running with scissors

That was of the many lessons Reaves learned today.  I just leave them laying around and she had a mood where she was about to stab her Mama and it was on.  Well, not really stab her.  She just wouldn't lay them down.  It was a beautiful moment of defiance meets consequences.  Like no electronics.    They both love new kitty who has already had two more names.  I thinks Reaves wins this one with Rosie.  With her being a kitten and Reaves being Reaves there was a lot of toting around and finally the kitty had enough and went AWOL when she got stuffed into a carrier to "go to the doctor."  LP and I sat on the deck and listened for the meow and she is safe and sound.  Somewhere in the house!

The farmers are in high gear out here trying to get stuff done before the rain.  I planted a few things today and Reaves helped with the watering.  Mostly she just cleaned out the grill and splashed in the puddles.  I do believe this is the year she will learn to swim in the big pool with Doonie nearby.  

Y'all be blessed ^j^

hoarding plants

I have visited three different yards in two days and I am still a loooong way away from getting it all done.  I really need to push today to get them in the ground because rain is forecast for tomorrow.  That would be perfect timing.  I decided that if the 'maters don't work this year, I'm over it.  I don't even eat them but use them in sauces etc.  

I have my COVID test cooking and it's just like being back at work...hah!   I can imagine that the usual non-medical type person would have trouble understanding the whole deal.  Antigen testing is something that we did for every little thing including flu, RSV and others.  We would have so many timers going it was hard to keep up with whose time was up!

Ozark comes on tonight and I can't.wait.  I got hooked on that one early.  New kitty has decided her fav place to be is behind my back on the office chair.  So it shall be.  She won't have a name until Reaves see her.  

Gotta' get busy with the shovel.  Y'all enjoy your weekend and remember who you are ^j^

a unique opportunity

So far I don't have Covid so that's a good thing.  I've spent my days this week in the yard and on the porches using all my upper body strength to dig holes for the flowers Jo gave me.  I'm not done yet, but working daily on it.  I needed some muscle to lift the big bags of stuff so my buddy Patrick came out today and hopefully didn't get a hernia.  Only one bag  left and a lot of things in pots waiting to plant.  My poor little sweet basil gave it up so I'll have to get some more from the crack store.  Peppermint and Lilac are in pots on the porch.  I have a hundred foot hose with a wand but can't manage to figure out how to turn the tap on. Lauren did it for me the other day.  Now I need a very short hose with a wand for the veggie garden out back.  There is a spout right next to it.  But that's putting the cart before the horse.  Tomatoes and squash will go in next month so they will need the H2O.  I reckon my Daddy taught me well along with other gardeners.

No name kitty is doing well and making herself at home.  She eats and sleeps and poops on the back porch.  When she's in the house she is all up in my grill like cats do..She eats like a horse which is great because she needs to get up to four pounds for a spay.  Ain't no way I'm wanting a litter of babies up in here.

Y'all be blessed ^j^

all is well

Day 2 of isolation has been alright though cool.  I'm getting to know the new kitty and she is eating like a bandit and using a litter box.  I see more expense in my future until she's big enough to do it outside.  I bet she only weighs about a pound or two.  Anyways, she is very needy and you can tell she got lost from her peeps.  We sat in the sun today with Oscar nearby and just did our own things.  I mostly bird watched.  I wish I knew more about which ones are which and who sings what.  All I recognize is the mournful cry of a dove.

I took Oscar for a ride today because he loves it and needs the attention.  The hot pink peonies up on the hill are full of buds and I'm glad we didn't mess with moving them before they flower.  That would have screwed it all up.  It will be done in Big Ernie's time.  Mrs. Council's row of narcissus is showing out on the hill by the road.  The next tenants will get to enjoy all of that.

Be blessed ^j^

isolation

Welp, looks like I'm at home for a week.  Lauren and Reaves came yesterday and LP tested positive for COVID this morning.  I have some home tests but you are supposed to wait five days after exposure to test.  She is, BTW, miserable.  This on top of a tooth extraction last Friday.  Lord, I hope those two boosters I got do their job.  The nephro appointment in Jackson is, of course, cancelled.  They didn't want me there and rightfully so.  I went one place this morning for supplies and wore my mask like a good girl.  If only everybody would do the same thing.

