Comments?  Email me jragels@gmail.com
Mar 31

Good Morning

Yesterday I did not see one single rabbit nor squirrel.  I so wish that means they are all dead, but I fear I was just busy
when they were out.  Them all being permanently gone is just too much to expect in the granted wish department. :)

So today is the last day of March.

Tomorrow is the day for tricks and pranks.  It is also suppose to be the day a bad news virus is suppose to attack our
computers.  I so hope that one is wrong.  People with nothing to do but cause mayhem should have to do many miles of road
clean up each day.  That quote about idleness being the devils workshop must be true.

Today I think I'm going to go over to the motor vehicle department and get a duplicate tag and registration.  I have a few
more safe places to look.  This will NEVER happen to me again.  With the high cost of not having both either on you or in
your vehicle, I intend to rectify this problem today one way or the other.  I am not going to pay $200 plus for my own
stupidity and my days of speeding are over.  There is no place I need to be that bad.  Oracle and River is suppose to be a
deadly ticket trap.  Some are getting tickets for being in the intersection when it turns yellow.  So far the ones who
received them have not been able to get them reversed.  Many of the residents who live in a trailer park right on that
corner just refuse to go that way at all.  Oh well, everyone wants many things from government, but no one wants to pay
for it.  In a downturn like we have, the money has to come from somewhere.  I know no one who likes to see excessive
spending, but everyone wants good roads, decent schools, and our areas manned with good police and fire people.  Foreign
aide is still a sore spot with me and will always probably be.

I wish you a day where you recognize at least one ordinary miracle.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love

J
Mom
Gram

It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds..
- Samuel Adams
Too often we...enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought. - John F. Kennedy
We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes. - John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly. - Robert F. Kennedy

Mar 30

Good Morning

Happy Birthday Ryan!!!

Ryan is my absolute most favorite 2nd grandson.  He is celebrating his BIG 13th today.   I sent him a couple birthday cards
and not until I had already sent it did I notice one was for a granddaughter.  It pays to completely read before you hit the
send button.  Oh well, he knows I'm a bubble off and he loves me anyway.

I had a great lunch with a friend today.  What would this world be like without friends and people you can laugh and
trudge through life.   I know that I don't even want to try.  I am so very blessed with all those who love me and whom I
love.

God has a sense of humor.  I did not see any rabbits in the flower bed this morning.  But just before I had to leave for my
lunch date, I spotted a squirrel standing up nice and tall eating the top of my purple stock.  I swear it is never ending.  
Just when I thought all the rabbits were gone, I found some of their sign by my front gate.  I wish I could have a
perimeter wall built.  I'd like something like the stockades in the old west.  This is just so bad.  I wonder if I'll ever get
rid of them.  I know that the devil will be ice skating before I ever skin and gut a squirrel. :)

Spent the evening watching TV and doing laundry.  Newer did get any sewing done, but I think I'm closer. :)

This AM the bug guy comes to spray.  I haven't seen any bugs of any kind in a very long time and I want to keep it that
way.  I haven't even seen any mice.  Wish he could get rid of rabbits and squirrels.  I asked about them at the do it
yourself place and they don't have a bait that works on either.

I wish you a day full of ordinary miracles.

Special prayers for Cleo and Beth and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

If you always do what you always done, you always get what you've already got. - Michael Michalko
I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. - Michelangelo
Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries. - James A. Michener

Mar 29

Good Morning

Had a great day yesterday once I left the house.  I knew we had some bad wind, but couldn't believe that it picked up a
window that had been removed from the living room and tossed it about 40 feet.  Natch the broken glass was a mess.  So
that was a royal pain to sweep up and remove.  I hate glass clean up about as much as anything.    

I went to the do it yourself weed  and pest store and got all the chemicals I'll need to do my own spraying.  I think I may
buy me another wheeled pump sprayer just because I loved the other one so much.  It isn't bad to have to drag around.  

I was going to go to Olive Garden to eat and ended up at the Golden Corral for their pot roast, mashed potatoes, and
gravy.  I'm not sure anyone makes pot roast as good as they do.  I finished it off with some old fashioned banana pudding.  
I probably got a weeks worth of calories, but it was very good.

I stopped by Walmart and picked up a few things and then stopped by Safeway and finished out my list.

After that I was home and did a little hunting before it was time to call it quits.

