OK, here's the deal. I am getting more and more acquainted with this blog thing. I am finally able to label the picture a little more successfully but I am still not able to get the first pictures first and the last pictures last. They are up in reverse. While showing you a bunch of pictures of THE VISIT I couldn't help but throw in a couple of other grandkids pictures. So sue me! I am a very proud grammy. Don't forget to click on the picture to make it bigger so as to see better.
Kala's LITTLE brother is over at the right
Cool Kala
Zeke and mama
Aunt Becky watching The Zekester
His eyes are brown, brown, brown
No explaination needed on this one
Dinner time
More time at the table enjoying fish tacos
Fun time for Zeke & cousin Michael
Zeke's mama with a mouthfull of breakfast
Zeke's daddy with a mouthfull of breakfast working on his laptop
Zeke being mesmerized by a Veggie Tales video. The little mountain man doesn't have TV reception at home. Sometimes the "electronic baby sitter" is a very handy thing.
My house from across the road at Holly's Little Farm.

Zeke is very tentative about getting acquainted with the tiny donkey.

Company (loved ones)

It is always great to have even more family here to join MY COMMUNE. I will try to figure out the way to put captions under each picture. I looked up the word "commune" and the discription is: community that shares all ownership and duties. Well, we don't quite go that far but we do share a lot and enjoy the sharing. Last night almost everyone shared the duties of getting supper on the table. I have a way to prepare fish tacos that EVERYONE loves and it appears often on my table. What with lots of help, cooking the fish on the BBQ last night and therefore keeping the greasy mess and heat out of the kitchen, it was on the table in a flash and gone just as soon.

Now, to see if I can get more picture on the blog with captions.

I am a lazy thief!!

I have company still. Very enjoyable company. When I am no longer being lazy I will post a picture... or three of them. Right now, while I am waiting for their little to "make like an alarm clock" and wake them, it is just coffee and peeking at other people's blog and in this case, stealing something from someone. Below is what I have stolen this a.m. with my answers instead of the other blogger's answers.


1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

10 years ago I was living in Iowa with my husband. He had accepted a job there(he was a consultant for them at the time) that he could not turn down. He tried to keep from accepting it and they made such a nice offer that he finally accepted. He knew that the company would not thrive in the place where they were and he planned on moving the company to a more profitable place, which was Scottsdale, AZ where the market was much better for what the company was offering. So, we kept our home in Scottsdale, rented it out (to our son and his wife) and I was able to join him for a year and a half. Company was moved and we came back home.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
No plan, Nada, Nothing planned. Enjoy my company and feed them when they are hungry.
3) Snacks I enjoy:
Food. I enjoy almost all food. Try NOT to eat the snacks I most enjoy. Try to eat only things that won't distroy me. Fail. Favorite? Coldstone Creamery Coffee ice cream with toasted almonds. So happy that they are a very, very long way from me!

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Get this family of mine together much more often than just one time a year.
5) Places I have lived: Keep in mind, I married an IBM executive.
Thayer, Missouri (starting place)
A place in Oklahoma that I can't remember the name of at the moment
San Jose, California. 28 years
Danbury, Connecticut (twice)
Boulder, Colorado
Davenport, Iowa
Tucson, Arizona
Scottsdale, Arizona
Marana, Arizona
Next stop, HEAVEN



6) Jobs I have had:
Mowing lawns
Baby sitting
Housekeeping and cooking for an elderly couple while I was in Bible College
Telephone compnay: long distance, information, and teletype
Front office of a dentist office
Hot dog stand (while saving the position for my son until summer vacation)
Diet Center
All very short term jobs. Most of my life, I have held the job of mom &
home maker and been so grateful that I was blessed with that privilege


7) Peeps I wanna know more about
Occasionally a notable person comes to mind and I think I should type the
name into google and then I forget.

OK. That is it for today. Perhaps more tomorrow.

Sombody is sleeping in my bed!

