Friendship Park…

As my recent post mentioned, I was at Friendship Park in Avondale within the past week taking some photos. I was always under the impression that these statues had been given to Avondale by it’s Sister City, Kaizu, Japan.

But when I searched Avondale’s website, I couldn’t find anything to verify that  and then there weren’t any plaques at the park either. The most I can find out is that Avondale and Kaizu have been involved in a Friendship Program for several years with student exchanges being part of that program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed seeing them anyway and will continue to believe they’re gifts from Japan.

Makes me happy…

 

 

 

 

 

 

and I’m all about being happy these days.

Then Sings My Soul…

Yesterday evening after taking my walk I was hot and tired and decided to sit outside on the back porch to cool down.  I had my camera with me, of course.  As I sat there reading some of my daughter’s stories for her English class, I heard the most joyful sound… And there he was in the top of the pine tree singing like there was no tomorrow.  I moved to the other side of the tree to see him better and he serenaded me for quite some time.

I’m sure he was working on his song to impress the girls,

but to me it was a gift. I closed my eyes and let it soak deep inside.  I can’t explain why or how it happens, but it gives me strength and peace to hear the mockingbird’s song. 

I hope the girl he’s trying to impress enjoys his song as much as I did.

Magnets on the Refrigerator of my Life…

Well some days it just is so hard to work up enough gumption to get myself going…today is one of those days.  I’m worn out – mentally and physically. Not really sure why, but I know my batteries need recharging. There’s too much to do and that’s not going to happen anytime soon though.

This is a magnet that’s on the front of my fridge  and it pretty much sums up the day….

Spring is sprung, the birds are singing…

I know I’m a little early, but it’s been so beautiful here lately. We had rain again last night and everything is turning lush and green. It is a little chilly out there today, but that’s part of spring too isn’t it?

This is a Black Phoebe I saw at Friendship Park today while I was taking pictures of the statuary and obviously, birds.

 

This handsome pair were just shooting the breeze and quacking away about nothing much.

 

Oh dear, it appears someone’s lost their head. Not to worry, just doing some preening and fluffing. I won’t tell you what the other fellow did right after I took this shot.

 

  Then there’s always a shy one that wants to hide.

Greg was very nice and patient about driving me around today so I could get some pictures. We had a nice time while I got out and took pictures and he waited in the car. I keep telling him it’s not shorts weather yet.

There’s no place like home…

Mom is finally home. This has been quite a week. I think we’re all pretty tired and glad that she’s home safe and sound.

When we started this journey, no one knew how involved it would end up being. The surgery was delayed over two hours because of the surgery that came before hers. That should have given us our first clue. She was to spend only one night in the hospital, but ended up staying three nights due to difficulties in getting the bleeding stopped. We had trouble getting her meals started because a doctor hadn’t ordered a dietary plan. They weren’t very good about getting her medications when she needed them. The food was good once it finally started coming and the nurses and dialysis techs couldn’t have been any better (for the most part). One nurse left quite a bit to be desired.

This is the sunset from her room last night….

And this is her smiling face back at home in her favorite chair…

Thank all our friends and family who have said prayers and shown concern for her wellbeing.  There’s no place like home….

Birds…I like Birds…

“But the dream that makes a sparrow fly can make an eagle fall. One that makes a rich man money, it ain’t no dream at all…”         Hal Ketchum

Everyone can tell how good restaurant is by the line waiting to get in…
Here’s the line waiting to get in…and in the rain no less.


Can’t you just hear the two on the left telling the other guy that “two’s company – three’s a crowd”??


“What makes him think he’s so special…I can say “aflac!” too. Nobody came and asked me…I need a new agent.”

I love birds…

Little Pippy Birds…

There are several small birds that we have in our yard that I don’t know the name of.  Most of the time they flit around so much and are so quick that by the time I get the binoculars to see them, they’re gone.  I’ve come to call all of them Pippy Birds because of the little pip pip sounds they make.

This little guy was quite accommodating though.  He was so busy getting his fill at the hummingbird feeder, he didn’t hear me slide the door open to take these pictures.

He’s called a verdin. Isn’t he just the cutest little thing?

 

I bought a small bird house with a small opening just for him and his wife, but so far no one’s interested in the real estate.

Angels come in all shapes and sizes…

Sometimes we all need an angel to comfort us.  Sometimes we have a void in our lives that needs filling. That’s not to say that the new whoever replaces the old whoever – it just means we have a place that’s empty and we experience that emptiness.

We all suffer losses and they effect us all differently. We all need to be allowed to find our way in our own way.

