I Remember A Day When...

The grass was getting thick and green, buds were popping open turning into leaves, ferns were filling out beyond their frond stage, all of the plants and flowers were coming to life, greening up, and getting full and lush. It was all so beautiful and orderly.

 

nice tidy edges all around

I didn't notice the weeds so much. They were still little and insignificant, small enough to yank out when I was admiring the flower beds, pachysandra edge, hosta rows, or lines of lilies.

What happened?

A little sunshine and a lot of rain -- that's what happened. And boom. The weeds are big, full, and lush too. You should see the sumac trees sprouting where they ought not to be, and the dandelions, chickweed, and touch-me-nots. The virginia creeper and poison ivy are taking off like there's a race. And if we don't keep after them, they'll win.

Today there is no contest. I want to sit on the porch and enjoy the sights and sounds of a perfectly beautiful day. Let the weeds run rampant. I don't care.

weeds running rampant

Who am I kidding? I'm type A. Weeds -- and that overgrown look -- drive me crazy. I'm just going to have to get off my duff and go ask Tom to fix this for me.

Come On In... The Water's Fine

One of the best things about having a pool is that friends come over and enjoy it too. This little guy swims from the shallow end to the deep end and even jumps off the diving board -- with a little help from his floatation device. Don't worry, an adult is always nearby.

Here's another frequent visitor...

And you are ever so welcome too!

Summer: Getting Dirty, Keeping Cool, Retreating

Why is it I love summer? What do I do all summer long? It's all coming back to me. The tree fields need mowed, the lawn grows and grows and has to be cut and cut. The pool -- fun as it is -- requires effort to keep it sparkling clean. Flower beds, vegetable garden (such as it is), porches, swing set, barn, everything you have needs taken care of. That care requires time and energy I'd rather use for swimming or sipping iced tea with a friend. But that's okay, it's summer time. All the work surrounding us is worth it for the incredible beauty surrounding us. And to top it off we get surprise glimpses of wildlife: birds, rabbits, deer, coyotes, and bears. I haven't seen the bear or the coyote, but Tom has -- and you know what? -- that's fine with me. I don't need to see bears and coyotes. The moon has been breathtakingly gorgeous. And last night when I couldn't sleep at 12:45 a.m., lightning bugs were putting on such a spectacular show I was a bit spooked. They were giant lightning bugs flashing big, big lights. Or were they tiny little ufo's shining tiny little lights? Whatever they were it was surely an invasion. They were up high in the trees and down low in the grass and straight ahead convening on every edge and hedge of our property. Big bugs or small aliens, I don't know for sure. But I went back to bed and snuggled up to Tom and dreamed about other worlds.

Cleaning Frenzy

No time to post.
No time to write.
I'm cleaning house by day,
And late into the night.

That's my excuse for last week. But this is a new week and since my house is decluttered, organized, and the spring cleaning is pretty much done, I'll get back to writing faithfully. (Believe that and I'll tell you another story.)

We had company this weekend and couldn't have had more fun. We got to see two sons, one daughter-in-law, and two grandsons. There was all manner of playing, swimming, fishing, swinging, eating, and even a little work. Grant helped me spread mulch on my flower bed. I told him what a big help he was. He told me, "Working together is special time that makes good memories." How does a 4-year-old know that?

The entire weekend was full of special time that Nana and Papa sure hope means special memories for the grandkids. Another Grant exclamation: "Papa this was the most fun afternoon I ever had in my whole life!" (Of course the day before at the Pittsburgh zoo was also the most fun he ever had in his whole life.) Oh to be so enthusiastic about life!

A highlight of the weekend was dinner out to Chuck E. Cheese. One of my friends said, "That's the equivalent of Vegas for little kids." I don't know about that, but it was a blast. And here's a big surprise... the pizza was really good! Still the best part of all was watching the little boys having so much fun.

Knowing how these kids make us smile, I can just imagine how tickled God is with all of his children! I hope I make Him smile.

Memorial Day

It doesn't seem appropriate to say Happy Memorial Day, when so many are awash with grief. Five years ago my third son went to Iraq...he came back, for which I thank God regularly. Tom and I have a close friend who served in the thick jungles of Vietnam. He witnessed too much, but God has sustained him. My youngest brother died of cancer in the month of May. He wasn't a vet, but I remember him on Memorial Day just the same. He loved life, and in his honor, I will enjoy this day with its parades, visits to cemeteries, and picnics.

Tom and I watched the Memorial Day event held in Washington D.C. on PBS last evening. There were some beautiful presentations, representing so much sadness, too much loss, offering hope and inspiration. The fallen are honored, lest their deaths be in vain. I imagine all of the survivors -- moms and dads, wives and husbands, children, friends -- are comforted, strengthened, buoyed by the outpouring of attention for their lost loved ones.

Tough stuff.

To all Veterans out there and to those whose memories we honor today, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

And Still...The End is Near

So much kidding around about the prophecy that didn't come to fruition. One of my favorites was: I guess on Sunday when people feel really upset that the rapture didn't happen, we can't console them by saying, "Cheer up, it's not the end of the world." But my very favorite was a weather strip by a meteorologist. It had all the days of the week with forecasts and appropriate pictures: Monday chance of rain, Tuesday thunderstorms, Wednesday sunny... up to Saturday -- rapture (picture of people floating upward) -- chance of judgement.

