Coffee Break

I love to get up in the morning.  One of the highlights of a new day for me is my coffee.  And there is nothing more fun that starting the day off with a special coffee mug.
I don't have one favorite mug.  I have a cabinet full of favorite mugs.  That is because each of my coffee mugs tells a story.  It is like sharing a moment with whomever gave the mug to me as I sip my coffee from it as the sun is just coming up.
I have never liked darkness or nighttime.  I could truly live in the land of the Midnight Sun.  I love sunshine and light and brightness.  Darkness does absolutely nothing for me.
My coffee sort of equates the start of a new day and the start of all things possible.  I love early morning more than any other time of day.

As I was visiting with Mom today, I was telling her how it doesn't matter how early I get up, I can't seem to get out of my tracks to go on to whatever is on my calendar for that day.  It isn't that I am a time waster....quite the opposite.  If I think I wasted a moment of time in a day, I feel very down.  Life is short.  My to-do list is long.  Therefore, wasting time isn't an option!
So, I came to realize that my love of that 2nd or 3rd (or 4th) cup of coffee in the morning isn't wasted time.  I have a plaque hanging in my computer/craft room that reads:  'Time you enjoyed wasting isn't time wasted.  ~T.S. Eliot'.
My coffee time is definitely time enjoyed (and most needed) therefore it isn't time wasted.
That being said......

My coffee time is precious to me.  The mugs I drink my coffee out of are totally mismatched and totally enjoyable.  I tend to reach for the mugs that I know are "mine."
I have a mug that looks like stoneware and it has a blue flower on it.  I bought these mugs in 1975 when I was in Richmond, VA visiting with my college friend, Ann.  We went to a big pottery warehouse and I knew that I was about to be married, so I bought a set of these mugs.  The rest of the set has broken or been lost throughout the years, but this one mug has hung on.  Whenever I pick up this mug to pour my coffee into, I think of the time that I bought it and I also relive my moments as a newlywed so happy and proud to have my own home to brew my own coffee in.  I had a stove top percolator and it truly made some delicious coffee.  I remember when my sister-in-law, Donna, visited Jim and I and thought we should have a drip type coffee maker and she went out and bought one for us.  It was orange and fancy and I remember thinking how cool it was, but in hindsight, nothing will take the place of a cup of coffee made stove top in a percolator and served in a stoneware mug.  Ah.  The good old days!

I have a mug that is precious to me because my friend, Marilyn, gave it to me.  I moved away from Raleigh in 1984 and that year for my birthday, she gave me this mug.  Marilyn and I were the best of friends and we shared the joy of motherhood with one another.  She had two girls and I had two boys.  Our kids were the same age and we enjoyed being together while they played.  We also drug them along with us for shopping sprees and lunches out.  Our husbands joined us when we decided to get together for dinner parties.  Our kids were very comfortable having sleepovers on certain nights when we adults felt like we needed some 'grown up time.'  Marilyn and I secretly hoped our kids might one day grow up, date, and maybe eventually marry.  Of course, time and distance happened and our kids are adults now with lives of their own.  I will, however, never forget my friend and the importance she had in my life at a very key time in my life.
The mug she gave me had a poem by Susan Polis Schultz on it and it reads:

'You are always my friend

when I am happy or sad

when I am alone or with people

if I talk to you today

or in a year

You are always my friend

and through the years

we will change, but it 

doesn't matter what we do

Throughout our lifetime

you are always my friend.'

I don't have much contact with Marilyn any more, but at a time in my life when I needed and wanted a certain type of friend, she was it.
I am sure if I met up with Marilyn tomorrow we could pick up right where we left off.
Everyone needs a Marilyn in their life.

I have another friend in my life that has blessed me in many ways.  Her name is Kathy and we still keep in touch although the miles separate us.  I learned to play bridge with Kathy and although bridge has become a mainstay in my life, Kathy doesn't play much any more.  She is a full time teacher, mother, wife and new grandmother.  She stays busy and doesn't love bridge enough to make time for it in her life right now.  She gave me a mug out of her cabinet one time when I was in NC visiting with her.  It says:  'A bad day at the Bridge Table is still better than Cleaning House!'
I love the mug and she knew I would.  She took it out of her cabinet and gave it to me as she knew it was apropos in my life at the moment, but not in hers.  I do think of Kathy whenever I use it.

I have an old mug that is white and has the comedy/drama masks on it.  It is a mug I bought for myself because I am a theater lover.  I have loved going to the theater since I was 13, but I also have loved performing since high school when my best friend, Terri, talked me into auditioning for "No No Nanette" at Shelby High School.  Once bitten, the theater bug stays in your blood.
I used to display this mug on a shelf of special mugs that I had in my house in Shelby, but now it is a usable mug in my cabinet.  It is so faded, the image is almost indiscernible.  Drinking out of this mug sometimes puts me on the 4th row in The Shubert Theater in NYC or on stage with PAGES Theater Group here in Florida.

Speaking of theater, one of the people I met here in Florida while doing theater was Pat.  Pat is one of those ladies who enters your life and makes her mark.  Again, she is someone I seldom see or hear from, but I know she is just a stone's throw away.  Pat is cheerful, smart and passionate.  I have some very fond memories of Pat.  She enjoyed gospel music, as do I.  We went to see the Gaither Family in a gospel concert, and we also went to see Earth, Wind and Fire together.  We saw many shows and we enjoyed celebrating Halloween at Pat's annual Halloween party.  We had cast parties at my house and we ate at Alley Cats after many a rehearsal for a show she was directing and I was in.
Pat had a shirt that said:  'All I really want to do is direct'.
And Pat was an amazing director.  I can think of times when I was probably a whiny brat, but Pat was always cheerful, yet firm, and her creativity knows no boundaries.  Pat could direct a cat to share its food with a dog.  She just has that knack.
Speaking of, Pat knew I loved cats and she gave me a mug that says:  Where my money goes~cat litter, cat food, cat toys, other.
Pat, as a dear friend, knew that my love of theater didn't surpass my love of cats.  Yes, I am truly the Crazy Cat Lady.

Knowing this, my sister-in-law, Linda, just recently visited and brought me a jumbo mug (knowing my love of coffee) and it says 'Crazy Cat Lady' on it!  I cracked up, as I have often been called this, but I didn't actually have anything that said this.  Linda knows me well.  In more ways than can be explained in this blog. Linda and I have always been the Fitzpatricks by marriage gals.  Yes, we have much to share and much to talk about.  But that could probably be a blog all its own!

And speaking of cats, my friend, Pat (another Pat), gave me a mug last Christmas with a sleeping orange tabby cat (my fave!) and a little mouse on it.  It says:  'Cat is napping, mice will play'.  I love this mug because is it tall and slender and shaped a bit different from some of my other mugs.  I can't decide if I love the friend who gave it to me or the rendition of my beloved cats on it better!
Needless to say, Pat knows me well.

I have a Precious Moments mug that says 'Mary, Blessed one, Pure in Heart'.  I love it.  It is all pink and white.  I actually think I bought this one for myself.  What can I say????
It is so ME.

I also have a mug that says 'Golf Widow'.  It has a long stemmed red rose on it.  This mug makes me chuckle!  Back in the days of my Shelby living, my husband was an avid golfer (as he was before then and since then!).  He had an amazing group of guys that he played with.  Some of these guys had wives who were good friends of mine.  Of them, Sally, Margaret and Allyson were 3 that I did a lot of socializing with.  We called ourselves Golf Widows.  Although it sounded like a sad state, the reality was that we used our golf widow time to have friend time!  We never missed the guys so much that we couldn't find time to enjoy ourselves.
Anyway, the mug inspired us to make tee shirts for ourselves.  We had a craft day one day where we painted tee shirts with a long stem rose and the words 'Golf Widow' on them.  They were so cute!
Little did anyone know that being that kind of  'widow' really wasn't all that bad!  


Another of my favorite mugs says:  'In the cookies of life, FRIENDS are the chocolate chips'.
What a thought.
My friend, Susan, gave me this mug for my birthday one year.
Susan is an amazing teacher, and I humbly volunteered in her classroom for a couple of years.  I really didn't do much, but I was always touched by the way Susan handled herself with her students.  She has a gift, and I have learned through years of experience that we all have our 'gifts' or our love languages.  Susan's gift is her amazing way with young people.  She knows how to inspire them, instill manners and give them a zest for life.  I hope to volunteer in her classroom again one day when the timing is right for me.  I don't know what I really add to the mix, but I do know it gives me an insight into a friend I already love and admire.
It is a good idea to get to know your friends in ways that are not the norm....to see them at work, with their families, or in an environment that is not your usual comfort zone.
Hats off to Susan, and any other amazing teacher.
And I am glad to be one of the chocolate chips in your life!    

To add some humor, I have a mug that says "Save Oxygen.  Shut Up."  Guess where this mug came from?  MY OWN MOTHER!  One year on my birthday she gave this mug to me.  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry!  First of all, I have never said Shut Up.  I didn't use it with my kids or my students.....because my mother taught me that this wasn't a nice thing to say!

It became a real joke that she gave this mug to me.  Several years later when I asked her about it, she told me she thought it was funny and she knew I collected mugs, so she bought it!  I don't think there was any intentional message in the sentiment.  At least, I hope not!

And finally, a mug that I cherish is a 40th birthday mug....now faded.  My kids gave it to me and at the time they thought it was so funny.....as did I!  I guess I am glad to be alive and kicking 17 years later.
This mug is a reminder to me of many things.  It is that we can mark certain milestone birthdays in our lives, but those birthdays are only stepping stones to future birthdays.
Our kids can think something is so funny at the time, and in hindsight, I am thinking that my oldest child is less than a decade away from receiving a 40th birthday mug himself.  
     
Life is funny.  It is interesting.  It is a wild ride!
We have friends come and go.  We have interests and hobbies take place at certain times of our lives.  We live in one home and move to another.  We have passions.  We have interests.  We are who we are at that moment in time.
All all these things add, multiply and divide themselves to make us who we really are and who we will be remembered as.

And memories are made of this.

Jumbled Thoughts

Recently I was thinking of so many things from Mom's house that are boxed up ready to be moved, already in my house or in her apartment, or just things from Shelby in general.  I was thinking of a mishmash of things that are artistic, creative, handmade, clever and fun.  The things that popped in my head came in a whirlwind and are not necessarily in any order or have much connection with one another.  They are truly just jumbled thoughts I have that created many memories I don't want to ever forget.

When I thought of the word jumbled, I thought about the word search puzzles and jumbles that Mom likes to do.  I have always been a puzzle person....I love crosswords, jumbles, cryptograms, jigsaw puzzles and electronic puzzle games.  I always tell myself after sitting for longer than I intended working on these puzzles that I am priming my mind in order to ward off forgetfulness and absentmindedness as I age.  I always thought that working on puzzles helped with your memory.  I used that excuse to get Mom hooked on Word search Puzzles.  She always said she couldn't do crosswords, so I started creating word search puzzles on my computer and mailing them to her to work on.  I would theme the puzzles and make them about things that were relative to Mom and her life, the season, or things she liked.  She really loved them and after mailing them to her several times, I gave in and bought a huge book of word search puzzles....there are 365, I think.  The book is big and the puzzles are easy to see.  They too are themed, but they seem much harder than the ones I used to make for her.  She is slowly but surely working through this book.  She moved it to Florida with her and it sits on the little table by her recliner.  I think when she has nothing to do, she picks the book up and works a couple of puzzles.  I think it is good for her mind and it keeps her from getting bored.  Mom also works the jumbles in the newspaper sometimes.  She always wanted to guess the answer to the puzzle rather than actually work on unscrambling the words!  Whatever works.  Puzzles are fun.

Another fun and puzzling thing we have is a Shoot the Moon game.  Martha and I bought it for Daddy many moons ago (no pun intended) for Father's Day.  We got it for his desk along with another wooden puzzle game.  I don't know what happened to the other game.  I think it broke.  It was one of those pendulum ball games where the balls swung back and forth and created a certain motion.  Daddy was stubborn and always wanted to figure out how to beat the games.  He was persistent and tried over and over to figure out the best way to indeed Shoot the Moon.  There was always ways to get farther along than your opponent.  If you pressed down real hard with the back of your hand, the game would tilt just enough to make the ball go just a little further!   Daddy couldn't stand it if he thought someone was doing this.  He called it cheating, and I guess he was right!  We still had a lot of fun with aggravating him with our 'cheating!'  When my kids came along, they also loved playing this game and it was always a hit when we would go to Shelby to visit.  I have it on my hearth right now.  When Mom moved down here, I made sure this classic game made it to my house.

 Up until this last time when I went to Mom's house to get everything cleaned up and ready for the movers, I stood in her foyer and had thoughts of what all used to be there.  There were two things in her foyer that I was remembering and they made me miss Martha very much.  They were very artistic and that reminded me of Martha.  Not only did Martha love art and art objects, these things in particular were just very Martha.  One is a statue entitled "Sisters."  Mom bought two of these from an artist she knew at an art show.  They are the same piece of artwork but made out of different materials.  The one she gave me is some sort of stone and slate.  I have it in my living room and I love it.  It is a statue of two young girls sitting back to back on a rock.  Mom bought them, of course, because they reminded her of Martha and me.  Mom's was a darker bronze-like material and it sat in her foyer.  She moved it down here and now has it in her dining room.  I know whenever she looks at it, it is a reminder of her two girls.  The other thing from Mom's foyer that reminds me of Martha was a big wooden statue of St. Francis of Assisi.  Martha and Bob gave it to Mom for Christmas the first year they were married.....the first Christmas we had without Daddy.  Mom had always admired it at their house, and Martha and Bob knew how much Mom loved it so they surprised her with it.  She was indeed thrilled and it sat proudly in her foyer and always reminded me of Martha when I saw it.  When Mom moved to Florida, she gave it back to Bob.  Although it had been a gift to her, she thought Bob might like to have it back.  It is a beautiful piece of artwork.

