Booming Banter

For sure this happens to you that you see something hundreds of times and then all of a sudden it hits you on the nose that there is something about this item that you never knew before.

So it was that on scone day I remarked that our everyday flour has a previously unrecognized characteristic.

It’s PRESIFTED!

Now why should this matter or be of any significance.

Well if your lazy like Mom it could make a difference to the quality of your baking as she’d never sift anything.

That’s just part of the puzzle though.

This is a little lesson to always look for the best and unexpected.

Something may be bland as bleached refined wheat but if it’s sifted it’s a little bit more special.

Blessing#2068-Additional Attributes

Here in Ohio it’s recommended that you hold back on planting annuals, herbs and veggies until after Mothers Day to ensure you miss any chance of a late frost.

Ma is always chomping at the bit to get them in and so it was we went shopping this morning.

The niece was left home with her Grandpa as she’d puked up her breakfast having had a feed of hay on our walk.

Ma also feared she might suck on the seedlings while on the road.

So it was just the two of us who hit the road and got the goodies.

We were home by 10:30 and then got busy.

JAWs was allowed to join in and behaved herself and we enjoyed the beautiful day.

Rain is on the way tomorrow so the little ones should get a good start.

It’s always amazing how these tiny things grow so fast and so big unless of course the local Bambis serve them as a snack!

Blessing#2067-Digging the Dirt

So yesterday was Mother’s Day here in the USA and in addition it was the parents 38th wedding anniversary.

Ma had some reservations at the tearoom so Dad had promised to cook dinner her favorite Tandoori Chicken so he was off the hook.

The Bro on the other hand got the cold shoulder because he’d only put a card on the table for her so when Ma went to get the niece from her chambers at 7:00 am she gave him the evil eye as he was getting ready for work.

When we came back from our walk she had to recant and send him a message as he left her a big box of smelly stuff.

He had put it out of sight and had forgotten to set it on the table the night before.

So thank goodness all was well and peace was in place before Ma left for work.

Blessing#2066-R&R

On Friday night our Facebook feed lit up with friends from Northern Ireland showing their awesome captures of the Northern Lights.

There were so many to choose from but our favorite of course had a dog in it.

Ma was so jelly as she has always wanted to see this natural wonder.

The news said that they might appear in Ohio so when Ma woke up in the middle of the night she thought she might get up and see is she could see.

She didn’t! So it was that she was tortured with what ifs when she saw that in our very own little suburb the lights were not just visible but stunning.

Bah humbug she was mad as a hatter. Why did she go to bed so early why did she not get up why did she not BELIEVE.

So it was that she wasn’t taking any chances last night and got up several times in the middle of the night just to be sure she didn’t miss them but no luck.

Don’t worry Ma I consoled her you’ve got me and still have an excuse to go to Iceland!

Blessing#2065-Bucket Lists

My second cousin Dolly is becoming excessively beautiful now that she’s a teenager.

What do you think?

Wouldn’t we make a perfect match?

There was a First Lady’s called Dolley before.

I think she’d settle in right royally.

Only problem is she lives in England.

Maybe as President I could arrange a special visa for her to come visit me if she didn’t want to leave the UK.

Blessing#2064-Puppy Love

See if there is a storm in the middle of the night funny things happen in Ma’s mind.

Well of course I have to be involved because she likes to talk the stress out so I listen.

Take last night. What popped into her head but The Waltons.

She started to think about the mountain and the house and Grandma and Grandpa and then it happened.

She went though all the children Johnboy, Maryellen, Ben, Erin, Jimbob and Elizabeth but heck could she remember the name of the second eldest. Not for a million bucks.

So then she has to go though the filing cabinet in her head in alphabetical order to get all the boys names but no way.

She gets so frustrated and asks me and I’m like Ma I ain’t ever seen that show but she persists until she finally succumbs to sleep.

You can bet though that first thing as soon as she gets up and gets the coffee on she Googles and finds the name and then she feels better because it was Jason and that’s not an obvious name for a boy from Virginia! They should have called him Alf!!

Blessing#2063-Moniker

It was beautiful yesterday morning when we went to the park. There had been bad storms all night but they’d moved on and the sky was bright blue.

We were admiring the brilliant technicolor when all of a sudden boom there was a bright light of white and this huge angel bird appeared.

The Herons at our park’s pond are usually a blue grey color but this guy was pure white.

Auntie Denise got some great shots and identified the bird as an Egret also known as the great white Heron.

We were awestruck by this apparition and hope this will be the first of many sightings.

You never do know who you’ll run into if you get your steps in early!

Blessing#2062-Morning Glory.

This is a very important message conveying a GIGANTIC greeting of gratitude to all the nurses out there.

You are all awesome and even though I do my very best to care for the niece I just cannot imagine how nurses do what they do day after day.

You are the salt of the earth.

It’s hard to imagine how you take on the challenge of showing unconditional love to those you care for regardless of how sweet or nasty they may be.

It would be easy to say it’s a calling. That is very definitely true but after the call there is the action and that takes stamina and courage to keep going.

A very special shout out to the nurses in our family Barbara, Anne and Rebecca you rock!

Blessing#2061-Heroes

Well I suppose I might have anticipated that on the first anniversary of the King’s coronation we’d be subjected to the entire ceremony yet again!

It’s even more impressive this time around when you know what has happened in this one momentous year.

Many little details were missed first time like the Queen’s sister wiping a tear from her eye as the procession came down the aisle.

The King signing with a flurry of his pen that pledge committing to his faith had also slipped past us before.

That the Prime Minister a practicing Hindu read with such conviction the epistle of Paul to the Colossians and that every religion was involved with such grace was beautiful.

The fact that the Bro and Ma were standing out in Hyde Park in the rain watching it on a big screen shouldn’t be overlooked. They paid their homage too!

Who could have imagined on that day that in such a short space of time a lot would happen. The King and the Princess of Wales both treated for cancer.

Everything is so much more pointent and powerful and precious when viewed in this context.

Blessing#2060-The Ways of Gentleness

I have a plan!

You know the way Ma is tight and always looking for bargains. Well she hit on these tiny SUPERGLUES at the dollar tree.

They come in handy for sticking heals back on shoes or knob back on doors or handles back on handbags etc etc.

There is just enough for a job or two in each little tube and if you are anything like us that’s all you need,

You don’t need to get a big bottle that will seize up by the time you get around to using it again and end up in the trash.

So friends get yourselves one of these little babies. We have a few always in reserve and they are only $1.25 for four! Perfect for penny pinchers.

BUT I was thinking you know that Superglue can seal the strongest split well what if I accidentally arranged for JAWS to play with some.

I could pretend it was the latest toy and voila all my problems would be solved.

Trap closed tight!!!

Blessing#2059–Sticky Stuff