Lady Redundant Woman - not..

Dear Katarina has assured me that I am not Lady Redundant Woman so maybe I will continue to blog my meandering thoughts from time to time. It has been a very busy but fun week. I worked hard to get most of my time in before my children came in Friday night so I would be free to be with them. I will post some pictures of various activities that went on throughout the week and a few my niece took while they were in NO for her stepdaughter's wedding. It was nice having her and her Mom and Dad come over to see the kids before all but Page2 went home. We enjoyed visiting the Farmer's Market Saturday morning and running into some friends who were "dropping in" while in service. Page bought some yummy fresh strawberries and fresh lettuce which we all enjoyed. BigD and Kurt went fishing early Saturday morning and after we got home from the Market, we took Page2 out to visit with Boy, Ann and Biscuit. It was a shame Kurt couldn't be in two places at the same time. Lee and Keith went to a live Blue Grass show. Kurt would have loved it but he and BigD had really been looking forward to fishing together when he came.

Keith had to share his new "do" with us. By then Page and Boy were already in the creek

doing what they love to do. They still get along so well it makes us all smile.

We were all having fun on Ann and Lee's adorable porch drinking Margaritas and eating delicious treats Ann put out for us. I think this picture of Biscuit tells the story of how relaxed we all got - even Dixie girl.

Dee came over Sunday and brought Dorothy Dog with her. She also brought some nice strawberries and fresh corn on the cob she cooked in the husk in the microwave. These are some of the pictures from that day....

The next few are some Dee took while they were in NO for the wedding....

Leah and Kurt went home Sunday night and Page, Page2 and I hung out Monday. Lunch at the Mellow Mushroom in Raleigh was nice.

Then we went over to Duke Park for some fun.

She loved the slides and Page1 enjoyed the swings a lot. We were both sad to see Page leave for home Tuesday. Page2 told me several times she really, really missed her and I told her I did too. Such a sweet little girl.

Chele and I took Vi and Page to Monkey Joe's which was a hoot. Those two little girls were worn slap dab out by the time we got them home, fed and in the bath. I got tired just watching all the children running, climbing, sliding, running, climbing, sliding - you get the picture. This was the only picture I got that turned out.

Cupcakes, meetings, service with friends........

Running off pent up energy and visiting GG with friends....

Whew - finally - sleep.  So it was with sad feelings today that BigD and I drove Page to Virginia to meet her Mom and Grandma. They were going to an outdoor concert with the Chocolate Drops performing. The week flew by and now we will have to wait until

the next time.  Tomorrow we have the special talk and a congregation gathering at the Lake. Page will be going on vacation tomorrow with Sher and JB.  I so hope they have wonderful weather for their annual beach get-away. My Poppies are almost gone now but I enjoyed them so much while I had them.

Just a few things....

What a lovely evening last night. The full moon was glorious - it lit up the whole sky. We had 251 in attendance which is 149 more than our number of publishers. We had the late meeting but everything went like clockwork - the Spanish congregation was gone from the parking lot in no time. Amazing organization.Leah sent me this picture today of our beautiful Page as she was heading toward their Memorial. Eileen text messaged me with the question - how many years has the Memorial been going on so I answered her - 33 to 2011 - 1,978 years. I actually got a lot done yesterday. I got rid of tons of stuff in my closet (sure there is more that can be tossed) and have three bags for Goodwill and two for the trash. Page1 would be so proud. I was telling Gail today that for the first time in a while now - I felt lonely last night on my way home. No - that isn't the word I'm looking for - I felt alone. I don't know why - maybe because there were so many families there last night or maybe I'm just

missing my babies. That will be taken care of in a few days though as they are all coming in this weekend. It was a beautiful day today also - nice cool breeze but warm sun. Actually, by the end of the day it was downright hot! This morning Rie and I worked with the sister and her two little girls who came to work with us during the hail storm! We all laughed and decided it was much better today. Little Poppy kept finding tiny yellow flowers in all the yards. Tia finally fell asleep in her nice stroller and slept the whole time we worked both sides of a long street. We made a few calls and every time Ami got out of the car, Tia would cry until I sang to her. She didn't like the normal children's songs - she liked the songs my Mama used to sing to me like "Blistered Ankle Jane" and "Lazy Bones". Even Poppy asked me what I was singing when I sang the Jane song. It is going to be a busy all week so I need to work on getting to bed earlier than I have been. I almost fell asleep in the car while we were waiting for Rie and Gail to finish a call this afternoon. BigD keeps trying to get a good picture of Miya sleeping on my hip in the mornings. I sleep on my right side most of the time and BigD said many mornings he finds Miya sleeping along my left hip. I know one of these times he will actually get a better picture. I had gotten cold during the night and dug around until I found my old comforter to throw over my thin summer quilt. Yum - is there any better feeling than waking up from being cold and finding a nice warm cover that puts you right back to sleep? Speaking of Miya - she has been as nervous as a "cat on a hot tin roof" all afternoon and evening. She knows it is about time for her medication and she is avoiding both of us like the plague. That cat is TOO smart. I could not get any in her last night so I fixed another dose and it is in the fridge waiting for the moment she comes to me thinking I'm asleep. I really have to get a double dose a day in her to keep her heart condition from getting worse.

Random pictures, thoughts......

For some reason I have been thinking a lot about my children these past few days. Maybe it is because I've been home feeling under the weather? Could be - and yet - they are never far from my mind and heart. Then I think about my Mom and what a phenomenal woman she was. I have missed reading my daughter's blog.  She stopped writing on her blog for a long time and I think she got tired of people asking her why (me included).  Then I checked by to see if there was anything new and it said I had to have a password.  She said she had taken it down for awhile. I'm sure part of that is because she is one busy woman. The funny thing is I kept my blog going to start with almost 100% because of her but now I am thinking about stepping away from blogging myself. I love following a few blogs - especially those of people I know personally. At times I feel like my blog has become redundant or maybe I am becoming redundant? Something to think about.
Leah sent me this note Page2 wrote to the bride and groom a few weeks ago. Sometimes she sounds just like her Papa - Leah's Dad. He has a unique sense of humor and of expressing himself. I love both of them to the moon and back...

Em's little boy and girl. Every time I look at pictures of all the children, I can't help but remember when their Moms and Dads were all that small themselves.  Wasn't that just yesterday?

Love this picture of Roseanne, her hubby and Ivy's son who was in a school play of Beauty and the Beast. He played the part of Belle's father - Maurice. Sweet.

No - this isn't my Miya or Ruth's Honey but it struck me so funny. She looks like Honey when she has been trimmed for summer months. I sent it to Ruth and she agreed. I'm sure the cat coerced that poor dog into being her partner in crime.

A much better picture of the watch Bentley gave me this past year. I think of Bentley and his kindness every time I check the time. Hmmm - wonder if that was his plan? Just kidding.

One of the few good pictures I've found of  our beloved GG. BigD said that her daughter is here for the weekend and he was thinking about going down to cook. I just realized I'm still not 100% so not sure I should be around anyone just in case it is a virus. I'm encouraging him to go on without me.

I'm sure Eileen is at home packing for the coast. They are going down for several weeks on Monday and when Eileen turns down this street, she will know she is back to her little piece of Paradise.

And I'm not jealous - no - really, I'm NOT jealous! Yeah - right. Enjoy it for both of us Eileen.

Baby Boomer....and Bloomers

Yep - that's me - a Baby Boomer.  There is a lot of controversy surrounding the actual start and end of the Baby Boomer generation but most people put it around 1946 to 1964.  The difference in some people's idea of the actual years is very slight.  Either way - I was born a Baby Boomer.  That means I will turn 65 this year - I know - I don't look 65 - but alas - I am. :)  A piece of mail came today to remind me of that because I will have to sign up for Medicare before November.  Hmmmmm - makes one think doesn't it?  I definitely will not miss the $500 plus we have to pay for my health insurance alone each month. To be perfectly honest, I'm glad I was born during this particular time period.  A lot of  the changes that were taking place during those years helped make me who I am and for the most part, I like that person.  I could have gotten into a lot of the trouble many of my peers were getting into but fortunately for me, I escaped the pain that would have come with that. Enough about that - I would rather talk about Bloomers - not Boomers! I snatched some pictures of our State (bloomer) flower - the Dogwood!

