OOPS! I'm Slipping

OOPS!  I think my good intentions got lost somewhere along the way.  I was sure I came in to post about our 4th of July celebration but it must have been one of those moments.  You know the kind where you walk into a room but suddenly not sure why you are there.  I was sure I came here but I think I must have dreamed it.

Well, now that I am here, I'll rewind the brain back to July 4th to tell you about our celebration.  Melanie had to work and Zach was with his friends so it was just Michele, the grandkids and me but we did have fun.  They came out that afternoon and we fired up the old grill that hadn't been used in a couple of years but we still had the gas and Michele is a great cook inside and outside.  We had burgers and chicken kabobs and they were so good.  I made up my potato salad and kidney bean salad and we had chips to snack on with dips but the best part was the homemade ice cream that we had for our desert.  Mint Chocolate Chip.  MMMMM, it was so good.  I told Michele that we should make it again and we won't have to go to McDonald's for their Shamrock shake as we could make our own from this mix as it was that good.

The grandkids and me had to fire off some fireworks early in the afternoon.  And seeing that I had bought a large 500 string of firecrackers that we intended to break apart but never could figure out where to break them so decided to light them so they all went off in the string.  We were being kind of onery as we have a neighbor who doesn't care for fireworks and is a cranky old man--- the one we call whacko.  Anyway it was for his benefit.

Well, after they all went off, a neighbor down the street fired some firecrackers off and yelled out, "We won."  Not to be outdone, Hailey got the 50 shot Saturn missile out and after it had shot them off with reports and whistles, she calls out, "No, we won."  It was all in good fun and kind of a competition for a while.

We didn't spend a lot on fireworks and after it got dark, we sat out in the south yard to light up the fountains and sky works.  It wasn't the greatest but we had a few good ones and we were able to celebrate our nation's birthday just the same.

After we ate and before it got dark, we all gathered in the screened in porch and played a couple of games.  That gave us a lot of laughter as well.  Of course, I had strung all the lights plus we had a CD player and Brianna brought out some CD's.  I think I was the only one who got up to dance, the rest were too bashful.  LOL!  But we still had a lot of fun with it.

We left Gretta and Foxy in the house to console one another since neither one of them like the loud sounds.

The party ended around 10:30 as it had been a long day and Michele had kind of overdone it and her back was hurting but it was a fun day and now we will be looking towards next year and hope that we can have Melanie and Zach with us.

♪ In the Good Ole Summertime ♫

Summer has begun for us.  School got out early this year, May 9 so we have already started planning events to do with the kids this summer.

We all went to the cemetery the Friday before Memorial Day where we laid a wreath and visited our beloved husband, dad and pappa.  Then we took a tour of the cemetery.  

The Ft. Gibson National Cemetery began in the 1800's with burials of soldiers, their families and some of the settlers in the area of the Fort.  Also there are some Indians and some important people in history.  We walked the Officer's Circle where the most famous grave is that of Sam Houston's wife.  It was interesting to read the headstones and learn some of the history of the soldiers who served there.

Later we went over to take a tour of the fort.  It had a fire a few years ago and has been rebuilt to the original design with as much of the material as was original to it.  Very interesting to see how they lived within the fort and the look out towers.  There were some old log homes and the ruins of others just outside the fort and the ruins of a large home that Jefferson Davis had stayed in for a short period of time.  We didn't drive around the area but learned there are several log cabins as well as early Victorian homes in neighborhoods surrounding the fort so we hope to go back one day and take the tour.  The rooms at the fort are furnished as they would have been during the occupation of the soldiers who lives there so we all got to see the sparse and simple furnishings.

We got ready to have a yard sale that we planned to run on Friday the 31st and Sat. the 1st but Mother Nature had other ideas.  We did have the sale on Friday and did well.  Put everything under the carport as they said we could have rain.

Well, we got a little more than rain.  Michele and the kids stayed on a bit due to weather warnings but then it seemed we would be spared so they went home, only to race back here around 11 PM as the weather turned worse and we were in tornado warnings.  We went to the shelter and there were a couple spotted within a half mile from us but were small and just barely touched down so no damage but still a little to close for comfort.  After the storms had passed and it was safe, we all crashed where we could find a spot until early the next morning when they went home and we shut down the sale due to the weather as we still had some rain showers off  and on.

