WillowTea

I’m making Willow tea to try to root some plants. You cut small willow branches and remove the leaves. Then heat water and add stems to a glass jar. Set in the sun 3 days. Remove stems. The water encourages root growth because the willow bark contains auxin and salicylic acid.  Willow tea natural alternative to commercial rooting hormones, stimulating root development for plant cuttings, especially stems. It’s supposed to increase root development by 90%.  I’m going to try it with some geranium leaves if Astrid will let me have some.

The Brown Thrush was here yesterday. I love watching a new bird stop by. 

Fleta will be here this afternoon. 😊😊
 

Thursday

I made an Aldi’s bag for my favorite librarian~~ Amy Patsy!

Fleta is coming tomorrow. I’m excited. She staying 2 nights. We’ll watch The Green Book one night and Bright Creatures the next with Sally Field. She doesn’t have Netflix. I requested the new Elizabeth’s Stout book—The Things we Never Say. She has new characters in this book. It’s not about the Olive Kitteridge crew. Right now I have nothing to read. 

Astrid is reaping reward for her labor in the garden. The salad looks delicious. Daddy liked wilted lettuce salad. Momma would take a bowl of greens and pour hot bacon grease over them. She put chopped green onions in it. Oh, how he loved it. 

Sigrid came yesterday. She’s wonderful company. She has a lull and then she’ll be busy again. She went to ATU to investigate a degree. She will graduate from there with a BS degree after another semester at UAMS. The hours will transfer. 

The above pic is from my bird cam. I used zip ties and fastened it to my weather vane. The birds like it better and I do too. Having it on the stand was too low for them to feel safe. Mostly the cardinals are eating there but more will discover it in time.

 

Wednesday

One more Iris bloom. 

As it warms up Whiskey and Manchi enjoy the shade. I grew up without air conditioning. We had one fan. The shade was welcoming in the summer. We had a swing in the yard. Dad and Mom often sat there after supper. Fleta and I washed the dishes. We used metal dish pans for the chore. She washed and I rinsed and dried. I wasn’t responsible enough to get the dishes clean. There was no draining of dishes. They were dried and put away. The water went into a big bucket. Dad added shorts to the dirty greasy water and it was fed to the hogs. We were poor. Nothing was wasted. Wheat shorts isn’t a term folks use today. It’s leftover bran, germ, and flour from wheat after milling. It was a cheap feed. 

I watched the program about Richard Simmons last even.  I enjoyed learning about his life.

Here’s the special card Astrid created for me. See the Cardinal. She knows I love the Red Birds. They represent Pop to us. He was a St. Louis Cardinal fan. Love my card.

 

Tuesday

 

Getting old is difficult. More and more of my friends die. My cousin Winnie Jo passed over the weekend. She was an only child and I one of eight. We had become so close in our retirement years. She’s in the heart of my cousin picture above and below is a picture of us when she came to visit. She was a Zeta and Sigrid joined too. Winn stayed connected to the group her entire life.  There she had sisters. Sigrid wasn’t as enthusiastic about the organization. She has real sisters. But this connected Siggie to Winnie. I’m very sad, not for Winnie but for me. She was 83.

Astrid picked a bouquet of flowers from the Meadow. It’s wild daisies, Tick Seed and white Fox Glove. It’s truly beautiful.

Below is the iron Sig said I had to take the rest of my life. Most of my life I have been anemic. I take it as she prescribed~~one tablet on rising with orange juice or a vitamin C tab. Then wait an hour to even drink coffee. What a pain, but I’m so much better. Who knew that anemia causes sleep problems and anxiety. Well, Sig knew. I’m not getting as dizzy. That has to do with hemoglobin. I had a bad dizzy spell driving about a month ago. I became frightened to drive. I’m doing much better. My little Siggy is one of my 5 angel girls. Life is hard and then you die! 

Monday

Logan bush hogged the pasture yesterday. It looks clean and green. Lots of work for Logan though.

Ingrid posted this yesterday. I’ll get to see her in a few weeks.

Sigrid is always finding something interesting to do. She’s pretending this hollow tree is a coffin. Below is lake Catherine where Laura’s bunch hiked.

 I made Laura a Aldi’s bag. I looked at the green one to make it. 

Today, I lifted weights at Focus Fitness.  I’m getting stronger. 

