Friday Ramblings

It's been a week of reconnections. My cousin is back in the area after being away for ten years, so we spent some time together over the weekend and tried to catch up a bit. He even came down on Monday and helped us work on our paver patio. When I opened my email on Thursday, there was an email from an old classmate/neighbor. I think the last time I saw him was twenty years ago. We used to do a lot together, since we lived a few houses apart and were in the same grade. He is now an artist and lives in Denver. It has been great to reconnect with my cousin, and with an old friend.

Today is my niece's 5th birthday! I won't be able to be with her today, so will have to wait until tomorrow to celebrate with her. I can't believe she's already 5!! Where does the time go?






I am worried about my garden because we had very, very heavy rain and strong winds last night, along with lightning and thunder. The torrential rains lasted over an hour. I'm sure part of our newly seeded lawn washed away but I will have to inspect the damage later. Speaking of damage, there are bugs eating my beans as they pop through the ground, and they are also making my tomatoes turn yellow. My mom thinks she has figured out what bug it is, some type of beetle, so have to find something to kill them before they annihilate my garden. I've put too much work into it already to just let the bugs destroy it!

Happy birthday, Liz! Happy Friday to everyone else!

Welcome to My Garden

In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful. ~Abram L. Urban

Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. ~Lindley Karstens












One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides. ~W.E. Johns

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. ~Song of Solomon 2:12

Racing Thoughts

I have lots on my mind today-catching up at work after a day off, how beautiful it is outside, remembering to vote, my garden and how it needs to be watered and weeded, my nieces upcoming birthday, wondering how my dad's back is after he put it out over the weekend, summer plans and wondering if we can afford them now that gas is at an absolutely ridiculous price, different things that friends and family members are going through, getting the rest of my garden planted, the economy and the future of this country, health issues, and on and on. Most of these thoughts have my mind very cluttered and it's hard to stay on track.

I know I have to be focused on God or those thoughts will run wild and turn into uncontrollable worry and stress. If we rely on God, we know that He will take care of us.

Matthew 6:31-33 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

So this morning, I am trying to calm down some of the thoughts rushing through my head and focus on trusting and living for God, and instead of stressing out to remember to pray and to give them to God and not take them back.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139: 23-24

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. Psalm 139: 1-2

Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8

Memorial Day

"Any nation that does not honor its heros will not long endure." ~Abraham Lincoln

With honor and respect, to our many service men and women, both past and present, we say thank you. You are appreciated and remembered.

Spokane Falls

We made a trip to Spokane Falls. If you have a chance to see the Falls this weekend, go see it! It's an amazing amount of water going downstream!

American Idol Surprise Career Move

I haven't watched much of American Idol this year at all, but did sit down to watch the last half hour tonight of the big season finale. I had no idea who over half of the top 12 were who came out to sing! In the past, I've been a big Idol fan, but this year I just haven't gotten into it like before. Chris Daughtry is still my favorite, even though he didn't win a couple years back.

As I was watching tonight, I was not only surprised, but I was taken back to my early childhood years. If you are around my age or older, I wonder if you were taken back as well? I thought that it was a very different career choice, but wondered if it will work out for him. I was also wondering when Paula was going to become a little moose puppet. Now, Paula can have some strange behavior, so anything is possible!









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Since I was a big Captain Kangaroo fan as a kid, I am so happy to know that Randy has a new career waiting for him, should the music industry not work out! It's nice to know that he can always become the new Captain Kangaroo!! He obviously inherited the jacket from Bob Keeshan when he passed away a few years ago. I wonder if Simon will become Mr. Greenjeans?

Floating Flower Pots

It's the strangest thing to be sitting eating dinner, and watch a flower pot float by the window. I met my friend Brenda this afternoon at the Dockside restaurant, and as we were eating, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. It was a flower pot! As I looked closer, I could see there was a dock underneath it, and more flower pots floating along Lake Coeur d'Alene. The water is high, very high and it's very dirty! We aren't used to seeing brownish green water out here, unless it's in a mud puddle, but the lake is that color right now. One parking lot is now fit for boat parking, many docks are closed because you would have to swim to them to get on them, the life guard stations are surrounded by water, the Cedars Floating Restaurant is closed because it's floating a little too much right now, and the Spokane River is out of it's banks. I can't imagine what it's like in the Cataldo/Silver Valley/St. Maries areas. My mom and dad drove to the Clark Fork area today and said that Pack River is very close to the road, and there is a lot of flooding along Pend Oreille Lake, as well. To add to the already flooded area around here, we had a lot of rain today so I am sure that tomorrow's flood waters will only be worse. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, so I was not able to snap a few pictures of these unusually high waters.

Along with watching the waters rise, and interesting things float by the window, we had a great meal and great conversation. We were there so long, our waitress said she was going to charge us a fee for using the booth. Of course, she was kidding. She kept us filled up with iced tea as our conversation went on for over three hours. It's great to be able to spend time catching up with my dear friend. I treasure those times we get together!