My friend, Annie, recently suffered a loss. An angel named Trixie has come into her life. And like all things that give us strength and put down roots, she’s going to need time to wind her way through Annie’s life and heart. She’s going to entwine herself  in and around Annie’s memories until happiness and joy blossom.

It’s going to take time, but it’s going to happen.

I’m doing the happy dance…

I went to see my doctor for my first follow up visit after being diagnosed with diabetes and high cholesterol. I already had high blood pressure, so I was pretty much a walking stroke waiting to happen.

But I got a gold star for my forehead!!!

I have dropped 30 pounds; my A1c dropped from 7.8 to 6.0; my cholesterol dropped 82 points to 179; my triglycerides dropped 142 points to 134;  my HDL is up 12 points to 58; my LDL is down 70 points to 99; my glucose is down to 97; and I have cut my blood pressure medication in half!!!!  I have a long way to go  before we can see about getting off most of the meds, but she says that’s very likely to happen.

So, I love my family and friends for all their help and support through my struggles. Thank you Nicole and Greg for being so understanding and being there for me when I was having Dr. Pepper withdrawals…oh, it was ugly.

There was something I always wondered about..

As I have been on this blogging journey, I have often noticed on other people’s blogs these extremely long lists of blogs that they follow. I always wondered a couple of things  -  1) how do you ever  become exposed to that many blogs and -  2) how could you ever follow that many blogs. Well now I know….it just happens. 

Did I go over your head on that one… get too technical…use too big o’ words??  I know it seems like the answer should be much more complicated than it is, but it’s simply not.

This is how it happens:  I’m following Tracy’s blog and she tells me about this really neat blog that has a Theme Thursday. Every Thursday a group of bloggers get together and post on a specific theme….okay that sounds like fun. Well we start doing that and in the process I go and check out some of the other blogs to see what kind of things they’re posting…this one has really neat poetry – I’ll save that one and follow it.  Oh, that one has really cool pictures – I’ll save that one and follow it.  Wait this one is from the same area where my friend Mary lives – I’ll save that one and follow it.  Look this one is from Vermont – Lisa’s from Vermont – I’ll save this one.  This guy’s comment was so nice, I’ll check his blog out.  He’s  from Tasmania – OMG look at his cute little boys – such curly hair and mischievous looks – I’ll save this one. That kind of oversimplifies it, but then I told you it was simple.

So now daily, if truth be told – and it should be,  usually more than once daily, I check out my new friends on their blogs. The list has grown to 13 blogs and I’m sure there will be more. 

 

This is from my daughter’s Performing Arts Center. I thought it represented how people with diverse interests can come together and enjoy each other’s company.

My Ladle List…explained.

Well I guess I did really already explain the concept of my Ladle List….same as a Bucket List only smaller. I will probably still add  to the list as new things come to mind. But I decided I’d like to post my Ladle List. I’m hoping that makes me accountable to those of you who read this blog to at least attempt achieving some of these things.  So here it is:

My Ladle List

Join a book club

Write lyrics to a song

Climb the Waterfall Trail*

Be published

Learn to cook really good Chicken Fried Steak

Go on an ocean cruise to Alaska

Learn to ballroom dance

*This means I’ve accomplished this goal

Tulips and Uncle Jack…

I love my Uncle Jack. Sadly he passed away in 2003 and we can’t share our love of flowers in the same way we used to. That doesn’t mean I don’t still share my love of flowers with him…it’s just I have to work harder to hear his answers.

February 10th was his birthday and tulips were one of his favorites. This post is for him…

 

I brought some of these home from the nursery on Sunday and planted them for him.  I was careful to choose plants that had buds that were just about to open. And open they did…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I treasure the connections flowers make with the people I love.

What do you think, Uncle Jack…..that’s what I thought. Love you.

The Pet Diaries….Part III

Continued…

Day Nine – Morning:  I’m not sure what happened.  I woke up this morning in the shower…yesterday just seemed like a bad dream.  It must have been…otherwise how did the Cats get me home?  That would mean the Cats had been in my house!  No, no, that would be too horrible to contemplate.  When I walked in this morning, everything looked normal.  The sun was shining and honestly I felt  a little embarrassed by my fears of the night before.  Then I saw it laying there on the coffee table…a duplicate of my house key.  My blood ran cold.  I didn’t want to look suspicious so I went about my usual routine.  I would quietly get the key on my way out.  No one would be the wiser.  I had just finished up and put the newspaper in the kitchen.  I was whistling as I crossed the room to casually pick up the key along with my own.  No key!  But laying there next to my set of keys was a Polaroid snapshot of me sleeping in my bed.

