Well, OK

I placed both a large white calla and a very small greenish/white calla (both from our yard) into red dye yesterday. Over night the large white calla absorbed "some" dye, enough to say it is kinda pink. But not enough to really be considered hot pink. The small call (the size we need for the bridal bouquet) did not absorb any dye at all.

So here is where we stand. We can dye some white callas to include in the table bouquets and use some of the small greenish/white callas in coursages for the parents and Nicholas. I will order enough truly pink callas for the wedding bouquet and to make the grooms coursage. We will take pot luck with the other flowers, using a combination of what we can find at either Trader Joe's or the Farmer's Market and what we have in bloom here at the house.

I picked some Queen Anne's Lace yesterday and hung it up to dry. Seems it is already too late to gather premature flowers. All the Queen Anne's Lace has already bloomed. Some had developed heads of green seed. I am not sure if this will dry green or fade to brown. We will just have to see.

It is off to the Farmer's Market for me to get an idea of what is available. I will keep you posted. Irregardless, I anticipate a gloreous wedding. I am praying the weather will co-operate.

How quickly time passes

Rick & Amy's wedding is just two weeks from tomarrow. How quickly the time goes by. Richard & I will be doing all the flowers. This is a big deal. We love flowers. But just procuring the raw materials is proving to be a challenge. No one in our circles is what you could call well off and the flowers of choice are expensive, 3 dollars a stem. Sometimes life calls for innovation and compromise. We have plenty of experience with both. The primary goal is to not dissapoint the bride. She is a lovely and flexable woman. What more can I say? She deserves the best we can come up with. We will try very hard to please her.


Does anyone have any other ideas? We do not want to use silk flowers. The colors are citrus and hot pink. We would like to use big Gerba Daisy type flowers. Again, they are really high priced from the florist. I will look at the Farmer's market and I know they have them at Trader Joes, but these are bundles of mixed colors, primarily red and yellow. These and blue are the specific colors the bride does not want. So in order to get the colors we do want, we would have to purchase many more flowers than we actually need.

I have some ideas. We are soaking white flowers in red dye to see how they come out. If we don't like the results, I will order enough truly pink callas for the bridal bouquet and improvise everything else. This is compromise. Another request is for green queen Anne's lace. There is plenty of that along the roadside right now, but in 2 weeks it will all be in full bloom and white. My thought is that "maybe" if I pick some green and dry it upside down, it may hold it's color and look good. It is worth a try. If it works, great. If not, we haven't lost anything.

Help. Any and all thoughts are welcome. Maybe we can use them, maybe not. But they may stimulate other trains of thought. Thank you.

Moving

Because of the change in internet providers, I may need to move my blog. I anticipate that this will happen in the next couple weeks, so not to worry if you have trouble finding me. I am not atechnical person at all. My kids set up this blog for me and I will need to rely on them to make any necessary alterations. I checked out some of the options (links) I found on the blog site and they give instructions in technical language that I do not speak or understand. Guess I am too old for all this.

Change of subject. It has been raining off and on for a couple of weeks now. The plants are loving it, but we are finding it hard to keep up with maitenance. Richard has been working on the front beds for a couple hours a day. There are so many things that go untended though. Our back lawn is at least 3 feet high. We started to cut it with the weed eater (our mower is in the shop). But it just doesn't work well when the grass is soaked. Then there are the weeds that spring up in all the newly cleaned areas. Seems you take one step forward and two back.

I did get the vegetable starts in the planting beds. They really need some top soil though. So too, with the roses and flower beds. They really need about 3 inches of bark. These are additives we can't afford and do not have the means of spreading even if we could. This is a hard reality and source of frustration. Our yard is enjoyed by the entire neighborhood. We get positive feedback from all who pass by. So it is frustrating that we can't keep up with it.

technology chalenge

OK, I am finally doing this. I will be getting high speed internet access, putting dial up away. It is not something that I would have changed, despite the time it takes to use dial up. But the cost of TV access has gotten so out of hand that we were forced to take a hard look at "bundles". We already have Direct TV and Qwest. It was only natural to look at a bundle that would put them together with internet access. Turns out that because we already have these, there wouldn't be much of a discount. So we are going with cable. It will give us all three services for about $20 less than bundling with Qwest for a full year. There is no time related contract, so if we don't like it, we can chane without any penalty. The price is good for full year. Looks like we will need to look at this again and again.

For those of you who have been after me to change from dial up for several years, this action should better allow me to view videos and download photos with ease. What ever happened to patience? So it takes 10 minutes to get a video of a few seconds using dial up. I do eventually get it. (just a bit of sarcasm)

My biggest concern is in making all the needed changes in my current files. I am hoping the installer can transfer such things as my e-mail address book, Facebook account, blog access, and my favorites list. Grrr.

I'll e-mail my new e-address to everyone, provided I can manage this technology change.

Remembering

Today marks an anniversary, of sorts. Not something to celebrate by any means. But still an event that marks a huge change in not only my life, but the lives of my family. It was one year ago today that I fell, crushing my leg and gashing my head on a landscape rock. The months that followed really brought home the fact that we all need each other. Today I would like to again recognize and thank all those who contributed to my recovery from that devistating fall. You know who you are. You are angels in disguise.

