Friday, July 31, 2015

Follow Friday Four Fill-in-Fun - Week 224

Once again I have fun trying to fill in the statements posted on the blog hop Follow Friday Four Fill-in Fun - Week 224.  The underlined parts are what I filled in.

1.  Concentrating on what could have been isn't the best way to move forward.

2.  When I think about things I am not able to do I miss the chance to concentrate on what I can do.

3.  If I could be a famous inventor, I would be someone who invents products to help make life easier for those who have disabilities.

4.  I drive a Prius and wish it was wheelchair accessible and could still could get great gas mileage.

Photo Blogging Challenge (July 2015): Patriotic

This post is for a blog hop called Photo Blogging Challenge (July 2015):  Patriotic.   I looked through some of my photos to see what I had.  (Only one of the group is one I actually took this month, but I thought the others fit the theme.)  Click on the link above to see some other posts for this blog hop.

Some of the patriotic music inspired the selection of the photos I chose to display.

Spacious skies (in Eastern Oregon)

Across the wilderness (in Eastern Oregon)

From sea to shining sea (Pacific Ocean)

The Star Spangled Banner (border of Canada and United States at Blaine, Washington)

Amber waves of grain (Willamette Valley, Oregon)

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Six Sentence Story: Step

My post with blog hop Six Sentence Story: Step brought back memories darkness and who knows what.

The concrete slab step was one of several used many years as a way of entry into the home.  Since it was intended only to be temporarily there until a more permanent porch and steps could be constructed, the concrete slab was not cemented together with the others.  The gaps between the slabs made perfect narrow, dark, and perhaps cool, pathways for visitors of another kind. Garter snakes, rubber boas, blue racers, gopher snakes, and alligator lizards occasionally found refuge there, much to the delight, or perhaps fear of visitors of the people type.  If one was a herpetologist, or a budding one, there was some excitement, of the good type, upon seeing some of these guests.  People who came to the home, who may have been less likely to show an enthusiastic response to these other visitors, perhaps should have had advance notice, such as "Mind the Gap." 

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

BeWoW Blogshare

This is a post linking up with BeWoW Blogshare.  This stands for Be Wonderful on Wednesday.

Wonderful Memories of Flowers of Childhood

Memories can be a wonderful thing that sometimes motivates one to follow in paths others have trod. Sometimes, it is hindsight that indicates where that seed to do something was started.   

As I have looked at the photos I've taken of flowers we've grown on our place, I am reminded of how many of them were like ones my parents had growing in their yard, many of which I spent time watering or weeding.  While I admit that there were times I really didn't feel like weeding an entire row of roses, I enjoyed looking back and seeing how much I had accomplished. There was never a lack of manure for the flowers since the farm animals did their part to contribute to that.   I got to help spread the dry manure around the flowers and make sure the plants were well watered afterwards so they didn't get burned.  

Flowers I remember seeing blooming in the yard when I was young and being taught some of my first lessons in gardening, included the following:  zinnias, marigolds, bachelor buttons, sweet william, violets, sweet peas, bleeding hearts, snowball bush, canna lilies, lavender, roses, dahlias, hollyhocks, and day lilies.

Bleeding hearts

Snowball bush

Dahlia

Rose

Day lily

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Prompt 59 - Midweek Wordle #9

This is a link up to a blog hop at A Prompt Each Day.  The challenge for this Prompt 59 - Midweek Wordle #9 is to use a minimum of three words from the following list:  flurry, hidden, hid, day, childhood, deep, baby, once, forever, embrace.

Independence Emerging

There was an independent streak about her even then, and before then.  After all, she was the one who once was adopted by a collie. He showed up in their yard most of the days the summer she was two and a half. Then they had lived at a different house far from the highway, on a dead end lane.  The two of them would be contented in one another's company for extended amounts of time, oft times just sitting side by side on the grass with her hand gently stroking his fur.  Then one day, when Mom glanced again to where they had been sitting, both were gone.  From the screen door, she caught sight of her little girl following the collie deep into the neighboring filbert orchard to wherever the collie's real home was.