 Another thing that Mom always had at her house was my old Barbie dolls and all their accessories and clothes.  When Mom moved to Florida and I was in Shelby packing things for the movers, Madeline called me one day and said, "don't forget my Barbies!"  She always loved playing with them when we would go to visit.  I made sure they moved down to Florida and they are in my garage packed in a box somewhere.  When Madeline moves into her own place, she will need a room just for all her old dolls and stuffed animals along with some of my old stuff!  

My old Barbies were so well dressed.  Not only did they have genuine store bought Barbie clothes, they had handmade clothes as well.  Mom's friend, Betsy Humphries, made them for me and Martha.  She was a pretty good seamstress and she would make ball gowns, dresses, pants, bathrobes and all sorts of clothes for our Barbies to wear.  Martha and I were thrilled to have all these 'extra' clothes for our dolls.  Betsy was one of those dear people who loved life and was always happy to make and do things for those she cared about.  She was an amazing artist, and I am pleased to know that I have two of her pen and ink drawings hanging in my dining room.  They are drawings of two of the houses that Jim and I owned in North Carolina.  They serve as great memories.  But, back to the Barbie clothes....I am amazed at how small the clothes are and it makes me realize how difficult it must have been to sew them.  Betsy and Mom were good friends for about 72 years!  They became friends when they were 16.  Imagine.  I am saddened that Betsy passed away last week, but I am truly grateful that I had her in my life. I am so happy that I have the beautiful, artistic drawings in my home and that Madeline will hold a small part of Betsy in the clever handmade Barbie doll clothes.

Speaking of clothes, I remember that Daddy went away on a business trip one time when I was little (maybe around 4 or 5).  He liked to bring us back a surprise, and this particular time he brought back a unique gift for Martha, Mom and me.  They were red negligees with matching robes.  Each was a bit different.  I remember mine had tiny white pearls around the neckline.  They were beautiful.  I don't know what made Daddy decide to buy that particular thing for us, but we loved them!  I think he was missing us and saw them and thought we would all look great in them!  I suppose we did look good in them because we had a very clever idea.  We wore our matching red negligees and went to a photographer and had our portrait done in them.  It was a beautiful portrait and we gave it to Daddy for Christmas or some occasion.  It hung proudly over his bed when we lived on Ridgeview Drive.  I can still see it....frame and all.  That is the last I remember of that portrait.  I have bugged Mom on and off for 31 years about this portrait.  It is no where to be found!  I am saddened by this, but the optimist in me keeps hoping that it will turn up somewhere someday.  Maybe it is behind another picture in a frame.  But as I write this, the moving van is en route to Florida, so Mom's house in Shelby is officially empty.  And I personally went through every inch and every item in her house, so I know I didn't see it.  That is, of course, unless it is 'hidden' somewhere which is my wish and my prayer.
I don't have the portrait of the 3 of us in the negligees, but I do, however, have the actual negligees!  Mom cleverly preserved them by sealing them inside a gallon jar!  I don't know if all 3 are in there or not.  I am assuming it is just mine and Martha's.  I did move the jar to Florida, but I have yet to unseal it.  When I unpacked it my family wondered what in the world was the red 'stuff' inside a gallon pickle jar!  If only they comprehended the memory that will be unleashed when I finally decide to open it.

Another unlikely clothing item that works its way into my jumbled thoughts is another nightgown.  This one is truly remarkable to me.  And what I love about it is that I really didn't know about it until I was packing up Mom's house to move.  It actually moved me to tears.  It is a beautiful satin handmade nightgown that Mom wore on her wedding night with my Dad!  It is remarkable workmanship.....a true work of art.  It is floor length and zips up the back.  It is adorned with tiny pearls and lace and is very simple and elegant.  I can picture my mom as a young bride in love wearing this gown.  When we were packing Mom told me about it and then told me to just throw it out.  It had a huge brown stain on it from years of hanging in the closet.  I told her she was nuts!  No way was I going to throw that thing out!  So, I moved it back to Florida and took it to my dry cleaner.  He told me there was a risk in cleaning it because of the age of the fabric, but I had to take that chance.  I must say, it turned out beautifully!  I gave it to Madeline and it hangs in her closet.  She doesn't think she will be able to wear it because my Mom must have been awfully tiny!  It looks like it would fit a little girl!  Anyway, it will be preserved somehow, as I want to save it and continue to pass it down the line.  I absolutely love it and I don't think we have any other clothing items that are that old in our family.  Talk about memories!

Another handmade item that I brought back from Mom's is a crocheted tablecloth.  She had offered it to me before, but I just got around to taking it when we moved her.  I think I became even more sentimental then (if that is possible) than I have been all my life!  I brought it right home and put it on my dining room table.  It is perfect and I haven't used another tablecloth since except at Christmas time.  I think Mom has decided this tablecloth is at least 75 years old.  Jessie's husband, Tony Hammock, gave it to Mom.  Mom said that when he bought it and gave it to her, it wasn't quite big enough to fit on Mom's dining room table so he took it back to the lady who crocheted it and had her add more to it.  If you look closely you can tell where it was added on, but frankly I would have never known if Mom hadn't told me.  As a craftsman myself,  I appreciate and respect this beautiful piece of handiwork more than I can express.  I trust that as many memories as those Mom had will be created around this tablecloth as we sit around my dining room table for many special occasions to come!  

 (Two great memories already.......Easter and Thanksgiving!)

My jumbled thoughts are ending on more whimsical notes.  

I offered my friend, Sally, something from Mom's house.  I wanted her to have a 'piece' of Mom and the house as a reminder.  She came over this last time when Jim and I were there cleaning and doing the final packing of the house.  I told her to pick something and she told me she wasn't good at that.  So I offered to pick something for her that I thought she would like and I would just give it to her later on.  She liked that idea much better!  We continued to talk, visit and explore the house.  I did offer her boxes and boxes and boxes of taper candles.  I don't know what Mom was doing with such a huge supply of unused candles, but she was certainly prepared!  Sally was happy to have these as she does entertain a lot and will use the candles.  But of course, this wasn't the memento that I wanted Sally to have.  After some time passes, she decided to leave and Jim and I walked out the back door with her.  She looked down and saw this dusty, cobweb-ridden black dog statue and she said "that's what I want!"  I was surprised because it really wasn't something "fine" that I really wanted her to have.  But Sally is a lot like me....she likes what she likes and she knows what she likes and this dog was really very 'Sally.'  I gladly gave it to her.
There is a story about this dog statue.  Homer loved dogs.  He wanted one so badly.  Anyone who knows my Mom knows that having a dog was out of the question.  So, Homer finally quit asking.  I guess my Mom felt badly because she knew how much Homer loved dogs so she bought this statue and put it by the back door.  She told Homer that at least he would have a dog to greet him each time he came in the door!  That compromise worked just fine.  There were plenty of neighborhood dogs who came to visit Homer as he worked in the yard every day.  He truly had the best of both worlds.
To take this cleverness a step farther, I received an email from Sally one day.  It was a picture of the dog statue all cleaned up and sitting on her porch.  The dog is holding a basket in his mouth and Sally had put some fresh red flowers in the basket!  It is precious and the dog appears to be very happy in his new home.  Sally's email read:  'I love my Porter Pup!'  That just made my day.

