September 15, 2014

LOTS of Rain After a Dry Summer

September 15, 2014

We have been getting heavy rains here now for several days.  Today there were several spells of heavy rain with the heaviest coming in the late afternoon and early evening.  The ground is now pretty well saturated and the water has no where to go.

This morning I was up early to go spend the day at our son and daughter-in-law's home caring for their children, while Barbara was returning from a visit to her dad in Kansas.  Jeff had texted me last night to say I did not need to get there too early and that the kids would probably sleep late.  I arrived a little after 7:00.  I think he is the only one who slept late.  He had expected to be on the road before that and as soon as he left the two youngest boys came out of their room.  The youngest said he was hungry (a constant state of being for him).  The 7 year old boy didn't say a word but went right to the piano and began to practice.  He loves his piano lessons and practicing on the baby grand piano helps his desire to play and practice.  He is quick to memorize the pieces.  There are two pianos at this time; with 5 children taking lessons, that helps. 

They were quickly followed by the baby of the bunch and she too was hungry.  I had gotten the oldest boy up so he could be ready for my husband to pick him up to spend his day doing his home schooling at our office while I was at the house and not in my place at the office.  It was not long until the two oldest girls showed up for breakfast.  The only one that slept late is the second oldest boy.  Once he got up, he spent most of his day doing school work.

This blog posting probably should have been titled Too Tired to Type: Part 2.  At this point in the blog, as I was typing last night, I fell asleep.  Woke up about an hour later with my head on the computer desk.  Went to bed.  Now, Tuesday morning, I am finishing the blog.

The youngest of the boys helped me after breakfast as he rinsed the dishes after I washed.  He is not the most willing helper, but once he got started, we had a good time working together and shared a bunch of laughs.  He is constantly thinking of ways to do things, like: get out of work, get an extra snack, turn a toy into something it was not designed to do, or how to defy gravity.  He is 100% all guy and all active.

The younger children played together much of the morning and after a while we discovered some empty plastic drink bottles and set up a bowling alley by the front door.  Laughter could probably be heard down the street along with shrieks of delight.

After a mid-morning snack, those who had school work got started on their assignments, some more willingly than others, but all of them finished what had been assigned.  Lunch was a variety of sandwiches and although I took orders (like a short order cook) before fixing, we ran out of one kind and had some of another kind left over.  Nap time came next for the two youngest and the others worked or played quietly while I made Rice Krispie treats for afternoon snack.

Little Miss Perfectionist had to arrange her tiny pieces of Rice Krispie treats evenly around her plate.  She and her oldest sister are born organizers.  The others had already had their treats while she finished her nap, so she was eating alone - with Grandma.

The kids watched a video while I worked on supper and while we all listened to the rain and wondered if Mom's plane would be able to get in  on time.  (It did - the rain was mostly in Brownsville and not in Harlingen where she was landing.)

Supper was delayed a couple of times while we waited to see who could join us for supper and finally we served without the rest of the crew while rains delayed their arrival.  It was flooded around our office so Ron and our oldest grandson were very late arriving.  Our son was slowed as he returned from McAllen, due to the heavy rains.  Our daughter-in-law arrived before the guys did.  Of course the children were delighted!  I had put cupcakes in the oven about the time we sat down to eat supper, so after everyone arrived, I frosted the cupcakes while the children took turns helping to decorate them.  They were SO good!

Ron headed home and later texted to tell me to spend the night there and not to try to drive home due to flooding across the roads on my path.  The rest of us sat at the table and visited a long time and eventually, the rain stopped.  The children pulled out costumes and played dress-up for the rest of the evening.

Our daughter-in-law found a wonderful sale on costumes last year and they enjoy playing in them.

 

  I missed getting photos of many of the costume changes, but all I can say is, they had a ton of fun!  Thankfully there was another room where they could do their role playing.  I was about overwhelmed with sounds.

I enjoyed my time there, but after 14 hours, I was ready to try the drive home.  The rain had been stopped for a couple of hours so I headed home and after driving through water a few places, arrived safely.

I told my son that he is a great dad and we are so proud of him.