I never did get to sit in front of my sewing machine, but it was still a good day. :)

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love

J
Mom
Gram

Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength. - Sigmund Freud

Mar 28

Good Morning

Yesterday was eventful.  I thought I was down to one last rabbit, but I was wrong.  I saw two teenagers out there
munching away.  Quick little devils.  Three shots at different times yielded nothing.  That was the pits.  At one time one
little guy was standing on his haunches going for my tomatoes.  I would have run outside and wrestled him to the ground to
wring his neck if I could have caught him.  I couldn't take a shot at him and risk hitting a tomato or worse yet the stalk.  
I'm going to be in on the hunt this morning and hope that I can end this soon.

I worked very hard all day with either clients or playing catch up.  I was hardly away from my desk.  My goal was to get to
a point that I could actually do some sewing this weekend.  Deb says she'll believe it when she sees a picture of something.

I'm going to run over to Do It Yourself Pest and Weed this morning to see what they have.  I have called out two weed
services for estimates and they are both off the charts.  The last one wanted 400 for the initial spraying of preemergence
and roundup and then 65 a month.  There is no way I'm going to pay that kind of money.  The last estimate was worse than
the first.  So it looks like I'll be doing my own spraying.  I know I have to get it down before the rains hit or all this work
will be for nothing.  It also means I'll be doing it all again in about 6 months.  Spraying is easier that weeding.

We had a lot of wind yesterday.  I've got stuff scattered about that has to be picked up today.  It was cold.  Couple that
with the wind and it was prime whining weather.  Medallion lost a cane.  There is lots of color out there just waiting to
escape.  I took some pictures but haven't even had time to see what I got.  I'm going to break up my rose section on this
web page into miniatures, floribundas, and hybrid teas.  The white mini is so loaded.

I wish you a wonderful day full of ordinary miracles.

Special prayers for Cleo and Beth and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love

J
Mom
Gram

The test of good manners is to be patient with bad ones. - Solomon Ibn Gabirol
I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to
forgo their use. - Galileo Galilei
The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still voice within. - Mahatma Gandhi
Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.
- Kahlil Gibran
If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others. - Haim Ginott
We look forward to the time when the power to love will replace the love of power. Then will our world know the blessings
of peace.  - William Gladstone
A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they're not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they're not so bad.
- Arnold Glasgow
Find an aim in life before you run out of ammunition. - Arnold Glasow

Mar 27

Good Morning

Where has this month gone?  It seems like it was just March 1 and I was wondering the same thing about February.

I did have time to squeeze in a little hunting and bagged and cleaned another rabbit just before dusk.  Surely I should
have decimated the population enough that they will now leave me alone.  

Deb made an observation.  She said that if I was not out killing rabbits and worse yet cleaning them for someone else, I'd
have time to sew.  Now she does have a point, but we all prioritize our days.  These days, hunting is just on a higher peg
than sewing.  I truly have become a multifaceted woman.

I am in need of a housekeeper and a cook.  I have never liked cleaning, yet prefer to live in a clean house.  I have always
loved cooking, but at the end of the day, I just want to eat a good meal with no effort on my part.  I have become rather
lazy with the mainstream normal activities.

I love walking among my roses.  Hot Cocoa is showing nice color now as is Simply Marvelous.  Black Cherry has another
bloom and the other floribundas will not be far behind.  My white mini has more opened and is still magnificent for its
size.  The teas are trying hard to catch up.  Barbra Streisand has a nice bloom.  Memorial Day has a bloom, but has burned
edges.  The size of the buds on Lovers Lane is about the biggest that plant has ever produced.  Glory is peeking out.  I walk
among my teas with such awe.  I feel like a child tearing the paper off the edge of my present trying to get a sneak peek.
Sadly, Taboo lost a cane to the wind yesterday.  I had some tumbleweeds slam into some of them as well.  I got most of the
tumbleweeds out, but will have to really do a good job this morning.  It was just getting too dark when I went out to close
my gates.

I was looking at my poor lubelia and ranunculus last night.  Those rabbits have really done a number on them.  While the
lubelia can possibly recover, I don't see any hope for my yellow ranunculus.  It is down to stumps.  Some of the other
colors are not in as bad a shape.  The stocks have been severely pruned, but seem to be OK even if their bottom leaves are
gone.  Oddly enough, they do not seem to care for the gerbera daisy.  My flower bed is not anywhere near what it could
have been without the rabbit invasion.  I really only mess with that flower bed in the spring, so basically, the rabbits have
taken pretty much one year from me.  That is one year I did not willingly surrender.  I intend to be aggressive in
annihilating them.  This is also my argument in favor of the death penalty.  The death penalty may in fact not be a deterrent
to others, but those killed will never be able to kill again.  These rabbits who have gone on to the great rabbit heaven will
never again be able to eat my flowers.  That is a very good thing in my little peace of the world.  Oh yea, and by the way, I
did it all without the aide of any government help.  This was a self help project. :)

