A Friendly Business....

This is Jean, the owner of our floral shop in town.  She is a wonderful person. Always so kind.  Her husband passed away two years ago. She stayed in business. Then she had some foot surgery and it's becoming too much for her to be on her feet all day. The yellow sign says, Barney and Jean are retiring after 43 years of business. Barney is her dog. :):)

 I had to go see  Jean in person and give her a thank you note, for all the years of kindness. There were many times when I wasn't sure just what to order for funerals, that she has given me the right idea. At times, you may want to give more than flowers.  We both had cried before this photo.

  Here Barney , such a good dog.  Some times you never knew he was there in the shop.

   I bought this print of an old farm house, while I was there.

 I put the print  here on the shelf in the dining room  , along with  pictures of buildings in our town. I will think of Jean, Lee (her  late husband) , and good old Barney,  and how nice they were to our town.  I will miss them, such good people.
  Yesterday was a sunny day and kind of quiet for us.  Ted repaired some things that had broken, shop vacuum,  and his BIL's electric knife that they take fishing.  Then he mowed and weed whacked.  I painted some porch things.  Fixed our lunch  . Then I did laundry. All our chores are caught up here. :) Well except for that daily cooking and cleaning thing.
   The sun is out today.  Hope everyone has a good day back to work.  I remember going back to work after a nice long weekend, that was always tough.  I wish you all well.  XO

Flower Shopping....

  Ted and I went to Horton's looking for lemongrass or lemon thyme...They were all out. It was raining and the part of the grounds where the herbs were held was not under roof....so we did not stay too long.

We went into the greenhouse section, looked at beautiful geraniums.

Found this odd little garden pick...it actually was a balancing frog, who teetered in a cupped pick. Ted held it over so I could get this shot. It's made of old forks and spoons.  Funny .

 

 Hanging wave petunias, in many pretty colors.

 I went inside the store for a few pictures. This is a cute photo holder. A mason jar painted copper , with some lace tied around the neck.   mmm..

Old cowboy boots turn into a vase.

 I love this old fashioned fireplace surround. It is made of cast iron and been painted white.

This display had some towels and touches of blue. A silver tray also on this tiny shelf. I need to go back into town and look around at my leisure .  As I said it was raining and Ted was in a hurry for us to get to the grocery and back home.
  That is another story. We have one major grocery here in our town of 5, 500 or so. It's call Marsh Grocery and they may be closing  The Marsh  company is going under. If another business doesn't  buy  them out, our town will be without a big grocery. We have a store called White's meat market, small , but somewhat  higher in price than Marsh. The Dollar store sells some food items and the CVS drugstore , also has a small food section. As do the gas stations.  I have shopped Marsh always trying to support our hometown businesses. They will be closing about 28 stores. Makes me feel sad.
   I want to wish all of you a safe and happy Memorial day weekend. XO
  

Starting The Week.....

   Sunday started with heavy rains, then turned into a pretty day.  Ted  arrived home safe and sound from his week long fishing trip with his brothers and other relatives.

  Monday morning was sunny and bright. Ted got the mowing and weed whacking done in a short time.  I never mow while he is away. so when he returns some times he may have to mow the lawn twice to mulch up all the tall grass. I have never driven his zero radius turn mower...and I don't think he wants me to try.

  Yesterday evening was the best...no wind, no rain, just a pleasant time. A bit of time sitting on the porch and listening to the birds. That is my favorite part of the country life....the quiet. Of course I love big sky viewing also.

  This morning started off with a slight overcast.  The sun is trying to show itself. The clouds are playing peek-a-boo with it. After I took this shot of the porch, I can see it needs some staining. Gaaaa, you all know how long that took me a couple years ago. Weeks.
  This little patio rug has had a cursed life. Ever since I bought it...it seems to have rained much more, so it's either soaking wet or rolled up to stay dry. I am so ready to throw it out and find another one, only bigger. I never go out barefoot, so I do like a rug under my sock feet. LOL. All those days of running around barefoot till the bottoms of my feet were crusted with dirt, are long gone. It's even hard to believe I rarely wore shoes in the summertime....well as a kid.
     Please remember all those in England hurt or lost in the senseless attacks.  Those attacks only make us more resolved to stop terrorism.  One day we will.  Hug your loved ones today.  XO

Very Wet...

 It's been awful wet around these parts. Rained so hard the visibility was about a quarter mile.

  Then In the afternoon yesterday, the sun came out. I did sit on the porch for a bit praying, taking photos. I always put my containers under the covered part when the rain is heavy.  Then get them back out for sunshine. :)

   The birds were out singing and looking for food. This robin is the one with the raggedy nest on the drain pipe. She was not happy with me sitting out. Oh chill momma birdy, I like to be outside too.

 Here's our great granddaughter Layla , all ready for the wet weather. She just hasn't gotten the hang of her umbrella yet. I see she loves the big puddles though. LOL
 Late last night there were some tornado warnings for Frankfort and Kokomo. Two storms rolled in Tipton at the same time...you all know what that does with satellite TV..so no view of the weather. I just go to the basement and watch it on a TV with rabbit ears.  A lot of rain was dumped in a short time....the sump pumps came on for a few  minutes.  Then the worst of the storm was gone.
  Today was more heavy rain. It's standing in the fields a bit. But it's to clear up this afternoon and be pleasant.  Happy day. :):) Wishing all of you a beautiful safe Sunday. XO

Finishing The Week.....

   Wednesday as I came out of the subway shop. There were men working on the courthouse. Putting a sealer on the limestone above the windows. This is going to take some time. Oh I went to the sub shop for a coffee after going to the "Dr" nurse practitioner.

   This is Thursday afternoon. By evening we were having some mild storms.

  This is the clematis this morning. It seems to have loved the sunny days and last nights rain.