Oscar got stung by a wasp while we were on the deck yesterday and then the thunder and lightning hit about 3AM.  He can't jump on my bed because it's too tall so he just stood there with his paws on the edge breathing in my face and shaking.  And it's STILL raining.  I'm glad the yard got mowed yesterday.  Anywho I have a week to kill here at Casa Poops and I'm hoping the spirit will move me to get some things done.

Y'all be careful out there ^j^

remember your baptism

Today was confirmation Sunday at FUMC and I sat right behind all the kids, parents and grandparents.  There were rows reserved for them.  Cathy joined me and we sang some old hymn in amongst the sermon explaining how a kids' faith grows in a nurturing church.  I didn't get baptized as an infant like many did, so I did the deed after confirmation class.  I believe it was taught by Larry Tubb.  I know for a fact he was our first "youth minister/associate" and he made a big impact on me as a teenager.  It was the first time a youth council was formed there.  Now we have two staff members dedicated to different groups. Tori has the littles and different people do small talk which is always hilarious.  Emily is leaving soon for her next adventure and has a replacment in the wings.  Dakota was in fact, not there today but at his new assignment in Tupelo.  I bet he knows every one of them already.

The girls surprised me with a visit today and we were playing water hose and pretending to be on the beach when the yard crew showed up.  That's when we made our exit back to the house where the AC is.  Ryan stopped in for some chat and a beer while the others were finishing up.  Looks like me and Yvonne are on the same schedule!

Being a godly person is not about being right or in denial.  It's about loving and caring for humanity and believing in blessings, above all odds.  There are times, though, when we have to make tough decisions, sometimes uninformed.  It's best to communicate ahead of time what your wishes are.  My POAs know exactly what I desire for end of life care.  I remember helping Lauren write her thesis on the hospice philosophy in high school.  Those were good times because I was really just learning about it.  That was right around the time I had discovered Scott Peck, John Bradshaw and Melody Beattie.  EK Ross.  Some years later my youngest brother moved to Afton, VA which is where she operated a hospice for AIDS patients.  How coincidental!

My yard is pretty now and Lauren helped me drag the box into place so all I gotta' do is fill it and plant.  Reaves helped me in one of the beds and there's one lone flower left in plastic.  I will prolly have to replant the hydrangea because I couldn't dig deep enough.  Such is life.  This is why I need a gardener.  I'll gladly buy the stuff and plant it but I cannot dig deep holes in dirt with roots.  

Y'all have a swell week.   Love ya.  Mean it ^j^

the disorganized genius

That would be me, by the way.  I have a hundred balls in the air right now and I procrastinate like a fool so there's stuff everywhere waiting to be planted and put up and whatnot.  I don't stress about it except I wish I had a pantry because the cabinets are so high I have to use a stepladder to put groceries up.  You know the people you see climbing the shelves at the 'gentral?  That's me.  The associates don't like that, by the way. 

In local news a middle school teacher was charged with assault for breaking up a bitch fight between two fourteen year old girls.  Now I don't know about y'all but I have been in that situation and there ain't nothing uglier than hormones and anger.  I am a witness to that through my experiences with BG and her friends. Most of them never duked it out but there was this one occasion when I had to stop a fight in my yard.  In the dark.  The struggle is real.  I cannot believe that the teacher was arrested, booked and the local shitty newspaper posted his mug shot on the front page.  I wasn't there so I don't know.  

My friend T Lee delivered my custom made raised box today and it is to die for beautiful.  I have an order in for three bags of dirt specifically for the raised beds.  Gottta pick that up tomorrow.  It's all unicorns and rainbows around here.  Keeping the faith ^j^

rain rain go away

Okay April showers....enough already.  It's wet and cold and I'm out of propane again choosing to run the heaters.  Besides, we're changing companies this year.  I am so tired of big corporations I could spit.  You know who you are!

