Coincidence or God's Way of Remaining Anonymous

This is a picture of my grandparents, Karl and Anna, in 1923. I never knew my grandfather. He died from cancer a few years after the war, long before I was born. "Oma" lived for another 40 years. I remember a story that my mother told me about my grandmother, a story that could be called a coincidence, but not if you believe in something more. My mother had a picture of herself hanging on her bedroom wall. One night it was storming so badly that the thunderstorm caused the picture to fall and break on the floor. It woke her up. The next day my mother received a phone call from Germany that Oma had passed away that morning. The time difference between Germany and the United States is around six hours. It was around the same time that my mother was awakened by the storm and the fallen picture. She called me in Texas to give me the sad news. Whether this was a coincidence or God's way of remaining anonymous, I will never forget that story.

Ten Places in My Heart

 Here are some random pictures from my files. Some bring a tinge of sadness, some of joy, all of memories stored in my heart.

This is a castle near the German village that I was born in. Every time that we

went to visit my Oma we would pass this view and knew that we were almost home.

When my daughter and I went to Washington DC our very first stop was Arlington Cemetery. We walked to JFK's eternal flame, walked all the way to the top and toured Robert E. Lee's "Arlington House", which he lost during the Civil War and whose heirs were involved in a lawsuit to reclaim after the war; We watched the changing of the guard in awe and silence.

And we walked among the graves; the sky was a perfect blue above the thousands of white crosses.

There is a little cove in the Great Smoky Mountains, Cades Cove, where my spirit comes alive in the untouched landscape of hundreds of years ago.

A fountain in Savannah, Georgia, a beautiful and historic city divided into

squares with gorgeous homes and Southern gentility. We came here on a trip to visit some old friends. I would like to go back someday.

This is a picture of the government housing, or "quarters" that we lived in while stationed in Germany in the 1960's and 1970's. Some of my fondest memories are from my 'Army brat' days, and later, Army wife.

London was my favorite city. I think I was British in my previous life:) We spent four days in London, took a side trip to Windsor Castle, rode on the Underground, and went to see three plays while we were there.

The Mississippi River, picture taken in Hannibal, Missouri. 

My sister and her husband lived here briefly and showed me around (Mark Twain)

Samuel Clemen's hometown. I fell in love with the little river town and was pleased

 to see my niece graduate from high school.

The lighthouse in Biloxi, Mississippi. My husband's family lived on the Gulf Coast and for many years we made regular trips to the coast and rented a condo on the oceanside. Sweet memories of my husband and mother-in-law.

Paris in 1978, my husband and me.

My sweet mother, taken in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on a trip to the mountains when

she was undergoing cancer treatment. We lost her seven months later.

Summer "Staycation"

Four of my grandchildren spent the night with me this week. I am the "crafty" Nemaw, so I found this

bird feeder idea on Pinterest. It is very simple. Cut up two oranges. Let the children eat the

oranges (which they did). Mix together oats, peanut butter and birdseed and pack it into the oranges. I used some skewers and twine to hang them up. 

We went to a matinee to see "Max" the movie. Wonderful movie.

Afterwards, we walked around to see the fountains.

It turned out to be a beautiful and sunny day.

Family History

I've been so busy these past few months with work and home renovations that I actually do Genealogy research to relax. I know that sounds crazy, but I love digging on the Internet and Ancestry.com to add to the family tree.Some of my latest discoveries are shared here.

I knew of one of my late-husband's ancestors who had fought in the Civil War, but didn't know that we also had two volunteer nurses. Rebecca Lemmon Oleson served from 1862-1865 in Nashville and Chattanooga (100 miles from where I live). She filed for a pension in April 1893 in California. She lived to be 91 and died in 1916. I think it is neat when you can connect history with real-life ancestors. 

Her sister-in-law, who I have written about before, Sarah Plummer Lemmon, also served as a volunteer nurse. Here is an article on her.

                             John Gill Lemmon, an ancestor on my late husband's side.
                                             He was a Union soldier in the Civil War.

Here is his obituary card.

This is my late husband's great grandmother and four of her children. I had never seen a picture of her before. I don't know the date, but her husband remarried in 1903, so this picture was taken before then. She was a handsome woman. She had six children.

This soldier fought for the Confederacy. He is the (5 generations) grandfather on my brother-in-law's family tree in Arkansas. He fought alongside two of his brothers and served for one year in the Confederacy, opting not to reenlist after his year was up.

