FOR ROBBIN

MEMORIAL DAY

Flowers for mom and dad's grave.

I was struck by the amount of flags that were flying in the cemetery today. Then I realized that the WWII and Korean War Veterans were of such an age now that they are dying.

I have no idea who this is, but something about him spoke Vietnam vet. I am probably wrong, but that's what the scene said to me.

Thank you to our military men and women for giving their lives so that America can remain free. I wish we would honor them more than once a year.

NO PIT, NO PRACTICE, NO PROBLEM!

Yesterday we were invited to a picnic on daughter Kari's lovely patio. It was a small quiet picnic, and we totally enjoyed the beautiful Sunday afternoon weather.

My youngest granddaughter (I have 6!) Anna was posing for a cute picture with her mom, and when I grabbed my camera she sat up straight, refused to pose again, and put on her silly smile. Such a sweetie!

My oldest grandson (I have 9!) is such a handsome dude, don't you think? He grabbed some food and headed off to stick his head under the hood of one of his fix-er-upper cars.

Another grandson, Caleb, wore his very best shoes to the picnic. Aren't they spiffy? He is a newly licensed driver and proudly pulled up in his dad's truck. He also came home with us and visited with us for a couple of hours while we watched the Big Ten track and field event. Caleb is in track and was listing his times vs the college mens' times. He isn't that far off, except in pole vaulting. He attends a very small high school, too small to have a vault pit so he doesn't get any practice. They just go to the meet and do it! He said their motto is: No PIT, NO PRACTICE, NO PROBLEM!

VIKINGS VS PACKERS

You know I'm from Minnesota. You probably know that the Minnesota pro football team is called the Vikings. And you maybe know that our fiercest rivals are the Green Bay Packers.

If you've read the last couple of posts, you know we went to Wisconsin for my cousin's wedding. You most likely have heard of the Green Bay Packers and maybe even of their quarterback, Brett Favre. And the most loyal fans in the whole NFL are the cheeseheads, err, the Packer fans.

Some of you may also have heard of the retirement, non retirement, retirement, ad nausea, of Brett Favre, and the rumors that he will once again come out of retirement and will be playing for the Vikings next season.

The reception following the wedding was held in a nice establishment a few miles from the church. As we (we being two cars full of Minnesota Viking fans) drove into the parking lot we saw a large Green Bay Packer sign. This must have set the wheels in motion.........

The bride announced that the "clinking of the glasses" was not going to result in the bride and groom kissing. The gathered friends and relatives had to sing a song with the word love in it. Soon we were hearing the Barney song "I love you, you love me," and "Jesus loves me," and "I'd love to be an Oscar Meyer wiener," along with many pop and country songs containing the word love. And my sister, Betsy, a first class writer, wrote a little jingle for us to sing:

(Think Grease and "We Love you Conrad.")

We love our Vikings, oh yes we do
We love our Vikings, and we'll be true.
If we don't get Brett Favre, we'll be blue,
Oh Vikings, we love you.

Yes, we did. We made complete fools of ourselves and sang our song. Nothing happened! The groom didn't plant a big kiss on the bride! Turns out the mike wasn't turned on, so fortunately no one except the near by tables heard our song, and unbelievably, there were no cries of Encore!

ONLY IN MINNESOTA

I think summer is here...... in May. A couple of days ago my son called from up north and there was snow on the ground. Now today the bank thermometer said 96 and my truck said 100......only four days later!

THE LAST FOUR DAYS

I haven't blogged for four days because I've been busy. On Thursday I finished this black, white and red purse for myself. I like the way it turned out, but this is a very poor photo so you'll just have to imagine what it looks like.

On Friday I went to graduation at the college where I worked. The graduating class had just finished their freshman year when I retired three years ago, so they were the last of "my kids" to graduate. I had to be there. And I'm glad I went. It was fun to see them and to congratulate them on their accomplishments.

Then on Friday night Ernie and I went to dinner with two of his brothers and their wives. Karen and Neil live only about five miles from us but we just don't see them very often. Jim and Joann are from out of town so we don't see them much at all. We did Mexican for the dinner and had a good meal in addition to good fun and conversation.

Saturday morning we picked up my sister Lois and headed to sister Ruth's house where we met sister Betsy. We divided into two cars, men in one, us gals in the other, and headed off to Wisconsin to our cousin's wedding. We arrived at noon to meet cousins and aunt for lunch. And I am posting the photos of the best part of our lunch.

This first piece of pie was my sour cream raspberry.

This 6 inch meringue was atop my cousin's piece of lemon meringue.

To die for.

Then it was off to the wedding of my cousin Karen and her David. Beautiful wedding and as you can see, a beautiful radiant bride. God's richest blessings to Karen and David as you begin your life together. I am so happy for you!