Mother’s Day

Momma’s on the left in front. Her name was Hazel. Her Mother (wearing a hat) is behind her left~~Irene. Momma’s sister is to her left~~Helen.  Momma’s Aunt is behind her and the others are her cousins visiting from California. Momma was about 14 years old.

Oh, I wish today I could tell my Momma how much I appreciate all she did for me.  She put self last.  No, “me first” in her life.  She was a giver not a taker.   

Ephesians 6: 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” 

Happy Mother’s Day.

Astrid’s hanging baskets are really pretty. Today Laura’s family went for a hike  as it is Laura’s favorite activity. Astrid picked one near Lake Catherine and Hot Springs. I can’t go along now, but wish I could because it’s one of my favorite things too.

Erin gifted me a bird cam for Mother’s Day. It was too expensive but when more birds find the food, I’ll have lots to watch. My favorite little birdy tried it.

I don’t have a walk in shower. Laura installed another hand grip. I tried it last night and I like where she put it. It’s for when I step over the side of the tub. Sig checked it out and said—next a shower chair! I guess she’s right. She gave me a cross body bag for my phone when my pants don’t have pockets. I needed it.

Logi and Asti gave me hand rails at my other two doors. I really like the way they steady me going down my steps. Installed is the best part. How nice to be a Mom and get so many nice gifts. 🎁 I’m blessed with the best children!

 

Saturday

Greta had a soccer game here last evening. Ada came hang out with me. Laura and Astrid cheered Greta at her game. I enjoyed my evening with Ada Mae! We played Candy Land, Connect Four, Princess Dominoes, Matches, and puzzled. She was tired when Mom and Greta came just before 10:00. She watched some Princess tv the last hour and I popped pop corn. She munched away and was gone too soon. I’m so glad she came.  She is an inspiration for me to linger on earth even though living gets harder each year.

2017

Astrid posted yearly pictures of the two of them in a collage. I looked back at 2017 when they first became friends. They are special to me.

2018 and below years following. 

 

Yippee

Ada is coming to visit me today. Greta has a soccer game here. I was allowed to pick between having Ada and I enjoy an evening together or watch the game. I chose staying home. Laura and Astrid will support Greta at the game. I’ll be excited all day waiting for my little friend to get here. She’s been telling me everyone how much she loves them. She told Erin she loves her 90. Greta she said 20 and Clayton just 1. I think she’s studying percentages. She said she loved her Gigi 100! 💯😊

My Ada is focused. She loves to read! I am blessed. She wasn’t able to concentrate for extended periods until she learned to read. Reading builds essential literacy skills, boosts vocabulary, and enhances cognitive development improving memory and focus. It strengthens comprehension, empathy, and emotional regulation. Reading fosters a lifelong love of learning.

And…use of digital devices—specifically tablets, smartphones, and computers—is harmful to 6-year-olds leading to eye strain, sedentary habits, and screen addiction. These devices cause cognitive behavioral problems such as reduced attention spans, increased hyperactivity, and decreased tolerance for boredom, and increased tantrums.

Officer Short sent me a commendation for bravery and assistance! Laura conveyed my story to him! He’s just being funny! I remember him as a 6th grader!

Red, White and Blue

 

Poor boy with the stolen truck and robbery of his $600 and lots more—looks like his truck hit an outbuilding. Guess this is the rest of the story.

The Indigo Bunting is sitting in the white clover but eating a seed off a grass there.

This Red Headed Woodpecker found me. I hope he keeps coming back. The crows are teaming up to knock the suet out of the feeder so I hung an aluminum pie tin at the bottom of the feeder. It’s working until they figure out what else to do,

Hump Day

Just when I thought all my Iris blooms were history, this pale yellow one blossomed. I remember digging up some that had drifted out in the pasture over the fence. I think it’s one of those. The dark yellow ones are my favorite and these are a pale yellow, but I was glad to have a new color.

I had excitement yesterday. I was crocheting in the afternoon and heard a knock at my door. I hadn’t heard or seen a vehicle. I could see it was a young small male. I opened the door and he said he’d been knocked out on the hi-way and his truck was hijacked. I called the Sheriff. I got him a bottle of water and sat with him on the porch til help arrived. He left with the deputy. He told me he knew the robber, a woman friend. I checked the inmate data and she was arrested last night. She took $600.00 from him. If I’d had that doorbell cam, I could have talked to him through the closed door. Well, I tried to do what I thought I should, but it was scary.