A Labor of Survival

Each Spring we try something different in our front flower bed hoping that it will turn out to be awesome, beautiful, different, and low maintenance. I am also wanting to plant more flowers that butterflies love. We did pretty good this year.

Fire Station Open House

One of our neighborhood fire departments had an open house. We took two our grandchildren to attend. It was really cool. They had firemen and emergency response staff on hand to show us around. The fire department has a top rating of #1. Their trucks are well equiped with first aid and equipment like the jaws of life to help cut open vehicles to get people who are trapped inside get out.

On the way to get i c e c r e a m, we saw another fire station that has the ladder truck. BIG. Cool. We had a great time. I think everybody dribbled ice cream somewhere and we may not have found it all!

Pumpkin Festival the the Dallas Arboretum

David and I spent a couple of hours at the Dallas Arboretum. There were alot more people there than we thought there would be consider it was OU weekend. We had a nice stroll through the park.I have attached some pictures we took for fun and of some plants we may plant because they look like they have made it through the hot Texas summer. You know that I can't resist stopping to admire a water garden!

When It's Reunion Time

Last month we had our every other year family reunion. We rented a home in New Braunfels, TX on one of the rivers. We had a blast. It was very well organized and had fun activities for everyone. We did everything from cooking out to rowing a canoe.

Bird Watching

This year I bought a fold out sheet on birds for the purpose of seeing how many different species I would find in the backyard.

This morning I heard a rukus outside and found a cardinals and a couple of mockingbirds having a dive bombing activity. i have never heard such swaking! They were not happy with each other.

Earlier this week, to my surprise and delight, I discovered we have a family of doves in our backyard. They are called white-winged doves. The mother dove is pretty smart. She has one nest on one side of the yard with an egg in it. It is a nest to divert other birds from the real nest in the tree outside our bedroom window. It is in that nest where she has two chicks. They are so cute and getting so big, they take up 3/4 of the nest and the mommy has to literally sit on top of them. They seem to be really cozy and comfortable.

The mom is very patient and has let me peak from outside the tree enough to take some pictures.




Later on today, while cleaning up ligustrum vines, I saw the sign of fresh bird poop and looked up and saw a yellow-rumped warbler almost above my head. Needless to say, I gave it alot of room.

Family

It is always to good to be with family. In March we go to visit with our daughter and her family in southwest Texas. They are so much fun. The girls went on a tour of the turtle barn while the boys went fishing.

This weekend we had visits with the rest of the crew. Children are the best, but grandchildren are such a sweet gift.

Remember playing with "pill bugs" when you were a little kid? Some things never changed.






The guys had their work cut out for them and then, rest.






The children had their work to do as well.








I think I got everybody...except me...I was taking the pictures! That was so much fun!

Service Please

As a married woman, my medical insurance is through my husband's employer. We pay for it every paycheck. You pay for your insurance and you expect your bills to be paid.

I went to work for the insurance company that carries my husband's policy, but I didn't choose to carry another insurance policy. I don't want to pay for double coverable.

My employer had other plans for you. Since I didn't buy a policy, they just decided to make your life complicated and put me down as having their insurance anyway and my medical bills are getting denied as having primary insurance through another policy.

My bills don't get paid. The doctor's offices call you. I get bills you shouldn't get. I have called the customer service line three times. Everytime I call,I have gotten a DIFFERENT answer.

I guess the only way to get this resolved it to quit working for the company.

Chaps my hide. I started to put in a picture of my hide, but thought this one would be more lady like.

Wi FI

Today, David and I were waiting at the airport to board our flight to go to McAllen, TX. Some guy comes up to us and gives us this card do connect to the internet while we are at the airport.

David and I are not computer/internet savy.We have a lap top to watch videos on during our flight and we have the usual computer at home for various projects.

I am looking at this card and finally realize that they want to charge you to use the service and this was a discount charge. I didn't have a problem with that. I pay my bills. I don't expect freebys.

I look further down on the card and tells you how to connect.

Step #1. Turn on Wi-Fi

That's when I failed because I thought Wi-Fi was an exercise program.

Guess I need to retake Computer 101.

My Mother, Dorothy Louise Shows, In Loving Memory

Born on 5 March 1928, my mother was born in a family with mixed religious beliefs. My grandfather was a Baptist, and my grandmother was a Catholic. They had 10children in all with my mother being the fourth child, 3rd daughter. Raised during the depression when work was scare and putting food on the table was difficult, she saw the good in what her parents were trying to do.

She had a love for music, her children and grandchildren, and art. She loved nature and enjoyed working the soil and and felt very close to the Lord when she was working in the garden. She used to sing with the members of Black American race at their church...another Doris Day with a style of her own.

