This picture was taken about 3 weeks ago. It's a little sitting area I fix up under my deck with my little perennial garden in front of it. I was
just starting to get it cleaned up and the plants are just coming in. I got my homemade deer repellent all mixed up to spray on my flox. It consists of 1 egg mixed with 2 squirts of dish soap, poured into a plastic spray bottle, filled with water, shake it up, set out in the sun so it smells real bad. It's worked for two summers now, and I've tried everything. Most all my plants are deer resistant, but for those that are not I spray after every watering or rain.

Here is my after picture taken yesterday. I paint all the furniture white. The perennials in front of and the annuals underneath the deck are all pink and purple. When the pink flox bloom it is so pretty. I'm no master gardener, but I enjoy being outside and "playing" in my little gardens.

This is my view when I'm sitting on my swing at 5:00 with my glass of wine.

As I was getting some tools out of my shed I heard some commotion above my head and
when I looked up I saw this mother robin sitting on a nest on top of my hoe. Just yesterday I heard some little "cheap cheaps" coming from the nest. I'm trying not to bother them and I just keep watching.

We Remember

As we honor Memorial Day, this whole weekend seems to
signify several things. First and foremost, we remember those that

have given their lives for our country and we will never forget them.

We honor them forever for our freedom and liberty. We also remember

family and friends that have gone before us. People that have individually been a part of us and made us who we are.

Every year, my mother and I go to the cemetary where my grandparents and aunt are buried. This would be my mother's parents and sister. We plant flowers at their gravesite, then we go to lunch. It's a pretty drive out in the country and it is such a bonding experience with my much loved and missed family that have passed and also with my mother. Just seeing their names on the head stones immediately brings back wonderful memories. And the annual experience of doing this with my mother will holds it's own special memories in the future.

Another part of our weekend was the family cook out at my house yesterday. It was a beautiful day, even though we had a quick rain shower in the middle of it. Bob and I enjoyed my parents, daughters-in-law, grandsons, and brother of DIL Melissa. My sons', Austin and Brandon, are in the military and stationed in San Antonio and Spokane respectively right now, and were unable to be home with us. I thought of them all day as we all missed them, but remember why they are not here and how proud we are of them.

The meaning and memories I have for this Memorial Day are good ones. I would wish this to be so for everyone.

American Idol Withdrawal

American Idol is over, and as I've mentioned before, I really get into this show. I wanted Adam to win, but I had a feeling that Danny's votes may go to Kris and maybe that's what happened. Adam's going to have a wonderful career, though, and I'm happy for both of them. It's fun to watch where they go from here and what they accomplish. I love to see the transformation these young people make in their lives and how much it changes for them. I always hope for changes in a positive way for them and what a thrill to have your dreams come true.

Anyway, I do have a soft spot in my heart for Kris because he looks a little bit like my son, Austin. My mother first mentioned it and said that she thought he looked so much like Austin that Kris was immediately her favorite for this reason. So I started to notice him a little more and he not only looks like Austin, but his personality and demeanor is very similar. He also seems to have a very nice family and a beautiful wife.

Don't get me wrong, I think Adam should have won and is more talented and entertaining than any one ever has been on American Idol, but I congratulate Kris.
I'll quit my American Idol obsession now and since "So You Think You Can Dance" started last night, I'll keep you updated with my opinions on that show.

Kris

Austin

So what do you think of the resemblance?

Most Wonderful FAVORITE Award

I received this award from Squirrel Queen. I am so grateful. It feels so good to know that my ramblings may be interesting to others at times. Thank you S.Q.

These are the rules in accepting this award:

Deliver this award to eight bloggers who then must choose and deliver the award to eight more and include the following text into the award.

"These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."

I would like to honor the following bloggers. As noted in the text above, my aim is to find them as friends. These are some really great blogs that everyone should check out and follow. Thanks all.

1) ask grandma j at: http://askgrandmaj.blogspot.com/

2) My Romantic Home at: http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

3) The Pleasures of Homemaking at: http://thepleasuresofhomemaking.blogspot.com/

4) Quilter Going Bananas at: http://quiltergoingbananas.blogspot.com/

5) Snooty Primadons at: http://snootyprimadona.blogspot.com/

6) cozy little house at: http://cozylittlehouse.blogspot.com/

7) Melissa's Heart and Home at:http://melissasheartandhome.blogspot.com/

8) Airman Mom at: http://airmanmom.blogspot.com/

T.G.I.S. (Thank Goodnes it's Summer!)