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love

J
Mom
Gram

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So
throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain
Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; Some blunders and absurdities crept in; Forget them
as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with
your old nonsense. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Be glad you had the moment. - Steve Shagan
To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice. - Confucius
We must select the illusion which appeals to our temperament, and embrace it with passion, if we want to be happy.
- Cyril Connolly
You know you're in love when you stop comparing. -  Mason Cooley
Advice is more agreeable in the mouth than in the ear. - Mason Cooley
A word to the wise ain't necessary. It's the stupid ones who need the advice. - Bill Cosby
I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. - Bill Cosby   

Mar 26

Good Morning

Yesterday was a good day.  I won't bore you with details that some might find offensive, but suffice it to say the world is
now short two more cottentails and I consider that a VERY good thing.

Today the weed guy will be by to give me a quote on the initial spraying and monthly maintenance.  This guy is one my
neighbor uses, so unless he tries to jack me up, I'll end up going with him.

My day is going to be fairly full and there just might not be time for any hunting.  Oh well, it will give them a false sense
of security.  

As I was just sitting and musing over the great meeting with the old gals, I smiled.  I smiled for the joy they brought me.  I
smiled for the survival we have achieved.  I smiled for having them come back into my life.  It is an unusual gift to have
people come back into your life almost 50 years later.  It is an even greater gift that we all seem to enjoy our time
together.  I think our conversations are amazing.  We can discuss or dissect just about anything.  We have differing views
on politics and mostly avoid getting into that one.  It isn't that we couldn't go there.  It is just that we choose not to go
there even if we occasionally touch the edges.  We have many of the same views on life.  Mostly we are survivors.  We have
weathered negative aspects of life and we are still standing.  I consider that a high achievement.   We are not fluff.  We
all have a pioneer spirit and a bravery to face each day.   Mostly we just continue to pick them up and put them down.  I
know I look forward to each one of our get togethers.  Being with them renews my inner self.  Maybe I enjoy them so much
because they make me laugh.  We are just a bunch of young old gals who are living our life as best we can and doing it
with gusto.   We are tough old birds who are not afraid to fly.  We do not fear life.  We embrace it.

I so wish you a day of ordinary miracles.  Mostly, I wish you recognize and appreciate them.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.  Cleo had some great news.  She is doing so good that her doctor has
given her at least another six months.  I will always hate cancer.  I hate what it does to the person.  I hate what it does to
those who know the person.   The battles take their toll, but I love hearing about the victories.  Special prayers that they
continue.  

Cyber hugs and lots of love

J
Mom
Gram

Today's quotes honor Women's History Month.
The kind of beauty I want most is the hard-to-get kind that comes from within: strength, courage, dignity. - Ruby Dee
I'm not happy. I'm cheerful. There's a difference. A happy woman has no cares at all. A cheerful woman has cares but has
learned how to deal with them. - Beverly Sills, 1929 - 2007
Grace, growth, and gratitude: these are my highest aspirations. - Gloria Arliss
You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims. - Harriet Woods
The wisdom acquired with the passage of time is a useless gift unless you share it. - Esther Williams
A really strong woman accepts the war she went through and is ennobled by her scars.  - Carly Simon

Mar 25

Good Morning

Yesterday, I just had the best day.  First I had lunch with the old gals.  It was one of the best lunches we've had except
that Diane could not make it.  She had been sick and didn't feel she was well enough to be around Beth.  Jet came in from
New Mexico to surprise us.  That was just great.  She also surprised us by being totally supportive of Beth by shaving her
hair.  Jet had a cute cowboy type hat on and Beth had on a zany baseball cap  with fake hair showing on the top.  They
were adorable together.  It took us about 30 minutes to eat and we must have talked for an additional couple of hours.  I
took in some banana bread for Beth to give her grandson.  He should have enough to last for a day or two.  Poor Diana had
picked me up and by having to take me home, I almost made her late for a dr appt.  It was just the best ever day.  I was
sad when it came to an end because I know we could have kept talking so that we would have had to order supper as well.  
It was just one of those days you didn't want to end.

Upon checking my email, I got even better news, Cleo is doing so good that her doctor has given her at least an additional 6
months.  Now THAT is something worth shouting about.  Hip hip hooray!!!  I do so enjoy it when cancer does not get its way.

Another rabbit bit the dust yesterday morning.  I swear, they were teasing me because 3 more were grazing on new grass
out by the shop just before dark and in a place where I can not eliminate them.  Drats and doubt drats.

