The Wonders of Summer

So, I finally found the time to take a few pictures around my environment. Just as I am planning on getting a new camera the old one turned out some good shots.

The beautiful Red Canna ! this is a dwarf variety. I have had these for about 20 years now. Each year they send up new shoots.

The pure white blossom of the Gardenia bush only last a day before it begins to turn yellow. The fragrance lingers on for weeks. Even as a dried flower the smell is wonderful. A summer breeze will spread the fragrance for quite a distance, especially at dusk. I pick a few blooms and float them in water to fill a room with this magic smell.

The pink cone flower grows as a native plant in south east Oklahoma. It is very hardy and multiplies each year. It also has good medical properties and is also known as echinacea.










I caught this little bee going from flower to flower. He certainly was busy today.










One of a million, tiny white blooms that form a dinner plate size flower. It grows from a small tree. I cut it down every year just after the bloom. I have no idea what it is called.



The following picture is looking at the same bloom from the bottom.



The awesome beauty of nature captivates me.

Getting Grandma on the Plane ...Part 2

Lake Tahoe June 2008
Very nervously we approached the security area. With boarding passes in hand and an expired drivers license and Medicare card we breezed though and was setting at our gate with in ten minutes time. None of the hassle we had expected! DFW could not have been more accommodating .

All that worry was for naught. Grandma had some pizza and a drink and we waited for an hour to board. This being her first time to fly still brought some concern about air sickness. but no need to worry. She enjoyed every minute of the trip to Lake Tahoe and was excited to get dressed up and attend the wedding of her only grandson. We arrived at the Reno airport and met up with the wedding group coming from Houston.
None of the action escaped this 90 year old woman. She kept up with the youngest of the group and attended all the functions. Dinners, brunch, and a trip to the casino.

Day three and the wedding is set for sunset. Some confusion on the time for pictures to be taken and a blast of windy 43 degree weather began to take it's toll.

Grandma's sick stomach (someone handed her a glass of champagne) sent us back to the Hotel early and we packed up to leave the next morning. When we got to the airport in Reno we were pleased to find the flight scheduled before ours was open and we would have no wait at all.

Eager to get home we approached security with no nervousness. That is when it happened. Grandma was the one picked for the strip search.That's right, STRIP SEARCHED Grandma! No one could go with her and she didn't know what the heck was happening.She can't hear at all, just followed the signals. She said "What are they feeling for? pat here touch there." They didn't find her gun so we were allowed on the plane just minutes before take off.

This is making our final approach back to Dallas. What a great trip to remember!

Miss Morgan and Me

Miss Morgan is my granddaughter. She is 9 years old going on 19. I am amazed at the things that hold her interest. She likes bugs, creepy crawlers and slugs. She is a very good helper. Working makes her happy.

She likes to sing and would like to become a Star. She already is in my eyes. Once while at my house she left some writings and drawings laying in the play room. When I read one it said "Nanny, please tell God to make me a Star" I think she was about 6 years old then. Maybe 7.

Here we are, listening to 'Our Song' ..........We like our ipods and have alot of the same music downloaded.

Here we are in the back yard. She loves to come spend time we me and does every chance she gets. Sometimes prissy, always sweet, a granddaughter like her is hard to beat!

Around the House

Seems there is always something going on around my house. This week I discovered a pile of saw dust on my back steps. A carpenter bee has drilled a hole in the cedar board from the railing of the steps. No one gave permission for that.

Moved around to the front porch and there is a bird building a nest on the ledge of the porch. I actually was amazed at the precession of the bits of mud placed with straw and moss. No eggs yet and not the place I want bird droppings later so with not much pleasure I raked it off the ledge. For the next two days every time I went to the front porch birds were diving at me and I cleaned numerous spots where they are trying to build again. I placed a rubber snake on the ledge. I have heard that will keep them away. I already have a nest with eggs at the end of the porch undisturbed.

Grand kids were at my house and drinking from the garden hose seems to be a favorite thing to do.

It is just lovely outside. I live in the country and unfortunately that means all sorts of critters come visiting. I saw a snake in the back yard which prompted a new round of target practicing. I am using rat shot in a 22 pistol. The bigger holes are from larger guns used by the man of the house. I guess he thinks we could be invaded by Bears or something real big.

The Kids also found a cocoon, I think they tried to help it open so I'm not sure we will get a butterfly here.

What a wonderful life!

Getting Grandma on the Plane

Little did she know the lie she told at 16 would come back to haunt her 74 years later.

It all started when her grandson , who lives in Texas, decided to get married and have the wedding at Lake Tahoe. The only grand child she has. The son of the only child she has.

In 1918 birth certificates were not of real importance. When you started to school you went by grade not age. Most kids finished by age 12 and were working. Grandma had a good life. She had all the dreams of a young girl in that era so it was only natural that when she met her dream man she wanted to get married. All she had to do was say she was 18 even though she knew she was a couple of years shy.

She really didn't like the way her Mom had spelled her name so she took the horse by the reign and changed the spelling. Nothing drastic. trade a y for an i. Who would care? after all it is her name.


Life moved on. Husband went to war, child was born. Life was that of the American dream. Husband retired they lived some good years and then he passed leaving her with one single daughter and one grandson about 6 yrs old.


She moved from Oklahoma to Texas with the daughter and grandson and they became a family for the next 30 years.


When she moved from one state to the other she could not pass the drivers test to have her license renewed. There went that identification. No drivers license for 25 years.

