Reward for Winter

Weather like we are getting here at this time of year is payment
for what we endure all winter. Last evening I took these photos that hardly do our calm, golden, cool early summer evenings justice.



It's just wonderful to live in the Midwest at
this time of year! And the corn is sooo beautiful!


















Golden sunset!

Work, work, work

I have been working so much lately that Sunday was more than the usual blessed relief. Monday came again and I was back at it. I am happy to have lots to do. Most of my work has been outside of the house either in the yard or away from home, so the inside has a rather deserted look.
Last week, on one of the days I was up at school helping to pack boxes, I came home with bags of magazines. Now generally I am a thrower. I throw EVERYTHING away. That was good for the teacher I was working for, but one of the reasons I was helping this teacher is that I like looking at his books and the magazines were all various history magazines. now there is a pile spread open on the floor by the chair. Hours of interesting reading lay ahead....

I am enjoying my job at Lowe's. I'm really happy that it's only four hours, though. I can handle 8-12 OK. And it will give me afternoons to read by the pool.

The weekend was all about getting yard stuff done. I got the deck partly painted, the railings and the outside are left. I simply ran out of energy. I got all my pots planted, but I have some annuals left to plant in the ground out front. That garden needs some serious redoing, so it's annuals for the time being! Denny hung a gutter on the garden side of the garage in order for me to catch rainwater. Just in time, too. It's full after today! AND he got the pool open. That's always the big spring job. That deck just needs a little touching up.

Will is working the same job I am only at a different store. So that's kept him occupied for a week now. He's waiting to hear about another job that is supposed to last a year. Andrew is not feeling too great about his life right now. He's maybe going to look in to doing something different. He's having a hard time, and this mother-heart hurts for him, too. It's hard to figure out what to do, and at 21 the years of one's working life seems eons.

And Linnea turned 27 yesterday! I talked to her briefly last night. She and her friends were playing a game we got her for Christmas. She said it was her best birthday yet!

God's grace, an example

I talked to Linnea today, and she told me this good story that is such a good illustration of what God has done for us.

She and a couple of her friends were eating out at a restaurant. While they were eating, Linnea's boss and family came in to eat as well. They were all greeted and introduced. He and his family left before the girls finished. When they went up to the cash register to pay, the cashier told them that there was no charge, their bill had already been paid. Of course Linnea figured it was her boss. What a picture of us before God. We think we stand condemned, but when we look into our judge's face he says to us, "Your debt has already been paid."

That's not the end of the story, nor of the illustration. Afterwards Linnea's friend said, "I'm going to have to shop at-----store now." She'd never been there before. Isn't that just what our reaction is. No more compulsion to do something for God. No more trying to make Him happy by what we do. Now we freely want to show him our gratitude for what He's done for us.

God's grace in action. I need constant reminders!

Graduation celebration

Graduation celebration
Originally uploaded by sperlonga7

There is more than one way to celebrate graduation. Walmart's selection of hula hoops was more than these 20 somethings could resist. Note she says, "I almost had it!" It's funny!!

The Master-ess

She finished!
It was a lovely day, great celebration and a snappy ceremony. We met up quickly and easily afterwards, which we wondered how it could possibly happen with thousands of people at the ceremony! But Linnea knows how to get around!

It was a gorgeous, HOT day. We went out for lunch with three of her friends at a really cool place called Cafe Strudel. We ate out on the shaded patio.
The rest of the day was very relaxing!






University of South Carolina's colors are garnet and black, so that's the color of the silk on the hood.














I obviously didn't get the memo on coordinating our wardrobe!

Home Sweet Home

Ah, I DO love living in the Midwest! It was so good to drive up I-29 (can't believe I said that) and see farmers planting and the various shades of green on the trees covering the bluffs on the east side of the highway. It's nice to visit other parts of the country, but even Florida-boy was happy to get back to the Midwest. The earth had exploded into green while we were gone, rich emerald green. Wow! Our grass was about 8 inches long, full and thick. Took Den several hours of mowing and bagging to get it all cleaned up. Today I need to do the edges and the bushes. The trees are full and thick. Since today is the last official frost date, I can get my bedding plants out in the pots. Rosemary may be moving outside. She thrived (throve?) in the house this winter.

Mid-way

I guess we're about half-way through this trip to the Southeast. We sure have spent a lot of hours in the car! We left Omaha just after 3 last Friday, so we got the first leg to St.Louis out of the way even before the official start of the holiday. The next day we drove to Atlanta, still no sunshine. But we had a super visit with my friend Sharon, who I hadn't seen since high school graduation 36 years ago, and with my cousin. The time there is never long enough.




Sunday finally cleared when we crossed into Florida. Sun at last! And it was HOT! Since we dawdled leaving Atlanta, we didn't arrive in Bradenton until after 5pm. We ate a little and by 7 were down on the beach ready to walk and watch the sunset. It was lovely...pictures to follow!
Monday we went to Siesta Key, a beach that will forever spoil you for any other beach. Oh, my goodness. A very wide beach with sand as white and soft as baking powder, tourqoise water feeling as warm and soft as silk. The waves were marvelous, too! We were very good about sunscreen and never got burned at all.


Tuesday we went to Bradenton beach and walked just under three miles, but after sitting in our chairs and thinking about the beach from the day before we just packed up our stuff and got back into the car. This time we drove all the way down Longboat Key and in to Sarasota before heading back out to Siesta. It was as good as the day before, so we stayed even longer. And yes, I should have reapplied the sunscreen after swimming! But at least I may get home LOOKING like I've been to Florida this time!
Dennis' family lives there, so both nights (Monday and Tuesday) we had family time, cards Monday, restaurant on the beach Tuesday. My friend Trisa came both nights.








Tuesday evening we found out that Dennis' mom had fallen and broken her hip. We were planning to come up here to Vidalia anyway. We went directly to the hospital when we arrived yesterday. And today Dennis is spending the day there. It gives him a good one-on-one time with his mother, as long as his step-dad doesn't dominate the conversation....
So I'm sitting here alone, catching up with friends' lives on FB, reading blogs and just kinda hangin out!
Columbia and Linnea's big graduation celebration tomorrow. Graduation is Saturday, we leave to go there tomorrow. Andrew's 21st birthday tomorrow, too! I'll have to call him real early....!