When the family moved, even though the collie couldn't move with them, the emerging independence of the young girl came along to the next home. The girl was a year older now and enjoyed playing on the swing set in the back yard.  She loved climbing up on the slide, sometimes just sitting and enjoying the view from up high.  Other times she found great satisfaction from standing on the footboards of the two-seated bench swing and alternating the weight of her body from one side to the other to propel it into motion. Sometimes when Mom looked out she would see her daughter singing to her heart's content as she enjoyed the to and fro of the swing. It seemed that her daughter could happily do that forever.

Today Mom was in a flurry of activity trying to finish up some chores and get dinner prepared before Dad arrived home from work.  When Dad got home, Mom called for her daughter to come inside.  Even though she didn't see her, she assumed she was nearby.  After a few minutes she called her daughter's name again.  No response.

Why she didn't respond to Mom's call to dinner is unknown.  Perhaps all the voices - Mom's, Dad's, and neighbors' who started looking for her - may have scared her into thinking she was in trouble.  It could be that to her it was a game - she hid and Mom was supposed to be the seeker - only Mom didn't even know that there was a game in play.

A forty-five miles-per-hour road was at the edge of the property in the front yard, so Mom's concern about where her daughter might be was reason for alarm.  It would have been highly unlike her to have gone near the road, but there was always, what if. . .

Mom retraced her steps again, and this time saw a little bit of the girl's clothing sticking out from the edge of the crawl space leading to the dark spaces under the house.  For some reason the board that normally would have hidden the opening wasn't in place that day, and childhood curiosity couldn't resist.

Upon seeing her daughter, she helped her get out and then gave her an embrace, happy to know she was safe.  For that instant she was her baby again, but preschool years were approaching.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Prompt 57 - Wordplay # 9: Mirror

Click here to join in the blog hop Prompt 57 - Wordplay #9.  This blog hop challenge can be done in poetry or prose and any length using the word mirror.


The wetlands of spring
Created a reflection mirror
For mossy tree trunks

Photo taken at Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge

Prompt 56 - Set the Challenge Sunday #8

The prompt for this post is "I wish" from Prompt 56 - Set The Challenge Sunday #8.


I wish....

I wish I could quickly draw up in my mind's eye the beautiful scenes I've beheld, instead of having to rely on years' worth of images started by a mere press of a finger followed by a click.














Saturday, July 25, 2015

Ten Things of Thankful

Ten Things of Thankful is a blog hop link up.  Take a look to see what others are sharing too.

Once again I'm taking time to think about those things for which I am thankful, and for some reason it has taken me a bit to finalize my list.  I really am thankful, so this shouldn't have been hard!

1.  It was great to be able to go to the Portland Temple early in the week, and to be there with some of my friends.  I'm not only thankful for that experience, but for the fact that I returned home before a really bad incident on the freeway happened that closed both lanes of traffic for a while.

2.  Being able to  go on a drive with my husband was fun.  He wanted me to drive this time, so after looking at the directions, I felt I shouldn't have any problem finding a National Wildlife Refuge we wanted to go see.  Somehow along the way, I became directionally challenged!  I thought I was going north, and he thought I was going south.  He was right!  Somehow, in a fairly small town, I missed a turn that would have headed me in the right direction, and by the time I conceded that I really was going the wrong direction, we just started driving back home.  I'm thankful for his patience and for going with the flow as we drove through places we hadn't been.

3.  Growing up I remember going to cattle auctions at the outskirts of a small town.  Then it was very small burg, and I don't even remember ever seeing the main street of the town.  Well now it has expanded considerably, but in our meanderings (See #2), we drove right down the middle of this wonderfully historic section of town.  One of these days, I need to go back when I can just get out and browse the little shops.  I'm thankful for being able to review the past and also see the progress of towns.

4.  Another area we went  through has a little ice cream and sandwich eatery across from a park the size of a city block.  I'd read online a little bit about this place, so it was definitely time for a break from the driving and time to get some nourishment.  What makes this place fun is that they have a lot of interesting antiques inside and outside the place.  It made me feel like I'd stepped back in time.  I'm thankful for opportunities to try out new (to me) restaurants of the vintage variety.

5.  We stopped at one of the usual National Wildlife Refuges that we go to and were excited about seeing a young family of American Kestrels.  Unfortunately my photos, which I was trying to take from inside the car, were not ideal, nor was the lightning.  It was sighting these birds at the end of our travels (See #2) that saved the day I think.  I'm thankful that those birds were there to be seen!