I told my daughter-in-law that she is Wonder Woman!  She says she has the t-shirt.  They are an amazing couple who love the Lord above all else and love each other completely, and love their children with all their hearts.  They are a fun family.  (But, I did come home and take off my sound processor and had some quiet for a while.)

September 14, 2014

Rainy Sunday Afternoon

September 14, 2014

The rains continue here in South Texas.  For the most part, they come in bands and there is time for the rain to drain away or soak into the ground between the rain bands.  The town is so beautiful - if you look at it from inside your car or home, and not outside where the mosquitoes are big and hungry!  Looking out my sewing room windows is so relaxing.  The bright green leaves, shiny with the rain, are so beautiful.

This morning was very comfortable and early afternoon was cool when I went out to feed the birds after we had our lunch.  It had rained during the night, but didn't rain while we were at church.  It was good to see our grandchildren.  Their dad was early to Sunday school with all the children - impressive for the son we always waited for when we were going anywhere!  I was able to to talk to Jeff for a bit.  He is an amazing dad.  He showed he was up to the challenge this morning as one of the kids had a meltdown. 
Our middle granddaughter is the most shy of the children and she was sad to see that her Sunday school class was being divided in half today.  She thought her world was being crushed, but after the class, I saw her full of smiles and asked how it was and she gave me her usual grin and a "thumbs up"!  She said it was great.  She knows the new teacher well and loves her; she just wasn't ready for a change. 

We had an excellent class and then a great worship service with a sermon that could apply to each of us.  Our pastor has been talking about suffering and today's sermon was about how we should respond to suffering in our lives.  At one time or another (or several times) we will all go through times of suffering.   The sufferings may be physical, emotional, or mental.  It can be physical pain, loss, changes in our lives, or a wide variety of other things. 

After church Ron and I went by my mom's to pick up some things and then by the shop to check to see if any water had gotten in.  It had not.  The placing of the sandbags was a good choice to prepare for a rainy weekend.  As we left the shop another downpour started.  We were planning to pick up some lunch and the rain stopped in time for us to do that and then started again.  There was another heavy rain during the afternoon.  Today we only got about 1/2 inch, but there is water standing all over town from days of rains.

My afternoon was mostly devoted to a nap.  As usual, I slept longer than intended and expect to have trouble getting to sleep tonight.  I hope to sew for a while.  I have three projects in progress and am trying to make myself focus on one for the time being.  I got a lot done on it yesterday, but none so far today.

Usually on Sundays, I think about how my deafness and Cochlear Implant impact my hearing of music at church.  I did notice last week when working with one of our grandsons at the piano, that my recognition of tones has improved slightly.  I had shared months ago that if I sat at the piano and started on one note and went up the keyboard playing both black and white keys, I would play 8 keys before I heard a difference in tones.  Now it is 5 keys.  I had thought there had been an improvement, but was pleased to see how much.  Of course I don't know which of those 5 is correct for the tone I hear.  In church there were 2 new songs I had not heard and could not begin to tell the melody or even the beat. 

For supper I made a big pot of broccoli soup and it was delicious.  I guess the rainy, cooler day called for soup.  Tomorrow I will be with the grandchildren.  The oldest one will take his school work to the office and work there in case Ron needs him. 

I must say that although I am making a lot of progress with the hearing, it is still isolating.  Knowing I can't hear people well in a large crowd, I avoid being in a situation where they will expect me to hear.  During the service this morning, a lady spoke to me as the service started.  I have no idea what she said.  She was behind me and on the opposite side from the one with my Cochlear Implant.  But on the other hand, as I left the worship center, a man from our Sunday school class stopped me to tell me how much he appreciated what I had shared in class and I was so glad I could hear what he said, and also I was very touched by what he said.

This afternoon a flock of Bronzed Cowbirds flew into the yard.  They seem to come on rainy days.  They are about 1/2 the size of the grackles but sure do take over when they arrive. 

September 13, 2014

Too Tired To Type

September 13, 2014

There was not a blog yesterday because I was "Too Tired To Type" at the end of the day.  I was just sleepy.  We had gotten up early to go to the Birthday Breakfast for our youngest grandson at Burger King.  We arrived a good bit before the rest of the family.  How can seven children be so happy and full of energy at 7:30 in the morning?  Our youngest granddaughter bounced and bounced around and was such a delight to watch.  The birthday boy was in a very good mood, taking time after each gift to go and hug the giver - even when it was a sister. 

Or a brother.

There had been rain overnight before the breakfast party and it was still rainy and overcast.  The restaurant was very cold.  That is fine for me, but not for everyone.

This one shivered and shivered until her sister went to the car and found an extra pair of socks.

Before long it was time for the gifts.

It is hard to believe the birthday boy turned 6 years old.  He is such a handsome guy and the most energetic of the bunch.  His dad and I discussed how hard it is to get a photo of him that is not blurred because he is never still.

The kids just had FUN.  We about had the place to ourselves, so hearing was easier than usual.  What I did hear was laughter, appreciation, and kind words.  They are a great bunch of grandchildren.

His next oldest brother thought all the gifts were great, too.  They had a super fun day playing with all the neat toys.

I left the breakfast and returned home for a little while before going to the office.  I got my lunch to take with me, went to work and spent the rest of the day working on an assortment of projects.  We were much busier than usual - especially for a Friday afternoon.  Lately Friday afternoons have been very slow, but not yesterday.  We were both working the counter and Ron was trying to answer a variety of phone calls and place some orders.  We appreciate the business.  Then, since we were so busy, the credit card man who spent so much time at the office a few days ago, was back to set up the new machine.  It was about time for me to leave to go take care of my grandchildren so their mother could go out of town to see her dad who is in a rehab center for a while as he recovers from some recent surgery.  She will be gone a few days, so I will spend Monday with the children again. 

Before I went to their house, I stopped by the orthopedic surgeon's office to pick up a CD with photos of my x-rays on my broken elbow.  When I arrived at our son's home, his wife said her flight had been delayed so we visited for a while as she finished getting things ready to go.  I had never seen the movie Frozen and the kids wanted to watch it with me.  We watched it to help distract the youngest who was not thrilled that her mom was leaving again. 

After the movie, I fixed supper and about the time I was going to get things on the table I dropped a bowl that shattered into about 1,000 pieces that flew throughout the kitchen, into the computer area, the pantry, the entry way, the family room, and the dining room.  How in the world?  The next to youngest of the boys had been asking for chores so he could earn some money.  I had not yet thought of any and without saying a word, he began picking up the broken pieces and helped until it was all done.  That earned him some money and a big hug from an appreciative grandma.

While we were cleaning, their dad arrived home from work, and helped with the last of the clean-up and then he changed clothes while I got supper on the table.  The kids were hungry and good eaters.  Before we finished supper, a downpour of rain started.  As soon as it let up, I headed home leaving them to clean up the dishes so I would not get caught by the next band of rain.  After I arrived home, I decided it was time for a relaxing bath and bedtime. 

During the night we had another heavy rain.  Ron and I were both up early this morning when the housekeeper arrived.  He left to run a couple of errands and I did some picking up of things that my helper would not know where to put.  The birds were at the feeders and I kept them full.  Ron had gone to get more seed.  I like the kind from Loop Farms better than what I get at Wal-Mart and so do the birds. 

It was cool and overcast - cool by the numbers on the thermometer, but it was very humid and sticky.  The birds were glad to have the fresh food delivery.  It was a lazy, laid back day.  I did some sewing, some cooking, some cleaning, some organizing, and a little bit of bird photography.  The mosquitoes are so bad outside, that my pictures were taken from inside.  About 2:15, it got very dark and by 2:30 we had another downpour. 

That grass will be knee high before it is dry enough for me to mow it.  While it was raining, Stephen called and he is still looking for a place for the rehearsal dinner.  Time is running out!  We had a good talk as the rain continued.

As you can see, water was standing in the yard.  The rain came off and on during the afternoon and so did the birds.  About an hour into the rain, they came back out of their hiding places to eat as the rain continued - not as hard as earlier, but still steady.  Thankfully, Ron put the sandbags out at the office yesterday before he left.  We have not gone to check, but we expect it was good they were out.

