Memorial Day

 

Once again, let us pause and remember those who’ve given the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live with the many freedoms we enjoy.   This year Memorial Day is really different for me, since some friends of mine lost their 21 year old grandson in Afghanistan on April 11th. I attended the military graveside service and it was very impressive but it was so sad to see this young man’s grieving family & friends.  I guess unless you’re touched by this type of loss, even remotely, you can’t totally understand the meaning of this day.

So today as we gather with family & friends, let’s all take a moment to remember…..remember the men & women who gave their all for us.

I will be getting together with my family and some friends at the Club House today. We’re going to have a potluck indoor picnic.  Since the weather in western Washington is so unpredictable at this time of the year, we decided to have it indoors.  My youngest niece is here for a long weekend from Washington, DC and we have a new member in our family…..my middle niece, husband & two little girls welcomed 8 lbs 12 oz Brady last Monday, May 24th.  He’ll be the hit of the day I’m sure.  The newlyweds will be coming from Olympia with her mom & uncle, so we’ll have a big group.

I’m still working on my class reunion project. I make myself get up and go outside from time to time during the day, so my eyes don’t fall out from all the squinting I’m doing trying to read illegible writing . I know the finished product will be worth it. 

My yard is looking pretty good.  The hanging baskets are all planted and with all the rain we’ve had, I rarely have to water. I’m sure that will change as we move into the summer months, however.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend.  And once again I apologize for not reading Blogs on a regular basis.  Hopefully that will change after this class reunion is over.  Until next time…….Linda

Senior Wal Mart Greeter

Charlie, a new retiree greeter at Wal-Mart, just couldn't seem to get to work on time. Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late. But he was a good worker, really tidy, clean-shaven, sharp-minded and a real credit to the company and obviously demonstrating their "Older Person Friendly" policies.






One day the boss called him into the office for a talk. "Charlie, I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a bang up job, but your being late so often is quite bothersome."






"Yes, I know boss, and I am working on it."


''Well good, you are a team player. That's what I like to hear. It's odd though you're coming in late. I know you're retired from the Navy. What did they say if you came in late there?"






''They said, 'Good morning, Admiral. May I get you some coffee, sir?'''

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

I want to wish all the mother’s, step mother’s, foster mother’s  and dad’s who have been both father and mother a very happy Mother’s Day.

I was blessed to have probably the sweetest mother in the world…..although there were times in my teenage years  I didn’t necessarily feel that way.

But once I became a mother, I quickly realized how wonderful she really was.    She was a registered nurse and she worked  during the years my dad was overseas during World War II but once he came home, she quit to be a stay at home mom and wife. She was a very typical 1950’s mom….she wore house dresses (rarely did I see her in slacks) and aprons. She made aprons to go with all her dresses. She was very handy with the sewing machine, baked cookies, made the best pies in the world, had a huge garden every year, canned fruit & vegetables, tried to teach me to cut up a chicken and was a fantastic cook & housekeeper.  But her crowning glory was her love of her Lord & Savior. 

When I was little she read Bible stories to me and taught me to pray.  She made sure I was in Sunday School and church every Sunday.  And since my dad worked weekends and mom didn’t drive, we took the bus to church.  I’m pretty sure that from where we lived, we probably had to transfer at least once in order to get to church across town. 

By the time my brother came along, we had moved out to the country and she finally learned to drive. But I remember her being so happy when I turned 16 and got my license, because then she could ride along as a passenger. I don’t ever remember her saying a bad word about anyone.  And when someone in the church was sick, had a baby or there was a death in the family…she was there with a casserole & a pie.

She loved music, especially the hymns at church, yet she couldn't carry a tune.  But she instilled a love of music in both myself and my brother.  She was so proud of me when I sang in the church choir and later took chorus in middle school and choir in high school.  Both my brother and I had music lessons.

Once I became a mom and she became a grandmother, she continued with that loving and kind spirit.  She babysat my daughter a lot when she was little as I was working full time.  She read Bible stories to Julie like she did me.  She let Julie stand on a chair next to her when she baked cookies and it didn’t matter how much of a mess Julie made….because she was helping grandma.   Mom loved the interaction with all of five grandchildren.  They were all special to her. 

My mom passed away the afternoon of October 8, 1987…..it was her and dad’s 48th wedding anniversary.  It was a very sad day for the whole family. And dad was never the same after that day.  He followed her to Heaven on September 14, 1990.

I miss her so much but I thank God everyday for the time I had with her and the things she imparted to me.  She was a sweet, sweet lady.

 

Sunday May 2, 2010

 

It’s sort of a gloomy day here in western Washington. I wish the weather would make up it’s mind. We’d (or I’d) like a full day of warm sun or a full day of rain. But these days of sun, rain, sun, rain all mixed with a fairly strong breeze are getting old.  My friend DB said it so well “It sounds like Mom Nature is playing checkers with the weather.”