6.  Today I was able to go upstairs and downstairs with being able to actually bend both knees.  Yeah!   I was pretty excited to be able to do that at the moment, but the knee let me know later that maybe I shouldn't have been so in a hurry to try it.  I'm thankful for every bit of progress.  Hopefully, on Monday the doctor will be able to shed some light on what can or should be done.

7.  Wednesday, my Mom was given a beautiful quilt that some of the women at church made for her.  I'm thankful for those who try to reach out to her to help her feel loved and appreciated when she isn't able to attend meetings at church any more.

8.  It was fun to be able to sit down in a park-like setting to have a old fashioned ice cream shortcake  with fresh peaches.  I'm thankful for this local country store.  We were celebrating my husband's special day on that occasion, but with the hot summer days, that in itself is reason to stop there.

9.  I was browsing some old music books in a store this week and found one that was an opera of Mother Goose rhymes set to music.  It was very old, but I resisted buying it.  Can you imagine that?  I didn't buy it.  I did read a little bit in the introduction about who Mother Goose supposedly is, which I found fascinating.  However when I got back home and researched some more, I found that apparently no one knows for sure.  I'm thankful for how every day we can learn something new.  It is almost impossible for me not to.

10.  Lastly, I am thankful for RAIN!  We had some rain today, and we are supposed to get some more tomorrow, before the temperatures rise once again into the 90's.


Thursday, July 23, 2015

Follow Friday Four Fill-in Fun - Week 223

Click Follow Friday Four Fill-in Fun - Week 223 to learn how to join in with this blog hop.  There are just four fill-in sentences each week.

1.  I love hearing or reading the life stories of people.  It fascinates me to learn how people get from point A and all the way to point Z and to learn about their failures and successes and what they feel are the most important lessons they have learned.

2.  Listening to very loud movie previews in theaters isn't my favorite way to begin a night out to the movies.

3.  I always cry when I listen to Pie Jesu.

4.  I used to do a little tatting but I find it painful to do now.  Click here to see a pillow I made with trim I tatted.

Six Sentence Story: Trunk

Here is the link to the Six Sentence Story: Trunk blog hop.

Warm and Hidden

"Come with me, I want to show you something in your trunk," the repairman said.  I couldn't imagine why I'd need to look at the trunk, since I'd only brought the car in for the usual every-5000-miles servicing.

Back in the inspection area, they had the back of the car opened up to reveal the spare tire well under the trunk.  There I saw lots of little bits of insulation conveniently arranged to make a "beautiful home" for a family of mice!

The cost of the usual service was significantly added upon because of the labor and parts needed to stop the source of the entry plus the additional price of cleaning and fumigating.  

To make matters worse, a second generation made a home for these same kind of critters in the same location which then required another attempt at making the entry place completely impenterable!

Addendum to the Six Sentence Story: Trunk
We moved our bird feeders much further away from where we park our vehicles!

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Fun Foto Challenge: Teal or Turquoise

This post is linked to a blog hop at Cee's Fun Foto Challenge:  Teal or Turquoise

The photos I am sharing are all ones which have various tints of the colors teal or turquoise.  After looking at my photos, I feel like they could be included in the most popular variant of the game 20 Questions.  (Click here to see other versions of the game.)

There is something so calming to me about the color teal and it's variations, and this color is also evident inside our home. 

Pine siskins at our feeders


This may be a Blue Dasher dragonfly seen at E. E. Wilson Wildlife Area.  Click here to learn more the area.
Mallard duck


















Butterfly at the Wings of Wonder Butterfly Exhibit in Independence, Oregon a few years ago.  (The exhibit is no longer is in operation.)
Otter enjoying its dinner at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon


Robert Fulton's burial site in the Trinity Church Cemetery in New York City.  Click here to read more about him. 


Statue of Liberty at New York harbor  in New York City.  Click here to read more about it.

This is the Main Picnic Shelter at Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale, Washington.  Click here to learn more. 

These are Western Red Cedar berries on some of our trees.

White Nancy (Lanium Maculatum) that we used to have growing in our shrub beds.  
Now are you feeling calm and ready to begin a game of 20 Questions?

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Share Your World - 2015 - Week #29

This a blog hop has a set of questions to answer.  Find the link at Share Your World - 2015 - Week #29.

