My first iris in Maryland

I know, I know, I had irises in Utah. Most of them were given to me. I bought these last year and they came when I was in Utah last August visiting with my mother. Sid called and told me they had come and then he went out and planted them for me. This is the first one to bloom. It is huge. I have lost one of the irises to rot so I need to get a replacement when I find the papers.

After a good rain

I love going outside after a rain. I love the clean smell and how the world looks so clean and refreshed. As Sid would say we haven't washed our car since we have been in Maryland because of all the rain. (hehe).
While I was at Tina's we had a great rain and I went outside to see if I could take some pictures of the raindrops on the plants. This is the bush that Sid trimmed up later but it had wonderful raindrops on it. At least I thought so.

Tina has this beautiful dogwood tree in her front yard.

This is just a single blossom of the dogwood.

Here is a raindrop just hanging on the tree for dear life. If you look close you can see right through the drop. I made the drop bigger and sure enough there is Tina's house. It is upside down. At first Tina thought it was me taking the picture and we were both surprised to see her house.

Now you can see I rotated the drop and the house is right side up.

I just took this last picture because it reminded me of grandma's flowers in the spring. Purple hyacinths.

Dad at Tina's

Tina says it in words and I say it in pictures. Here is Trudy and Dad in Tina's hospital room right after she came up from surgery.

Dad relaxing next to Tina's bed.

After Trudy took Dad home he went back to Waldorf and stayed with Chancy and McKay. Dad enjoyed going to Mckay's baseball game, he took some great pictures.

After Tina came home she decided it was going to be hard to get into bed using her stomach muscles, so dad hooked this triangle from her ceiling next to her bed and then she could get into bed easier. She had used the triangle to call McKay from the swimming pool for lunch.

After Tina felt better I drove us over to a ballgame in Banks, Maryland. This was a hot Saturday, it was about 90 degrees, hot, hot.

Here is dad getting ready to trim the bushes in the front of Tina's house.

After the trim he made sure the lawn mower worked. I think he was getting it ready for McKay.

He tried it out first and made sure it ran good.

Here is the shed all in order. He hung the bikes up and made it so McKay or Chancy could get the lawn mower out and in the shed.

Then fixed the chair. I sat in it once and it fell apart and I had a dickens of a time putting it back together so I could sit in it. Tina and Linc have had this chair since they were first married.

I kept grabbing this post and making Tina hurt while she laughed at me. I just couldn't remember that is was broke.

Hopefully if Tina needs more help she remember where to call.

Mma Ramotswe

I'm reading a book called The Miracle at Speedy Motors. It takes place in Africa and the main character is Mma Ramotswe, who is a lady detective. I think she is very insightful.

In the story a big rain comes and she has left on an errand and comes back and finds out that her husband has left his business to go help someone, one of his apprentices is also gone with her secretary somewhere and the person left in charge had also left during the day, but was back.

She sighs (Mma Ramotswe). It was no use thinking about it and getting hot under the collar because whatever she said she would never be able to change the way people were. Of course she believed in the possibility of change; she had seen many who had become better people from a single experience or from the example of another, but that change was in the big matters, change in the outlook of the heart. It was not change in the little things of life, such as leaving the business unattended--those were things which never changed.

Then the apprentice points out the flying ants that come out after a good rain and she remembers as a child grabbing the ants out of the air and eating them with their peanut-butter flavor. She tells her apprentice to go on and catch some and about that time birds appear also eating the ants and the apprentice and her look at each other and smile.

What does it matter, she thought, if businesses are left unattended, if people are not always as we want them to be; we need the time just to be human, to enjoy something like: a boy chasing ants, a dry land drinking at last, birds in the sky, a rainbow.

I need to take this to heart. I think my life would be a lot easier if I didn't try and change the world to my way of thinking and just enjoy life and what it brings.

CRAFT IT FORWARD!!!!!2009

Here's the deal:

The first three people to comment on this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.The catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and give the same offer to the first three commenter's who will also craft it forward.

1. I make no guarantee that you will like what I make!

2. What I create will be just for you.

3. It will be done this year.

4. You have no clue what it's going to be.

5. I reserve the right to make something extremely strange.

6. You must post a picture of what you win when you get it.

LET THE CRAFTING BEGIN!!