Yesterday I ventured over to Lowe’s and got a few plants.  Everything is still pretty expensive so wasn’t able to get everything I need to fill all my hanging baskets and pots, but I got a start.

I’m going to use mostly red in my hanging baskets this year as I’m hoping to attract humming birds.  I had a few last summer and they were always at the red geraniums.   The little plants with blue flowers are perennials, so will last thru the winter.  They filled up a pot that had petunias in it last year and of course those died once the first frost hit.    And the beautiful lavender Columbine is a perennial.  I planted it in a large pot on my small porch on the east side of my house.  I love them and have never had one here.  When I was a kid my mom had a whole garden area full of Columbines.  They do best with just morning sun, so my east side porch should be a perfect spot for them.   I did manage to get everything planted before the rain started and also I took a few pictures while I was out there.

The picture below is my next door neighbor’s pink Dogwood.  It is so beautiful! 

Here is a close up of the flowers…I wish I had one in my yard.  These are the same neighbors that spend all their spare time at the Casino and do nothing in the way of taking care of their yard.

I have two lilac trees in my yard.  In the back is a huge one that was here when I got here.  It’s got the very dark purple flowers…

A month or so ago I got a couple little pots of these viola’s.  I love their sweet little faces.

And finally……the one flower I don’t have to buy.  They just grow naturally and they drive me CRAZY!!  I think they should be Washington state’s official state flower.

I’m very proud of my oldest niece Becky, who at age 35, married and mom to two school passed her very difficult state exam to get her R.N. degree.  She finished her schooling in March and I did go to her pinning the day after the wedding….but last Thursday she got the results of her exam. She passed and has accepted a job offer in the ICU at Tacoma General Hospital.    This is Becky at her Pinning Ceremony on March 13th.

 

This next week is going to be busy. Wednesday is my Reader’s Group.  I didn’t get a call about it yet so I don’t know who the guest authors are going to be.  But it’s always fun to get together, eat some salad and pizza and participate in the book exchange. However, I don’t need anymore books in this house, so will just be taking some over to give away.  Then Friday evening is a baby shower for my middle niece Jill.   After two girls they are looking forward to a little boy sometime the end of May.  We are very excited about the arrival of this little guy.  This will be the 5th grand child for my brother and sister in law and the second grandson.  Becky’s oldest child is a boy and he was 10 in February.  So in between Christopher and this new baby are 3 little girls.   All ready to help with the new baby.  My youngest niece Janna, lives in Washington D.C. and she’s coming home for Memorial Day weekend in hopes of meeting her new nephew.   We’re having a family get together on Memorial Day and once again we’re hoping the little guy is the guest of honor.  

I hope everyone remembers to stop by Lori’s Letter Box and offer some words of encouragement to our friend Lori.  She and her husband have been wintering in Tucson, AZ and after not feeling well her husband took her into a local emergency room, where they found some tumors on her liver and pancreas.  One of their daughter’s is flying down to help Lori fly home to Canada and another family member is flying to AZ to help her husband get their truck and travel trailer home.   You can stop by Lori’s Blog at http://lorisletterbox.blogspot.com/.

That’s all for now…..I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Sunday Update

Hello friends,   I hope everyone is well and having at least a few days of nice weather now and then.   Here in western Washington, we've had a couple dry days once again so I've managed to get both the front and back yard mowed.  Sunday afternoon found me in the back yard, with the mower & the edger.  On one side there are landscaping timbers separating my yard from the neighbors.  They never do a single thing in their yard and the grass & weeds were hanging over into mine.  So I took the edger and at least cleaned up my side.  On the other side is a chain link fence and the man that moved in there last fall has been working on getting that yard cleaned up.  In fact he wants my grass clippings for his compost pile so I'm letting him use my yard waste bin to dispose of the branches, black berry vines and other stuff he is removing, so it can be carted away. 

My daffodils have bloomed  & I trimmed off the dying blooms yesterday.  The tulips are in full bloom (remember last year I lost all my tulips when the neighbor girl pulled them up to sell door to door around here?) My diligence in replacing them right away (thankfully Lowes, Home Depot and other garden centers had blooming tulips in pots so I could put them in the holes she left behind) paid off this year, as they are truly beautiful.   Both of my lilac bushes are blooming and today when I was mowing in the back yard, the sweet fragrance of lilacs was definitely in the air.

I saw on the news this evening that cruise season kicks off this next week in Seattle. Here in the northwest it runs from the end of April thru the middle of September.  We have a wonderful cruise ship terminal in Seattle now and the cruise business adds about 312 million dollars a year to the economy of this area.  Another Alaskan cruise sounds like a mighty fine idea. 

