Eagles

I have always liked to see eagles soaring in the sky. It is a sight I have witnessed only a few times in my life. Picture a lovely home nestled in the woods. Picture too a room full of woman. Add to that picture an eagle only yards away flying through the woods. Silence and total absorbance became the demeanor of the group as the eagle flew nearby.


Today Hannah is taking part of a two day event. Her team is a part of our state's Future Problem Solving competition. Her Eagle teacher is the same one our son had when he was in school. Mrs. Bailey is one of the "really good teachers." Her goal is to enrich the lives of her pupils by giving them the tools to become all that their intelligence affords.

When she took on the Tag program in our school it was new to our district. In the 20 plus years she has done this many students have benefited. My wish is that more students could be in this program.

She keeps in touch with her former students in the form of e mails that I have been told arrive weekly. They in turn value her adult friendship.

May Hannah and her team soar like eagles.

Spring in Our Yard

Siberian Squill

I saw my first garden blooms yesterday while enjoying a warm afternoon spent cleaning in my gardens.  It was a glorious day.

Grandma H

Grandma Laura had an upright piano that was remodeled and cut down. It proudly sat in the one end of the living room. Sunday evenings or afternoons at my Dad’s parents almost always included some time spent with her playing. I know a large repertoire of songs from the 40’s.

I can sing along with the likes of Sentimental Journey, Bye Bye Black Bird, Tea for Two, I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter, and Mr. Sandman. I am rather fond of the tunes I learned sitting beside her on the piano bench.

Grandmother Laura played music at a silent theatre. My Aunt Joyce recently discovered a postcard of the building. The King Theatre and the Albia Business College and Normal School were in the same building. Grandma graduated from the Normal School and taught country school in Lockman, Iowa. That is where she met my Grandfather, Paul. I suspect he was working in the coal mines. It has always been told that he did not like the mines and did not work there long. Grandma’s father spent much of his working years in the mines. Dad said he was one of the persons that set the blast, and was a respected part of the mining community. He was very good with numbers. This made him an excellent cribbage player. Sunday afternoons the men in the family would play cards and cribbage at my great grandparents. My great grandma, Sadie Cox, did not approve but that did not stop them. They lived next door to their daughter, Laura and family . I spent most of my time at their place when we visited. I remember both my grandmother and great grandmother as excellent story tellers. How I wish we had a recording of them talking

Dad tells that when they built the homes in about 1939. My great grandparents had $500. That is what they spent on their home. In later years the home was added on to by Dad and other members of the family so that it had a downstairs bedroom, an updated kitchen, and a bathroom.

I suspect there may be a couple of acres in total for the two homes. Today when I drive by the house is much smaller than I recall as a child. The yard seemed huge when I was small. Our farm stead is much larger. Grandpa Paul built a shed for his ponies, both families had large gardens and I think my great grandparents had a small chicken house. Now is it all yard.

Behind the house was a large willow tree. I loved to pick willow branches and strip the leaves. I know willow trees can be messy but I loved that tree. On many a summer afternoon we would have fresh picked red raspberries picked from the patch and vanilla ice cream when we visited.

Taken for their 50th Anniversary in 1974

I do not believe they had a wedding photo.  I went with Grandma when she picked up a plain gold band for Grandpa for a gift that year.  It was the first he had a wedding ring.  I do not recall what she wore.

The January 24th is Grandma’s birth day. She was born in Lockman, Albia County in 1907, the second child and only daughter of Harry and Sarah “Sadie” Cox. She was the grandmotherly type. I loved staying at their place. Grandma made the best homemade noodles, she loved camping trips, cooking in what I can only describe as a very small kitchen she turned out yummy meals.

Cindi with Grandma in the aftermath of Christmas around 1958-1960.

