Home to you...

And so on Saturday we headed on a road trip and picked up...well we got in with the girls in Limon... and off for Denver to say hello and goodbye to our "nephew" Josh...and his beautiful bride, "B-Bop"...okay Bethany...but she will always be B-Bop...said with much love and adoration!  

Josh was home for a short time from Afghanistan and we got to catch up with them and my nephew Ethan...these would all be from my brother Shane's branch...in case you were wondering.   I put the emphasis on Josh...even though I haven't seen the other two much and they are in the same state and the same country!   And I just love these guys!

We got to meet up with Josh's mom...her husband...and special friends of theirs...and my GREAT nephew...I told Jesse...that I was his GREAT aunt!   Not sure he thought I was so great...but I must confess I had fun trying to catch him in a pic...If you look close in this one...you will see him behind the tree...



Jesse...

 

Now you see him...

Now you don't...

 However, one might guess where we got his dodging the pic skills...

When we got there...even though we had got to take in the whole IKEA experience...okay well we didn't exactly follow the arrows...I felt a little like cattle...then when we got there Izzy needs to eat...so she ended up trying out some IKEA chocolate...but they actually have a cafeteria...just kind of a crazy place...but it wasn't long and the Firecracker and her Oppy were ready to get out...even though leaving isn't as easy as one would think.
So we decided to go find the Italian restaurant...Maggiano's...that we were meeting at.   Upon arrival...one little Izzy Bell says is it time to go in and I tell her that we still have about a half hour.  To this she replies, "Good I have time for dancing."    And up to the front she headed to find her some ears and do some dancing!   I texted her uncle and he replied that she was in fact his niece...

And then we got to see our buddy Ethan...

We had a little bit of a wait...but it was all good...I had thought I would get some more pics of Bethany and Josh...but I didn't get too many as some did some weird blurr stuff but a couple that I liked...This one I did a little different finish...and if you look close you will see someone hiding from me...but I love the way Josh is just watching Bethany...I am sure soaking it all in before he would have to leave again...

 They are so dang cute...I just love them both...and so I hope that they got to soak each other up a little for when they are apart...and as I write this...Josh is traveling...like a forty hour trip...back to Afghanistan...

And I think of those that are away from their loved ones and I pray for them and Bethany I can't wait as I am sure the same as you...that he is back home to you...and this song by the Peasall Sisters just makes me think of you.   God Bless you and LOVE YOU!

lyap

Happy Birthday Dad

And another year has passed...and it is already my dad's birthday again.   Dad...not sure I remember calling him daddy or definitely not father...He was "DAD"!    And later Hoopee...

I was thinking of my dad this morning thinking of his age he would be 76...but I was thinking about how I am now the age he was when he died.   My granddaughter is the age that my son was when he died...I have a picture on my mantel that my mom gave to us with a note dad had written to us in his last days...I love this picture...

 

 

The writing below it is somewhat hard to make out but considering how he was...amazing that he could write it...

 

 

To my friends and beloved family.

I am so sorry to stop now

Please explain to the little

one the body can

only take so much

and found its limits

I will see you all in heaven

because we belong to God

Heather Lance Kids and Wife

Enjoy life to the most.

Love ya

Jim

Hoopee

 

 

I figure up that it has been 24 years since he left us...and the pain of him leaving isn't as raw as it once was...but how I would have liked for his grandkids to have known him better...Though I still think his love reaches us all...and they know him in ways of having certain traits that can be traced right back to him.

 

And so Kendra had shared this song today...and I thought of how I wonder about heaven...that because of Jesus...I will see my dad again...my mom...my grandma...my son-in-law...and you know I hope they are all dancing in heaven...

 

This song Dancing in the Sky by Dani and Lizzy...and you can feel the emotion of one who has lost one they love...but the beauty and hope of heaven...

 

 

 

So I stop and say Happy Birthday Hoopee...we think of you and miss you.   We are thankful for the man you became!   

 

 

Love ya,

"sis"





Oppy's dill pickles...

I got home tonight to find the following sitting on the kitchen counter...yes the shepherd had made good use of some of his cucumbers out of his garden...

I think they are beautiful...I love how things look when they are canned and love how they taste in the summer...I am not a big cucumber fan...but do like a pickle or two.   The shepherd has quite a few specialty items with the cucumber...besides dill pickles...he makes fresh creamy cucumbers (his mom's secret recipe) and also ones with vinegar and sugar and onions that are pretty popular.  He has made lime pickles as well as freezing the pickles with vinegar and sugar and a few other secret ingredients I am sure.

Anyway I had some asking for his recipe...and so Tim shared this one that he got from his mom that he thinks was LaVon Jones mom...   LaVon a long time friend and I am trying to think how she spells her name...but know she will be okay if I spell it wrong.   I smile and think of wondering if her and "Mom" Pfeiff may have canned a many a jars...maybe together...maybe apart...anyway here's the recipe...

Mom Allens Dill Pickle.

4 cups vinegar
15 cups water
1/4 cup salt (this is the shepherd's add because he thought the last were too salty)
1 teaspoon Alum Powder
1 teaspoon pickle spice

Let this come to a boil and cook together 15 minutes.