QUILT SHOPS

Our quilt shop shopping trip was a lot of fun. We visited four different shops and had a really good time in each one. Both my sister and I found some fabric and new patterns......actually we got patterns for 50% off!
And I found some really pretty green fabrics........now I wonder what I can make out of them?

GOIN' SHOPPIN'

Good morning blogging friends. It's grey, cloudy, rainy and extremely windy out there today. I think it's a good day to go shopping!

My sister, Betsy, is retiring.....well, she's supposed to be retiring, but she keeps going back to train her replacement, so she's still working, actually. However, today she is not going in to work, and we are going shopping. We're hitting the quilt shops! She's looking for coordinating fabric to a charm pack I gave her, and I'm on a quest to find fabric for a tote bag for Robbin who won my third anniversary give away. And of course we'll do lunch. And maybe peruse a couple of thrift shops. You know the old saying: Neither rain nor wind will keep quilters out of the shops. Or something like that. Anyhow, we're going shopping and I'm expecting a really fun day.

But first we have coffee!

AND THE WINNER IS.......................

The winner of a tote bag, chosen very scientifically with names printed on squares of paper, folded in fourths, and then thrown on the floor, is the one and only, the sweet, the wonderful, the lady who spells her name with two B's, Robbin, over at this spot in Washington. Congratulations, Robbin! I am so glad you were the chosen one because you wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby and wear a big hat and carry one of my bags! Imagine, one of my bags at the Kentucky Derby! Wouldn't that be awesome! So, Robbin, you need to email me pronto so we can decide on the size and color of your bag. I'll also need your full name and address. My email address is roadsage at gmail dot com.

THE. END.

Okay, so this give away is closed. It was supposed to end at midnight, but because I forgot to look last night at midnight, I will accept the comment from this morning, and the comment by email, and as soon as the old retired Air Force guy gets home from golfing, I will have him draw a name so I can notify the winner. Stay tuned for the excitement!

I hope you all had a wonderful day on Sunday. I did. I had talked to one kid on Saturday, and I was blessed to be able to talk to the other six on Sunday. And I was so happy to hear from my sons that they were spending the day with their family instead of heading out to the lake for fishing opener. It seems that outside work was the plan for the day as two sons were involved in planting flowers, one mowed his grass, and one planted his garden. Daughter Gail spent the day with her two sons, and we visited a few minutes with daughter Kari , who greeted us in her new "moo moo."

The trees are leafed out, the tulips are standing proud with their brightly colored heads soaking in the sunshine, the lilacs are bursting into shades of purple, pink, and lavender, and the wild plums are spreading their intoxicating fragrance along the bike trail. Guess where I'm heading?

WHAT DAY IS IT?

Is it May 9, 2009? Yes, it is.

Is it Saturday? Yes, it is.

Is it the day before Mother's Day? Yes, it is.

Is this a day that the Lord has made? Yes, it is. Rejoice and be glad in it!

Is it the day of my 646th post on this blog? Yes, it is........and you're getting close.....

Is this the three year anniversary of my blog? Yes, it is!

Three years ago today I was sitting in Dunn Bros Coffee Shop with my daughter, Kari, trying to wrap my feeble mind around this new thing I was going to try, blogging. I was still three weeks away from retirement, three weeks away from finalizing the sale on our home, three weeks away from moving into our new fifth wheel trailer, and three weeks away from taking off on the huge adventure called full time RVing. And three years ago I still had my mom.

Wow, has my life changed in the last three years! We retired, as planned. We sold the house and moved into the trailer, as planned. We traveled, as planned. And we lost my mom, totally unplanned.

In the last three years we have gone to all four corners of our great land. We've visited Alaska, Florida, New Foundland and Nova Scotia, California, and every state and province in between those places. We have loved every single mile of our travels, I've shared it all with you through pictures and words. I hope you've enjoyed my travels a little with me.

And I would give it all up to be able to hug my mom tomorrow on Mother's Day. I miss her terribly.

Now to celebrate the past three years I decided I must have a giveaway! So, leave me a comment in the next 48 hours.......well, make it by midnight Monday.........and tell me what state or area of our great land you would like to visit. And, no, the prize isn't a trip to that place as much as I would like to give that to you! But, the winner, chosen by a retired Air Force guy, will get their choice of a purse or tote bag, lovingly crafted by me, in the colors (well somewhat close anyhow) of their choice. Okay?

Are you ready? Okay. Get set. GO! Comment!

CONFIRMATIONS

The last two Sundays have been very important ones. We had two grandsons that were confirmed, Adam a week ago in our town, and Justin just this past Sunday, about two hours away from here. We were fortunate that we could attend both.
I didn't get any photos of Adam in his gown, but here he is with his cake. We had a lovely dinner at daughter Kari's home and spent a wonderful afternoon visiting with her and three of our others kids and families.

