It's here.....

Today is the day.....when I woke up this morning I was sixty.  I put it off as long as possible, ignoring a friend's suggestion that I get up at 12:01 AM to get the most out of the day!  Sigh....

Instead of whining, I thought I'd show you or talk about some of the women who helped make me who I am in my old age today.

Mama......my precious mama

My Grandma.......

My Cma.........

My sisters.......

My sisters in law who are like my sisters!

Others include all my wonderful aunts who helped mold me and gave me examples to follow.

My mothers in law who have been mamas to me too!

My daughters in law who each brought different qualities into my life, have loved my sons, have loved me and I love like they are my own daughters.

My granddaughter.

My nieces.

My friends, young and well around my age, too many to ever list....but be assured that each of you have helped make me who I am today.  


And all you friends here in blog land.....you are each counted among my good friends! 

Each and every one of you, mama, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, nieces, daughters in law and friends......both those who are still here on earth and those who are in heaven, you have all been such important parts of my life, making me a stronger and better woman.

Thank you and I love you all!

So from this birthday.......

To this one.....

There's a whole new decade ahead and God willing more after that.....so look out world, I'm not done yet! 

Dear Sixteen Year old.......

Me.   


In ten days, I will be sixty.  Although no other age has ever bothered me, this one is quite the different story.  My life has been flashing before my eyes an adventure and I'm so glad I didn't know on my sixteenth birthday what the next forty four years would hold!  Here are a few things I want to say to that girl!

Yes, you!  On the morning of your sixteenth birthday, you didn't feel all that carefree.  Oh, you were excited because this was the long awaited day you would get your driver's license!  But you were unsure of many things in your life and not sure you were ready to start into this new phase.  You were probably saying to the one behind the camera "Mooooother!  Could you hurry?"  You know..... that woman who later became your best friend?  Oh, and later in life, you will become so much like her, you'll be the one snapping pictures while people complain.  


You actually thought this particular day would never get here, but it did and you got your license and even drove to pick your grandma up for your birthday lunch......and got lost....... but never told anyone.  You will still be getting lost in your hometown when you're almost sixty!  Your sense of direction never gets any better I'm sorry to say.


You couldn't know that the boy you were desperately, madly, crazy in love with that day would dump you in the next year and that you would indeed live even though you swore you couldn't and wouldn't.  I wish this more mature version of you could have told you not to get all wrapped up in any guy, but to enjoy being young.....oh, you probably wouldn't have believed me!


You didn't know that day that half way into your seventeenth year you would be married and expecting your first son or that four years later you would have a miscarriage and that three years after that you would have another son.  Or the great joy and piercing pain you would have during those  years.


You didn't know that after fifteen years of marriage you would be divorced and then remarried to the same husband less than two years later only to be divorced again almost four years later.  Yes, dear, it's better that you didn't know all that on your sixteenth birthday.


You didn't know that you would love two sons so much and that you would watch their triumphs and trials.  That they would teach you to pray more than you ever thought you could, to trust even in the darkest hours that the One who loved them even more than you held their futures.


You sure didn't know that you would work in three very different occupations and that you would discover where you best fit in that work world.  You would actually work in a few more that were just jobs and you would learn where you didn't fit!


You didn't know that late one afternoon when you were already forty and thought love was a thing of the past, you would take a walk with a friend at the local walking track and meet a man who would become your third and final husband, your best friend and the love of your life.   You surely didn't know that you would help raise two more sons with him.  Or that those sons would also crawl into your heart and you would love them like your first two.  This older version of you is pretty sure that being able to truly love those two bonus children was a trait you inherited from your own grandmother.


You won't give birth to any daughters, but you will be gifted with daughters through marriage and they will bring you much joy!


That day, when you were sixteen and felt invincible and that death was something other people experienced, you could not know that in the years ahead you would lose people you love.  That dear friends and family would get terribly sick and die.  Oh, yes, it's good that you didn't know that then.


You didn't have a clue, no not one clue, how much you would love your grandchildren.  Yes, you heard that right, grandchildren.  Oh, I know it seems impossible to think of grandchildren on the day you become sixteen. You just didn't know what it would be like the first time you took your oldest grandchild into your arms and looked into her face.  Sigh....and that each one that was born would again spark that love that is like no other.


You had no earthly idea that you would cry a river or laugh until your sides hurt.  It's a good thing you didn't know that you would sometimes even laugh to keep from crying.  


You had no idea that you would watch so much joy and tragedy within your family and that with every one your heart would change a just a little.  No, don't worry, I don't mean harden just change.


On that day you couldn't have looked in that mirror and seen the day all your children would one day be  grown and living on their own.  


On that day, you couldn't look in that mirror and see the lines that would form on your face from so many things.....laughter, frowns, tears, smiles.....all would change your face from that of a teenager to a woman.  In fact, dear child, you would have never believed you would ever be so ancient or that when someone used that time tested phrase.....man, she looks like a fifty year old woman.......it would be a compliment!