Fill jars with raw pickles and put a little dill on top and bottom of jar.

Then pour juice over pickle and seal.

Then set jars in kettle and let steam until pickles change to yellow. 

Take out and seal tight.

And there you have it...

Thankful for the shepherd...and we'll see how the pickles turn out...he is talking of maybe throwing a pepper or two in a few jars...

lyp

Flooding???

We (the shepherd and I) had settled in somewhat for the evening after Lance had headed back north...north to find hail still waiting for him.   But after the shepherd had done chores and I had cut up some melons and we had found a bite to eat we were starting to watch "A Farm Story with Jerry Apps" on PBS (Was very interesting if you are interested in farm stories from the 30's and 40's).

While sitting there in our own world...the shepherd gets a text from Jim Cantori.   (Or is it Joe Cantrell...so that is another story as I always give him a different name).   But the shepherd loves weather and he also likes Jim Cantori so as he gets alerts from the Weather Channel...I changed how it came in on his phone and so it appears a text from Jim Cantori.  (If you don't know who he is...he is the bald guy that gets all the exciting weather jobs on the Weather Channel).   Anyway he tells the shepherd that it could be flooding in Olney Springs:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A * FLOOD WARNING FOR THE ARKANSAS RIVER NEAR FOWLER. * FROM MONDAY MORNING TO MONDAY EVENING. * AT 7:15 PM SUNDAY THE STAGE WAS 5.5 FEET. * FLOOD STAGE IS 8.0 FEET. * MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST. * FORECAST...THE RIVER IS EXPECTED TO RISE TO NEAR FLOOD STAGE MIDMORNING TOMORROW. * IMPACT...AT 8.0 FEET...MINOR AGRICULTURAL FLOODING OCCURS NORTHEAST OF ROCKY FORD AND ELSEWHERE

Who would have thought that in July we would be getting alerts such as this.   That the Colorado Canal would be in the river...and made me think of a question I had asked this morning...

Would we be thankful for the rain if we had not known the drought?   One of the those questions asking, "do we take so much for granted unless we have known something different?" Complacency?  BUT a reminder that we should be thankful all the same!

 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says:

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Well exactly what is everything...it is often hard to be thankful we say when things aren't quite as we had thought they should be...BUT those times when things are good should be especially easy to give thanks...even though we don't always do it.

Anyway I go back to the flooding...and as I sat there I pull up the river readings on the computer and so the shepherd says let's go check out the river...We headed for Manzy and got a glimpse from the bridge...as the sun sets in the distance.

These clouds to me almost look like a hand...maybe just me...love clouds...

After Manzanola, we decide to check down by the Rocky Ford Ditch...and the water was coming at a pretty fair clip...no that is not technical water jargon.   

And so it is with life...we never know if we will have drought or monsoons...feast or famine...but I am reminded...be thankful in both!  I guess we will watch in the morning and see what it holds for us!

Have a good one and God bless!

lyp

A hummingbird kind of day...

I sit here in the darkness listening to the breathing of one precious little Firecracker with music playing in the other room and the snoring and wrestling around of one Otis dog...The dog we had to feed earlier...one piece of dog food at a time..."He used to not like that when he was a puppy."  Even though the "feeder" did not really know him as a puppy...there is a bond that they have known each other always.

We are having a sleepover while Mom takes in Brad Paisley...with Uncle LaLa...Aunt Aum...Kristy (that would be Ted's daughter...who even though Ted sent us root beer from Kasey Jo and Kerry's party...one little Isabel says...why didn't he send the ice cream.   Yes she remembered the root beer floats and TED!)   However, while watching Sophia the First and Doc McStuffin...we are sitting on Ahma's lap but the not having a nap today...catches up and we crawl off of Ahma and hop in the chair to finish watching...within minutes...this is how we looked...

And so precious as though a sleeping angel...

As I continue looking at pics and watch the video of her song she sang for me while in the bath...one little hand rests on my arm and I would love to have that sweet little hand always...I tuck it in my heart and I find a picture of her swinging that captures just that feeling of youth...that freedom...her asking me if I had a swing like hers when I was little.   Her telling me a story of Grandad when he was about her age...that he is laughing and laughing...I could listen to her stories always...but as she swings...I also think of swings...that freedom we feel...and hope for many who are facing struggles would feel this peace and joy!

What a fun day...I knew it would be a good one...this morning I caught a hummingbird at the trumpet vine...short time at work...then off to hang out with pure JOY!   Oppy did some auto repairs ate some pizza and then left us...one little one's mama will return soon and I stop and give thanks for this day...Blessed...let me take in this day and life as this little hummingbird does!

And I finish this off...for tomorrow I get to go watch soccer...it will be her last day she tells me.    Such blessings coming from just spending time with one little Firecracker!

As I go to finish this off I think of Heather at Brad Paisley as she hated his fishing song...and how we teased her that she had married it...I feel lots of Jay Bird in this room right now as I see a picture of him looking at me...and a precious little one next to me...And I think of the trumpet vine as being my Jay plant...next to my Granny rose and my Hoopee rock...and I think of those not here...aren't all so far away...

Sweet dreams!
lya