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Showing posts from April, 2017

The Six Minute Storm

The local weatherman gave us the heads up on the 30 mile-per-hour winds that hit northern Arizona yesterday.  We tackled outside chores in the morning.   Once the high winds picked up, we hunkered down for an afternoon date with homemade chicken soup and a Tom Hanks movie.   We expected the windy weather, not like two weeks ago! I Remember that Night! I still remember that evening and reaching up into the cabinet and placing the last dish away after dinner.  Without warning, the power went off.  I had an eerie feeling. My husband came in the back door telling me about the six-minute wind gust that bent the posture of our sturdy pines.  I heard it, too!  We exchanged surprised expressions because the weather turned severe for only minutes.  The evening started out calm and the sun began to set when those dark dramatic clouds came out of nowhere.  As I grabbed flashlights and candles for an evening of total quiet, he immediately addressed his respiratory issues.  His

My Sister's Guest Room

My sister’s guest room ranks favorite when I think of best places to stay in Chicago. It’s a cross between a resort and a family guest chamber and I smile when I think of   it. No one grows African Violets like my sister.  A half dozen of the delicate plants sit proudly in the guest room on racks in front of the room’s north window.   A recliner chair sits alongside them with a small table topped with the kind of books I like to read.  Oh, the delight to rest there! A large comfy queen bed with a white comforter and pillows galore provide wonderful sleep.  End tables on both sides of the bed hold lovely lamps and delicate collector items.  She makes it personal for me with small framed photos of my family. A bookcase lines one wall with frames of happy family times as well as photo albums that date back to when we were kids.  Besides a TV, she displays artifacts of trips as well as her accumulated Willow Tree collection.  Next to that, stands a coat rack with a varie

The Good Friday Journey

My first visit to Israel landed me smack in the middle of Holy Week.  An unexpected surprise literally swept me off my feet in Jerusalem on Good Friday.  I invite you join me at Truth Rejoices today where my friend, Jeannie, encouraged me to share my story.  I hope you like it!   Click here where you can read about my adventure and feel free to leave a comment.  I’ll be sure to read them.  Happy Easter, friends.

Finding the Hidden Things

Once in a while I pick up interesting lessons from my blog friends.  I feel surprised at times when I put them into practice.    My friend, Dianna, recently shared a way to spruce up her table centerpieces.  She wrote about it at her blog, Forgiven ...  Her theory explains that centerpieces for our tables can be the catalyst for good dinner conversation.  I felt motivated to think outside the box of flowers or fruit which make beautiful centerpieces, but would I be clever enough to try something new?  My eight-year old granddaughter asked her biological father to call me and hint for an invite when she arrived in Arizona for spring break.  Last week they drove up for a day and had dinner with us.  What an opportunity to explore and satisfy my decorating appetite!  I thought about the ceramics my mom made for me years ago hiding way up on the top shelf of my clothes closet and I quickly unpacked them.  I placed some pink flowers in the base circling a white ceramic baske

The Lesson of the Puny Daffodils

Three puny daffodils popped up in the patch of country dirt right outside my window facing my husband’s man cave.  I planted flowers there for an excuse to stare out the window when I need a break at my office desk.  They bring me joy! In no way do they compare to the array of daffodils I photographed on my trip to Rhode Island in spring a few years back.  My heart leaps when I think of those rows and rows of yellow loveliness popping up just off the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.    Compare Daffodils, But Not People As a child, my mother compared me to my cousin.  I displeased my mom when my grades didn’t reach the honor roll like my cousin or if I gained a few more pounds than her.  My strongest feeling at that time, intimidation, shaped me. I avoided comparing my kids when I became a parent.  I learned the enemy of our souls does a number on us sufficiently without our parent’s words echoing in our heads.  The small-boned kid says “I’m glad I take afte