Samantha turns Nine

Our Samantha has two middle names.  Her initials form the word sass.  She is seldom a sassy girl unless you want to refer to her style of dressing.  In a day when girls outgrow putting on dresses at an early age she still enjoys dressing up.  Her closet is filled with party dresses.  Kelsey and Hannah have handed down their out grown dresses.  And with two grandmothers and one great grandmother who like to buy pretty things Samantha has a closet filled with lovely frocks.  She is a gal who when issued an invitation to a restaurant will pick out a dress to wear when the rest of the family wears slacks or jeans. 

 

Before Samantha was born, while everyone was wondering what date the babe would arrive, Hannah announced that she would give up her April 18th birth date to the new born.  In exchange Hannah would just take a different date. It still makes me chuckle that she would give up the date but she did not want to share the date. This all made for perfect logic in the mind of a soon to be five year old.

Samantha’s birthday this year will be her last in the single digits.    When Stacey and Rhett announced they were going to have a baby we were happy to know that we would have another grandkid to spoil and love.  I recall making a vague promise to not do too much spoiling.  The truth be told I do not think we have done too badly………...   I confess I think that spoiling is in the job description of grand parenting.

April

Today we had an early celebration of Hannah's and my birthday.  We went out to brunch and then opened gifts. 

 I have to wait until the 11th to celebrate the real date but as next Sunday is busy we thought today would be a nice time to get together. 

First I opened my gifts.

Then Hannah got her presents.  Her 14th birthday is not until the 18th but we treated her special and she got to open her gift too.

Samantha has her birthday on the 14th.  I have our package all ready to send off on Monday to Australia.  We will have to wait until she visits to do something special together.

EAGLES

I like so many others have been watching the eagle cam of the nest in Decorah, Iowa.  Last night we saw the small hole in the egg and a bit of movement.  It was also the first time we saw both eagles.  Today I can not see a baby chick.  Is the chick not hatched?  How long with it take for the first of three chicks to emerge from its egg?? 

http://raptorresource.org/falcon_cams/index.html

Join me and right now over 13,000 others at the above site to see this interesting happening. 

Roots and Wings

Roots and Wings was the name given to the concert that Warren and I attended Thursday evening.  The concert featured Simon Estes, a choir made up of selected high school students from our county, and a young man returning to college in hopes of becoming a performer.  For a finial selection the choir sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic with Estes.  That is an experience that they should not soon forget.  I know the adults in the audience will not. 

Simon Estes sang several Africian-American spirtiuals, I Got Plenty O'Nuttin' from Porgy and Bess, You'll Never Walk Alone, Ol' Man River and maybe my favorite Without a Song.

Our small county needed to raise about twenty-one thousand to cover this event and they got around twenty-five. There were two $5000 donations.  I forgot to purchase our tickets early so when they arrived we were not seated together.  Warren took the ticket with the seat that was front center three rows up.  Our thought was that at intermission we would switch seats.  Lucky for us the seats next to him were no shows. So I joined him right before the performance began.  At the age of 73 Estes still has a magnificent bass-baritone voice.  Our tickets included a reception afterwards.  Warren took my picture with Estes.  He is a very gracious man. 

Friday Simon Estes spoke to all county high school students on “Your Dream is the First Step to Success”.  It followed with a question and answer session. Simon Estes is doing this in all 99 Iowa counties.  He truly gives back to his home state.  Monies raised will be go to his scholarship program for promising your artists and local scholarships programs. 
GREAT Evening!!

Irish

The closest I can come to being Irish is my second Great Grandmother on my mother's side.  Grandma Lucy who I have been told had red hair must have inherited it from the Emerson side of the family.  So today I celebrate being a wee bit Irish. 

Pictured is Mary Ann Emerson daughter of Joseph Emerson and Elizabeth Carr both obelieved born in Ireland. Now if I win the Ancestry trip to Ireland I will see if we can find out more about them.  If not I will just buy more of the Irish Nicholas Mosse Pottery that I collect. 

Cardinal

Since last fall we have had four Blue Jays.  I assume there are two pairs.  For the past week I have not seen any of them.  I am wondering where they have gone to.

In the fall we would sometimes see one lone male Cardinal. This winter we have not spied him at all.  Then yesterday I saw him and then later a small female cardinal.  I hope that they are a pair that have taken up residence.  Did he do a reconnaissance in the fall and after finding her convince her to take a look at the perfect place he found?   


I hope they find the food to their liking and our trees to their preference. 

Picture courtesy of National Geographic 

March ~~~~~ the Month of the Lion and the Lamb

March is not a winpy month. 

It teases us with glimps of spring

Then leaves us chilled to the bone by wind

Neverless it it the beginning of our

Goodby to Winter

Soon

In a month or so we will see this!!!