Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, we remember our women and men serving this Country and those who  gave all to keep us safe and free.

My Guy

He knows how to make a girl feel special.

For 40 years he has protested he doesn't know how to cook.

He never ceases to find ways to get to me.  So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I came home from work and found my man puttering around the kitchen as if he belonged there.  I mean, don't get me wrong, he does belong there - but usually as the Sous-Chef.  The one I give commands to.  "Do this, do that, chop this just so, please get the spice I can't reach out of the cabinet." He's the one who cleans up after I make the meal.  Or at least he was.  I believe a new tradition has been born. 

He did remind me that he is the one who grills burgers in the summer and used to make a mean pot of soup on the wood stove when the kids were little and off school for snow days. But that doesn't count as "cooking".  Does it? 

He found a recipe for fried apples.  I didn't know there was such a thing as a recipe for fried apples...  I just throw in a little butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a skillet with the apples and wala! His were unbelievably good.  Maybe I'll use his recipe the next time I fry apples.

Brown Sugar and spices for the apples... a little more butter, please...

 As he was building a fire (yes, we had a roaring blaze in the background as we dined), he happened onto a recipe in the newspaper he was using to get the fire started.  It was for a honey mustard glaze for the rib eye steaks he was already planning on grilling.  Oh my word they were good!

Honey mustard glazed rib eyes on the grill



A bottle of Nobelis Chambourcin Wine - perfect!

Table for two - candles lit, wine poured, salad ready to go



What do you think?  Did Whiskey get a bit of fat from those steaks?

 Of course Whiskey did not get left out.  We shared tid bits of our meal with him... but only tid bits.  He has a muscle body to maintain, you know.

No matter how romantic the setting, time has to be set aside for the nightly ritual of catch the toys.

Two out of three ain't bad

The evening ended with the sound of much needed gentle rain coming down.  What a peaceful sound to go to sleep by, safe with the new found knowledge that he does know how to cook.  I wonder what's for dinner tonight...

Thank you Jim for a wonderful day after Valentines Day.  I love you.

Up next... what he gave me.

No words are needed

10 Year Old Boy with Autism Sings Open the Eyes of My Heart

Despite being blind with autism, this 10 year old boy is an inspiration to all. He still has faith in God and a beautiful gift of music. Listen to him sing Open the Eyes of My Heart. Beautiful.

Let's all be thankful and grin

It is a time to give thanks.  I have a great deal to be thankful for.  The list can be simplified by saying I am thankful for my family, friends, God and Country.  Not necessarily in that order. 

Here is hoping each and every one of you have a Happy Thanksgiving. 

Click on the below video if you want a silly grin pasted across your face as you head into the holiday season.

Answers and what I loved about this week

In  response to comments and questions on previous post:

• The metal roof is a very dark green and matches the greenhouse portion of the house and the garage.  We are now color coordinated again
• I absolutely adore the sound of rain on a metal roof.  I've even been known to go to the loft to work when it is raining just so I could hear it on the roof!
• Travis does NOT have a tattoo.  The spot on his arm is the wind chime hanging there.
• The neighbor came and got her horse back.  Our fences are not adequate for horses, having been designed for sheep.  Unfortunately, obviously hers aren't either.
• She said the other horse was shot (don't know where she found it back).  Deer hunters?  Disgruntled neighbor?  I guess we'll never know.
• The mums are definitely dead.  Wish I could tell you I gave them a proper burial, but.. .
• Travis did not conquer the leaves.  That is not possible!
• Bailey is too lazy to attack.  Kind of like me.
• The roofers are back today.  Since they didn't fall off last week, I trust they won't today.  It is much less windy.
• Whiskey is like the energizer Chihuahua - never wears out
• I love where we live.  It is our own little oasis.

