Happy Father's Day, 2017...

 I'm reposting last year's 

Father's Day post.

With a little extra thrown in.

We added another father this year.

*****************

There are lots of fathers, in my life.

Some gone, and some still with us.

The first father I knew was my Daddy.

He was a good man. A hard working man....

He loved to learn new things...have a good time.
And, fish.

And, there's my father-in-law.

Another good man. Another hard working man.

Fun, and funny...always ready for a good time.
And, fish.

Both are gone now. And, we all miss them.

And, this guy.

The one I see every day.

Another good man. Another hard working man.

He's also fun, and funny.

And, ALWAYS ready for a good time.

Another good man...hard working and always there for his family...

our Son.

And, our Son-in-Law...

another good, hardworking man...

there for his family.

*****************
This year, we added one more father.

Ronnie is our newest father...
Father to our sweet Great Grandson.
Another good, hardworking guy.

*****************

I'm blessed, to have all these good men in my life...

past and present.

Seems we have an ongoing theme in this family...
good, hardworking men.

Good men....good fathers...build good families.

We're all lucky to have them, in our lives.

The generations march on.

So,

to all the fathers out there...

all the Dads.

We love you all.

Happy Father's Day...
~~Linda~~

Happy Mother's Day...

We all have lots of Mothers in our lives.  

We all start out with one mother,

and add more, along the way.

This is the one I started with.

She was a good mother.  A good wife.

She and my dad were married 56 years,

when he died.

She's the one who gave me my love of gardens,

and all things natural.

I wish I'd learned a lot more.

On Mother's Day, before we left for church,
she would always go out to her rose garden,
(She always had a rose garden.),
and get a red rose for me to wear,
because my mother was live,
and a white rose for her,
because her mother was gone.

Then, there's my Mother-In-Law.

Here she is, with my Father-In-Law,

at the Copa Cabana, in Miami.

She loved getting dressed up, and going out.

Movies, musicals...any kind of show.

She was NOT a gardener.

Her idea of fun outside, was a beach somewhere.

She grew up in south Florida.

She gave me the good man I married.

And, I thank her.

Next came our daughter.

She's a very good mother, to these two great kids.  

Always involved in their activities.  

Always busy.

She's becoming a good gardener, too.

They bought an old house, with a great garden.

She's learning that gardens can be fun...

and, lots of work.

Our Daughter-In-Law came to us already a mother.

She brought along two really great kids.

Twins...boy and girl.

Then, she gave us two more great kids.

Two beautiful girls.

She's another good mother.

Involved with her children. Teaching and 

urging them to do their best. 

She's a good gardener.  

Even took the Master Gardener classes.

We've gone on many garden tours together.

This year, we added one more mother.

Our oldest granddaughter gave us 

a beautiful little boy.

She's proving to be a good mother, too.

Maybe someday, when she gets a chance,

she'll learn to love gardening, too.

Enjoy all the mothers in your life.

They're all very special.

Happy Mother's Day...

~~Linda~~

Let Me Introduce to You....

Recently, I mentioned we had a 

Great Grandson 

on the way.

Well,

meet Roen Oliver.

I think you can say, 

we are proud.

Life is Good...

~~Linda~~ 

Father's Day....

There are lots of fathers, in my life.

Some gone, and some still with us.

The first father I knew was my Daddy.

He was a good man. A hard working man....

He loved to learn new things...have a good time.
And, fish.

And, there's my father-in-law.

Another good man. Another hard working man.

Fun, and funny...always ready for a good time.
And, fish.

Both are gone now. And, we all miss them.

And, this guy.

The one I see every day.

Another good man. Another hard working man.

He's also fun, and funny.

And, ALWAYS ready for a good time.

Another good man...hard working and always there for his family...

our Son.

And, our Son-in-Law...

another good, hardworking man...

there for his family.

I'm blessed, to have all these good men in my life...

past and present.

Seems we have an ongoing theme in this family...
good, hardworking men.

Good men....good fathers...build good families.

We're all lucky to have them, in our lives.

So,

to all the fathers out there...

all the Dads.

We love you all.

Happy Father's Day...
~~Linda~~

These Guys Broke the Mold...

We had a lot of rain this spring.

Days of rain and clouds, and very little sunshine, to dry things out.

Everything became green...

including the driveway, the deck....everything.

The driveway developed a thick slime.

And, after I slid and bruised my tailbone on Father's Day,

going out for the paper,

our daughter and son-in-law came to power wash.

We have a circular drive.

So...dear son-in-law...who has no 'off' button...spent over 

SIX HOURS

washing away the slime.

The slime was thick, and it was slow-going. 

But now, it almost looks like a new driveway.

If I fall now, it'll have to be blamed on something else.

They left the powerwasher for Mr P to use on the deck.  

It was pretty black and moldy.

Amazing how just water can wash that away.

I thought the porch wasn't quite that bad.

