September Hair

This is what I look like when I'm not ready for a picture.  

It also is what I look like when I haven't combed my hair.

It is also what I look like when I go visit a person in a burn center.  That was a new experience for me.   A new friend of ours was badly burned with hot water when he was working and is now recovering in the hospital.    

I feel the urge to write again.  I am enjoying these lovely blue and gold days of fall.  I am sorry that my deck plants have completely died after being gone four special days.  I have no idea how to keep them alive.  They have to be watered twice a day in the heat of summer.  I lined those coconut shell liners with plastic bags, no luck.  

I tried diapers over the plastic bags, still no luck.  I think if I had some half moon plastic liners that fit right in, it would help, but I can't find any.  

I'm about ready to clean the deck up and take the geraniums in that managed to survive.  

I'm just no good at plants that need to be watered on a schedule.  I just don't do schedules well at all.  My mini garden died, out on the deck. Half of my mini succulent garden died, in the house. My favorite plant is the eternity plant I got for my birthday this year.  It thrives on neglect.  Sigh.  The only reason my flower garden lives is because it is on automatic sprinklers. 

I made a pumpkin pie yesterday.  I put yogurt in instead of the milk.  Not an acceptable substitute if you like Libby's recipe.  I remember now I had other plans for the yogurt.  My sister in law makes her own yogurt, and then makes her own ranch dressing with it and a packet of mix.  I though I would try it with store bought.  I imagine if you had your own mix of herbs and spices you could do it without the package.  

Now I need more yogurt.  

Sometimes less is more...

have a good day. 

The Tuesday Muse

A week later...

My title idea is somewhat borrowed from a fellow blogger, but it fits what I feel like today.  I don't have any great message or photos, but I feel like writing.  

I have had the privilege of some very special days that I haven't had for over a year.  They are a reminder of all I hold dear and inspire in me a desire to do a better job of living.  

However, it also wore me out.  I see that I can go on with stimulation and food for several days, but home again, it was like walking around in a fog.  I went to bed early, as a resting place for mind as well as body, the two days I've been home.  I've also done very little around the house.  Unpacking and laundry are being done a very little at a time.  Office work, 15 minutes at a time.  I have piles of both waiting for me as I get rested up.  

I nap in the afternoons.  

I am trying to get the more important things out of the way first.  

At the end of last year, I made the debatable choice to be the treasurer of the theater booster club since no one was taking the job and I thought I could handle it.  I can handle it, but I am wondering about the responsibility of handling the money.  And of dealing with the politics involved.  Actually, there is going to be no dealing of that with me, I'm going to keep my mouth shut.  

Of course, since I started this post last week, and more exciting life has intervened during that time, I can't remember what I had to say.  Probably nothing that amounted to very much.  

I just really wanted to show these pictures of the snake.

I don't know what the deal is with these snakes.  The last one I saw was hanging out in the grape vine.  This one is hanging out by the mailbox, so when I get the mail.

!!!!

See his little head sticking out?

I had a moment with an entirely insane thought of poking him to see if his head would go into a better position.  I don't really mind snakes, I just don't like to find them under my feet. 

I was making homemade pancake syrup the other day, having washed and prepared jars and lids and filled them.  It wasn't until I tried to put a lid on THIS jar and it didn't fit that I realized it didn't have threads.  WHAT KIND OF A JAR IS THIS!

It looks just like half of my jelly jars.  I have no idea where it came from.  It looks just like a jar,  having a lip, under where the threads would be.  

Is it a vase?  Did flowers come in it during my treatment?  Did it ever have some kind of lid and come with food in it?  I have no idea, no memory of ever seeing this before.  It seems too nice to get rid of, so I put it in the cupboard.  It is now a glass.

Freshly canned homemade pancake syrup.

And what post of ordinary days would be complete without of photo of two young Bronco fans.  Not that I care anything about the Broncos, but their folks do.  I just love this.  

Big brother and little brother.  

A Happy Boy

A little boy spent his time at my house today.

A happy, smiling, talking boy.  

He bounces in his seat, he rolls on the floor, he grabs rings, he chews his socks (on his feet).

He is a a lot happier here than he would be at the zoo with the rest of the family.  He'll enjoy the zoo more another year.   

This is what we did today.

Smiled.

Chewed on toes.

Helped with Laundry.

Grabbed Rings.

Took a nap.

Found a new toy.

Took another nap, this time in Papa Tom's crib.

Rolled back to tummy.

Helped fold clothes.

I know at almost four months he doesn't have a lot of control, but it was nice to see him roll over and grab for toys.  Everything he can get goes into his mouth.  He spends a lot of time just kicking around. He doesn't cry much either, only when he's wet, tired or hungry.  

He's the smiliest baby I know.

And I love him.

Today I Am Tired

But not too badly.  I had some tea mid-afternoon to make sure I stayed awake.  

It was a beautiful day. I went to look after my grandsons at their house since Zane is now in Pre-K while my daughter had another class day.  I hoped we could have a decent day with a minimum amount of mess while carrying Christian around.  

And we did.  

I wish I could have taken more pictures.  But I didn't.  I didn't have enough hands.  Especially, when the perfect picture opportunity was at hand, I was carrying a baby, a water bottle, a child's hand, and no camera.  The camera was at the house.  

I wrote a little piece several years ago when my children were little and I didn't have a camera to hand one summer.  I wrote of all the things they did that I didn't have pictures so I would have a memory anyway.

  Today was like that.

It was a perfect fall day.  The sun was shining, the air was soft, there was no breeze.  We walked down to the mailbox, I suppose a quarter-mile, Zane pulling Barry in a plastic sled over the somewhat asphalt, mostly gravel lane leading down to the highway.  We meandered, we looked at rocks, at sunflowers, at golden rod. The boys ran. Is there anything more heart warming than to look down the lane, to see golden heads enjoying the day, their little legs carrying them along. For them life is happy, there are no worries, they are just enjoying being out, being able to run, knowing Gramma is watching.  

Coming back up that quarter-mile was pretty exhausting.  Especially since it was the second time we were over that road in three hours.  My arms were tired, but as we could see the house, Barry says, "hand", and we walked up the hill together.  

Barry alone with me (Christian doesn't ask for the same kind of attention), made sure I noticed him.  He wanted to play a game, told me to "sit", taps my head with an "uck", and then says, "oosh", realizing we were playing duck, duck, goose, I grabbed him, he was satisfied and the game was over. (He's a one word man).  He also stuffed his favorite "croc-a-dilly" into Zane's backpack and wanted me to zip it up, which I willingly did.  After a bit, he came to me with the backpack asking for a kiss, which I gave him, and he was ready to go 'side, to go to school.  I told him to go into another room and pretend, and that game was over soon, too.  What a cutie.  

Zane and Christian.