153 Fish

How to live through anything. The fish principle
Click on the above link to read the blog post.


This showed up on my Face Book page.  Posted by a friend of mine.
In the past few months I have been looking for joy in my life.
I have not been counting the fish though.
By the time I finished reading it, I was literally sobbing.
It is amazing where epiphanies come from sometimes.

Finding joy in a new umbrella

Really, I am to stiff and sore to be doing this, but I had to. I laid down on my deck and shot this picture up into my new umbrella.
I have wanted one for a long time. This is a very basic one, it raises and lowers by a rope and pulley system and then is held in position by a bar that slips through a hole in the pole.
Basic, but I am really enjoying it.

Random

The climbing hydrangea I planted on the south side of my house.  It was just a scrawny little twig for so many years. Finally last year it decided to take off.  I think by next spring I will be able to guide it over the top of my gate and hopefully up along the fence.

Pepper and I were out on poop patrol. I can't help taking pictures of her. She is so darn cute.

I get so much enjoyment from my roses.  I remember a card someone gave my mom many years ago when my sister was killed in a water accident.  The front was a beautiful rose and the caption was that God gave us memories so we could have roses in January. Every time I look at my beautiful roses I remember that card.

Have to get a little Grandson love into the mix.  Great grandson Jayce David.  He is learning to get down off of Gramma's porch. He fell, but fortunately from the other side so it is not so far to go.  He insists on being outside and is comfortable, usually, with stairs. He negotiates mine and the ones at his house every day so I was a bit surprised when he did fall from the porch.

There is something so special about day lily's.  One day of absolute beauty and the next nothing. These are special because the came from the garden of Stan's sister and brother in law.  His sister Susie lost a very long struggle with cancer this summer. 

You know how you associate some flowers with people?  My uncle had a gorgeous hydrangea along side his house.  When Stan and I bought this house 12 years ago, I just had to have one to plant beside mine. I bought this one. It is on the east side of my house where it thrives beautifully. Two years ago though, someone thought it needed a hard prune. Someone else was just a little bit peeoed when they took a walk through the garden and discovered it.  It did not bloom at all the following year, but this year has made up for it.  That person has been forgiven.  This is my first hydrangea but since have collected several more, including a gorgeous white one. I had plans of planting a hedge of white ones, but never got beyond the original one.

Disregard the Gramma fat tummy and focus on the pretty baby.  Who could bring themselves to put that down? We sat like this for 2 hours while he napped.  Pepper right alongside the entire time.  She really thinks it is her job to watch out for the babies.

After our nap, a very happy rested boy.

A couple of days later, Great Granddaughter Miss Trynity came over to try on some shoes a friend had given to Gramma for her.  Unfortunately the feet were just too big.

Mommy tried real hard to get her to like them.

But she had them off as soon as she could.

Pepper keeping vigil out the front window.  Nothing gets past her. 

Prayers for a Blessed and safe weekend for everyone.

Alaska Day 3

It has been nearly three weeks since Stan and I took our little jaunt up to Southeastern Alaska. Life interceeded and I have not been able to post the final pictures of our trip.  I am making time to do so right now.

We left Juneau on Sunday morning, June 30th for the quick flight to Ketchican, the final leg of our little adventure. For some reason, I could not get the setting on my camera to work for me and my in air pictures are not as sharp as I like them to be. If you look into the background of this picture, you can see another glacier. They really are beautiful and the Majesty of God's creation just shouts out at you from high above it.

Mountains jutting up through the clouds.

A cruise ship making it's way into port in Ketchican. It was still a way out, but it was expected to land while we were in town.

Coming into Ketchican, you landed on the opposite side of the channel from the town. The landing strip looked a little scary from above.

A little better picture of it as we approached.  You land on the far left side and then make a sharp right at the end on the runway, go down a hill and taxi to the end once again and then down to the terminal.  Kind of interesting. Three levels. 

In this picture, the ferry is across the channel from the airport. It comes over and ferries you across to the Ketchican side of the channel for a small fee.

We saw several Eagle in the area. They are so amazing to watch. The grace of their flight in comparison to their size is amazing to me.

Ketchican Creek that flows through town.  Much of the old town is built around this creek.

Harbor picture.