But, up against the clean, you can see it had to be done, too.

The older generation doesn't work as fast, but it's finally done.

We just have to seal the wood now, and it should be good for a while.

Sitting here this morning with my coffee, I'm loving the clean.

And, as an extra bonus....it smells so much better.

Life is good today....

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Light Up the Night...

Yesterday was our Annual Family Christmas Party.

The day we get together with my nieces, their families,

and their dad & step-mother.

It's a good time to catch up with those members we don't 

see very often.

And, meet any new members, we haven't had a chance to meet before.

This year, it was in Granbury, at my niece's home.

We traveled on Hwy. 281, and came right by Johnson City on our way home.

Their light display is a good one.

The courthouse is lit on all four sides.

There are lots of light displays.

Santa here, in a covered wagon.

 The shops and restaurants around the square, get in on the action.

There is music, and you can get a ride in a wagon pulled by a tractor,

or the regular house and carriage.

A couple blocks south of the square, the

Pedernales Electric Co-op Headquarters,

puts on quite a light show.

I don't usually like just blue lights, but this is amazing.

Now THOSE are lights.

If you're in the area, it's worth the stop.

I gotta go finish up the decorations....and, wrap some gifts.

I get slower every year.

Hope you're enjoying the season.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Sunday Afternoon....

Friday, we had ice.

Yesterday, it got almost to 80F.

Photo by Bailee

We got together to celebrate our daughter-in-law's birthday.

Brunch at The Leaning Pear.

Corned beef hash, with poached eggs.

I had the same...without the birthday candle...delicious.

After a walk and some shopping on the Square,

we ended up at Inoz'.

They have good food, too.  And, a great deck, overlooking 

Cypress Creek.

Photo by Bailee

A good place to have a beverage, on a beautiful afternnoon.

We had come to see the Carvings.

Photo by Bailee

A couple of trees have died behind the restaurant.

Instead of just taking them down, they're being carved.

With a chain saw.

Photo by Bailee

Amazing, what can be done, with a clunky chain saw.

Photo by Bailee

The Grand Girls were having fun with cameras, taking pix of each other.

Photo by Bailee

And, selfies.

It was a very good day.

Today...another cold front has arrived.

We're forecast more 'winter precipitation' tonight.

Gotta love Texas weather.

***********

'Til later...

Take care...

~~Linda~~

What Santa Brought....

Wow!

This month is moving along.

It's been busy around here.
I'm trying to Simplify things, as we put away Christmas decorations.
Funny how much time it takes to
SIMPLIFY.

I've been keeping up with my 365 Project...
a photo a day for A WHOLE YEAR!
I've been posting over on my
Flickr page.

But, I wanted to take a minute to show you what Santa brought.

Yep...a windmill.

Isn't it pretty?

It's out in the new area.  My vision was to see it through the Grass Bed.
The Gulf Muhly is still looking good.
I have plans for more grasses.

We have a star theme going on here.
So, this fits right in.

It's purely decorative.  But wouldn't it be nice, if it was pumping water?

With our wind lately, it's getting a work out.

I like it.

**********
The weather here has been like a yo-yo.
It's been so dry, the temperatures have been really up and down.
Below freezing, for lows. Then, 70s and 80s in the afternoon.

We've been having a colder winter, than last year.
One morning, it was 12F, after being below freezing for several hours.
I'm pretty sure I'll be replacing some plants.

The challenge of gardening here, continues.

**********
On a happy note:
Our daughter is CANCER FREE!!

We are beyond happy.  Two different cancers, in two years....
well...let's just say...that puts the garden challenge in perspective.

And, even more good news...
our son-in-law has found a good job down here in Texas...where he belongs.

So, we are doin' the Happy Dance around here.

**********
OK....I've gotta go Simplify some more....
and, dig up weeds.

'Til later...

Take care...
~~Linda~~

Looking Back at Christmas... 2013.....

Sunset, Sunrise...

Hello December...

We've had some beautiful weather, the last few days

Last night, the sunset was beautiful.

Pinks and purples and golds...

looking out across the creek, from the back deck.

Then, by the time I got out to the front, there were deeper purples and golds.

Then, when I went out this morning for the paper...

another beautiful sky.

Nature IS the best artist.

We're forecast to be in the 80s the next couple days,

then, another Arctic Blast.

Freezing weather, and maybe more rain, by the weekend.

*****

Speaking of harsh weather...

our son-in-law hasn't found a new job yet here.

His old boss called and asked him to come back up north.

This time, North Dakota!  

They lived there before, so he knows what to expect.

He got there yesterday....just in time to get the beginning of our 

Arctic Blast.

In North Dakota, Arctic Blasts are MUCH more serious than here.

So, when we're whining this weekend about the cold,

we'll keep in mind that cold is another one of those things in nature that are

relative to place.

*****

Now, I need to go get the pumpkins put away, and get out the 

Christmas decorations.  

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~