Chugging along TooT-Toot

Thomas The Train, hooks together with magnets. How cool is that? New stuff I guess. This little guy, my pseudo grandson and hubby are playing trains on the deck. He's 2 1/2, very physically capable for a child his age.



The concentration in play is something to watch. It's been a very busy and hectic week for us. Hubby's had one of his long multi-day convention type work activities and so being able to spend some down time like this was perfect. He's worked all wkend from early am til well past 8 most nights. Fingers and toes crossed tonight should be earlier.



I've had a couple of almost regular days at work, which is odd for me. Spent extra time with Daddy this week, we even went out one night to dinner which was nice. Did boring necessary things like running errands, got my hair done (you know out with the grey), did laundry, mowed, cleaned, shopped for groceries. Blah blah blah.




Looking forward to a visit from our daughter this evening. She's driving in from Baltimore. The visit will be super short, as she'll be heading back to Baltimore tomorrow am. She's got a car load. You might remember we brought back a car load when we joined her there for her hooding about a month ago. This 2nd load has been delayed due to car troubles. She still has odds and ends to take care of there in Baltimore ...and another car load needing to be transported, thus her quick turn around back to Baltimore. In a few weeks she'll return with the 3rd load and spend some time with us here before heading out to St. Louis. She's moving back to St. Louis. She loves it there and will be rooming with a good friend. She's job hunting and we're hoping she hears something positive soon. Hard to know, with all the cut backs, even good school teachers aren't guaranteed a job. But, she's very reliable and I know of no one that works harder or is more dedicated then she. She teaches, she tutors, she helps kids before and after school as well as during lunches. She attends their ball games, their skating performances, their family funerals and more. She is a teacher that children and their families long to have. And...I'm just a wee bit proud.

You might also this swinging post.

Selecting a Gravestone, Emotional Day

The Yucca's are starting to bloom. This year 5 are opening up. It seems to change each year which ones develop blossoms. I love these plants. You can almost see them open. Not quite like time lapse photography, but close. These plants got their starts in my parents yard, and so naturally is another connection to Mom.

Yesterday Daddy and I selected the gravestone. Such mixed emotions. On one had it was good to have things settled, taken care off...one more item off the to do list. On the other doing so not only brought back the loss of losing Mom (2 months ago), but the reality that we would lose Daddy too. Daddy is 83 and seems quite healthy and active. But, their plan has always been to be buried together in a double Urn. And so yesterday he and I selected the stone and secured it's placement in a family plot. The two of them will be surrounded by other family members. His parents, his grandparents, and his father's sister's and their husbands. A nice large family plot. I like that everyone is there together. People don't do that much these days. Families live far apart and when someone passes they're buried, but not much thought or planning for those that might follow.........thus families aren't together. This particular cemetery is beautiful. It's high on a hill overlooking Chillicothe, Ohio. I've always thought it the prettiest cemetery I've ever been in. AND, for those of you who know me well; you know how many cemeteries I've been in, how many gravestones I've photographed etc, so........that statement is significant. The lady at the monument company was nice, helpful and used humor to help us through the ordeal. She is 76 and has been doing this a very long time. She told us she hopped to work until she was 80.



These bright cheerful orange Tiger Lillies are in full bloom right now and are gorgeous. They're on the side of the garage. I wished they bloomed longer. They grow easily, often you see them along railroads. These starts also came from Mommy and Daddy's yard. So many of my flowers did, it's like my yard is a memorial to them both.



These pinkish-purplish lillies don't spread as easily as other varieties and are more fragile; have a heavenly scent. These are some of the very few I didn't get from my folks yard, I actually purchased these a few years back. Just wanted to share their beauty with you all.

These beautiful flowers make me smile and feel better inside. It was an emotional day.

Spend time with your parents, make yourself memories. The memories can make you smile on a cloudy day.

(These off and on posts here about My Mother, are like journal writing for me)

Did you know?

Did you know when you leave comments on others blogs it helps your page rank? I didn't know that until today. I read a couple of interesting articles. Actually had to read them several times, cause I didn't completely understand initially. I knew I like to read blogs, and always always leave comments. How else is someone to know I was there. Or that I had an opinion of whatever it was they blogged about? Or that I liked their project, or their photo etc. etc. etc.

AND....don't we all love it when people leave us comments, and isn't it the back and forth part that makes blogging interactive and fun, and more than just a webpage? Well, yes I imagine everyone is nodding their heads in agreement on this.

Anyway, the articles went onto explain how bots, crawlers, spiders pick up on the comments, just as they do the content of the page; and that is another component of the google page rank. I never knew that, maybe you all did. However, pages often have blockers in them in the html blog page codes/templates that prevent them from being scanned by the blots, crawlers, and spiders. This was apparently initially done with the idea it would help people fight spam. But, it didn't-- so people have the option as to how open they make their blogs, whether or not they want those type these letters in (which I always have trouble seeing and have to type twice) anti spam thing with comments, or moderate their comments etc.

So, when you see one of these logo's/widgets or some such wording (which I've seen alot and never really understood), it means people have gone to the trouble of changing their html so when you leave comments it matters, not only to them; but to you. Nice hun! Ok, I successfully did it today on one blog; my traveling suitcase blog. Whew...it was a bit tedious. Tomorrow I'll have a look at the coding here and see how this one is set up. As I understand it, having them blocked is often the default setting. My eyes are sorta glazed over at the moment, and we're heading out to dinner to celebrate our 37th Wedding Anniversary at our favorite Italian place.

Please let me know if you knew this, I really found the articles facinating.

Happy Father's Day tomorrow to all the Dads that might be visiting.

