven with someone I loved!
Caught in the sands of time..
Each one of them,
Ask me the same question time and again
In some sorta creaking voices,
"When I'll be fulfilling them?"
"When I'll set them free..?"
I feel like a prince of some fairy tale
Pleading me to break the curses..
But a part of me,
Don't want to let them go.
Why cant they just leave me alone?
Why cant they shut up?
Choking me deep down.
The more I fight them,
The more they get anxious.
The more they encircle me like a whirlwind.
I wanna close my eyes, my ears..
Till it stops, please make it stop!
Feel out of place these days,
Wanna lock myself somewhere.
Wanna cry, wanna break,wanna keep running
Till I hit something, anything...
Feel like screaming, nothings right...
A distant light, like a ray of hope,
Hope, all I have..
Still, hoping, I wonder for how long..
Till I break down.
Secretly I'd hope,
Someone to come, my guardian angel,
Hold my hand, Show me the way...

The Portuguese Team

UNITY IN DIVERSITY


This is the Portuguese soccer team that is in South Africa competing for the World Cup.

There is another Portuguese soccer team in Springfield that is playing for a handful of treats.


This is how we start the game. The referee tosses out the ball.


Then the team takes over, chasing the ball and trying to keep it from the opponents.


After each goal, the referee gets their attention for another round of play.


The competition is strong and sometimes a player goes down while handling the ball.


How satisfying to score.


Are we ready?


This is a very intense game for these Portuguese players.


The girls are in position.


Samba has control of the ball.


Norma Jean is ready.


She has it and she's not giving it up.


Morgan may not be Portuguese, but she's certainly a tough competitor.


Hands aren't allowed, but can you carry the ball in your mouth? Who has a rule book handy?


Samba performs some fancy footwork. She's really into this game. It must be in her genes.


Tess steals the ball and is trying to score with it.


Samba gets it back.


Game over. Bailey, the goalie is resting in the shade with the ball and the mascot, her monkey by her side.

Samba was definitely the MVP, most valuable Portie, in the game. She played well for a dog with paralysis in her face. She even managed to carry the ball around a few times.


Our team had fun and were all winners. We wish the very best of luck to the other Portuguese soccer team.