September 11, 2014

A Day When We All Remember 

Where We Were - 13 Years Ago

September 11, 2014

It seems as if there are certain events which are so seared in our minds, that we remember the details of the event and the day.  For most of us, when we think of September 11, we think of the time  in 2001 when terrorists attacked America in an unimaginable way.  On that day, for some reason I was at home later than usual on a work day and I was at the sewing machine watching Fox and Friends when they got information that a plane had flown into one of the World Trade Center Buildings.  I stayed at home, glued to the television for much of the day, going to the office late in the day.  Very few customers were in.  Everyone was watching television and talking to family and friends to determine what was going on.  Our youngest son was away at college and we talked several times that day.  It was a day of uncertainty and sadness.  As I drove home this evening I was enjoying watching the clouds and as I pulled up to an intersection, I saw this flag flying and thankfully I had a long red light so that I could get my camera out and take a couple of photos.  May God be with America.

After some television watching this morning as the news stations recounted that day 13 years ago, I got my breakfast, took care of a few things in the yard and headed to the office.  On the way to the office I stopped at Wal-Mart to do some birthday shopping for our grandson who has a birthday tomorrow.  I found a few other things there to buy.  (Ha, ha.  I didn't have to look too hard.)  Then I went to the office and let my husband know that I had discovered that our clothes dryer was not working.  So I was stuck with 2 loads of wet clothes.

I took the clothes by his mom's house where my housekeeper works the rest of the week and asked the house keeper if she would dry the clothes for me and I would come back later this afternoon for them.  She took care of them for me and I went by after work for them.  I did take a few minutes both times to take a few hummingbird photos.  None are great.  This morning the feeders were in the shade and this afternoon they were in the very hot sun.  Guess I am just never satisfied.  Scattered out in this blog are a few of those photos.

After leaving my wet clothes, I went shopping for items to make centerpieces for the rehearsal dinner for our youngest son's wedding in less than two months.  I have found some very nice items that I think will work.  We just need to firm up the location for the event.  Our son is so busy with work and other responsibilities that he is having trouble taking care of some of the items to be done.  Before returning to the office I picked up our lunch.

My sister Janet stopped by after lunch.  She is in town for a day or two.  Janet and her husband had been at the island the past few days with his brother and sister-in-law.  The others returned and Janet is here for a day or two and then Mom plans to ride home with her when Janet drives back home to the Fort Worth area.  Mom has hurt her back and she will see if she feels like leaving in the morning or if it would be best to wait a day or two.  During the afternoon I did bookkeeping and bill paying.  I waited on several customers, and answered a couple of emails as well as sending several messages to our son on the wedding decisions. 

I haven't shared that I have been getting emails from someone on the other side of the world who is reading this blog and has had a similar elbow injury to mine.  We have compared experiences and it has been so interesting to carry on this exchange.  I am learning a lot about life far away, for a normal young family.  But it has made me rethink this last 15 months and my original injury and surgery and then the second surgery.  It has made me realize just how far I have come.  I remember when I could not slice an apple, chop an onion or celery, or do basic kitchen activities, like pouring cake batter into a cake pan.  Now I do those things without ever giving them a second thought.  I didn't wake up one day and say, "Today I will be able to slice tomatoes."  It has been gradual and when it actually happened, I didn't always notice it.  God has been there each step of the way.  Those who have read this all during that time know it wasn't always easy and several of you frequently encouraged me and reminded me that I needed to be patient and not push too fast.  Also you reminded me to not get discouraged. 

After work we met my mom and sister, Janet for supper.  We had a good time laughing and chatting over our supper and it was a relaxing time together.  I noticed especially at our office that I was understanding my sister better.  I think she is talking slower and that really helps.

Once I was home I filled the feeders, birdbaths, and ponds.  It has continued to be hot.  The hanging baskets all had to be watered again.  At 5:30 this evening it was 90 degrees.  When I was taking photos at my mother-in-law's house this evening I was sweating a lot.  It was hot and still and muggy.  Rain is in our forecast for the next few days.

September 10, 2014

Interesting Day of Varied Activities

September 10, 2014

Thankfully, I was up earlier than I have been lately and without a headache.  I had breakfast and then took care of the feeders, ponds, and birdbaths for the birds.  Even with all the recent rain, the hanging baskets dry out fast in this heat, so they needed water this morning.  I did see a few Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in our yard this morning and was pleased to see them.  I refilled the large hummingbird feeder and put out oranges for the Orioles. 

