A BIG HEALING HEART:

Can't tell you how many hours I've snuggled with Susie. She nickers to me and nuzzles my chest with her warm muzzle. She has melted my heart...I can feel again. Time to reach out to friends...Grammie is back!

This has been a long, long winter. It's far from over but the robins are out and although it's snowing today, I can feel Spring right around the corner. Time to collect planting pots and line up fertilizer. It's going to be all-organic this year. Where to start...

THE WIDOW HOFFMAN:

Grief, sorrow and sadness. Mixed feelings. One life ends, another begins. I am so grateful to have my daughter Sunny and her family with me, especially little Lila (Leela). I will be back soon, love Grammie

I HATE LITTLE RED X'S!!! :

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?:

Do you take the time to admire the beauty of God's nature? I have been so busy this last month, this weed took me totally by surprise...

and these Bitterroots (called Rock Roses in WA) - AWESOME!

I borrowed some of His lovely creations for the entrance of "Midnower"...

but nothing can be as breathtaking as the jewels He provides without our help like this wild rose.

CURSES OF JUNE:

It snowed last week. Spent the last 5 days trying to salvage what didn't freeze in the garden. Wanted to give up on it but no can do with the current prices of veggies. Saved what I could and replaced what I couldn't. Now it's just weed and water and blog guilt free.

Funny, the things that go thru my head while working outside. Today it was all about snakes. Started when I stepped outside and startled a little Gardener Snake who was sunning himself on the back stoop, caused me to do a knee to chin high run in place while screaming. The mouth wide open type of scream that you can't stop till you run out of air.

I hate snakes. It stems from a close call I had when I was around 3. My parents, sister and I were visiting my uncle and cousin in OR. We were walking along a trail single-file, looking for wild strawberries on our way to swim in the Rouge River. My dad was leading, then my mom, sister, cousin Lynn, me and my uncle brought up the rear. My uncle Doyle was a farmer and it was normal to see him with a rifle of some sort. He carried a shot gun on that hot summer day and I didn't really pay attention to it till I heard a loud "BOOM" and felt something hit my leg. First thing after looking down and seeing blood on my leg and yellow flowered sun dress, I thought, YIKES! - why was he shooting at me? My dad yelled, grabbed me up and pointed to what was left of a big snake writhing around on the ground next to where I had been walking. Uncle Doyle said the Timber Rattler was coiled and ready to strike at my leg. The edge of my dress fluttering in the wind was really interesting to him. Those rattle snakes don't have buttons on their tails to warn people (shouldn't they be called Rattlel-less Snakes?).

I was more scared of being in trouble (I had spent the morning sitting in the chicken house watching a big brown snake that had swallowed an egg in a nest box then crawled thru a knot hole to the next nest and eaten another one. It was fascinating...just couldn't leave without knowing how he was going to get out of his predicament. The chicken house was off limits (probably because of the snakes!) so I was feeling guilty about being naughty. When the gun went off and I thought it was MY blood I was looking at, the only thing I could think of was - I'll never go in the chicken house, or the pig pen, or the pond (and all the other places I wasn't supposed to go but did) again, HONEST!!

Years later, my mom had an experience with a Rattle Snake that still gives me the creeps. She and a friend had read about an orchid sale in a near-by town. Off they went in her friend's van to select their favorites that had been brought to No. CA from So. CA and displayed in beautiful baskets. They picked out a couple nice ones and as she carried it to the check-out, my mom felt a stinging-burning on her hand. She figured she had just gotten poked by part of the basket so went on loading the treasure into the van.

After a 30 min. trip home, she carried her prize into the house and found the perfect spot for it in the living room. About 15 min. later she heard her little terrier barking and skittering around on the dining room floor. Coming from the back of her home to see what the racket was about, she sees a foot and a half long rattle snake coiled up and striking at the dog. Then she looked at her hand and saw 2 little holes in the fleshy part between the thumb and index finger.

Luckily the viper held back it's venom so Mom got only the residue off the fangs. She said the site itched for 3 months and after 15 yr., she still has the scars. Every time I visit her, I can't keep my eyes off the "snake basket". The orchid has long since passed away but the basket lives on, only OUTSIDE on the deck.

BLESSINGS OF JUNE:

Last night my daughter, Sunny, gave birth to a daughter, Leela. I haven't heard all the details yet but they are both healthy and that's all that matters. I am thrilled for Sunny as she has longed for a girl since having a boy 13 yr. ago, marrying a man who had 2 boys and then giving birth to 2 more boys.

I am truly blessed! 8 natural grandchildren, 5 boys and 3 girls plus 2 boys I love just as much.

Life is wonderous...

life is amazing...

life is what it is...

life is good!!

TIME FLYS:

My youngest son's boy, Kyle, visited me the other day. We went thru some old photo albums and I found this cute one of him as a baby with my dog, Jake. It dawned on me that Kyle is 7 now and Jake was 3 when this was taken.

Jake, a border collie/Australian Shepherd, is the ultimate dog. I knew he was special when I bought him out of a box in OR while on vacation. Wasn't looking for a dog, his caramel colored eyes just spoke to me. We bonded immediately.

He loves commands, either verbal or hand signs. Jake will even do his "business" and eat and drink when told. His favorite things are to attack hose water and dig for mice. So eager to please...and he does, I love him SO much!

Last winter, when we had a football field of crotch-high drifts of snow, I couldn't find one of the cats. Hadn't seen her in a couple days and was starting to worry. Not taking the time to find snowshoes, I trudged out to the old shop late one night...couldn't sleep thinking about Cozy freezing to death. Didn't find her so I started back to the house. With about 30 yd. to go, I lost all energy and kind of leaned to the side in the snow, exhausted. Trying to keep the Wellingtons on my feet and having to dig for them every few steps just wore me out. I laid there in the 18 deg. thinking "this is silly", wondering, who's going to take care of Old Pa?! Before I knew it, Jake was on me like a blanket. He covered me like a comforter until I built my strength enough to continue on and make it back inside, safe.

Cozy was found the next day safe and sound, who knows where she found shelter. Cats are like that tho! Jake is just Jake. I look at him now at age 70 in dog years and I realize how darn fast the years go by. Wish God had made dogs lives longer than 10-15 years or so...doesn't seem right, does it?

The old shop. It's been around for over 100 yr., barely! If I don't remove the roof, don't think it will make it thru another winter like the last one. I want to restore this 1950 Chevy 1 ton truck too.

Time does fly, doesn't it?