Question #1
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
The first time that I remember someone asking me the question I was about seven years old.  One of my aunts asked the question.  I think I possibly remember this time, because when I answered she laughed and then asked me why I wanted to do that!  My answer was that I wanted to be a missionary.  Perhaps I had heard a Sunday School lesson about missionaries who had gone to a foreign country.  I don't really remember. We didn't know any missionaries at that time.

The next time that I needed to give thought as to what I wanted to be when I grew up, was when I was 12.  For a class assignment I had to interview someone who worked in the field I was thinking about pursuing later on.  I interviewed a registered nurse.  I gave up that idea probably within the year, when I realized just even talking about blood made me feel queasy.

Question #2 (There are two parts to this question.)
What was your favorite food as a child?
This is hard to narrow down to just one food, so I am going to share several that I really enjoyed.

My paternal grandmother's home canned rhubarb sauce.

My mother's homemade butterscotch pudding.

My paternal grandmother's iceberg lettuce salad with small canned shrimp on top with a oil and
lemon juice dressing. (Served only on special occasions.)

Pickled pigs feet.  (We only occasionally had these.)

Sweet mashed fresh figs with a sprinkling of sugar and heavy cream poured over the top.

Fried chicken feet.

Rabbit cooked in some kind of a homemade tomato sauce.

Do you eat it now?
Of the above foods, salad with shrimp in it comes the closest to anything I still eat.  I like rhubarb, but it is not a favorite in the household.  I love any kind of pudding, but try not to feed my sugar cravings too much.  Pickled pigs feet will just remain a part of my past.  Fresh figs sound wonderful, but we don't see them in the stores here, and pouring heavy cream over them would not be a good thing for me to do.   I know of a store that sells chicken feet, but I will probably not indulge.  Rabbit is probably available in a couple of stores here, but at a pretty penny.

Question #2
If you were invisible, where would you  go?
After thinking about this a bit, I think I would travel to places my ancestors have lived and then off to see the rest of the world.  If I were invisible, I think I would also have the ability to transport myself quickly wherever I wished to go.

Question #3
Would you rather forget everyone else's name all the time, or have everyone forget your name all the time?
Having to watch the frustration of those with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia who struggle with trying to remember the names of people,  I think I'd rather have people forget my name.

Bonus Question
What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
Click my post Ten Things of Thankful regarding what I was thankful for last week.
The thing I was looking forward to this week just took place today.  I was able to go to the temple with friends.


Monday, July 20, 2015

Weekly - Haiku - Poetry - Prompt - Challenge - 54 - free - think

Go here to join up with this blog hop Weekly - Haiku - Poetry - Prompt - Challenge - 54 - free - think.

Eagle soaring free
Thinks of eaglets in the nest
Dives to the prey below

Photo taken in Eastern Oregon of a golden eagle's nest 




Photo of a bald eagle perched in a tree in the Willamette Valley, Oregon

Prompt 50 - Wordplay # 8: Time

Click here to join in the blog hop.  Prompt 50 - Wordplay #8:  Time.  This blog hop challenge can be done in poetry or prose and any length using the word time.

Zucchini Salad

It would soon be dinner time.
Something cool would be best this night.
Zucchini, chick peas, romaine,
Sweet onion, pumpkin seeds invite
Dressing, feta cheese, bacon,
Chopped, tossed, it's a salad delight.




Sunday, July 19, 2015

Prompt 49 - Set the Challenge Sunday #7: Phrase Let Go

For the piece of personal history, I am linking to Prompt 49 - Set the Challenge Sunday #7: Phrase Let Go.

Letting go has been something that has taken many different forms in my life.   Here is one of the earlier ones I recall.  Later "letting go" experiences were much more difficult.

To let go should have been easy, but the whole idea of what I needed to do scared me to the point my fingers seemed like they were glued to the tree branch.  Being about nine or ten at the time, and prone to wanting to be accepted by others, when a group of friends suggested climbing up a tree and sitting on a lower branch big enough to hold about four of us, I went along with the idea.  I was the last one to climb onto the branch, sit down and join the conversation---well mostly listen as was my tendency then.