On the way to the office, I went by the office of my orthopedic surgeon to see if I could get copies of my x-rays.  I am pleased with his work, but would like a set of the x-rays.  A friend asked about one and also I think it would help me better understand exactly what was done.  The power was off at their office and they said they would call me tomorrow about it.  P.U.B. our local power company was there trying to solve the problem.  They were using a flashlight to take patients down the hall.  I hope they weren't leaving them in dark rooms or they may have more bones to set by the end of the day.

From there I went to the office supply store and they had a new clerk who was a delight.  She was so friendly and upbeat.  It was a pleasure to deal with her.  I could hear her, too.  The previous one was nice, but very hard for me to hear.  I needed ink for our printers at the office and after getting that, I stopped to get ice for the office. 

At the office we were a little busier.  Ron was out for a couple of hours on a couple of jobs.  Of course, it got busy while he was gone.  One man just wanted to talk...and talk...and talk.  I was trying to do some things in my office, but stayed to listen.  At least I could hear him.  Eventually other customers came in, so he left. 

I have been making a photo book on line.  I have made several and it does get a little easier with practice.  I was making the book about our Family Gathering this past summer.  That was a nice get together and I think everyone had a good time.  It was fun working with the photos again.  I finished the book and got it ordered and then they extended the free offer for one more day.  At least it is done.  I answered a couple of emails and then did some bookkeeping. 

At the end of the day, Ron had to go fix his mom's TV.  Every once in a while she gets the remote messed up and he has to fix it.  Same thing happens at my house.  He has to fix mine.  She and I would have to do without TV without him.  Guess we will keep him.  I stopped by the drug store and then came home. 

Once I got home I took fresh oranges out for the orioles after I saw one at the hummingbird feeder.  They do like that sugar water in the feeders.  It is such a treat for me to be able to sit in my sewing room and watch the various birds enjoying our backyard.  I had the window open to take these photos and could hear the hummingbirds and some other bird calling loudly. 

I did listen to the President's speech tonight.  One Facebook friend commented tonight that the US has confirmed that ISIS has plans to infiltrate the southern border.  My friend said, "Now maybe they will take it seriously."  Right.  I remember the congressman a few years ago that said he would like our southern border moved further north.  I hope they start taking this seriously.

September 9, 2014

The Hummingbirds Have Arrived!

September 9, 2014

When I talk about "migration time", I probably am talking about when the assorted birds pass through our area going to or from their summer and winter homes and they just pass through or stop to refuel for a bit.  Right now it is time for many of the birds to head south for the winter and although we have some hummingbirds which stay in our area all year long, right now the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have arrived.

Ron and I went to his mom's house to have supper with her this evening and there were a couple of hummingbirds at her feeders when I arrived.  After eating and visiting, I took my camera and went outside while she and Ron visited for a bit.  I do believe that many of the same hummingbirds return to her house year after year.  Often she has her housekeeper refill the feeders a couple of times a day.  The lady had filled them just before she left today and one was empty when we arrived.  Ron asked if she had more food made up for them and she said it was in the refrigerator.  He got it out and refilled the feeder with the cold mixture.  They loved it.  They preferred that feeder over the one that had been out for a few hours. 

Hummingbird on the feeder is a Buff-bellied Hummingbird 

which is the type we have all year around.

At my mother-in-law's house, the feeders are about 4 feet from the front door.  I can stand on her small front porch and take photos and they usually ignore me.  At least today they ignored me which makes me think they just arrived and are very hungry.  Sometimes when I am there, they fly up to me to investigate me and then my camera.  Sometimes they will fly circles around my head and chirp in my ear - a waste of time with this deaf person because they usually do it in the right ear which doesn't work.  With the Cochlear Implant, I can hear them as they whiz past and as they chirp at me and at each other.

My day was a little different than usual.  I got up and had breakfast and then a headache started so I didn't go to the office until the afternoon.  I am beginning to think that my headaches could be related to the tooth that has given me trouble ever since the new cap was put on a tooth beside it.  The dentist had said it was fine, but it is still sensitive to cold and I keep having the headaches.  I may have to go back and let him look at it again.

