Mother's Day Weekend

There is really nothing quite so sweet as tiny little baby feet.

My Mother's Day Flowers...much too cold to be outside...

This will be a picture heavy post with few words. A few weeks ago, nearly three, my niece gave birth to her second child, a little girl. As you may remember, this child would be the first baby girl in the family in thirty-five years. 

She had a big brother waiting at home.

He really loves her...

most of the time. ツ

Maternal grandmother, my sister, holding her new grandbaby

What a face...

Obviously, I am now so old that I don't care what I look like and how I present myself here. (I think that brother must have been up to something. Ha!)

On Saturday, I had a wonderful surprise. My sister, brother-in-law, niece, little great-nephew (new big brother), and new baby great-niece arrived for a visit. We had lunch together and spent a few hours soaking up the new baby. She hardly made a peep.

Up Close

Little Big brother did some riding

On Sunday, my son and grands arrived. We had lunch together and then they went outside and did yard work for two hours. Six hours of yard work...woot!

It was a wonderful Mother's Day Weekend... I sure do love my peeps.

P.S. Meant to thank those who commented on last post and left such comforting messages regarding Judy. I am most appreciative.

A Greeting

Source: Pixaby

Ebb and Flow

🎶There's within my heart a melody, Jesus whispers sweet and low, fear not I am with thee, peace be still, in all of life's ebb and flow...🎶

A Sunny Day

Oh my! I have allowed time to get by. And, as always with life, nothing has remained the same. 

Many of you knew that John's sister Judy was not doing well. This was shared privately behind the scenes. Her sister, niece, and I had been terribly stressed by the closing of her nursing home due to the concerns about Covid-19. 

There were no window visits allowed, no pizza delivery allowed, and few phone calls. Judy was so far along in her journey that she could no longer make or receive phone calls. It was a challenging time for all. 

I am grateful that both her niece and sister were allowed two compassion visits during that time. However, there were no visits allowed in that final week, even for them, hence the stress. (Judy was tested and did not have Covid-19.) We are rejoicing that she is safely home and not languishing here. I try not to think of the days she spent alone. Of course, no one is ever truly alone. Every time I think of her being with John, it makes me smile. They were best buddies as you can see from these pictures.  

1986

2015

As you can imagine, a loss in this Time of Covid is almost surreal. When one would most wish to give or receive a hug, that comfort is denied. It is odd to see everyone wearing masks and to have the pastor doing a funeral wearing a mask is bizarre. I thought Judy would have chuckled to see us. 
She loved life and laughter. 

🌷🌷🌷🌷

Stay safe; stay free. They are not mutually exclusive.

One Day More

Source

That's my big take-away from this stew we all find ourselves in. 

I think a lot about food. These are my leftovers from a pizza Laurel brought me. Hope that she does that again!

Dwindling supplies weigh heavy on my mind...

The final pear

Last week, I washed walls and woodwork upstairs: this week I recovered from last week.

Ahhhh, bedtime, my favorite time of day...

Sorry, Dear One, I've been safe at home for three weeks and I've got precious little to share. My family are all home...safely, of course. I hope that you and yours are, too. God has been good to me. I am feeling well, in spite of being overdue for treatments. I'm trusting Him. 

Now not everyone will be as amused as I have been by the little video below. It makes me laugh out loud. I am giving you fair warning because that sweet daddy proves to be a bit naughty. He just couldn't resist the urge to rhyme the word amok. See? Fair warning. I love to watch this as a little play...looking for each one's reactions and laughing like a woman who has been alone for three weeks. They are one talented family and I certainly hope that they continue thinking of videos to share to ward off insanity.ツ

https://youtu.be/DZafX_U5aqs

All the best! Praying for us all.

It's About Time

...that I showed up, especially now that reading blogs is such a pleasant diversion. Each blogger should do his or her part.ツ

Birthday Roses Drying

First things first: I am well and hunkering down just like the rest of the country. Are you working from home? Out of school? Out of work? (I sure hope not.) 

My son is still working at his office and has said that he'd prefer to buy a Hazmet hazmat suit rather than work at home. Ha! That boy! (The problem is not his family nor even his pets; the problem is the lack of internet power.)

The grands are home from school and their mom provided them with "life lessons" this past week. They were making meals, baking cakes, changing sheets, etc. I'm sure that they loved it.

I have heard from the other grands who seem to be just lying around. Their mother reports that she can't get a thing done.

It looks like early spring outside after a pretty mild winter. I can't complain. I mean I do, but I shouldn't.

The last social engagement was a week ago when I attended my niece's baby shower.

We're all pretty excited about the new baby girl on her way in just a few short weeks. Hope that I get to see her before she's six months old. 

I think that I promised that I'd show my sister's new laundry room in some old post or other. 

Last week it looked more like a garden room. After today, when the sink is installed right there, it will become a very functional space. Mostly, my sister will be overlooking her back yard and her brother-in-law's wood business.

