Family Fun

John and Ben

One of the greatest joys in my life is family! John and I are blessed to spend time with our daughters and their families, just enjoying eachothers company. John would tell you that he is the luckiest grandpa around because he has our first grandson named after him and then Ben, the second grandson, was born on John's birthday. Talk about ties. Our family moves as one unit generally speaking; we all moved from Ca. to Co., we travel together and just hang out and have fun together. Many folks think this is odd and say we should cut the apron strings but we wouldn't have it any other way and either would our kids and grandkids. I hope we are sewing into their lives character, faith and love of family. This is the inheritance we hope to leave: a deep sense of who they are and where they came from and how much they are loved! Each child is a special gift from heaven and I praise the Lord for each new blessing that comes our way.

Friday Fun

Last February a friend was visiting from California and we went to a yard/barn sale in Longmont. I wasn't sure what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised that it was a collection of country nic-nacs, furniture and garden wagons. We spent quite a bit of time sorting through different areas of the barn and I signed the mailing list after finding out that the lady only holds the sales twice a year. Actually one gal has a country store in Longmont but I never did find it.
So today dear hubby and I ventured out for the summer barn sale, looking for antiques(the mailer promised!)and anything else that might catch our eye. Actually, hubby has been looking for old barn wood to build tables with and hasn't yet found any. It was good to go back to her barn and check out her new purchases but we came away empty handed. There were a lot of rustic furniture such as cupboards, which I probably could have used in my quilt room, to store fabric in, however we are retired and I try to be more frugal about buying "things" I don't need.There were many old quilts but I choose to pass on those too, I like creating my own.

We met some new friends, that used to live in our town in Ca., for lunch and it was great visiting with them.

This morning was cloudy and somewhat cool with thunderstorms predicted but then the sun started shining and the sky was clear. This afternoon it is again cloudy, with thunderclouds and looks like it could storm. Wednesday eve we had quite a storm here, we were on a tornado and flash flood watch. The town of Greeley, east of us, got 2.5" of rain in 30 minutes. Glad we didn't have quite that much, I wonder if we'll have heavy rains tonight. Tomorrow we are going to a Rockies baseball game in Denver and I hope it isn't cold and rainy.

We also talked to a friend who has a ski cabin in Steamboat Springs, where we are headed next weekend, and got some great tips for places to see and things to do. I'm excited about visiting a new area of Colorado and will hopefully find some wonderful shots of wildlife.

Oh yes, our geese have returned to our nearby lake. It must be signaling that fall is approaching.
Have a blessed weekend!

Gratitude Journal

O.k. so today is that day of the week that I pause and reflect on all that I have to be thankful for.
~I am thankful for the news that our weather this year is unusual and that there aren't usually tornado watches with severe stormss that occur. I am also thankful that no tornados formed, last night and that the dogs survived the three hour thunder storm.
~I am thankful for the proximity of our grandsons and their coming over to visit and hang out.
~I am thankful for one grandson who loves animals and reminds me of myself when I was a child. I am thankful for Sadie dog loving him and allowing him to lay down next to her.
~I am thankful for blue skies today with lots of clouds but so far no thunder.
~I am so thankful for time spent with my grandkids!
~I am thankful for the fact that although we have huge!!!! spiders(just so you don't think I'm kidding-look up Wolf Spiders on the internet)we aren't plagued by rattlesnakes or roof rats like we had in CA.
~I am thankful for a Heavenly Father that sees all our needs and desires and meets them according to the riches of His inheritance.
~I am thankful for new opportunities each day; tomorrow we are going to a barn sale and then meeting friends for lunch.
~I am thankful that I don't need to worry about tomorrow for today has enough worries of its own.
~I am thankful that I am saved by grace and walking by faith.
~Lastly I am thankful we live in a time where we have technology to enable us to communicate with others around the world.

Who Me???Couldn't Be

What a funny title but you will understand once I begin to unravel this tale. Last Saturday I was at my favorite coffee spot visiting with a favorite friend when a neighbor of hers walked up and joined us. My friend mentioned that her neighbor has been giving "yoga"classes to the ladies in their development and they asked me to come and join them this morning. I sat, wondering. how to answer and my girlfriend assured me that it wasn't new age or anything weird so I said I'd think about it. O.k., you must understand I haven't done yoga since I was a tree-huggin, peace-lovin hippie wanna be in the 70's, when I was in really good shape and very limber. Over the years I've drawn some conclusions about the "far- eastern" classes that clash with my own walk of faith. I have also been told it is very good for arthritis and also aging in general and heard many traditional doctors suggest it to patients. Also, about 12 years ago I had a back injury that resulted in sciatica and have stayed away from anything that might strain my back.
After talking to the teacher, I decided that I would go and see if I could do any moves at all. I knew my girlfriend would be there and she assured me that it was mainly just stretching exercises. I was pleasantly surprised because it was just that, a lot of stretches and extensions but no "eastern"influences at all. I do not have the flexibility that I had 30 years ago and I couldn't move like the other gals but it was relaxing and I enjoyed the company. I even got a head and neck massage at the end and was able to really focus on my Lord during this time. Plus the best part was that it was free! I could definitely feel some parts of my back this afternoon and it will be interesting to see how sore I am during the next few days. I agreed to go back next week again but my body will tell me yes or no. One of my husbands favorite expressions is "his mind is still 20 something while his body is 56", it will be interesting to see if that holds true for me. Trying this also made me realize I shouldn't automatically rule exercise out if I haven't tried it. I'm sure there will be more to this story as time goes on; who knows it might even help me get in better shape. I still like walking the best but this might be something for winter.