I hope you had a great day, but it would have to be really something to beat the one I had.  I spent some wonderful time
with friends and got great news about someone I care deeply about.  How much better can you get.  These are things that
money can not buy, that touch your soul, and put a lift in your step.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.  

Go out there and find at least one ordinary miracle today.  Savor it.  Drink it up.

Prayers for Jet and Bill as they drive home to New Mexico today.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

Life is like a ten speed bike. Most of us have gears we never use. - Charles Monroe Schulz, 1922 - 2000
Do not give any time to your past you can't change what happened 5 minutes ago. - Jan Ruhe

Mar 24

Good Morning

For some reason, I could not post my ramblings until close to 9:00 yesterday.  Don't know what happened.  Hope it doesn't
happen again.

This morning the visitors from PA will be winging on back to their homes.  I'm sure everyone involved had a great time and
enjoyed touching each other's lives again.

Today I'm going to have a terrific day.  I'll be lunching with the old gals from high school.  I always have such a good time
with them.  Diana is going to be picking me up.  What a sweetheart to come so far out of her way just to be nice to me.  It
will be so very good to see Beth again.  I'm so sorry that Diane won't be able to come.  She is sick and so is Jerry.  I hope
they both get better soon.  They just got home from a nice vacation, so I'm at least glad they made it home before they got
sick.  Anxious to see who else might be able to make it.

Made a bad shot today.  Felt it as I pulled the trigger.  Regardless how much you'd like, you just can't call back the shot or
turn back the clock.  So the count is now bullets 5 rabbits 3.  I think I got a touch of buck fever and being smug and
bragging did not help.  I'll be doing a lot more concentrating and a lot less bragging at least for a little while.:)

I made some banana bread last night to take to Beth so she can give it to her grandson, Will.  He loves my banana bread.  
Actually I think Will just likes eating.  His grandma is for sure a good cook.  She does not like banana bread, but finds
mine tolerable.

Us old gals will be having another slumber party at the casino in Globe to celebrate Beth finishing up her chemo.  That will
take place some time in June.  We sure did have a good time last year.  It is amazing what gals who have already seen their
fair share of sunsets can and will do for fun.  Liz, Ginger, Ruby, and Vicky Rose sure lightened their hearts and touched
some souls even if Liz and Ginger were too dainty for strong lights.

I shall selfishly savor each moment we share today.  They give to me far more than I could ever give to them.

Find yourself an ordinary miracle.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love

J
Mom
Gram    

When fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade. - Dale Carnegie, 1888 - 1955
Govern a great nation as you would cook a small fish. Do not overdo it. - Lao Tzu
There is something wrong when you wait in line thirty minutes to get a hamburger that was cooked for ninety seconds an
hour ago. - Lewis Grizzard, 1946 - 1994
First need in the reform of hospital management? That's easy! The death of all dietitians, and the resurrection of a French
chef. - Martin H. Fischer, M.D., 1879 - 1962
I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. - Julia Child, 1912 - 2004

Mar 23

Good Morning

First of all, I must apologize to Norma.  Yesterday was her birthday too.  Norma, Rita and Peggy stopped by after visiting
at the mission.  It was a nice little visit.  When they left here, they were on their way to the casino.  I hope they get to take
some AZ money home to PA.  That would be slick.

Sadly, Bob Dunlavy died Saturday night.  I am so damn sick and tired of cancer taking so many good people I know.  Bob is
the brother of Cathy and Helen who married LaVoy and Norm (Brownie's brothers).  So while he is not blood related to the
Ragels, he is blood related to gals who married Ragels.  

I know there are many diseases out there that kill people.   Some of them wring every ounce of life before enough tribute
is paid to die.  I seldom feel that kind of hate for anything else.  Cancer can be beaten and is very often.  There are
enough survivors to give everyone hope.  In order to survive cancer, you have to be totally dedicated to doing everything in
your power to help yourself.  You have to educate yourself.  You have to change aspects of your life.  You have to engage
in a battle as you never have before.  Then after doing everything you can, you have to be just plain old lucky.  After all is
said and done, some of the ones who lose sometimes pay a high price in the way they die.  I sincerely believe the reason
there is no cure is that the treatment brings in a lot more money.  Cynical thoughts with conspiracy interlaced, but if AGI
has taught us nothing else, we should now understand the basic concept of overt greed.

