Saving Seeds

I am saving seeds from my flowers.......it's not that I won't have $5 next *seed buying time*, it's just FUN to save seeds.  I like to watch them while they're dying and drying.  In June you can stand by my front gardens and actually HEAR seeds snap-crackle-popping out of their shells.  Blue-bonnets can cast their seeds a yard away from themselves!

If I have an especially pretty Larkspur, I mark the plant with yarn or twistie tie.  Once the flower dies and
goes to seed, it's hard to remember which plant was pure white!

These poppy seeds were just from a packet, but I'm saving them, too.  The little sunflowers come up on their own and are everywhere down here at this time of year.

So far, this Larkspur gets the prize for being the most unusual color.  These seeds will surely go in a special envelope.

The hollyhocks have been blooming for over a month.....and I am just now seeing how to get seeds from them.  They are all in a uniform circle in the spent flower pod..........I will plant them up against a fence next year.

These have been my favorites this year, too.  White tinged with light purple.

Now THIS is the plant I hope to get seeds from!  My curly, dainty, ruffly, double petal, white trimmed poppy!

Pre-Mother's Day Fun

8:00 was pretty early for Kim, but she got up and we left for Pearland.  I don't know how many times we've said that we wanted to go there on a special day or occasion.  LOTS.  Well, today we went.
First we had to put on perfume.  My new Mother's Day perfume. :)

3 kinds of Chole'.  By Coty.  If you haven't smelled it or loved it yet, look for some!

It was rainy and drippy, but it wasn't stormy.  Nice morning for a drive to Pearland.

Coffee at Buc-ees. Yes.

First stop, Bass Pro Shop.  I drove right to it.  Didn't have to turn around once.  My dear husband gave me his gift card he got from a gun purchase so I could get myself a pink Daisy BB gun.

Then we went shopping..........Target, Claire's (where they have awfully big clips.....)....then to eat.

I took pictures of the wall while we were waiting for somebody to realize we were there.  I won't share the story of how long we waited.........because the food was good. I'll just try to forget the delay.

I love shoes like this.  But I'm not paying $30+ dollars for them.

A beautiful purple purse.  Don't you think so?  No.  I didn't buy it. My next purse will be silver, or platinum, or gold.

This little *park* was between the shoe store and Half Price Book store.  It was out in the FULL sun.  NOBODY wants to sit in the blazing sun to rest their tired feet while shopping.  Tired people to go Jamba Juice.

OK.  I like mini-vans.  Especially brown ones.  This one was beautiful.  And no, I didn't get a Jamba Juice.  I have never liked tart smoothy type drinks. I'm holding Kim's drink.  Mango-go-go.

Too bad you can't see the movement of these little things on the dash of this car.

Hurry and drink your coffee so we can get summpin else!

Last, but not least....my husband loading my new pink bb-gun for the first time.
It was a lovely day.  Thanks to Kimberly and my husband.

Hibachi Project

Daniel brought me these bricks from work a few years back.  His boss was getting rid of them and Daniel KNEW I would want them.  They are fire resistant and not your regular sized brick.  Today, I finally did something with them other than stack them in another location.

I made a little place to put my Hibachi Grill.  If you know what that is, you know a Hibachi is close to the ground.  Well, to me, it isn't that much fun to have a grill so close to where I walk, so I think this will work just right.  I can't wait to use it.  Summer days are coming.......we can actually grill pretty much all year round, but we tend not to.  I think it has something to do with corn on the cob being available at this time of year.  What do YOU? like to grill? BBQ?  marinate? eat?
My very favorite is pork......and vegetable kabobs.

Avocado

So, this is what a newly formed avocado looks like.  Right now, they are about the size of a pencil eraser.

The tree is very tall and has lots of new fruit.......I hope they don't get blown away during hurricane season.
Then we will have to go to TIMBUKTU to get them. Or Smithereens.

The wild sunflower is racing with the avocado tree.......the tree will win because as soon as I can get to the back yard to do some work, the sunflowers are history.

Aren't the new little fruits lovely?

The season has to work out JUST right, or there is no fruit.  If the leaves get frost-bit/frozen in the winter, they will fall off.  Then in the Spring when the tree should be putting on fruit, instead it has to make leaves.
This year, so far, so good.  I planted this from a seed mainly on a whim.  Now it's almost 20 feet tall.  I read that they really should be made into a bush instead of a tall tree.  I'll have to work on that......

Arise My Soul Arise

by Charles Wesley

A young lady in our church sang and played this song last night.

Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:
Before the throne my surety stands,
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above, for me to intercede;
His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead:
His blood atoned for all our race,
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears; received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me:
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”

The Father hears Him pray, His dear anointed One;
He cannot turn away, the presence of His Son;
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

Good Recipe

This turned out really good, even though Ramen noodles as an ingredient,

sounded a little lame.

I got the Stir-Fry Sauce at Kroger.

At a close out price.

They quit carrying it about the time I discover it.

This is what we call a 

*keeper*

Sheba and Bunny

Not So Funny

I remember things. Things like products that used to available.

Like Party Dogs.