Me and Joy and Huck went to Headlines today and we all enjoyed it.  He sat in my cousin's lap while her highlights were cooking and then went back with me to get waxed.  His mama works on a reclining table too so he just assumed the position on the floor.  I feel better with cuter hair and a hairless face.  A girl's gotta' do what a girls gotta' do.

My culinary side is in full throttle but I'm learning to experiment and make smaller batches unless somebody is around to share with.   I need more smaller casserole dishes.  My one 9x13 is in the freezer with cream cheese corn casserolefor some other day.  I'm seriously craving some cheese biscuits as featured in From the Back Burner.  I know, shameless self promotion.

I have so enjoyed looking at everybody's Easter pictures.  Our photo shoot went well until Rachel mentioned "a shot" and Reaves thought it was a needle.  OMG.   She recovered and there are some beautiful memories to be savored forever.  

Happy hump day ^j^

one of these days

I am so impatient when it comes to planting.  There are about six tomatoes in pots waiting to go in the box in May.  I tried to buy some 'mater stakes today but it's not that season yet.  Picked up some squash seed for the super special bed out back.  Gotta' get the shortest hose available to irrigate it but there's a pump near by.  I saw the first hummingbird of the year out at paradise.  Little dude was all after that spinner!

Me and the IRS are settled up on the 2015 thing which was totally my fault for not reporting income.  See, I'm good for what I promise.  The rest will go to people I owe and to buy a raised bed for the deck.  I'm a lazy little gardener like that.  I choose annuals wisely and they are usually from the spice section.  Ain't nothing like growing your own.  I've got basil, peppermint and lavender in pots.  Reaves and I made perfume the other day.  The last of the propane is gone but I've still got those heaters at 10 bucks a day.  I called Forked Deer Electric to see how in the heck I used 13 bucks worth in one day.  It was the storm, she said.  Offline for all pre pay customers. I thanked her for that explanation.

As of my last visits, the CT is normal and my vision is "not bad." I;m trying real hard to age gracefully which means doing what makes me happy.  Me and Joy are both scheduled for beauty day at Headlines.  I can't wait!

Love ya....mean it ^j^

he is risen

Saturday was a fun and tiring day for me and the girls.  We started early and headed to Ridgely for my family's Easter egg hunt.  Reaves was in heaven with all those kids running around like the chickens WITH the chickens.  She got to meet her cousins and a whole lot of other folks whose names I will never remember.

I woke up feeling pretty crappy and like watching the Easter service online.  Jesus told me to put on my big girl panties and finish what we started at the beginning of Lent.  It was (of course) packed with out of towners visiting their families and the whole thing was spectacular and moving..  I made friends with a little girl sitting next to me who was ummm..somewhat restless.  She went back and forth to Mama and Daddy most of the service.  We were some of the first to receive communion so while the rest of the crowd headed down, she and I made friends.  I had on two of Cari Houston's beaded bracelets and I gave one to her.  We continued to chat as folks marched the aisle.  I'm thinking she was about 2 but she told me six!  There is a little miracle waiting around every corner.  

The flowering cross was beautiful as usual and the line was long to get your family photos done,  And then it rained.  Again.  I remember once when Mama was too sick to go to church on Easter and I took her by just so she could see it.  It lasts for days!

These church people are my family too.  I interact with a lot of them outside of church activities too and I know they walk the walk.  When Mary Beth presented Dakota and his family for their departure I started to cry.  I knew it would happen.  I will be visiting Tupelo soon to see what the big guy has planned for them.

I am so sick of rain I could just kick the wall, but that wouldn't help a thing plus my right knee is out of sorts.  Everybody I know my age has aches and pains, some more than others.  It's just a part of aging gracefully...putting up with the hurts and whatnot.  I'll be calling the urologist tomorrow AFTER the eye appointment to see what's up with the CT I had on Thursday.  My next scheduled appointment isn't until May and I'm not the patient sort when it comes to that.  As many  health issues as I've had in the past two years, I need to know whether to plan my funeral or take up running.

I visited with my Hindu friend and his wife on the way home and he explained to me a bit about their customs and holidays.  I think it's cool to understand why people believe the way they do.

