Stepping into 2015

Just realized that I haven't used my blog since this time last year.  I have always heard the older you get the faster time goes, but a whole year, that's just ridiculous. 
This year I am going to make an effort to post something each week.  Maybe that will give me a sense of where my time is actually going.
Our family continues to grow and the grandkids are growing up much too fast.  Oldest one is in his first year of college and the youngest just turned three.  The other nine are scattered in between and we are waiting on another grandson to be born in a few months.  Children makes you realize that a part of you goes.  In looking at family pictures I see glimpse of grandparents and great grandparents past.
  At seventy years old my husband and I are now orphans.  Losing his mother just a few weeks ago.  It's strange, but as long as  you have a parent you remain a child in lots of ways.  There wasn't a feeling of grief.  She was 91 years and was ready to go.  As a matter of fact she was getting very irritated because she couldn't go.  I just hope when my time comes I will be able to meet it head on the way she did. 
My goal this year is to try to get back in touch with things that I enjoy.  Make myself become more active.  Take care of my health.  Drag out the paints.  Organize my house.  Try to become a better wife, mother and person.

Paths in Life

Young person starting the path of life.  Everything is a new and exciting adventure.

 

 

 

Old person who has experienced life and is growing tired. 

 

Bridges ahead of them both.  What does the other side hold for them

 

The future

 

The unforeseen curves

 

The river of life

 

The narrow winding path. 

 

 

You Know You're Boring Them

Well here I go again for the umpteenth time.  I have tried several time to write something on my blog and  for the same amount of times I have deleted it and told myself I would get back later.  Well like I said here I am again. 

It's not that I don't have anything to write about because we have stayed busy traveling to visit children and having grandkids coming to visit us.  The problem I seem to be having is how do I write about all these fun filled extravaganzas if I can't mention my kids, or their spouses or the grandkids or where they live   or what they do for a  living.  I have some wonderful pictures but they are a no-no also. 

But just in case you're interested in rose bushes.  This is a rose bush outside my back door.  Many years a friend can up to show me a rose he picked off  the bush in his yard and told me this was from a cutting that his great grand mother had brought with her from Germany.  After he left I decided  I would put the cutting in the ground.  Well lo and behold the flower rooted and came back and has continued to grow all these years.  Our friend has been  deceased for a number of years, but I always think of him when I see the roses bloom.

The picture to the right is a picture of the "super moon".  I heard about it on TV and that night I went out on the back porch and sure enough it was the biggest, brightest moon ever and it lit up all the neighborhood almost like it was day time.
This was taken at about 9:00 in the evening.

 The double rainbow was taken on July the 4th.  After a long rainy day the sun finally came out late in the afternoon.  The bow looked to set right in our neighbor's back yard. 

 



 This picture was made at the beach in late June.  These people were swimming and sunning themselves, but John and I were about to freeze.  The temps were in the high 60's but the wind off the water made it seem much colder.  60 degree weather doesn't happen often in Al. so Ca. felt like the Artic.

Here we have our bonfire.  Made smores  and eliminated a huge brush pile at the same time. 

 

I always think of John's Aunt who would say to her husband "Oh shut Bill you know you're boring them"

The Beginning of 2013

Oh my goodness.  What has happened to the first three months of the new year.  I had such big plans to blog at least once a week, but as you can see it has been weeks since I even checked my blog page. 

Retiring doesn't necessarily mean that you have more time,  as a matter of fact there are days when I wonder how I had time to go to work.  I have started to try to rekindle a few interest of the past.  I have been crocheting some.  When I went out to California in December to stay a few weeks with Sarah and the kids, she got me going on that and I have made numerous hats, scarves, and endless starts and stops on other things.

We seem to have a steady stream of places to go, things to do and people to see.  With our family living all over the country, it seems that there is someone we need to visit all the time.  Three of our grandsons that are all eight this year will be having their first communion .  One in Memphis, one in Louisana and one in California.  I would love to be there for all of them but that will probably not happen.  They are all playing baseball this year and I would love to go to a game but that will probably not happen.  The other eight are involved in all kind of things from wrestling, football to band.  I just hope mom and dad keeps the pictures and video coming and I hope they all know that I am very proud of them all.

As the young ones grow up and branch out with their lives, we have to face the sad reality that we loose people along the way.  My mother who was 92 years old passed from this life on Feb. 18th.  She was still living at home and taking care of her needs up until two weeks before her death.  On the morning that she died, she talked to my brother at 6:19 am when my sister went upstairs before she was to go to work at 6:45 am, Mother had peacefully left this world.  I can't feel sad because I know that we would all be lucky to go this way.  I feel she was blessed.

This week is spring break for Al. and Emily will be with us most of the week.  We took a drive up to Pulaski TN today and we drove through snow showers almost all the way.  The drive was relaxing and beautiful.  I'm sure Emily will keep us suffiecently entertained the rest of the week.

 I hope that everyone celebrates this Holy Week in a special way and has a Joyful Easter.

THE FACE IN THE MIRROR

FACE IN THE MIRROR

DECEMBER 2013

The face in the mirror looking back at me.

Where in the world did she come from?

Who in the world can she be?

There is something vaguely familiar

when I look into her eyes.

Maybe someone I met before, she must have family ties.

The hair that should be almost black

is now mostly salt with a little pepper 

and where those tiny laugh lines were,

the crow's feet beg to differ.

I look at her and think I recognise

something about about her mouth,

but there again there's something wrong

everything is heading south.

I bend in close for one more look.

She bends closer to look at me.

Then she laughs and I walk away,

Hope she's not laughing at me.

Walk a little slower

• 
  WALK A LITTLE SLOWER
• Pat Sundquist
• 12/15/2012

 

Walk a little slower

Our childhood days have past

No more chasing fireflies and butterflies

and rainbows that never last.

 

Walk a little slower

Our youth left much to soon.

the excitement of first kisses shared

and building dream castles under the moon.

 

Walk a little slower

our children are all grown up and gone.

and they fined themselves where we once were

with children of their own.

 

Walk a little slower now

Darling take my hand

There's much to do and much  to see

for this woman and this man.

 

 

 

OUR TRIP TO CALIFORNIA

 

 

I will post after Thanksgiving.  Hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday.