Roses and random thoughts

Don’t you just love June’s roses?

We’ve had this arbor for several years and this is the first time the roses have come near the top.  They aren’t spaced evenly, with little gaps here and there, and with one branch going up too high-away from the arch, but I have really loved watching them bloom, and look forward to seeing what next spring will bring. I wish I knew how to train the vines to go where I want them to, but nature just keeps trying to get it perfect, despite our efforts. 

Their beauty is a wonderful gift.

I can’t believe that June is already over!

(I’m saying that with a little nervous rise in my voice.)

We’ve worked hard and we’ve played a lot.

There has even been some “down time” doing absolutely nothing. 

It has been great!

I’m still suffering with a bad case of writers’ block.  I’m hoping it’s not permanent.  Maybe I’ve just written every thought in my head and there is  absolutely nothing left to share. 

Here are my Top Ten reasons why I can’t seem to kick the writing doldrums:

♥ School’s out and I don’t HAVE to think.

♥  Cleaning very neglected rooms like the garage and the storage room turns one thinking to escape mode- not creativity.

♥ I need a hair cut and my stylist is booked out several weeks, and it’s difficult to write when one feels frumpy.  (Yes, Michelle, I know I should schedule my next appointment when I get my hair done).

♥  Someone outside my window has been shooting off firework bombs for the last ninety minutes disrupting my thoughts.

♥ Weight Watchers has added guilt to my overbooked conscience.  (My fault, not theirs.)

♥ My flower gardens need all my time and attention.  Blogging can wait.

♥ Who can write when finding a perfect new rug for the dining room took so much time?  Who knew?

♥ Spending quality time with two of my sisters and a niece, checking out not one, but TWO Parade of Homes tours, and then needing to recuperate from the long days (and all the stairs we had to climb).

♥ Dreaming about our upcoming vacation time at the beach in Depot Bay, Oregon.

♥ Hanging out with nine of my very favorite people on the planet (love those kiddos)!

So there you have it.

I AM A VICTIM OF WRITERS’ BLOCK!

It’s not my fault.

Do you think there is a cure for me?

JoAnn

Summer sweetness

Can the fourth of July really be just around the corner?

I’m trying to hold on to the simple days of summer before they are gone too quickly, and believe me, it isn’t easy.  I think the reason summer seems to go so fast is because of all the things I save to do during my time off from school, and we all know that when you are busy time flies.

Every year I put together a summer bucket list and then try and see how many things I can actually get to before heading back to school.  This year I’m trying to include some simple things-to savor this little window of relaxing refreshing time.

While we only got to spend a few hours there, we went to my hometown in Idaho for Memorial Day.  I loved seeing the hay crops, sprinklers, old barns, and wide open spaces.  It was fun seeing a lot of family there, too.

I also took a day trip with my sister Julie and her husband Travis to visit the cemetery in Parowan, Utah where my nephew Shane is buried.  While it is a long drive, it gave us a chance to catch up on visiting, see some beautiful scenery, and have lunch at the little diner in town.

We also had a nice visit to the Salt Lake Cemetery where Ken’s parents are buried.

So, while I can’t put off my cleaning/organizing projects completely, we have thrown in some “outings”. 

Now, to do something about this heat…..

Hope you are all enjoying your summer!

What simple things do you like to do during the summer?

JoAnn 

Coming up for air…

Summer vacation has arrived, and with it a slew of crazy days has kept us very busy, sort of like the Energizer Bunny-going and going and going!  I guess my memory of lazy summer times is just that-a thing of the past.

Today I picked my first raspberries.

There would have been more on the plate if I hadn’t started sampling while picking them.  Yes, they were sweet and delicious.

Our daughter Heidi and family have been here visiting.

Since we don’t get to see them often enough, we planned a full week of activities.  We enjoyed our visit to Hill Aerospace Museum near Ogden, Utah. The museum has over ninety old military aircraft, missiles, and aerospace vehicles, and it is free!

I didn’t get pictures of everyone (we were busy keeping track of all the  kiddos) and I’m only showing a few of the planes we saw, but this you-tube video shows more of the museum.

It was a fun day.

JoAnn

P.S. I hadn’t intended on posting so many pictures.  Guess the report of     the rest of the week will have to wait.  In the meantime, I’ll probably be out in the raspberry patch.

The Merry Month of May

Spring has been quite delightful this year.

