Tuesday

I finished my scrap throw. It’s just left over yarn. If I do another I think I’ll roll the yarn in a big ball first alternating light and dark. A blog friend did that and I think it’d be easier.

I weed eated part of my yard yesterday.  Not near all. I’ll be mowing before the weekend. Later I’ll just spray around some areas to lessen the weed work.

I cleaned and moved my bird bath. It was full of green gunk. 

Today I lifted weights an hour and did chair yoga. Library called me. They had Paper Girl for me. I requested it.

I just finished “ Holy Envy”. It’s written by a lady who teaches religion in college. Her denomination is Episcopalian. I really enjoyed the book and learned much about other religions. I’m reading The Fox Hunt now. It is by Muhammad Al Samawi who was born in Yemen. He was taught to hate Jews and Christians. A teacher, who is there teaching a class he enrolled in to learn to speak English, gifts him a Bible. He reads it! I’m not finished but I really like it too. Erin bought it for me Christmas. 

As I bike ride in the morning, I try to find something on YouTube to watch. I am trying to pick topics that look interesting. Today, I learned about Matthew Henry. I have his Bible commentary and it’s my favorite. He was born in the 1600’s. As I watched it, I realized that I have studied what he has written for 50 years, yet knew nothing about the man. 

Last week one of the things I learned about was Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home. Wow, it was intriguing. It’s been added on to up teen times. I am amazed at how much I don’t know!

 

Monday

Larry wanted the Wood Ducks to nest by his pond. He built a wood duck house in 2019 at the pond’s edge. He was already sick but finished it. No wood ducks had came by 2020 when he passed, but in the spring of 2022, they found his house and have been laying eggs there each spring. Astrid sent me a text this week “Gigi, the wood ducks are here”! New life appearing on the pond is exciting. There are eggs in Larry’s wood duck house. Life ends, life begins!

This is a lily called Italian Arum, but most folks call them  “Lords and Ladies”. They like shade and remind me of a peace lily. I love the thick foliage in the spring.  Later in summer all the foliage will die and orange shoots spring up.  The flower  has calcium oxalate crystals in its leaves.  These are very irritating to skin and soft tissue… like the tender mouths of hungry deer.   All parts of the Arum are poisonous, including the corm from which it grows.  Deer, squirrels, voles and rabbits won’t touch them.

My friend sent this. She wondered why the bird nest in her bush had a speckled egg. It’s a Brown headed cow bird egg. I have them coming to my feeders and they aren’t a bird I like. They are a parasite bird. They lay their eggs in other birds nest. The other eggs in this nest look like finch eggs to me. 

Ada got sick Thursday. She had a fever, cough, etc.  I wish she lived near me so I could help with her more. By Sunday, she was able to sit in the sun and read. Erin went to the library alone and picked her books. She said she wanted chapter books. She was not full speed this morning but she slept all night and felt better. She went to school. She lives school.

 

Sunday

Astrid has worked outside in her yard all weekend. I used to do things like this as Larry helped me. Now, all I can get done is mowing and weeding. I spray for weeds too. It’s more than I can keep up with. I feel old and worn out when I see the projects Astrid completes.

Astrid found this latch used for $10.00 and added it to her barn sliding door. I’m going to try it out today. It should make the door easier to open. It looks like a perfect match for the barn.

Astrid planted all her finds yesterday. She bought these plants when she purchased my Lantana. The vining plant is in an old chicken feeder. Use what you have. 

Near the front steps

Astrid added this curved plant stand near her entry porch. She spread the gravel herself with the tractor. Logan hauled her a dump truck load of creek gravel.

Here Astrid is making use of an old wash tub. I had to take a bath in one of these. Also, had to heat the water on the stove. Everyone used same bath water. Quite yucky! 

More old containers put to use—an old water pail and a bucket.

She built awnings over the windows in her chicken house and added window containers. This goes to a storage area. The chickens can’t assess it. Astrid made her chicken house from Larry’s old dog kennels. He raised and trained Mt. Feist Squirrel dogs. The under roof kennel had 6 stalls. She created a nice chicken house from it.

More of her flowers. She’s going to be doing a lot of watering.

This is going to be a trellis. You can see the green plants in the crevice.

Fleta headed home this morning. Be glad when I hear she’s safely there. She’s 2 years ahead of me…78. As I handed her the two cartons of eggs we dropped them. She just went on. About a dozen broke. I had a mess to clean as it landed on my front sidewalk. Broken eggs would draw flies. I dumped the cracked eggs in a bucket and feed them back to the ladies who laid them. Washed the sidewalk. 