After a while everyone seemed to tire of sitting on the branch and began to jump down, but when I was the only one left sitting on the branch, I couldn't move because "down" looked much further than "up" had appeared.  No amount of encouraging words helped and soon the words turned into yelling commands like, "Come on.  Jump!'  With a disgusted look on his face, one of the older kids in the group, a boy, agreed to help me down, much to my embarrassment.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Ten Things of Thankful

This is another post and link to the Ten Things of Thankful blog post.

1.  This week I received a cute handmade card from the youngest of my granddaughters.  I'm thankful for grandchildren who share their creative talents with me.



2.  My husband and I went to Talking Waters Garden twice this week, once by ourselves and the second time with some friends.  It is such a great place to enjoy take photographs of birds, vegetation,  and in my case a picture of a flaming dragonfly.  I'm thankful for opportunities to enjoy beautiful places with my husband and with friends.


3.  My mother had a dental appointment this week, so I drove to the nursing home and went with her in a transport van so I would be with her to reassure her during the transport.  I really enjoyed visiting with the woman who was driving the van.  We had some things in common, and were able to have a few good laughs during the trip.  It felt so good just to have a hearty laugh. I'm thankful that my mother's ride and appointment went well.  I'm thankful to be able to find things in common with others and to have a good laugh.
Irish Blessing
May God grant you always
A sunbeam to warm  you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you,
Laughter to cheer you,
Faithful friends near you,
And whenever you pray, 
Heaven to hear you. 
4.  Being able to witness long awaited dreams of others happen is a wonderful blessing, not only for them, but for others who share that happiness vicariously.  I'm thankful that I was able to among friends today to share this joy.

5.  I continue to be thankful for the things I am learning as I prepare posts for this blog, whether it be in finding out more about the history of a subject or in learning about people's experiences in other states and countries.   I'm thankful to be reminded of how much people are more alike than they are different.

6.  After a week of once again watching news showing people risking their lives to rescue and protect others who are in harms way, I continue to be thankful for their service.  With the continued high temperatures in many areas, and wildfires blazing uncontrollably, many have done all they could to put out these fires at risk of injuring themselves.

7.  I'm thankful for my husband's attentiveness and help when my body keeps trying to think it is old.  We are doing a lot more sharing of responsibilities these days, and I especially appreciate that now.

8.  Once a month I get together with some friends for lunch.  I'm thankful for this monthly event.  We try a different restaurant  each time and catch up on what is going on in our lives.

9.  I'm thankful for plants that truly remind me of when it is time for me to water them.  I have a peace lily that never lets me forget.  When it's leaves start to sag downward, I know it is time to get the watering can out, and most likely past time.

10.  I'm thankful for garden produce some friends shared with us today.  It is zucchini time here now, but I am one of those people who really like zucchini.  It tasted delicious in the stir fry dish I made tonight.  (There is a joke here about zucchini.  Because of the abundance, people frequently try to give away the extra zucchini, so people joke about how they better leave their car doors locked or when they return to the car there might be some zucchini in it.)


Friday, July 17, 2015

Prompt 48 - Weekend Wordle #7

For this post I am linking up with Prompt 48 - Weekend Wordle #7.  The challenge is to write poetry or prose whatever length desired using at least three of the following words:  truth, suffer, visit, own, neighbor, miles, step, imagine, admire, sensible.

That day the sensible thing for Sarah to do was to stay home and get started on making the freezer jam from the flat of strawberries she'd picked yesterday morning.  As she pondered how many batches of jam she would need to make, the phone's ringing interrupted her train of thought.

At first Sarah thought it might be Lucille, her elderly neighbor, calling to offer to come give her moral support in making the jam.   Although Lucille wasn't able to do a lot of cooking now, she liked to encourage homemaking skills in the younger women, especially in those things which she had so much experience, like making jam.  This sweet neighbor reminded Sarah of her own grandmother who lived in another state, whom she rarely got to see.

When Sarah answered the phone, she was surprised to hear Mary's voice instead.  Mary was Lucille's only daughter.  She lived in a nearby town, about 15 miles away.  Mary checked on Lucille daily, either by calling or making a visit.  Lucille occasionally had a TIA, and today she didn't answer the phone.  After Mary explained the situation to Sarah, she asked if she could go check on her Mom.  Sarah assured Mary that she would do that immediately.   Sarah and Mary had become pretty close friends over the years, and Sarah had come to admire Mary for the devoted daughter she was to Lucille.  Sarah and Mary had talked about the difficulties older people have when they are living alone.  The truth of the matter was that they both knew it was just a matter of time before Lucille would no longer be able to live by herself.