What I loved this week:

• Discovering when I kissed Austin on the cheek and he swiped at the spot, that he was not wiping my kiss off, but rather rubbing it in
• Grandparents day at Allen's school.  We (the two Grandma's) decorated a turkey with him.  He seems to have a great teacher and was all smiles and hugs.
• A sweaty hug from Travis after his first wrestling skirmish of the year.
• The fact that Jim noticed I had my hair colored this week
• Sitting on the front porch with Jim late at night, swaddled in a blanket, talking and listening to the wind howl
• Dakota wanting to spend the weekend with us while his mom and dad were out of town - even if he did have the motive of wanting to go to a birthday party
• Getting a rush embroidery job done ahead of schedule
• Visiting with a friend who has been very sick
• Making the difficult decision with our friends that we are no longer going to continue our annual Christmas open house (a ten year run) - and sending out a Christmas card telling everyone so. 
• Learning that Uncle Cy is in town and I will get to see him, and many other family who I don't get to see very often, next week.
• Reading Susan Vreeland's book Clara and Mr. Tiffany (awesome book!)
• Working on my scrapbooks and card making

So, what made you smile this week?

Thank you

Thank you to all of our brave men and women who serve the United States of America in the Military.

I have written and deleted and written and deleted.  It all sounds almost trite.  The USA is in danger in spite of all of the efforts of our military.  Our Government is killing us. 

So today I not only say a prayer of thanks for our Veterans, but also a prayer for guidance for our leaders.

As I reflect this morning, I am reminded of a business trip I took to Washington many years ago.  There was very little time for sight seeing.  But on a very hot summer day we walked to the Vietnam Memorial.  As we got closer, the impact took our breath away.  The heat coming off the sidewalk rose up to meet the rows and rows of names in black.  Mementos lined the base of the memorial.  Flowers, boots, plaques, medals... I've never felt more proud and yet helpless in my life.  Tears streamed down my face at the realization of how many lives were lost - and that was only one of many wars.

God Bless America.

Dalai Lama on Humanity

Under the Skin

The gods were smiling down on me.  Seldom do I win anything, maybe because seldom do I enter to win anything.  But books are one of my best friends in the whole wide world.  So when a book is on the giveaway table, I enter.  Yes I do.  When my blog friend, Vicki Lane, hosted a drawing for three copies of a bound galley copy of her new book, Under the Skin, there I was with my greedy little hand held out.  I'll bet you figured out by now that I was one of the winners.  I WON!

This book is the fifth in the Elizabeth Goodweather series, set in the shadows of the Appalachian Mountains.  The other books are Signs In The Blood, Art's Blood, Old Wounds, In a Dark Season, and The Day of Small Things.  Read them.  All of them.  You will be very glad you did.

Vicki Lane takes me to a place I have visited a few times and fell in love with through touristy eyes.  She invites me into the mountains and introduces me to the superstitions and ways of Appalachia.  I have not finished reading Under the Skin, but what I have read so far has not disappointed.  It is a darn good book!

Now for an unexpected observation - at least unexpected  to me. You see, I've been enjoying my not so new anymore toy, The Nook.  It goes everywhere with me.  I download books from the library and from online stores.  My cookbook is with me when I go to the store.  If I need to know a recipe ingredient, all I have to do is wake up my Nook and look it up.  My Nook library includes some of the Classics like Little Women and Pride and Prejudice and The Bible.  And for the record... Angry Birds is addictive.  I love my Nook. 

The unexpected observation is:  I miss my books.  When I pulled Under The Skin out of the envelope and held it in my hands, it felt good.  As I flipped through the pages, it felt good.  I'll even admit that I sniffed it.  It smelled good.  As I soaked in hot, soapy, water, reading, it felt good.  (I dare anyone to take a Nook into the bath tub... double dog dare even...).  Books are an experience, an event, a get away - whether paper held in hand or swiping fingers across a device.  But there is nothing like a good BOOK.  And that is what I am holding in my hand today.  A good book.