I’ve rode my bike and completed my leg exercises I do every morning. I’m ready to get back to my routine which is crocheting and reading.
 

Saturday

 

Astrid put the throw/quilt Laura made her in her guest bedroom. I really love the quilt.

Fleta brought pretty boxes and I  dragged out boxes of old photos. Helen sorted all of Fleta’s pictures and she thought we could do the same with mine. Soon we were quite fatigued. It’s a big undertaking. I have some still stacked in the living room. I’ll try to work more on the endeavor before I return them to the closet.

Sigrid came by and visited with us a couple of hours. Logan E. Has drill and Sigrid came to stay with her parents. She doesn’t like staying by herself.  We enjoyed her visit. We looked through one box of pictures and this brought up many conversation segments. In 1973, my Dad and I rode a Grayhound bus from Arkansas to El Paso, Texas. Fleta and George had a new son. George was in the army and stationed in El Paso. There was a young girl running away on the bus. I told her my sister would help her. There was a picture of her in one of the boxes. Fleta told Sigrid about coming to pick me and Dad up and I had a stray with me. This girl was of age. She was pitiful. She had a few things in a paper sack. No money. Fleta did help. She called Catholic Charities and took her there. I’d forgotten about the whole affair until we ran across the photo. 

Fleta is going home tomorrow. My life will be dull once more!

Friday

Sister’s here. We’re busy. Talking about everything. Amy, my favorite librarian, send books about Arkansas. Lots to read about. Two copies of one and she’s taking it as hers. One history ends with WW II. It’s pretty old.

We got a good shower night before last but we’re still behind.

Fleta bought pretty boxes and we sorted pictures. This picture of Astrid and ingrid made me laugh. The photo shoot was ruined.
 

Thursday

Kay and I enjoyed the food at Oark Cafe. It’s on the Mulberry River and pretty much surrounded by National Forests.

Kay swung by her house on the way home to show me her new man. Barney Bear is a wood carving. I think it’s created with a chain saw. The Bear was $350 and the eagle in her living room was $600. I’m not sure how much the bear cubs cost. I was not envious. Kay buys books and shared three with me to read.

Greta is the tallest girl on her soccer team. 

I read this from my library. Wish I had not. The entire book was just sadness. 👎

 

April 15

My friend Kay and I are going to eat together today. April is my turn. She drives so I asked if we could go to Cass, AR. This is an old country store. It’s an hour away. I will enjoy the drive and hopefully the food.

Astrid had a tree frog visitor in her garlic. He’s in camo!

Ada had spring pictures at school yesterday. Erin told her to smile a big smile so she can see her tooth gap. She’s practicing.

 

Tuesday

My Irises are starting to bloom. I just have old time varieties.  I enjoy seeing them blossom remembering Larry’s mother who planted them.

Ada lost another tooth. Today is spring picture day at her school.

Clayton isn’t excited about driving. He’s a cautious person always thinking of what might happen. He’s driving more. His confidence is growing.

Lantana is my favorite summer flower. Astrid bought me a potted plant and yesterday I repotted it. Lantana likes the summer heat. In the ground it will often come back so I replanted last years roots in the ground and will see if they will grow.

Laura’s white wisteria is in bloom. It was gift from a friend on the death of Larry.

Greta’s soccer pictures look pretty “tough” and she is.
 

April 13

Got to see my Sigrid’s new place yesterday. It looks so nice and she is not exhausted by the time she gets to school. She’s almost finished with one year of Pharmacy school at UAMS. She already knows so much about vitamins, supplements, medication! Do I sound proud? Well, I am🤍

Ada wore one of her goodwill dresses to church yesterday. Erin also found a Bible story book there. She loves reading and is starting to read to herself. At school last week, they watched a film about Helen Keller. She was upset when Erin picked her up. She said the name Helen brought to mind her Aunt Helen who has passed away. Then Ada said— and my sister is deaf so she needs to learn sign language. The entire affair made her horribly sad. Greta can hear some but she can’t make it in class without her aides. It’s time for new ones. They cost a lot and insurance doesn’t help but a small amount. Her Gigi will contribute to the cause. So much to overcome for one little girl.

Fleta’s Hannah has chickens. Her Dad built her a pen. Many in my family loved birds and chickens. My grandmother had chickens, always leghorns. She had two yellow birds in a cage too. Maybe canaries?

I road Sherbet to get my mail and spotted this Spiderwort.  If you break the stem open a milky substance comes out in thin fibers like a spider web thread.