Whee!

 

Happy Monday!

I wish every one a blessed Memorial Day. Enjoy your loved ones please.  Remember what we have and who sacrificed themselves for it.

I finally figured out how to put photos on this blog in a larger format. What I know about blogging would fit in the bottom of a teacup!  I am a simple nurse after all. I learn from you talented gals on my blog reading list. If you are not on my blog roll…you will be!

grace surrounds us

Olive

Righteous Juice, Tomatoes and Beets At The Market

Hot house tomatoes from the  Athens Farmers Market.  These growers  had some lovely produce. Look at the color on these beets!

Righteous Juice. The name is delightful and yummy sounding.

Flower arrangements were everywhere!  These were my favorites. I like this yellow and blue combination. The can as a vase is simple yet charming.

Carrots! Oh My! They were ever so large. I had so much fun taking photos I did not buy one item. My sister-in-law, Sue, purchased some of those tomatoes. Brother-in–law and aggravate me to death Bob got some Basil seeds. Love Them. Bob and Sue ,not Basil seeds.

Thanks Bob and Sue for a great weekend!

 

Have a Blessed Memorial Day

Thanks to All Who Have Served Our Country In the Armed Services and God Bless You

 

grace surrounds us

Olive

Shoppe 3130

This is a thrift shop for women only. Located in an on old lovely building at 1126 Broad St. in Augusta ,Georgia. The cool aspect is it is operated like a boutique. There are antique furnishings and displays. The folding table is made from an old door similar to those in our old house.

Your purchase is wrapped in two contrasting colors of tissue. Then placed in a chic brown bag with twine handles and tied with ribbon. I think this makes the buyer feel special. Even when buying a three dollar shirt! They also sell vintage clothes but for much higher prices.

The name of the store is from Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceptive and beauty is vain but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised.”

With the word fears being translated respects in many newer translations. This charity has bible studies and also trains women who are jobless and assists them with interviews by providing them with two suits. I have started donating all of my clothes to this shop.

One part of Proverbs 31 causes me a giggle. The Dear Lord knows me by now. Quirky. It's verse fourteen where the wife feeds her servant girls. I, for the life of me, cannot find my servant girls.

grace surrounds us

Olive

The Rocks Rescue?Olive

Last weekend I was washing a cucumber in the kitchen sink. I peered out the window and saw a squirrel sitting on the bird feeder. I yelled at that critter something like this " GET OFF MY BIRD FEEDER YOU DANG SQUIRREL!" I was quite loud. The critter did not move. I stepped onto the deck and threw a pine cone at him. Gone. For thirty seconds maybe.

A few minutes later the doorbell rings. It is Mr. and Mrs. Rock from next door. Mr. Rock says he heard someone scream over here. Scream? I didn't hear it I say. Then it hits me. Mr. Rock is seventy eight and he has rushed over to rescue me from a squirrel. Mr. Rock says he would never forgive himself if something happened to me. Oh my goodness. These are the best neighbors ever. I tell them I am a heathen girl from the country who yells at squirrels out the window. Then I thank them and apologize. A lot. I promise to refrain from further loud discourse with the squirrels.

grace surrounds us
Olive

Joe and Olive Lost in the Country

This is a divinely lazy cat. Unlike this cat we were not lazy today. Y'all we had far too many errands in a short time period to get them all done. All this getting lost business that occurred later just slowed us down. It started this way. Joe went to an appointment while I walked around one of those huge manly store's. It usually exhausts me. I do dig the plants. Today I was beyond good as I did not buy one plant.

Then we got divinely lost. Twice. I will only share the second time here. Joe, bless him has a math-mind. I do not. He is so very scientific about getting from point A to point B. He speaks like this "You go east on the Interstate Olive." What? I don't get around that way. Give me a landmark. Tell me to turn at the gas station or to go right at Louie's. Anyho I had in my mind we could get to this office in the center of the county one way. Joe peered at the map looking something akin to a college professor and proclaimed we would go another way. Fine.

We took off. Down country roads. Wooded roads. Long beautiful roads with little railroad mill towns. Fifty miles out of the way. I did not gloat. I know I had an excellent "told you so" moment. My path could have gotten us there in twenty miles. Our relationship is such that we laughed at ourselves. Joe says he planned it all along. Right.

grace surrounds us
Olive

The Lilies

Do you worry? I know I do. I am a fabulous worrier. My mother was the best worrier ever. I handed that particular trait down to my daughter. That was unfortunate. What if I had taught her instead to trust in God's provision for us. My favorite comfort scripture is "And why do you worry about clothes? Look at how the lilies in the field grow. They don't work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that Solomon with his riches was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers."
Matthew 6:28-29(NCV)

I pledge this weekend to toil not. Oh and not to spin as in the King James version. Relax. That's what I am going to do. With my lovey. Joe.

grace surrounds us

Olive

Hidden Treasures At The Old House

I have lost an important quilt. It was on my daughter's bed when she was a small child. I believed it to be packed in a box somewhere here in the old house. We cannot find it.