My neice, her sweet hubby and two y/o arrived yesterday on their way home to Colorado. Of course, they are in my room since there is only one of me and I can sleep in the twin bed in the guest room. In the next day or so or even a few days away, I will put some pictures on here of them and their visit. Meanwhile, I peeked at a blog written by a lady in England. I think I found her because of her special interest. The name of her blog is "BORN TO READ and knit. Since it is early Sunday and I can't get into the shower in my room to get ready for church I will steal something from her blog. It looks as if you are to answer with ONLY one word. We will see how it comes out.
Not as easy as you might think. Now copy, forward, or post this and change the answers to yours and pass it on. It is sometimes hard to only use one word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? ………….. dresser

2. Your significant other?………………….. Heaven

3. Your hair? …………………………………….. graying

4. Your mother? ……………………………….. Heaven

5. Your father?…………………………………….. Heaven

6. Your favorite thing?……………………….. family
7. Your dream last night?………………….. ????

8. Your favorite drink? ……………………….. coffee

9. Your dream/goal?………………………….. pliability

10. The room you’re in?…………………….. kitchen

11. Your ex?……………………………………….. non-existant

12. Your fear?…………………………………….. none

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?…….. here

14. Where were you last night?………….. home

15. What you’re not?………………………….. shy

16. Muffins?……………………………………….. carrot

17. One of your wish list items?………….. children'shealth (so, I cheated)

18. Where you grew up?…………………….. California

19. The last thing you did?………………….. read

20. What are you wearing?………………….. bathrobe

21. Your TV?……………………………………….. Sony

22. Your pets?…………………………………….. cat

23. Your computer? …………………………….. emachine

24. Your life?……………………………………….. happy

25. Your mood?………………………………….. up

26. Missing someone?……………………….. husband

27. Your car?……………………………………….. Nissan

28. Something you’re not wearing?…….. makeup

29. Favorite Store?……………………………….. ??????

30. Your summer?……………………………….. hot

31. Like(love) someone?…………………………….. many

32. Your favorite color?……………………….. coral

33. Last time you laughed?……………….. yesterday

34. Last time you cried?……………………….. ?????????

35. Who will re-post this?…………………….. ???????

Estimated weather report

No way did it even come close to the estimated 76 degrees today.

Something is wrong with my desert!!!!!

I can't even begin to understand what is wrong with my desert but I am not complaining! A bit of reprieve before summer hits. BB says it feels like Feb. I was out almost all day yesterday, which is a big change for me. I usually enjoy staying home but yesterday it was errands. I may go see if there are any garage sales happening today. Maybe. Just look at the weather I copied from the computer. AMAZING! And it is MAY 23Rd!!!!

Currently at 5:52 AM
53 °F RealFeel®:48 °F
Thunderstorm
Humidity: 66% Dew Point: 42 °F
Pressure: N/A Visibility: 10 Miles
Winds: SSW at 8 mphEarly Morning Fri, May 23
Low: 53 °F RealFeel®: 54 °F
Partly cloudy and windy with a shower or thunderstormStargazing conditionsForecast Details | Hourly Forecast for Today | Hourly Forecast for Tonight | AccuPOP® Precipitation Forecast | Local Radar
Friday, May 23
High: 76 °F RealFeel®: 71 °F
Cloudy most of the time, windy and coolFriday Night, May 23
Low: 54 °F RealFeel®: 56 °F
Partly cloudy and cool

This is the day...

"This is the day the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it." Straight from the best book on earth. But...what a funny day it is for my desert. It is cold (for us) windy and cloudy. Don't ever, ever, ever try to outguess the Lord. Even if you are a weather person.

Today, of all odd days, is my grand daughters graduation from the 8th grade and the ceremony is to be held outside in the field. I do believe I will take a jacket. Attached it the young lady of honor.

Only this, this morning

If you wish to be happy for an hour, drink;
If you wish to be happy for a day, cook;
If you wish to be happy for a week, sail
If you wish to be happy for a month, love
If you wish to be happy for a year, marry;
If you wish to be happy for a decade, read;
If you wish to be happy forever, pray;
But, if you wish to be happy all the while, garden.
Ian Guillen

New Babies Down on the Farm

These pictures were taken earlier this week. The last I heard there were 5 babies.
Don't forget to click on the pictures if you want to see them a bit closer.

