May Days

 Hi friends,

Here's a shasta daisy hand picked 

just for you.

Life's been

really good...

and full- since I last wrote.  

My dad came to visit.

 Since I haven't asked permission to put photos of him  here on my blog ...

I'll only show this one with his back turned. haha 

Don't think he'd object to this one.  

We had a lot of fun and  cooked a meal together called Halupsi.

It was really good... it's like meatballs with rice  wrapped in cabbage 

and then gets covered up in a couple cans of diced tomatoes and 

cooked in the oven.  We steamed asparagus and cauliflower too 

and stood at the counter dipping it in butter devouring every bite. haha 

-- While he was here; we did a little fishin and  talked alot.  

He really likes our dogs and I think Francois woulda went home with him!

They bonded too!   :)

Most recent news is ..Little Blaine turned 4 this past week.  

 Looked like he got lots of cool presents... 

Here his Mommy Kayla was gearing him up to ride his new

skateboard.  :)

 I nabbed this pic of Kaylas and  hope and pray she doesn't mind.

She's gotten SO good at hula hoopin to music... it blows me away! 

Have you seen people dance while hula hooping before?

It's so beautiful to watch; ... love it!

Alyssa as you can tell had the skateboard gear on ... and she hooped right alongside  her Momma.

It was so cute and we kinda think we foresee a Mother daughter hula team forming. 

 Back at home I've been gardening like crazy! 

It's kind of where I've been!  

That and fishing after supper!

 The week before the peonies started blooming, we had a late frost.

For two nights I kept these all covered with makeshifts tents again... hoping

and praying the frost wouldn't get them.  

It didn't!  And they've been really blooming their heads off!

The photo above is the bed with my Momma's peonies in it.  

I've been taking them to her grave this week... and it just 

does my heart SO good. 

 Pretty much every nook n cranny is planted.

Pots of flowers, and boots, and pans and washtubs and you name it.

There's the  garden here at the shabby olde potting shed,

then a corn patch, that ended up getting alot of other things planted in it too this year... 

the old 48 Chevy has sunflowers planted in the bed of it again,

and the postage stamp garden up at Mommas old homeplace.

The weeds are already coming up like crrrrrrazy in the cornpatch but 

the other two have newspaper and straw mulch in them now so 

that will help so much.  

 The camera gets me sidetracked because I'll see something and think...

I oughta have a little photo shoot with that.  

Tiny kodak moments happen pretty much every day!

 I've run out of stakes, so made two sets of lodge poles 

for climbers.  Hope they work well; and kind of like the 

height they add for interest.  

My one- cute little  bunny has turned into ... several.

All's I can say is me n my big mouth. 

"Oh bunnies don't eat much."

?  

 The rest of the  photos are of Mother's day.

Kind of got a little crazy adding pics -

so now might be a good time for you to make a run for it. 

:)  

It's okay, I'd understand. lol

I'll try to keep my ramblings short but do want to record our family day.

 When we got up; Myguy made me coffee then took me outside to find

flowers to plant... and something that melted my heart!--  garden art!

Years ago my Momma gave me this olde lightning rod

that she picked up on a trip.  It has a star in the weather vane part

so it's always been really special to me.  

It's been put up for over three years now because somehow ; it got broken.

Myguy fixed it for me ... and  added  this cool and funky new base.

 An old spring, and a fly wheel!  

Means so much to me and it makes me laugh too coz 

I remember so many times when we've backed the trailer up to the shop to 

toss junk steel in from our mechanics shop...and often  I turn into this crazy hoarder saying,
Ohmygosh what is this thing it's beautiful!"  I love rusty gears and things and Myguy...

he smiles and I see now he's been gettin a real feel for the artsy stuff that makes my heart go pitter patter.

The plan for the rest of our  day was the kids were going to come over 

for a barbecue.  -  When Tony and Michelle got here they  brought a mean friend.

You can't know how my Momma's heart flip flopped seein Tony had to 

stop and pick up a turtle that was on the road.  He and Trent both caught so many turtles

when they were little but Tony... he just can't leave them alone. lol  

I used to find them under his bed all the time.  

Never mean snappers like this... but the sweet tarrapins and pond turtles.

 After Trent got to the house with the little ones and they got to see 

why not to mess with a snapping turtle ... they drove it down to the slough and

turned it free. 

 Then they took me outside to see the new stool Mike and Tony made me!

Some of you might remember this olde drafting style table we got from the foundry?

It's super tall I've wanted to sit at it outside to paint but I couldn't reach the table top. lol

I can now!  Tony drew the dragonfly and cut it out of the metal, ... he bent and welded it all together

and Myguy made the seat... sanded it super smooth .. and painted it for me!  

A true labor of love!  

dragonfly kisses on Momma's day.

 We shared a wonderful meal all together and ate on the porch.

Can't believe I didn't take any pics of that.  Too busy chowing down a burger drowned

in Heinz 57 I guess!

And then this sweet thing brought me a fistful of wildflowers. 

How did I get so blessed?

 Rest of the afternoon we spent fishin on the pond.

Such a beautiful day.  Kayla had to work, and sure wish she could've come.

She loves to fish too!

 And so does Alyssa I learned!

  She caught this giant perch and I tell ya... she watches that bobber 

and boy can she cast.

 Blaine did good too... and a little more patience was learned this day. 

:) 

 Love this picture of Tony and Michelle...

 and we all made sweet new memories.

 Like the moment 

the "one" got away!!!

It was a big catfish.

 Trent caught a big perch too...

 So did I! 

Think I went fishing almost every evening last week and I tried to explain to Myguy just how

HUGE the perch are getting?

 Was so glad we caught a few!

 Chunky monkeys huh? 

And did you notice the "turquoise" on them in the photo above this one?!!!

They're so pretty!

 It was such an enjoyable afternoon. 

 Love this picture... 

notice my "good" kettle on the ground by the truck?

It had another little turtle in it.  On the way back from the Slough

letting the snapper go; they found a little water turtle that they had to bring home to the kids.

It now lives in this  pond.  :) 

 When it got hot and the fish quit biting, Blain and Alyssa played in the back of

Uncle Tony's truck.  

Powertools

can keep kids busy for hours.

 So can shuckin peanuts.

Trent decided it was time to head for home then...

 He text me this picture and said Carter didn't make it very far.

Think we were all feelin it too.  

Mike and I went out for ice cream with Tony and Michelle and then 

after everyone went home, he and I went back to the pond...

 I got my first lesson in catfish 101.  

I've always been scared of gettin poked taking them off the hook, so Myguy taught me how to hold them.

... I still don't like them much.  We both caught a few little bass and then

 my last was a little bigger one. 

 It was so peaceful watching the sun go down together.

When we got back to the house we picked a few peonies, and 

headed to the cemetery.  It was my Mommas birthday as well as Mother's day.

We saw many darting dragonflies on the pond that afternoon and I thought of her so often.  

Well that's all for now.  

It's late and way past bedtime...

Until we meet again,

Lea