This by itself tells me Spring is definitely here. BigD couldn't stand it - he took the boat to the lake and said he might see me around the time it gets dark. I hope he catches tons of fish - either way he will get what he needs from it. I had a great day yesterday but it suddenly went South real fast as I was getting ready for the

meeting. Not sure if I forgot to take a medication the night before but after eating dinner (same thing BigD had except I had Hot n Sour Soup) I started feeling really bad. Anyone who has had reflux for years knows what I mean. You start out thinking you are having a heart attack but not long after that - I ended up being very good friends with the rest room. Oh well - I still felt too bad to go out today and have a headache so maybe a virus? I doubt that since the symptoms came on so fast after I ate. I am being very kind to my tummy today and tomorrow so I can enjoy the Memorial on Sunday night. My sweet friend Karen brought our taxes to me after the meeting and we sat on the back porch surrounded by pollen until 12:15AM just talking.  I hope she wasn't too tired this morning for work. I didn't sleep well and at one point felt so cold I had to go drag the comforter out again. It brought back a lot of memories when we were talking last night of a simpler time when we were all much younger. She is the same age as my oldest niece Dee who came by this week to bring me her extra stethoscope to use on Miya. It turns out I'm not going to be keeping Dorothy Dog but she has made some really good plans for her. I felt a little sad when I found out I wouldn't have her. She was describing to me the dresses she bought for the wedding - one for the rehearsal dinner and the other for the wedding. She also bought some snazzy very high Ruby Red heels to wear with her dress for the wedding. She said she was going to wear them with her jeans too. You go Dee. I commented on how much I loved her purse and she said - "you can have it" and started cleaning it out.  Okay there is a long story about this purse.  She bought it years and years ago at our favorite boutique - Goodwill. A girl at work kept "coveting" it so she finally said - "you can have it".  Years later (recently) the girl brought the bag back to her and said "Thanks"!  So - I have a new purse and really needed one but haven't seen one I like so WOW - thanks Dee!  While she was cleaning it out, she found the cute bracelet a friend bought her from Guatemala and she said "here - you can have this too".  Now I feel like I've been shopping!  I wish I had found time to look for a new dress on-line in time for the Memorial but alas - it didn't happen.  They don't make many dresses that look good on someone my size so it takes a bit of looking.

So I'll end this post with a picture that makes me laugh everytime I look at it. We have been walking around, into, under and at times on inch worms all week. Tiny little lime green worms that are so cute. Had to share a text message she sent me that said, "Yes that is an inch worm on my boob. Guess he's measuring for my next bra purchase". Her younger brother responded, "He'd better bring a bunch of his brothers to help". LOLOLOL

That's more like it.....

Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows I love flowers but am not a gardener. My Mom helped me plant four Azaleas I purchased from a professional organization raising money for a charity through work many, many years ago. We have found over the past 36 years (this coming June) that we have lived here that plants, vegetables, shrubs and flowers don't fare well in the soil around our little house. Azaleas seem to be the exception to that rule. This white one has always been the biggest

of the three in front and one on the side of the house. The pink one beside it plugs along every year and the one on the side of the house just stopped growing in size but blooms every year. The one on the corner didn't make it - no reason - just died. A friend gave me some irises several years ago. They don't bloom every year and they have bloomed different colors when they do bloom. Yeah - like I said - no rhyme or reason. I enjoyed going on Luz's 2 hour BS with her this morning and then having Nisha go with me on Shen's study this afternoon. Then Nisha and I sat in the car in the parking lot laughing and getting to know each other a little better. What a lovely woman she is. So - as I drove in the driveway, I noticed my Azaleas were starting to bloom a little and the Irises, so decided to just take some phone pictures before the flowers and blossoms are gone. I love to look at my Azaleas every year so I can remember how my Mom helped me plant them........Hope you enjoy....

Have a beautiful Spring everyone. Maybe I'll have more the the Azaleas after they bloom more.  This almost makes me want to ask my lovely Leah how she would feel about planting some of my big pots if I purchase the flowers and potting soil? Not the little ones - just the big ones....Hmmmmm