This past Sunday's confirmation was the special ending to my sisters weekend. Us four sisters had a great time. Between us we bought over fifty books at the huge book sale, but spent less than fifty dollars! We should be set for a little while now. We had a delicious lunch at a neat spot close to one of the colleges in town. We also hit a few trendy shops but we didn't buy anything. Then it was off to the outlet mall where our favorite T-shirts were on sale. Between us I think we bought about 16 shirts. When we returned home we had a pot luck meal with each of us contributing something. Fun, fun, fun!

Saturday morning we took off for our oldest son's home. Kevin and Molly live in a fun, trendy, shopping destination, river town, where they have a beautiful home. On Sunday we, and his other grandparents too, attended Justin's confirmation. It was another very nice confirmation service. And here is a picture of Justin.......

......his latest hobby is cruising down the streets.

These two grandsons are really neat kids, and we love them dearly! And what a blessing that their parents, our two oldest kids, bring them to the Lord's house every Sunday, and are teaching them the one thing needful.

PINK AND BROWN

This bag is pink and brown, much more colorful than this picture shows. And on the pocket is a bit of pink bling. This was for granddaughter Katie's 22nd birthday. Hope she liked it!

SISTERS

Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply...... ~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814

Tomorrow is a day I have been looking forward to for several weeks now. My three sisters and I are doing a "Sisters Day"......Sister Betsy is coming from the south, Sister Lois and I are coming from the west, and we are meeting at Sister Ruth's house for a quick cup of coffee and potty break, and are then taking off for a day of fun. The first stop is a giant book sale in a college town not too far from Ruth's place. All of us sisters love to read and a huge book sale is one of our favorite shopping trips. Just think, if we would each buy ten books and pass them around when we're finished reading them, we can each have forty new books to read!

Then we have to do lunch, of course. I'm guessing we'll be looking for a women's luncheon destination, some place unique where we can find something not offered at the fast food or chain restaurants. Somewhere that makes a great cup of coffee, maybe a tasty cup of soup and a delicious salad or nummy sandwich. A place that doesn't play rap music as we dine or where teens aren't texting on their cells as they dip their french fries into ranch dressing. We want the kind of place that you don't go to every day, a place that our men probably wouldn't want to take us to, the kind of place that women gather at and sip lattes or cappuccinos and eat scones and tirimisu.

Then off to another shop for bargains. We found out that our favorite T-shirts are on sale at the outlet mall located a few miles in the other direction from Sister Ruth's house, so we'll be off to see what colors we don't have or to replace the dingy looking ones we're currently wearing.

But most of all I am looking forward to spending a fun day with my three sisters. It's about a year ago that our mom's health began to go downhill much more quickly than we expected it would. It's about a year ago that I began to rely on my sisters more than I ever had before in my life. These past few weeks I have become more emotional when thinking of my mom and my sisters and I know the next couple of months will be even more emotion filled as we approach the one year mark of mom's death.

I am so thankful I have my sisters.

I am also extremely thankful for my one brother, Paul, but he doesn't drink coffee, eat scones or wear pastel colored T shirts, so we didn't invite him!

REJOICE WITH ME

Remember that last November I wrote about our daughter going into treatment for alcohol abuse? I just wanted to let you all know that she has been sober for 6 months! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. And thank God with me for this milestone, and pray it continues.

THE CHECK IS IN THE MAIL!

We have returned from our short trip to Omaha, safe and sound and tired. Just in time for the weather to change. There is a front coming in, and the temps of yesterday of 84 will be reversed by tomorrow the 5 o'clock news said. 48? You gotta be kidding me! YUK!

We had mail for five days piled up so I began to look through it and noticed a couple of exciting envelopes. But I opened the other things first. I always save the best until last just like I do with a meal. Eat the least favorite first, then eat the food I like the most! But I digress. I opened what looked like an advertisement and found a coupon for five dollars off on a pair of shoes from a local shoe chain store where I had bought one pair of shoes and signed up for their rewards program. The year is up and my one pair of shoes earned me five bucks. If I buy another pair. Then I spied an envelope from the periodontist that I had seen for my tooth problem last year. I over paid. They sent me a refund. Two bucks. Well, at least this is real money. I don't have to go back and buy another tooth treatment to get this!

Woohoo! An envelope from the restaurant where I and six others of my family had eaten last week and were treated like crap. Enough said about that experience. But, I received seven gift cards worth ten bucks each, one for each of us! YAY! Then hubby reported that he had also written them, except to the regional office, and he received a gift card worth twenty-five bucks for the two of us to dine. YAY!

AND. Social Security sent me a notice that my stimulus or reinvestment money, or whatever they call it, will arrive at the end of May. And that's two hundred and fifty dollars.

A pretty profitable day from the US Mail! Thank you Mr. Postman!

