Pretty In Pink...And Green

The last 2 weekends have been the perfect weather specimens!  No rain, sunny skies, temps in the 70's and no humidity.  Jack went camping with the Scouts on Friday night and it was a great "sit by the fire" camp night.  I was busy getting the pool ready.  I think it should be good to go in a few days.  I sat out on the deck this morning and admired the pink blossoms that seem to be a theme out there this year. Paired with the green of my wicker and cushions, it's pretty!

See the hanging pink posies in the background?

 Up close and personal with the dew on the petals.

The grass is green and the leaves are all filled out.

Up in the tree in the front is my new friend...although she doesn't think so....but I love her funny look.  It's very distinctive.  A bit of a "Mohawk" hairdo and white spots on the orange breast...plus her squawk cracks me up. She's a good Mom and the babies are doing fine. I'll update with some pics this week.  The green leaves are a nice background.  Now for a pink that's not so pretty. I think I got bit by something while working around the pool.  It's been a very buggy spring and this popped up and boy does it hurt...a bit better today than yesterday but it looks nasty...turn away if you're squeamish!

My lovely leg...NOT! My ankle is swollen too and no that's not a tick.  If it doesn't get better I may actually have to have an expert take a look at it.  If they have to amputate my leg I think I'll tell them to do it above the knee and save myself from having to have a total knee replacement...Hey, it's a joke! (I have a sick sense of humor) Ok, let's
get to something pleasant to end this "pink and green" post.  I found these at Wal-Mart today. I knew that "Ball" was coming out with vintage colors in their canning jars.  We only had the green ones which is perfect for my kitchen.  I'm going to use them for drinking glasses and I think they are really pretty...

Maybe not pretty in pink but these will do!

Home Of The Brave

This special weekend flew by so fast I could hardly catch my breath.  It was filled with the usual suspects of beautiful weather....working outdoors to get the deck ready, the flowers planted, the lawn mowed, etc, etc, etc...Then throw in a few graduation gatherings and cookouts just for good measure, or I should say, good eats!  However, I never forget what this weekend is really all about.  Specifically, today...Memorial Day.  I love going to the parade downtown and then to the cemetery for a lovely and usually very touching ceremony to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. It's also a time to thank all those who served and who are serving to keep America a true "Land of the free, Home of the brave".  Thank you all very much.  Jack and I took in the parade that was blessed with sunshine, blue skies, a nice breeze in the shade as the temps hit 81 today.

The parade was in honor of WWII Veterans.  They arrived on floats,

Motorized scooters

Wheel chairs..sorry this is so blurry, but they were booking down main street! I kid you not!

Some were observing from the sidelines proudly wearing their uniforms.

Vietnam Vets were out in force also.

Many rode in motorcycle groups.  It wouldn't be a true parade without others who joined in to honor our servicemen.

Cute cars

Cuties on horseback.

And the unusual, but pretty sweet farm animals...well hello there!  After the parade I would have walked over the cemetery as usual, but my knees wouldn't make that trek this year and taking the car was out because of the crowd.  We took off for home and enjoyed the rest of our day.  I can't let the day pass without thanking my own family members who have served.  Last fall when I was home visiting Mom I went down to the park to see the new Veterans garden that was put in to honor all who have served. Mom bought bricks that were engraved with my Dad, brothers and my cousin's names.

Flags were flying and the POW one was at half mast.

The bricks look really nice.  It's great to see this garden that's there for all to enjoy and to remember. 

My handsome Dad!  I hope everyone took time out to give honor and thanks this weekend.  I must throw this in to end my post.  Guess who chose this weekend to make an appearance?

Our little Robin family...welcome guys!

My son Phil,  his girls and one of their little friends wanted a fire tonight so we gathered the wood, the marshmellows,  and the bug spray to enjoyed the final hours of a long weekend.

Sweet dreams everyone!

Hearth And Home

This week has been a mixture of sweet, fun, happy, and sad.  I guess I'm going to start with the sweet first. Our little Lexi was in a school play and played the lion in the Aesop's fable, "The Lion and the Mouse"...

Here's Lexi adjusting her "mane"...

And standing her ground against the "hunters"..It was a fun and very cute play and Lex did great! I'll move onto the fun part of my week.  It has to do with the post title...Hearth and Home. Each Spring BFF Donna takes me along on a home and garden tour in Bath, Ohio.  It's a beautiful area near Akron and the homes are amazing. Some years I've been blown away by the size and opulence.  We've also toured historic homes that were more the size of my house.  This year seemed to be a bit of a mixture.  We're not allowed to take photos inside the homes but I did get a few outside shots.

Lovely patios ready for a luncheon.

Some looked ready for a wedding!

Fire rings for outdoor socializing at the historic home we visited.

Waterfalls and lush plantings.

Everything manicured and perfect..however...

This garden may be a bit a "head" of it's time.  One person's style is another one's creepiness. (mine)

Even farm tools were decked out.  Hmmm...maybe I should plant a few flowers in my lawn mower.