The storms that came over us were all part of the system that hit El Reno and OKC earlier.  But once they were beyond us, we haven't had any real severe weather like that and hope we will have a reprieve.  After the terrible tornadoes that hit Shawnee and Moore, we have had our fair share and will be happy that they are leaving us alone.

But that also means that our spring has ended and summer has begun and it is letting us know it is here full force with temps in mid to upper 90's this week and heat index of over 100 today.  I've been waiting for the warm weather so guess it is here but a little warmer than I had hoped.  It would have been nice to had a gentle warm up but we went from low to mid 80's to the temps we have now so a big jump.  However, I still prefer this to the cold of winter.  I can find a way to get cool but during the cold, it takes forever to get warm it seems.

And it also means it is harder to get out to do what has to be done outside, like the mowing.  I wait until evening when the sun is down behind the trees so I have shade and if there is a breeze as it has been the past few evenings, it really isn't that bad so I'm getting the yard done in sections.  But in this heat, the grass won't be growing as fast so hope to get it all mowed this week if we don't have a surprise shower like they are predicting.  Then maybe I'll get a cool spell where I can mow it all if needed.

There are more plans to have family get togethers and for the grandkids to visit some of the interesting places around the area if they can.  With Michele having back surgery earlier this year and still experiencing some problems with a possible outlook of more surgery, we'll have to see what and where we can go.  They have been to the lake a few times to enjoy the swimming.

So I say the good ol' summertime has arrived and now we'll just have to wait to see how it goes and what fun we will all enjoy.

Mother's Day 2013

Today is the day we all honor the woman we call Mother.  Some of us still have our mothers with us and we can celebrate with them or if long distance separates us, there are phone calls made.  And there are some of us whose mothers are no longer with us.  They are the angels in heaven watching over us just as they did here on earth,.

My mother is one of those angels.  I remember the last Mother's Day we had together.  It was in May of 2010 and I was still grieving over the loss of my husband and she grieved with me as she had been as shocked as I was at his passing and all through the years she pretended, yes I say pretended, because when the truth was told, she didn't dislike the man who had married her daughter as much as she let on.  She cared for him as he had proven he was a good husband and father to her granddaughters and he provided for me but she also knew that he loved me deeply and that I loved him.  She had that love at one time and grieved when my father died in 1991.  So she understood my loss and we talked for hours on that day reminiscing and sharing our remembrances.

Little did I know that a year later she would be gone and I could only look at the phone wishing I could pick it up and call her just to talk to her.  She was taken away almost as abruptly as my husband and I feel I never really had the chance to say good bye.  I had seen her a couple of months before when she called for me to come help her.  She had made the decision to enter a nursing home and needed my help in packing up and getting rid of her things.  My brother came as well but due to bad weather and road conditions she didn't call her younger daughter which resulted in family argument leaving my brother and I wondering why she had turned on us.  But we did as our mother requested and as I said it was the last time I really was able to talk with her.  I had a couple of phone conversations and then things changed as her other daughter took over her affairs with threats and coercion and we never got to say good bye to her or even go to her funeral.  So I feel a deep sadness this day and yet I know she wouldn't want me to be unhappy and would tell me to look around and count the blessings I have now.

And what blessings I do have.  My two daughters and four grandchildren are my blessings and are my rocks to lean on when I'm down.  But I'm there for them just as she was for me.  That is what a mother does.  She cares for her flock, regardless of their age or the distance from her.  Somehow or someway she is always there and just knowing that seems to have a calming effect and a peacefulness.

I can only hope one day when I am no longer on this earth that my daughters will still feel my presence and can feel my guiding hand when they are troubled.

I can't say that my relationship with my mother was all rosy and smooth sailing.  We had our moments but we always managed to talk it out and remained friends as well as mother and daughter.  I have the same relationship with my own daughters and I can see them doing the same with their offspring.  It is something that mothers pass on to their offspring.  We can disagree but we also need to talk it out and find a resolution for everyone.  Like any close relationship, there will be clashes but as long as there is love, they can be worked out making it better for everyone.

How can we describe a mother?  She is the woman who gives us life, who is there to care for us as we grow.  She wears so many hats and is probably the smartest person we will ever know.  She is our teacher from our infancy to adulthood as she is the one who teaches us to talk, to walk, to lead a spiritual life and to know good from bad.  She is our confident and she doesn't just limit herself to one of her children but to all of them, daughters and sons alike.  She teaches her daughters how to be good mothers but she also teaches her sons how to be good and caring fathers who are providers for their families.