Both of these homes were very successful businesses in the early days of Ketchican. The "lady" proprietresses of both lived in them after their businesses were declared illegal.  I believe they both passed away sometime in the 50's. This street in now a big attraction to the tourists, full of kitchey little shops. You can see under the buildings the pilings, it is because this street is built along side and sometimes over Ketchican creek.

Ketchican has the largest collection of standing totem poles. Notice also the tram going up the hill to the businesses up above.  We did not ride it up, but found it to be rather interesting.  You can see the red car just above the roof of hte building in the foreground.

There were four cruise ships along the docks downtown.  There are two more slips further out of the downtown area and they were expecting both to be occupied by evening.

Ketchican boasts being the Salmon Capital of the world.  She was also, once upon a time, a logging town. Sadly so many regulations have severely curtailed both industries. She relies more and more upon the tourist trade now.

I just liked the tunnel going under the hill, the house atop the tunnel and the stairs going up.

I am thinking if one were to do these stairs even once a day, up and down, you would never have to worry about having thunder thighs.  Stan thinks they would make an amazing bobsled run in the winter.

Almost home.  Can you see the Space Needle?

Coming in for a landing, Both of our sports arenas below us.

Mount Rainier.  We will be on the ground within minutes.

We are trying to decide on where to go next.  Have been looking at the Grand Canyon, but need to wait for it to cool down a bit down there before we wander off that direction.  Maybe this weekend just a little car trip.  I am wanting to head out onto the Olympic Peninsula, we have not been there since the kids were little.
I guess I will just have to wait until tomorrow morning and see which way the wind is blowing when we get up.
Do you have fun plans for the weekend?

JULY 10, 1965

To my Sweet Kris, whom some may say lost the battle. I say she won the ultimate reward. Love you.

She lived large, she loved to her fullest, she served her Risen Savior in all that she did. I miss her so much today the 6 month anniversary of her graduation, but I know I will see her again.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness and faith. Galatians 5:22.
This is the best description of her.

Just a little retail therapy

On Thursday, I was having a terrible day. Alone and too much time to think. She is never far from me, but when I am alone she is right here and the hole in my heart breaks open again. I had to leave the house because if I am out in public I manage to hold it together better.  So I went to Value Village.  I love glass ware and little kitchen decor things.  I already had this teapot. I had purchased it years ago when a local store held a clearance sale.  Everything you could fit into a shopping bag was $5.00. You can be sure I fit this into the bag, along with lots of other things. The creamer and sugar do not match exactly, but they are by Mary Engelbreit as is the Teapot and have all of the same colors.  I paid less than $10.00 for the set.  Too bad I don't drink tea!

I also picked up this beautiful dish. I was amazed to find it is cut glass and not pressed.  A rare thrift store find and a true score.

I turned it upside down and photographed it this way also.  I was hoping the facets would show a little better. I have not found an use for it yet but I will.
Best thing is I paid . I paid about $4.00 for this!

I did not buy this chicken, but have had my eyes peeled for one just like this one for years and years.  During our neighborhood spring garage sale, I stopped at a neighbors house to chat.  She had a few things out, including this chicken.  Just being a bit helpful, I thought, I said to her that this is an antique and probably worth more than Garage Sale prices.  She said I was probably right as it had belonged to her Great Grandmother.  It is a very thick glass, not the thin glass you find today.  I asked how much she would price it at and she told me to just take it home.  I was delighted.  I told her it could sit quite happily on this Great Grandma's counter for a while.  I do enjoy chickens and have a few more, but have coveted one like this one for years.
Happy Gramma 

I have had this cute little wire basket for years.  A sweet niece gave it to me.
I found these little milk jugs and was pretty sure they would fit in the basket.  Originally, I bought just four but went back and got two more.  All six fit, rather snugly, but they do fit and I love them sitting on my island.  The little birdies are left over from the Tea Party I decorated for this spring.  Just had to bring them out to add to the vignette.

Shopping did take my mind off of things for a while, until I ran into a young friend at Value Village. When she asked how I was doing, the flood gates opened again.  My theory of getting out into the public did not work at all.  As we talked, I noticed a woman standing nearby and I could tell she was listening,  soon she too was crying. As she entered the conversation, she told me that her 15 year old daughter was killed in an auto accident several years ago. This "club" I belong to certainly has many unwilling members. You run into them every day.  All I can say is if you happen to run into some lady out in public bawling her eyes out, have a little empathy, she is not really crazy, she is probably me or another mother just like me trying to work through the hardest days of her life.