My Feet Are Cold

This is Sunday evening. It snowed today. Apparently we've finally reached the high temperature of the day--at nearly 9:30 pm--38 degrees. I don't know if the gale force winds are still blowing or not. Probably not. (And "gale force" might be a slight exaggeration.)

Friday--just two days ago--it was a glorious Spring/Summer day. The sky was beautiful and clear. The temperature was about 78 degrees (F). It was super! The grandkids enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. Grandpa enjoyed it. Mom enjoyed it. It was simply GREAT!

Yesterday the high was about 65 degrees. The clouds began moving in with gusting, cooler wind. Our forecast (yesterday) for today indicated a possibility of snow. Then the forecast changed sometime yesterday evening. The forecast high for today was 47 degrees. Rain and possible thunderstorms were also included--with a low of 31 or 33, something.

When I walked out to the car to go to Church this morning, there were tiny little specks of snow falling randomly about. One really had to look to see them. The wind blew in Arctic blasts, knifing through me and making my teeth chatter--figuratively, of course. Remember now, snow had been removed from the forecast. And our high was supposed to be 47. Right.

At home after Church, I was encouraged to "fire up" the fireplace, which I did. Our 2 yo grandson was all about trying to help. (Why are there so many pyromaniacs in my family?) It felt nice once it (the fire) got up and going, thank Heaven. My husband tended it off and on to keep our frozen little bodies warmer.

I think the temp managed to get as far as 36 with a windchill of like 28. Around 2 pm the snow decided to actually try to imitate the real thing and make larger flake-like particles that swirled around more thickly. It went on and on. It quit around supper time. I'm still cold, especially my feet. I think I'll make a cup of hot cocoa and try to warm up.

Tomorrow the prediction is for a high of 66 degrees. I'm not holding my breath or anything, but it would be a nice change! How do you plan to start a garden in this schizo kinda weather?

Something Profound

I should maybe write something profound today. Let's see . . . Ummmm . . . Eh . . . *cough, cough* Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm . . .

Well, nothing particularly profound pounced into my brain. Soooooooo, I suppose I'll just quickly mention that:

I'm in love--with my husband
I love all my children--and the spouses of those of them who are married
I love my super intelligent, beautiful, tender, loving, precious grandchildren
I love my extended family
I love all my friends--including those in bloggland
I love the joy of being alive
I love attending Church and being filled with Spiritual guidance and comfort
I love teaching
I love having to stretch myself to fulfill my various responsibilities
I love singing
I love eating
I'm excessively grateful for the many, many day-to-day blessings I enjoy

Like: Electricity
Hot and cold running water
Indoor "facilities"
A solid roof (and all the adjacent walls/windows/doors over which it perches
Vehicles that take me and family safely where and when we want/need to travel
Not having a mud floor
The many appliances that assist in keeping us fed, clean and dressed, and in touch
with the rest of the world
Being able to see
Being able to hear
Being able to speak
Being able to learn
Being able to dance
Being able to drive
The inalienable right to choose what, when and how I do as I go about my life

I'm so grateful for those who have taught me:
to be strong
to be kind
to love
to forgive
to comfort
to hope
to dream


I am a most blessed woman in this world of turmoil and confussion, light and hope and endless possibilities to learn and grow.

(I just viewed this post and don't like the way it aligned. One day I'm gonna write it first in Word and then cut and paste it. It seems to mind me better when I do that. Oh, well. See? I'm still tryin' t' learn!)

The Two or Three Kid Workout

During the last few days, I've revived the two or three kid workout for my exercise routine. Let me explain . . .

The three grandchildren who live with us, ages 2, 4 and 6, are rather lively and full of energy as children of those ages are and should be. We were recently on a trip and as we waited for Mom to get her shower (etc.) readying for our departure, the youngest required some "entertainment" to keep him from terrorizing the cousin's apartment we were staying in--after she'd already departed for work. This youngest young'n loves to be chased, which I indulge him in knowing I have need of physical aerobic exercise myself. The beauty of the dynamic here is that his legs are considerably faster than my own but much shorter, so for every several steps he takes at a good rate only requires a corresponding step or two from me. (Yay!)

Since the aforementioned apartment was facilitated with a "round" traffic pattern through the living quarters and kitchen area, it was perfect for the chase which changed direction multiple times as Grandma matched wits with him and his siblings as they each joined the game er...exercise. There were great and abundant amounts of joyful squealing and giggles throughout the process as Grandma would post herself in a spot at one corner or another trying to surprise them as they came around to discover them forcing a run in the opposite direction.

When I realized a mirror hung advantageously on the foyer wall allowing me to see into the kitchen where they would lurk in anticipation of my catching them, I used that advantage quite well . . . until . . . middle child discovered it worked to his advantage also. Since this exercise program took place around 7:30-8:30 am, I wonder if any of the neighbors reported us to the authorities? As we escaped the scene soon after, I may never know. I convinced myself that most of the tenants were probably away at work or school as was our wonderful and gracious hostess.

Well, the opportunity for the chase, the exercise and the peals of giggles and laughter have continued since arriving at home. The back yard has again proved to be a larger playing field. I do not know how long we all participated this morning, but Grandma has become exhausted and a little while after our fun enterprise, Grandma was discovered napping on the couch in the living room--next to her still awake compatriots.

