Fall Beauty

This was the last flower to bloom. It was the slowest growing plant all year and now it is the tallest. Well, except for the morning glories which are a vining plant. I have other Zinnia's growing and blooming now, but this seems to be the only one that is this color and the only one that appears to be extra full, perhaps a double one. I am amazed that with the beginning of fall being less than a week away this plant bloomed at all.

In another couple weeks, it will be time for the leaves to begin their color change, painting the landscape with rich hues of yellows, orange, reds, purples and rust colored beauty. I'm hoping that the lack of rain here this year will not have any affect on the usual beauty. Some say that the lack of rain has put the trees under a great deal of stress and they will lose their leaves before the crisp nights and sunny days will help with the photosynthesis. I certainly hope not. I, for one, will sorely miss this autumn wonder!

The End of Summer?

Labor Day! Gone, it's done.....over! So that means that summer is done too? Maybe not! The temps outside today are approaching the 90º mark so I'm having trouble thinking that summer is over!

This picture is our grandson, Elijah, in our backyard pool. Okay, probably the last time anyone will use it this year. We will probably be draining it sometime this week. But he sure was enjoying himself in there with no one to share it with.
He is a 'big boy' now he told me. He didn't want me to forget that his birthday is Saturday and he will be 4. And he told me that he would like a Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtle as big as he is!!! I don't know where on earth they sell them that big, but I suggested that since he has almost every Ninja Turtle that has ever been made we should get him something else...........he didn't look real thrilled with the idea but after some more talking, he did agree with me.


This is our oldest son, Brian with Elijah. The rest of Brian's family was going to a park to play with some friends and Brian decided he wanted to come over and see us. It has been almost a month since he has been here........his job takes him out of town and out of state frequently. When Elijah heard that Daddy was going to go to Mema's house, he refused to go to the park. He was going to Mema's too! There are two other children in the family, but David who is almost 11 opted for the park and Rebecca, who is only 18 months, went with Mom. She doesn't have much say in matters like this YET, but being the only girl I think she may grow up to rule them all! Ha-ha!

This is my painting that I created. I'm not really talented and it was really easy.


Click here to create your own painting.

I found this here. You can click above and paint your own! Let me know if you do, so I can see what you have created.

A little of this and a little of that.....

So this is a picture of Amber in her cheer leading uniform. I drove up to Muskegon Saturday accompanied by another grand daughter, Emily, to see Amber cheer at her first game. They didn't do bad for first timers. You could tell Amber was a little nervous in the beginning but as she spent more time in front of the crowd she became more comfortable with it. Emily and I had a good time chatting on the way there and back too. This is the first time in a long, long time that Em and I have been able to spend time alone together. Em is 15 and is a cheer leader for her schools Jr. Varsity team....she's been cheering for at least 3 years now and is very good!

On the way home, our youngest son, Jeremy called my cell and asked me to watch his 1-year old son, Ty for a while the same evening while Jeremy played in a softball game and his wife, Heidi and son Trenten, went to watch. He screamed when daddy first left, but settled down and then we had some fun. I took this photo of him after his bath when they came to pick him up.....this is one of his favorite things to do....balance in a standing position in dad's hand! And the smile on his face shows just how much he likes doing this.....isn't he a cutie too?

And Sunday evening I took this picture of my flowers still blooming in my yard. These are the ones I so painstakingly dragged the hoses to in order to keep them watered during our severe drought earlier this year. I guess it paid off!

No Words Needed!

I received this as an e-mail and the description states that archaeologists have found the bones of the first politician! 'Nuff said!

A Proud 'Mema'

How I wish I had a photo to go along with this post, but all I have is a picture of the poster they made at the end of last year. My grandson, Steve, plays electric guitar, in the band (Big Dodee Roo and the Raptors) that he is in. I went to watch and hear him for his last gig of the summer before they all start college. It was Wednesday evening at the Wayland Hotel (bar and grill). Yes, my husband went on 2nd shift Monday for the first time in a few years and already on Wednesday I was hanging out in a bar! LOL......

I don't frequent bars as a rule as I am really not a drinker. I've been known to have a couple drinks, but never when I have to drive and not since I have been on meds for my heart and HBP. If I drink at all, it is at home and at the most, one mixed drink. Wish I could drink wine or beer but I really don't like either of them! Jeremy turned me on to Root Beer and Vanilla Vodka and that tastes pretty much like a root beer float to me and not much at all like an alcoholic drink! So, I dare not have more than one b/c I really like the taste of them........I don't want to become a lush!

But I digress, back to the band....they are actually pretty darn good! They play a lot of songs from the days when I listened to the radio and quite a few originals. They were collecting money so they can produce an album. They have been doing gigs for most of this past year......well, ever since the high school talent show where they began this journey! I hope they are successful and can remain unchanged.

Good luck guys!

On the right side of my blog, I have stated that I am the grandmother of 14. That isn't quite true.

Actually, I am the grandmother of 15. We had a grandson who was still born on August 11, 2001. He was not a full term baby and his death inside the womb was totally unexpected and unexplained. We found out the day before she had to deliver him that he no longer had a heartbeat. She went through labor and delivery and left the hospital without a baby! It was and is still a very sad thing.

At first, the parents didn't want any one else at the hospital. They later changed their minds and asked both sets of grandparents to the hospital....if they wanted to come and hold him. I did. As difficult as it was, I just had to go and hold this stillborn grandson. I wanted the chance to be with him, even if he couldn't know that I was there and holding him. I know, it doesn't really make any sense to me any more now than it did then, but I don't regret going. It was something I just had to do!

"An Angel in the Book of Life wrote down Owen's birth, and whispered as she
closed it, 'too beautiful for Earth'."

We had a private graveside service for Owen, and we were allowed by the cemetery to bury him on top of the vault in the same spot as my first husband.....his grandfather. It offers us some comfort knowing that we didn't have to leave Owen there alone.