This sweet gem is just a tool shed...I wanted to move in.

I loved this little poem outside of one of the gardens and I want to replicate it for my Sister's Journey garden. As always it was a fun day spent with good friends.  After returning home I decided to take my own garden tour...well, the tour up to the Creepy Woods.  This is the happy part of the post:

Happy to see the green filled out in the woods.

Happy that Eddy's happy to still be able to run up and down the path in and out of the woods! (Watch out for ticks my little friend!)  I took up a little project that also made me happy this week. I redid an old wicker couch for my deck. It started out like this:

I used my old stand by decorating tool....the spray paint can...and turned it into this:

Looks better I think! I'll be fussing with the deck this weekend, getting it ready for sitting and relaxing this Summer.  I'll have to post a finished pic later.  Now for the sad. This week at work has been a real heart breaker for all of us.  We have a co-worker who found out she has a rare cancer..a very serious cancer.  She's going to be giving it the fight of her life and we're all here for her and ready to step in to help in any capacity....whether at work or her home.  She's a private person and not one to sit back and feel sorry for herself.  I won't give her name without her permission, but many prayers will be going out for her.  I've been around cancer in my job, my family's life, my friend's lives...and I hate that disease with a passion.  I also hate ending a post on a negative note.  So I had to look for a pic that I felt fit my mood...

I love this shot...even though those dark clouds come by, the sun will find it's way out from behind them.  I believe in prayer and miracles and good days ahead. I hope everyone has a good weekend.

88 Birthdays

Happy Birthday to my Mom today!  I looked back at blog posts from years ago on Mom's birthday to see what I posted about back then.  I didn't want to repeat the "same old, same old"...oops, Mom I'm not saying you are old! I feel so blessed to have my Mom with us and to have her in good health.  I hesitate to write that because last year on her birthday I wrote about her amazing hands in my life, only to have her take a fall while cleaning her deck and break both wrists!  So let's just say all's well today and it was great to call and tell her how much we love her and hope her day is special.  I asked her the question she always asks me on my birthday: "Do you feel any older today?"  Now, when you're young it's a question you laugh at and say "no"!  She usually says "no" also...except today she said "Yes, I do today".  My usually cheerful and upbeat Mommo had to make a hard decision today. In Illinois where she lives
you have to take your driving test every 2 years after a certain age.  After her fall last year she hasn't driven at all.  Her grip on the wheel would not be very good and her eyesight has not been great in her one eye after a corneal transplant a few years ago.  She decided that it would not be safe to continue to drive.  In the Chicago area, I have to agree....in any area it would not be safe.  We have many accidents out  here where older citizens continue to drive past the safe time to do so.  I applaud her decision but I also understand her feeling of the loss of independence. She told me how she remembers the first time she got her driver's license. It was after Dad had built our house and they moved from Chicago downtown to the wilderness of the suburbs.  That was over 60yrs ago and it wasn't the huge bustling area it is now! Mom still lives in the same house Dad built.

 She's a busy lady with her yard and all the family out there. I wish I could have been there this year to celebrate with her, but we're going out in a few weeks so I'll have to wait until then. I'll just close with some pics of this fabulous lady who has been a super Mom to me and my sibs and all the extended family.  I do hope she'll enjoy this day.  She's not one to let life get her down...so I know after a slice of her cake, she'll be back to smiling big!

That's the smile I love!

We usually end up in the grocery store any time I visit....parties are always the fashion at Mom's!

She's a trouper and good traveling companion...here with my Sis and me!

Last year we had a big gathering...one that we'll repeat in June.

I love this photo of Mom.  She thinks she looks tired in it.  I think she looks reflective. I know time moves forward and each of us, if we're lucky, will have to make decisions about lifestyle and those changes as we age. Mom has aged gracefully, busily, and we're looking forward to many more birthday celebrations with her.  Happy Birthday Mom, you're my hero!

The Hairy Eyeball

Have you ever had anyone give you the "hairy eyeball"?  You know...that look that involves a stare down with a squint? The one that says: "Back off buddy!"  Purse the lips along with it and you have a good idea of what I mean.  I have a basket with flowers that hangs on a  hook over my front storm door.  Well, it has a tenant.  A Mrs. Robin Red Breast to be exact.  It's quite the homestead.  It looks like it was built with cement and maybe sporting a lower level!  The problem with that is,  it makes using the front door impossible....not without getting the "hairy eyeball" from her.  Let me show you:

Here's the little love nest.  See the pretty blue eggs? (I had to take this through the storm door window.  The builder of this dream home made a mess out of the window!)
Opening the door makes Momma bird super upset.  Her language is not fit for little ones! (If I spoke "Robin" I'm sure I would be blushing!)  She's loud and will also resort to dive bombing if necessary.  Just getting this shot had her hopping mad!

First she yells!

Then the "hairy eyeball"!

Then the "hairy eyeball" again.  Ok, I get it...I shut the front door and went about my business.  In the computer room I looked out the window and saw this giving me the "look" again!

Maybe I'm just paranoid.