After Sarah hung up the receiver, she could just imagine her dear friend Lucille on the floor unable to get up.  She would not want her friend to suffer in any way.  Certainly, she could not, not step-up-to-the plate now.  The strawberries could wait, indefinitely if needs be.


Prompt 47 - In a Flash #4: Newspaper

For the post I am linking to Prompt 47 - In a Flash #4.  The prompt word is newspaper.  The challenge is to write using the prompt word with no more than 41 words of poetry or prose.

The words on the screen are moving slowly and then faster until I can no longer read the newspaper displayed.  Why am I sitting in front of this machine and why do I feel such angst?  What headline am I fearing?

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Cee's Black & White Photo Challenge: Older Than 50 Years (1965)

This week I am linking up with Cee's Black & White Photo Challenge:  Older Than 50 years (1965).






This is a photo of my paternal grandmother.  The photo was most likely taken before 1905 and very possibly before 1900.  I love the hat.  She never had much hair after running a very high fever when she was quite young.  I imagine this hat made her feel quite fashionable.
These three images show three different views of what I believe is some kind of an aluminum can opener.  I can't find any images online that matches this one.  One newspaper article from the Toledo Blade - Apr. 27, 1946, pg. 7 quotes someone as saying the Clyde Cutlery Co. was organized in 1850, but I haven't found any proof of that.

There seems to be quite a gap from the blade and the piece that goes on the outside edge of the can for it to be a can opener like one used in a kitchen.


This black vase belonged to my paternal grandmother and has been passed on to me.  I've always found it interesting, because when light shines on it there is kind of a deep purple/red coloration that is visible, but otherwise it appears totally black.  I know she had it in the 40's and probably before that.











This is part of the keyboard on the upright piano that my parents purchased about 1952. It was bought from a piano teacher who was replacing it with a grand piano.  See my post TToT:  Ten Things of Significance 7/4/15 for a photo of the piano.





This is the camera my parents used to take many black and white photos.

















This ad was printed in The Hanford Sentinel, Monday, November 14, 1963, page 5.  I remember going into this store various times years before when one of one of my aunts worked there doing alterations of the clothing the women bought there. She was quite the seamstress.  That store is no longer listed among the clothing stores in Hanford, California.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Six Sentence Story: Letter

Here is the link to the Six Sentence Story: Letter blog hop.

The letters revealed some of the details of his life, although that was not their main purpose.  He who had once scoffed at the very subject addressed hoped that his past would not keep his readers from giving serious consideration to his words.

Did he know then that some of his writings would be laboriously copied for others to read and ponder?  Did he realize then that some of the meaning of his words might be lost in the translations that would follow?

All he wanted to do was to bear witness of what he'd come to know was true, for he had seen the resurrected Christ in a vision and became a follower of Him.

Other letters are included in the New Testament, but it is Paul's letters which make up the majority of what we have come to know as the epistles.





Prompt 44 - Phrase Phase #7: Rocky Road

I'm linking up at Prompt 44 - Phrase Phase #7: Rocky Road.

The words rocky road caused me to remember a trip in our little VW "bug" across the high desert of Eastern Oregon early in our marriage.  It was my first trip to the high desert, and I didn't know that I would be allergic to some of the flowers that were in bloom. Seeing rattlesnakes outside a terrarium  was a new experience too.


Desert rocky road
Scent of sage bushes abloom
Rattlesnake crossing 

Taken near the Steens Mountain in Eastern Oregon

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Prompt 45 - Midweek Wordle #7

I'm linking up with Prompt 45 - Midweek Wordle #7.  The challenge is to write poetry or prose using at least three of the given words from the following list:  fly, day, bones, paper, dream, trance, stone, lack, fountain, girls.

That day she was sitting in her wheelchair dosing off, as a couple of little girls ran by on their way to visit their grandpa sitting a few tables away.  The aged woman was startled awake from the girls' chatter.

