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| May 8, 2014 |
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| May 11, 2014 |
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| May 18, 2014 |
Life has unfolded smoothly the last couple of months. We finished a new patio and I bought new pots for use on it. Pots are expensive and we had to paint the insides to seal them so they won't freeze in the winter. Did you know that if you put packing peanuts in the bottom instead of rocks it will keep the plant roots from plugging up the drainage hole? That also helps eliminate the danger of freezing and cracking. I love these pots. They're the prettiest ones I've ever had since I usually just do plastic things. My favorite is Harold...he's a frog....and you can't see him very well in any picture! And we're not through with the area yet, but it's a start!
The Texas Riggsbee's came for a visit during their spring break from school. I love them! Well, I love the Charlotte Riggsbees, too. We finished up the fireworks that we couldn't do last July 4 because the rain was so torrential, and cooked marshmallows and made s'mores. Up to now I have used coat hangers for cook sticks, (like we did when we were kids), but today's coat hangers are so flimsey that they make roasting hard. After the girls left I found some roasting sticks online. They extend to appropriate lengths and are sturdy so the marshmallows won't dip into the fire and melt before they make their way to the chocolate and graham crackers. Are these girls, Gracen and Avery, cute or what?
I took myself to Charlotte one Saturday to see a ball game. The Charlotte grandchildren are very involved in sports and each of them plays some kind of game every weekend. Jim and I don't get a lot of opportunity to see them, but I went to Stanley, I think it was, to see JJ play a baseball game. It was cloudy and cold and his team lost, but it was good to see everyone.
My mother turned 90 about a month ago. She and my sisters came up for a visit for a few days and we celebrated this milestone with a little party. She is doing well now after having some scary health issues a while ago. My plans are to go to Greensboro later this week for several days to see her and do some things for her. I usually go about once a month and always look forward to seeing her. I hope she will agree to come back to the mountains with me.
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| Celebrating 90!!! |
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| Mama and the Girls Judy, Mary, Mama, Lynn |
This past weekend, our friends Jim and Eilleen came for a visit. We haven't seen them in a couple of years and they are always so much fun! Eilleen and I taught together in Charlotte. Our children are about the same age and the two families became good friends. We stayed that way even while they moved around the southeast. They currently live on Lake Marion in South Carolina and spend their time on the lake and killing armadillos! Though it was cold and rainy (mostly) we entertained ourselves playing bridge, watching "The Property Brothers", and eating. Lord, it's a good thing we don't eat like this all the time!
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| Jim and Eilleen |
I haven't read too much in the last couple of months as I have discovered Netflix. I have watched House of Cards (27 episodes), Scandal ( don't know how many episodes), and have begun Heartland. Also, the third season of Scandal is posted, so I guess I can waste more time! I did try to read Robert Gates' book Duty, but gave up on it. I usually presevere to finish a book once I begin it, and, indeed, there is only one other book that I couldn't finish (Bill Clinton's memoirs). It (the Gates book) was so boring that I just couldn't justify my continued attention. I did just finish a book by John Green (I like him), The Fault in Our Stars. I read somewhere that there will be (or already is) a movie based on this book.
I end with a porch portrait that isn't. The rhododendron are blooming and they are beautiful. I think that because the winters are so stark up here that the springs are that much sweeter.
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| Spring Rhododendron |
Love to all.