But for all the joking (and I did my share) -- according to the Bible, the end will come...and after that judgement. It may be far off or may be soon. Way back in the year 66AD Paul was saying that Jesus would return soon. Preachers have been warning their parishioners for hundreds of years. And godly men, even if way off base, have been predicting dates and times for what seems like ever. It leaves many of us wondering what part of "No one knows the day or the hour," from Matthew 24 is unclear. And the Bible is clear on this: all of our days are numbered. This world is finite, all of its days are numbered.

Some are taking a chance that there is no eternal life; when you're dead, you're dead. Others are quite sure they'll spend everlasting life with God in heaven. Either way, you've got to have faith. Faith that this world is it, all there is. Faith that the world made itself, complete with flora and fauna. It formed all of its inhabitants out of next to nothing, which evolved into us, our pets, and all things that creep, crawl, walk, and fly.

Or you've got to have faith that someone had a plan and created it all. I only have enough faith to believe the latter. Faith became reality. When I confessed faith in a creator, He revealed himself to me. What started as blind faith became as real as real can be. I wish I could show that reality to everyone, but I can't. I can only encourage others to look and see. If you look for Him, he will be found. If you want to know Him, he will be known.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now am found

Was blind, but now I see.

Clearly this is the kind of post that belongs on my other website. But when Tom and I were doing yard work on Saturday: mowing , weeding, preparing a garden plot, cleaning the pool, sweeping the porches and walkway, assessing the overwhelming mess in the barn --old junk and worthless clutter covered with bat droppings and pigeon poo-- honestly, all I could think was, "I hope Harold Camping is right." I felt like my corner of the world was all dirty. I was really hoping for a new one. But alas it's not to be. Yet. So we continue cleaning up, caring for,  redeeming what we've got.

As it turns out, the place cleans up pretty nice...

First Swim...

and then cold and rainy again. Spring brings vibrant colors, greener grass, sweet flowers, all kinds of renewed life. But it's cold again. Too cold to swim, and today I heard it's going to be a cool summer. That's not music to my ears, but oh well, we'll make the best of it.

For now, 2 sets of sisters, almost impossible to capture together...

Playing outside (not sisters)

Hiding inside (not sisters)

Climbing up (not sisters)

 Sharing tea ( sisters!)

Mother's Day

All of my boys (and daughters-in-law) were with me in spirit, represented by phone calls, cards, and good wishes. But Adam and Alicia were here in the flesh -- the day before Mother's Day.

My very favorite card had Snoopy on the outside and a four-year-old hand printed names on the inside. (But honestly kids, each and every card, and each and every one of you is special to me...but, it's just that, hmmm... what can I say? Your nephews [or your kids] my grandkids are my favorites now. Can you live with that?)

Tom went hunting early Saturday morning -- he cleaned up after slaying a turkey, then we went out to eat.

We went out for brunch, took a walk in the woods, visited, chatted, caught up. It really was a fabulous day. The guys set up a tripod so we could get in a picture together.

The best part about the weekend was that the weather was gorgeous in spite of the forecast for rain both Saturday and Sunday. I love it when the weatherman is wrong about rain!

On Sunday morning I phoned my mom before church. It sounded like a party with Dad, Aunt Lou, Uncle Harry, and Aunt Ro laughing and talking in the background, and all of us trying to holler "Happy Mother's Day" to each other. Speaker phone -- not the greatest form of communication. They were having their own brunch and then heading out to the golf course. A good Mother's Day there too!

Tuesday, Saturday, Thursday

What do did these days have in common?  April 26, April 30, and May 5 were sunny days. Lawn work, junk day, walks, catching rays...gotta love it! The weather man just told us that it rained 24 out of April's 30 days. Soggy.

But today (Thursday) was lovely...

Four little girls. My friend asked if it was kind of like the old days. I had four boys, spaced much farther apart than these four girls. And they stayed here all day, every day (and night). This part time nannying is just the ticket -- I get a nice baby/little kid fix, and then they go home with their mommies and daddies. So, no, it's almost nothing like the old days.

It's just...Betsy's Day Care. Open one day a week, by appointment. Afternoon naps encouraged.

Osama bin Laden is Gone

On the one hand...

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that" -- Martin Luther King

On the other hand...

"I have never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure." -- a quote possibly (probably?) by Samuel Clemens / Mark Twain (Sounds like something he'd say.)

In my own words...

I've been trying to sort out how I feel. Actually, I've been trying to figure out how to articulate how I feel. Certainly I'm glad that further threat from Osama bin Laden is gone. But how can I possibly celebrate the death of an enemy when God clearly commands that we love our enemies? 

If bin Laden's death brings closure or comfort to the families of his victims, I'm glad for that. I only hope it  assists them in their healing.  I'm satisfied that justice is served. But then again..."Vengeance is mine, says the Lord." 

Of course, I'm grateful to the brave soldiers who courageously took on such a mission. They deserve praise and honor for doing their job well. I'm beyond glad that they came home safely.

I wish there were no wars, no evil people, no man-made tragedies. I wish that all people were good, and that all good people were nice. But that isn't the world we live in.

Osama bin Laden is dead. My heart is not glad, but it is impossible for me to follow that with, may he rest in peace.