Looking into that mirror, you didn't know that you would be storing all those memories so that at some date far in the future you would sit and ponder all the things that had happened in your life and you would wonder that you had even lived through some of them and then realize that those things, good and bad, were the things that would form you into the woman who would look into a different mirror and who would thank God that she had come to this place in life.  


So dear sixteen year old me, live, love, laugh and don't worry so much...... oh, you will worry, but you will also learn that you can live through most anything.


And will. 

Rainy Friday

Rainy Friday, rainy week, rainy month......our water table (hope that's what it's called) has been down for several years now and so we're hoping all this rain is building it back to healthy levels.  It is certainly building our pool to not so healthy levels! 

Oh, I'm linking up to Mrs. 4444 for Friday Fragments!  Did I forget to mention that?

What a week it's been!  Be careful what you ask for I'm telling you.  I went from the every day to some exciting days.  For me at least!


After that really great weekend last week of extreme bike trails and great concerts, I heard from an old friend that she would be in a nearby town for a few days and hoped I could visit.  I haven't seen her in ten years so I said "are you kidding??? I'll be there."


If my posts seem heavy on the pictures, I'm printing my blog out by years and they've become sort of a journal.

Like we just saw each other yesterday!

Tammy's grandson

Her absolutely gorgeous and just as sweet daughter, Hannah

Almost had a wardrobe malfunction

Such a relaxing time

Tammy.....Do everything naked!

Just us at lunch

I remember the day Hannah was born!  How can she be weeks away from fourteen?

That was such a great time of catching up and laughing and sighing!  Isn't she beautiful?  


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So since this week was full of visits and doctor appointments (what old people do for social activity) things got so behind at home that I threatened to get a housekeeper.  The Superhero laughed because he knows I would have to clean up before I'd let anyone in to clean so there is really no threat at all in my words.


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I have a pet peeve or two and you know one of them....people telling you you've lost too much weight when you've been working hard to get healthy!  I have another one, believe it or not!
People who leave their blinkers on!  It d.r.i.v.e.s. me crazy!  When my blinker is on it makes a constant noise and I immediately turn it off if it doesn't stop.  So do they not hear it or what????  Anyhow, I followed someone for about two miles with their blinker on the entire time.  
Whew!  I feel better now!


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And as for the comment made this week about building businesses???  What universe did that come from???  I have two examples for you...


My daddy...

He had help alright, his partner who started the business on the right, (on the left in one of my uncles) and later my brothers and some of my nephews.  No government money.  At all.


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Then there's my husband......oh, he had help too starting his business.....the knowledge that he had to support his family!  No government help.....not even the tax break some cities and counties now give to bring business to town.  No, he built his business because he had a strong desire to succeed.  


So, government didn't build those businesses, people.......hard working people.......tax paying citizens......they built those businesses.


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O.K.  enough.......I'm all fragged out!

Unexpected Gift......

So......last Saturday morning I asked the Superhero what his plans were for the day and he replied he thought he would spend some time up at the farm....I use that term farm loosely.....that man loves to play on a tractor work!  I should confess that at this point I may have whined and said that I needed to do something different and get out of the house.  There is a warning here to be very careful when you tell someone you need to do something different. Yikes!


Low and behold, later that day the doorbell rang and our neighbors asked if we would like FREE tickets to the Glen Campbell concert the next night and of course I said YES!!!  And thank you......then thought this will be a great weekend!


Later that afternoon, the Superhero suggests we go to the new conservation park and ride our bikes.  Sounded like a great idea to me and very different so we he loaded up our bikes and off we went on an adventure.  Oh, little did I know what an adventure it would be.  We had only heard of the park, never actually been there, so we started off down a hard dirt packed trail that was a hundred six miles long.  Somewhere along the way it became a sand trail......meaning we were pushing our bikes.  

The Superhero way ahead of me and I'm in the background wailing about how it was killing me to push my bike.  We finally got back to hard packed dirt when we saw a snake on the trail......and I was done.....except that I couldn't be because we weren't back at the parking lot!  When we finally did see the parking lot looming ahead, the Superhero said......this was fun, we'll do this again.  I thought to myself....not this old girl!


I did want to do something different didn't I???


Sunday, we headed off to Sunday School and then went out to another church to hear a missionary talk. 


Later that evening we picked up my MIL and headed out to supper and the concert.


Now, I need to tell you that I love Glen Campbell!  I have always loved his music and a few years ago.....nine maybe.....we saw him at the Andy Williams theatre in Branson, MO and enjoyed!  This is his Goodbye Tour.  He has been diagnosed with Alzheimers and won't be performing after this tour.   But let me assure you of this, at seventy six with Alzheimers, he was a showman all the way!  He was wonderful.....I cried.  Three of his children sang and played in his band.  They were great!  He now has teleprompters across the front of the stage and although he does use them at times, his voice and his songs were just as I remembered.  When he did forget something, he made a joke and laughed it off, often turning to his kids saying "what's that thing I have?"  He played and sang all of his great hits plus some new ones he's written since he was diagnosed. One poignantly describes a "better place" and was so sweetly performed!  