Per Mrs. T's request

Edited to Add: Two more of the finished laundry room countertops and with the sink installed.

Other than that, I content myself with quiet pursuits. Reading mostly and keeping up with you.

Grandma Gatewood's story is inspirational. I will  not, however, be following her example, even if I am the right age to strike off on the Appalachian Trail.

Take good care, my friend, and hang tough. God’s got this. 

My 2¢

<I shared a video from The Daily Connoisseur vlog where she shared her opinion on the Super Bowl's half-time show. I have since learned that some vloggers don't wish to have their vlogs shared. I am no longer sharing vlogs nor providing links.>

Can’t say it any more sanely or calmly than this. It really is important to speak up. What in the world will they do next year? Fornicate on stage while children sing? 

Thanks to all those with whom I have been having a conversation about this. Thanks to my friend Diane (who has a private blog) for sending this video link to me. 

Comments are closed today. 

He's Fourteen

A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt. He said, 'I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, violent one, the other wolf is the loving, compassionate one.' The grandson asked him, 'Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?' The grandfather answered, 'The one I feed.'

My January grandsons have each celebrated his birthday six days apart (just like always). This year, they were blessed with a trip to Boston and a Celtics Game. Thanks to a loving great-aunt, they were treated to a private box to watch the Celtics lose. (The Celtics' loss was the only bad part.)

They each play on their school teams and a rec team. On the rec team, they are teammates. It was fun to watch them play last Saturday. 

Sam has always preferred the action shots. (He's number 10 btw.) I missed too many so was happy to hand over my iPhone to Laurel. She did a good job capturing three that I hope Sam likes.

Afterward, we went out for supper at a local restaurant where one grand ordered lobster and the other a hot dog. My daughter, whose treat it was, thought it all balanced out. 

Sam's School Picture this year 2019–2020

A father~son comparison

Time has always intrigued me. It went by quickly enough when I was a child, faster still when my children were young, and it's really zipping these days.

Wasn't it just yesterday that Sam was waiting with his dad for the school bus on the first day of school? Sure do love this young man and I admire his athletic ability, too. Mostly, he's becoming a salt of the earth person who is a pleasure to spend time with.

Just as soon as Jakob's school picture becomes available, I'll be back with another installment of where has the time flown?

Speaking of which, where did January go? We were blessed with a mild one, only a few snowstorms, not too many bitter cold days, yet a lot of sickness. Hope everyone stays vertical from here on out.

Thank you for your visit!

Epiphany

Epiphany has several meanings. It can mean this day, January 6, when tradition says that the Wise Men found the Christ Child. It can also mean a revelation or the light turning on. I love talking about epiphany and have done so many times before: 2017, 2014, and 2011. (My favorite might be the 2011 one.) 

 In the days leading up to Christmas 2019, I sat in my chair reminding myself that it would all be over soon. And it was. For some of us this is welcome and for others (including me ツ), it always comes as a disappointment. It was a wonderful Christmas. I hope that yours was as well, though I have already read of challenges over the holidays for some dear blogging friends.

My daughter came last Saturday and packed up the ornaments and hauled them all back upstairs. This was a great blessing. She suggested taking down the tree, but I keep the tree up through Epiphany. Now that it has already become a winter tree, I may keep it up for the remainder of the week. I'll pick on the other child for taking it down and packing it up next weekend. He will be happy about that. Sure he will.

Winter Tree

When it was a Christmas Tree

Judy's Nativity


Judy is John's sister. She is in nursing home care. I decorated her room for Christmas. She always most especially wants a Nativity, but she also had a small tree, a wreath, and a gingerbread house. When I went to visit and gather the Christmas things the day after New Year's, I found them covered with Judy's folded clothing. Apparently, the laundry lady felt it was time for Christmas to be over. 

🌲🌲🌲


I have watched the 1994 version of Little Women a number of times this season. It's a wonderful movie for Christmas time. I also went with Laurel to see the 2019 version and liked it; my daughter loved it. I prefer the 1994 version. There is even an Amazon Prime Little Women series and I have been enjoying that as well.

Apparently, every generation has its own Little Women focusing on the agendas of the times. There were two things that particularly annoyed me about the 2019 version, but I'll spare you. My favorite thing about the current version is the 2019 Laurie. But then what's not to like about the 1994 Laurie?  I still prefer Winona Ryder as Jo and Susan Sarandon as Marmee. And I far prefer Mary Wickes as Aunt March. Beth's death scene is far better in the 1994 version. Of course, it was created out of whole cloth, but this story lends itself to changes and/or "improvements." 

I actually reread Little Women as I wondered how many liberties were taken. You can find that here if you'd like. I found some things that surprised me on both counts...things created by the movie directors and producers and things followed very closely by them as well.


🌲🌲🌲


It's time to move into 2020. The good news is that some things never change. There'll be no reworking of the age old truths. Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday, and forever. He'll be the same in 2020 as He was in 2019 and 1920. Very comforting thought...