Grace

My favorite word is "Grace". When my grandchildren get in trouble I tell my daughters to give them some grace. "Not everything is a punishable offense," is my opinion. "You have to pick and choose your battles" is another. When people are annoying or getting on my last nerve I try to give them grace. Like the lady that I waited on this past Saturday who was angry because of waiting for an hour to see a representative. I was the fortunate one to be the recipient of her anger. I let her talk and simply said "I'm sorry that you had to wait so long." I didn't make excuses...it was what it was. Sometimes you have to wait and there's no getting around it. After a few minutes she calmed down. We often make situations worse by telling others what they should feel and that's not our place. The flip side is that we make it about ourselves and it's not. Calm down. Take a deep breath. And sprinkle grace abundantly. I would want others to do the same for me. Have a blessed day!

Friendships

May has been about friendship. Friends are like a bouquet of flowers. 

And as I get older and I realize how precious time is,

I appreciate my friendships even more.

 I heard from an old friend in her typical bold handwriting, several pages of stationary numbered in the upper right hand corner and signed "Best Friends Forever!"

Just like when we were teen-agers. I've known her since we were 13.

This month I also found an old friend.

She is still married to her high school sweetheart. It's hard to believe it's been 40 years!

Sadly, I said good-bye to a sweet friend who lost her battle to cancer.

                              I had some laughs and a good time with some friends from work.

                               

                                           

                                         I called another dear friend who is recovering from surgery.

   And today I will meet a friend for lunch to 

celebrate her birthday.

                                Friends are truly a bouquet of flowers, each one a blessing.

In the Shadows of the Past

On our trip through middle Tennessee we stopped in the town where my family lived in 1966-1967 when my father was sent to Vietnam. I was 10 years old that year and the oldest of five children. My baby sister was born during my father's tour of duty. We lived in a tiny two-bedroom house within walking distance of this Civil War mansion. As a child I played on these grounds and waded in the nearby creek. It was a working plantation prior to the Civil War and was going to be torn down when the city decided to restore it in the 1960's, the time that we lived here. My grandparents lived on the same street several blocks away in a ramshackle old Victorian house with high ceilings and creaky floors. My brother and I would walk for miles from our little corner of the universe, never realizing all the history that was right in our back yard. The poor black neighborhoods that I remember as a child are gone, replaced by housing projects. How many of their ancestors worked the cotton fields of the plantation? We will never know. My grandparent's house and many others on the street have been restored to their original grandeur. Old is new again. There are stories on these grounds that have never been told.  

What I Learned at Disney World

On my vacation this week I observed several things. First, Joy is contagious. 

Second, people can be incredibly kind. I met a family who had driven all the way from Maine with their handicapped daughter and their service dog. The man gave up his seat on the shuttle bus for me. They were the nicest people and told me that they lived in the same town as Stephen King. He definitely had the Yankee accent! Most of the Disney employees were super friendly and asked us where we were from. One cashier was a college intern from Alaska; one of our waiters was from Brooklyn, New York; another from Hawaii; and the tall blonde with the beautiful smile who waited on us at the Princess breakfast was from Norway. And third, it proves that no matter what your native language is, or your native dress, put on your Nikes and a pair of Mickey ears, and the world is a better place.

Epcot

Epcot

                                                         
                                                        Space Mountain

Mae-Mae, my youngest granddaughter, almost four.

A storybook garden

Animal Kingdom

The Magic Kingdom

Once upon a time there was a grandmother who had always wanted to go to a magical place and take her grandchildren along...a place with castles and Princesses and where storybook characters come to life.

I finally went to Disney World for the first time.  Four days and four parks and my legs didn't give out at all. In four days we ate at an Irish Pub, dined at a Polynesian restaurant with a bread pudding that was to die for; ate breakfast with the Princesses at a royal Scandinavian castle; dined with Chef Mickey and had breakfast at Hollywood & Vine with more Disney characters, and last, ate dinner at the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and gang. We finished just as the fireworks started with a great view. Some of the highlights of our vacation was going on the safari, seeing a stunt car show, taking the Great Movie Ride, and seeing "The Festival of the Lion King." My granddaughters got to go on all of their favorite rides like the Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride and Space Mountain and my son-in-law waited patiently with the girls when they didn't have a fast pass. It was a great vacation and I am looking forward to going back in the future.

Snow in Alabama

At 6 a.m. this morning

Healthy Eating

I've been trying to eat healthier. I've also been trying out some new recipes. So far, so good.

I love lentil soup. I make it the same way my German mother made it.

Great for breakfast - a yogurt parfait with granola and fresh fruit.

My vegetable quiche (no crust). I saute zucchini, squash, onion and red pepper

in olive oil, season as you please (I use a little of Mrs. Dash). Sprinkle grated cheese (I used Monterey Jack)

on top. Mix 2 eggs and 3 egg whites, a pinch of flour, and pour over veggies. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. I had so many vegetables I saved the rest for another

quiche a couple of days later.

This is a good way to eat your vegetables.