At Tina's

I am finally at Tina's. We came home from the hospital yesterday. Tina had surgery Tuesday and was supposed to be home Wednesday. Well it didn't quite work out that way. I only took enough clothes for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Trudy drove dad, Tina and me up to Arlington, Va Monday night and we stayed at a Marriott hotel and then Trudy, Dad and me stayed there Tuesday night thinking we would bring Tina home Wednesday. Well things didn't work that way so we called the Marriott and stayed another night.
No fresh clothes but I took a shower anyway and put back on the freshest that I had.
When we were at the hospital Thursday it looked like we weren't going home that day either, so Trudy and dad went home and left me at the hospital. I slept on the couch in Tina's room Thursday and Friday nights wearing the only clothes I had. Tina's system finally kicked in and a friend of Tina's came and got both of us from the hospital on Saturday.
Tina is glad to be home and is doing pretty good. Dad went home today and I'll stay another week helping out.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday we got up and went to church. Baxter played the prelude music, the opening hymn and sacrament hymn. He did really well. The church was cold as usual and it was hard for me to keep my mind on the speakers.
It shouldn't matter if the building is cold. We were there to worship our Savior and give thanks for all he has done for us. Easter is a time for reviewing the atonement and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior. I know our Savior lives and because of him we can return to our Heavenly Father and see and live with family again.

After church Tina, Justin, Chancy and McKay came and we all ate at the Bainters. We ate good food, enjoyed each others company for the afternoon. The joy of family together. We just had a great time in Oregon with family and now yesterday. Life couldn't get any better. But I need to remember that it couldn't have been made possible without our Savior.

The day before Easter

We did our annual Easter coloring of the eggs at the Bainters this year. As you can see everyone had their eggs ready to color. Trudy boiled up a dozen eggs for each of them and I boiled up 1 dozen for Dad and me.


Dad always does things a little different. He had Trudy get him a sponge and some more vinegar and he went to coloring his eggs. I think it looks like Stevie had a sponge also.
Zane had his sponge also. Ceci was using a wax crayon. Ceci mixed the colors this year.
Noah and Stevie with their eggs almost all colored.
Here is Ceci deep in thought. She had been sick during the week.
Baxter wasn't feeling good. He had a sore throat, but he colored all his eggs.
Here are Dad's and mine eggs with a few that Trudy had colored.

One of Grandpa's eggs.
Two of Trudy's eggs.
It was fun. I like seeing all the different colors, the different designs and best of all the eating of the eggs after. No the best thing is being with family and watching the faces of the younger children still enjoying coloring and experimenting with this and that.

Our Trip to Oregon

We flew to Oregon with our daughter Tina and her two sons. We left April 1st and came back April 9th. These pictures are only a few that I took. We had just a great time with so many wonderful memories.

As you can tell we flew on SouthWest airlines
When we were coming into to Salt Lake I couldn't help taking a picture of the mountains out the plane window.

George and Lora took us to Omsi. It is a hands on science and physics museum.

Halley and Ryan drove from Salt Lake and arrived Thursday late and then the family went to Evergreen Aviation Museum and saw the Spruce Goose and then across the way to a NASA museum.

That night the cousins all slept at George and Lora's and we played games and ate pizza and cake because we were celebrating Jackie and Emma's birthday.

Our granddaughter Sydney plays soccer so we went to one of her games. She is quite good.

Hope went to her prom and I love her dress. It was fun seeing her and meeting her date.

We had a cookout at Sid's house.

Smore's

Sid, Connie, and us went to the Chinese Gardens. They had the most beautiful flowers and trees.

We couldn't pass up having a little herbal tea party.

After we went to the Chinese Gardens we went to the Japanese Gardens. I loved the flowers and the greenery plus all the water falls and pools.

Here we are with Mt Hood in the background.

And this is St. Helens.

When we got to Sid's house he took Tina and us on a tour of the Northwest gardens at his house.

Here is Trillium. They have three pedals, three leaves and they only come up every other year.

I finally got to shoot a paint ball gun. Actually Sid's and Sydney's.

Sydney and Tayler are in a robotics club. Sid Jr is one of the leaders and they hold the club meetings at his house. This is Sydney and Tayler showing the family their robot. Pretty impressive.

Then it was time to come home. It was fun to come home and have Stevie come flying out from their back door to give Grandpa and me a hug. Then Trudy, Noah and Zane.