Prayers for Nandinos???

The photo below shows the winter version of my Firepower Nandinos. Just last summer, after 6 years, they finally took off and got really pretty. They hold their leaves all winter and have a lovely fall color that doesn't fade until early spring when they're ready to drop their leavesBelow are the 16 Dwarf Firepower Nandinos that I have put in over the last 2 years which nicely line my sidewalk.Now, according to the Master Garderner Guru, all of them are going to die because of our recent minus 18 degree temperatures. Seems that Nandinos are a lovely zone 6 shrub, but we have had a classic zone 5 spell of weather. But.........quite obviously God is no longer looking after the KU basketball team. Thus He/She ought to have time to answer some prayers for nandino life, don't you think?

I was in the garden for the first time today. Three hours was plenty. I got three bags filled with stuff for the compost guy to pick up. Also transplanted some perennials and filled the trash cart with limbs too big to go in the bags.I was glad to come in and hit the shower. After that I sat down in the chair with the heating pad and waited to get stiff. It didn't take long!

Toby was loving the porch today. I particularly like this pose because it highlights his very triangular physique. He is just too cute!
This is a quilt that I finally finished. I hand quilted it so it's been in process for 6 or 8 months. It will go on the stack for someday great grandchildren.

Birthday Time

It's February birthday time. Terilee became another year older today, and Josh gets older tomorrow. Randy took all the girls out to celebrate last night. Aren't they a cute bunch? Hmmm. I just noticed that Shelby is wearing the skirt I got her for Christmas. How nice!Toby went out on the porch to enjoy the cold and got his first experience with the snow.He loves the cold and stays out a long time. But he prefers to pick his way carefully around the wet stuff that sticks to his paws.Barbara was here this week-end. She was the guest speaker at our Sunday School class today. I meant to take my camera with me this morning, but I forgot. No blog apperance!

I guess because Barbara was here, I got distracted this morning and didn't make my morning Happy Birthday call until we got home from Church. I was in the dognouse with T. You girls have certainly changed your response to my early morning birthday singing. Once upon a time you moaned and groaned. Now you chew me out if I'm not early enough. How things change, huh? It makes me laugh.

The Week that Was

This past week was all about the cold. It was a miserable one. Toby liked the fact that I was so accessible all the time, however. On Tuesday I went to the Doctor just to make sure that I wasn't going to die from this particular illness. Other than that, I wasn't out of the house until Thursday. Then I took a quilt to Evenlyn and stayed to watch her get it on the long-arm machine.This is her with my quilt on. It is really quite amazing how it all happens.

Now back to my regular routine for the week ahead. Yea!

There are days......

I woke up this morning looking like this and feeling like I had a large spikey burr lodged in my throat. Day 3 of a nasty cold.And then, before I could call her, Grandma called me to tell me that her back porch was flooded. And here is Brad-the-Plumber-from-my-speed-dial making a doubly expensive Sunday call. He shut off the water to the hot water tank and will bring a new one to install tomorrow. $$$$$!!As I drove back into my drive two hours later, feeling even worse, I wondered why my garage door wasn't closed. Simple reason -- it broke. Frigid day, Sunday double time service call. Here is my garage door guy.And this has been my view for the rest of the day.I'm sure tomorrow will be much better.

Christmas Again

Christmas may now be finished. The last act played today when Grandma and I went to El Dorado to meet Linda and Logan for our belated gift exchange.And of course we had to meet at Freddy's. Where else?!? In addition to a gift certificate to my favorite quilt shop, they gave me a puzzle that promises to be quite challenging. Just in time, too, because a couple of days ago I finished this one that Sandy gave me for Christmas. I'll enjoy looking at it for another day or two before I start the new one.There's not been much to blog about lately. In the last week, I had three stay-at-home days. No make-up and no hair. Just hang out inside. Oh, I do love days like that, even if they don't offer much to chat about.

My friend Linda Campbell has been much on my mind. She had some corrective surgery last Thursday that turned out to be hugely major. As of yesterday, she was still heavily sedated and on a breathing tube. I feel so very bad for her.

Barbara's Ordination

On Friday I went to Lecompton where I stayed with SAndy until Saturday. Then we went to Barbara's ordination as a Deacon. This is a really big deal in the Episcopalian religious sphere, and she has worked long and hard to attain the honor. It was held at Grace Cathedral in Topeka which is huge and beautiful. There were hundreds of people gathered to see three Deacons and three Priests ordained.

They marched in at the beginning in the middle of a long procession of priests, vergers, and other 'piscop dignataries that I can't ever remember, as well as smells and bells and lovely music.The ceremony was very long with lots of praying, kneeling, singing, choir music and a sermon. But the salient points seemed to be these:
The Bishop read their "orders" to them.Then Barbara and the other ordinands all got new clothes and people to help them into them.Then Barbara looked like this. Nice, huh?There were vows and promises and rituals of the new position. And then the Bishop gave Barbara a new Bible.
The whole family was there to celebrate this significant occasion in Barbara's life.Cousin Phil, who I think introduced Barbara to the Episcopalians was back from D.C., and he was one of her presenters.There were friends, including me.Joe the Lawn Boy.Garth and Craig who are Barbara's friends and her globe-trotting travel companions.As well as her neighbor who moved away a couple of years ago.
We were all very proud of Barbara and honored to be among those who celebrated her becoming a Deacon.

Happy New Year, Folks!

And Sam has turned 16!! Now, who would believe ? And isn't she just too cute in this photo? My grandkids are certainly getting old, aren't they.On New Year's day, I went to my friend Evelyn's for the dinner that we were supposed to have on Christmas day. Not only was I in Topeka, but she had the flu and was too sick to cook. So, the originally intended group, except for Grandma who begged off, convened on Jan 1 for the Christmas dinner. We had a great time -- ate until we couldn't move and then played dominoes all afternoon. An excellent gathering!
I started the puzzle that Sam and Shelby gave me for Christmas. Usually it takes me a couple of weeks to finish one. But this one was complete in just 3 days. Sandy came for a visit, and it turns out she's puzzle-compulsive. I had to turn the light off at night just to force her to bed. It was all but finished after her 2 day visit. It only took me a couple of hours to put in the remaining pieces after she left.My current favorite gizmo is the Swivel Sweeper that Carrie & Gary gave me for Christmas. It's just the very best for quickly picking up the stray clumps of hair and assorted crumbs. I don't get the vacuum out nearly as often, which pleases Carmen. If you don't have a swivel sweeper, go get one. You'll love it, even if you're not an obsessive-compulsive.