Do you know how old houses in the South have rooms added on to them? This house has several. One was a beauty shop in the fifties. It has it's own porch. The current header photo for this blog is a picture of it's little window with Lady Banks Roses. The room itself is small with low ceilings. Unlike the thirteen foot ceilings in the rest of the house. The beauty shop is dark and full of curious artifacts. Two light bulbs dangle over the spider webs. Joe brought out three fabulous lamps. I have been looking for lamps at yard sales. I need to ask Joe to look in the innards of this old house before I buy anything!

We located three plastic boxes of mine from when we moved here. Apparently I never unpacked them. I think the contents must not have been critical. They have been fellow shipping with the spiders for seven years . The quilt was not in them. But HOLY BAT SHEETS ROBIN we found CC's Bat Man sheets. I always put them on the bed when she came with me to camp when I was a camp nurse.

There was gnashing of teeth and some mild wailing about the quilt. Regardless. It was not found. I do like that my child has a love for things from the past that have meaning. We have quilts made by my grandmother and Joe's mother(pictured above). Dishes from every one's mother. I try to tell CC how treasured they are. I think she's got it.

grace surrounds us

Olive

Not Enough For Me

Purple Haze. Purple People Eaters. Should I have warned you to put your shades on? This is the purple haired one I have been blogging about. She is returning to college Sunday after church. Six days home was not enough for me. No time for yard sales today. Yikes. Joe went for me. Love him. I wish everyone a splendid and blessed weekend.

grace surrounds us

Olive

LiFe iS FAst DyE YOuR HaiR

Life is Fast Dye Your Hair. That's the slogan on the hair color we used for my daughter's hair on Tuesday. The brand is Manic Panic. It does not inspire confidence. The idea was for the color to be hot pink. Well. Not. So. Much.

The girl, okay she was maybe twenty, who sold it to us had blue hair. I found this to be immensely helpful and encouraging. She told us exactly what to do. She explained to CC how to make the color last a while. That's a good thing because I may never use that color in our house again.

It's not Pink. It's PURPLE. With pink highlights. It was messy. There was hair dye everywhere. This stuff does not come in a kit. I had some gloves for staining furniture. Thank You Lord. Still. The instructions said to keep the dye one half inch from the scalp. Funny. Her scalp is purple. My hands are purple. The sink, two days later is purple. It's stainless steel. Rubbing alcohol saved our skin. The purple sink is growing on me.

How does CC look? She is stunning. I think because we choose to color the whole head of hair. It looks better than streaks. She is eighteen. If one is going purple, blue, or pink that's the time.

Thanks for the pink thoughts....I know they were secretly purple thoughts. Wink.

grace surrounds us
Olive

Pink Thoughts Please

CC and I are having some lazy days. We are going to enjoy some girlie pursuits! She has six days off before summer school college session one starts. Then we pack her up and off she goes again. We are packing some fun into four days on a mini vacation at the yellow house. The C- Cat is with us. Joe could not come but he would tire of our girlie pursuits anyway.

Today is dye CC's hair pink day. Yes PINK. She will not wear most shades of pink but having her hair pink is entirely acceptable. We are going shopping in search of the perfect shade of pink. Wish us luck! Not to mention I always am anxious about my coloring skills.

Chicken salad is under construction. I roasted the chicken last night. It's a purple grape, lime, and garlic recipe with curry that all of us love. I make a vat of it. We always eat it all. Joe says he has to fight for his share. Not true, I save some for my Joe every time. Last night CC ate on the patio for the first time here at our little house. It is in the midst of the flower garden and is peaceful and lovely. I found an old chipppy black patio table with four chairs at a yard sale. I like them so much and have decided no paint is needed.

After supper last night CC swung in the swing and I lay in the hammock. The cat was beside me. It is so very quiet here. The most wonderful place for Joe and Olive to land after all.

Y'all think some pink thoughts for us please.

grace surrounds us
Olive

You Make Me Happy When Skies Are Grey, You Are My Sun Shine

We scooped up CC from her dorm today. It was a lot of work. I am thrilled to see her on Mother's Day. She gave me one of those musical cards. It sings "you are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey". She bought that card because that is the song I used to sing to her when she was a baby. Sweet.

