The Fence is done!!

How's that for a good lookin' fence?

We have matching ones

on the other side of

the garage

and on the little

side of the house!!

And we have a new set of babies singing for their supper~

And we have tomatoes, peppers, squash, carrots, and cauliflower all growing like mad. We had a bumper crop of radishes that mostly went to seed. I didn't bother to ask anyone if it was a "preferred" food before planting ~ so what I didn't eat and/or give away just gave up. I put jalepenos and .... oh well.... something else there ~ I guess we'll have to just wait and see what grows.... hehee

Late but . . . .

For Father's Day this year Keith got another special picture from Elizabeth and Brennan. It arrived here when he was in California to bring S'te and family for their visit. He opened it immediately and we hung it on the wall - but then I got busy with company and the holiday, then they left, I lost the camera, and I just went and got another one.....

So here is the best art that any Grandparent could wish for. The first art to show in this home. Keith was wonderfully pleased!

But not to be outdone~ The next day (the day after they arrive here) Ty presented me with some more art to bless our home. He knows very well that wolves are my favorite animal ~ so he painted this for me! Isn't it wonderful?

Also amazing is how different thier styles become in the years between 8 and 18!

Thank you both! They have both been lovingly added to our collection ~

It's great to be a Grandparent!

Introspection

Here is a wonderful photo that S'te took at Simpson Beach, at the "Shore Acres Gardens, during her visit here. It is a formation of mussels on a rock formation on a Pacific Coast "beach" - for lack of a better description. Total nature and beauty. She is such a great whiz with the camera!

I've been looking at it, mulling over it, and it has provided much food for thought over the last several days. This was a natural phenom - not arranged by the kids, only by God. And it is perfect.

I have so many dear friends, family, and people that I really love and care about that have so many difficulties facing them, of so many different kinds, in the next few months ~ it has caused a lot of thought for me. And a real definate recounting of all the many, many blessings I've been the recepient of!!

So to all of you (and you know who you are), please think of the others, and if we all pray for each other as well as ourselves, for the mercy only God can show us, then we will all have many prayers going in each of our behalf's ~~ you know where I'm trying to go ~ and not getting there quite the way I wanted too~~

But always remember, as Barb says,

Today is the day

that you were

worrying about

yesterday

~~

My House is So Empty!

Today is the first whole day since they've been gone! sniff, sniff It really seems empty with just me and the babies here. S'te, the kids, and Keith took off yesterday afternoon about 4 and arrived in Spring Valley about 11 this morning. They made really good time! Both ways!! Coming up they were about 20 hours on the road but going back they gained an hour!!

While they were here we had lots of fun and they saw many places and did many, many things. The kids were amazed at how different it is here ~ all the way from homecanned veggies, jams and jellies, freezer wrapped meat, and seperating garbage between burnables, compost, and actual throw-away stuff!! They hiked trails, went to Shore Acres Gardens, Gold and Silver Falls, the Myrtle Point Skate Park, a big family gathering, and met lots and lots of people! They tried many new activities, all the way from sheep sheering to clam digging in the mud flats, including a memorable great fun float from Siltcoos Lake to the Pacific shore! This fun activity was orchastrated by my sister Sharen who came over with her husband, brought their camp trailer and spent several days with us over the 4th weekend! S'te took some beautiful pictures of thier many new memories! I am amazed at how much they have all grown and what beautiful children they are. We spent 3 weeks (minus 2 days) with 14 people here in this little house - and for the most part it all went really, really great. I'd do it again in a heartbeat :-)

The only drawback to the entire visit was that Rod (S'te's husband) is still overseas serving our country and couldn't join us... but for sure he will be on the next trip north! He kept in contact via email and the phone - but we sure missed him. All of the kids brought thier "Daddys" so he was close in our hearts!

I will watch S'te's Money Pit to see the links to her great photos! She is a wonderful photographer, designer, and most of all the most patient and wonderful mother any child could have ~ and I'm lucky to have such a wonderful child to be proud of! God had given me a real blessing.

I will post more on some of the special activities as I have time. BTW - the photos here were all taken by that special daughter of mine - I couldn't even begin to do such an artistic thing - -