Thank you Vicki Lane.  Thank you for sharing your mountains with me, autographed "For Deanna, my online friend!  Vicki Lane".  I treasure it.

The True Meaning of Stress

I received the following in an email the other day, and thought the words of wisdom worth sharing with my friends.

The True Meaning of Stress

A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience; with a raised glass of water, and everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, 'half empty or half full?'..... she fooled them all... "How heavy is this glass of water?", she inquired with a smile.
Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.
She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "and that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."
"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time practiced. So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night... pick them up tomorrow.
Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment. Relax, pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it and the now 'supposed' stress that you've conquered!"
1.  Accept the fact that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue!
2.  Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
3.  Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
4.  Drive carefully... It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker..
5.  If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague
6.  If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it..
7.  It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
8.  Never buy a car you can't push.
9.  Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
10.  Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
11.  Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
12.  The second mouse gets the cheese.
13.  When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
14.  Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
15.  You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
16.  Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.
17.  We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
18.  A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
19.  Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today............
20.  It was I, your friend!
Save the earth..... It's the only planet with chocolate!
God is crazy about you.  He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.

We honor

It was time to  set the military plaque at my dad’s gravesite this weekend.  You might know we would pick the hottest, muggiest, day so far this year.  But we wanted to do it while my sister, Kathleen, was home visiting – so this past Saturday was the day.

A word to the wise.  If you plan on digging around a loved one’s grave and there are little ones involved, clearly explain what you are doing first.  They looked on in horror, and Cara said “are you going to dig him up?!?!”, as we quickly regrouped and explained what was going on.


 

My brother, Tom, set the plaque in place.  There is a story behind the angel food cake sitting on the headstone.  Mom and Dad loved angel food cake, and dad always proudly baked one for family events – knowing it would be the lightest and tallest – of any other cake.  The one on the headstone doesn’t do dad’s cakes justice, but as Kathleen said, “It is probably a good thing”.  He wouldn’t have liked it if my cake turned out taller and lighter than any of his!




Dad’s great grandkids carefully brushed the dirt away.



Last week Kathleen and I continued the time consuming task of going through mom and dad’s many photo albums.  Although I had already scanned a lot of photos, there was much left to decide.  After she left, I continued browsing, and happened on a manual typewritten piece of paper.  I quickly realized at some point dad had briefly documented his service history.  My guess it was used as speaking points at one time or another.  But how timely to find it the day before we planned on honoring him.  Here is what it said:

I was inducted in the Army Air Force in February 1943. I soon found that army life would be much different from civilian life. Basic training was very rigid both for the mind and body. This was necessary, however, to prepare the body for combat if needed and the mind to follow orders without question.
Next I was sent to radio operators school to learn Morris Code. From there I went to Yuma Arizona to gunnery school to learn how to fire 30 and 50 caliber machine guns from an aircraft to targets on the ground and moving targets pulled by other aircraft. I was then assigned to a crew on B17 aircraft with the 8^th Air Force in Ardmore Oklahoma. I was then transferred to a B29 outfit in Salina Kansas, and from there sent to Guam in the Mariana Islands with the 39^th Bomb Group of the 20^th Air Force.
The trip to Guam was no fun as we were all sent by boat that crisscrossed the Pacific taking 30 days to make the trip.
Guam is about 5 miles wide by 30 miles long. All the buildings were leveled by the war and most of the people set up grass huts to live in. The 39^th bomb group was at the north end of the island and the airstrip was just finished to accommodate the B29 Aircraft. The jungle was just cleared away and we had to sleep on the ground. There were lots of lizards, but they were the kind that didn’t bite. Eventually they erected Quonset huts for us to live in so we could sleep on cots.
I was on Guam for one year until the end of the war and was discharged from the Army Air Force in February 1946.

So while Tom read the words written by dad many years ago, we each took a chunk of angel food cake and remembered and gave thanks.


