July 7, 8, & 9, 2016

We Are Thankful 

For Our Policemen

July 7, 8, & 9, 2016

Often I tease Ron about the long line of police business cards he has taped to the door frame of his office.  When you have to call the police to report a crime, after they have talked to you and taken your information, they hand you a card with their information on it and a case number you can use to get a copy of the police report for information for your insurance company.  We have a large collection of those cards.

 This was a new shade of pink in the zinnia patch.

 

We get vandalism at our place of business.  When we call the police, normally they arrive in a reasonable amount of time.  We have found them to always be polite.  Sometimes we wish they would take more information to give us the hope that they think they can catch the bad guys.  For the most part, the problems we have are minor and more of an annoyance than a major monetary loss.

Another new pink today.

 

We have a lot of customers who are law enforcement employees.  We normally thank them for their service.  I will often ask what particular type of work they do.  We remind them (as if they didn't know) to be careful out there.  Sometimes Ron won't charge one of the guys for a copy of a key and he will tell them all he wants in return is for them to catch a speeder or someone running a red light.  They will often set up across the street from our office and keep busy catching speeders. 

 Loved this bright pink.

 

We had a good relationship with our policemen.  We let them know that we understand the dangers of their jobs.  Just last week on one of the days when the heat index was about 110, I mentioned the heat to one of them and he tapped on his chest indicating that wearing a bullet proof vest adds to the heat.

More pinks and purples blooming today.

 

These men work hard.  They see the worst of the world.  They see children who have been abused, teens high on drugs, elderly people who have become disoriented and wandered far from home, and now they constantly have to be on the alert for someone who is looking to hurt them.  I hope you are praying for and appreciating the law enforcement people in your area. 

 Ron's sunflowers are doing well.

 

Besides the police, and sheriff deputies, we also have many Border Patrol officers in our area.  They face the dangers the others do as well as some that are unique to their jobs.  It has to be a special calling for them to put that uniform on every day and go out to protect us.

 A different variety of sunflower.

 

All these thoughts come to mind as I think of the terrible attack on police officers in Dallas last Thursday evening.  How sad that anyone would think it was a good idea to go shoot strangers who are working for the good of their city.  That is just beyond my understanding. 

 I love the variegated leaves on this hibiscus.

 

This afternoon I talked to our son in Dallas and he said the last couple of days in Dallas had really been sad.  Dallas has had a good reputation for their police department.  Their men and women on the force have been respected by most in the city.  It takes only one man to undo years of good hard work. 

Sparrows on the fountain.

 

I mentioned in a blog a long time ago that there are times I don't want to hear things that are going on around me and things in the news.  This is partly that kind of situation.  I am a news "junkie", but I have watched very little of the news the last few days - only enough to keep up on the basic facts.  It is heart-breaking to listen for very long.

Green Jay getting his Saturday bath.

 

Friday was a busy day at the office.  Ron was out for a couple of hours in the middle of the day on a job.  I worked on my reports for the accountant and they are finished except for the the bank statement.  It is late this month.

Little sparrow ready for a bath.

 

We met our friends for supper Thursday night and had a good visit.  The restaurant we are going to is noisy.  On Friday morning, one of my sisters flew in to spend a few days with Mom and on Thursday evening one of Ron's brothers and sister-in-law arrived to spend a week with his mom.  It is nice for them to give Ron a break.  Ron has spent hours and hours the last couple of weeks working on his mom's yard.  She has a yardman, but Ron has been cutting back trees from around the roof and cutting out dead limbs.  This afternoon he worked on cutting some and his brother hauled the limbs.  That helps.

A pretty white zinnia.

 

Friday night we had supper with my mom and sister.  The place we eat is a lot quieter.  We are usually ahead of the crowd and have a favorite quiet table in a corner.  My sister said she would take care of getting Mom to the grocery store.

A bee checking out the sunflower.

 

Today, I have stayed home all day except that we went for a few minutes to an estate sale.  I have sewn, cleaned, done laundry, and spent time in the yard doing a little work.  The birds have kept me entertained.  There have been so many sparrows (lots of them are babies).  There are grackles, bronzed cow birds, green jays, great kiskadees, and an assortment of doves.  They have emptied the feeders today.  Oh, yes, the chachalaca family was out for a stroll this morning. 

Ron moving sprinklers in our yard.