I've been singing Galveston and Wichita Lineman and By the Time I Get to Phoenix ever since!  

I know this is a terrible picture, but I took it with my phone and didn't know how to make it close up.....but I'm sure you can tell it's Glen Campbell in the center.  


I pray his life is rich with music until the end and that he sings a new song in heaven!  


Thanks Glen for making beautiful music and memories!

Weeds

Why, why, why do I let my flower beds go so long without weeding???  Truth is, until I get up close, I don't even notice the weeds.  So I walk by them into the air conditioned house everyday and promptly forget them.

OH, I notice my neighbor's weeds.

Oh, yes, I do.....I even sigh when I look at them and wish she would do something about them!  My neighbor is a very sweet lady and keeps the rest of her yard immaculate (which by the way, is more than I can say for our yard) but this one area I am puzzled by and wonder why she doesn't just take it out.  Yes, I notice her weeds.


Isn't is kind of like our lives?  It is so easy to notice the weeds (or splinters) in our neighbor's lives while overlooking the weeds (or logs) in our own lives.  Much, much easier for me to talk about her weeds than it is to actually bend over and pull my own out of the ground.


Since I'm talking about my neighbor, I'll tell a funny story about her house and neighbors in general.
One day recently, the neighbor on the other side of me came over and asked if I had seen Velma (completely made up name) and I said no.  She then told me that Velma's car had been gone for several days but her garage door was open.  She also told me, and I'm ashamed I didn't know this, that Velma had fallen several weeks ago and laid on her floor for a night and part of a day before the postman heard her calling out and called 911.  Velma had fractured her hip and her wrist, had been in the hospital and rehab and I never knew it which makes me the neighbor of the year.  **Please note I was too busy watching her weeds grow because I'm a horrible person.**


All these fact together made my other neighbor and myself start to worry about Velma and so we went over and knocked on her door and called out to her, but got no answer.  So we walked into her garage and tried the door and much to our surprise it was unlocked!  We went in just far enough to determine Velma wasn't on the floor then left locking her door and putting the garage door down.  
**Also note that we have had several break-ins in our neighborhood in the past few months.**


Velma is an only child and her mother lives in town and has caregivers with her all the time.  I knew the caregivers might know where Velma was and so I called to let them know what we had done.  That's when I learned Velma was recovering at the beach about 45 minutes from her home.  O.K. I had done my neighborly job and thought that was that.  This was about 8 o'clock p.m.


Oh, no.....about an hour later I went to my garbage can and low and behold, a truck was pulling into Velma's driveway and Velma and some friends got out......I started over to explain what had happened when one of the friends said quite loudly "Who in the h*** locked the garage door??"  I quietly said "that would be me".....I then went on to explain how the neighbor (who was NOT concerned with Velma's weeds) had been worried about Velma and we were checking to make sure she was o.k.  Velma was happy she had noticed and the only problem was she never locks that door so they had to figure out another way to get into the house.  Uh oh....
It all ended well.


I'm trying to learn a lesson from all this, pull your own weeds and look out for your neighbor's welfare not their weeds!


By the way, I started pulling my weeds and suddenly a light bulb went off and I figured out why no one was pulling weeds.  It's HOT!  

Oh, boy it's Friday.....

It's Friday and that means it's time for Friday Fragments.

I'm linking up with Mrs. 4444 for another glimpse into the week left behind.


The Superhero went back to work yesterday after NINE days of being sick and when I emphasize the number of work days missed it's because he never misses work.  I knew he was near death and was trying hard to take care of him when he gifted me with his illness.  He's just nice like that.


After a joint appointment with the doctor, his second visit, my first, we both came home with two antibiotics each and the good kind of cough medicine.  I can't remember either of us ever being quite so sick.  I wouldn't say we're fully back but we're getting there.


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We were issued new credit cards in the mail and when I looked at them closely, the numbers were different from our old ones.  So, of course, I called and was informed that our cards were among several BILLION cards compromised by one of the following:
a store
or
an online shopping experience
or 
a restaurant
or 
well, you get the picture!


I said to the lovely lady on the phone......but, I have my number memorized!  She had probably been talking to people about this .....well, maybe a billion times?.....so she said calmly.....I guess you'll have to start over.  My sweet Superhero suggested I not memorize it and maybe I wouldn't use it so much!  As if!


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We got good news this week!  Our newest grandchild due the end of November is a BOY!!  Charley will be so happy to have a brother and I'm sure they will be best friends always!  We are very excited and can't wait to meet our grandson in a few months!


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Although I know this has been fascinating, remember I've been in all week!  And so once again,
I'm all fragged out!

A different kind of 4th.....

Happy Birthday, America!  Land that I love.

Today is different for us....we won't be watching parades or going to the fireworks.  Our only firecrackers are our thermometers ringing out our temperatures.  I guess we've truly learned the meaning of share everything.  We are both sick and let me just say......it is not fun.

But even sick, we want to say how much we love our country and pray that we will always be free.  Freedom is so precious.

I'm grateful to every person in every generation who left their own freedom behind to fight for mine.