Now I remember...

Now I remember the other thing I was going to tell you about. Just a quick one and then I gotta get out to the garden.

This sweater is my latest completed croched project. If it fits, it will go to my youngest granddaughter, my little (but growing quickly) China Doll.

I think the picture in the chair was this last Christmas's picture and the one of the tall, quickly growing Lily is a picture just taken at school at her balleriana recital.

Ol' Braggart Grammy

I had planned on showing you another picture or two. A few of the new baby ducks and at the moment I can't remember what else (what ever it was is safely on the computer picture area and it will come to mind at a later date) but I was reminded of something else to show you. While my granddaughter Kala was living with me and going to college here, she entered a contest in which she had the opportunity to win $300. She dressed me with clothing of the proper color that she had in her minds eye and we went to down town Tucson. She must have taken over 100 pictures of me posing in front of various buildings, stairs, trees and such then we came home, she stayed up all night and drew with charcoal? the picture I will put on here. She had a huge mirror available and mounted the picture she drew on the mirror and surrounded it with the snap shots of her choice. Sadly, someone else took home the $300.

I Love my hodge podge room

My maternal grandmother LOVED pictures. All of us sent her pictures w/out fail. Weddings, grandchildren's school pictures, any pictures we took, we made sure there were duplicates to send to gramma. When she died, she had a suit box (I haven't seen one of those in many years) full of pictures not counting the ones she had all over her house. Guess she passed on the gene to her children, grands and greats. Seems a lot of us love them also.

The great big all blue painting is of my dad. My nephew painted it. I don't know why I have it but I like the picture and it looks just like him. I have seen him look just like that many times. Not stern, just contemplative. When my mom came to live with me she would not let me hang that picture in her room. For some reason it disterbed her.

In one of the last pictures in the big gold ornate frame is a picture of my great maternal grandfather. To the left is also him when he was about 16 y/o. To the left of that picture is a picture of BB. I believe he looks just like the old grandpa.

Don't forget to click on the picture and it will enlarge it.

My "Family" room

Yesterday I tried to upload these pictures but the site wouldn't let me. Today, they uploaded in a different manner than expected. I KNOW that computers have minds of their own.

My family room is different than most. I call my sewing room my family room. I love going in there (when I can wade through it) because every wall is plastered with family pictures. The two pictures I have on here today are on the wall of an out jutting closet. The closet is not inset into the wall like most. Anyway, on the little wall, just as you go into the room are hanging things that are memory things of the place were I was born. I had hoped the pictures on the wall could be seen but I don't believe you can see them. I was born in my grandmother and grandfathers house in Thayer, MO. in the front bedroom. The pictures were taken for a surprise gift by my sweet and thoughtful baby daughter. All 12 of my family met in Branson, MO a few years ago for a weeks vacation and they drove through Thayer and found the house and took pictures of my grand children on the front porch on their way home. (click on the pictures and perhaps you will be able to enlarge it) The other items in the other picture are my grandmothers apron and bonnet that she wore while in the garden and the hat, purse and one glove (the other is lost) that my grandma wore to my wedding in 1958. The colorful picture of the lady is one that hung in my mom's bedroom when she was a young girl. There are some "quilt" type things peiced by my grandmother and set into embroidery hoops.

Tomorrow (God willin' and the creek don't rise) I will show you the walls that are plastered with pictures.

Games people play...us anyway

My friend Charlotte mentioned in a comment about games they played within their family. It reminded me of a game another friend started some years ago. I will write about this now and won't have to think of anything tomorrow and perhaps will get into my garden earlier tomorrow morning.