I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter

Recorded in 1935 by Fats Waller, Lyricist Joe Young, and song writer Fred E Ahlert


I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter
And make believe it came from you
I'm gonna write words oh so sweet
They're gonna knock me off my feet
A lotta kisses on the bottom
I'll be glad I got 'em

I'm gonna smile and say
I hope you're feeling better
I'll close with love the way you do
I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter
And I'm gonna make believe it came from you

Oh yeah

I'm gonna write words oh so sweet
They're gonna knock me off my feet
A lotta kisses on the bottom
I'll be glad I got 'em

Oh yeah

I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter
And I'm make believe it came from you

Oh yeah

I'm gonna make believe it came from you

Oh yeah



Sentimental Journey Sentimental Journey

Doris Day

Words and music by Bud Green, Les Brown and Ben Homer

Les Brown, with Doris as his "girl singer", charted at #1 in 1945


Gonna take a sentimental journey
Gonna set my heart at ease
Gonna make a sentimental journey
To renew old memories

Got my bag, got my reservation
Spent each dime I could afford
Like a child in wild anticipation
Long to hear that "All aboard"

Seven, that's the time we leave, at seven
I'll be waitin' up for heaven
Countin' every mile of railroad track
That takes me back

Never thought my heart could be so yearny
Why did I decide to roam?
Gotta take that sentimental journey
Sentimental journey home

Lion & Lamb

March is the month when the wind blows like both a lamb and a lion.  Yesterday was a lamb day.  Today the lion is very evident.

The blog header picture 

rather off kilter

snow-less

Saw geese flying north in a V

Tulips making there way

Snow almost gone

Longer days

Spring

Too early to do anything but look and pick up sticks and rocks.

Yes rocks!

Because we use a snow blower to remove the snow from our lane and the drives to buildings, some of the gravel gets caught in the blower and scattered on the lawn.  Every spring, after a snowy winter, we rake and use the shop vac to remove the gravel from the lawn so it does not damage the mower blade.  Gravel on a lawn is not a look we like. 

Tulips and Ugly Leaves

Spring Maybe

I want to see

tulips

daffodils

green grass

I want to feel

the warm sun

I want to

smell the warm earth

I want to

go for walks

wear sandals

I am so tired of snow

and cold

and Uggs

and blankets

and winter pj's

and coats

and gloves

and boots

I am so very ready for

SPRING

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop!!!!!!!!

From this blog, http://acanthusandacorn.blogspot.com/ I found the above photo.  Warren and I both managed to dodge snow storms to make our individual flights to partly cloudy, cool temperature, Florida.  Warmth was found is spending time with my sister Cindi, my parents, and our good friends Barb and Bob.  With such cool temperatures we kept telling ourselves that at least it was not snowing in central Florida.

This is a picture taken when I opened my front door today.  Our pig has only a bit of metal showing. 
When the star is covered up, I am out of here! 

West Coast and East Coast

Blogging has come to a halt because this week I have been in catch up mode. We were in California for six days last week. I leave on Sunday for ten days in Florida. Warren will join me on Thursday. Plans are for me to spend some time with my sister, Cindi, join Warren to visit friends in Lake Placid, and spend a bit of time with my folks in Sebring.  All the while soaking up some of that famous Florida sunshine, eat fresh frui,t and walk on the beach.

 

In California a few early spring flowers were blooming.  It was great to see green grass and plants.  We left our place about 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning after Warren used the snow blower to clear our lane and the road to the highway.  At times the day before we were in white out conditions where we could not see more than 100 yards.  The highways to Des Moines were not as bad as we had anticipated.  Our drive took a bit more than half an hour longer than usual; which was a pleasant surprise.  After arriving at the airport early we had a delayed flight as the crew needed a mandatory rest time after flying in late the night before.  At the connecting airports we walked off one plane and on to another twice to make our two connections.  Our group was large enough that they held the planes for us.   

Warren and me along Pebble Beach

Most mornings Hannah comes over for a breakfast of cinnamon toast and Sunny D.  The bowl had a few hardened marshmallows in it as a treat.  Hannah and I have perfected the art of hardening marshmallows.  I often find marshmallows in various bowls in various conditions of hardness in my cabinets.

The girls would allow me one picture each this morning.  Kelsey looked at the camera for me.  Hannah would not.  Kelsey has an omelet for breakfast as long as I have eggs.  If she forgets to bring me eggs from her chickens and she does not want to return home to get them she will make do with cereal.  I make her omelet with one whole egg and one egg white and a bit of Cheddar Cheese.  It is never a guess as to what to make for the girls.  Usually when I am taking Hannah down the lane Kelsey is arriving. 
We miss our mornings together when I am gone.  They are never here very long but it is our time to catch up and spend time with each other.  Hannah and I usually get in one computer game and Kelsey and I try to answer the questions on "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?"