Happy Easter to all y'all and your mama'n'them ^j^

free at last

Well, I spent my 24 hours in FB jail with freedom to arrive again at 7:30 which is right around the time I posted to a friend saying " I'd tell you but I'd have to kill ya" Okay y'all I get it and 'twas actually a cool experience I could still read just not comment or post.  On top of that I lost my debit card somewhere and had to go to the bank to deal with that.  Kroger....two trips.  The first was to go in and get the stuff they told me were out of and I knew damn well they weren't.  That's not the first time I've done that, BTW.  The customer service rep made up for that by actually going OUTSIDE to see if my card was out by the Boston ferns.  

This morning I woke up on my own, knowing that I had an appointment for a CT.  It's an easy test without contrast which I could not have because of the high creatinine.  I definitely know the drill out there including the photo badge and where you're going.  I wish we had that back in the day when nutcases would sneak in and sleep in outpatient surgery.  I kid you not.  No results on the scan yet, at least to me.  It's pretty cool having a portal to stay informed.  

I started reading "The Agnostic Christian" by Leslie Weatherhead today.  It was signed by the late great Billy Yates to my Daddy in 1983.   What I've read so far is pretty cool and suggests that there is one God and if you fall in love with Him instead of the theology and its' differences, you've found the sweet spot.  As for me, I've always had doubts and I asked Daddy about them more than once.  He was a Baptist who flipped to the UMC because of my Mama and I could understand why he and Yates bracketed so many paragraphs, with underlined passages.  Organized religion turns a lot of believers off and usually those are the very ones who are seeking one true loving God and forget the details.  The very things that I loved most about the UMC growing up was diversity with a good dose of creed mixed in.  Gotta' have that doxology, but sometimes the words are different!  Last Sunday a couple of men sang and it reminded me of the old men's quartet that was Billy G, John F, Steve C and Bob H.  They were a legend.

I'll be enjoying the Passover meal tonight and get my feet washed.  Not literally, but..you know.  Maundy ^j^

in jail

If you are not a follower of Pecan Lane, you won't see this because I am in Facebook jail for a day.  That's a good reason to become a subscriber because I hate having to post what I write every day on Zuck's platform.  It's an extra step, if you know what I mean.  It has rained here for 24 hours straight and school got let out early AGAIN because of the potential for severe weather.  When I left to come home the sirens were blaring and I could barely drive from looking up at the sky for twisters.  So far so good.

It's Maundy Thursday eve for all y'all who are Holy Week folks. I think I hear another storm coming through so I'm headed for the bathroom.  Y'all be safe ^j^

the golden egg

I went to sign my tax return expecting the old "you owe us something" and was delighted to find that I get some money back.  Evidently last year was because I was enrolled in the ACA during part of 2020 until I turned 65, even though I only used it for the month of January.  After that they cut me off because I couldn't afford the premium.  Don't get me wrong, Medicare is not a fix all because there are supplements to pay for but still.  I'm wondering right now how much 20% of a CT will be.  That's on Thursday.  Payment plan please.   I have a decent supplemental plan that reduced my specialist co-pays to 25 bucks.  That ten dollars adds up when you see as many as I do!  

It was 85 degrees today and even Joy was hot.  We went here there and yonder as soon as I got there and then hit the roads again to buy flowers.  Of course I lost my phone in the process and had to backtrack.  I ended up finding it in the floorboard when I got home.  Sheesh.  The guy at Lowe's used to be the kitchen manager at the hospital so I guess I better be sure and invite him to the reunion too.  Right now I'm thinking of sponsors and hoping that a lot of folks will make it work.  

I wish you could have seen my face when I saw the money I was getting back.  It was an OMG screaming moment like when Kelly gives away a thousand bucks from Pilot Pen.  I can pay some people I owe and have a little bit left over.  I have never been totally debt free in my life.  It would be a good feeling.

