Diversions

Meet my brother, Rick.

Me and Rick

He lives in Colorado on a horse ranch...along with his daughters, ages 16 and 19 and his wonderful wife.

I'm flying out for a 3 day visit this weekend. I emailed and asked if I should bring a heavy or light jacket. "Bring everything!" my 16-year-old niece wrote back. "It's snowing right now." Snowing? Oh...and it could get warm.

So I'm boarding the plane with a heavy jacket and a wide-brimmed sun hat.

This is what my brother and I used to look like.



So I'm leaving Mozart. But first, we will have a date...an evening at Newport Beach.




He just finished working on a movie about the history of surfing in Newport Beach. It's premiering the night before I leave. It should be a lot of fun.



Yes it's quite an exciting week...with my work sandwiched in between.

Speaking of exciting...I took Letty to JC Penney so she could shop for some snappy new tops and when we returned to the car, there sat a $350 parking ticket.

We had forgotten to put up the handicap placard. We drove straight to City Hall to explain ourselves. We came up with some good ones like..."I'm 80 years old—and you expect me to remember everything??"

City Hall was closed until Monday. So today we drove up there, again.
Guess what. They lowered the ticket to $25.00. Hooray!

Thanks for visiting...and I'll be back to report on Colorado!

Good Friends

We've known each other since we were children.


We went through elementary school together...graduated 8th grade together...and we're still together.

We always see one another on our birthdays.

And on this day, we are celebrating (early) my 54th birthday. Goodness! It looks like they're holding me up.

We decided to do something economical. Forget the fancy restaurant. Let's have a picnic.

We are just outside the Los Angeles County Arboretum...and soon we will enter and explore.

We paused to look at this patio and watch the yellow blooms drift down.


We headed to the Baldwin Cottage and noticed how big these old trees have grown over the decades.


The cottage was constructed in 1885.



We stopped to admire the Wisteria draping near an old Adobe structure reminiscent of the days when this land was part of Rancho Santa Anita.



Oh the tiny and beautiful details of God's creation.



We had a very nice day.


Good friends are a treasure. Are you still in touch with any of your childhood friends?

Anticipation

Anticipation.

I can't wait to see these bloom! It's almost more exciting to see them all wrapped up——folded so neatly by God's hand. What a surprise they will be.

I have another surprise...of the color yellow. The city decided to put a fire hydrant in front of our house. My lawn is all torn up.



On Easter, I am having dinner for 8...and have been preparing the house and the kitchen all day.

After wishing all of you a Happy Easter, I'm going outside to pick some lemons. I'm making my first lemon meringue pie.

May God's love touch you and your families as you focus on the wonderful gift He has given us...His son...and...because of his death and resurrection, we do not need to fear death...but we look forward to life...to living with the ONE who rescued us from the darkness...who brings light into our lives...forever.

Anticipation.

A Book of Comfort

My blogging friend Susan, has reviewed a very helpful book, "Words of Comfort for Times of Loss." If you have friends or loved ones who have recently experienced loss of a loved one, or if you are not sure how to help a friend who has experienced deep loss, visit Susan at her blog, Adventurous Living.

Wild Poppy

Today I had a moment. A moment to myself. It was 4:00 p.m. Mozart ran out the door and said something about recording a pipe organ. The youngest was at school. The oldest...I never know for sure...but there was a bus schedule up on the computer.

So I did something I've never done before. I sat in the poppies. I pushed my lawn chair up against them and sat down with a book that I've never read before. The sun was still high and I felt a soft warmth from head to toe. Perfect light fell across the page of my book, making it easier for my tired eyes.

I should do this more often. It feels like I'm on a vacation.

Oh the simple joys...that we often forget amidst our busy schedules.

The breeze came up, and soon it became a bit cool. I squirmed a little but the book held me to my chair. I'm reading The Story of My Life by Hellen Keller. The third-graders, at school, are studying her life. She is an intriguing person. And she loved nature. She often speaks of the softness of a rose petal, the smell of the sea, and the brush of the breeze on one's face.

I closed my eyes and felt the caress of the breeze and the sweet smell of Spring.

. . . . . . . . . .

Later in the evening we said good-bye to our 22-year-old son, who is moving to a far away place. He hopes to find a job there and live successfully on his own. My prayers will touch him every day. He is in God's care.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
...your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalm 139:9,10

My Burden and the Birds

Home has been busy with all kinds of dynamics relating to 19 and 22 year olds. There is much to pray for.

A surprise email from a friend Debby encouraged me. She asked if she could include my "poem" in a book she is compiling. What poem? It seems I had forgotten about the little piece. It was actually part of a blog post I wrote over a year ago. She emailed the piece to me, and it spoke to me. Maybe it will encourage you too.




(During a quiet time, I read the words of Jesus in Matthew 6.)

My Burden and the Birds

"Look at the birds of the air."
Okay, Lord, I'll go outside and look at the birds.

"They do not sow or reap."
"You're right, Lord. They just swoop down and pluck snacks out of the grass.

"They don't store anything away in barns."
They certainly don't seem to be worrying about the future.

"They don't need to. I take care of them one day at a time."
Are you saying you will take care of my needs, one day at a time, too?

"You are more valuable to me than a bird."
Thank you. Will you take care of my family's needs too?

"Yes, and you won't add a single hour to your life by being anxious."
I'll try to be more like the birds.

"Good."

....I wish I could fly.

"Seek first the kingdom of God and you will fly, just like they do."
(Matthew 6:26-27:33)

A New Ride

I read the newspaper in the car, waiting for Letty who was in the hair salon. Soon the glass door opened and Letty stepped out with beautiful wavy freshly sprayed hair. I slipped the key into the ignition, as Letty climbed in. I turned the key and it almost spun around in a circle. Something had broken inside...and there was no way to start the car.

Thirty minutes later, we had a new ride.




We were towed directly to the repair shop. The tow truck man dropped the car along the curb...and the repair guys had to push the car into the shop. They won't be able to look at it until tomorrow.

Letty's hair still looks pretty good after all it went through.


After I got home, I started making dinner, and the microwave quit. Nothing will bring it back to life. The big screen TV broke last week, and it still sits quietly in Mozart's office unfixed.

Well...at least life is interesting. And sometimes when old things break, new things happen. Mozart now watches his late evening TV on the smaller TV in the living room, the same room where my son's computer resides. So they're connecting more.

The microwave? My youngest will miss his microwaved burritos. Maybe we'll save money on electricity.

I suppose I could drive my husband's big blue truck to the grocery store tomorrow, but it's like parking a tank.

It's interesting that we don't really need half the things we own.

Have a nice evening. I think I'll go read a book.