My peonies

This last one is right outside of my sewing room window.  I sit facing this window when I am sewing. 

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A Pretty Picture

This is a photo I took at one of my daughter's house a couple of years ago.  I haven't had time to take any photos, let alone do any posting lately.  I thought this was so pretty.  I've been working in my yard lately.  I've got to get photos of my peonies!  I started with one bush.  I dug it up several years ago and separated it.  I've done that a couple of times.  Now, I have 11 separate peony plants.  They are starting to bloom and are beautiful!

Me - A flower girl? Reminiscing with old photos

 I was a flower girl in 1957.  The beautiful bride in the photo above is still just as beautiful today as she was then.  I tell her all the time that it isn't right that she looks younger than her flower girl, now, 50+ years later!!!  Her husband died yesterday.  I am sending my thoughts and prayers her way.
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Below is a photo of my mother that was taken in the 40s.  Wasn't she pretty?  She had strawberry blonde hair and blue, blue, blue eyes!!!!! 

 

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This is a photo of my Sunday School class when I was 3 years old.  I'm the square kid who is the last one to the right on the back row.  My cousin, Malinda, is next to me.  She's the one with the pretty smile and curls.  My brother is the tallest one in the middle of the back row with the bow tie.

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This is a photo of my grandmother, Honey, and her brother.  He died shortly after this was taken.  She's the one who taught me to sew and who wrote all the poetry and the journals.

                                                          Here she is with her parents.

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This photo was taken in 1970 of my boyfriend (my husband of 38 years, now) and me at a formal dance.  Sorry about the glare of the glass in the frame.  I really need to get a scanner.

Update on My Brother

My brother woke up with a new hip prostheses in place!  Yea!!!!  Let's just hope that the infection really is gone!!!  He is in a lot more pain this time around because while the spacer was in place his leg drew up and the tissue, etc.... grew around the "dummy" hip. During the surgery, they had to pull on his leg to fit the prostheses into place.  Also, they had to remove a lot of tissue to test and to be able to fit the new hip in.  But, he is now home, in great spirits.  He is somewhat anemic.  They are talking about the possibility of a blood transfusion!  We sure are praying that he doesn't have to have that done!
His attitude is way better than mine would be if I were in his place. 
We've been to the NE to see two of our daughters and their families.  Two of our grands were in a musical.  It was great!  They are so talented!  I am so very proud of them.  We're home, and we're tired. The 14 hour drive is tiring but worth it to see our girls.Our other daughter has moved to SC which is just a few hours drive for us compared to the all day airplane trip we had while she was in AZ!  Yea!

Prayers for my brother, again, please

Tomorrow my brother is undergoing the 4th major surgery on his hip since last May.  He had a hip replacement done in May, by June he realized something wasn't right.  He had a major staph infection.  They opened him up, drained more infectious gunk than you would believe from the hip area (4 liters!), took out part of the prostheses, cleaned the area, put the prostheses back in, and sent him home with antibiotics by iv for 6 weeks.  He was off the antibiotics (off and on) till January.  The infection would not go away.  So, they opened him back up, took out the entire prostheses, and put an antibiotic filled "dummy" hip spacer in its place.  He went home with another 6 weeks of antibiotic by iv.  The past couple of weeks he's been off the antibiotics to see what would happen.  The blood work doesn't look good, but the fluid they drained from his hip last week did look ok.  So, tomorrow, they are going back in.  They will take tissue samples and run tests on them while he is in the operating room.  If they look good, he will wake up with a new hip prostheses.  If it doesn't look good, he will wake up with another "dummy" hip spacer and will go home to another 6 weeks of antibiotic by iv and facing yet another surgery.  He does not think the infection is gone because his hip is hurting again like it did when all this started.  So, please pray that the tissue samples are clear of infection and that this is the last surgery he will have to have.  Thanks

It's going to be a sad day

My father-in-law's dog, Honey, a beautiful boxer, is so very sick and old.  My father-in-law loves this dog so much.  Since my mother-in-law died, Honey has been his 24/7 companion, well, actually she was his and her companion for so many years.  She was the delight of my mother-in-law's last few years!!!!!  She used to slip her bites of food, let her do anything she wanted, etc.....then she'd say, "She's only a dog once."
Honey has been really slipping for the past few months.  We have noticed a considerable difference in her every day.  Last night, we went over to watch the Lady Vols lose to Notre Dame ( BoooooHoooooo).  Honey was just laying there, breathing with that short, little, fast breath that is the indicator, I've learned, that a person's (or dog's) life is coming to an end.  She had that glazed look in her eyes, too.  The saddest thing was to see her try to stand up and not be able to raise her hips off the floor.  She hasn't eaten for a few days.  My father-in-law got her up and took her outside, but it took him and my husband both to get her back inside.  He took her out this morning and she couldn't stand up long enough to pee.  I think he has come to the conclusion that her time has come.  He's going to call the vet this morning to make an appointment to have her put down.  He always said he wouldn't do this, but watching her suffer is more than he can stand to see.
He is going to bury her in her dog lot, next to the rose bush that someone sent when my mother-in-law died exactly 11 months ago, today.  Marie will be so happy to see her Honey again!
So, please be thinking about and praying for my father-in-law today.  It's going to be a hard one.
This has been a rough year for our families, with my mother-in-law and my mother both dying, and our 19 1/2 year old cat, Vanilla,  and now, Honey.

Still Off Track, Or Maybe, Just Going A Different Direction

For right now, I don't "feel like" getting inside my mother's head.  I can't do it anyway, so for now, I'm going to go a different direction.  It's not like I haven't been off the track anyway.  So, today I want to share a prayer that I found in one of my grandmother's journals.  It was written by my Aunt Cissy.  She was in several clubs, etc..., and I have a feeling she wrote this to be prayed at the beginning or end of a meeting.  It is titled:

A Prayer For the Middle-Aged

Lord, thou knowest better than I would know myself that I am growing older and that some day I shall be old.  Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.  Release me from craving to straighten out everybody's affairs.  Make me thoughtful but not moody, helpful but not bossy.  With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all, but thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.

Keep my mind free from recital of endless details, give me wings to get at the point. Seal my lips on my aches and pains.  They are increasing, and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.  I dare not ask for grace to enjoy the tales of others' pains, but help me to endure with patience.

I dare not ask for improved memory, but for growing humility, and a lessening of cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memory of others.  Teach me the glorious lesson that, occasionally, I may be mistaken.  Keep me reasonably sweet - - I do not want to be a saint - - some of them are so hard to live with, but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil.

Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places, and talents in unexpected people.  And give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.

S.M.B.