My frind LINDA (you know who you are!) is from Illinois and still has family there and visits often. Several years ago while she and her Dr. Hubby were there, she went out into the pasture and gathered cow pattys. (patties?) How many I do not know but they were not quite completely dried. She packaged them up and carried them onto the plane. Hummm. I wonder if anyone complained! At any rate, that Christmas, somehow (I don't remember how) she smuggled a Christmas package under my tree (they were still living in Tucson and I in Scottsdale) and guess what was in it! So...of course, the little gift got saved until the next year and was delivered back to their house. I think we exchanged the precious Illinois gift back and forth several years in a row. The last time I received it, it was broken in half, throughly dried of course so...I glued it back together, spray painted it a beautiful pink and glued large oh so precious plastic gems onto it and it was once again delivered. I think I won. I never saw it again.

NUTS!!!

While waking up this morning and drinking my coffee I was checking to see if any of you blogger friends had paid me a visit and guess what I found. Another error. I am a very poor speller on top of being not very good at proof reading apparently. I must go over what I write each time to make sure there are no errors. I FORGOT THE TITLE!! COFFEE........COFFEE.........COFFEE..........NOT COFFE.

See you tomorrow.................Connie

Coffe & Once upon a time

I will begin with the Once Upon a Time.
Many years ago, within our family was a small rubber bull. I remember it well. I don't know where it came from or who was it's first owner but...my mom and her oldest brother got into a game I call: STEAL THE BULL. We lived in California and he lived in Missouri. My parents blessed us by always going "HOME" each summer and visiting all the family we left behind when we moved to California. How the game got started, I have no idea but the bull was always displayed right in sight, ready to be stolen and taken on a trip, either to California or back to Missouri. I don't know where the bull took up permenate residence.

Now the coffee.
My dad used to be a long haul trucker. Being an ex Navy man and a trucker, he loved his coffee (I wonder what my reason is?). In the picture you will see a heavy coffee mug w/logo. He acquired it while I was still very, very young and he was still a trucker. My OB (Oldest Brother: Note: I said oldest brother, not older brother) sent me a Peanuts cartoon many years ago in which Lucy told Peanuts? whatever her younger brothers name was that she was his older sister and would always be his older sister and there was nothing she could do about it) Anyway, OB and I, remembering that custom started stealing the cup back and forth between California and Arizona. Not to fall into routine, he once took a picture of the cup, framed it and sent it to me saying he still had the cup. Another time, he took either the picture or the cup (I don't know how this is done) and had a cup made someplace with the same logo on it, keeping the origional cup once again and sending me the copy. Another time he was at my house and simply hid the cup in my house, making me think he had taken it on another trip once again. NA NA, NA NA NA, BUTCHIE BOY, I STILL HAVE THE CUP. COME AND GET IT

One bitty blog and two fair size men

A couple of evenings ago, "Da Boys" and I were sitting on my back porch after dinner enjoying each other and the blessings God has given us. The closest to me and my camera is my son and in the flowered shirt is BB, my Baby Brother. Each of us is single through no choice of our own but God has blessed us with each other along with many others in our family. Along with these blessings, God has given us SPRING IN ARIZONA to share with each other. We often sit outside and revel in it.

GOD IS GOOD, GOD IS GREAT, LET US THANK HIM FOR OUR FOOD. AMEN.

That is the first prayer I ever prayed. I remember it well. It was not a great and spiritual prayer but it was a beginning. I can apply it to everything HE has given me today. I AM BLESSED.

Have a great and wonderful day. I plan on having one..............Connie

Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go

I have been sitting here enjoying my coffee and checking e-mail and other people's blogs and the sun is heading for higher places. Not hot yet but may be. It didn't get hot yesterday and I felt blessed. For now, gotta go and get some of those weeds out of my garden before the sun dries up the ground that I watered yesterday.

Later...........The Ol' Farmer Lady

Desert Melodies

When I awoke this a.m. I lay there for a few minutes hoping that I could go back to sleep. (Seldom ever happens but I can hope) I had all the windows open and I could hear all the desert sounds around me. I could hear a Mourning Dove that has taken up residence. I think he/she likes is here because the bird has found the TV arial my son and BB erected for me. Silly birds enjoy that perch and poop all over the patio table and back porch. YUCK! I think I will be happy when there is no TV reception in 2009 as we keep being told. Not much will be missed there. I will depend completely on Netflix.

