My Climbing Lady Banks ~

This plant was given to me many years ago and I really had no idea how much I would come to love it. If my husband didn't keep her in check, she would cover the entire house and then some! She is loved by all of the neighbors - and passers by as well. People come and stand on the sidewalk in front of our house and stare at her and talk about her and if I'm around, they ask me questions about her.

She caused me some worry and concern a couple of weeks ago! She was so heavy with blooms and it was so windy and rainy that she was pulling off of the house and threatening to break right off! My heart would have broken right along with her. And my very caring husband knows how much she means to me. He lovingly trims each year, many times! (She has a nasty habit of crawling under the shingles of the roof.)

So here he is saving her in the calm before the storm. The first time actually. He's anchoring her to the house, but he had to go out and add to it since this time. And all for a short couple of weeks! That's all the bloom you get. It's here and gone in a flash. Kind of sad.

Here's the funny part! We have a neighbor who likes to know everyone's business and very predictably showed up to put his 2 cents in during this rescue process. He looks up at my husband - risking life and limb - and says, " I could understand you doing that if it was about honey, but..." and no sooner had he said it I responded, "Oh, Gene - It's ALL about honey." He gets it right off the bat! "Oh, Honey-Do!"
So my Lady lives and is happy and the blooms are all faded. She actually has an interesting history. I was perusing some old National Geographics someone had so graciously donated to us "because we were homeschooling and would surely need them." and there was an article about Sir Joseph Banks. A very wealthy, natural historian, Joseph Banks had sailed three years around the world with Captain Cook, aboard the Endeavour. Returning to London in 1771 he brought back an immense collection of plant and animal material. He died in 1820 at the age of 77.

In 1807 one of Banks' collectors had found a rose growing on the Chinese coast and sent it back to Kew where it was named Rosa banksiae in honor of Joseph Banks' wife. It soon became known as Lady Banks' rose.

In 1885 a cutting of this rose was sent to Tombstone, Arizona. In the garden of the Rose Tree Museum grows the worlds largest rose tree. From its twisted trunk grow branches which cover 8,660 sq ft of trellis. There was a picture of it in the magazine. Amazing!

Here's to Spring and all its beauty.

My Favorite!!

EXCERPTS FROM THE DOG'S DAILY DIARY- anonymous

8:00 am - Oh Boy! Dog food! My favorite!

9:30 am - Oh Boy! A car ride! My favorite!

9:40 am - Oh Boy! A walk! My favorite!

10:30 am - Oh Boy! A car ride! My favorite!

11:30 am - Oh Boy! Dog food! My favorite!

12:00 noon - Oh Boy! The kids! My favorite!

1:00 pm - Oh Boy! The yard! My favorite!

4:00 pm - Oh Boy! The kids! My favorite!

5:00 pm - Oh Boy! Dog food! My favorite!

5:30 pm - Oh Boy! Mom! My favorite!

6:00 pm - Oh Boy! Playing ball! My favorite!

6:30 pm - Oh Boy! Sleeping in master's bed! My favorite!

This is my dog. Except the master's bed part. He's okay with that. He used to sleep on his boy's bed, but learned to take his half out of the middle and his boy grew to 6 feet and and one of them had to go. I wonder! BUT - my point being - what a great way to live!

Dogmindedness. Yea. To think like a dog. To find the good in everything. To enjoy everything (mostly - we are human after all). What would that look like as a human? Mmm.

6:30 am - Oh boy! It's sunny! My favorite or Oh boy! It's rainy! My favorite!

7:30 am - Oh boy! Time to get ready for work! My favorite! or Oh boy! My day off! My favorite!

10 am - Oh boy! That little kid who drives me crazy! My favorite! or Oh boy! A bike ride! My
favorite!
12 am- Oh boy! The baby is awake! My favorite! or Oh boy! The baby is asleep! My favorite!

You get the point. Life really does go by fast. Enjoy each moment.

Awe-Some !

I came across a fun book recently called the Awe-manac by Jill Badonsky. It's a daily reader of sorts that promises "a daily dose of wonder." She is really quite creative with her Daily Soul Vitamins and such AND her illustrations are adorable. Oh, and she is very funny. There are a few things about it that I, personally, don't like, but I LOVE the whole purpose of the book. The author encourages her readers to see and/or find the wonder in each moment of life. What a concept, huh? She says, "We can live with wonder if we have or are open to, the ability to recognize the deep pleasure possible in a simple moment. But this ability is a skill like any other - it may take time and practice. We are impatient, we want to apply life-changing concepts to banish our challenges immediately. When the change is not sustained after the enthusiasm dies down, we often just give up instead of rinse and repeat." I like that. Rinse and repeat.

I love the idea of finding wonder in everything. We live in a seemingly increasingly negative society and it becomes a very natural thing for a lot of us to just live negatively and not realize it. Even to think it's normal and justified. I ask myself, "what will happen if I don't think critically, negatively, judgmentally? It's my right. It's American. It will seem as if I don't care! THAT'S it! It will look as if I don't care. Aaaannnnd, then what?

And then nothing. And then peace. And then quiet. And then wonder...

I'm Back...this time as a grandma!

Let me introduce a very precious little guy, who I can't imagine life without! Gabriel Preston Blankenship. Born August 13, 2009. I wasn't too happy about my son and his wife having a baby so soon after they were married. Really, the issue was that they themselves were so young (in my opinion). But, as a Jesus follower, I also believe that all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28). God knew that this little baby would bring healing to our family. I should have known God had a plan!

Gabriel is a very happy baby. Loves to smile and laugh- just my style! I never knew I could love a child that is not mine so much! Ahh, but he is mine in a sense. He's flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. He is my son's child and I have a very vested interest in him. Do you know what it does to me when he arrives at my house or we meet up somewhere and he sees me and I can tell he recognizes me and there's a look between us and he just lights up! Talk about "be still my heart!"

Since the last time I wrote, I also went back into my profession - Speech Pathology. That's for a different post, but I have to say, life is good and especially God is good! Grace and Mercy abounds.