MAMA'S (not) ALWAYS RIGHT

Love my new gardening shoes - their first bath!  No doubt Oregonian's already know all about them!  The old ones were missing big chucks on the bottom which is a problem especially when you get old and wobbly.

But back to Mama.  I never bought that theory (that 'mama's always right') but I have to confess:

Several times Grant offered to trim the front evergreen shrub and I would decline.  He was too nice to plead his case but I'm betting he knew what I didn't - that eventually it would grow up to bite me.  Decided to get the last two single pane windows replaced, which meant getting rid of it.  I really liked the privacy, and the cooling/warmth it provided depending on the season, but as you can see from my last blog, it about killed off the lilac.  Not just because it kept it out of the sunshine, but it also prevented me from being able to attend to the trimming it needed.

About finished cleaning it up, with the only thing left having my tree trimmer remove the large dead stumps that are too big for me.  Actually, I'm not sure he'll show because he said it was such hard wood it was destructive to his equipment.  It took hours upon hours, trimming dead wood and removing the decaying guts, and I actually think it might survive now.  I filled up the garbage can twice with it's trash.  I also have many wounds to vouch for my efforts.

Love this adjacent bush (some kind, I've forgotten exactly, of ornamental crab apple):

The blooms around the newest growth add beauty as well.

Courtesy of my terrific tree trimmer.

Spent several hours on it today because the weather will not be conducive the next two days, so I tore myself away from my growing addiction to FamilySearch.  Some of the cooler pictures I've posted of late:

Moi

My mom, probably not long before she got married.

My mom's mom - Effa McKell Williams.

This is my most favorite picture of her -

found it in a scrapbook - really small - 

toying with editing (adding the frame and brightening it), it came out great!

(Background far from perfect, but considering 

the original, it's a-o-kay!)

The Ides of March (or thereabouts) when Spring is Practically Sprung

I looked for pansies last year, no luck.  So when I spotted them, walking into Macy's grocery store, I did a bit of impulse buying ... bought two flats.  (Way more money then they're worth, I belatedly concluded.)  I'm actually going to move some of the ones in the front - mostly because I planted them 5" apart instead of 6".  Dumb eyeballs!  It's also not as sunlit there as I imagined - by the time there's enough recommended hours in that location, they'll be done blooming.  So I think I'll move them over to the south side, on either side of the rock garden.  Would have put them there in the first place, but my can was full of debris from other areas, and so I have to wait for the trash pick up.  Most of what is needed in that area is leaves that have blown in, turning the soil, and I'll sweep the garage out as well.

You'll note it is very dry - at this rate I'm wondering if the lawn will survive

the wait until May 1st when they turn on the water.  It's rained only a couple of times

(and snowed this winter only three times, two of them did "stick" but didn't need

to be shoveled it warmed back up so quickly), and I will be surprised

if it rains again in the next month+.  You'll also note I need to trim the lilac bush,

now that the front of it is fully exposed, from the removal of that shrub.

I've planted the grass seed in the area that died out from the shrub's needles.

These are rocks Norma accumulated, sandstone from St. George, lava

from Idaho, and other various she liked and had Daddy haul home.

I queried the FB crowd on what a strange plant could be growing in the rocks -

and Janeil gave me the hint to figure it out.  Hyacinth!  Which has been hidden

by the shrub I had removed lo these 10+ years!

All my bulbs are long overdue and I'll replant them this fall,

so I'll then move this one then to a better spot.

Had a great visit at Jewel's, celebrating Hayden's birthday.  Went to his first scrimmage football game, and you can tell, they worked him hard!  He played defense first, then offense.

                                                                   (#37 on the left)

He really liked my birthday present which pleased me very much - Snap Circuits - very cool if you looking for a fun and educational gift ("ages 8-108").  It also comes in 200 and 300 (the 300 is inclusive of all of the projects).

Robin (Johnny's mom), Jewel, Grand-mommy (Robin's mom), Hayden

Pop.  (Robin's dad)

This is at Red Robin where we had a delicious meal,

and is reminiscent of the chalk wall in a cool hamburger join in Houston.

Lastly, here's my pre-Christmas poinsettia from Child Nutrition -

getting a tad more leggy, but still beautiful.

VANITY

I'm putting up my current photo on my blog, per Hazel's request.  And I've added a few more of my old favorites you've never seen.

When I was 11 (it's okay if you chuckle - if it were bigger you could see the freckles on my nose!):

This is my freshman year when I was fourteen.

These my senior year (but not taken at the school so the usual photographer's touch-ups) and my favorite haircut ever - only needed a hairdryer in those days, but I've apparently permanently straightened all my curl since...

These were taken for the column in the local paper I wrote reporting the high school activities, but I chose a more sober version.

This is late teens or early 20's.

This [last one below] is my current picture.  Oh what a difference 50+ years makes!  I can't say that I've aged gracefully but then again it never pay to get old. Ha!  [Hayden said I should add pictures of my hairstyles prior, which are the ones you would remember.  The first one he remembers, but probably not the rest of the grandkids, and then the one next to the last one isn't very good but is the former length for several years (give or take an inch or two).]