Friends...

I had a friend drop by the other day. I don't normally care for that...but this is an extra-special friend. She is really a jewel ! I was feeling a little down in the dumps and had been having a pity party about first one thing then another, when I heard the doorbell ring AGAIN. I thought to myself, who is it now? The first time it was 2 men selling security systems. I promptly told them when you have dogs, you don't need a security system; you already have living, breathing ones!

Anyway, my girlfriend, Donna (or Diz as she is so affectionately called by most of us girls) stayed and visited for about an hour and a half. We sat out on the courtyard, drank some Merlot, and just caught up on stuff! She had me laughing and we talked about the many things that had been going on in our lives.

My hubs had called right after she got here to tell me to go outside and look in the sky at a rainbow. I grabbed my camera and we went out and sure enough, right up there in the heavens, was a rainbow that reached from end to end, if that's how you would describe it. It made a full half-circle. It was the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen, with the exception of when my maternal grandmother died, on the day of her funeral, there was a double rainbow in the sky!

I got quite a few really good pics of Diz...







and more of the rainbow...

Well, as all good things must come to an end, Diz had to leave. But let me tell you something! Her visit did wonders for me. I have really been going through a hard time for well over a year now with so many illnesses in our family, including my husband, myself, my children, worrying about my parents as they age (my Mom has Alzheimer's Disease), my sisters (1 has breast cancer) and I guess just life in general. I feel as if I've been beaten down and am having a terrible time getting back up. When I do manage to get up, something else comes and knocks me down again. So I've adapted to standing up a little slower so I don't have as far to fall. When she left, she promised me a ride in her newest convertible and that she would come back soon!

What more could I ask for? Dear, dear Friend, thank you so very much! I needed you today and no one else could have helped me like you did! I love you, Diz, I really do! Don't ever forget that!

A Day at My Parents' Home

It's so nice to get to see my parents on a regular basis, even though they live a 2 hour drive away. Mom has Alzheimer's and it is difficult to have a conversation with her on the phone but when she sees my face, she immediately breaks out in a smile! I love that woman so much!!!



My dad is still a hard-working man at 83. They live on almost 3 acres which includes a pond.

Hubs and I have 2 little Pomeranians and Dad seemed to enjoy them more this time than usual. He always dotes on them and scolds me for not feeding them enough. That gives him an excuse to give them a morsel of food from his plate when we're eating. Of course, he is rather stingy when it comes to sharing his supper! They don't get too much, just a taste.

After we've eaten, Hubs takes the Poms outside for a little potty break exercise which leads them down to the pond.



It is so serene there and there's nothing better than grabbing a chair, sitting down and just waiting for the catfish to ripple the water or a turtle to poke his head out.



After Mom and I get the kitchen cleaned up, Dad has the golf cart sitting outside the door waiting for us to get on board. They have really enjoyed the cart. It has many jobs, one of which right now is our "magic carpet ride" to the pond.



When we get down there and everybody has found somewhere to sit, Maddie, the oldest Pom, decides she wants to sit with Pa. It didn't matter that he was sitting in the boat, which was on the dock. She jumped in and before he knew it, she was in his lap looking up at him. He told me to take her and when I reached for her, she climbed up further in his arms. In other words, she chose to stay with him! I think he enjoyed that more than he let on. I inherited my love for animals from both of my parents, but probably got a double dose from my dad.



After we sit a spell, we head back to the house to gather our things together and head back home. It has been a very nice day, indeed! A day at my parents' house...see you next week, Mom and Dad.

Happy Birthday, Ben

We went to LaGrange, GA for our grandson's birthday party. We had a lot of fun swimming, eating, sitting around talking, laughing and telling funny stories.


Ben got some really cool toys for his birthday. And he got clothes, too, and this little boy likes to get clothes. How cool is that??? But I will confess, I think he likes the toys the best! But, you know, he is only 4 years old.


And it is a lot of fun when your cousin is checking with you to make sure you don't miss anything, isn't it Ben?


Nana and Charles got 2 new little "long-haired dashchunds". They are just about the cutest little things I've seen in a while. Of course, Leanne and Lindsey took to them immediately! And the pups ate it up!




Tara and her dad (my hubs) enjoyed some pool time. He came into the room several times while I was working on my blog and when he saw the above picture, he wanted to know where his hair was. He really does have more than this picture shows. I guess it was a bad angle!


But at least one little boy that just turned 4 hasn't got a care in the world...and that's the way it should be. Happy Birthday, Ben!

Two of My Favorite People

This is my sister, Melba, and our mom. My sister is holding our great-nephew, Jacob. He belongs to our oldest sister's daughter, Lindsey and her husband, Waylon. I guess "belongs to" equates to "is the child of"! Jacob is almost 4 months old...can you believe the size of this little one??? He is a big boy like his daddy. I seriously don't see how my niece carries him around. She is a tiny little thing as you can see in this picture.

I remember when she got so excited because she had tipped the scales at 100 lbs. Well, isn't that something to be excited about??? I've probably only weighed that once in my life and unfortunately cannot remember the time but...back to the first of "Two of My Favorite People".

Melba has had problems with skin cancers in the past but has always had them removed. Last year she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a mastectomy (with reconstruction) and has completed chemotherapy and radiation. She has truly come through this like a champ! Joe, her husband of 38 years has been a blessing beyond words! He has taken very good care of her.

This picture was taken last year shortly before her surgery and treatment. We were celebrating their son-in-law's birthday, at his favorite restaurant in Augusta, Georgia...

...which leads me to the second of "Two of My Favorite People", Kylie Grace who "belongs to" Mindy, Melba and Joe's oldest daughter's little girl. And I must not forget Nate (pictured above), Mindy's husband. He is such a blessing to our entire family. He is truly a wonderful father to little Kylie and I cannot imagine this child growing up to be anything short of spectacular having such delightful parents! Kylie Grace (or KG to some) is such a little ham! She doesn't seem to mind having her picture made which is a good thing because her Auntie M (me) always has her camera on hand!

Don't you just love those blonde curls? Melba (aka Nana) and Kylie came into each others lives at just the right time. Sis gets several "doses" of Kylie on a regular basis which has proved to be one of the best medicines ever!

Today I honor "Two of My Favorite People" in the whole wide world!

Jeremy Lee

My son from Arizona has been here for several days now and will be going home tomorrow. I have thoroughly enjoyed the time we have spent together. But it sure does fly by when your children are only home for a visit. Here is a picture of him when he was about 15 or 16 holding a bullfrog that we had in the small pond in our front yard. We dug it with a shovel and had some fish in it until one of our cats waded into it and snagged one of them! Who says cats are scared of water??? This one wasn't!

Big frog, huh?

I will post more pictures of Jer later! Right now I need to go to bed so I can get up in the morning!

Anna Kate

Now how cute is this? Anna Kate is smiling from ear to ear at her cousin. We went to LaGrange for a day at the pool and got to see all the kids and grandkids. Anna Kate is now about 4 1/2 months old and is precious! Couldn't you just eat her up???





She is such a sweet little girl, too...a little angel on earth!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Mom turned 79 this year! She is truly one of the sweetest people on the face of the Earth. Most of the time she is lost in a world where no one else can go...she has Alzheimer's Disease.

I miss the times I could pick up the phone and call her and ask about a recipe or how she used to sew certain things. She could do anything. She really could. She made all the curtains in our home, she cooked the best food, she sewed all kinds of precious clothing for me and my 2 older sisters, she made suits for my father and the list goes on and on.

The thing I am most thankful for right now though is that she still remembers who I am. There is nothing sweeter than hearing her say my name when I call or go to see her.

Her sweet voice is music to my ears!