Sunset

I took these pictures of two recent sunsets. They looked like pictures in the sky.

 

 

Do you see the image of the cross?

 

And this one looks like two galloping horses.

Autumn

 

Autumn has always been my favorite season.  I look forward to her cool temperatures and soft breezes, especially after the stifling heat of a summer day. Fall is not like Spring, although lovely to look at, she has a tendency to show off her unpredictable moods. And she is not like Summer, either, who is a show off with her tanned bodies and gorgeous sunsets.  No, Autumn's bloom is slightly fading, but she has a mature beauty. Her face is full of character and experience and paints a beautiful canvas.  Whereas all Spring and Summer want to do is have fun, Autumn is ready to settle down. She is all about home and family. Football games and marching bands. It is hot apple cider and jack-o-lanterns on the front porch. It is harvest time and hay rides and visits to the pumpkin patch. Autumn is Thanksgiving, which means  extra plates on the table for company and afternoon naps and leftovers to eat the next day. Grandma's turkey and dressing, pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole. This is why I love Autumn.  She  wraps her arm around you like a warm, cozy blanket. She has the biggest heart of all the seasons.

History

I could never understand why people didn’t like history.  I have always loved History.  I was probably the only person in Western Civ. 101 who enjoyed the two hour lectures on Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. It may have helped that I had been to the British Museum and seen the mummy room when I was a high school senior. We lived in Germany at the time and our Honor Society spent a week in London, giving us an education that can’t be taught in history books.

Whether we realize it or not, our lives and the lives of our ancestors were touched by historical events that can have an impact for generations to come.  We were not conceived in a vacuum, but come from many history chapters before us. What will our chapter say to our future generations? What will future census records tell our grandchildren and great-grandchildren yet to be born?

My own life has been affected by history. I was born in Germany and spent my early years living with my German grandmother. She and her children had been refugees after WWII, having lost their home during the war. She ended up in West Germany and my grandfather in East Germany. The details are shadowy, but the hardships affected several generations.  I had a German uncle who fought in the regular German army and was taken as a POW by the Americans. He kept a scrapbook of his time with the Americans.  

History once again was prominent in my life when in 1966 my father was shipped off to Vietnam. We moved to middle Tennessee to live near our grandparents. As I played in the shadows of an old southern plantation, walking in the creek bed behind the old house and catching toads, I didn’t realize then how history had played a role on this piece of land only a 100 years before, where Union and Confederate soldiers had fought nearby. I was in the third grade and befriended a new classmate, a little black girl that I would walk home with after school. It was the first year of integration. One day she didn’t return to school.  I walked by her house that afternoon and saw a pile of ashes. The house had burned to the ground and the family moved in with relatives. I didn’t know anything about Civil Rights then, just that I could buy my  popsicles for a few pennies cheaper when I went to the corner store in the black neighborhood.  

When I was ten we moved to Oklahoma and I soaked up the western stories in our musty Oklahoma history books. The story of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker fascinated me and I searched the library shelves for stories about the Indian chief whose mother had been taken captive by the Indians when she was a child.  Cynthia Ann Parker was eventually rescued by the Texas Rangers, who returned her to her family, but she died of a broken heart. After losing her young daughter, Prairie Flower, and missing her adopted tribe, she could never adapt to her new life. When the Indian wars were over, Quanah lay down his arrows, dressed in white man’s clothing, and became a celebrity, but kept his four squaws.

How can we ignore history when it’s all around us? I’ve walked the halls of Versailles and stood in the cathedrals at Westminster and Notre Dame. I’ve seen the horrors in black and white at Dachau concentration camp.  I’ve seen the Crown Jewels and can name all six of Henry VIII’s wives. I’ve walked along the canals of Amsterdam, where Anne Frank herself may have walked. Her home was closed for renovations when we were there. History is never more apparent than when visiting Washington DC, with all its memorials and names etched in stone. How can we not like history?

Looking at my life through the lens of a historian every part has been affected in one way or another.

This is my third time living in North Alabama. I lived here 50 years ago when the space program was in its infancy, although as a second-grader I didn't know it at the time. I lived her again for a brief time in the early 1970's. We survived the worst tornadoes ever seen in April 1974. I was a sophomore in high school when President Nixon visited Huntsville and my classmates and I went to see him speak. He was the first man in American history to resign the presidency. It was front page news at that time. Today it is history.

 

This photo is 40 years old.

 

The little town in Germany where I was born.

 

My husband and me, Paris 1978.

                                                           The canals in Amsterdam.

 

Where I lived in Germany as a young 20-year old.

 

The Saturn V rocket

 

A Heavenly Homecoming

My dear, sweet mother-in-law went to be with Jesus yesterday morning. She was at home, baking for her daughter's family, and passed away peacefully. She was 91. She had been battling health problems for some time, a result of old age, but she didn't give up. She still helped with the laundry and the cooking because she was never one to sit still for very long.

