Friday, May 28, 2021

Sharing Our Stories: A Flower is the Blossom of Any Plant

Oh, my goodness, flowers! They fill my heart with joy. They gladden my eyes with their beauty. They turn my gratitude to God who created flowers for our enjoyment. 

The next thought that flitted through my mind was, "Is a blossom a flower?" And I found the reassurance I was seeking on the internet with this answer to my query, "A flower is the blossom of any plant, including trees." Whew! 

I knew this post would have to be a sharing of flowers from my little corner of the world. I wish I could claim all these flowers, but they come from walks I've enjoyed. I limited myself to a dozen photos taken this year in the merry month of May.

A surprise bouquet from daughter and grandsons!

 
 
 
This one comes from daughter's back yard!


I'm keeping my fingers crossed that our
neighborhood deer will not discover my
geraniums. They ate all the blooms last year.


This lovely pink rose from my own roses 
is for my beautiful sis, Kay!
She celebrates a birthday in May and adores pink.
 
To savor the magic of story, link your post at Sharing Our Stories.

Friday, May 14, 2021

Sharing Our Stories: Vacation House Fun!

We just returned from a few days at the Oregon coast with daughter's family. We've dubbed the places we stay "vacation houses" and we loved experiencing the Oregon coast with two of our grandchildren. Two year old Robby was amazed and kept repeating, "Oh, my golly!" (we're not sure where he picked up this phrase) in response to each new space as we toured the house. 

Their family shared the upstairs, complete with a large sitting area perfect for evening story time. Robby's bedroom was a large, walk-in closet, with ample room for his pack and play. Four year old Jack slept in a big bed and loved the space where he could unpack his toys and clothes and place them on open shelves. He even had his own bathroom.

Jack was enthralled with his new Lego garbage truck set and went to work assembling it right away.  Robby loved his new Truck book, complete with tabs and flaps for many different kinds of vehicles. Grandpa hauled in a bin of toys from our house, I brought in my book bag, and the fun began. 


The next morning we headed out for a morning at the beach. The wind had died down a bit overnight. We had sand toys, kites, jackets, windbreakers, morning snack choices, and I even brought my book. (Sometimes I just can't help myself.) It seemed appropriate to be reading Kristin Hannah's The Four Winds on a windswept beach. Although it was a bit chilly, we were rewarded with a gorgeous blue sky backdrop for our colorful kite flying fun. Jack loved standing in the hole his dad dug in the sand, and Robby liked being buried in the sand. Afternoon activities (after nap and quiet time) included a visit to a park, assembling a floor puzzle of a construction site (24 pieces) and cajoling Grandpa to play ball in the garage which consisted of dropping balls into the pockets of a billiard table.





Our 2nd full day began with another beach excursion, this time with overcast skies and more wind. It was a bit shorter, but followed up by hot chocolate to accompany morning snack back at the vacation house. Late afternoon activities included a hike in the nearby woods, games of Red Light, Green Light with Grandpa, making muddy buddies, and grilling hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner. The adults enjoyed an episode of Bone and Shadow each evening after the kids were in bed, and a 300 piece puzzle, perfect for a group of four to finish in one evening. 

Before we knew it, it was our 3rd wake up and time to pack up and head home. Jack and I were sharing hugs that morning when I told him, "
Jack, you make my heart happy!" 

And his gleeful reply? "Grandma, you make my elbows laugh!"

 We returned home with some sand in our vehicles, a few rocks from the beach, and precious memories to last us until our next vacation house excursion. 

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Spiritual Journey Thursday: Blossoms of Joy

Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link is rounding up our Spiritual Journey Thursday posts relating to the theme Blossoms of Joy. Thanks, Carol, for hosting this week.

Can you imagine our earthly sojourn without the blossoms that accompany our celebrations and our farewells? Some years ago, carnations worn on Mother's Day signified whether a mother was alive or deceased: red if one's mother was living, white if one's mother was deceased. Our mothers pinned our love to their Sunday dresses in the form of corsages. Today we gift our mothers gorgeous flower arrangements for the home as a reminder of the joy they bring to our lives. 

I am fortunate to live in the Pacific Northwest where spring trumpets its arrival with bursts of flowers, blossoms on trees, and the tender green leaves of spring. I decided to search my photos for my favorite pics of spring. Here are a just a few of my joyful blossoms of spring. I was trying to limit myself to ten, but it looks like I ended up with a baker's dozen!




 
 



The lyrics to the hymn "God Is Love" capture the joy of the natural world and its reflection of God's love and kindness.

God Is Love 

(the link has two additional verses)

1. Earth, with her ten thousand flow’rs, 

Air, with all its beams and show’rs, 

Heaven’s infinite expanse, 

Sea’s resplendent countenance— 

All around and all above 

Bear this record: God is love.

Text: Thomas R. Taylor, 1807–1835, alt.

Music: Thomas C. Griggs, 1845–1903

Saturday, May 1, 2021

Sharing Our Stories: A Fabulous Friday!

Fridays are exciting at our house because the grand boys come for the day! Their arrival brings laughter and joy to our home. We played with sand and play dough and Legos and Main Street, read stories and Sesame Street flash cards and Jack's Rocky story, watched vacuum truck videos, introduced Grandma to the upstairs routines (since Grandpa was on a call for work), and went for a walk with Grandpa.

Someone left two May Day baskets filled with flowers on my front porch. It didn't take long for me to figure out they came from two of my favorite visitors throughout this past year. They come on their bikes and sometimes I have cookies to share, but mostly we stand in the driveway, masked and distanced to chat about their day. They're first graders and I've known the twins ever since they were born. And now they're amazing first graders. So glad they made May Day baskets at school and their grandma helped them fill the baskets with flowers from their property. I failed to take a pic of the baskets, but here they are transferred to vases where they brighten my day and perfume my home (yes, those are lilacs). 

When Sara came to pick up the boys Friday afternoon, we had a delightful call from Kara and Kathy! It was serendipitous that Sara and I were together to chat with them about the event they had just attended: the OkPACE (Post-secondary Adult Career Education) spring conference with the presentation of The Karl Scifres Leadership Award in honor of the legacy and hard work performed by my brother, Karl, during his career. We miss this gentle giant who loved and served so many every single day of his "far too short" time on earth.


Friday was also Miss Ruthie's first birthday. We loved getting FaceTime calls throughout the day. It made us feel a part of her special day even though we weren't there in person. And big brother Teddy had a T-ball game on Ruthie's birthday too.



My fabulous Friday ended with a beautiful walk. It was rainy and cloudy for most of the day, but the sun came out for the late afternoon and evening. So glad you could join me for Friday fun!

To savor the magic of story, link your post at Sharing Our Stories.