Thursday, June 30, 2016

The best birthday EVER!!!

It took 92 years to get it right? I was so happy last night to hear my mother tell everyone that she had the best birthday ever. I'm sure it was mainly because of the contrast to her daily doldrums. But it has been such a sweet week with a few more to come visit later on. The idea to have one on one was a good one, and we have had company every day, just a few. Lots of sweet goodies, and she loves those.

a friend, my son, our dear friend who brought all the goodies, and Mama

On Tuesday my son worked through the day and on through the night so that he could take off the whole day for our birthdays. I was pretty sure he'd be exhausted, and I think he was, but he was definitely the hero of the day. He came in with his gift to granny... he'd shaved off his beard which she had never liked. She thought that was so funny, and I couldn't get enough looks at his "baby" face again. He looks so much younger.


in the lavendar is my sister/cousin with her two daughters and granddaughter. 
We were having a big laugh! 

We had lovely company, family, friends. Breakfast time with my sister/cousin and her kiddos and the rest of the day with friends. Delicious food prepared by our wonderful caterer friend who would not take a penny for it.  We had pretty banana cupcakes, cherry crisp from her tree in the yard, and delectable little potato chip cookies which were a flaky, salty/sweet concoction to die for. I made a strawberry lemonade cake, a red velvet cake, chips/crackers, dips, and snacks.... and more and more brownies. 

joy ride

The highlight for Mama was my son eased her into her wheelchair and took her on a big ride through the house. She exclaimed about her dolls and her bedroom, which she last saw December 27th. She sat at the kitchen table with all of us and had a little bite to eat, but oh I will never ever forget her reaction when he took her outside. When she rolled through the door to the beautiful afternoon sunshine, we heard an absolute piercing squeal/scream. At first it sounded like pain, but it was, in fact, pure joy unfiltered. It broke my heart into a million pieces because I don't think I've ever seen anyone have such a reaction to just going outside. She LOVED it.

birthday girl

Today has been quiet and happy, a big rainstorm this morning washing the yard and plants. I cannot wait for our first tomatoes from the big green plants at the end of the ramp. It was my birthday, too, so the joy was doubled.


On this last day of June, enjoy the sunlight and the rain. Have a happy 4th of July!


Whimsy and Hugs!

Monday, June 27, 2016

Mystery Quiz

Okay...

How well do you know me? 

Obviously these are peas. 

Now tell me in the comments what the mystical tradition is about peas...  and me... and freezing them at Midsummer....

And you PROBABLY will win a prize of some sort! 

Make up something wonderful if you don't know..... and you still might win a prize!  



Sunday, June 26, 2016

Stand up and Cheer!



Making any plans for the Fourth of July? I have no idea what we will be doing, but inside, the mantle is cheering on the patriotism and Old Glory. In the bottom right hand corner of the bottom picture you can see the little sock feet of my mother, there in the living room cocooned in one or two blankets and freezing to pieces. The other day when it was 103 degree heat index, she turned to me and gave me verbal permission to turn on the air conditioner. Ha ha..  It has been on a bit. I like to keep the house chilly.

I want to try some really neat recipes I've been hoarding saving. Isn't it funny how we want to try the new, but we want to fix the traditional, too? Stay tuned.


Saturday, June 25, 2016

Happy 92nd!

When Mom came home in February, she began planning a party for this summer. She and I share birthdays, so she began to organize and dream of a birthday party (kind of for me, but I think for herself actually!)

She spoke to a dear friend who caters parties, and they discussed menu and dates. But what we decided to do was to have a little week of celebration to any and all who decided to come visit. So from Tuesday through Saturday, if you are in the area, drop in and have a little bite of something and a little visit with Mama... NO GIFTS...  just a little visit with the most dedicated party planner of the Midwest!

The other night I took her picture and she was appalled to see "that old lady" in the shot. So I took a selfie and showed her myself without any makeup and pretty darn bedraggled. My mother took a look at mine and quickly said, "Well, what are you complaining about? You don't look THAT much older than I do!"  Oh, I cut my own hair that very night...  haha...


P.S. Don't expect anything this fancy. Wouldn't that be wonderful though? I love these!

Friday, June 24, 2016

Midsummer Melodies

Whimsy and Hugs!

A few nights ago, I snapped this photo of a well deserved and needed rain on our front walk. I was simply overjoyed to see the wash of blue inching across our front meadow. And oh, the scent of rain on dry earth is something I will never get enough of. I can remember our lovely collie dog we had when I was a child. His name was Laddie, and we could always, always predict whether we would be getting that rain we coveted in the distant clouds. If Laddie lifted his beautiful long nose and gently inhaled the air, we knew he smelled rain, and it was coming. Ah, that sweet dog was my constant companion as an only child. He was beautiful, tricolor, gentle, and simply the perfect iconic dog.

My dad always loved the rain. I hated the sound of the radio when the doppler radar jingle came on. To me, that little cadence always signaled storms.. I am no longer afraid of storms although I respect their ferocity, but I am still to this day apprehensive of that jingle on the local KRES FM radio station. To my dad, rainy and stormy nights meant a better crop and nicer hay. Sometimes on nights like this I can almost see a silhouette against the mist... the wind blowing his hair as he stood out in the rain and watched the sky. One hot, sultry night of my childhood when we had a downpour, he took a bar of soap out with him and gave himself a nature shower with good old Lava...  I cannot imagine where he went to find privacy, but he came back in laughing and tossing the rain out of his eyes...  I may have to try that the next time we have a midnight toad-strangler.


Have a good end of June. May we all learn, day by day, to dance in the rain...







Monday, June 13, 2016

Here we are...

We came home last Tuesday! It has been a good week with lots of nice "We are home!" thoughts. A few changes have altered the dynamic of where we were before. Isn't it strange with sicknesses that we often think about our current situation as truly awful, then something new looms frightening and "other"...  and we long for that past time when it was "not as bad."



I have hired a nurse to care give every day Monday through Friday. So far I have also "care gived" during those hours, but I will loosen my reins after a bit and truly take a break! I hope so, anyway.
Everyone says I need to take some time for myself, but I am not in dire need physically...  just a lot frazzled and forlorn.


It is truly sad to lose a parent to mental decline. Mom comes and goes in that way, but she told me last night she was like the girl in the nursery rhyme: "When she was good, she was very very good, but when she was bad... SHE WAS HORRID."









 Whimsy and Hugs!

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Catching up




Just touching base with all of you. Mom had a little setback and is in the hospital again. She spent a week in a larger hospital, and I can't say she improved there, but we finally got moved to our local one, and she seems much, much better. Looking at coming home in the near future.



 We are headed in today to help keep her company, help with the feedings, etc.




Whimsy and Hugs!