#lifeinusa – Amy's Axons

July 2025

Summer In Our Own Backyard

July 31, 2025July 31, 2025by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

Hello Friend! I hope you are well. Summer in the Missouri Ozarks has been mild enough most days that I’ve been able to take the cats outside in their little catio to enjoy some fresh air. It’s always fun for me to take pictures of the cats, birds, and flowers. The last five pictures are from a special road trip last weekend 👰‍♀️🤵‍♂️💞!

Clemmy in the catio – Honestly, it’s impossible to take a bad picture of this gorgeous girl!

Frank is a study in elegant feline form.

Those preposterous whiskers and bold black stripes… FRANK is such a looker!

Wally has the most darling, long, curly whiskers 😍!!

Clemmy’s whiskers are adorable too! Her whiskers are more typical for Cornish Rex -wirey, short, curly.

Frank birdwatching from the comfort of the catio.

Randomly got this shot with Wally’s tongue hanging out, it made me laugh 👅

My little patch of wildflowers has attracted all manner of critters…

A pair of Goldfinches come to the zinnias on and off most days to forage for seeds, they are so light that they barely bend the stalks.

I’ve seen a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird quite often flitting around the various flowers sipping nectar.

Several butterflies, skippers, and moths frequent the blooms. Yesterday I noticed a rabbit had found his way into the backyard and was nibbling on some leaves.

Aww, Dad House Finch showing his juvenile son where the snacks are. The young bird’s chest feathers are just starting to turn red, they grow up so fast.

I’ve had a pair of Mourning Doves bring their fledgling to the feeders over the last couple of weeks. I think this is the youngster, I have a hard time telling them apart.

It’s been so fun watching this male Downy Woodpecker grow from a fledgling to a grown up this summer. The cap on his head has slowly turned from brown to red and from a small dot to his whole crown.

Female fledgling House Finch – not my favorite bird, but she is a pretty specimen.

Chipping Sparrow, a plucky little bird 😊

Female House Finch coming in for a landing

This little fella is a regular under the feeders

We attended our eldest nephew’s wedding this past weekend in Nebraska. It was such a joy to see them so happy and committed to their future together. We love you John and Riley!

When in Nebraska you go to RUNZA! (We’d never heard of it before but it was good 👍)

The wedding venue was so picturesque, what a backdrop!

I hope your summer has been safe and happy. May God be with you! ❤️, Amy

June 2025

Around Our House

June 3, 2025June 3, 2025by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

Fledgling male Downy Woodpecker – he was a marvelous creature and I love how he was showing off his wings

My sister asked me to make a stuffed dog for her use at work. I went through my fabric scraps and thought these would go together well.

I appliqued the muzzle, nose, and eyes then used a zigzag stitch for the philtrum and mouth.

After the puppy, I was inspired to use up some more of my mountain of cotton fabric scraps and thought I’d try my hand at book sleeves. This is one of my favorites 🤩

I especially think the pocket is handy AND cute

Whew, I certainly need to go through my scraps more often. I ended up making 49 book sleeves (!) and still have leftovers 🫣

I also had a lot of leftover canvas fabric and wanted to make something useful with it. Fifteen years or more ago my Mom, sister, and I made key wristlets. I decided to try it again and here are the first few I did. I think I ended up with about 25 by the end.

My Dad got a flat of strawberries back in May and shared some with us. My Mom always made strawberry shortcake with homemade pie crust so, of course, I do too.

On Memorial Day, we made the homemade ice cream recipe my Dad always made when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s. It was just as good as I remembered and it was fun to share it with Hubby 💕

Cats are cats are cats and cat naps are one of my favorite cat behaviors – so cute 😻

Wally keeping Clemmy close with a tail-wrap 🖤🤍🖤🤍

May God be with you! ❤️, Amy

April 2023

Whew, What A Week!

April 27, 2023April 27, 2023by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

When it rains it pours! Our dishwasher gave up the ghost Saturday morning (my birthday) and flooded the kitchen.

Thankfully, Hubby is a pretty smart cookie and got the water shut off.

He wrangled the dishwasher out of it’s nest and discovered the water lines from it were bad and the tub on the bottom had a crack.

Though we had to look for dishwashers on my birthday, we managed to squeeze in a yummy lunch at a delicious cafe/bakery. My favorite there is an almond croissant 🥐😋!

We found a replacement the same day and my Dad helped us get it home and supervised Hubby’s installation.

It was a lot of work, but Hubby got the job done and it was sealed with Pip’s approval. 😻

Speaking of Pip, we have been dealing with a bit of a scare with him. Last month during his regular, annual check-up we learned he had a grade 2 heart murmur. Our vet referred us to the University of Missouri Vet Clinic to see a cardiologist to investigate the issue further.

It’s a three hour drive from Springfield to Columbia one way… it’s been a long day for us all.

She gave us some good news today that it looks benign and we are scheduled to go back next year to keep an eye on things.

Pip was still kinda stoned from the sedation on the way home. He curled up on my lap and insisted, by way of nudging my hand, that I rub his head the whole way ❤️😻.

Here’s a random picture of the lunch I made myself Monday.

In this month’s Universal Yums box they included a recipe for Belgian Meatballs, Hubby wanted to try them so I made them on Wednesday for dinner. I served them with baked new potatoes. Verdict? 😋😍👍

Our lilac tree is now bursting with blooms and filling our backyard with the most wonderful scent ever smelled. I took this picture last week just as one of the bunches was starting to open up.

The weather has been nice enough each afternoon this week and, despite pretty lousy MS fatigue, I’ve been able to make it onto the patio to watch the birds. They fill my heart with joy and gratitude to God for the wonder of His creation.