There and Back Again

Last Thursday I went to T's house. My, I forget what travelling by air is like. Thank goodness, or I wouldn't ever do it again. T picked me up at the Irving park El stop and we went on home where the girls, and the wonder dog, Stella, were waiting.T grilled wonderful chicken that night and we ate outside, which was great.In addition to the girls and I, Randy was there.As were Donna and Jerry. It was great to spend time with Donna, and Jerry was quite a hoot. He got so cracked up over a joke that I thought he might have a heart attack.And then......The very coolest thing is that we went to the Rascal Flats concert.Sam and Shelby were jammin' on. They loved it as much as T and I did.We also ran into Maya, Donna's daughter and her friend. It weas Maya's 18th birthday. Now how can that be?!?Justin Moore was one of the opening acts, and he was incredible. He was followed by Easton Corbin and then Sarah Evans. Quite a lead-in.Rascal Flats was great, and the staging was incredible.I really wanted to understand how the visuals were created, but I'm sure that I never could.I came home on Sunday evening. The visit was short, but just the right length to keep my travel/leave home anxieties at a minimum. Loved seeing the girls and T, and of course, Randy and Stella also.

Travelling and Travellers

It's been on the table for over 3 months, but I finally got the cat puzzle finished. It was probably the 2nd most difficult one that I've done. I swore I would finish before I went to Chicago, and it's just barely in time.I have the suitcase open and optimistically think that I can make do with one small bag. We'll see. I leave Thursday afternoon and will be back home Sunday night. Shhhhh, I haven't told the cats yet.I'm also getting ready for the Florida travellers arriving on July 7. D & D plumbing was here this afternoon.Jason, my favorite plumber, and the one who opened the drain on a particular Thanksgiving Day, replumbed the basement drain basin. We are all relatively certain that the toilet will not back up with frequent use.So.....y'all come right on up, O.K.?

Summertime!

I think I may be ready for summertime. On Saturday, I planted the last flower -- a transplant from Barbara's Topeka garden that went into Grandma's flowerbed. Then I came home and finally got around to washing down the back porch, furniture and cushions.And not a minute too soon since we're now into the upper 90's and predicted to stay here for a long time -- until October?!?I'm loving the progress in the garden. The daisies have passed their prime and need more dead-heading every day. But the lilies are now wonderful. These have been here for 6 years and probably need to be thinned out. But I don't seem to get around to it, and they still perform beautifully.This is only year 2 for these pink lillies. Aren't they lovely?Thye mailbox clematis has nearly been blown to Nebraska. Notice how it tilts to the right in the picture? That's the Nebraska direction. But nevertheless it has done quite nicely.Now it's hot, hot, hot, and I'm trying to remember what I do when I'm not outside. So far I don't seem to be movivated to quilt, so I'm mostly being lazy in the hot afternoons. Hmmm. I kind of like that.

Annual Ancestor Hunt

Mom and I went to Fredonia and environs yesterday on the Annual Ancestor Hunt. Funny thing, they were just where we left them last year. At Farmington Cemetery we found Grandma Pearl and Grandad Troy.My great grandparents, Mamaw & Dada were still hanging out at High Prairie Cemetery.The Denneys are there also, and here is Grandma with her great-grandparents, my great-great grandparents.The yellow iris were blooming beautifully, as they are in both my garden and Mom's. We have that dead guy, Stevens, to thank for those lovely additions to our gardens. The oldfashioned pink rose was also in fine form, but I didn't get a photo of it.On to the Fredonia Cemetery where we stopped for a brief chat with Alvin R. and Ellie, my great-grandparents. He fought in the Civil War, you know. Doesn't that seem weird? Three generations back from me and we're at the Civil War. Must mean I'm kind of old!Grandma took a little rest on her final resting place. It seemed photo-worthy.The wind was nearly ferocious, but it certainly made the flags stand out. The photo doesn't really do it justice, but the cemetery was just beautiful with hundreds of flags lining each of the roads.And of course, we had to go find Grandpa's flag. He was the last one on the front row this year. Moving back each year. I'm sure there will be sufficient deaths in the A thru Bu's that his flag will be around the corner next year.The flag on top of the mound was standing out proudly in the wind also.We DO all turn into our mothers in some ways. I find that the rounds to the cemeteries are more meaningful each year. Judi and I will be the fourth generation in our family to be buried in the Fredonia Cemetery. I like the notion of history and lineage. It gives me some sort of warm fuzzy comfort.

Barbara's House -- The Detail

Some more photos of Barabara's new house. They were taken during a pre-move in walk through. The furnishings included are those of the previous owner. The outside:The entry looking into the living room/dining area:The guest bedroom:"The kitchen and hall way to the master and guest bedrooms:A very cool back porch:Lower level living area:Lower level living area from the other side:

What's Been Going On

So, what's been going on with me? Hmmm, well, I spent a couple of days in Topeka helping Barbara pack and I've been to her new house in Newton a couple of times to help her unpack. Cute house, huh? More on this with a post to follow.And then, I've been doing lots of gardening -- when it's not too hot, or too cold, or too windy, or I'm not busy with quilting and Guild things or I'm not too lazy. All of which explains why I didn't finish planting my annuals until May 16. NEVER, even in Chicago, have I been that late getting them in the ground. In the meantime, perennials have been blooming nicely, despite the weather variations.

The miniature rose that Carrie sent me for my birthday eight years ago in Chicago, still blooms beautifully.I have something new this year, painted daisies. Aren't they lovely? I hope they continue to bloom for a while. Don't know just how they'll respond to deadheading.My poor clematis has bloomed valiently despite its trellis having been blown over from a ferocious north wind. And then once righted, it was blown over the other direction by an equally ferocious south wind!The poppies are always so dramatic. I would put in more of them, but they bloom for such a short time and then leave an ugly mess for the rest of the summer. So I stay with just these few.I spent today cleaning house since I have quilting friends coming tomorrow morning for a day of quilting. Next week is church conference, and I'm already dreading being gone for three days. It's in Hutchinson, so I can drive back and forth each day without too much trauma.

Mother's Day & May Blooms

The mailman brought a box to my door today. When I opened it, I found this lovely box from Crabtree & Evelyn.And when I opened the box I found my favorite Garderner's Therapy lotion and hand soap. Yea!! Thank you, my lovely daughters -- for thinking about me at Mother's Day time and for the great gift. My love to all of you.I've been busy with the garden and with quilt guild duties lately. My snowball did quite nicely considering the whacking I gave it last year. I'm turning it into a tree. Now isn't that cool?The Miss Kim lilac out did itself this year. Lots of blooms. The smell was delicious. I brought some inside, and they lasted for a couple of days. The photo doesn't really do justice to their lavender color.My expanding hosta garden hasw taken up a good deal of energy and time. Photos will wait until it has a bit of time to mature. The thing is, I figured out how to clean the water spots off of the basement windows. So, now that I don't mind looking out of them, I thought I should dress up the outside area a bit to make it more pleasing. It is.