   

We finished off the afternoon with a BBQ of the best pork steaks ever known to mankind (I kid you not) and all of the fixin’s to go with it.  The cicadas were relentless – bomb diving into our hair and making a racket that only the 13 year emergence of cicadas can make. 

God Bless Them All

This day was set aside during the Civil War as a day to remember Union soldiers who fought and lost their lives during war.  It was called Decoration Day.  We've been watching the Civil War miniseries that we recorded from the History Channel sometime ago.  It is a powerful message of the futility and destruction of lives wrought by war.  Today I also remember the Confederate Soldiers who were apparently left out of the original declaration. 

Today we know this day as Memorial Day.  We have a great deal to be thankful for, and those who fought and died to protect us, deserve to be remembered.  As I sit here typing, through the corner of my eye I catch sight of our American Flag dancing in the wind.  Without the death of so many brave souls, that flag would be no more.  The thought is a bit overpowering.

I also remember those who fought in other wars - wars that could even have been avoided or were ours not to fight - and lived to come home with memories and heartaches too powerful to talk about.  Experiences that haunted or will haunt them the rest of their lives.  They have paid a very high price for their patrioism.  You, too, are in my heart and prayers.

Today I also keep my nephew, Jesse, in my thoughts and prayers as he continues to serve his country and lives in the dangers of war.

God Bless You every single one - and God Bless America.

The sun is shining here, the heat is upon us, and the cicadas are singing louder every day.  We were able to hear them inside our closed up house this morning.  It is an amazingly powerfully irritating song.  The shells they are leaving everywhere are pretty irritating too. 

I am out of my funk now.  Sometimes life just gets a bit overwhelming.  In answer to some of your comments on my previous post, our "situation house guest" will have been here a year on August 29.  We have told him that it is our goal - and must be his goal - to be in a place of his own by August 29 of this year.  He now has a steady, although low paying and no benefits, job.  Once he is again standing on his own two feet, it is my belief  that his self esteem will return.  With that, hopefully, will come better opportunities.  I can only pray.

Love and good wishes to all.

Yesterday was a great day. 

"They" were calling for rain to roll in yesterday.  "They" were once again wrong.  After a morning of going to the gym, running errands, and cleaning up around here, we cleaned up (yes, it was necessary) and joined the kids at Greg and Alicia's for my birthday party.  Everything was so relaxing.  Alicia fixed Mint Juleps.  I'd never had them before!  They were scary good. - you know, the type of good that would sneak up on a person if they are not careful.  I was careful and only had two.  We then all stuffed  ourselves on grilled pork steaks, potato casserole, broccoli/cauliflower salad, baked beans and maybe I'm forgetting something else.  It was all delicious.  Then we had cheesecake for dessert. Since they were worried about smoke soot damage to their ceilings, we decided to forgo the candles. 

Jim is working this afternoon.  I am smoking a pork loin and checking out blogs.  As soon as I get done here, I do believe I need to "pick up" the house.  I'm terrible about not always putting things away.

Oh, and I picked strawberries this morning.  And the cherries are almost ready.  So far the birds are leaving them alone.  So maybe I'll get some.  Apparently this is the year the cicadas are supposed to get really bad.  While walking around outside this morning, we saw two of them hanging around.  I hate the damage they do to trees, especially the tender barks of new fruit trees.  I hope the pear trees we planted last year survive.  I'm not looking forward to the deafening noise they create when they are in great numbers.  Sitting smack dab in the middle of the woods equals full surround stereo.  Sometimes that is not a good thing!

I hope every one has  had a great weekend.

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday to me

I belong in a tree

With the Indigo Buntings

And the Humming Birdies

Original prose by my dear husband, Jim

Yessiree, it is my day.  As Iggy said in his comment on my previous post, today is a day of LOTS of candles and mountains of flames.  Well put! 

I'm celebrating 59 glorious years!  How is that possible?