Memories, Like The Corners of My Mind

Can you hear Barbara singing? It's Monday, time to share another memory with you. The letter F....not the easiest to think of a word; but it hit me. Friday.

When I was in junior high (what people today call middle school), we often had school dances on Friday night. I loved going and would talk about them the week before. Who was going with whom, what dresses people were wearing etc. Definately girl talk. Mom sometimes had fabric tucked away and would wake me earlier than I wanted to get up on a Sat the week before the dance. "You know, I've got this fabric and could probably make you a new dress for the dance; if I didn't have to spend time ironing or cleaning."

Hook....lol, yep. I'd get up and do the cleaning or ironing she needed done so she could sit at the sewing machine. Crafty wasn't she?

**It occurs to me this ongoing ABC memorial I'm doing for my Mother is something you could all do with your children. It might help them if you've lost a family member (pet or person). It's a nice way to remember the good times and not focus on the ending of things, which is rarely the part of someone's life we want to remember.

Swinging

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

Doesn't this look fun? I always loved Robert Louis Stevenson's book of poetry for children when I was young. This poem was my favorite. It was likewise for my daughter when she was growing up. We'd recite it when she was swinging. This little adorable toeheaded guy isn't still a minute and is my pseudo grandchild. I've recited it to him and it brings back fond memories.

He's too young to write about his fun on the swing; but I plan to keep him talking about it.

Do you have a favorite poem from your childhood?

Sunday........whew

I showed you the inside of one of these Iris a few posts back, but wanted to show you a large group of them in bloom. They're done now, and actually I just finished trimming them today. These line all 3 fence rows in the back, plus the 2 sides of the house. All are from starts from Mom and Dads yard years ago that I've continued to separate and plant and plant and plant. So...it seems those of you who voted on which badge to use for my blog....hit it right on the head.

We've had a very busy couple of days. Many of you will remember my niece Janet, who had cancer and spent such a long time in the hospital etc. She and her mother came for a visit a few days ago. She looks great, feels great. Was wonderful to see her again. She's now on her way traveling to Switzerland! A summer study abroad type program. How awesome is that. One day a group of us went to The Arts Fest here in town...it was hot but we had a great time anyway. Walked alot and then collected up with the rest of the family that evening for a cook out after SIL picked up the ladies from the Spa. More fun. Then while the men went fishing, some of us spent the day at the zoo with my oldest nephews's son. Great fun...another hot day for sure; but hadn't been to the zoo in a long time so really enjoyed it.

Today..........spent time trying to finish up some stuff in the yard, while hubby played golf, and well thats about it. I'm tired.

Hope you all had a fabulous wkend and have a good week planned.

I've made several updates over on the Bridge, so please stop in to see the wonderful projects. Finally I was able to finish a project...really the first yarn since Mom's passing. I'm still having a hard time getting motivated to knit and crochet again. Though I did spend time the other day organizing my office and got yarn also organized. Perhaps that will help.

Take a virtual trip with me on my travel blog, I've updated there as well.

Memory Monday, I love you Mommie

Working my way through the alphabet, I'm now at E.........egads.........e?

Energy and Etiquette come to mind.

Energy, well...my Mom was scrappy and full of energy. I remember her stories of cooking on a one burner hot plate when she and Daddy first got married. I remember her washing dishes in the bathtub or doing laundry kitchen sink when things weren't working right, I remember her wringing out clothes by hand when the old wringer washer was on the frists and money was too tight to call the repair man. I remember her cooking, cleaning, washing, shopping, sewing, mending all the time. She was non stop. We had one used car which Daddy took to work, so........ when any of us kids were sick she walked to school to get us and bring us home. I remember Spring Cleaning when it truly was a job and you washed the inside and outside of the cupboards, the windows, beat the rugs outside and always ----------ALWAYS cooked a home cooked meal for your loved ones. I remember when she got her first job outside the house, she was an Avon Lady. She walked her entire route and that was in all kinds of weather. I remember home made bread, hand made clothes, and so much more. Energy.........and then some. She didn't have a computer or time saving devices like we all have; she didn't have older family members to babysit because she needed or wanted a night of peace, or time with the girls. No, that's not what women in her time did. They were a mother and a wife full time.......... 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year.

Etiquette
Mom taught me Etiquette.......from table manners (don't put your elbows on the table, don't chew with your mouth full, don't interrupt adults, put your napkin in your lap, break your bread into 3 pieces and only butter the piece you're currently eating after putting butter on your plate, ask to be excused from the table, don't eat until every one has been served, on a date don't order the most expensive item on the menu, always thank your hostess, dance with everyone who asks you to dance, go out with the first person who asks you (thinking of school dances, you can't say no to one and then accept from another.........very bad form), someone should always thank and dance with the adult chaperons, don't say you don't like something to the hostess when being serve dinner---eat lightly and take small portions, and I'm sure there were other things..

Oh my yes....another one I remember is, don't flop in your chair or sofa, sit...there really is a difference. Don't put your feet on the furniture with or without shoes on..........and always give up your chair or place in line to someone who is your elder.

One year she got me a book about proper etiquette which I found accidentally before she had a chance to wrap it for Christmas. I know there were other things in the book that don't come rolling off my tongue at the moment.

I've passed along many of these traditional rules to my daughter in her growing up years. In her college years she told me how handy they had come in when she was in very adult situations which made her comfortable with her behavior.

Thanks Mom! You know I think this came out when our daughter taught a table manner class for her 5th graders--- Right down to how to set the table. The final, was in fact when she prepared a special breakfast for them and they served each other.

Mother's are indeed very special; cherish them.

**if you're reading my blog for the first time, you may not know I lost my mother a few short weeks ago. You can scroll back a bit and read more.