A Precisely Manicured Lawn

Doesn't a newly cut lawn look nice? Especially when cut in a criss-cross pattern to make the cut even and geometric. Just look at my yard! It could only have been done better by a 5 month pregnant woman or her husband.

Pampered Daddy

Last weekend Annie came home for 27 hours and 22 minutes. She had a Pampered Chef party on Saturday morning and I think she wanted to see her Mom and Dad. We wanted to see her too. We were very glad she came home. Maddie was glad to see P J too.
We had a few laughs, went to eat at the Oriental and I got to drive the non-recalled Toyota.

Chasing Cars

We lived on Second Street until about the time I was in 5th Grade. Second Street is one of the busier North-South Streets in town. Many years ago, which that time was, our city fathers were not as strict about just letting your dog run wherever they wanted to run. I remember that there was one dog that seemed very bothered by all those cars driving down "his" Second street. He would crouch in the gutter on the side of the street by the curb and wait on each car as it came down the street. When he thought the time was "just right" he would run after the cars as they came by. This was serious stuff for him. He was really wanting to catch those cars. O.K., get this picture: There is a 2000 pound car coming down the street at 30 miles per hour. There is crouched, with eyes fixed and tail twitching, a 35 pound dog ready to catch that car. That bad old car gets closer. The little brown dog has to take off before the car gets even with him so that he can be running at a good speed when it zooms by. He has to be going pretty fast so that he can attempt to bite a tire or a bumper or anything sticking out... I never saw him catch one. Dangerous? Futile? Display of no common sense? Probably all of the above. The big question is this: What would he have done if he had caught the car?
In life there are many times we "chase" things. Sometimes they are realistic objectives. Our education, our jobs, our mates, retirement plans. Sometimes there are things that are out of our reach, yet we long for them. They never seem to be achieved or obtained. We may chase them or just dream about them, but they are never caught. I think Someone knows what is best for us, much better than we. Many of those "cars" are more than we can or should bargain for. They are like the dog and the car, what would we really do if we caught them?


Figure this one out.

Days Turn Into Years and the Memories to Black and White

Reba McEntire has a song with the line,...the days turn into years and the memories to black and white...
The other day I was sitting here thinking, Oh, my goodness, it has been almost a year!
There are times that I may be so into the day's activities that it is hard to remember what is true. I sometimes think Dad must be around here somewhere, I just have not seen him in a while. Time has flown by in so many ways. Reality tells me he is gone. I can live with that.
The days have now turned into a year. There are some memories that will turn to black and white. But there are many memories that will always be in vivid color. And I do not know how those vivid colorful memories, like the way I miss him, will ever be diminished.

Those Neat Bags

Have you got any of those neat little bags to use instead of plastic or paper from the grocery store? They are supposed to keep us from using so much oil or cutting down so many trees. I have found them to be useful in many other ways.
Many of the ladies where I work use them to carry things to and from their car. So I use one of my green ones for a briefcase. My blue bag is just right for paying bills because there are so many and they make me feel that color. My other green bag is really used for shopping. It takes a lot of green when you buy groceries. The dignified black bag is used when I really feel "dressed up." And when I go on long walks I take my red bag so my friends can ride along too. And of course, since they come in so many different colors you can match your accessories with the color of the bags. I sure do love them!

Gifts

This was an interesting holiday season. The weather was terrible cold. We had a blizzard just days before and while family were travelling here. A big majority of those that came got the flu. In spite of all of that, I think we had a pretty good time. Lots of food. Time together. And a time of giving.
This year I was overwhelmed by gifts I received.
One of the young ladies that I work with had a very nice camera that she let me borrow once and offered to sell me a couple of months ago. I was telling her that I loved it, but I would have to convince Sharlene that it was something "we" wanted to get. We had talked about getting a new camera but nothing had been decided. Well, I was telling Teena (the young lady) that I was working on Sharlene, but I did not think the job was going to get done. Little did I know, but she had been talking to Teena too. And on Christmas morning there next to my stocking was this beautiful camera. I was shocked. I still am. It is so beautiful. Thank you so much Sharlene!
I also got quite a gift from Becky. Each year I give many in my family a corn cob. Dad had told me many years ago that his father had given him and his brother Vaughn a corn cob or a lump of coal at Christmas. So, several years ago I began to give corn cobs. Then I changed things and began to not just wrap up a cob and put it under the tree. Now, I am not an artist, and my creatations are maybe even crude, but I have made Barbie and Ken Cobs, corn cob light houses, corn cob christmas trees, corn cob flag poles, corn cobs commerating engagements with little rings on each cob and several other things. My niece Becky usually has a special cob to give back to me. I have been given a cob family, a koozie cob and other things. This year Becky and Jason got me an ear of corn that had been carved from a log with a chain saw. It is about 3 feet tall and is amazing. What a gift!

My Mom worked hard to give everyone a gift that was something from Grandpa. She put a lot of thought and love in each gift.
Because many were sick, I think I got another gift of being able to get to do a little extra in the kitchen for our Christmas dinner. I really enjoyed being in the kitchen.
It was a gift for my Mom to have as many as possible home with her this year. She had a great time having all around.
I had a very special gift to have a little granddaughter for the first time at my house at Christmas. She brings so much happiness to her Mommy and Dad and all of us who get to touch and be touched by her.
I think we had a gift from God that Jordan made it to us safely. The weather as I said was not cooperating and we thought his journey would be "iffy." Well, he was doing pretty well until he hit some ice near Stockton and slid off the road. Everyone, including the car was fine, just needed to be pulled back on the road and set on his way.
"Things" sometimes make the vision cloudy. When that vision is clear we understand that the things, the gifts, that are so special are those safe journeys, the blessing of family near and being able to give to someone else.
Thanks everyone for a wonderful time and your generousity and to God for blessing us all with more than we know.

I did't get to take him home

The other day when it was terrible cold (like it was all over the country) we were bringing Mom home from some outing. Mom is pretty independent so I don't remember why we were taking here anywhere, but we were coming home. The driveway was icy (maybe that is why we had her) so I told her I would help her back to the house. So we stepped out of the car and started up the sidewalk to the front steps. Right then I realized that I had not thought about taking Dad up that sidewalk for quite some time. He is always on my mind, but some specifics only pop in now and then. Well we were walking up that sidewalk and Mom was being pretty careful, but it reminded me of those walks up the sidewalk with Dad. Her steps were careful, but Dad's were small. His knees hurt so bad each step was very careful. I would say about 6 to 8 inches was his gait. I remember last year about this time seeing the itty bitty steps in the snow from his car to the front door. It was a trail of footprints only a few inches apart.
Thinking of our walks to the house reminded me of quite a few memories with Dad. This last week has been so hard. There seems to be many stresses around me and I want to go run them by my Dad. Even if we would not talk about some things, just to be with him would help. It has been 10 months now but it seems a new wave of sorrow and missing him has come.
I have thought many times this last week about finding him that afternoon. I question things that happened. I question if I did everything I should have. In my mind I am sure that I did, but it has been a week of questions.
After walking up that walk with Mom the other day I thought to myself. You thought you would take Dad up this sidewalk many more times, didn't you? I had never thought about it until this week, but I did not get to take him home. Guess he got there o.k. without me.