Today is going to be just like any other day, with an eye Dr. appointment this morning and work this afternoon.  I can't wait to ditch the readers I've been constantly losing for the past two years and get back into a pair of bi-focals.  The next picture you see of me, I will be wearing glasses again.

Look what Jim surprised me with. 

Willow Tree - Peace on Earth

I absolutely love it.

Tomorrow we'll CELEBRATE! with a party at Greg and Alicia's house. 

Thank you everyone for your sweet comments and birthday wishes.  It means a lot to me.

Easter Blessings



"Because He Lives, We, Too, Shall Live In this restless world of struggle
it is very hard to find
Answers to the questions
that daily come to mind.
We cannot see the future,
what's beyond is still unknown,
For the secret of God's kingdom
still belongs to Him alone.

But He granted us salvation
when His Son was crucified,
For life became immortal
because our Saviour died.
Life is not a transient thing,
It is change but never loss,
For Christ purchased our salvation
When He died upon the Cross.


~Helen Steiner Rice~

Hey Archie, where's that sweet lady been - you know, the one who bores entertains us with photos and stories of her grandkids all the time.  She sure has been quiet lately.



Geeze Edith, whadda ya care?  She was a boring pain in the patootie.  Besides, it ain't my day to watch her.



We've been busy doing yard work and getting ready for Easter.  See how pretty the rose garden looks compared to the photo in the previous post?  It's amazing what can be accomplished with a little work!



The woods are beautiful this time of year with the snow white dogwood tree blooms winking at us from under the towering oak trees.
 



 Easter Blessings to all of my blog friends!







 





John Wayne - What I want for my daughter

This video speaks for itself.  God Bless America and all she stands for.

John Wayne - What I want for my daughter

Doing the right thing

The phone rings.  Caller ID shows it is school calling - or work, the Dr., or a seldom heard from relative.  My first reaction is to expect something bad.  Something happened at school; there is a problem at work; the lab tests discovered a tumor; or somebody died.  Why do we always think the worst?  The obvious answer is, because it is usually bad news.

I can't remember ever receiving a call from the Dr. with good news.  They send me a post card or letter if all of the tests are normal and only call if something is out of whack.  And a call from one of my few remaining Aunts, immediately makes me hesitate to answer for fear of bad news.

If you are a mother of young children or teenagers, when was the last time school called to tell you that your child did good?  You can't think of any?  That's because it doesn't happen nearly enough.  But when it does happen, a lot of good comes of it.  Grins spread from face, to face, to face as the news spreads.

My daughter received one such phone call from school the other day.  You can read about it here.  The teacher was calling to tell her just how wonderful her 14 year old son, Travis is.  That one call generated a whole lot of smiles.

When I told Travis how proud I am of him, he grinned and then said, "It's no big deal.  If you're proud of me, then you have to be proud of Colin (his best friend), because he does the same thing."  This grandma is button popping proud of both of those boys.  They are spreading kindness and reaping the benefits.

A person doesn't really know how important a kind word, or gentle pat of the hand is, until it happens to them, or they are the ones giving the encouragement or gentle touch - and then benefit from the resulting appreciation.

At Allen's birthday party this weekend, I experienced just how important kindness - and listening - is.  My daughter-in-law's  grandpa was recently diagnosed with throat cancer.  Being a cancer survivor myself, I know what it is like to be the "sick one" and how people don't know what to say.  You are truly the "elephant in the room".  The truth is, they never needed to say anything.  It was enough for them to sit down by me and let me talk if I felt like it.  So that is what I did with Alicia's Grandpa John.  Even though it hurt to talk, talk he did.  We held hands, and we/he talked.  I only had to say an occasional word to encourage him.   He reminded me of my dad when he was trying to be strong.  John talked of giving up and not giving up and everything in between.  Hours later, when we got ready to leave, John gave me a bear hug and thanked me for talking to him.  I don't think it ever occurred to him that all I did was listen.  He gave me a whole lot more from our little talk than I could ever have given him.  But we'll let that be our little secret.