There are some great pictures of the flooding at the following links:
http://www.krem.com/perl/common/slideshow/sspop.pl?recid=9953&location=www.krem.com

http://www.krem.com/perl/common/slideshow/sspop.pl?recid=9996&nextimage=0

http://www.krem.com/perl/common/slideshow/sspop.pl?recid=9972&location=www.krem.com


http://www.krem.com/perl/common/slideshow/sspop.pl?recid=9935&location=www.krem.com


Mt. Spokane washout:
http://www.krem.com/perl/common/slideshow/sspop.pl?recid=9959&nextimage=8

Weekend Pictures

Admiring the Tulips

Tulip Sunshine

Helping water

"Okay, ready?"

"I did it!"

It's a windy day, let's fly some kites!

The Dirt on the Weekend

We had a lot of sunshine and heat over the weekend. It hit 91 on Saturday. We had three loads of topsoil delivered on Friday for our backyard. I thought the large dump truck was going to be a permanent fixture on the last load because the truck refused to stay running, but after a bit, he was able to keep it running long enough to get it out of our yard, at least. Mom and dad came down, dad brought his tractor, and we got the yard planted and the rest of the flowers and garden planted. Our nieces were here as well, because their parents went to a horse expo all weekend. They brought their camper and parked it out in front of our house, otherwise sleeping quarters may have been a little tight! So, we had a lot of activity around the house for a couple of days. We had a good time, too. Our dog isn't terribly happy with the new planting because she lost her running space. She is fenced in an area the length of the side of the house and just a couple feet wide, or over in the garden area when one of us is out with her. She was put in the garden area yesterday and fenced out of the yard. I peeked over the fence to see if she was out of the sun, but didn't see her. I called her and she suddenly appeared. My mom went in that area a few minutes later, and our dog jumped up in the tomato bed and into the backyard. Now, there is a fence around everything. I believe she feels like she is in prison. We took her swimming and for a long walk last night, so she was able to get in some exercise. The wind was very high yesterday, so the waves she was swimming in were a foot and a half to two foot swells so she had to work even harder to retrieve her sticks, but she loved every moment of it. Despite sunburns and the extreme heat, especially after lots of cold weather and no acclamation to warmer weather, we had a great weekend. It will be great to actually have some grass in the backyard and not just rocks! Thanks for all the help mom and dad!!

Remembering

"Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while... but our hearts forever."

Today marks three years since my Gram went to live with Jesus. It's a day of remembering and shedding a few tears, especially since my mom is here. But, those memories are flooded with great times and lots of love. I miss her like crazy, but I know I will see her again because she loved Jesus. She was a great Gram, full of so much caring, love, advice, and she loved to make beautiful quilts, and good food. She loved to take care of us, it's what made her feel important. There are still times when something happens, or when I feel sad, that I go to call my Gram and then remember I can't call her. She loved it if I called her for advice, or for comfort over something that hurt my heart. She was a wonderful woman and she lives on in our memories, until we meet again. I miss you and I love you, Gram.

"I still miss those I loved who are no longer with me but I find I am grateful for having loved them. The gratitude has finally conquered the loss." ~ Rita Mae Brown

"Love is how you stay alive even after you are gone." ~Morrie Schwartz

""To Live In The Hearts We Leave Behind Is Not To Die" my rendition is "If we live in the hearts we leave behind we do not die"" ~Thomas Campbell

Sunshine, Gardens, and Grace

I was blessed late yesterday afternoon. Tulips that I did not know where going to pop up, suddenly appeared in my garden and will be open this weekend. They seemed to have multiplied ten times over from what disappeared in the flower picking caper. I can't wait to see how beautiful they will be. I had a few others open up today, too. I also planted most of my garden, after filling the bed up with new dirt. I got to dig deep in the soil and planted a lot of bedding plants. It felt great to get out in the dirt and plant new life. The temperatures were in the upper 70's and there were a couple times it actually felt hot, but I didn't complain! I also received a nice gift of a few flowers and a colored picture, along with an apology from the 'flower girl.' She said my flowers are so pretty she just loves them, and her mom told her that doesn't give her a right to pick them without permission. I accepted her gift, and gave her a hug, and we were good again. I had prayed earlier in the day that God would help me to extend grace where needed as I went about my day, and He definitely did help me. I'm grateful that he extends grace to me every moment of my life.