Ah! The joy of living! Oh, yes and the attendant benefits of losing a size or two in the clothing department. Score!

Something Wonderful and New

Today we had a new addition to our family: A Precious Little Baby Girl. First child of my youngest daughter. There is simply nothing sweeter to me than a precious, innocent, babe dewy fresh from Heaven. I want to hold her, sniff her sweet smell, and snuggle her and coo and hum to her. And then, I want to start all over again. I know of nothing better than brand new babies.

And in other less exciting news-----Just in the celebration mood, to start the New Year off really right . . . at supper tonight, my 2 year-old dental bridge fell out while I was eating supper. Fortunately it wasn't located in the front of my mouth!

However, I'm grateful for all blessings! I never liked that bridge from the get-go! (I'm afraid I'll like being nearly toothless even less, but . . . AND NO. I haven't looked in the mirror yet. I'm not ready for that.)

But . . . my husband (who was admitted to the hospital Wednesday for pneumonia) was released yesterday. So we spent our oldest daugther's birthday and New Year's Eve (same day) in the hospital just like 34 years ago. It wasn't quite as fun this time, however, but hey! Grandpa/Dad and Grandma/Mom are back home and that's always good.

So, with a brand new Granddaughter to celebrate, all is good in the world. Right?

Robots: Scary and Otherwise

For the last month or so my youngest grandson has become infatuated with a few movies which he desires to watch again and again. Most have some connection with robots. Robots this and robots that and big bad robots. He likes Wall-E, Robots, Monsters, Inc. (trust me, there are robots in there), Batteries Not Included, The Incredibles, Star Wars and...that's all I can remember at the moment.

Personally, I think this youngster has good taste. (I like all those myself.) I'm convinced that he could watch them 24/7 and, well, we're just not going there. One day a few weeks ago as he was heading downstairs, I heard him say,

"Honey, where's my super suit? Honey! Where's. My. Super. Suit?" (Name that movie.) After we got to the bottom of the stairs, I asked him, "Did you just say, 'Honey, where's my super suit?" He grinned his enigmatic grin and looked caught.

Every so often after that, for who knows what reason, I'd hear him repeat the lines sometimes with greater emphasis than others and I'd crack up laughing. When I asked his Mom if she'd ever heard him say that, she was a little skeptical but found him and asked him about repeating the movie lines.

He smiled and said them for her with even greater emphasis. She responded: "Honey, where's my super suit??? It's in the wash!"

Now it's a bit of a running joke between him and me. He mostly obliges and gives me his great happy smile and now, more often that not, he repeats the lines quietly.

Two-year-olds are so much fun to have a round. Especially ones with a cute sense of humor.

Oh, before he identified that movie (The Incredibles) by name, he referred to it as the "movie with the scary robots." He assured me that was his favorite part of the movie, the scary robots.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, and More Pumpkins (and Gourds)

After we left Round Top, we stopped at a roadside Pumpkin Distributorship. I can't begin to tell you how much fun I had checking out all the great piles of pumpkins in varieties I'd never dreamed of! I had to record as much of it on camera as I could, and my dear Sweetheart obliged me in my obsession to do so. Then came the tough part: I had to select some to buy for and take to our three grandchildren.

It was lots of fun and they seemed quite excited to get them.

I'm Behind . . . Still

Back some weeks ago, my husband and I got off for a weekend alone. We traveled to Round Top, Texas where they, the Round Top citizens, and several other of the tiny communities close by have hosted (for more than 40 years) an Antique Fair each spring and fall. There are several venues in the area that sell antiques during the Fair weeks, many apparently coming from Europe. The weather had been really rainy before we arrived and was threatening, but we managed to get some great photos of some of the original dwellings in Round Top itself before the moisture filled the air, etc.

Wikipedia has some interesting facts about its history including its German immigrant influx, mentioning that the town is 1.0 square miles, and in 2000 the census was of 77 residents.
I believe, according to the Wikipedia account anyway, that this Luthern Church is the oldest active Luthern church in Texas. It is tiny, but beautiful in its simplicity. I just adore old church buildings!






We had time to snap these and a few other pictures before we went looking for lunch. Lunch consisted of two enormous (Texas-sized) bar-be-que brisket sandwiches on extra large slices of homemade bread. We attempted to eat outside under a tent . . . until the heretofore threatening rain clouds dumped copious amounts of water all over the place!

We managed to get back inside without drowning. I don't think either of us managed to eat more than 1/2 a sandwich each. Had we known, we'd have just ordered one and shared. 20/20 vision in hindsight, you know.

We did trek about checking out all kinds of interesting antiques, furniture being the most plentiful, but it was all very interesting, except for having to traipse through the foul mud as many of the venues were housed in tents. A lot of the furniture looked genuinely ancient, some looked as if it had been well used (as in huge work tables) for centuries, others might have been centuries old, but was pristine looking and gorgeous.

What I found distasteful about the event, was all the "other" vendors--etsy, modern stuff--clothing, bangles, etc., etc. Don't know what that has to do with antiques, but hey, maybe in a few hundred years, if it even survives the next 5 or 10, maybe it'll be an antique too.