So, what are you going to do tomorrow?  If you have time, share some good news and watch the smiles spread.  Or take time to sit and listen to someone who just needs to talk.  You will be glad you did and the glow you come away with will last for days.  I promise.

… and it’s autographed!!!

Several weeks ago I won a give-away from Saloma at About Amish.  The gift came to me in this sweet home made bag.

It is always nice to win.  But there is something very special about winning a book – especially since books are one of my passions.  But this is not just any book… this book came to me from the person who wrote it.  I am honored.

Saloma wrote a very personal message to me as part of the gift – my first autographed book.  How cool is that?

Dear Deanna, May love and light shine onyou always!  And may you continue to be known affectionately as “Silly Grandma!”  Many Blessings, Saloma

I have not read Why I Left the Amish yet, but know that if she writes in her book anything like she does in her blog, I am going to enjoy it immensely. 
So to Saloma Miller Furlong, I thank you and wish to you Many Blessings back and a successful career as an author.  
If you haven’t yet become a follower of Saloma’s, please take a moment to check her out.  You will be glad you did.

Sunday morning coming down…

Driving home on this dreary Sunday morning along the Missouri River bottoms, we saw in the distance what looked like snow.  This sight required a closer inspection since the snow in this area has all melted.

Our suspicions were soon confirmed – we were looking at a gaggle!!!! of geese.  Canadian Geese for sure.  Snow geese probably – maybe other species. 

There were thousands of geese.

As they took flight, the already overcast skies darkened.

The vision brought to mind confetti falling from the skies.

                Bye, bye birdies.  Thanks for the amazing show.

Amish Fascination

I have always been fascinated by the Amish and their simple way of life.  This is probably because there are quite a number of Amish communities in our area.  When we visit our son, Greg, or daughter, Tessa, we invariable get behind a buggy of a family maybe heading home from Sunday services and visiting.  Sometimes we are in a hurry and get a little irritated at the pace, but usually I reflect on what I am seeing.  I first see danger.  There are children in an open buggy on a busy highway!  There is nothing to protect them if a car would come upon their buggy and not see them quickly enough.  Then when my mind gets past that, I envy them.  I envy their slow pace and closeness.  I envy their exclusion of outside influences.  Sometimes the often relentless wind is blowing and the temperatures are frigid.  At times like that, I watch in wonder at how they live the life they do.  Fascination.

Amish craftsmen built our barn quite a number of years ago.  It took them two to three days.  When they finished, there was no indication they had ever been there.  The site was clean with no debris anywhere.  Their workmanship was beyond compare.

There is a carpenter, Mose, who lives "right down the road" from Greg who made all of the cabinetry in his home.  He also made much of the cabinetry in our daughter, Tessa's home.  All high quality.  Sometimes he got things wrong (he seems to have trouble following directions) but he always made good by it.   

Mose and his young son, Jacob, also custom made a china cabinet for us.  The workmanship is wonderful.  We have spent time visiting with Mose and Jacob.  Their pace is slow.  We learned early on that when we visited Mose to check on the progress of our cabinet, we'd better plan on an hour or so to account for visiting time.  It was always an interesting visit.  I enjoyed watching his children working barefoot in their garden, or in other activities.

For a long time I've been following the blog, A Joyful Chaos, A Joyful Chaos  .   Mary Ann writes about growing up Amish and her life after leaving the Amish community.   If you aren't already reading her blog, give it a go.  Hers is a very simple, easy to read, writing.  A Joyful Chaos is hosting a giveaway of another blogger, Saloma, who left the Amish Community.

It appears the Amish life that Saloma escaped from was anything but ideal.  You can read about her experiences and register for a giveaway of her new book, Why I Left the Amish, About Amish.  I'm looking forward to reading Saloma's blog and her book.

So, if you are interested in the Amish way of life, or just want a good read, check out these two blogs.  You will be glad you did.