She could see, cook, keep the house, mind the children and work a full time job. A master of of time management and always a smile on her face.

Her first marriage ended too soon. The natural feelings a human being can have with feeling failure in a marriage took hold of her heart and she was not able to feel the loving acceptance the Savior had for her and the gifts his atonement have in store for each of us.

She still lived. She went back to school and obtained a Masters in Art. She enjoyed weaving most of all. She taught in high school and had a following of students. In going through her pictures of her class, students and their art work, and reading the letters she received from them, I saw a woman that I never got to know.

She met and married her soul mate in the state of Washington. I never met him, but the pictures of the two of them together speak louder than words. He left this earthly existence and she moved to Utah.

She began to loose her health with her first stroke. She had high blood pressure and I am not sure how well it was controlled. It seemed she had alot of little strokes as well.

I was able visit my mother in November of this year. We had a really sweet visit. I showed her pictures of my family, her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She said seeing them was, inspiring. Our parting words were full of love, forgiveness, and sweetness. When I left, she looked 15 years younger.

Mother had another stroke and passed away a couple of weeks later in the evening of 23 December 2010. Her mortal body was laid to rest in Manti, Utah on 27 December 2010. I know that the Savior enveloped her into his arms and that her parents were there to meet her with great joy. Now those of us left behind here on earth have alittle bit of temple work to do in sealing her to her parents. What a joy that will be.

How grateful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the gifts of the atonement and for the blessings that families bring to us in our lives.

Autumn Leaves and the Flooded House

New leaves that begin to bud out in the Spring means new life and new growth. As the year progresses and the nutritional content of the trees moves up and down to help leaves keep their green color, it is our own opportunity to learn and experience spiritual growth.

I used to look at the autumn leaves as being a sign of winter approaching. The leaf slowly turns yellow, orange, rust, red, and brown and then drop of the trees and die.

Knowing that the Savior loves me and has atoned for me gives me different perspective as I look at the burning rust leaves that are hanging on the tree in our front yard right now.

As I look upon the autumn leaves now, I feel I have achieved a certain level of maturity and wisdom. I don't have to worry if the Savior loves me, because I know he does. I don't have to worry if I am worthy of certain blessings, because I am. If I continue to do my part, I will have the Holy Ghost to bear witness to me of those things and more.

One day I was about to leave for work and I walked through the den to the play room and found myself stepping in water. I called the city to come and turn off the water. I had already talked to David and he was over an hour away from home. I began removing furniture and boxes out of the water's path.

I thought I was doing a great job moving furniture from the room to keep it from getting wet and I unknowingly broke one of the legs of the bookcase. When I moved it from one room to another one of the legs fell off without my knowledge. When I stood it up, it fell on my foot, knocked over a lamp, hit the wall and bounced off the trim of the door jam leaving and imprint. I knew it wasn't my fault, only that the law of gravity had won, but I still felt frustrated and cried...for about 5 seconds...and then I was fine. Better a broken leg on a bookcase that can be fixed than a ruined bookcase that would have to be replaced.

My measure of creation is in the eyes of the Lord and not the leg that fell off the bookcase. In my earlier years I would have felt guilty for not thinking more about how to move the bookcase without the leg twisting off in the process. I probably would have called myself stupid, but not today.

I look at the orange and rust colored leaves on my tree with a different lense now. I am grateful for the gospel and how the Lord builds us up and teaches us line upon line, precept upon precept.

I feel like the rust colored leaves....more mature, more wisdom; and I have the opportunity to live on with the Lord at my side beckoning me to move forward.

Next, I will probably stubb my toe and feel like a totally stupid clutz and want to say a few choice words....um...still green in that area with opportunity for growth!

A Season of Change

It's been months since I posted and all I want to do now is just tell you how torn I am at events going on in my life. Then I read about the tragic events in the lives of people around the world without loves ones, homes, shelter, food, water, electricity, toilets, plumbing, and safety and I am humbled.

I say to myself, suck it up and move foward! So, good bye to my former employer and hello to the new one. Please, God, sell the horse I can no longer ride and maybe, maybe replace it with one I can or another hobby that helps me with mental stress.

Yoga, you and I may become good friends....




or maybe it is Zumba dancing.



Here's to my awesome family....have a super August!

Ancestral Quest: A Huge Success

We had a blast camping with our family Thanksgiving weekend! Everyone got along with each other. I have lots of pictures to share with you. Enjoy!







Anymore pictures? Yes sirree!






Much more in store....





And my favorite: