Life

Yes, my blog has been quiet. I'm not sure why I don't feel like posting. I think life sometimes saps all the creativity out of me.

So I'll forget the creativity and just catch you up...real casual.

Our oldest son, C is still here at home. We haven't booted him out. Yet Mozart is usually close to it. He is looking for a job...or is supposed to be looking. But if he found one, he would not have any transportation except for a bus. But it can be done.
C is starting to work on his car. This will be good because it gives him something to do. However he won't be able to drive it when its finished due to reasons that are too long to explain here.

If you are inclined to pray for young people, please pray for the bottom line. That C will invite the Lord back into his life so God can help him climb out of the abyss he is in.



I had a nice time at a "tea" last weekend at my mom and dad's church. My mother and I drank peach tea out of china-flowered cups and enjoyed scones and finger sandwiches while listening to harp music. We wore our Sunny Shiny Things bracelets (created by my good friend Sunny)and felt quite pampered and elegant. Earlier in the day, my dad and I went on a long bike ride and ended up bumping down a dirt rode to an expansive bird preserve that is near their home. (My mom was out playing tennis.) And before that, my mom and I took a walk on the beach down to the tide pools.

The beach was almost deserted and a lone life guard stand stood beckoning on the sand. I glanced at the ladder and immediately knew it was too high for my 78 year old mom to climb. My mom noticed my glance.

"You want to go up that?"
"I'll do it another time, mom, when I'm by myself. I don't think you could get up that."
"Oh yes I can."
A minute later we were seated on the life guard stand. It was cool and breezy. We sat close together for warmth and leaned our backs against the wood. We talked about friends, God and life.

You are probably wondering where the pictures are. My camera is broken, and I didn't have my son's camera with me. (This is another reason it is not fun to post...I miss my camera!)

So life is hard and life is good. And the good moments seem even better when the bad moments have been bad.

Another good thing is that Mozart and I have discovered the Saturday evening service at our church. It's an smaller more intimate service than the giant church service on Sunday. Mozart never attends the giant church service on Sunday...but he likes this one. It's so nice to sit in church with him! And he and the pastor are getting together for coffee soon. That's another story.

I'll try to post more often. Yet I may have some silent days coming up again. There has been a potluck scheduled at my home on Sunday (have to clean house and cook)...and then next week I have to go through a medical procedure that will not be pleasant.

I'll be coming by your blogs soon!

Have a great rest of the week.

God's Gifts

My favorite place to walk is the Arboretum. Last Sunday I took a walk at the end of the day. I try to carve out some time on Sunday to do something fun. Many times, its simply working in the yard. Other times, it's talking a walk with a friend. But on this day, I could not find a companion, so I took God and my camera. Note: for some reason my "notes" around the pictures are split...with part of the note on the side of the picture...so my captions are broken up and don't make sense(sigh).



I thought of you...my blogging friends. I wanted to show you how beautiful Southern California is at this time of year.



I know many of you live in beautiful places also.



On the north end is the Australian section. All the trees are natives from "down under".



















Bright yellow and red Aloe Vera


Those Orange Aloe Vera plants (3 pictures above) are about 8 feet tall!

This One-hundred twenty-five acres of beautiful land lies in the center of city and suburban life.

I'm lucky to have such a beautiful place to come to. One day I brought an older woman friend, (Mrs. L) to the Arboretum. She can't walk very far, which posed a problem.

I really wanted to show her everything. I thought we could take the sight-seeing tram, a long skinny open air bus that departs every hour. But it was out being serviced. After additional inquiry...and using some of our female charm...a golf-cart type open air vehicle pulled up and a young man invited us on board.

Mrs. L and I received a free tour of the entire arboretum via the golf cart. And because the driver was young, we found our hair flying in every direction. He was very knowledgeable about the trees, plants, the history and geology of the land. He stopped many times to point out details. What a ride!

Home Life

Oldest son C has been surviving at home. So far so good.
When I got home from work today, Mozart called me over.
"I wanted to tell you something. Last night C and I laughed together over something on tv."

That was a gift.

I'm becoming increasingly aware (and looking for) the good things in a day. I take strength from them. Life is tough and challenging for most of us. But there is beauty, and there is encouragement if you look. God is there. And He will never leave us or forsake us.