We are marching toward the Cross slowly but surely.  Keep the faith and remember who you are ^j^

plan a

I went about a third of the way on my friends list and invited all I could until the carpal tunnel kicked in.  If you saw it, spread the word.  We have a place to go that will give a lot of people space thanks to the generosity of a friend.  He's retired from there like me and is still friends with a lot of us old birds.  Instead of worrying about how to feed the crowd I'm choosing to believe that if you plant the seed it will happen.  Go forth and invite others.  Just remember there's no bathroom!

Reaves lost her PawPaw today which makes me the sole surviving grandparent.  I am so grateful that she had the chance to know him because Pnoler died before she was ever born.  He would have adored her, and I'm sure is looking down from heaven giving Lauren strength. Reaves is curious about the people in the pictures I have around and it's routine for us to explain the ancestry and who's in heaven.

So our next adventure is a road trip to Ridgely for the egg hunt.  With a photoshoot afterwards.  Lerd, I do so hope she's in a good mood ;0   Lauren wants to see Reelfoot one more time so we'll plan for that too.  And always, plans change.  I'm having a CT this week to check on the kidney thing so I appreciate prayers on that.  

Otherwise, it rained like hell all day.  And will again for the next two.  At least the blackbird poop is getting washed off of my car.  Always look for the silver lining ^j^

triumphal entry

I gotta' hand it to the Lord man.  He provided perfect weather for a palm sunday service that started outside on the front steps with palm branches and headed on into the church for a lovely service.  The whole thing was creative and nobody had a clue what to do except march on up in there singing the song and waving palms.  We were treated to several moving choral pieces both  voice and bells.  I had gotten up to go visit my friend Louise on the other side and she wanted to know what was going on outside.  I went to check and didn't have time to run back and get Cathy!  I actually made it to SS and there was a reception afterward for Dakota and his family.  I sat among friends the entire time and we all got the meaning of this day.

My friend Gay taught me the secret of hugs to release oxytocin.  Not just a one armed church hug but one that lasts a long time.  She and Joy came to visit today and Huck and Oscar had a large time playing in the yard.  Oscar can hold his own for an old dude.  The girls came and we did several things like making cookies and picking flowers.  We were  going to plant some but Reaves got distracted on picking 'em.  Then it was electronics time and I just sat on  the porch with the door open listening to the giggles.  She is excited about meeting her cousins at the easter egg hunt next Saturday.  Then we have a photo shoot for the three of us.  I imagine we'll all be wore out by then.  

And so, Holy week begins.  Our SS teacher gave us the timeline of what happened every day of the week from the entry on a donkey to the cross.  That's a lot to take in if you really think about it plus none of the Gospels tell the same story.  

Y'all be happy and healthy.  And take the little moments of Joy as they come ^j^  

when you need a bigger boat

I've been all inviting fifty years worth of hospital people to my deck which holds about fifty max.  I decided today to explore other options with more places to sit.  And wander!  My friend agreed to do it so there ya' go.  Reunion relocated to Lakewood Pavilion.  June 4th at 1ish.  In case of rain, we understand if you don't show up.  2Js construction and it is to die for beautiful.  

Tomorrow is girls' day and the weather looks great for playing outside.  I have some flowers for us to plant if she is so inclined.  That girl is always ready to dig in the dirt.  She is totally amazed in a four year old way when that stuff comes back and thrives.  I can just see us picking off those big old ugly 'mater worms this summer.  Note to self:  Sevin.  It also works on dogs.  

Y'all be faithful and happy.  That's my daily goal and so far God has worked it out for me.  He's good like that ^j^

 

april fool

Why yes indeed, I heard reports of sleet today in our area today.  I had to get up at the butt crack of dawn for a doctor's appointment and there's a scan scheduled to see if there's anything sinister looking.  It's the first time on this journey that anybody has done anything other than draw blood and collect urine.  Inquiring  minds want to know.  We went to visit a friend in rehab today and they were all swapping tales about the old days.  I heard a familiar voice on the other side of the curtain and recognized it immediately as one of my former co-workers.  He got pulled into the huddle as well!  Everybody's invited to that reunion that EVER worked there or with us.  Okay, we may need to rent a building!

