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.

Tributes

 Yesterday had many sending out lovely thoughts and tributes to their Moms or to women who were a huge influence in their lives even if they weren't the traditional picture of "Mom".   I'm very blessed to still have my Mom with us and enjoying her life as she nears her 88th birthday....more on that at the end of this week!  I want to thank my sweet kiddos for all the good wishes, gifts, cards, visits, texts, and calls.  I even had a few facebook shout-outs! (even though I don't post much..I do peek often!)  It's been a gas being your Mom when you were just little kiddos and enjoying you as adults and watching you with your kids!  The month of May is a big celebration month around my family.  I already had a birthday post for 2 of my fav people...Lexi and Phil. Well, today is another birthday. My Granddaughter Katie out in Oregon (Portland) turned 12 today.  It's a "golden" birthday.  That means she turns the age of her birthdate.  So Happy Golden birthday dearest Katie..she's also my namesake as she's really a "Kathleen"...I'm so honored!

Katie is the absolute sweetest kiddo ever.  She's so good with her siblings and so kind and helpful to others.  I remember visiting them when they lived in South Carolina and going to her school during her lunch hour.  We were in her classroom and the kids were all getting their lunches out.  There was a little girl sitting at Katie's table who couldn't get her milk carton open.  Katie immediately jumped up and went over to help her.  Katie was only 5  and I could see her compassion and sweet nature just blooming. Can you tell I love this girl? Happy Golden Birthday Katie! We love you!  Another quick tribute I want to blog about today is Spring has finally, officially, decided to land at the Pines.  Some of our trees and bushes were hit hard by Winter but those that held on are blooming and look and smell wonderful. My favorites are the lilacs. I picked a bouquet tonight as storms have been passing through all day and I felt I better grab some before they are gone.

I love the dark purple the best and I even have a white one that bloomed just a few blooms this year. Too bad you can't smell these....so lovely.  Sitting next to the bouquet of tulips Craig and Amy sent me it screams Springtime!  I hope you take time to send a tribute out to someone you love...don't put it off...time has a way of fleeing!

Whoooooossss sitting pretty in the blooming dogwood?  I found this wind chime last week at our hospital's annual flower sale.  Love him!

Birthday Greetings

Is it weird to celebrate the birthday of your grown-up kiddos with food, family, laughter, cake, gifts, and fun? Well, it's not weird around here and especially not in the month of May.  We have many birthdays this month. Our Grandkiddo Lexi turned 8 on the 7th.

She's a smart little cookie who loves to read and help in the kitchen. She really enjoys watching food network too! She's a lot of fun and she's a good big Sis to Addy.  She also gets to share her birthday week with her Dad.  Our son Phil turned 34 yesterday and we celebrated with a little rib cook out!  Yum! It was a fun evening. Phil is my creative one. He's also very handy at any project he decides to undertake...thanks to You-tube !  Growing up he was a real corker...never knew what was going to come out of his mouth!  At work they always ask me to tell some good little kiddo Phil stories.

When he was in pre-school he told the teacher we beat him with a baseball bat.  She of course had to question me about it.  I looked at her like she had 2 heads. I remember saying that if we had beat him with a baseball bat wouldn't he look a bit bruised and battered? I looked at Phil and asked why he would say that. He kept saying: "It's true, you know it is"...as I dragged  him out the door he kept saying that.  When we got to the car he told me his brothers had hit him with a little plastic bat. I was lucky they didn't turn me into child welfare services! I have many other stories but my very favorite has to be when we went to my Grandmother's funeral. Phil was 6.  When we went up to the casket and were quietly looking at her he burst out: "She's breathing! Yep, She's breathing!"  I quietly said, "No, she's not breathing"..He loudly said: "Yes, she's breathing!".  I sat him down in the back of the funeral home and told him again she wasn't breathing and he needed to talk quietly.  He then loudly said "If she's dead, why do we have to whisper??"  It was at this point I noticed his little brother Jordan was missing. After searching everywhere we found Jordan across the hall from my Grandmother's viewing at another funeral standing at that casket!  Oh, I could go on but you get the picture! One of Phil's loves is music.  He got a guitar when he was 12 and took lessons for many years. He even had a band in high school and made a CD. He loved to write his own songs.

Those were crazy years too! You never knew what he would come up with.  Like shaving his head and piercing his tongue. He threw a party in his senior year when we had gone out of town.  To make sure we wouldn't find out, he took everything off the walls and out of china cabinets and shelves that might get broken. Before he did that he took polaroid pictures so he could put everything back in the right place.  However, when you live in a small town it's almost impossible to get away with anything.  It's amazing we and him made it to adulthood with our sanity! He's really close to his brother Jordan.

When they were little we called them "Wally and the Beave". Phil's the one on the right with the big smile.  He still has the best smile!

Happy Birthday Phil! I hope you have as much fun with your 2 kiddos as we did with you!  Nothing like "paybacks" to make a parent smile!

Blog Fog

Last time I posted we were in tornado mode. Thankfully all was good.  Nothing to report and I'm glad of it!  I feel like I've been in a "blog fog" however.  I haven't posted about anything happening around these parts and trying to keep up with my blog buddies has been a challenge for some reason.  I'm hoping to get by and say hi to all soon!  In the last week I helped host a guest speaker at work.  He came and talked about positivity and he had some really good points and I think everyone enjoyed him.

A few gathered around the conference table enjoying  breakfast that my BFF Donna and I made for everyone.

I figured if the meeting was a bust at least they were fed! (I've learned the way to surgical personnel's hearts!) Fortunately, the speaker was great..no complaints! The one thing I did enjoy about last week was finally being able to mow our lawn for the first time this season! Yippee! (I won't be as excited come fall!)

You can see it was pretty long....thanks in part to the great fertilizer....Eddy. Now it looks like this:

Smooth as a baby's bottom!  Leaves are beginning to finally appear and warm temps this week should bring out the lilacs.  I'm hoping! I also did some Spring cleaning.  Carpets were cleaned and I was feeling pretty good about finally taking the Christmas quilt off the bed in our guest room.  Yep, pretty pleased...until I noticed. as I was turning off the light in that room, the nightlight plugged in was from Halloween....I'd say I was suffering from more than "blog fog"!