Along the lines of clever and creative names like Porter Pup are some names our family has used for various things.  My Uncle Paul had a house a Lake Norman.  This house was named The Porter Hole and was printed on a porthole somehow.  It has been years since I have been there, so I am just stating this strictly from old memories.  I remember thinking it was a cute name.  Likewise, his boat was named The Riverbender.  This is clever because my Uncle's golf course was named Riverbend Acres.  I have always loved to use names like this so creatively.  
This lake house has such special memory for me for several reasons.  I know that I enjoyed my years going there with my cousins for picnics and special occasions.  I learned how to water ski on Lake Norman.  Uncle Paul was pretty insistent that we all learn how to ski.  He handled me the best way he knew how.....just threw me in the lake, gave me some skis and sent Bill in to help me.  I got up and learned to ski and loved it for several years....until I got older and became a big chicken!  But those years of hanging out at Lake Norman were very special for me.  They are the childhood memories that can never be taken from you.  
One summer when I was in Jr. High School, Aunt Margaret wanted to go to the lake and spend a little time.  I don't know why, but I went with her.  We had several days there alone together and it was a wonderful bonding time.  I think that after a few days, some other people came too, but I felt very special going with her and helping her get ready for the rest of the gang!  
And my truly special memory was spending my Honeymoon at Lake Norman.  Jim and I were young and he had just graduated college.  After our honeymoon he was heading back to immediately start his career and I had one more year of college to complete.  Jim and I had decided to go to Florida to Disney World for our honeymoon and had just planned to get in the car and drive and not make prior arrangements.  As I said, we were young and willing to throw caution to the wind.  At our rehearsal dinner, Uncle Paul came up and put his arms around the two of us, slipped the key to the house at Lake Norman in Jim's pocket and told us to save our money and go use the lake house for a honeymoon.  We were thrilled and delighted and we took him up on his offer.  He told us whatever was there was for our use.  So, we left our wedding reception and headed to Lake Norman.  We arrived and realized how quiet and peaceful it was and what a great retreat to enjoy after the busy-ness of a week of college graduation and a wedding!  There were steaks, hamburgers, champagne and all sorts of 'goodies' for us.  We were in our glory!  We got up each morning and went to this little country diner for breakfast, came back and fished off the dock, then we laid in the sun, swam, floated and enjoyed the sunshine.  We fired up the grill and cooked steaks as we watched the sunset and we listened to the sounds of nature.  It was a wonderful honeymoon and I am so thankful to my Uncle Paul for giving this to us.

And finally I have some jumbled thoughts of our sun room on Ridgeview Drive.  When we first bought the house, we had a covered back porch.  Mom and Dad decided to enclose this porch into a sun room and then build a brick patio off of the sun room.  It was a beautiful addition and it gave us a place to sit and enjoy our large wooded backyard with a creek running through it.  The sun room was lovely and my mom had me paint a cement turtle and frog to use out there for decoration.  They have endured the test of time and Porter has them now.  I am not sure why he wanted them, but he has them and I am glad they are in good hands.  I was in high school when I painted these and they are pretty cute critters, if I must say so myself.
When Mom and Daddy were designing the sun room, they decided at the last minute that they may need to add a little half bathroom so it wouldn't be so far for guests to go to get to a bathroom.  The builder was able to add that, but mentioned that it would have to be VERY small.  And small it was!  It was just attached to one end of the sun room and they had to buy an extra small sink to make it fit.  You could actually sit on the toilet and wash your hands!  I remember taking a large can and cutting scalloped edges on it and painting it yellow to use as a trash can.  That is all that would fit!  I don't know whose clever idea that was, but it was adorable.  The little bathroom really was kind of cute, but definitely not a place where you would want to spend a lot of time.  This room was aptly named The Porter John!  The name was engraved on a brass plaque and hanging outside the 'room.'
This sunroom is special in my memory because one of the last times I actually used it was for my wedding reception.  We got married at Central United Methodist Church on a sunny Saturday and then came back to my parents' house for the reception.  We were all thankful that the weather cooperated because people filtered out of the sunroom onto the brick patio.  We had the food on the dining room table and the wedding cake was out on the sunroom table.  That is where we cut the cake and I got to enjoy having cake pushed in my mouth by my new husband!  Ahh...the memories!

So many bits and pieces of our lives can come rushing back to us in the form of jumbled thoughts.  And although these jumbled thoughts may seem to have no connection, they actually do.  They all are bits and pieces of what makes us who we are.  Some of these things are artistic, creative, clever, handmade and fun and are certainly things that are engraved in our heads and our hearts.  And of course, memories are made of this!

Shelby

It has been a busy time for me. I don't know exactly how to put it in words, but I have felt a bit like a dog chasing his tail lately.  I also feel like I am accomplishing things, it just seems as if the list keeps growing much more rapidly than it is getting completed.
Jim and I flew up to North Carolina a few weeks ago to clean, organize and pack up the rest of the things in Mom's house.  Mom has discovered that she has room for a few more pieces of furniture at Stratford Court and there are some things she still wants/needs from her house in Shelby.  We earmarked those to be moved down here to her.  We donated a lot of stuff to the new Hospice Store and we threw out things that were of no use to anyone.  We decided what needed to be saved for posterity, for necessity, or just for fun.  We had repair people over there giving estimates, doing work or giving advice.  We cleaned, knocked down cobwebs and found interesting things hidden in the attic!  It was an awesome task that had to be accomplished in a short period of time. But I am happy to say....we did it!  

It was weird to stay in a hotel in Shelby.  I am sure it was a first for me.  Jim remembered staying with his family at The Governor's Inn the few nights before our wedding.  As Jim and I were planning this trip up there, Madeline said:  "I didn't even know there were hotels in Shelby!"  Silly girl.  She has just been used to feeling so welcome in Grandma's home. We had never seen the need to seek out a hotel.  Jim and I didn't get our money's worth staying in the hotel.....I don't even think we even turned on the TV!   We came in late at night....tired and dirty.....showered and hit the sack!  We were exhausted.  