Now its wedding time and Grandma has no identification. No drivers license and no birth certificate. Must have something to board the plane. One month till wedding time the Grandson drives his 90 year old deaf grandmother to the capitol of the State in which she was born in hopes of getting a birth certificate. No luck. No one by that name or that age. Censers proved to not have any information on this person.

Quote from daughter,
"stuff..please?There is always something to climb over isn't there? well, here it is.Still trying to get granny on the plane. I called the airlines and so did Kevin (different times and people we spoke to) same information.

Get her there at 7:10 am, put her in wheelchair to go through security, because it will take awhile for them to OK her. She has to have her SS card and her visa debit card with picture and any other government documents I can get, they say it will take awhile to do this. But they say it will happen. Same at Reno to come back!!!!!! This worries me!!

Oh yes they said our plane leaves at 9:15 and not 9:30 as it is on our tickets. Today I sent money and a new form for her birth certificate including copy of the 1930 census, and added myself on request as next of kin, to Okla. City. I hope she gets this and it gets here, however her name is spelled Sybil and she spells it Sibyl!!!!This woman has caused some pain this last month. I don't know if this would help, also sent $ and refilled for passport and I don't think it would get back here on time if it is approved!!!!! She is disappointed big time."



Here's the plan, be at the air port early, real early. have her medicare card and bank debit card with a photo on it and put her in a wheel chair. here she is. She is Grandma trying to get to her only Grandson's wedding. Any mercy to be found in the day of national security? We will see.




Maybe we will take this picture as proof of age. To be continued..........

45 Years Later

May 19, 2008

Today being the 45th wedding anniversary for me gives reason to look back and reflect on my life.To see the things I have accomplished and the times I've failed.

Would I change if I could? I'm not sure, maybe I have. I don't think I could wish for a life better than I have. My material wealth is ample to live the life I enjoy. I am living the American dream of a pot and a window. No kids in jail or on welfare and smart grand kids. No payments to make and a check coming in. Living in the Southern lap of luxury.

I have a wonderful group of people who make up my family. We are not perfect and we all make mistakes but we all love each other very much. We have gone from 2 to 4 to 11.

I have a wonderful home in the foothills of the Kiamichi mountains of south eastern Oklahoma. Wide open spaces to dream and soak up the sun. A place of peace and solitude. A place of laughter and joy. Roots from the very beginning. We raised our kids here and are getting to play with our grand kids here.

The verse on the card I got this year goes like this:

We've seen each other grumpy.and we've seen each other glad.

We've seen some good behavior and of course we've seen some bad.

You've even seen me floss, and adore me more each day.

I've seen you with a runny nose and love you anyway.

You've seen me in my baggy sweats and think I'm kinda cute.

I've seen you dressed up to the nines and in your birthday suit.

We've seen the worst We've seen the best

And like we always knew:

No matter what life's ups and downs...WE'LL SEE EACH OTHER THROUGH!

Today has been a Hallmark greeting card day. Time has a way of getting by in a hurry. I can remember when 45 was old. Married 45 years! Some good, some bad. In the words of the song. regrets, I've had a few, but then again to few to mention.

Oh, the experience of "The Love of a Life Time" To know the meaning of True Love, to have and give true love. The thrill of it all. A memory is a lasting gift. Love really is forever. Family is the fuel of my fire. My light is shining.

A Replacement for Me.

Working as a caregiver can be very challenging and having to be off can be very confusing to the person you are caring for.

I have been staying every other week with an 80 year old who is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's for three years now. Her condition has slowly changed to not fully understanding what is going on around her and to becoming very nervous about change.

My life has taken a tremendous change because of my decision to take this job. I don't think I fully realized what I was getting into and I know I had no idea that it would last this long.

The money is very good and my financial condition has changed for the better over the last three years. Now my commitment as a caregiver is surely based on my loyalty to my patient.

About a year ago my youngest grandson was diagnosed with a rare disease called Kawasaiki Disease. No known cause or cure. A very scarey thing. He was 3 years old. I researched the subject as much as possible and tried to not worry and expect the best outcome. This far things have gone fairly good. He had the anti-bodies recommended and all the test done regurlarly. Upper respiritory is a big concern with this and a common cold can turn into pneumonia over night. This has happened twice within the last year. Trips to the Children's Hospital where the most edcuated Doctors are found are not really giving any answers to the problems he is incurring.

It is very hard to not be able to leave for the hospital as soon as I know he is having to return there. I feel as a Mother that I should be there for my grandchild and for my daughter. The last time he was hospitalized it took a day and a half to get a replacement for myself to be able to leave my job. That is when I realized just how hard it is to find a replacement for me.

If you have ever been the sole caregiver for someone with alzehimers you will understand the difficulty of change in that person's life. Sometimes just going out of the house can get them confussed. They forget where they are and they forget where they are going. I suppose later in the process of the disease they forget who they are and will forget who you are and then the process of change will not be so diffulicult on either.

The condition of the person I am careing for is just beginning to reach the point where she feels completely comfortable with me and trust that I can answer any question she may have about the things she can't remember. Any change in our routine can set off a state of confussion that makes her realize she is totally dependant on someone else and does not want to be left alone or with a stranger.

My problem is introducing another person into her life long enough for her to remember them so they can stay when I need to leave for and emergency or for a vacation or break.

I have been blessed with a trusted friend who is willing to take the replacement job. I am just finishing a 5 day training seccesion where we have both stayed here and she has become accuainted with the replacement. I am going home in the morning so I can attend the graduation of my oldest grandson from high school.

One day at a time. We only have a choice as to what we do today. Today I am feeling pretty good about being able to replace me. I will face my next challenge when it occures.