Day Nine – Evening:  I can do this…only one more day.  I left the cruise brochure out and circled the day on the calendar that you were due home.  They seemed disappointed.  I can only hope that means they don’t have time to carry out their nefarious plans.  As I was cleaning out the litter box tray, there among the…well, you know, “stuff”…was my duplicate house key!  Thank God for my    m-o-l-e.  That must have been the only way he could think of to safely “pass” the key back to me.  Sadly, I can never properly repay the m-o-l-e for all he’s done.  Because after all, he will still have to live here among this blood-thirsty lot.

Day Ten – Morning:  The fish and Hobie seem happy for me.  They wear that shell shocked look of victims who have seen it all before and know they’ll have to go through it again.  But today they are able to put that aside and pretend it’s a more innocent time…back before the Cats came to turn their lives upside down. 

The Cats???  Well, the Cats are sulking. They look like someone set the wounded bird free before they could come in for the final blow.  But yet, there is a look of smugness…like they know there will be another trip, another vacation, another time…

The Pet Diaries….Part II

Continued…

Day Six – Morning:  I’m beginning to think Tic and Tac are really not so innocent.  I think maybe they’re putting on that “Dumb and Dumber” act. I caught them with a copy of “101 Ways to Barbecue Humans”.

Day Six – Evening:  Things are taking a turn for the worse. Today on the porch there was a package addressed simply, “The Cats”. The return address was a skull and crossbones. If they offer me a drink, I think I’ll pass.

Day Seven – Morning:  I need to be careful here…I’m sure they’re monitoring this diary. There was Thwack hair in the hallway this morning and signs of a struggle. Someone had done a quick cleanup, but I could still tell. I think they may have discovered my m-o-l-e.  I think I’m safe – they can read, but I don’t think they can s-p-e-l-l.

Day Seven – Evening:  It appears as though my m-o-l-e is safe. Our all-clear sign was there this evening. I don’t know how much longer we’ll both be safe though…someone has been in the knife drawer and the cookbook was open to roasting times. Say a little prayer for the undercover cat.

Day Eight – Morning:  Things were quiet this morning.  Too quiet.  Twix, Tic and Tac have begun running in a pack.  Thwack is always watching from the shadows.  The fish just look at me sadly.  I’m sure I saw one make the sign of the cross.

Day Eight – Evening:  I was running a little late tonight…it was already dark when I got here.  So maybe I was a little spooked to start with. I spent some extra time with Hobie and was a little behind schedule with the Cats.  Tribble, the poor soul in solitary confinement, was happy to see me, but seemed…well…concerned.  I finished with everyone else and Twix, Tic and Tac were seemingly happily eating in their room. I had just turned out the dining room light and was making my way across the living room by the light of the fish tank when, “click”, the aquarium light went out. I froze, standing there in the darkness waiting for my eyes to adjust.  Suddenly, I felt fur brush up against my leg. I panicked and ran for the door, dropped my keys, felt something else brush against me, bent down to search for the keys and realized now I was down at “their” level…

To be continued….

The Pet Diaries….Part I

Sometimes a seemingly innocent request can have far reaching consequences.  Lives are altered and perceptions of reality changed.  That’s the kind of request that Mark and Kelli made that summer day.  Newlyweds with newly melded pet families, Mark and Kelli were leaving for their honeymoon.  A cruise.  So romantic.  In the past I had pet set for Mark’s Rottweiler, Hobie, and his aquarium of fish.  Kelli had brought five indoor cats to the mix, one that was in solitary confinement in the master bedroom.  It was a simple request; ten day cruise, please take care of them morning and evening, feel free to enjoy the soda in fridge.  I had the cute idea of keeping a diary to record touching and comical moments for them to enjoy after their return.  Easy enough…or so I thought.

Day One – Evening:  No bodies floating. Good news. Everyone seems happy. I don’t think they miss you yet.

Day Two – Morning:  Still no floaters. There was a slight difference in attitudes today. I think they’re beginning to miss you. Hobie hadn’t eaten from last night. I think I’ll bring him something special tomorrow.

Day Two – Evening:  I think the Cats read my previous entry. There were looks of  “You like him better than us.” all over the room. Twix did a really good imitation of a vulture from the top of the cat castle.

Day Three – Morning:  Hobie is always happy to see me.  The Cats…well…small signs of dissension there.  This morning scribble in the litter box was a message.  “Bring back Mom.”  I think it was Twix.

Day Three – Evening:  I may have to start writing in code. I’m sure they’re reading this. I’m a little worried about the fish. Today all the boxes were stacked up by the fish tank and the lid was open. Luckily, all the fish were there…I mean I think so…how many fish did you have????

Day Four – Morning:  I’m getting a little concerned. I’m not sure what they meant by leaving that copy of “The Caine Mutiny” on the coffee table. Hobie seems to be trying to tell me something.

Day Four – Evening:  Hobie is definitely tying to warn me. Today spelled out in dog food, I found the number for the Pet Psychic. I think he wants to make a phone call.  The Cats are just whistling and looking innocent.

Day Five – Morning:  I think the fish are on my side. This morning they grouped up to spell out “Watch your back”. Maybe I need to think about making an offering to the Cats…maybe a can of tuna. No, no! That would probably offend the fish and I need all the allies I can get.

Day Five – Evening:  Today was a little unsettling. I’ve never seen myself hanged in effigy before.  Tic and Tac looked innocent but Thwack was nowhere to be seen.

To be continued….

My Ladle List…

I never made a Bucket List. I guess because by the time I had heard of them, it was passé.  But there are things in my life I’ve always wanted to do and I’ve decided I need a list. So….I’ve made a Ladle List. You know, it still carries dreams, aspirations  and desires, it’s just a little smaller.

One of the things that I’ve wanted to do for at least twenty years is climb to the waterfall in the White Tanks. In the past I always talked myself out of trying because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to do the hike.  But today that all changed when I hiked with David and Lisa all the way to the waterfall!!! It was not difficult and I enjoyed myself so much.

 

 

 

There wasn’t a lot of water there, but enough to make it worth the hike.

 

 

 

 

The day was perfect – cool but sunny….lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicole and I are going to take the hike again while she’s on spring break.

I’m so glad I finally did this. Now I need to work on some of the other things on the Ladle List. I sure am glad I’ve already ridden in a hot air balloon.

Dark skies and ghost trees…

This morning the rain was threatening and I knew I needed to get my walk done before the clouds burst. It was a beautiful morning. The sky was supernatural looking…dark, looming and so deep.  The cottonwood trees with their glowing white bark stood out against the bruised looking clouds.

This is my favorite….it really does look ghostly.

There was a single white dove flying around. It reminded me of the line, “on the wings of a snow white dove…”

It was an exhilarating walk. Tomorrow I’m going to hike up the Waterfall Trail at the White Tanks Park with Lisa, my daughter-in-law. Hopefully, there will actually be a waterfall to take pictures of.

Super Sunday…

Had a great time at Billy and Tracy’s yesterday….

Food was fantastic, company even better, and the game ended the way the majority wanted it to at our get together  anyway. So I guess that’s all good.

Not everyone was riveted to the TV though…

 

Don’t know how Mom could sleep with all the racket we were making and Nicole was smart enough to use her ear phones.

 

 

 

 

 

Tracy started a warm, inviting fire in the chiminea (had to look that one up). Very nice and smelled heavenly.

 

 

 

 

 

The kegerator did not disappoint!! Alas, I didn’t have any….I get hives and there’s too many carbs.

 

 

 

We had a wonderful Super Bowl Sunday together. Sorry that Kathy’s Colts didn’t win…but she took the loss like the class act she is.

Simple Things…

smell of fresh rain…

a cool breeze on my sun-warmed face…

bees buzzing…

coffee perking…

flowers blooming…

children laughing…

cookies baking…

wind through the evergreens…

birds singing…

hugs and kisses goodnight…

 

 

Today and Sunday, Enchanted Oak would  like to celebrate the simple pleasures of life with you. For each person who participates with a list, a poem, or a prose piece about the joy of simple things, their  family will donate $2.00 to Heartline Ministries for their medical clinic and other programs in Haiti.

Here is the link to Enchanted Oak.                                         http://chrisalba-enchantedoak.blogspot.com/2010/02/let-challenge-begin.html

Thank goodness it was only my Flamingo song…

I’ve been giving this Swan Song thing a lot of thought and I find that I miss my blog.  I’m a Gemini – I’m fickle, what more can I say? I think I shall take the good advice of both Tracy and Kathy and give myself a little more elbow room here.  There may not always be something daily to post about – that’s okay. I’ll take it as it comes and enjoy it while I can.

Thank you to any of my family and friends who are still checking to see if I’ve changed my mind. And I hope you guys were smart enough to do a pool and place bets on how long it would take me to cave in.  It was always a safe bet…