After being unoccupied for well over a year, Mom's house showed that it lacked the TLC it deserved.  A house just needs to have people in it living their lives and putting their energy into making it a home.  I hope one day this beautiful house can become a home for some lucky family.  It is a great place and there are many memories and stories that took place in that home.  It will never be forgotten.
When Jim and I left, we left knowing that not one thing in that house went untouched.  The best we figured we filled about 65 large trash bags with things that needed to be thrown out.  Then there were those things too good to throw out but not needed by anyone else in the family.  The people from the Hospice Store were absolutely amazing and delightful to work with.  I can't say enough good about them.  They came armed with boxes, trucks, strong backs, strong wills, and a heart for service.  When they left, we began sorting, boxing and tagging everything that was left.  We told the movers that when they came to load, everything that was left was to be moved.  We knew we had to do a good job of sorting and depleting some of the "stuff" because whatever is in that house now will soon be arriving in Clearwater, FL!  Add that to the garage full of stuff from Mom's original move and Madeline's entire Philadelphia apartment........all I can say to that is oh law!  

I told Mom that when Madeline gets married and we start going through all this stuff, it will be like a treasure hunt!  I moved a lot of my things into the garage when I replaced them with things from Mom's house when she originally moved down here in March of 2012.  It has been an adventure!  
I know that some way some how I need to learn to let go.  I am so sentimental that when I see these things some memory or story comes to mind.  I know that Sally encouraged me to write this blog so that I could have it all on paper and then I could physically part with the "things."  So far, I haven't done a great job with the parting!  I am still hoping to keep a lot of these things in the family dispersed amongst us.  I know, however, that some things don't necessarily need to be kept.

When the moving truck arrives, I will be receiving boxes and boxes of scrapbooks. I guess Mom's house was the place where everyone's belongings ended up when they passed away.  I literally have all the scrapbooks and old keepsakes and pictures from Jessie, Mildred and Yates, Earl and Donald.....not to mention Mom's!  I don't know what I am going to do with them, but I certainly couldn't throw them away!  I may need to start an Humphries/Porter museum or something!
All of this packing up and moving (twice) really makes you think about things.  Each item you pick up has been a part of someone's life.  It is amazing how it makes different types of feelings arise.
I realized that the last few years have been some of the most life-changing years I have ever experienced.  My baby graduated college and then eventually moved back to Florida after her engagement.  She will be a married woman soon and we have been busy planning her wedding.  I love talking to her about her bright future with her new husband.  Having her back in our house after 5 years in Philadelphia is a joy,  but a great change for us.  She is in a transitional state and so much of her life is packed up in  boxes and crates in our garage just waiting to be released and filtered in to her new life.   
My sister's death was truly one of the most life-changing things that ever happened to me. The kind of grief and sadness I have experienced is immeasurable. As the result of her death, my Mom now lives in Florida.  I am thrilled with having her so close and now that I am used to having her here, I can't imagine my life without her right around the corner.  It is weird when I think that now it's really just Mom and me.  I never dreamed that Martha would not be around to experience this phase of life with me.  
My oldest son found the love of his life and they are now married.  I feel blessed to have such a sweet daughter-in-law but frustrated at not being able to get to know her better because they are so far away.  
My joys and sorrows seem to seesaw every day.  Our family has seen a lot of ups and downs these last few years, but we carry on.  I know that in there somewhere is a wonderful plan that God has in store for us.  So we hang on and enjoy the ride....bumps and all!

Moving Mom made me realize that I have sort of closed the chapter of my life that is Shelby. Although I was born and raised there and it will always be my home, I won't have the same reasons to go back to Shelby.  Even though I have lived in Florida since 1994, I have been back to Shelby many, many times.  Some years I made as many as 8 or 9 trips back up there.  I have a nephew that is like one of my own kids who still lives there, but he is a senior in high school and will soon be in New York or Boston or some other wonderful city doing amazing things as he prepares for the next phase of his life!  I have cousins in Shelby, but they are all busy with their lives enjoying grandchildren and the likes.  I have some wonderful friends in Shelby that I love to spend time with, but like my cousins, their lives are so involved that it isn't always easy to find a fitting time to visit.  I will go back to visit my friends and relatives from time to time, but with that 'home base' gone, it will not be as frequent as it has been in the past.  It is a bittersweet realization.  Wasn't it Thomas Wolfe who said "you can't go home again?"

My memories of Shelby are too countless to mention, but I can scratch the surface.  My memories of living on Woodside Drive and Ridgeview Drive include playing kickball and hide and seek with the neighbors; catching lightening bugs and putting them in a mason jar with holes poked in the lid with a can opener; snow days; lying on top of the car parked on the curb at dusk to see if a bat would swoop down; walking to Graham School with my sister; putting on a play with Martha and Madeline Hughes (perhaps the spark that ignited my love of theater!); trick or treating and having a hole in my bag only to find out that Martha was trailing behind me picking up all the candy that fell out; playing with my cat Dinkle; and 'walking around' with my friends.  
My memories of Central United Methodist Church consist of so many things, but as a kid the highlights were the ice cream supper we had once a year where the menu consisted of home churned ice cream and homemade cakes and pies.  I remember singing in the choir, going to Sunday School, and sitting in the same pew each Sunday with Martha, Mom and Dad.  I remember MYF and the fun we had with Steve and Rosa Linda Talbert.  I remember receiving my Bible in front of the whole congregation in 3rd grade.  I loved the Fall Festival where we played games and won prizes and ate hot dogs and cookies.  I know then (and now) my favorite time in church is the Christmas Eve candlelight service. 
 I have fond memories of my schools:  Graham School, Marion School, Oak School (yes, I was one of the lucky 6th graders who attended there), Shelby Jr. High School, and good ole Shelby High School.  There was nothing more fun that a Friday night in Shelby, North Carolina during footbabll season!  I can recollect the sights and smells of those nights vividly.  I also have memories of my adult years in Shelby when I taught at Crest Junior High School and Kings Mountain Middle School and High School.  The weirdest moment was when I went to watch my Kings Mountain students play a soccer game against the Shelby Middle School students (my son was the goalie).  Who was I supposed to root for?  Of course, I quietly rooted for SMS.....(and they won!).
Barbecue and hushpuppies from Bridges, orangeades and RC Cola, livermush, Sundrop and Cheerwine, fried okra from Shelby Cafe, a burger with mustard and slaw  with a basket of French Fries from Web's or a Tast-T-Tee burger can make me salivate with just the mere thought.
Hanging out at Pizza Inn, Deb parties, riding around on Saturday night, going to movies at the State Theater and the Rogers Theater, Teen Club, the Cleveland County Fair, sleepovers at friends' homes, attending football games and basketball games, slow dancing in someone's basement, making pizza and cookies with my cousin, riding around with Terri in her yellow VW, hanging out at North Lake pool, and SHS pep rallies are more than enough to create fun and memories for this high school girl!
Tickle Bee Hill, art classes with Bob Shepherd, the train and merry-go-round at Shelby City Park, a stop at Dairy Queen on the way home from school, penny candy, shopping uptown, working at A.V. Wrays as a gift-wrapper, Porter Brothers, Fiber Industries, dogwoods, azaelas, white Christmas lights on the Courtsquare are just a few of the wonderful reasons to call Shelby home.

