Blessings of Spring

Spring has arrived and brought with it all the Blessings of Renewed Life.

This above picture was taken on SIU Campus in Carbondale, IL in front of Altgeld building. The magnolias were in bloom and I liked the blue and white bike parked out front. I am sure the rains have since cleared the blossoms and prepared the earth for more varieties of flowers. I do so enjoy wandering over campus and springtime is the best.

Last December when the family was together, my daughter said that what she wanted for her birthday (March 19th) was for us "girls" to have a weekend together, shopping, chatting and relaxing. Well, last weekend was the date that worked out for everyone. We planned on going to Lake of the Ozarks and checking out the outlet mall, etc. But as I somewhat remember my Mom saying, "The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray." Which I believe is her rendition of Robert Burns, from To A Mouse, "The best laid schemes o' mice and men Gang aft a-gley." So last Friday afternoon was beautiful, and I met Patty north of St.Louis and we made our way to pick up Tammy and enjoyed an uneventful drive to the Lake. An hour or so later Patty's daughter, Cassie, met us there and we went out for dinner. After an evening of chatting and planning our Saturday shopping, we got some sleep. Early Saturday morning I awoke with the most terrible upset stomach one can imagine! NO food would stay in my stomach. I do believe the food I ate was bad, as my Saturday was spent alternating between the bathroom and the bed. Not at all what I had planned or hoped for. The others did some shopping and thoughtfully tried to help me get to feeling better. Sunday morning I was on the mend, and after a shower was able to stay upright and out of the bathroom. We did go to the outlet mall and I found some special perfume that I was looking for, and we checked out the bargains at various stores. Then we were on our way back to Illinois. It was certainly time spent with family, but not what any of us had planned. So maybe another time we will be able to have more fun than this time. I certainly am Blessed and thankful for my family and their loving care.

My Sister and I getting in her new car.

We don't see one another as often as we would like, but are always close in heart. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort, but always it is worth it to show our love and strengthen our roots.

One final thought--taken from a church sign--"Even a fish stays out of trouble, if he keeps his mouth shut." Just some food for thought as you Enjoy your Journey this spring!

Spring At Last

We just had a fun time with two of our Grandchildren. Thursday was such a beautiful day, so we got the garden cart and hung some birdhouses. Here I am with Jonathan and Kate. Jonathan is excited, as he is about to overtake me in height and he is only 10.

We got to have lunch on the deck, as it was such a pretty day, and you can see our birdhouses all lined up and ready to be hung. Kate rode in the garden cart and picked out the next house to be hung.

Here is my little "artist" and she is very serious about her painting, a very good listener and takes instructions with an eager readiness to learn. She was painting a picture for her Momma's birthday. She said she had never used a picture to try to paint from, and she liked that idea. Plus she learned about blotting your brush and that the amount of water has a lot to do with the colors and how they flow together. I am so proud of her dedication to painting. She is one of my biggest fans and I am one of hers--a mutual admiration society!Here is my "little ray of sunshine" helping me with planting some violas and pansies. We gathered acorns with their caps on and all the unique rocks and fossils we could spy in the gravel paths and she put them in her treasure box to take home. Everyone needs to look at their surroundings and "see" all the beauty that God has placed within arms reach, "as a little child". Then the stress of life would be less and what is truly important would be found.

What can be more fun that swinging on a spring day. I have always loved swings and rocking chairs. Something soothing about that movement. I guess it is reverting back to childhood.

Here is a picture taken by Tammy, while we were on our walk around the pond Friday afternoon. This is the girls sitting on a tree limb and giggling. Jonathan was inside watching the March Madness, as Mizzou was playing and he was taking it all in.

Now for the Post Script

Stepping back in time a couple days to St. Patrick's Day! We had gone to the dentist, and on our way home made a stop at the store and I bought bananas and apples. Yes they were very green, in keeping with the holiday. When I returned to the car, Leon wanted to know if I had bought any bananas, as we usually eat one as we drive home. I said, "yes but they are green." He said, "What do green bananas taste like?" I told him, "Not good." He thought he would try one! When I gave him one, he worked for about 5 minutes trying to peel it. Next to impossible! Then he took a bite! One bite was all it took for him to discover what they taste like--"bitter" was his description. It brought to mind a few years back when Tammy told me about Jonathan looking at the red burner on their electric cook stove, and having been told not to touch it, did any way. He "wanted to know what hot felt like." I guess guys just have to experience some things for themselves. As you journey through Spring, may you stop long enough to pick up a pretty stone, listen to the birds sing, and thank God for all our blessings along life's journey.

Over the Water and in the Sky

It is that time of year again, and we are preparing the nest for our Canadian geese. Leon took the float-boat out to our little cypress island, and put some straw there for to help the goose out a little.

I love the cypress knees and thought this was a good picture of Leon making the nest for the goose. There are several pairs of geese on our pond and one was up there checking out her nest before we returned to the house. They are a little spoiled.

Then on to the next thing!!! Yes, Leon was up on our roof, doing "squirrel-prevention". He took the topper off and re-did the wire around it. Then hoisted it back up there and put it back in place. I stood with my cell phone in hand, in case I needed to call 911. Yes, a lot of praying has been going on. But the Lord's angels were with us and all is well and safe. Praise the Lord. Well, gotta go for now. On to the next stop on our journey--the dentist!

Awaiting Spring

Oh the daffodils are soon to bloom! And the seasons are preparing to change. The leaves that grew last year and fell in the fall are being moved by the amazing new life of the bulbs. I always look forward to the color and seeing the cold weather leave.








I spied this little crocus in our yard as I walked to the mailbox last week. My heart leaped with excitement. The beauty of a flower springing from the earth after the cold winter months and seasons of snow is a joy to behold.

On Sunday afternoon we drove to Carlyle Lake and watched the seagulls fishing in the windy waves. If you look carefully you will see that one was a great "fisher-bird" and caught his next meal.















We then drove on around to the West Access Marina and looking out over the Lake we saw LOTS of white pelicans. It was super windy and although, I used a tripod, it was difficult shooting conditions. I got a few shots before our camera decided it was "tired" and ready for a break. Yes, to my sad dismay, our camera quit working. We are having it checked out by Pentax. It will be gone for 4-8 weeks, and in the meanwhile, we will be using our Olympus. We are praying that it is repairable and not too expensive. I sure will miss it while it is gone, but our journey continues.















We have some wren houses to hang and have already seen the bluebirds checking our the houses. Our geese are squawking for territory of their favorite nesting site, and we anxiously await all the new life Spring brings with it.