This Hummingbird and the next two are all the same bird.  

The bright red is not always visible.

I ended up sleeping all morning, so I didn't get anything done at home while I was here, but I felt fine when I did go the the office.  I had a few bills to pay and a deposit to prepare and take to the bank.  Ron left to do one errand during the afternoon and of course that is when it got busy, although I think he was busy while I wasn't there this morning.

I have several projects in progress at the office that I haven't been able to get to this week and tomorrow I need to send the monthly reports to the accountant. Once that is done, my work load lightens until the end of the month.

When I went to Ron's mom's I took her printouts of some of my blogs.  She never joined the computer world and I just figured out how to print out the blog entries.  I know she will enjoy the ones I took to her of the migrating birds at my house and the birthday celebration Sunday of our grandson - her great grandson.  I will have to print this one out so she can see her hummingbirds.  She has a place where she sits right beside the window that is behind these feeders.  I mentioned to her that the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were at her house but not at mine.  She said she had only seen one.  I think several arrived while I was out there because I told her I counted 7.  I expect she will spend the rest of the week beside the window.

This is Ron's mom, surrounded by the craft projects she loves and works on for hours each day.  She showed me a stack of recently completed counted cross-stitch pictures that she designed herself and other things she is working on.  She is amazing.  We had a good visit.  During supper I did have a little trouble hearing her, but not too bad. 

I had planned to go by the office supply store on my way home, but decided to come refill my hummingbird feeders instead to see if some will come to my house tomorrow.  It is interesting, she has always had bunches at her house, but one year I was swarmed with them and she had almost none.  We live about 5 miles apart.  Strange.

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

September 8, 2014

Slow Day at the Office

September 8, 2014

This morning I slept a little late again.  I sure am getting into that habit.  After taking care of the birds - filling ponds, birdbaths, and feeders, I spent a few minutes in the yard, but the mosquitoes are so very bad after the rain, that I didn't stay long.  When Ron had left for work, he came back to tell me that the bush out by the street that blooms with these beautiful white clusters of heavily scented flowers, was blooming again.  When I got in the back yard I could smell it.  I took my camera and got several photos.  It was full of bees, so I didn't stay too long. 

I fixed my lunch to take to work and left.  Part way to the office I remembered that I needed gas this morning for the car and a car wash so I stopped and took care of those things.  It is nice to have a clean car for a change - at least on the outside.  I need to clean the inside. 

Shortly after I got to the office, Ron left on a couple of jobs.  It was quiet while he was gone and I worked on some emails.  It was lunch time by the time he got back to the office.  There were a few customers in and out during the day, but it was pretty slow. 

On the way home from the office this afternoon, I stopped at Wal-Mart for bird seed.  We were just about out and Ron had not been by the Loop Farms lately to get any.  Migration has started for the birds so I did not want to be out of seed.  Hopefully he can get out the Loop's place this week and get me some.  The yard was filled with sparrows!  There had to be 150 of them.  It was the most I have seen at one time in our yard. 

The Canada Warblers seem to wait until the sun is setting before taking their baths on the waterfall and the light is too low to get good photos.  They are quick little birds.  The photo above is a female Canada Warbler and the photo below is a male.  There were several hopping around on the waterfall late in the afternoon.

The Canada Warblers are also in the trees and in the hibiscus bushes and before I have not been able to get photos of them in the trees but have gotten a few this year.  Below is how most of my photos of the Canada Warblers turned out this evening!  Like I said, they are quick.  Just a blur!

 Before going out in the yard I had started supper - meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  They were ready shortly after I came back in the house but Ron had gone to sleep, so I ate and left the rest for him. 

Our daughter-in-law, in New Mexico, called with a cooking question and then while she cooked their supper, I visited with Bob.  They are having car trouble and several friends have been so kind to pick him up for work and take him home.  The car should be ready this week.

Stephen had also had car trouble over the weekend, but was able to fix his problem himself with a $15 part.  Sadly, Bob's problem was bigger and much more expensive.  

Lately for phone calls with the kids, I have been using the amplified telephone.  I have to put it on speaker and then I have to stay in one place for the call, but it is working fairly well.