I will always remember the warmth of the people in Shelby.  It was so evident after Martha died.  The outpouring of love and concern was overwhelming.  And that was not the only time I have experienced this.  Shelby people are just good folks.  All the people from Shelby, native or transplants, that I have spent time with through the years are the basis for so many memories.  

I read this and the source is unknown, but I love it and think it is so very impactful and true:  "Sometimes people come into your life for a moment, a day, or a lifetime.  It matters not the time they spent with you but how they impacted your life in that time."

These people.  This place.  Memories are made of this.

Some of the trash bags and boxes we filled

We managed to squeeze in a dinner at Ni Fen

Some of the stuff donated to the Hospice Store

and more

and more

Jim discovered this lovely lady in Mom's attic

ummmm........

Shelby friend through the ages

Love my cousins!

So happy to have a new daughter-in-law

Three Musketeers at Owl's Eye

My Ma and Pa

Cousin fun!

Middle School fun!

Then......

.....and now

Next generation of cousins

Three happy gals....we got our vinegar fries!

Mom's house in the snow

Cleveland County Courthouse

Say It With Flowers

FTD florist uses the slogan 'Say it with Flowers.'  I never realized just how important, amazing and versatile this saying is.  I was swimming in my pool the other day and I looked up and saw the beautiful orchid that my dear friend, Ginny, gave me.  For no reason.  It touched me in ways I can't explain.  And that is truly what prompted me to write this blogpost.

Several years ago my friend, Diane, passed away.  I don't remember the year, but I remember the phone call.  I was sitting in the very place I am sitting write now....in front of my computer.  It was an appropriate spot as Diane was a computer whiz and she shared a lot of her knowledge with me.  I feel like I am fairly computer savvy, and I attribute some of that to Diane.
Diane was one of those quietly wonderful friends.  She didn't seek the limelight and when she became ill she didn't want anyone to fuss over her.  I think that is why I was so distressed when she passed away.  I knew she was ill, but at that time I thought she was doing 'okay,' considering the circumstances, and death did not seem so imminent.  She apparently had a quick turn for the worst and her disease took her far sooner than I was ready to give her up.
But I write this post not to be sad or to dwell on those things, I write it to talk about plants and flowers and the significance they have had in my life.
I write it to show the life that is in God's glorious flora.

My friend, Susan, really touched me one night at bridge.  She was the hostess and she gave each of us a small potted plant with a personalized note attached.  It was around Valentine time and she said she did it in honor of Diane.  I thought that was sweet and memorable and I cherished not only the plant, but especially my personalized note.  I don't remember the exact words but they went something like this: 'I admire and envy the wonderful relationship you have with your daughter and it makes me strive to have a better relationship with my own daughter.'
That spoke volumes to me and I thought to myself that it is what I have always wanted in every aspect in my life....to be that 'light.' 
I like to think I had a wee part to play in Susan's relationship with her daughter, because I know it improved.  Her daughter got married and Susan was a great Mother of the Bride.  Her daughter had a son and Susan quickly became the World's Best Grandma! 
So my little potted palm (appropriately named 'The Diane plant') not only reminded me of Diane every time I looked at it, it also reminded me of Susan, her daughter, and my own sweet Madeline.  And most importantly it reminded me of the importance of relationships and the preciousness of life.

After Martha died, my friends rallied around and did everything they could to help ease my hurt and pain.  My bridge group gave me a potted Hibiscus tree.  I love Hibiscuses and think of them as Florida's 'flower."  Although the orange blossom is the official state flower of my lovely state, the hibiscus is certainly an important species around these parts!  I nurtured this hibiscus and I think of my bridge friends when I look at it.  It reminds me of friendship and it reminds me of life and love and all things beautiful.  Sometimes it renders me speechless.

Flowers are such interesting things.  They are simply one of God's creations, but like my title says 'you can say it with flowers.'  It is amazing what impact they can have on life's moments....sort of like music and particular songs.
I carried yellow roses and daisies in my wedding bouquet.  I have grown and matured and learned about lots of other flowers through time, but I have never ventured from my love of these two flowers.  I think from the moment I realized that I was a girl and flowers were supposed to be important to my sex, I have loved daisies.  I like the colors of them and the simplicity of them.  I love art and drawing and painting, and one of the first things I managed to perfect in my art training was the drawing of a daisy.  I loved that they were often wild and free and that you didn't have to pay a fortune for them.  The yellow roses story is a bit more embarrassing.  I love roses.  Most females do.  They are synonymous with romance and they are beautiful, delicate and they smell good.  Although pink is my favorite color, I chose yellow roses for my wedding bouquet.  I chose them because they matched my number one flower:  daisy.  I also chose them because I was totally and completely obssessed with Barbra Streisand....in particular her role in "Funny Girl."  Omar Sharif gave her yellow roses and I thought that (along with the blue marble egg...which I also had) was so very romantic. 
It all worked, and my wedding bouquet was lovely.

Jim is not a huge flower-sender.  We definitely don't fit that sterotype of getting flowers for every single occassion or whenever guilt sets in!  When I receive flowers from Jim, it is meaningful and special.  I have to say, I sort of like it that way.
On our 10th wedding anniversary the florist arrived at our door with an  arrangement of yellow roses and daises.  I was touched that Jim remembered that detail and I thought they were more beautiful than ever!  Talk about saying it with flowers.....

Madeline is getting married in 8 months.  We have already made a lot of plans and are getting really excited about the event.  One day she told me she was going to carry yellow roses and daisies in her wedding.  I don't know if she really will, but the sheer fact that she even thought of it and mentioned it was enough to send my heart soaring.

Mom has never really been a flower person.  She sort of doesn't fit into that female mode of expecting flowers on various occasions.  However, if asked, she will tell you her favorite flower is tulip.  On more than one occasion, she has been surprised with beautiful tulips.  I can say that Mom drops that practicality and throws caution to the wind when she sees beautiful tulips.  I know whenever Martha and I threw birthday parties for Mom that required centerpieces or some sort of flowers, we always got tulips.
I remember a time when we bought potted tulips and sort of just squished them into beautiful decorative bowls that Martha already had on her table.  We then scattered moss or whatever looked okay on top of them and people oohed and ahhed over them!  Little did they know that they were thrown together in moments.  The important thing was that Mom loved them.
One time there was a more formal party for Mom and Homer and Martha paid a florist to create a spectacular arrangement of tulips for the dining room table.  I have always cherished the photos that were made with that centerpiece.  They are amazing photos and the tulips really 'spoke' to us!