A year ago I faced months of dependancy on others for provision of food, drink or medication, for moving even from my bed to the portable pot. Someone even had to bring a basin for me to wash in. If you have not experienced being totally dependent, let me tell you, it is very humbling. It is an experience that changes, or at least brings home the need for connectivity.

How easy it is to intelectually acknowledge that someone is in need and then go on with our busy lives. Stop right there. Acknowledgement without action is not acceptible. Remember the story of the good Samaritan? He not only gave funds to help someone in need. In fact giving funds was far from the top of a long list of actions taken. First he recognized a need. Then he took time, interupting what was probably a busy schedule. After that he personally provided physical assistance. Only then did he make sure that the man had continuing care by providing monitary help. And all this was for someone he didn't even know. There are many lessons to be learned by this story. Many lessons demonstrated by my experience. For I was in effect, the man robbed and left to die on the road. God provide not just one, but many good Samaritans to help me recover. Again, thank you.

If anything is to be celebrated today, it is that I am so very blessed with family, friends, neighbors and even strangers who have stepped up and demonstrated a hands on willingness to help in my time of need. You have learned the lesson of the good Samaritan well. I praise God for all of you.

Mother's Day

This is Mother's Day weekend and I am feeling really blessed. All my children will be spending the day with their kids. Richard and I will be here knowing that they too are blessed by children and grandchildren. Quiet is good. We love our family, but need quiet. The sound of children playing is precious. But a little goes a long way. As we get older, we find that crowds and noise get on our nerves.

I have already received a call from my oldest granddaughter, wishing me a happy Mother's Day and sharing her joy of moving into her new dream house. It has been a long hard struggle for her to get to this point. But she took the time to call and share. Thank you.

Two of my daughters have already presented gifts, as well. I received new garden tools from one, ear rings, a card, and a really wonderful book on cooking gluten free from the other. Thank both of you so much.

Of course the other kids live far away but I expect to hear from them on Sunday. All the kids have families that will be celebrating them as mom. The torch has been passed. We have been 4 generations now for 13 years. It gives me so much pleasure to see how my family is developing.

So many paths that lead to diverse places, both physical and in interests. My family is quite literally spread around the world. Doug is in the middle east, Amy and 5 grandchildren in Europe, Rick, 5 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren in Washington, Misty and 2 great-grandchildren in Florida, Carmen in NYC, and the rest here in Oregon.

To date, most of my grown grandchildren have chosen careers that involve some sort of service to others. One is serving in the military, one working in the medical field, one as a cosier in NYC, and another working at a university. Still another grandchild has chosen a career as a stay at home mom, perhaps the greater service of all. The remaining adult grandchildren, are still either in school or trying to figure out their lives. I am confident that they will find a path that includes bringing joy to others.

Happy Mother's Day to my daughters (Shelley, Dianna, and Amy), to my soon to be daughter-in-law Amy L, and to my granddaughters (Misty, Bridget, and Lissa). I love all of you more than you can possibly know. But please forgive my tears, for right now I wish I could express my love and a happy Mother's Day to my own mom . Mom died just over 16 years ago and I am missing her so very much.

Perspective

This week has gotten a bit better each day. My last physical therapy appointment was on Tuesday. My knee is doing great. The therapist measured my ability to flex the knee (111 degrees), stretch it out (neutral/completely straight), and strength to push and pull (both good).


Before surgery I could only get to 96 degrees, straiten to -8 cm, could push but not pull at all. So I am felling real good about the results. I still have some numbness on one side of the incision that may take up to 2 years to return, if at all. Small price to pay for being able to walk.


My back is still bothering me a bit. It is the sacroiliac joint on the left side. It is probably an arthritic flareup from moving those bins of yard debris, but it is getting better. Ice has helped most, though I have had to take some pain meds a couple times. I really hate not being able to just do what I see needs to be done.

The sun is shining and the yard is calling. I will concentrate on those things I can do without aggravating my back again. I can balance my accounts. I can work on a project for a service group I head up. I can enjoy a presentation Shelley is giving tonight at church. I can cook something (cake or pie) for a pot luck tomorrow. I will also pick up some potting soil and more weed eater string for Richard. The last few days have been rather wet so he hasn't been outside either. he is anxious to finish trimming around the flower beds and in the vegetable garden walkways.

Spring is here both weather wise and in our hearts. Time for new beginnings. Time to plant seed and watch it grow. We will also add to our family. A new daughter-in-law in June and a new great-grandchild in July. Our oldest great-granddaughter is officially a teenager today. Oh how they grow. Happy birthday Taylor. We love you so much. Wish we could give you a hug, but you are so far away in Florida. Hope to see you again soon or at least before you are all grown up.

Joy is all in the perspective. Today I choose to embrace life. To do those things that I can. To look forward to the future. To encourage others in their efforts. To be thankful for all that God has provided. Hope you have a wonderful day.