Some years we wait for the cool spring weather to finally arrive and then it leaves in such a rush that we feel cheated. This year we have had a lot of cool, rainy days and I have so enjoyed it.  Besides, really hot days make the ending of school so much more uncomfortable.  I’ve complained before about hot, tired, restless students counting down the last few days.  (Which really means, hot, tired, restless teachers!)

Thank you Mother Nature!

The yard is getting pretty with so many perennials blooming.

We still have a lot of planting to do, but I am enjoying being able to work in the garden.

 

My favorite May moments:

Eating fresh corn on the cob

Attending grandkids’ sporting events and recitals

Wrapping up the school year (5 more days!)

Having daylight last longer

Seeing the yard come back to life

Strawberry season

 

Have a wonderful rest of May!

JoAnn

No, It’s Not Halloween-Yes, It Really IS Spring

So, I was going back through my blog last night and noticed that some of my pictures were just blank white boxes.  I’m not sure why (Can anyone help me out here?), but I suspect that I had just copied and pasted, instead of inserting them.  Anyway, I thought I’d just put the pictures back in and nobody would know the difference.

Well, I was wrong.  The changed post showed up as a new post. 

Lest anyone think the end of school-year-craziness has pushed me over the edge, I thought I’d better clarify and defend myself.

IT IS A BEAUTIFUL SPRING DAY AND THE ONLY ORANGE YOU WILL SEE AT MY HOUSE IS IN THE GARDEN!

The weather has actually been perfect here.

We have had a lot of rain and the temperature has been very pleasant.  The photos above were taken recently as I was driving to school.  It was one of those mornings when the sky looked undecided about whether to storm or not,  but everything looked fresh and alive.  I pulled off the road for a quick photo.  (Don’t you hate it when people say it looked much better in real life?)

However, it was a very beautiful day!

School is down to the last two weeks, testing is over (my students worked really hard and I’m so proud of them), and I will soon change “hats” as I get to work at home for the summer.

It can’t get any better than that!

JoAnn

Halloween Party- 2015 and a birthday….

 

 

 

 

The weather didn’t look or feel like Halloween, but it was another fun celebration- just a warmer one.

We missed those who couldn’t make it.

Happy trick-or-treating next weekend!

Love,

JoAnn

P.S.  My costume may or may not have even been worn.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BROOKLYN!

Missed these guys, but they did go to a pumpkin farm.

 

A Great Big Void…missing our mothers

Today is Mother’s Day-

a special day to remember and honor and support our mothers.

It’s a day for appreciating the many things that they taught us.

It’s a time for reflecting on all the work they did for us (and because of us?).

It is also a chance for sharing the love we feel for them.

For some of us, it is a day to really, really miss them.

(It’s been twenty-eight years since my sweet mother passed away and I still miss her so much!  My wonderful mother-in-law has been gone for four years.)

What a void they leave in our lives!

 

I not only have a mother, but I am a mother, too.

I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for my wonderful children, their spouses, and our grandchildren.

WHAT A BLESSING MOTHERHOOD IS TO ALL OF US!

 

My mother was the best!  She did it all.  She was loving and kind.  She cooked delicious food and kept our house cozy and clean.  She washed our clothes, shined our shoes, and curled our hair.  She saw to it that we took piano lessons and learned to cook and sew.  She sacrificed for our educations.  She was fun and played with us.  Do I feel lucky?  Yes, I’m very blessed.

My mother-in-law was an amazing woman, too!  She was strong and independent during a time when women didn’t have the voice they do today.  She led her family by example.  She was also kind and loving.  Her home was a safe place for her children, one that often was moved to different parts of the country because of her husband’s work.  “Home” went with them, always providing the security they were used to.  I feel blessed once again!

 

Today I was reminded that not all people are as fortunate when it comes to their mothers.  A young man at our church shared his story of having a mother addicted to cocaine when he was born.  He was later abused by a step-mother for many years.  His first experience of knowing a loving mother was as an adult meeting his future mother-in-law.  He wasn’t bitter, but took comfort in the knowledge that his own wife was a loving mother to their children.

So, as I wander around the house today, missing both our moms like crazy, and wishing we could spend the day together catching up on all the news , I take great comfort in the knowledge that we were truly blessed by our angel mothers!

Happy Mother’s Day!

JoAnn

P.S.  Missing Aunt Mardene, too.  A mother isn’t just the person who brings you into this world.