This past Easter (and Mom's birthday) I had everyone over for lunch after church.  Since it was Easter Sunday and Mom's birthday was the next day (and Jimmy's the following and Jim's the following), I decided to play up the Easter/Spring/Birthday theme.  I bought a pink tulip in a pot with pink foil wrapped around it.  I used that as a centerpiece.  I simply stuck the whole pot into the Waterford punch bowl (that was Mom's and is now a fixture on my dining room table) and used that as my centerpiece.  Talk about easy!  The potted tulips were Mom's birthday gift.  She threatens me to buy her anything, so I used this ploy disguising her gift as the centerpiece decoration.  She happily took the tulips home and I felt as if I got to tell her with flowers how much I love her!

I digress back to the beautiful orchid on my lanai that truly inspired me to write this.  My friend Ginny and I were playing bridge one day at Anita's house.  Anita keeps her house spotless and beautiful and between switching tables Ginny pointed out to me the orchid on Anita's mantle and asked me if I thought the orchid was real. This led us into a huge discussion of orchids and I think I expresed that I had never had a live orchid and I really wanted to try to raise one. Long story short, Ginny arrived on my doorstep several days later with this amazingly beautiful orchid!  I honetly didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  I chose to be stoic and we talked for a bit and she left.  She had threatened me that I should not say 'thank you' because it wasn't necessary.  I did write Ginny a note, but I never used the forbidden "thank you" words.
I just hope Ginny knows how touched I have been about her attempt to 'say it with words.'  My orchid is absolutely perfect.

Recently in my bridge group I won the deuce prize.  This is a prize we only do from time to time, which makes it special.  It is sort of a hostess choice sort of thing.  The deuce prize is when you actually take a trick with a two.  All my bridge friends reading will understand, the rest will appreciate!  This prize floats around from person to person and the last one to win the notorious deuce prize is the one who actually takes it home.  I must say, I felt weird taking it from Susan...who took it from Anita....because I had just won the Yarborough fund the hand before.  This is a cumulative fund in our group that is won when someone is dealt an honorless hand.  And this means not even a 10 in your hand!  Well, this particular night I had a hand with one 9 and the other 12 cards were 9 or below!  I was sort of in shock as I laid my hand down.  It doesn't happen often.....in fact, I won over $200 that night!  It was one of the largestest funds we have seen!  That is a lot of weeks and months considering 8 women (not including the subs who don't contribute) putting in one dollar per time played (which is normally twice a month).

The deuce prize that I won that night was a potted plant....a Christmas cactus that was created from clippings from a huge Christmas cactus from Diane  This is the same Diane who passed away several years ago.  I love having something that originated from her.  It is displayed with pride on my lanai along with some other Christmas cactuses that I have.  I am sure this Diane plant will receive a lot of special attention from me.  The plant means a lot......and I can't wait to see it bloom come Christmas time.  Thanks, Sally, for saying it with flowers!

We have an orange tree in our back yard.  Jim planted it many years ago.  It was just a tiny thing and now it is a full fledged tree that requires attention and it does produce delicious oranges.  I love it when the tree blooms....there is nothing that says 'spring is in the air' like these beautiful and fragrant orange blossoms.
One year we were hoping the oranges would be ripe when Porter was here for Thanksgiving.  Porter likes oranges and we knew he would appreciate having an orange from our tree.  We felt like it was a bit early for the oranges to be sweet and juicy, but they 'looked' ready.  So, Jim took Porter out the orange tree and told him to pick THE orange to test.  They brought it in and washed it and Jim sliced it in half.  The orange had a brown, rotten center and it made a perfect design in the middle of the orange.  Jim was taken aback as the orange didn't look like it would have that inside of it when it was cut open.  Jim, being the teaser that he is, took an orange half in each hand, held them up on his chest, and turned around to face Porter.  He got tickled and Porter started roaring and this joke has continued year after year!  It doesn't take much to amuse us, sometimes.  And I guess you just had to be there!

Jim has really taken to plants, flowers and gardening.  He looks forward to retirement when he can have more time to 'play in the dirt.'  When I was in Shelby helping Mom get ready to move, Jim surprised me by buying a lemon tree.  It is in a pot on our lanai and it is flourishing.  Mom and I both love lemons.  The first ones we got off our tree were the best and juiciest lemons we had ever tasted!  Mom was blown away by them.  We are now (im)patiently waiting for the next round to ripen.  The blooms on the lemon tree are not as fragrant as those on the orange tree, but the sign of those flowers says that a juicy and tasty lemon is soon to follow.
We have since added a small pink lemon tree to our collection.  I love pink grapefruit, but I have never heard of a pink lemon.  I am very anxious to see what the fruit will be like.  The little flowers on the tree are very attractive, and like our other citrus trees, these blossoms to say a lot to us!

When I see Jim out messing with all our plants and flowers I always think of Homer.  He was a true gardener and I think gardening is what brought him the most pleasure in this world.  He loved to work in the yard, plant a vegetable garden and grow gorgeous flowers.  The lawn on Lynhurst Lane never looked as lovely as it did during the years when Homer was out in it from sun up to sun down tending to all the flora in the yard.  Mom always teased him about his car.  The trunk was always filled with empty, dirty pots and there was mulch and potting spoiled spilled all in it.  But, Homer truly had a green thumb!
One of my favorite Homer stories regarding his love of gardening had to do with the vegetable garden he had for many years.  Mom never claimed to like to can or 'put up' fresh vegetables in any way.  She just wasn't into those farm-house types of things!  Homer knew this and it was never an issue.  He just quietly went about his business of gardening.  One day when I was visiting, Homer brought in some yummy fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden for my daily tomato sandwich that I can only truly enjoy in Shelby. And he also had some squash and eggplant.  When I saw the eggplant I commented to him that I didn't realize he grew eggplant in that garden.  He just laughed and said he did grow it but he always had to give it away and had never tasted it.  Then he continued to say:  "your mother has never cooked it for me!"  So, that afternoon I cooked some eggplant, squash, onions, and tomatoes for him.  He was delighted and I made enough so he could freeze some and heat it up at another time!
I miss Homer and his beautiful flowers, yummy vegetables, and dry wit.  He had a plaque that said:  'Old gardeners never die, they just go to seed.'  I know Homer is growing something wonderful and beautiful in Heaven.

On Mom's birthday this past April, she received fresh flowers from Gene and some from Bob and Porter.  They were lovely and I know she loved getting them.  I don't care who you are, when you hear a knock on the door and someone is standing there to deliver flowers to you, it is a wonderful feeling!
The arrangement Bob and Porter sent looked like they were made to go in her little den where she likes to sit and read.  The arrangement Gene sent matched her living room perfectly.  These lovely creations brightened up her apartment for a couple of weeks.
I know she felt the intention of the love that these two flower arrangements 'said' to her.