OMAHA'S LAURITZEN GARDENS

We had lunch in this tiny cafe. I had a wonderful squash soup that had small pieces of some kind of sausage in it. To die for!

Those last two are my favorites.

I'm guessing this wall with the half open door would look really neat when the perennials planted on both sides of the door are in full bloom.

I don't understand weather that goes from 28 degrees to 88 degrees in a matter of a couple of days. Isn't there a happy median? I like somewhere around 68. Today was too warm.

OMAHA'S HENRY DOORLY ZOO

Okay. First of all I highly recommend this zoo. If you are ever anywhere near Omaha, heck, make a special trip!, and visit this zoo. It was wonderful.
You wonder what God was thinking when He created the peacock with that huge tail. But it sure is beautiful, isn't it.

In the river, below the bridge, are thousands of koi competing for the feed pellets that the kids throw to them. And I may add: also the Cheetos, chips, cookie pieces, and the occasional PB&J.

Because the lion doesn't live in the jungle, I would say this guy is the king of the jungle.

I love, love, loved the butterfly pavilion! You go through two sets of glass sliding doors in order to get into the home of the butterflies. And you need to dodge them sometimes as you walk along the pathway through the bushes and flowers as they are free to fly; you are in their cage! And you go through two more sets of doors to get out. And attendant checks you over to make sure none of the butterflies are hitching a ride out on your jeans or shirt.

Aren't those "eyes" on their wings almost real looking?

More than one set of eyes here.

I usually don't do bugs, but this guy was so cute! He almost looked fake.

There were beautiful orchids in several of the more tropical buildings. The hot, sweaty, buildings. Like the one in the next photos........the jungle building. I have decided for sure that I'll never do a jungle trek. I couldn't stand the heat and humidity. ICK!

But we did go on the jungle walk at the zoo. See the rope bridge on the right side of the picture?

Yes, we did. We crossed the river on the rope bridge. And it was very slippery from the waterfall on the left of this picture. In real life, in a real jungle, you wouldn't get me to cross a little stream on one of those rope bridges. Not if it were more than three feet off the ground!

I think these are called the peace lily, aren't they? Very beautiful.

Don't know who this guy is, but his address is the jungle.

The only picture of these guys that was half way clear doesn't show their long colorful tails. Sorry.

Notice I didn't bore you with lions and tigers and bears. Oh my! And I only posted 15 of the 315 pictures that came home with me from the zoo. And my camera battery is charged and ready for the botanical gardens tomorrow. It will be fun. Love to take flower pictures!

BACK FROM THE ZOO

We had a wonderful day at the zoo. Almost 7 hours, temperature of almost eighty, and me with skin cancers in my not too distant past. The sun was bright, and I had on no sun screen. I know, I know. I should know better. I will remember to pack it next trip!

Just wanted to warn you that I took a few pictures. Well, actually, it was more than a few. Like, ummmmm, around 315 or so. Oh, you can't read this? Well, I took about 315.........still can't see it? Okay, I admit it. I took 315 pictures at the zoo. OK? Are you happy now? 315.

Just remember. You have been warned!

SIGHTSEEING TUESDAY

We stopped at an information building, got some info, and were off on our sightseeing day. We first headed to the Old Market. It's three blocks long, cobblestone streets, old warehouses and other old buildings, and lots of quaint shops and eating establishments. This flower shop had some of the pretty blooms out on the street .

We ate lunch at Spaghetti Works. I had tortellini which was nummy.

Ernie had lasagna which he said was very good.

The restaurant is in an old warehouse and is decorated with lots of old stuff, ranging from beautiful chandeliers to old advertising signs, to a salad bar in the back of a delivery truck to these really neat booths. They were phone booths taken from the old railroad depot, and now they are serving as cozy booths to dine in.

The next two photos remind me of Italy and the stone window openings, and narrow streets and passageways with the businesses pouring out of the doors of the small shops, onto the streets.

We visited the Mormon Trail Center, which was the winter camping grounds of the Mormon wagon trains. We also walked through the Pioneer cemetery which is the final resting grounds for many of those who didn't make it through the winter, nor to their goal in Utah. I took pictures but they didn't turn out the way I wanted.

Then we went to the flower gardens, but because it was only about an hour until closing, we decided not to pay the $$$$ for just a short tour. We may go back tomorrow or Thursday. I did take some pictures on the walk from the parking lot to the front door.

This bumble bee was busy, busy, busy. He had thousands of pansies to pick from!

I liked the red and yellow of this unknown to me flower.

Pansies always remind me of Walt Disney's Fantasia and the flowers that dance and twirl in their petal skirts.

This is my version of a Monet. Kind of sick, uh?
And we were treated to another beautiful sunset tonight. Tomorrow it's off to the zoo.