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Disappointment

I would love to show you pictures of my beautiful tulips, daffodils, and forget me knots that opened yesterday. I had planned to spend part of the day today admiring their beauty, and probably snapping a few photos. However, some neighbor kids came up in my yard last night and picked every one of my newly opened flowers. One even picked a bunch of flowers off my hanging basket on my front porch. I know her mom was watching her because I saw something run across in front of the window, and as I looked out the side window, I saw the mom watching. By the time I looked out front, there wasn't anyone in sight. I thought maybe she was going to come over and ask a question or something but got side tracked by one of the neighbor kids. I came upstairs to put on a sweatshirt to go outside, and glanced out the window. I saw a bunch of kids in the bed of the pickup. As I walked downstairs, it dawned on me that each of those kids had handfuls of flower heads. I went out to my front yard, and sure enough, every flower had been taken. I felt sick. I know they are just flowers and in the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter, but I lost seventy-five percent of my bulbs over the winter so the few that actually made it, I was thrilled to see. I noticed they had opened when I got home from work last night, and was looking forward to enjoying them today. Unfortunately, no one is going to be enjoying them. My hubby talked to the kids about how you don't just go into someone's yard and pick their flowers. He also talked to the set of parents where the mom watched what happened. One of the parents of the other kids marched the kids over and apologized, made them apologize, and offered to help the situation out by buying me more plants. I said that was not necessary, but told the kids I would really appreciate if they just didn't come in my yard and strip the flowers from the beds. I was guaranteed by the parent it would not happen again. I appreciate that this parent talked to the kids about respecting others property, and I appreciate the fact that they offered to buy more plants. I still miss my flowers, though, especially the tulips because I look forward to them all winter! So today, as there is glorious sunshine, I will go out and plant some annuals that I purchased yesterday and try to bring more color to the yard. I will also try to bury the disappointment I have over the loss of my flowers.

Praise

My friend and I were talking about attitudes last night, and how giving God praise is not always the easiest thing to do, and that it usually doesn't come naturally to us. I found this poem this morning and thought it went right along with what we were talking about. Practice an attitude of being thankful today, especially for the little things that you may not always think about.

Giving Thanks Always
(Ephesians 5:20)
Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings,
thank you, Lord, that I can hear.
There are many who are deaf.
Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible,
thank you Lord, that I can see.
Many are blind.
Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising, thank you Lord, that I have the strength to rise.
There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned and tempers are short, my children are so loud,
thank you Lord, for my family.
There are many who are lonely.
Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced,
thank you, Lord, for the food we have.
There are many who are hungry.
Even though the routine of my job is often monotonous,
thank you. Lord, for the opportunity to work.
There are many who have no job.
Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest,
Thank you, Lord, for life.
-contribution of Leona Mc Means

Garden Mumblings

"Take some dirt, add some seeds, Pour on water, pull the weeds, Rest a minute, work for hours, Then wait ... and smell the flowers."

"Where flowers bloom, so does hope." ~ Lady Bird Johnson

I have seedlings coming up in my garden! There are radishes and kale peeking through the dirt so far. I have to have enough time home to get the rest of my garden planted, but the hope of new little plants is exciting!! I bought a bunch of flowers yesterday on a great sale at Fred Meyer, so they await planting as well. Some are pretty tender plants so not sure if I should plant them out yet or not. I think when you live down here, they go by safety to plant if they snow is off Mica Peak. I know in Sandpoint, it's Baldy Mountain, and from the looks of our trip up north over the weekend, it will be awhile until they can plant!! I see they changed the forecast some, as we were supposed to hit 89 this weekend, but now they are saying low 80's. Still, our systems will be in shock!! The snow is going to melt rapidly this weekend as well. Plants are going to love the heat so I want to get more garden in, hopefully tomorrow. This time of year, it gets really difficult for me to be inside working as I would rather be outside working in my garden and in my flowers, or just sitting and listening to the birds sing their beautiful melodies. We always have a short summer, but this one is going to be even shorter, so I want to take in as many moments as possible, which is the way we should live anyway. We should grab life's moments for all they are and live them to the fullest, taking in sights, sounds, smells, and love along life's path. We also need to remember to plant love, joy, and hope to those we meet along life's way.

"In every flower see a miracle, with every year seek more flowers."

"Joy is a flower that blooms when you do."

"Look for a lovely thing and you will find it. It is not far -It never will be far." ~Sara Teasdale

Special Times

We had a great weekend with our families. On Saturday afternoon, my hubby went to a Mother's Day tea with his mom at the place she lives. I took my mom out to a couple gardening places, and to Starbuck's for our own version of tea. My preference is an iced green tea latte with soy, and my mom's was a chai tea. It was fun just to hang out with my mom for a couple hours and have mom-daughter time, because no matter how old we get, we still need that special time with our moms.

Yesterday was a cold, and rainy one so the picnic was moved inside. My dad made delicious kabobs with chicken, veggies, and shrimp. We made sorbets in our Vita Mix and everyone got to enjoy them, even with all the food allergies in our family! We had a lot of laughs, and good times. I am very thankful that I have such a wonderful mom, and family to be with on these special days.

Even the mom and baby squirrel were celebrating Mother's day yesterday morning in my parent's front yard!