Yesterday was such a good day, and so was today. I just love summer and it's finally getting here. The sun is out and it's warming up. The windows are open and I can hear all the windchimes in the neighborhood making their pretty music, along with the birds singing. LOVE IT!
The first bit of good news is that I sold my gas clothes dryer yesterday morning. We had to buy a new electric one because we smelled a gas leak a few weeks ago down in the basement and we narrowed the smell down to the one lonely section of gas line that was going clear across the basement ceiling (covered up with drywall) and up the wall in the garage into the laundry room. So My Bob turned off the gas valve to this one line and the smell went away. We decided it would be a lot cheaper and easier to change to an electric dryer rather than have to tear down the whole ceiling look for and replaceing the gas line. Well, our gas dryer was only a few years old, worked great and looked brand new, but the appliance guy wouldn't give us any trade in. He would haul it away for free, though. I thought, yea, then you'll sell it for a couple of hundred dollars. Bob said, "Just get rid of it, what are we going to do with it?" And I said, "No way, it's worth some money". So I put a five day ad in the local paper, and I got one phone call on Sunday. That couple came to look at it Monday morning, said we'll take it, handed me $200 cash, loaded it in their truck, and off they went. I was so excited and proud of myself. I'm looking around the house thinking, "What else can I sell"? That was so easy.
Since it was such a gorgeous day, and the dryer was now out of the garage, I decided to clean out the garage. What a filthy mess. Now, I keep my house as spotless as I can considering three dogs, a cat, and two grandsons part of the time, but the garage is My Bob's territory. He thought the garage was perfectly clean enough and couldn't see the problem. Are men just blind to dirt or what? I took my handy dandy leaf blower and just blew everything out of there that didn't belong. The whole time Bob is yelling down to me, "What can you possibly be taking so long to clean down there?" Blind, I tell you. So I got that done about two hours later and it felt so good. Well then all the dust balls, dirt, old gravel and crap was now in the driveway, so I continued my cleaning outside. The leaf blower, which is like my outside vacuum and dust rag all in one, was working overtime. Then guess what, it died! I'm devastated. So guess where that $200 is going to have to go? My extra little stash is already spent! It's always something, isn't it? I still felt good, though, because I was outside and I was seeing progress. Then I worked in the gardens a little bit and the perennials are starting to come up. Another good feeling. It is a continual work in progress with flowers around here because of the deer. We have so many deer that they aren't even frightened away by people. They'll just about walk right up to you. I've even had flowers on a stand on my front porch and they've walked right up on the porch in the middle of the night and eaten them. So I have researched over the years the different perennials that deer don't like. I get a few at a time and see how they do before I get more of that same kind. Sometimes a book may tell you deer won't eat a certain plant or flower, but they do. So I get excited over each plant that comes back again in the Spring/Summer. I'll fill in the bare spots with a new deer resistant find, or maybe a tried and true.

My daughter-in-law, Diana, came home from her weekly doctor's appointment and the doctor said the baby is ready and could be coming anytime. She's actually due June 8, but doctor said that if she hasn't had the baby by June 1, then he'll induce. They figure the baby is already weighing about 8 lbs. How can they know that? But from the size of Diana's belly, I would agree. We don't know if it's a boy or girl, but Diana and her girlfriends did the Drano test just for fun and it's a boy! Anyone ever hear of the Drano test? I guess you mix your urine with some Drano and then if it turns a certain color (I don't know what color that is) it's a boy, and another color, it's a girl. I have a mother's intuition hunch that it's a boy. I have two brothers, two sons and two grandsons. I just don't "feel" like a girl is in the plan for my life. That's OK.
My son, Brandon, is leaving for Spokane from San Antonio tomorrow to start looking for a house and start to get settled and prepared for Dee and baby to move out. For those of you not caught up, Brandon is in the Air Force and will be stationed in Spokane. So as soon as he gets "the baby call" he'll be on a plane back here to PA and will have 15 days leave. I can't wait!! Then he'll go back and Dee and baby will move in about a month. I'm not looking forward to that. I may need to go with them. I'm serious!

Stay tuned for updates on my sons, the Airmen. They're doing well and I'm so proud of them. I'll also be showing some before and after garden pictures as soon as the after comes in a little more. And, of course, baby updates will occur frequently. Life seems to be moving at warp speed right now.