So today I hope all the mothers had a wonderful day as well as for those who are no longer with us in body, but were with us in spirit.

It is My Birthday!!

Okay, normally a person doesn't go around announcing it is their birthday and I can certainly understand, especially as one gets older.  We just kind of wish they would go away.  However, one of my granddaughters suggested this year that we reverse my age which would only make me "7".  I'll go for that.

And so did my family.  At my request, there were no gifts as I have everything I need or want and just having them here for dinner would have been a gift in itself but they went beyond and above and put on a party.  But it was a party for a 7 year old.  Yes, really.  But oh what fun.  The party hats, noise makers and the play jewelry that we were to wear.  The birthday plates, napkins and cups all matched and then they walk in with the cake.  Plain with just Happy Birthday but in each corner was a plastic heart shaped ring with Barbie on it.  And they even put on a number 7 candle.

I loved it.  I will remember this birthday for a very long time and the best part is that I didn't turn that old number that the calendar said I was, or at least not in my mind or in front of anyone.    I kind of like this reversing the age number, especially if it means I'm getting younger.  LOL!

Michele made a delicious dinner for us and we had an afternoon of visiting and fun.  What more could anyone ask for?

We even got the dogs involved.  We put party hats on Foxy and Gretta so they could be a part of the celebration too.  Gretta was more shy and stayed close to Michele but Foxy was prancing around being the center of attention.  But then she also got the present, a new doggie bed which she loves.

Anyway I just had to talk about the best birthday I think I ever had.  I had my daughters and my grandchildren with me and we laughed and talked and made the day very special.  I feel so blessed to have children and grandchildren who are so caring and loving and always there for me.  I love each and every one of them with all my heart.

So as I proceed onward, I do so with a light heart and mind and to heck with being 70.  If they think I'm 7 then I'll be 7 for the next year.

 

Thank you Melanie, Michele, Zach, Brianna, Hailey and Matthew for a wonderful day.  Love you all.

April Musings I

I've been lax about my posting.  I meant to come in before Easter to post some of my thoughts but it seemed to come so quick and passed by just as quickly.

My daughter, Michele found out in March that she would be seeing a neuro surgeon concerning her back and leg problem so we were waiting to hear from them while we prepared for Easter.  Now that the grandkids are older, there was no hiding of eggs or even coloring of eggs this year but we did get together for a nice Easter dinner.

I got to think about Easter's past, like the ones I grew up knowing.  Most of the time we went to one or the other of my grandparents and most of the time it was my mother's parents who lived on the farm.  It seemed like as many of the 12 children they had were there with all their offspring, my cousins, and believe me that is a houseful and a half.  

We always hoped for nice weather as the house was really too small for everyone and tables and chairs were sit up on the wrap around porch. I can still remember yelling "dibs" so my cousin and I could get the porch swing, but many times we were out voted by our younger uncles.  But it was alright as we managed to find places close by to have our dinner.  There were egg hunts too.

But the biggest thing I remember is the new clothes and the Easter hats.  We would go to church all decked out and then out to the farm or in town depending on which set of grandparents were were going to.  My mom would take a change of clothes so we wouldn't ruin our Easter ones but we always wanted to show off our new clothes.  

It is a shame that today no one dresses up for Easter or for that matter, not for many holidays.  I always had my white gloves and new purse to go with my new dress, shoes and of course the hat.  The hat was the biggest thing and it had to be a new one each year.  Maybe not real elaborate but still a hat of some sort.  I remember that I had one aunt who wore a hat all the time.  Even my grandmother did when she would dress up to go to town, but Aunt Elsie was always well dressed and stylish as well.

I remember dressing up my daughters when they were small and not sure when we actually stopped.  It was a gradual thing that just went away on its own.  Maybe all the moving around we did and not always finding a church and being away from family we never put that much emphasis.  In fact, when I think about it, I think it stopped when they were old enough not to get an Easter basket or hunt for eggs even though they both colored eggs well into their teens.

Then the grandkids came along and again we started the process and I'm glad to see that my girls did dress them up and celebrate by going to church so that the children knew that Easter wasn't just about the bunny and colored eggs and new clothes.

But now Easter is behind us and we've started into a new month of spring.  Although Mother Nature has played a trick on everyone this year by promising spring and then delaying it.   Maybe that was her April Fool joke on all of us for believing in a furry rodent's prediction of the weather.

