Ginger Buddy

Yes, I know I do have a tendency to become attached to critters...here's my latest:

Here he is with my old buddy, Gourd. She's been around since November and I can't bear to part with her.

I don't know if I can eat him or not...at least I haven't named him yet. :)

Some random things from our homestead...April 19 walk

I suddenly remembered that I was going to try to photograph the smoky sky at sunset so I dashed out in my gardening flip-floppy shoes...surprised I didn't massacre my toes on prickly pear and stinging nettles!!  Here are some shots from my dusky walk.

Some weird lying-down grass

Indian Paintbrush...there is very little blooming right now...maybe after our wonderful rain!

Prickly Pear buds...must remember to go out and photograph them when they bloom!

Odd something on this plant...used to call them "slobber bugs" when I was a kid...wonder what it really is??

Stinging nettle blossoms...so beautiful to be on such a painful plant!

And the object of my outing!

The smoke is from wildfires in Palo Pinto County...around 130 miles away.  There was even ash on our car!

I just realized I haven't yet posted the "smoky moon" pictures I took from the night before...here they are.

Gram's 93rd Birthday Celebration--Day 2

Party Day!

My sedate (aka boring) party table

Dale's rather more exciting one!

The great hat debate!  She really didn't want to put it on!!

And she REALLY didn't want to wear the glasses!

But she finally did...

and here she is in full party regalia.

She still has plenty of air left at 93!

She got lots of lovely gifts!  Here she is with niece Jonnie.

Polly and baby brother, JB.

Typical Dale!  I think Clo was hiding from the camera. :)

Ian was very much into the glasses!

And Elena just loved the "scepter."

I guess we got tired of taking pictures by the actual birthday because I have none from today.  But her nieces took her to a lovely party given during Sunday School. Then she devoured a steak and baked potato at Texas Roadhouse and followed that by trying on all her pretty new clothes!  What a wonderful weekend it was!!

Gram's 93rd Birthday Celebration--Day 1

Friday evening, we surprised my mom with the arrival of her three nieces, Clo, Jonnie, and Dale, from the Panhandle along with her brother Jay and his wife Rosemary from Kerrville.  Exciting times!!

Needless to say, she was a little verklempt!

But laughter always follows, especially with this bunch! :)

This hug was almost a disaster...yet somehow typical of these two.

Mom and Dale...amazed at something.

Applebee's in Sherman really treated us well!

After a very loud announcement to the entire restaurant that Polly was celebrating her 93rd birthday (followed by enthusiastic applause), she was serenaded, if not well, at least raucously!





A fun time was had by all. :)

Catch-up time!

With the laptop in hospital, I've gotten really behind on the blog. But now that the Vaio is lightening fast, I ought to get caught up pretty quickly.  This post contains a hodge-podge of projects!

First of all, a brief update on the garden.

 Older plants are thriving. Tiny plants I set out are a little scary looking, but hopefully they'll get a growth-spurt soon. Salad mix and cucumber seeds are starting to come up!  I took friend Jerry's advice and planted by the almanac this time.

This is the "garden annex." :) Hay bales have yellow squash seeds (starting to come up), pole beans (one is sprouting, three are still in hiding), and tiny Japanese eggplant seedlings...they look really fragile at this point, as do the tiny pepper and tomato seedlings in the pots.  The smallest pot has Japanese eggplant seeds which aren't coming up yet...but it's only been 5 days.


Now, the BIG project...that we're actually paying professionals to do!  This involves a radiant barrier under a metal roof (charcoal gray)...plus a real porch roof (to replace our awning that died in a heavy rain while we were in Boston last fall).

Porch...before

Porch...before

After

After

New porch and roof

And, last but not least, our TV room wall...inspired by Art Six coffee shop in Denton!  Terry was almost done when the crew came to do our porch and roof.  We still have trim and whitewash stain to go, but it's going to look really cool! 

And, then, the really hard part:  finding the right window treatment!  Stay tuned. :)

God's Grandeur--Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–89). Poems. 1918.

THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God.

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

Hopkins' poem seems to fit perfectly with this picture from our driveway...

Laptop is finally out of hospital...for now!

Oh, my. I've been without my laptop for 10 days...it's still a little symptomatic, but at least maybe I can update my blog!

Had the grands, Elena and Ian, over for the weekend...almost two weeks ago now.  Had a great time. Even celebrated Earth Hour Saturday night with Parcheesi by candlelight.  They snacked on box suppers sent by their mom.  It was really fun.  Amazing that two little ones (5 and 7) could play Parcheesi for almost 1 1/2 hours (especially that 5 year old!) :)

The first night was a living room camp-out...watching March Madness.

Elena talkin' basketball with Popi.

Ian crashed but obviously not quite ready to give it up! :)














Saturday we went for a nature walk.

  

 
After collecting lots of natural goodies, Elena and I created a Fairy Garden (she's a great moss harvester!). 

 Ami (with multiple glue gun burns) decorated our milk carton bird feeder!

 It was a fun and natural weekend! I amazed myself by actually doing some "grandmotherly" things.