The photographers that came from Phoenix, AZ to photograph my son & daughter in law's wedding have a Blog.  This last week they posted a few pictures that they took on that happy occasion.  If you'd like to see them, you can check them out at; http://michaelneugentphotography.blogspot.com/2010/04/jeralyn-and-jim.html    I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures they took.  Mine were ok, but I was taking pictures around the professionals and without a flash, so I wouldn't disturb them.  Plus it was hard to take pictures and see all that was going on a the same time.

Again, I apologize for not commenting everyday but I am doing better about getting around to Blogs.  Now with yard work and the continuing typing for my class reunion, I don't always leave a comment.   Take care~Until next time, Linda

Sunday Evening

Our weather has been going from winter to spring to summer and back to winter for several weeks now.   Thursday I decided to mow the lawn.  We'd had cool temps but sun and a very strong wind. I went out & checked ~the lawn was dry.  So I changed into old clothes, got out the lawnmower and started on the back yard.  I wasn't out there for 20 minutes when all of a sudden the sky turned black and it began to hail. Since I was using an electric lawn mower I decided it was best to stop mowing and get the thing unplugged, put away and get back into the house. So I came back in, changed out of my old "yard work clothes" and settled in on another task.  About an hour later I noticed that the sun was once again shining, the black sky was now blue ~ so out I went again and finished the back yard.  Friday afternoon, since the weather had been cold & windy all day but no hail ~ I was able to get the front yard mowed.  I'm itching to plant my hanging baskets, etc but we are still having some night time temps in the low 40's so I think I'll wait another few weeks.

I continue typing and submitting bio's from my high school classmates to the printer who is going to be creating our 50th class reunion memory book.  It's so interesting to see what some have accomplished.  We all went to the same rural high school, but so many went on to higher education to get their degree's (even Master's Degrees) and hold important positions during their employment years.  Most are retired now but some are still working, simply because the love what they are doing.  I've been asked to give the "welcome" speech at the reunion (August 7th) and one of the things I'm tracking are children, step children, foster kids, grandkids and great grandkids. It will be interesting to see the final count.  So far I've determined that the Franklin Pierce High School class of 1960 certainly "went forth & multiplied." 

I guess that's about all that's new for now. Nothing else new to report. But I do want to leave you with a cute little story that I received in email form from a friend.

White Lie
Have you ever told a white lie? You are going to love this, especially all of the ladies who bake for church events:

Alice Grayson was to bake a cake for the Baptist Church Ladies' Group in Tuscaloosa , but forgot to do it until the last minute. She remembered it the morning of the bake sale and after rummaging through cabinets, found and angel food cake mix & quickly made it while drying her hair, dressing, and helping her son pack for scout camp.



When she took the cake from the oven, the center had dropped flat and the cake was horribly disfigured and she exclaimed, "Oh dear, there is not time to bake another cake!" This cake was important to Alice because she did so want to fit in at her new church, and in her new community of friends.



So, being inventive, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of The cake. She found it in the bathroom - a roll of toilet paper. She plunked it in and then covered it with icing. Not only did the


finished product look beautiful, it looked perfect. And, before she left the house to drop the cake by the church and head for work, Alice woke her daughter and gave her some money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the moment it opened at 9:30 and to buy the cake and bring it home.



When the daughter arrived at the sale, she found the attractive, perfect cake had already been sold. Amanda grabbed her cell phone and called her mom.



Alice was horrified-she was beside herself! Everyone would know! What would they think? She would be ostracized, talked about, ridiculed!



All night, Alice lay awake in bed thinking about people pointing fingers at her and talking about her behind her back.



The next day, Alice promised herself she would try not to think about the cake and would attend the fancy luncheon/bridal shower at the home of a fellow church member and try to have a good time. She did not really want to attend because the hostess was a snob who more than once had looked down her nose at the fact that Alice was a single parent and not from the founding families of Tuscaloosa , but having already RSVP'd , she couldn't think of a believable excuse to stay home.



The meal was elegant, the company was definitely upper crust old south and to Alice 's horror, the cake in question was presented for desert!



Alice felt the blood drain from her body when she saw the cake! She started out of her chair to tell the hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, the Mayor's wife said, "what a beautiful cake!" Alice , still stunned, sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess (who was a prominent church member) say, "Thank you, I baked it myself."


Alice smiled and thought to herself, "God is good."


  

Have a Blessed Easter Sunday

"Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior,

Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

Vainly they watch His bed, Jesus my Savior;

Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!

Death cannot keep it's prey, Jesus my Savior;

He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o'er His foes, He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever, with His saints to reign.  He arose!  He arose!

Hallelujah! Christ arose!

I remember singing this Easter hymn every year since I was a little girl. These precious words, written by Robert Lowry in 1874

still thrill my soul today.