Sunday Greetings

You almost went on a beautiful walk with me through the Arboretum. What I mean is...I have just spent an hour putting up a post, only to lose it all. The first picture was of an 8 foot Aloe Vera plant. Well...check back and hopefully I'll get it up in a few days.

The Arboretum is place where I love to walk. The Aloe Vera garden is blooming, and I want to take you there. Spring comes early to Southern California, and there is a lot of color along the pathways.

I hope to be back soon with my pictures.

Things are going okay with my oldest son, today. One day at a time.

My youngest son just had his 18th birthday. I'll post a picture of that soon.

I cleared some weeds in my garden today. Oh so many weeds! Some of them are growing underneath our motorcycle trailer and there is no way I'm weeding underneath it. I typed into google "natural weed killer" and came up with a vinegar solution. (vinegar,salt,dishsoap). I sprayed it on the weeds. We'll see what happens.

Later today, I sat outside for a little while, in my chaise lounge and sun hat and read the Bible. I'm trying to stay in the Word. I was tempted to put the house in order instead, but I am learning I MUST stay in the Word if I want to be strong enough to walk the road I'm on.

I love the longer days. I'm so glad its staying light longer now!

Have a good week!

Good Stuff

Every February our town has a Camellia Festival. There is a parade down main street. The floats are covered with Camellia petals. At the end of the parade route everyone enjoys a Carnival at the park.

Since most of my students attend the festival, I wrote them some math word problems, relating to the festival, for tomorrow's math class. I put their names into the problems. I'm looking forward to their reaction.

Today I read the story of Ruby Bridges to a first grade girl. She was so inspired, she wants to write Ms. Bridges a letter. Ruby was one of the first black children to attend a white school. The children's book handles the story well, and Ruby's faith in God and in prayer shines. It's a pleasure to read the book at school and allow the children to see her strength and her faith.

My fifth grade class is reading a story about Sarah Winnemucca. She was a Paiute Indian who learned to speak, read and write English. She spent her life speaking out about fairness and peace for the Paiutes. (I'm sure learning a lot at school!)

Oh...and we just finished a story about Deborah Sampson. She wanted to fight in the revolutionary war. She dressed like a male soldier...and they never discovered she was a woman. Well...eventually a doctor discovered it when she became ill. After the war she married and lead a fairly normal life. She became a public speaker and traveled all over the country sharing her experiences.

That's all for now...

Except I just walked outside to the end of the driveway to bring the trash cans in. I saw a neighbor out in his yard and thought. I don't have time to talk...I have to start dinner. But something slowed me down.

I waved. He turned off his edger and we shouted back and forth--as he lives across the street and 2 doors down. I noticed his girlfriend (who I don't know well). She has an illness and is in a wheel chair. She was sitting in his driveway watching him edge the lawn. Then as I turned, to go back down the driveway, I saw my daffodils. It seemed I should give her one. I picked 2 and broke off some lacy green foilage from a bush. I walked over and handed them to her.
"Oh thank you! Daffodils were my grandmother's favorite flower."

I felt good inside.

I think she did too.



I'm off to make dinner...bacon and tomato sandwiches...with split pea soup.

Poor...but Rich

Daffodils are blooming everywhere in Southern California, and along our driveway.

I begin with distressing news.
Our son left today. It didn't work out for him to live here. I pray God will watch over him. He only has $50.00. But most important, I pray that God will place some Christians in his life who will guide him.

Which brings me to the thought...Could I be standing next to someone tomorrow who needs guidance and help? As I pray for help for my son...I need to be aware of the Spirit's leading in my own life...to be available to others—to be an answer to someone's prayer for their loved one.

How can I expect others to help my son, when I am not willing to help others?

I'm a little shy to "talk" too much about my son...so I will get on to something else.
I went for 2 walks today. One with a friend, and later with my husband.

Do you know what my most precious possessions are? My relationships with family and friends. And with the economy how it is, its comforting to know that lack of money will not take these away. My mother is a great spiritual support to me. And a walk with a friend is worth a million bucks.

Speaking of relationships...we are truly rich. Because the Creator of the universe desires to have a relationship with us.

A few other things...

In one week, my youngest son will turn 18. He's having some friends over for a barbecue. We are in the middle of a series of rain storms, so I hope its clear on Saturday.