I had to eat a big old unhealthy breakfast at Coby Joe's and it's still sticking with me.  I'm just not used to that at all.  I'm a mini meal kind of person.  I guess it's better for your blood sugar.  Today's skies remind me of what it must have been that day when Jesus died.  There are already purple flags flying with the famous flowering cross only a week away.  It's a great tradition that brings the congregation together.  It will also be Dakota's last Sunday.  Don't even get me started on the tears that are coming.  Probably a lot of the ugly cry, for me anyway.  This man ministered to me when I was fresh out of the near death surgery and anointed me with holy oil.  UCMTSU.  In the nursing home!  Mary Beth also got called in to calm me down when I threatened to leave on the first day.   My entire family was in on that one.  

So I spent 10 days with a most unlikely roommate named Sara.  We had been friends back in the day and I remembered that she suffered a stroke in her fifties.  Actually she was Lauren's friend first and we got introduced.  She was an almost complete vegetable dependent on life support for every bodily function.  There was even an oxygen concentrator that was noisy as hell.  I got used to the sound of slamming doors as the meds got counted.  My PT experience was great and I credit them with getting me well enough to get outta' there.  The nurses I made friends with all understood where I was at.  Angels come in all forms.  My friends Chucky and Vicki and Misti brought me real food and did my hair for the first time in ummm 3 weeks. I was still carrying a wound vac then but that didn't stop us  That was the best headwashing and turkey'n'dressing I ever had.   Yaya brought pimento cheese which had no place to live except in a tub of ice by my bed.  Damn, I wish I had some now!  i haven't near covered them all but I know without a doubt I would have fallen through the cracks were it not for my friends and family to advocate and keep me sane.

We got an official invite to a family Easter egg hunt in Ridgely and I so hope that happens.  We have a whole lot of schedules to juggle.  I feel totally blessed that Lauren's job allows weekend opportunities with Gaga.  Even if we're all on our devices, we're together.  Keep the faith ^j^

all vaxxed up and nowhere to go

I was out and about today so I stopped by the pharmacy and my 2nd booster.  My arm is sore and I feel like I've had an injection.  No biggie for me. 

Kelly is on a boy band run on her show and I'm loving it.  I had forgotten all about them and they're grown up and still kicking it!  That's mine and Joy's special time together.  We do so love us some Kellyoke and that keyboard dude.  We have also begun to like the cooking ladies.  Gotta' have something to do when it's cold out!  We read together in silence, my book and hers.  And we give Pearl all the loving she wants.  This little gal knows to expect me and we always play on the bed.  Pearl actually talks to me.  I learned on the innerwebs that those puppy dog eyes were bred in wolves by people who began to see them as pets.  You know....the begging ones.  

Got some plans here to make sugar cookie dough for Easter cut outs. I will have to find some of those multicolored sprinkles and a can of icing.  That's not how my Mama would have done it but sometimes you have to adapt.

Y'all be merry and bright.  And please don't kill the bunnies ^j^

 

better shoes

I have some ordered that should be here tomorrow if they're not in crisis mode.  You know, the supply chain disruption and whatnot.  I'm so excited to get 'em because my feet aren't holding up well with the past three models that have a lot of  miles on them.  I wish I had a buck for every pair of shoes I bought to work in on the concrete floors.  Pounding them!  I hope this hospital reunion thing happens.  Sometimes I tend to put the cart before the horse, or the other way around.  I'm just a hot mess of an old lady trying to enjoy her golden years.  And you know what?  I'm loving it.

I saw my first fully bloomed redbud today on the way to paradise.  I pointed it out to Joy as we passed.  Those are my favorites.  There's some sort of huge white flowering tree there too.   It truly is a heavenly place to be around that lake.  

 

Well, I've slept since then and it rained. April showers and all that.  We will be wishing for it about June after bean planting.  I met the new neighbors today and got good vibes from them.  I have so missed having somebody there.  I am still friends with the previous family.  We spent seven long years together on that lane.  Mia was only 10 and Mandy's kids even younger.

I had not been back there in spring for many years and was amazed at how green it is.  Daddy used to take me fern hunting in the woods around there.  The river is everywhere and from the highest point you can see backwater gleaming.  It rarely goes away before June.  