On April Fool's day Michele and I were sitting in the neuro surgeon's office as he told her she would have to have back surgery to fix the spine so the pain would go away and not get worse.  We've been waiting and now have a date of April 10 for her surgery date.  It is a task getting everyone situated and taken care of as I'll be transporting her that morning leaving the grandchildren to fend for themselves.  Thank goodness they are old enough to do so.

My other daughter, Melanie left early this morning for a trip she has planned for over a year and has worked hard to save for it.  She will be taking a week long caribbean cruise.  I'm sure she is going to have fun and I'll be waiting to hear all about it when she returns.

Now that April has had a good start, with a nice rain that we needed badly and warmer temperatures, we will be enjoying the days ahead with family outings.  Of course with those good times comes the work times as now we will need to start keeping up with the mowing and trimming plus Michele wants to plant some flowers and maybe a few things in a garden spot.  And I will admit, the thought of freshly picked tomatoes and peppers and onions makes me hungry.  The larger garden will be on hold due to her back problems we were unable to get it ready this year but there is always next year.

April also brings some other good things.  On the 17th, my youngest grandson will turn 12.  My, how the times has flown and he is becoming such a young man now.  

Sorry this has been such a long post and I'll try to get back more often.  Happy Spring to everyone.

March Ponderings

February was a flurry of activity once Michele and the children found a new home and prepared to move.  On March 2, Melanie and Zach came down to help with the move and here it is a week later and they are settled into their new home and I've adjusted back to being by myself.  Although I really can't say I'm lonely or that I feel abandoned.  

I guess I had adjusted to being alone before they came and it was nice to have them here so we could talk, play games, share meals and to get to know each other again.  But on the other hand, as much as I thought this house so large, it became rather small with all of us here and some just couldn't adjust so the alternative was for them to move into their own space and they did under good terms.  They are only five miles from me so we will be seeing each other frequently and we talk on the phone each day.

The children have all kinds of activity with school and a library program so now they are living in town, it won't be such a hassle to have to take them or pick them up as she will be closer to everything.

My granddaughter, Brianna, turned 16 on March 3.  With the move occurring that weekend, her party had to be cancelled but with her aunt and cousin here, we had a family celebration on the 2nd.  Plus one of her gifts was a trip to Tulsa for Winter Jam.  She went yesterday and had a great time.

I have plenty of company though.  With Miss Kitty, Shadow and Foxy, one or the other of them is near me or on my lap or demanding attention.  They are like kids at times but I'm just glad they all get along.

We've been teased recently with spring like days but today felt more like winter and I guess we'll have to have one or two more cold blasts before Mother Nature will give up and allow the warm days to stay for awhile.  I'm ready for spring and warm days for sure and now with daylight savings time, it will be nice to have more daylight later.  I'm not a morning person so this is fine with me.

The year is passing quickly as it is hard to imagine that March is here and almost halfway gone.  They say the older you get the quicker time goes and it must be true although there are times when it does seem to slow down but not that often.  Maybe I'm helping it as I wish each day for spring to get here and when it does, then I think I'll wish every day that it stays for awhile so maybe it won't go away too fast and bring on the summer.  

I like summer, just not the real hot and dry days it has been bringing us the past couple of years.  I hope this year the drought will be broken and we can have a pleasant summer.

For now, I'm just going to take each day as it comes and enjoy it to the fullest.

FOXY

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and it was  great day.  I finally got something I've been wanting for a very long time.  I got a Pomeranian dog.  Her name is Foxy and she is a real sweetheart.  I had planned to share her with the family but the grandkids just couldn't leave her alone so she is spoiled and we haven't even had her 24 hours yet.  That is good as it has helped her settle into her new home.  She was adopted from a rescue service.  They had rescued her along with some other dogs about 6 months ago and the woman who runs the rescue service thought about keeping her but found out I was looking for a small dog and I'd seen a Chihuahua but it was adopted before we got a chance to inquire so she told me about Foxy.  Not sure how old she is but she is out of the puppy stage and very loving.

My husband never would let me get one but now I have one and I'm very happy about it.  And it looks like Foxy will be joining Miss Kitty, Shadow and me in this big old house by ourselves.  She seems to get along with the kitties and they haven't had shown any aggression towards her so hopefully we can all live peacefully together.

Anyway I think Foxy and I are going to have a very long loving relationship.