She could only remember bits and pieces of the dream she was having.  It was so frustrating to her to have such a lack of her memory.  She used to find enjoyment from reading the newspaper, but even though there was a paper on the table where she was seated, and she could still read the words, it was hard to stay focused.  She didn't recognize the names of the people mentioned, not even the ones listed in the obituaries.  She'd outlived just about all her friends and forgotten the names of them anyway.

The bones in her hands hurt at times, but she was thankful that she could at least still feed herself and not have to "be fed like a baby."  She feared the time when she might have to be the one being fed by someone.

Often when she was not dosing, she glanced out the sliding glass door at the fountain that was in the midst of the patio.  She found some enjoyment in watching the people working around the fountain who were moving some of the stones aside in order to clean it.  Once she could do those things and the time seemed to fly by, but not anymore, no not anymore.  She was staring so intently that it almost appeared she was in a trance and then once again slowly her eyes closed and her chin dropped to her chest.

Cee's Fun Foto Challenge: Lime or Bright Green

This week I am linking up with Cee's Fun Foto Challenge:  Lime or Bright Green.
(All photos taken by Patricia E. Brockett.)




Horsetail (Equisetrum)

We had a lot of this growing on our farm when I was a child.  I was fascinated by the plant because of how it is segmented.

New growth on Kiwi (Actinidia arguta)

We had a couple of Kiwi plants in our garden for a few years, but eventually took them out, because the weight of the plants was too much for the frame and wiring we had for them.  The kiwifruit of this type of Kiwi are smooth skinned and grape sized.  The plants produce quite an abundance of fruit!





This vase was one that was passed on to me after my maternal grandmother died.





I love the new growth on the pine trees.






Cricket on screen





Some kind of succulent plant creeping over the rocks






Duck weed (Lemnoideae) growing on the surface of the water

I took this photo at the Talking Waters Gardens in Albany, OR.





Bamboo (one of the Phyllostachys species)





Vine maple (Acer circinatum)












Some type of moss

Monday, July 13, 2015

Ten Things of Significance

For the Ten Things of Thankful I am doing another Ten Things of Significance post at the request of my daughter.







This bank book and pair of glasses belonged to my grandfather on my Dad's side.  The first entry was 1915 and the last was 1960.




This very small purse belonged to my Mother's Mom.  The purse was given to passed on to me.  It is about 6" long and 5" wide.  I'm not sure when she got it or for what occasion.


One has to wonder why this very old turtle shell was kept and passed on in the family.  The family lore is that my maternal grandfather gave my grandmother a little turtle.  (It is about 1-1/2" big.) Apparently it was a treasured memory for my grandmother.  I would like to know the whole story.


This very old tea kettle was given to us by my in-laws because they knew I liked old things.  We are not sure if this had actually belonged to their family.  From the way the inside looks, it may have survived a fire.


My paternal grandfather was a barber in his early days.  I remember seeing him shaving in the kitchen, because that was where there was a small window that gave him sufficient light to see well enough to shave himself.  I thought it was interesting to watch him sharpen his razor on the leather strop. The razor is well used and has a nick on the blade.  



These items belonged to my paternal grandmother.  She loved to sit in a rocker right next to their old radio, which was one of those that stood several feet tall from the floor.  She sat there and listened to the Yankees play, and used her magnifying glass to read the sports page of the newspaper.  (When she was in her 70's she had to have one of her eyes removed, we think because of a tumor.)







My mother saved a few of my baby clothes for me.  I have a photo of me wearing this little lined wool bonnet.




The first Christmas after my husband and I got married, we were able to purchase a Christmas tree but had very little money left for ornaments.  We went into a little craft store. A kind lady there told us that we could put some tiny plastic beads in a muffin tin and bake them in an oven for a few minutes to make ornaments.  We made several of these and also shaped some of the beads into a star.  We strung some popcorn and cranberries and had a most beautiful first Christmas together.





My husband was the first in his family to be able to go to a university.  In preparation for his freshman year, he made this beautiful pine filing box so he would have some place for handouts, etc. from his classes.  The box has been used in numerous ways since that time.





I bought this 1883 cookbook many years ago and have enjoyed trying some of the recipes.  There are many handwritten recipes and newspaper clippings that have been slipped in between the pages making it all the more interesting.  In the back of the book are useful hints such as the one to stop an earache which brought many a chuckle to my family.  (Needless to say we never tried that remedy!)