March 19, 2017

Beautiful Days

March 19, 2017

Prolific single hibiscus plant by our driveway.  I

 counted over 50 blooms on it the day I took this photo.

The last few days here in South Texas have been beautiful.  The air is clean, the wind has not been too bad, and the temperatures have been like Spring should be.  Plants, trees, and the grass are bright green and trees and plants are blooming generously. 

Amaryllis blooming

 

While we were in Dallas, my Amaryllis plants began to bloom and they as beautiful as ever.  Some of them have now finished blooming, but others are just beginning to bud out.  I think Spring is my favorite season. 

Another amaryllis

 

The last couple of weeks have been filled mostly with catching up at my office.  I have been in and out of the office on a very irregular schedule lately.  I had a problem with a missing bank statement and so my January reports had not been sent to the accountant and I needed to be working on the February reports.  I finally got everything done this past Friday to send those two months to him, and it is almost time to do the March reports (well, 2 weeks away). 

Green Jay

 

Last Sunday night I broke a toe.  As the orthopedist asked, "Why do you keep doing this?"  I just don't know.  The last time was about 2 1/2 years ago.  When I saw him for this one, he said about the same thing he did on the last one.  He said this one is cracked.  It is aliened perfectly and he thinks it will heal fine if I just leave it alone and quit kicking things.  Right.  Sounds like a great plan.

 Brown Thrasher

 

The cracked toe made for a slow start this past week and it got slower as the week went on as I tried to compensate for the broken toe and caused pain in the opposite hip.  Then  during that and the previous week, I kept having nose bleeds.  I now have an appointment tomorrow morning to hopefully take care of that, although as often happens, as soon as the appointment was scheduled, the problem went away.  Glad it is gone, but hope the doctor can find the spot that caused the problem and take care of it.

 

 Chachalaca

A week ago, I took Mom and a friend, Becky Adams, to Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge to see what we could find in the way of birds and butterflies.  We did not do as well as on some trips I have made out there, but we did see a nice variety without having to go too far.  Mom waited inside the visitor center while Becky and I took a couple of trails in the area.  We saw Green Jays, Thrashers, Chachalacas, and Roadrunners as well as a baby deer. 

Green Parakeets

 

While Becky was here, we were hoping to find a flock of parrots or the Green Parakeets.  A few hours after I had taken her to the airport so she could return home, I found an area where dozens and dozens are spending the night - close to our office.  Normally I head home from work between 4:00 and 5:00, but this particular evening, still trying to catch up at work, I left the office between 6:30 and 7:00, as they were gathering.  What fun to watch these beautiful birds that are so playful.

Green Parakeets

 

These last two weeks have been filled with the beauty of God's creations.  I have enjoyed hearing some of the birds in our backyard.  One is noisy and must be right out the window beside where I usually sit to read.  I think it is a wren and he is really letting himself be heard.  He has not yet posed for a photo.

Roadrunner - isn't it amazing how God created 

him to blend into the surroundings where he lives?

Yesterday, our son's family caught a Budgie, a tame bird that was probably a pet that escaped.  They have named her Tweety and she is now residing in a new cage, surrounded by a loving family and is being watched by the family cats.  This may be a challenge, but I think Tweety will make it.  Thankfully all but one of the cats live outside and the inside one goes outside at night. 

Green Jay

 

God has blessed us in so many ways and we just can't thank Him enough for all He does for us and our family.  That does not mean we are free of all problems (like broken toes, and sicknesses, or deafness) but He is with us each step of the way, helping us cope with the problems that come along.  Our sons humble us with their unfailing devotion to their families, their concern and ministry toward others, and their love for the Lord.  At times we wish they all lived closer, but we know each is where God wants them at this time. 

Double hibiscus

March 6, 2017

Another Grand Weekend!

March 6, 2017

For our state license for our locksmith business, we must take continuing education hours.  This past weekend we took ours.  We had a choice of three places to take our classes and for some crazy reason, I selected the city where our newest grandchild lives.  Can you imagine that?  Sitting through 17 hours of classes, knowing that our 3 1/2 week old grandson was across town was torture.

Late afternoon sun reflecting off downtown buildings

We drove all day Wednesday and still managed to see him briefly (and his parents) that evening.  The next day we had an 8 hour class but that day our daughter-in-law was sick and we weren't able to be with them.  We did run an errand or two for them.  Friday was another 8 hour class and following that we went to have supper with our son and his family and take turns holding our precious grandson.

Pre-Sunrise

 

Saturday, there was a trade show, but I spent the day in the hotel room, sleeping late and just relaxing .  After Ron came back from the trade show, we went to a nearby small town with a great quilt shop and I did some shopping.  Then late in the afternoon, we had a one hour class!  We did a little more shopping before going to our son's home for supper and more holding.

At one point, Ron made it known he was going to hold our grandson, and jokingly, our son suggested a bidding war.  I knew I had more cash on me than Ron did, but I also remembered that I had a Pizza Hut gift card I had bought for them weeks earlier and had not mailed.  All I had to do was bid with that and I won, hands down.  Bidding was closed.  It was so funny to see the look on my son's face when I placed my bid.  He thought this was all just a joke but happily accepted the gift card when I pulled it out of my wallet. 

 Early morning fog 

 

Ron had shared a story while we were visiting, about one day when our youngest granddaughter had a balloon that one of her brothers popped.  She was crying and crying.  Ron went out to the car and came back in with a package of balloons and handed them to her.  Our daughter-in-law was about speechless and wondered how we are both always prepared for such unexpected things (balloons and gift cards).  Ron told her it was part of being a grandparent.

Sunday after taking brunch to their home, we all ate together and got in some cuddles before starting the long trip home.  We arrived about 1:00 a.m.  It had been a good trip but we are both exhausted.  Ron opened the office this morning and after I arrived he said that he wanted to come home early and get some sleep.

Using the Cochlear mini mic helped in our visiting, but was of little use in the class.  The class on Thursday was pretty good much to our surprise.  We both enjoyed it.  The man spoke up well and I could hear a large percentage of what he said.  Friday was the opposite.  The speaker mumbled, was soft spoken and often turned away from the group when he spoke.  I really had to fight the desire to go to sleep.  There was one, one hour class on Saturday afternoon and it was not too hard to hear.

We used the mini mic in the car a lot and in restaurants.  In the proper settings, it is a lot of help.  Lots of plants were in bloom along the way, including some bluebonnets.  There were many flowering trees in full bloom, in the northern part of the state.