On this current weekend, I have three days of "no school". Since the weather is cold and wet, I stopped by the library, and thought I'd browse around. I came across the DVD's. Wow...a good idea for a rainy day. I came home with the movie Music and Lyrics as well as a PBS series on the Revolutionary war, and a DVD tap dancing lesson! If I can't square dance...I'll tap dance. (I used to tap dance in college.)

I made Mozart watch Music and Lyrics with me on Valentines Day. He wasn't expecting it to be very interesting....but he actually liked it. We both did! When Mozart and I first met, we wrote a few songs together. He did the music, and I did the lyrics....so it brought back some memories!

"Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house.
You give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light , we see light." Psalm36:7b - 9

Choosing to Trust

My son returned tonight in the middle of a lightning storm. As the rain poured down, we negotiated by the back door. It was difficult. When I thought Mozart was being too harsh, I had to trust the Lord. I kept saying to myself I have to trust the Lord.

As I listened to Mozart and C, I reminded myself that--for the last 4 weeks I've been reading the Word and trying to have faith in God's promises. Now, after four weeks of "strengthening" my muscles were being tested. Had I learned anything?

It comes down to...do I believe that God is able?--or do I think he can't handle it.

We finally got through the requirements/expectations. C is now settling in.

There are a lot of loose ends relating to a missed court date and other matters and the coming days will not be easy.

But I must trust. Trust or die of stress. Trust I will!

After C dumped his stuff into his room, he headed for the shower.

I wanted to rest my mind. I noticed a CD sitting on my dresser...a bit dusty. A CD of hymns. I stuck it in my small clock radio player and the song "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" began to play. It was a simply done...on piano...no voice.

The simplicity of the song touched my heart. I ran and got my old hymnal so I could remember the words.
'Tis so Sweet to trust in Jesus
Just to take Him at his Word
Just to rest upon His promise
Just to know, "Thus saith the Lord"

Jesus Jesus how I trust Him.
How I've proved Him o'er and o'er.
Jesus Jesus precious Jesus
O FOR GRACE TO TRUST HIM MORE.

I especially like the last line, because it seemed the writer of the hymn was not perfect and still needed grace to trust Him more.

I felt like God brought this hymn to me tonight. And tears came to my eyes as I realized this.

After that...I decided to google the author (Louisa M. R. Stead), and I read the story of a woman who tragically lost her husband.

I love the hymns that have been passed down to us, because so many of them were born out of real life experiences...hard struggles...pain...and also, joy and victory.

That's all for tonight. I hear C rummaging around in the refrigerator now...and I have to go rescue my pre-cooked roast. To back track...I cooked it tonight, but it took 2 hours longer than expected so I had to make another dinner...fast. Now I have pre-cooked roast for tomorrow night. C is asking if he can have some roast. (At least he is asking!) I've got to point him to the leftover Lasagna.

Bye!

Random

Maggie wants you to know that its okay to have a bad hair day. She has them all the time.


I always enjoy the pictures of my dog-niece my sister-in-law sends. This is the latest.

Well...I don't have anything exciting to report---except that its pouring rain. Yesterday it was 80. The weather is full of surprises.

I can tell this is going to be a "random" post. (My younger son would call it that.) Everything is "random".

I quit the square dancing class. It just doesn't feel right without Mozart. However, I'm resuming my tennis. I had stopped playing because I strained my elbows when I held the hedge clippers over my head and clipped a giant bush.


My writers critique group meets tomorrow. As usual, I have nothing to bring for critique. Writer's block I suppose. However, I've been studying a website called http://www.lulu.com/. You can self-publish a book for a minimal fee. But one must be pretty computer savy. For example, you must be proficient on Word. I have 2 children's books that have never been published. I'm thinking of trying LuLu...if I can get through the technical aspects.

My oldest son had a court date today. The court date relates to unpaid tickets. He hasn't been able to pay his tickets because he has trouble keeping a job. He also has forgotten to go to court dates in the past, so the whole thing is snow-balling (fees and community labor). I hope he remembered to go today.

They're talking about lay-offs at the school district where I work. I think my job is okay...but one never knows.

I'm enjoying my afternoon job with Mrs. L.

That's it for now!

I wish I had a picture of my yard. (camera's broke) The grass/weeds are so green and the lemons and oranges look bright. Nature and the outdoors keep my cheerful. Absolute beauty...and free of charge!