I Am Encouraged...

when I see four of my grandchildren sitting on the floor, playing a board game, talking and laughing with one another...

and not a cell phone in sight.  There may yet be hope.

Sunflowers

Last evening I was curled up in my recliner reading when the phone rang.  It was Youngest Son.  I asked if he was checking up on his Mom.  He said yes he was.  I like that.

He was on his way to help a friend with a lawn project.  He said that actually, he was escaping.  His daughters had two friends for a sleepover.  He said those four girls talked - loud - fast - continually.  I said he was a craven coward.  He said that was true.

He asked me to check Facebook.  He had posted a picture.  This one.

My grandson Jacob wanted to plant sunflowers this year, so David added on to his raised bed garden to accommodate them.  He said they had grown so tall that he had the kids pose in front of them for reference.  The fence in front of the kids that Jacob is peeking through is for the cucumbers to climb on.  I'd say, if they flower, the sunflowers are a huge success.

David said he didn't know what to do with the sunflower seeds, should they wind up with many.  I suggested putting a bird feeder on the railing of their deck outside of the sliding glass door in their dining area.  He said he didn't want bird poop all over his deck.  I said he could power wash the deck in the spring.  It would be worth a little bird poop for all of the enjoyment the kids would get, especially Jacob who loves watching the birds.  He said he would put up a bird feeder.  You know you have lost the argument when it is three kids and Grandma you are up against.

I think I might have to look for a copy of "Birds of North America."  The kids will probably just run an Internet search to identify the different birds, but I always liked the book reference.  Who knows.  Maybe they will, too.

Odds and Ends

I haven't been posting much lately.  There has been nothing exciting going on in my little corner of the world.  Just catching up on odds and ends of household stuff that needs doing before winter.  Scrubbing the outside of the fridge.  Vacuuming accumulated cat hair from the backs of appliances.  Washing windows.  You know.  All that fun stuff.

I'm working on building up my food pantry.  Luckily, I still have a good amount of home canned food left from last year, so there are only a few things there to replenish.  I transferred all of my dehydrated food to canning jars and got them arranged on shelves.  The only thing I am low on is dried onions, so I will work on that until I have enough.  I'm surprised that none of my neighbors have complained about onion smell.  I set both dehydrators in front of open windows in my bedroom and shut the door, and I guess that helps.  So it's just the odds and ends of store bought foods to stock up on, and I should be able to finish before winter sets in.

I also spent an afternoon going through my scrapbooking supplies to see what I have on hand and what I need to buy.  I enjoy making the mini albums and winter is a good time to work on that, although it isn't work for me.  It is more like fun playing!

I'm sort of taking it easy today so I can go tomorrow to a family get-together.  My oldest son is moving to Phoenix at the end of this month.  His sister is hosting family so they all can see him before he leaves.  I understand completely why he doesn't want to spend another winter here in the frozen north.  He lived in Phoenix many years ago and loved it.  And even though he hasn't lived with me for many years and even though I understand why he is moving, I will still miss him.

There is One Thing...

and one thing only that keeps me from jumping on the Impeachment Bandwagon.  And that is the thought of...

President Biden.

Conversation With a Gentleman

I watched him walk across the parking lot toward the bench in front of the store where I sat, waiting for the bus.  It was obvious he was not from these parts.  His jeans were faded but clean and held up by a belt.  His cowboy hat had seen many miles of protecting him from the sun and rain.  His walked in his boots like he had been born to them.  As he got closer I could see that if he had not yet passed the 80 mile marker, he was close.  His face was as weathered as his hat, but many of the lines had been put there with smiles.

He stopped in front of me and said, "Excuse me, Ma'am.  I have some waiting to do.  Would it be alright if I sat here and waited with you?"  I said I would be honored.

He wasn't a jabberjaw type of man.  When he spoke in his soft drawl, he chose his words carefully.  We talked of many things.  We watched the people come and go.  We smiled at a naughty little boy staying just out of reach of his mother and at a little girl of about three years of age who obviously had just learned to dress herself, judging by the clashing colors and gaudy accessories.

He allowed as to how he liked the world better when a man's word meant something.  He said that he didn't understand why more people weren't interested in what was going on around them.  And more than that, why so many didn't bother to get ready for bad times.

He apologized for being nosy, but that he couldn't help noticing that my handy dandy little old lady shopping cart was filled to the brim with bags of rice, sacks of onions and jars of peanut butter.  On top was a sack full of canning lids.  He said those canning lids reminded him of his mother, working all summer and fall, putting up vegetables, meat and fruit to get her family through the winter.  He said that people now think that these big grocery stores will always be there, open and full of food.  He said he could see that I was thinking ahead and would probably be all right, but so many wouldn't.  He said it was a shame that the old ways were being forgotten, but was glad to see that some of us remembered.

I was sorry to see my bus pull into the parking lot.  I never learned that man's name nor does he know mine.  But I think I will be a long time remembering a conversation with a gentleman, sitting on a bench, on a beautiful summer morning.

In Lieu.....

of any real content, which I can't seem to come up with lately, I give you the following for your consideration.  The blog where I stole it is no longer in existence, so I can't give credit.  Perhaps in another day or two my brain cells will begin to function again and I will hop over this writer's block and get back to writing as opposed to copying.  In the meantime.....

An Old Farmer's Advice
 Author Unknown

* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight, and bull-strong.
* Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.
* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
* Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.
* Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
* It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
* The best sermons are lived, not preached.
* Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen, anyway.
* Don’t judge folks by their relatives.
* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.
* Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t botherin’ you none.
* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.
* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
* The biggest troublemaker you’ll ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
* Always drink upstream from the herd.
* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
* Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.
* If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.
* Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

Miss Maddie Mae...

has been practicing again.

Her Dad wrote:  "My little engine that could. A little practice and she gets her back hand spring!"

When my Maddie Mae sets her mind to something, she keeps at it until it is done.  The girl will go far.

Good for you, Maddie.  You did it again.

Love, Grandma