I was blessed to have known her for these past 37 years. She was a survivor. Out of nine siblings she was one of the last two still living. Now there is one. She lost a husband and two sons and still maintained her beautiful positive spirit and never lost her sense of humor. An avid hockey fan, the local hockey team called her "Team Mom" and gave her an autographed hockey jersey on her 90th birthday. She coordinated the fellowship suppers at her church for many years and looked forward to going to breakfast at the casinos where she lived. She had many friends, young and old, and kept up with countless nieces and nephews and more than a dozen grandchildren.

She always had a story to tell. The most recent one was about a "younger man in his 70's" who would sit by her in church and drive her to Walmart. She laughed at the thought of having an admirer at her age.

She called me last Friday night and left a message and ended it like she always did, "I love you".

Honeymoon in New York City

It has been a busy summer. My daughter got married. My grandson celebrated his birthday (today) and turned six years old. School is starting next week already. Where did the summer go? My daughter and her husband went to New York on their honeymoon and had a great time. Here are a few photos of their trip. They took over 400 pictures. The highlight was seeing "Rocky" and meeting the stars afterwards (and getting pictures made):)

View from the hotel

Good seats!

I caught a glimpse  of my daughter and her husband

at the end of the show.

Visiting Ellis Island

9/11 Memorial

July Wedding

God blessed us with a beautiful day on Saturday for my daughter's wedding.

She was married to her 'best friend' in the gardens of

a historic home, a perfect setting for a summer wedding.

The house was built in 1819 and was the home

of a famed local poet and artist. My new son-in-law is a graphic artist

and my daughter and I like history, so it was the perfect match.

We chose simple table centerpieces.

The two brothers waiting for the wedding to begin.

The elegant dining room.

Here comes the bride!

Celebrations

May was a busy month. My granddaughter, Mae-Mae, turned three. My grandson graduated from
Kindergarten. My two oldest granddaughters had dance recitals and finished up their ball season. They did great in both. My oldest daughter celebrated her birthday and we had a bridal shower for her. We decided on a burlap and lace theme (in case you couldn't tell);) Thank you, Pinterest, for the inspiration!

I made these little gift bags out of plain brown sacks

(3 for a $1.00) and added cup up lace doilies and twine for

the bow.

My daughter's friend had this old window at home and it

was perfect for a backdrop.

My daughter bought the burlap banner and stamped the hearts on the pendants.

My daughter wrapped Mason jars in burlap and lace and used simple

Baby's Breath for the arrangements.

     

Nature Hike

After a week of freakish storms and cleaning up storm debris I relished the beautiful weather that we have been blessed with these past couple of days. I wanted to get away for a few hours, so my daughter and I took the children on a nature hike nearby. It's a mile and half walk on top of a mountain.

Perfect spot to pose for a picture.

We counted at least nine turtles.

My 3-year old granddaughter explores the old homestead cabin.

A little chapel in the woods.

Easter

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter. Here are some images from my Easter.

I made the cross designs using strips of masking tape.

 

My attempt at cupcake decorating.

 

I bought these little bags at the Dollar General. I

didn't go overboard with the candy.

 

My little granddaughter looking rather glum,

but she cheered right up once she found some Easter eggs.

 

 

What Easter is really about.

 

April Showers (Blessings)

We celebrated my middle granddaughter's birthday this past weekend.

She is seven. She has a big heart and is a little fashion diva. She is a good sister, too.

Everyone loves her.

I made some Black Forest Cherry Cupcakes. They turned out pretty good.

My backyard looks an unkempt bag lady, but that's okay.

She is surrounded by purple flowers.

The downtown park in Spring. I love this time of year, so I

can take pictures of the cherry blossoms.

The Japanese bridge

Feeding the fish

Sunshine and Daffodils

We have had some gorgeous weather these past few days. Sunshine. Spring. 70 degree temperatures. Longer days, thanks to daylight savings. Daffodils blooming.

 

And now the forecast is for rain and cold tomorrow. Darn! I knew it couldn't last!

 

 

A good friend of mine sent me this Lenten cross along with the readings

and accessories. I think it is the nicest gift that anyone ever gave me.

 

 

Last weekend I took my three oldest grandchildren (ages 5,6 & 9) to see a local high school production of "Shrek, the Musical". It was hilarious and so much fun! I was so proud of the

kids because they were very well-behaved through the (almost) three hour production.

One of the characters, who played the midget Lord Farquard (on his knees, in a costume), intrigued my grandson. He asked me, "Mawmaw, is he a grown-up?" This was their first play and they were enchanted  by the elaborate costumes and dance numbers.