They were a cross between animal cookies and a pretzel.

They were wonderful....just a lighthearted salty-sweetness.

Then they didn't make them anymore.

I called Stouffer's to see why they quit making them.

They said it was just a joke on somebody in the company.
It was a short lived product.

Well ha ha ha.

not.

And what about Aruba Jam?  It was better than Sprite.

A little sweeter, just right.

Sigh.

I loved that pop, and they quit making it.

I think I got the last one in Texas, at an old store here in town.

Then there were those Jolly Rancher suckers in *Spanish* flavors.

I can't even remember the flavors now, but they weren't your average sucker.

They were barely sweet and had the little grainy things on them....

and a little bit of a burn.

I called Jolly Rancher.

The company said they just weren't popular enough to keep making.

I guess I didn't buy enough.

I will next time.

N'ice

It was a lip balm, chap-stix, whatever you want to call it.

It was a cool menthol flavor and went on just right.

Nice.  It's gone from any store I've ever been in for many years....

I guess I'll just use Burt's Bees.

Does anybunny remember Cinnamon Apple jelly?

NOT Apple Cinnamon..........

Smucker's made this jelly when I was a kid and it was red.

I still have an old jar it came in.

Boy! That was good jelly.

Sometimes I find it in those little tiny jars around Christmas.

But not very often.

And 4-Way Nasal Spray.

Go ahead and ha ha ha, me.

If you used it for occasional hay fever and stopped up nose,

and loved it,

and now you can't find it,

you won't laugh.

There are forums on the internet talking about 

NOT

being able to find this product anymore.

Of course, I could buy it on E-Bay for 20 times what it should cost

in a store.

Yep, I miss that product, too.

But I don't miss Hostess.

I don't normally eat packaged breakfast junk food.

I buy my donuts at a REAL store.

A Song Somebody Used To Sing

THANK YOU FOR THE VALLEY

Thank you for the valley I walked through today.
The darker the valley, the more I learned to pray. 
I found you where the lilies are, Blooming by the way, 
And I thank you for the valley I walked through today.


Thank you for every hill I climbed.
For every time the sun didn't shine.
Thank you for every lonely night.
I prayed 'til I knew everything was all right.


Life can't be all sunshine. All the flowers would die.
The rivers would be deserts, all barren and dry.
Life can't be all blessings or, there'd be no need to pray.
So I thank you for the valley I walked through today.


Thank you for every hill I climbed.
For every time the sun didn't shine.
Thank you for every lonely night.
I prayed 'til I knew everything was all right.


Thank you for the valley, I walked through today. 

Hymn Stories by Robert J. Morgan

I'm still reading the book about hymns and enjoying it very much.  The other day I read the story behind the song: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.  It was written by William Williams.  Personally, I would never name a boy William if our last name was Williams, but I suppose that thought should be saved for another blog......William was the "Sweet Singer of Wales."  This hymn was sung at the funeral of Princess Diana.  

The book says several stanzas of the song are seldom sung....here is one of the best you may have never seen!

Musing on my habitation, musing on my heav'nly home;

Fills my soul with holy longings: Come, my Jesus, quickly come.

Vanity is all I see; Lord, I long to be with thee!

And may I repeat, Lord, I long to be with thee.

Good Night

page 36-37

So, this book I'm reading has a chapter on camping.  The author had what he called a *perceptive* friend tell him about his week-end.  He said he kept hearing himself say these sorts of things....."I can't wait to get to the mountains......I can't wait till camp is set up......I can't wait till the fire is roaring.....I can't wait till the food is ready....Can't wait till we get in our sleeping bags....Can't wait for morning!"

His friend realized he spent the whole camp-out waiting and anticipating for other things to happen.....while losing all the joy of the experience.......it's an attitude of discontentment.

While we may not come out and say it where others can hear it....if we have this attitude, we will miss the day, the hour, the minute that we could be enjoying....enjoying the present.

I can't wait to get there.........why don't we just enjoy the drive?

I can't wait for *pink* blue-bonnets to bloom.....enjoy the blue ones!

I planted some other irises....I can't wait to see if they bloom.  ENjoY the ones that ARE blooming!

I can't wait for it to snow.  Well, this statement might be O.K......

I can't wait for you to grow up.........and they WILL.  Enjoy your little ones.

I can't wait to open presents, I can't wait for Christmas, I can't wait to decorate.....just listen to us.  Enjoy every day in December.

I can't wait for tomorrow..........if you only think and say things like that, you might just miss a beautiful cloudy, moonlit night.

Here's one I'm guilty of.  I might always be guilty of it.....I can't WAIT for Autumn.  I try every year to enjoy October, but just can't.

And here's Sheba,,,,,,waiting on a bigger rug.....but still enjoying the small one.

While I'm not a great lover of poster quotes from the 70's......I still think we ought to enjoy

each minute of each day and not always be *waiting* for something else good that

is surely going to happen.

Remember, your minutes make the days and weeks and months and years

of your life.

Life is a journey, salvation is not.

Lydia

This has got to be one of my most favorite pictures.

It is Lydia at Brazos Bend.

I kept the dress.