For The Love Of A Game

Anyone who knows my husband knows he is a natural at sports. He grew up water-skiing, swimming, playing tennis and was willing to try any sport; generally he excelled in it. When we were first married he also played racket-ball and then someone introduced him to golf. Since then it has become a passion with him and he never plays enough. Now that we've retired he is able to play on a Seniors league at a reduced cost and this allows him to play a minimum of once a week. When we travel John always takes his clubs and his joke is that he never leaves home without them. Years ago I tried to learn to play but due to a back injury and the high cost I gave up quickly thus allowing him this pleasure. While we are on vacation and he goes golfing I either read or go shopping and thus have time alone as well. If John isn't on the course you can be sure that if there is a major tournament on t.v. he will be watching it.

I am so glad that he not only loves this sport but that he has time to be outside. Weather is no hindrance, if it is hot or if there is a storm he still plays. He has made some great friends while golfing and this helped him to settle into a new life in Colorado easier than me. Today is Tuesday so he is out golfing. I am so thankful that he loves the game and is getting better and better at it. In fact, last month he played in a Pro-Am tournament in Wyoming with a friend from my church. What a great way to spend time in nature.

Splendor

All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all. Each little flower that opens, Each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings. The tall trees in the greenwood, The meadows where we play, The rushes by the water, We gather every day. He gave us eyes to see them, And lips that we might tell, How great is God Almighty, Who has made all things well.

From: Maker of Heaven and Earth by Cecil Frances Alexander

Today is Monday and as I pondered this day I realized there were many new "firsts" this week. Saturday John and I went on a 10 mile bike ride along Poudre Creek openspace. It was beautiful and still early enough in the day to make it comfortable. Saturday evening our entire gang went to our local county fair. This was such a fun adventure, our first county fair in Colorado, and it was free. Smaller in comparison to other fairs in California but filled with wonder for the children. We even got to watch a woman's competition barrel racing and this brought back memories of my youngest daughters enjoyment of trying this. I'm thankful that my girls had the privledge of learning how to ride and care for horses. My oldest grandson wanted to know if I had entered a quilt and when I said no, he told me I should next year. Out of the mouths of babes. Today, my daughter Kim, had a prenatal check up and got the o.k. to go to Steamboat Springs with the family for a weekend. I am so thankful that she wasn't put on bed rest. While she was at the doctor's, Carrie&her gang, Kim's two daughters and I went on a walk. Although we have seen wild bunnies in other neighborhoods, I was blessed this day to see one in a neighbor's yard. I know that I wouldn't be so happy if I had a large garden and it was partaking of my vegetables but I am still in awe that we live a place where we see Prairie Dogs, Bunnies, Fox, Eagles and that we can be in the mountains,within an hour, seeing Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goats and the promise of Moose. It is the little things that bring joy to my life. Also on our walk I looked down and saw this beautiful Dragonfly and although it was dead the boys enjoyed my gathering it up for them to examine more closely. I am thankful for the changing weather here, we have had 22 days of 90+ heat but often have light rain in the afternoon. I am still trying to be thankful for the thunder that terrifies one of our dogs and I'm thankful that the other dog is getting a bit deaf and doesn't freak like he used to. I am so grateful that I'm able to stay home and help our daughters out, wear shorts and go barefoot most of the time. That's the country girl in me! There are so many things to be grateful for each day, so often we are in too much of a hurry to stop and look around, seeing with clarity all that life blesses us with.

Look around your world today and be blessed.

A Hunter

Our area is a haven for little boys with inquisitive minds! On daily walks there is much to be seen, much to be explored, much to be learned and lived. My grandsons know I love most wild creatures, from snakes to frogs Nana is always ready to lend a helping hand. In fact, several years ago when other adults would not climb down into a mucky, algae-filled creek to retrieve polliwogs this Nana did. Of course I did need to take a hot shower to rid myself of bugs when I got home. Here in Colorado we are still getting used to what lives in our area but yesterday John gleefully told me "Nana, there are polliwogs here" knowing full well that I'd be game to try to catch some for science. I didn't, at least not yet, but I loved watching him explore and determine what was in our creek. He has the mind of an engineer and loves to build but he also has the mind of a boy, ready and waiting to get into the mud. The joys of being young again and also the joys of being at an age where it doesn't matter if you step in muck to bring joy and learning to your grandsons.