I miss my people something awful and not just the girls.  Friends have come and gone in my life and I realize that they are there for a season.  And always, the seasons change.   They come from all phases of my life like being a mom, work and hanging out with.  Some of them I've known since I was Reaves' age.  And some?  I've just met recently.

The one and only book I've ever started was named: I'm not going to tell because somebody will rip off the title.  Anywho, it's all about how our lives are put together like pieces of colored glass in an artistic creation.  Or a quilt.  Or a painting.  My only handmade glass piece is purple and green and reflects the wear and tear of being moved multiple times.  But then there's the masterpiece from Larry.  The sunset lights up the bright reds and blues every day and I think about him.  

"Come on people now, love one another."  

one of these days

That's what my brother says if I fail to answer and call him back.  I hope it ain't today because I left my phone at another house and am adjusting quite well as long as I have the innerwebs.  I figure there's got to be a way to call 911 up in here.  I love sitting on my porches but blackbirds are in season and it's like "very noisy".  Plus they poop on everything!  It is now growing season number two for me down here and I'm amazed at the little bits of what I planted survived and are peeking out.  Like stargazer lily!  I think that will be the first thing I smell in heaven.

Lots of folks are putting off buying their stuff because their beds aren't clean.  Mine aren't either but those leaves sure are good mulch fo' free!  I'm mostly a perennial kind of gal because it saves on landscaping in the long run.  I noticed a tiny bit of my clematis coming up by the porch.  I'll try to train it ;)  I'm hoping Mayberry has taught his sidekick what's a flower and what's not.  I may have to give little dude a walk around the yard before he weedeats.

I got nothing but random musings today.  I hope it's not been a bad Monday for all y'all.  I'm still above ground and functioning so I'll take that ^j^

a beautiful spring day

Wow, have we been blessed with great weather.  After spending most of yesterday outdoors I got another dose of sun standing at the cemetery paying respects to a family friend.  I got a double dose of Mary Beth which was delightful and got to hug KayKay and a lot of others.  Cathy and me  and Delores and Hubert all huddle around the same spot close to the front.  Next week there will be palm waving galore and some more lessons about the triumphal entry.  Y'all know the rest of the story.  

Lauren and I went to lunch today as mother and daughter minus Reaves and it was so nice to just sit and talk.  An hour of just me and her catching up.  Hard to do that when Reaves is around.  I'm tired, but it's that good kind where you know you've had a workout.  My next priority is new tennis shoes.   When I was working a pair lasted about six months.  Now it's a year or so but I'm overdue.  I can feel what the lack of arch support is doing to my legs.  Like charley horses and what not.. 

Grief is a very difficult thing to maneuver.  Sometimes it's gradual like a slow decline in a relationship or life, and sometimes the grief shows up after a sudden tragedy.  Either way, it's hard.  You just kind of do it in reverse.  My friend Larry died in his sleep and that shocked us all.  I always try to hold onto the last time I saw somebody I love because it may be the last.  

Keep the faith Easter people ^j^

you might be a country girl

This was hunt and gather day for me and I hit it hard after a 13 hour nap feeling just good enough to take on what needed to be done plus a little plant shopping.  Everything I bought plant wise is on the screened in porch waiting for warmer weather.  I got some of Stanley's favorite 'mater plants and too much more to mention.  It looked like a huge fire sale on ferns out by the courtyard.  I scored the ONLY hanging basket of begonias to be had and was proud of it.  My porch is like a little greenhouse!  Me and Reaves call it our special place. Believe it or not, spring is here in a teasing sort of way where we all want to grow stuff but it's too early.

I have also been in a cooking mood for some reason.  I like to play around with recipes and add something different to make it interesting.  One of my stops today was a kroger pickup where my great friend met me at the car.  I only spent 30 something dollars thanks to coupons.

I'll be headed to tabernacle in the morning and see what the day brings.  The girls may come which means nothing else matters.  I wipe my slate clean for them.   Watch our for the Easter bunny and Cross ^j^