OK. Back to Desert Melodies. First the

Birds... .........................and then there are 3
Goats... across the road. Two are pigmy goats and one, perhaps
the baby is greeting the sun just as Becky's roosters do. It is a nice
sound.
Wind... we have wind here in my desert all Spring and into early Summer.
It is very nice. It keep the temperature a bit cooler.
Windchimes I have a very mellow sounding wind chime that ismade out of heavy
metel and
it looks like a pyramid on a chain that I love. My late husband and I
purchased it someplace while we were sight seeing.

And after all that, this will not be the whole content of my blog today. Charlotte, a friend of mine, had a meme that is short and takes no more time that I am willing to spend at this moment so I will add that also. Here 'tis.........

THREE THINGS

3 PLACES I GO ALL THE TIME.
GAS STATION!!!!!!!!!!
COSTCO
GOODWILL
3 PEOPLE WHO E-MAIL ME ALL THE TIME

DONNA
WAYNE
GLORIA
AND ALL THREE SELDOM SEND ANYTHING BUT FORWARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(HOPE YOU ARE FEELING BETTER WAYNE)
3 FAVORITE PLACES TO EAT
PHOENIX GRILL ON #32nd ???? STREET in Phoenix
RUBIO'S
HOME
3 PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW
I WOULD ENJOY BEING AT BABY DAUGHTER HOME
IF I DIDN'T HAVE TO MAKE THE TRIP AND SHE
PROMISED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO TORNADOS

HOME
HOME
3 TV SHOWS I COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER.
REBA
THREE AND A HALF MEN (I KNOW, SHAME ON ME BUT
THEY REALLY MAKE ME LAUGH)
WFV
3 PEOPLE WHO WILL DO THIS MEME ALSO.
DON'T HAVE A CLUE. A FRIEND IN WA. STATE SENT ON
VIA E-MAIL AND A COUSIN IN AR. SENT ON VIA E-MAIL ALSO

Oh yes, and here is a picture of BB just for his girls.

Sundays wedding

I finally have the time to download (or is it upload?) the pictures of the wedding. I sat in the very back row of our little church and most of the pictures came out a bit grainy. I have enjoyed the camera I have (Canon Power Shot A400 for those of you in the know about cameras) because most of the time, in spite of me it takes very fine pictures. In this case they didn't turn out so well.

The couple that were married both enjoy music of the old time "Pickin'" varity that it came as no surprise that the wedding was planned just as I thought it might be. There was a 2 hour jam session before the wedding and then the wedding itself. There were a few love songs sung and then some of the just plain country songs. All enjoyable. It was so exciting to see the church so full that there were some people that had to stand. There was a flyer (invitation) that was handed out a week or two before the wedding that I never saw, I guess because I came in the back door from Sunday school. I didn't know that on the flyer was the request that everyone bring food because it was a potluck, just like on Saturday nights when the Marana Music Fest takes place. Anyway, it was a wonderful event and a wonderful celebration of the future life to come of the new bride and groom. I will add some pictures you might enjoy seeing.

I have these pictures out of order. Some of are of the 2 hour singing time, some are after the wedding when the bride and groom are being congratulated as everyone leaves the auditorium, the wedding itself and another one or two. Someday I am going to take the time to figure out how to make a comment on each picture underneath each picture. For now, what you see is what you get.....Connie

Time flys

It will come as no surprise to anyone that TIME FLYS! I haven't been able to post a new blog for several days because of things I had to do. A couple in our church got married Sunday afternoon. In our little church almost every one is a Senior. The couple that got married are Seniors also. What a wonderful thing for them to find each other. I crocheted a rug for them and added bath towels etc., to a large basket. I started and finished the rug in one week. I was going to take a picture of the rug and forgot. I have many pictures of the wedding and will post a few when I have some time. Meanwhile, I have to get to town this a.m. to have some maintence done on my car and then some maintence done on my teeth.

LATER GATOR!