  Porch plants , the wind has worked them over. :)

   I am so ready for some mild days outside. 

  Lynzie sent me this photo of Max. He is showing off his new found attraction...a clump of dirt. LOL  He is loving it.  For a minute I thought he had followed the dog too closely. You all know how young kids can be when outdoors. Nothing is beyond belief.
   I am wishing all of you a great weekend. Please be safe if you are in the line of storms. XO

All That Happens....

  This is all that happens in a weeks time. Thank you cards from my daughter's 5th grade class. Thanking me for helping with the picnic.  Some kids are very good at writing thank you notes and some just write "Thank You"...they all are important to me. :):)  I told you that all the left over cookies go back to the classroom as treats throughout the week. One young man actually wrote, "Thank you Nana, please tell Mr. H to lay off the oreos. " LOL.

   Look at the late afternoon sky. Oh boy, we have had great sunny days.  Tomorrow will be the start of about 4 days of on and off rains. Storms possible too.

   I have done some bird watching this week. The golden finches  are busy on this feeder.

    Granddaughter Emma went to the museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. I asked her if she liked it and she said ," Yes, it was interesting. " . I have only been once myself and I loved it.

 Last but not least...yesterday was a doctor's appointment for Luke. Hooray he weighs 10 point 2 lbs. So he is gaining. The dr. says if he can keep gaining weight and growing , his lungs will be much better for fighting the Cystic Fibrous . Lynzie was happy to share this news.
  I had to go out this morning looking for a dr. .My doctor has left our town...the drs. that are here are not taking any new patients.  You know when you are sick, you do not feel like driving out of town to see someone either. So I will be seeing a dr. at a place called care clinic.  I have a cold...I think. I thought it was sinus at first...but now I am coughing and so I need help. I miss the doctor I had when I was young,he was the best.
   Enjoy this day and please be safe if you are in the line of storms. XO

Weekend Gatherings....

   My daughter Kathy made this needle point for me one Mother's Day.  It reads, "Mother is another word for love."   I made a table scape with it this week.

   I added the little Angel that Liz gave to  me when my mother passed away.

  My clematis bloomed this weekend...perfect timing.

   I got flowers for the porch for my mother's day gift. Plus stationary and stamps, you know how I love that. I received a scarf and blouse also. I felt so special.

  On Saturday, Liz's children had a gathering for Liz when she returned home from her job.  Sweet smiling Max in the baby swing.  Layla in her diaper playing around her "pool" ...that pool is no bigger than a wash tub.  She only got her feet wet, said she wasn't ready to swim. LOL.

   Liz holding Luke while his mommy , Lynzie feeds him his meds in a bit of applesauce. This is how the doctor told them to get him to take the meds. The medicine is to help with his digestion and to help him not lose weight. 

  Sunday, mother's day....Angie had a big brunch and Kathy came down from Elkhart. Karen and her daughter Savannah came over. Mark and Jake were there also. We just had the best time , good food and lots of laughs.
   Angie got a huge box of old photos out and the laughing really began.  You know those days in the 80's when we had big hair and ugly clothes.  There was a lot of "What were we thinking" being said.
   This last shot was Sunday evening's sunset. It was a wonderful weekend filled with family and fun .
 I hope all of you enjoyed your weekend. Today is more sunshine, and I am smiling. XO

Class Picnic....

   Once again, it's  time for the 5th grade's class picnic. Here I am with all the kids. This was a great group too.

  Here's the teacher, my daughter  Angie, with them . The children all played well together. No one whined or argued. Beautiful.

  They played kick ball. Got a ton of exercise.

  Baseball with plastic bats. So fun to watch them.

  I thought the kids were genius. They drew circles with their names and put their sodas in the circles. Funny and clever.  I have always encouraged them to put a piece of tape on the cans with their names. LOL

  This young mom came to help out. Her name is Deidra.

  This mommy is Mandy. Such a small world, Deidra  and Mandy went to school with my niece Beth.

 After a day of walking from school to the teacher's house. Playing games and running their legs off...the wonderful bus came and picked them up for the trip back to school.
  The children  had hot dogs with fixings, chips, and cookies. Plus they could have one soda and lots of water.  They will be having cookies all next week, as treats...because any cookie packs left over go back to school . Angie won't keep that stuff in her house. LOL.
  The past few days the weather's been wet and gloomy....today was truly a beautiful day. Sunshine and blue skies with a pleasant temperature. Two thumbs up.   Hope your day was fun XO

Reasons.....

   These are the reasons I needed your prayers and good thoughts. This is my granddaughter Lynzie and her sons.  Max is the oldest and Luke  just born , here in this photo was his day of birth.

   Mark, Lynzie, Max and Luke , a young family just starting.  The hospitals do more tests on newborns than I ever knew about.  Some things were off in Luke's tests. The parents had to take him in for tests his first week.

  Here he is at 16 days old.  It breaks our hearts to learn that Luke has been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrous. He had the sweat tests yesterday. Sweat tests are for the amount of sodium and chloride produced in the sweat. It will be 2 to 5 times more than normal in a person with C.F. The doctor said he has two mutant genes, one common and one rare. He may still have another tests later.
  Cystic Fibrous causes thick mucus build up in the lungs, where bacteria can grow, causing  all sorts of lung issues. It also interferes with digestion . Causing the child to not gain weight as they should.There are medicines to help with all of the symptoms.

  Max (big brother) will have to be tested also. I ask...beg of you all to please keep this family in your prayers and good thoughts.

 One of Mark's sisters-in-law take photos...she took this sweet shot of Max kissing Luke.  I am grateful for all the prayers and well wishes.   Our family will all stand by this  wonderful little family, and help care for them.   Thank you all so much.  XO