We filled a Jeep Sport and half a trailer with her dorm stuff! Was she ready when we arrived? Absolutely not. Haha. Really not a surprise. That's our little darling. She moves at her own pace. That is just who she is. I love her guts.

She weighed two pounds at birth. My pregnancy was fraught with worry and danger. I prayed for a baby and was given a baby for longer than most. CC was small for a long time. She was feisty from the start. I would call the Neonatal ICU at three am and the nurse would say she's awake and wiggling her foot out the air vent. She still stays up all night.

Her grandmother, Granny ,went to the NICU every day and rocked her. I rocked that little fuzzy squirrel too. That way she was held twice a day as she was there for almost ten weeks. I appreciate Granny more than could ever be said or recorded. She is the best grandmother anybody could have.

To think that miniature baby who wore Cabbage Patch doll clothes is now in college is more than a mama can handle some days. She calls and asks me about boys. Boys. Huh? I want my little baby sunshine back.

grace surrounds us
Olive Out

Great Women In My Life Part Two

I can see her now. It's nineteen seventy and she's quickly getting out of her mint green Volkswagen bug. Frequently she would be hollering at us kids. She had spirit and lots of it. She is my Mom. Katreen or better known by all as simply Kay.

She died last June after an extended illness. She was from the mountains of North Carolina. Appalachia. Her father died when she was a toddler. The family lived on the food they grew in their garden or they did not eat. Her mother died on my Mom's fourteenth birthday. Then she came to live with my Aunt Vera and Uncle Lester. Mountain people are fiercely loyal and stubborn. They hold grudges and never forget anything. They are excellent country cooks. Mother held true to all of that. She blew into a room like a mountain breeze.

She made some bad decisions. Decisions I know she regretted. She did not regret having her children. She loved all of us desperately. She loved the children she adopted as her own and treated them no differently. When her son, my only brother, was killed by a drunk driver at age forty-two it nearly destroyed her. She was not the same after his death. Dear Lord who would be?

We had our differences. I joked that she had a tenth degree black belt in passive aggressiveness. Truly she had mastered this skill. Especially after she became ill. I suppose it was her way of getting things done. Some how she managed to know what was happening even from her sickbed. I never doubted her intelligence.

When I work in my flower garden I think of Mama. She could grow anything anywhere. She always had a garden. She would enjoy my salvia, roses, and succulents. I believe I inherited my love and need for digging in the earth from her. Our relationship was complex and became more so in the last few years. That does not diminish the love I have for my Mama. This would be the first Mother's Day without her. Last Mother's Day was the final visit I had with her. I miss her. Now everyone go hug your mother!



grace surrounds us

Olive Out

Great Women In My Life Part One

I have been musing about two great women in my life. In this blog and the next I will attempt to write about these huge forces who have had such an influence on me. Now dead they are still part of my language, behaviors, and beliefs. I hope I can do this and give them the credit they deserve.

When I was two my Mom was hospitalized because my Dad slammed on the brakes while driving at the lake. Her head struck the windshield and she had a head injury. This was in hindsight a marvelous illustration of their relationship. My Aunt Vera took over and cared for me for the next four years. I was her fourth child. God in his omniscience gave her four children at odd times to raise. When she was a young women in Alabama her appendix burst while she was on a train. This was in the nineteen forties. It is amazing she did not die from septic shock or sepsis. She could not bear children as a result of the scar tissue in her abdominal cavity. She had always wanted children of her own.



She and my Uncle Lester raised two little boys from Alabama. I sadly only have one photo of them. Then in the nineteen fifties my mother arrived at age fourteen. That is not an easy age to acquire a child. But Aunt Vera was wonderful with my Mom. Later one could only mention Aunt Vera's name and Mama would cry. Vera was quiet and kind. She did not preach but she taught me daily about the love of God. One day I arrived home to find string all over the yard leading into the house. She told me to follow it. At the end was this splendid doll. I was delighted. She understood how to have fun. She often took me to my favorite place for lunch after school. That was McDonald's. Certainly a reason as to why I am about to be a lifetime member of WeightWatchers!

When I was in the first grade I arrived home from school and found my darling Aunt on the sofa. She was unresponsive. I never saw her again. She had suffered a stroke and was gone from us. My life was forever changed that day. I often imagine what she would think of me now. Would I be different if she lived longer? I think the answer is yes.

grace surrounds us
Olive Out