Our next door neighbors have all sorts of beautiful roses growing in their backyard around their pool.  Sometimes they cut a few and bring them over to me.  I am always amazed by the unique varieties of roses that they grow and I always appreciate this neighborly sentiment.  A couple of years ago most of the neighbors from our street were hanging out in our cul-de-sac on New Year's Eve.  We broke out the champagne at midnight.  I went into my house and got some champagne glasses for this occasion.  After our midnight toast and hugs and kisses, most of us went inside to go to bed.  (Staying up past midnight was a feat in itself.)  My next door neighbor carried her champagne in with her and the next day she arrived on my doorstep with my champagne flute filled with water and one of the beautiful roses from her yard.  I loved that simple gesture!

Poinsettias are always used around advent.  They have become such a symbol for the Christmas holiday season.  Poinsettias are indigenous to Mexico and the legend tells of a young girl who was too poor to bring anything to the altar to honor Jesus' birthday.  She was inspired by an angel to gather weeds by the roadside and place them on the altar.  The weeds turned to crimson and green and this is what we now know as the poinsettia.
I will admit that these flowers known as the Christmas Star or the Christmas Flower really move me and speak to me.  The previous owners of our house must have planted their old poinsettias on the side of the house.  Each year they grew taller and taller and each year they turned red around Christmas time.  We have a picture of Madeline standing in front of these poinsettias and it looks like a full backdrop surrounding her and extending far above the top of her head.  She was about 12 or 13 years old when we took the photograph.  Unfortunately, we lost these poinsettias a few years ago when we had an unusual and terrible frost one winter.
The poinsettias that we used for decoration this past Christmas are out on our lanai.  They still have some red on them, but they are about to turn all the way green.  They are quite healthy and I look forward to them coming around so that we can use them as decoration again this Christmas.
Jim has a way of keeping these types of plants and flowers alive and in fact, he has a way of bringing the plants and flowers that I think I have killed back to life!  I just put them on the side of the house and I never know when they may reappear as a beautiful and thriving plant.  We have a tomato plant that is now producing and it is one of the ones that I thought for sure was dead.
We have some impatiens in our yard that were ones I killed, and they are now huge 'bushes' that are almost up to my waist and as wide as my arm span!  I think Homer must have rubbed off on Jim somehow.

I laugh about this when I think of our friends Dick and Anita.  They live in a townhouse and when you approach their front porch there is a brick walkway that Anita always has lined with plants or flowers.  She says Dick calls it their plant hospice because it is where Anita sends plants to die.  I know that sounds a bit irreverent, but it is not intended that way.  It is really that age old joke that so many people feel about their green thumbs.  It's like they have the 'curse' when it comes to plants.  It's almost as if they know when they buy them that they are going to kill them.  I like to call the side of our house The Plant Hospital where Jim is the physician in charge!

My cousin, Ellen, recently wrote a post on her wall on Facebook that said her gardenias were blooming and she'd be drunk if their fragrance was wine!  I do believe the smell of fresh gardenias blooming is one of the most heavenly smells in the world.  Those flowers know how to talk with not only their beauty, but also with their fragrance.

Sally likes hydrangeas and she has beautiful ones in her yard in Shelby.  She also recently posted something on Facebook about the hydrangeas.  They are such a unique and beautiful flower.  I remember that my sister loved hydrangeas, and she always comes to mind when I see them or read about them.  God certainly knew how to expound on beauty with all the different flowers He created.

I was telling Madeline recently that I remember on Mother's Day we used to wear a carnation to church.  You wore a red carnation to honor your mother if she was still living, and you wore a white carnation to honor your mother if she had already passed away.  My Dad always proudly pinned our red carnations on Martha and myself while he sported a white one on his lapel. I love any kind of tradition and that is one of those I can just see and feel whenever I try to conjure it up.

My cat, Leo, loves flowers.  It amuses us!  He is a great cat and we try to keep him off of furniture and counters.  He will jump up on the counter if we have a vase of fresh flowers on it!  He doesn't jump up for anything that you would think a cat would be interested in.  We finally figured out that wherever there are fresh flowers, Leo will find them and 'visit' them.  I guess he is attracted to the beauty and fragrances just as we are.  Sometimes I think Leo has a little bit of 'human' in him!

I was thinking about how significant flowers are to so many moments in our lives.  They can be simple moments such as our kids picking a little wildflower or weed and running in to bring it to us.  They are usually overcome with excitement and we become suddenly overjoyed with love.  Tell me this isn't 'saying it with flowers?'
People send flowers to you when you are sick or in the hospital.  I guess at these times when you are just feeling down, what better way to cheer you up than to receive flowers?  Often an illness or operation prevents you from being able to eat what you want, so food isn't a good way to cheer you up.  You might be tired or groggy so reading or watching tv might not be the best way to forget your pain or discomfort.  But flowers.  Now what better way to say "get well soon?"
When someone dies, it is a tradition to send flowers to the survivors' homes or to the church or funeral parlor.  These flowers are just a small symbol of sympathy towards the loved ones.  It is often such a sad and perhaps awkward time and people are often at a loss of words.  So why not just show your love and concern and say "I'm sorry" with flowers?
We are in the midst of wedding planning so of course, flowers are on our list of to-dos.  Although Madeline doesn't want tons of flowers for her wedding, she wants some flowers and the bridal bouquets are of importance to her.  We are in the midst of looking for florists and trying to decide what to do in the way of flowers.  Madeline has something to 'say' about her wedding and what it means, and the proper choice of flowers to go with everything else she has planned is another important aspect.
With Madeline being a dancer and with us being involved in theater, we have been the recipient of many bouquets of flowers that say to us 'brava!' or 'break a leg.'  This act of saying it with flowers is a long time tradition in the dance world and the theater world.

There are so many flowers in this universe and so much beauty within them.  It is hard to see flowers and not be moved by them whether they be wildflowers along a busy highway or beautiful roses carefully arranged in a bridal bouquet. We can see a wreath of flowers lovingly placed on the grave of a loved one or an arrangement of flowers on the center of a Thanksgiving table and feel the sorrow or the joy that accompanies them.  There can be a rosebud on the altar at church signifying the birth of a baby or a basket of freshly cut daisies just waiting to be arranged in a vase.  There can be a wilted plant awaiting some TLC from a caring gardener or a blooming tree waiting to bear juicy fruit to be enjoyed.  There are roadside stands selling fresh flowers grown by local farmers and gardeners and there are fancy florists waiting to help you create the perfect bouquet to send to your sweetheart.  There are so many times in our lives when we can truly say it with flowers.
And memories are made of this.

Thanks, Madeline, for the amazing Amarylis.
I missed you too while you were living in Philly!

Say it with flower magnets made from coquina shells

Philadelphia in the springtime

Say it with flowers in paintings
(by me)

(by me)

(by me)

(by me)

(by Phyllis)

Old Philly church and beautiful wildflowers
(painting inspiration.....?)

Break a Leg!

Congratulations on your amazing Senior Show ("Grown Ups")
from Mom and Eric
BRAVA!

There's a little creature hiding in my African violet pot!

Say It With Flowers!