Shoes (Whew!)

A young cousin wore these all day
at her grandmother's funeral, yesterday.
When I remarked, she said she walked
all over New York City in them.

Whew!  ;)

I might have done the same,
at her age.  I don't know.
Wearing heels now
is hazardous to my health.

I'm Still Here, I Think!

I'm still doodling,

clumsily cutting myself ,
(trying to clean a pull top soup can
- I'm not very fond of those things)

admiring old cars,

playing with dolls,

celebrating my son's 25th birthday,

listing things on eBay,

and visiting with relatives.

This takes us back about two weeks.

I'm still here.  :)

I'm Still Here

Family reunioning...

...and doodling.  :)

Busy Weekends

Busy!  Busy!  Busy!

The busiest weekend I've had, recently
started with this Friday evening wedding.
The bride designed and made her own
gown.  After the ceremony she removed
the underskirt to reveal this Anime
inspired outfit.
(The guest's face is blurred
because she is a minor.)

Saturday afternoon was the shower for this lovely
Mom to be.

Sunday afternoon was
the committal service for
my uncle.  I didn't take pictures. 

New Cousin

This is my newest cousin.
He is a first cousin twice
removed, if anyone is
counting.
Another cousin
is due this month.

We are blessed. :)

A Memorable Memorial Day

I knew Dad was going to be in
today's Memorial Day Parade.

I started looking for him.

I almost missed him!

He was riding in back
in the Grand Marshall's Jeep!

At the final ceremony
(there were three)
the Navy caught up with Dad

and asked him if he would like to stand
with them for the ceremony.  :)

Please Pray

I had started to plan a little post last night, but got too sleepy.
I had another post developing in the murk of my mind.
It will wait.

My young cousin, who lost her sister-in-law on 
Christmas Day has a birthday, today.
Her grandfather died very suddenly, this morning.
(He was my uncle.)
She is expecting a baby in March.

Please pray for her.
Please pray for her father and aunt as they
travel to help their mother.

I know they are being held closely by
our dear heavenly Father.

I have experienced the miraculous 
peace and strength which holds
us up when we lose a parent.

I trust God and know He loves them far more than I do.

Let your loved ones know they are loved an extra bit,
 today. :)

G-Scale? No Sale!

My father has been interested in
trains, I'd guess, for his whole life.

After we said goodbye to my sister,
we went to see a set up my cousin
had told Dad about, at the Maine Mall.

We were part way there, anyway.

That's Dad, in red, on the left.

They had all kinds of scenarios set up.

There was outdoor Christmas tree
decorating,

a waterfall with so much to look at
arranged around it

and even a lumber operation.
(very Maine)

My Dad spent most of his time
looking over a small (real)
electric car that was on display.

The trains were G-scale.
Dad likes HO scale.
He was not very interested
in G-scale.

Our subsequent visit to
a Goodwill store that is
normally out of our range
did a lot more for Dad.

Oh, well.  I loved it! :)

A Little More Snow...

...and my men, dealing with it.

I am extra thankful for modern
conveniences like this
snowblower, because
I get exhausted easily
while shoveling. :)

Sister Time

This sister was here longer than the
other two.  On Thursday, we had
some time together, just we two.

Though she lives in a much warmer
climate, my sister proved true to
her roots by not only driving
in the snow, but cleaning the snow
from the car, as well.

Cropped the picture to get a good
look at the face I love.  :)

Nieces

We laughed,

laughed some more

and evidence of the little nibbler

we were often laughing at!

Oh, what a nice day!

Birthdays and Sisters

My father and my sister had the
same first and last initials until
she got married.

She was born three days
before his 34th birthday.

Their birthdays fall between
Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This makes a perfect family holiday.
No-one has in-laws clamoring
for their attention this weekend.

Uncle Si and I are expected
at his workplace's annual
Christmas party.

That means we have to leave
Dad's before I'd like.

Still, it's not bad.

So, yesterday, Dad & I
picked up my sister
after her long trip from
the West coast.
Today, her daughter arrived.
Tomorrow, more will come.
We will get together on
Saturday.

Not all.

Mom is in Heaven.

Oldest grandson
and second granddaughter
are not able to make it.

Birthday girl's husband
can't travel without pain.

Still, over half of us will
celebrate Dad/Grandpa's
88th birthday.

I'm so happy!

A Little Giving of Thanks, November Fourth

My father, my nephew who went
out of his way to visit and my sister,
who may not have known
she was in the shot,
taken yesterday :)

FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH

by John Rutter

For the joy of human love,

Brother, sister, parent, child, 

friends of earth, and friends above, 

For all gentle thoughts and mild: 

Lord of all to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For each perfect gift of thine 

to our race so freely given, 

Graces human and divine, 

Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n: 

Lord of all to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

Cousins

Today I had the privilege
of driving my nearly 88
year old father to have
lunch with his 90 year
old cousin.

Her daughter and
son-in-law joined
us, so two generations
were represented.

Still Crazy After All These Years!

This is my aunt, my mother's youngest
sibling and my uncle.
In January, they will have been
married 50 years.
I remember their wedding.
I was eight -- almost nine.

Aren't they good sports?
Actually,
they've always been a lot
of fun.
 I'm so blessed to have them
living two doors down
for roughly
half the year.

This is their son
and his wife, my cousins,
who just had their
28th anniversary.

This is their great-granddaughter.
Her grandparents are in the
last picture.
I didn't get her parents.
They were hosting the party.

Looks like the apples didn't
fall to far from the tree,
don't you think?

I love living near so many
in my family! :)

Quick Stop at Daneece's (the Niece's)

I am so blessed to
have as my niece
Eva Girl
of
The Opulent Poppy,
who got me interested
in blogging.
She keeps her house
pretty.
Here's the front door.

As I got out of the car I was softly
greeted by the chickens.

I am always blessed by her

artistic touches

outdoors.

I also have to fight off a little
garden envy.

I'm sure, if I put as much time and
attention into gardening as she does
I would have... well, something.

On the back door steps --
for a nicer look go here.

She's busy putting up
flower seeds for
a benefit sale.

Her younger son shows off their
lovely pumpkin.

Older boy is busy with his
artwork.

Oh, great!  Now I have squash envy, too!
;)

After a couple of blurred
photos, I try the flash.
It washed out this handsome
guy's face, but I got a nice smile.

Anybody going outside?

I guess so!  Goodbye, boys!
I'll see you, again.
(Hopefully, soon!)

Catching Up

It's been over a year since
my sister blessed me
with
this pair of pillow cases.

I love the colors.
(She knew I would.
She loves them, too.)
This photo is at least twice
the size of the real thing.
This curve is a little
smaller than my
little fingernail --
you know, the end of it.
The stitches are tiny
and beautifully finished.

I was overwhelmed with her gift.
I still am.
I have no intention of using
the pillowcases for everyday.

So, I put them away somewhere "safe."

You know the rest!
 I found them, again,
last week.

Thank you, Sister Grace!