Another Friday

Yipee!, it's Friday. That means two days of rest and recuperation--yeah right. It means some cleaning and laundry. Fortunately I don't have a bunch of yard work to do. Thank you my son.

I think I'm going to do some cooking tomorrow. My little neighbor lady has been sick for several months. Pneumonia in March in one lung, slowly got better, then had it in the other lung. She has 5 girls. One in Arizonia, 3 in Little Rock(2 1/2 hours away) and one about 30 minutes away. She only gets to see the one in Arizonia every couple of years. Those in Little Rock about once every 3 months or so, and the one closer about once a month.

She hasn't felt like cooking so the daughters laid in a supply of soup for her and I have decided she's slowly starving to death. I was sick one day last week and ate soup two meals and decided I couldn't hack that. The next day I took her two pieces of chicken and a biscuit from Popeyes, and she was so excited.

So, I've decided to make some mini meatloafs and some other things, put them in serving size containers and take them to her. I've been wanting some tamales so I may make up a batch of them and give her some of those also. I can't feed her every meal because I don't cook that much, but if I can supplement, maybe she'll gain some strength and get to feeling better.

She's such a nice lady. Her husband was a minister, and I think she is as intelligent in the Bible as he was. I take her to church on Sunday morning when she's able to go. We both are members of the Church of Christ, but we worship with different congregations, so I drop her off, then go on to where I attend, then when I get out, I go back and pick her up. It takes about 25 minutes to get to and from church, so we get to visit.

She always thanks me for taking her, but I thank her since I am the one who is reaping the benefits of her wisdom and knowledge.

Even when we get old and think we can't be of much service, God puts a seemingly small insignificant work before us from which we get so much more than we give.

I hope you are having a great Friday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

ps. I have a new line under my signature on my email. I thought I'd share it with you: "Dear Lord, Keep your arm around my sholders and your hand across my mouth. Amen" I've already gotten some comments on it.

Clematis Trivia

This is a picture of another Clematis that grows beside my front steps. I had a lady drive up in the yard and ask if it was real. When it was fully open, I called it my caskit piece because of it's size and the way it covered the entire foiliage.
It took me several years to be able to grow a Clematis. I would buy them in the spring, baby them and do everything I knew to do with them. They died. I bet I've laid at least a dozen or more to rest at one point or another.

One Wednesday night after Bible Study, I was lamenting my latest dead Clematis and a visiting minister's wife overheard my conversation. She said she had also had problems growing this particular flower and like me, she thought they were just beautiful.

She told me that an older lady had given her a piece of advice that had allowed her to have a yard full of them for years. She simply told her to 'keep their feet cool'. So, short of putting ice cubes on the roots, I figured the best thing was to pile as much mulch around the roots as possible. And that's exactly what I did. And it worked.

If you've never grown these flowers, try them. You'll get lots of compliments.

Hope you are staying cool on this very warm Thursday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

June 24th, 2009

I have a couple of pictures of my clematis that is blooming so beautifully in my yard right now. I just have to share them with you.

No more complaints about the heat. And thank you all for your comments about the dress and the princess wearing it. She spent the night with me Sunday night. She is an easy child to take care of. She doesn't complain. She doesn't cry, and best of all, she entertains herself. She has a bit of a stubborn streak, but at the age of 2, it more funny than annoying.

Lena, I'll take you up on your deal about the heat and cold, and Twisted, I hope you are right about being a mild July and August after this intense heat.

As we speak, my friend Carolyn is on her way to Seattle to meet up with her daughters and grandson. They will explore the area for a couple of days and then board a cruise ship for Alaska. I told her when I spoke to her the other night that in the event I win the lottery tonight, she'll have company on that cruise. I'm so jealous.

Memaw on a Hot Tin Roof!

Well, you all have heard me complain about the heat. I know it's hot where you are too, but here's my next installment of the Heat saga.

Today we have a heat advisory. I went out at lunch to run a couple of errands, and I fully understand why we are under a heat advisory. Does anyone remember back several years ago(and I'm talking over 20 here)when people were putting food in aluminum foil packets, putting it in either the back glass area of their car or under the hood, and having their dinner slow cooked when they got off work?

Remembr when people used to fry eggs on the sidewalk to show how hot they were? Well, people, let me tell you, they are that hot again, and it's only June. What will July and August be like?

Enough about heat.

I finished the sundress for my granddaughter and I think it turned out pretty well, especially when you consider I had to sew many of the stitches more than once. Had to fall back and regroup a couple of times. And I think I promised to show it to you when it was finished. I actually have two pictures to show you. One of the dress, and one of the little girl in the dress. She spent the night with me last night and I took her to school this morning. Her mom, dad and brother are canoeing today. Her brother was very excited. She kept saying, Bubba in the 'reever'.

I hope you are staying cool on this very hot Monday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

June 19th 1969

I know you may think I'm going back in time, but this is a day that I'll never forget. Forty years ago today, my mother died in an automobile crash.

She was 42(my brother and I disagree on her year of birth), but it doesn't matter. She was way too young to be taken from us. She had three children. A 22 year old son, a 20 year old daughter, and a 12 year old son. She also had a 2 year old granddaughter and a 1 month old grandson.

They were never given the opportunity to know this wonderful lady. I often say, 'if I could be 1/3 the person she was, that would be enough'. If you've read my blog, you've seen a picture of her as a young woman.

There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss her and grieve for the time I should have had with her.

I know this is a time to reflect on Fathers(mine has been gone 15 years) and I miss him dearly. It was as if I didn't really know him until we lost mother. I think he expected her to be the liason between us and him. He wasn't home much, and I saw or talked to her every day.

I miss them both, but I miss her most. I love you mom, and I shall never forget what you meant to me then and what you still mean to me now. I wish all children had a good mother just like you.

Have a great Friday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Hot! Hotter! Hottest?

It's a hot sunny 91 degrees here in lovely NE Arkansas this afternoon. I'm sure the heat indeces is over 100, but I refuse to find out. I went out at lunch(big mistake). The hot wind that is blowing just seems to drain everything out of you

One of the girls brought us all a cool treat for snack this morning. Did you know that McDonalds has a small yogurt cup that has strawberries and blueberries in it. There is also a small package of granola to sprinkle on top. It tastes like cheesecake. It is to die for! I'm not a 'can't live without my yogurt' person, but this was good enough to get hooked on. And it was only a dollar. I may have another one before the day is over.

Superhero's school is presenting a play on the school grounds(I may actually melt) at 6:30 tonight. You are supposed to bring a picinc lunch and I'm assuming, sit on the ground. I know it will be worth it, but I really dread the heat and that someone will have to help me get up when it's over.

He sang the songs for the play to me last night on the way home from Bible Study. And he is very excited about it, so I wouldn't miss it for the world. He attends Montesorri here, and since it's a year round school/day care, they have promoted the 5 year olds to kindergarten. He's really excited about that. He thinks he's getting a head start on his cousin who starts school with him in the fall. They'll both attend the same school, which is the one in the district where they live.

It's entirely too hot to think about anything else to post. And I hope you are staying cool.

Have a great day. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Oh Where, Oh Where has Memaw Been?

There are several answers to this question. Some might say, she's gone off the deep end, others might say she was never really here. My children would probably say she's been in one of those 'moods'.

Sometimes I get really depressed about all the wonderful things I see others doing in their blogs. Some of you make really great pictures that are quite professional, some of you are really creative with crafts or needle and thread, knitting up beautiful projects and sewing aprons and bags. Many of you cook and bake and have such scrumptious recipes on your sites.

And I sit and think I used to do many of those things, however, I never could take a decent photo, it seems that anything I attempt to make turns out to be a mess, and if I made all the recipes I find, I'd be in a coma or weigh more than I already do.

So, all that being said, it's time I got off my duff, quit feeling sorry for myself and got back into the blogisphere.

Today is my youngest granddaughter's birthday. Her party is Saturday, and I'm attempting to make her a smocked sundress. I don't think it's turning out as good as I wanted it to, but hopefully I'll have it finished by Saturday. She's a cute little red haired girl like her mama, and I'm making the sundress in turquoise and white dots. It will have a pink heart in the center with pink rosebuds around it. If I can finish it, I'll post a picture of it.

Her party is at the park, I hope it's pretty and cool(this is Arkansas, cool is a relative term) and everything turns out ok.

Have a great day--what's left of it. Pray for our country. Love one another.