I did some work, but not as much as I should have.  I never did go out and get anything to eat.  It just didn't think it was
necessary with all I have here.  I did make a wonderful bean salad.  I used light and dark kidney beans, chick peas, green
and wax beans, finely chopped onions, dill pickle relish and sweet pickle relish.  So far just ordinary, but what made it so
good was the Paul Newman Light Raspberry & Walnut salad dressing.   That made it very good.

The wind was suppose to be much worse that it was.  It was bad enough to take a cane off Veterans Honor.  I spotted that
last night as I was closing my gates.  I have not checked yet this morning, but I certainly do not want another year of
severe cane damage.  Last year cost me a rose.   I'm going to keep an accurate count of cane loss this year.  I just don't
know what to do about it.  Try as I might, I do not know how to make the wind not blow on my place. :)  I told Brownie I
wanted a shelter to surround my roses, but he wasn't interested.  Now that is something I would do if I could afford that
luxury.  

You go out there and catch yourself an ordinary miracle and savor it.  Most of all take the time to look for them.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

All of today's quotes are from Benjamin Franklin.

He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.
If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead & rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the
writing.
Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults.
The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness.  You have to catch it yourself.  
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!
Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.

Mar 22

Good Morning

First of all CONGRATS and Happy Birthday to Jackie and young Barbara.  I wish you loads of happiness on this very
special day of yours.  I know I've already missed a few of the Ragels March birthdays.  I swear Dub and Barb's gang
tried to corner the market on March birthdays.

I have opening buds and opened buds.  The floribundas are surging ahead of the teas.  Sixteen Candles and Black Cherry
are leading the pack.  I've got to get a picture of Black Cherry this AM.  It is devine.  There is color on several of the
teas.  Barbra Strisand was the first bloom, but it got frosted and is deep down in the bush, so there may not be a picture
of it.  Even though it is not good looking, it smells divine.  There will be other blooms on the bush for sure.  I had to snip
extra growth off of Glory.  There were a few that needed bud work.  I have a white mini in full bloom and that bush is
absolutely covered in buds.  It was last year and it seems to be going for a record of buds on a bush this year.  It will be
something else when it is in full bloom.  It is just too tall.  This fall, I'll be moving it into the back.  I'll also have to dig up
my drip pipe in the bed.  It is broken on one end by the excess water that comes to the top.  Drats.

I've got tomatoes on my yellow pear bush.  Not sure how long they will take to mature, but it is nice seeing the promise of
good eats later on.    

As soon as it gets light, I'll get me a cup of coffee and settle down into my hunting blind and see what I can do it this AM.  
So much for the live humane trap.  The damn little beggars got the cabbage leaf out of there without springing the trap.  I
must not have put it back into the trap far enough.  Hunting is hard work and is not for the faint of heart. :)

I was going to meet a client for lunch today, but she has a cold and I told her I'd rather not be around her today.  We
postponed our lunch until next weekend.  By then she'll have a week of healing and I'm sure will be feeling a whole lot
better.  I was looking fwd to going out for lunch, so I think I still will go out and eat - just have to decide where.

Dawn is a few hours off, but maybe I can get something done before.

I wish you lots of ordinary miracles.

Special prayers for Cleo and Beth and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

All kids are gifted; some just open their packages earlier than others. - Michael Carr
Worry is as useless as a handle on a snowball. - Mitzi Chandler
The first sight of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left. - Chicago Tribune
Any idiot can face a crisis - it's the day-to-day living that wears you out. - Anton Chekov
May the warm winds of Heaven blow softly on your home, And the Great Spirit bless all who enter there. May your
moccasins make happy tracks in many snows, And may the rainbow always touch your shoulder. - Cherokee Blessing

Mar 21

Good Morning

I hope you had a good day yesterday, because mine sure ended on a high note.  Thanks to Tim and .22 CB shorts, there is
one less rabbit in this world.  The rabbits are eating the devil out of my lubelia   I mean I used to have a sea of blue and
now they have mostly been mowed down.   If left alone, they will come back.  The exterminator is hard at work to
eradicate all rabbits and squirrels within a 50 miles radius of my place.  I would have loved to have lived in peace and
harmony with them, but they wouldn't allow it.  They threw down the gauntlet so now it is all out war.  Maybe what a live
trap won't cure, lead will.

Jo send me home with a plate of left overs, so I had a wonderful supper.  She is such a nice person.

Today will be mostly work.  I contacted another weed guy and am hoping to be able to come to terms with them on price.  
My yard looks so good that I really don't want weeds coming up and ruining it.

Special prayers for Kathy and Doug on their way home.

I wish you all a day of ordinary miracles.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love

J
Mom
Gram

One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organizations do not constitute a church any more than eleven
dead men make a football team. The first requisite is life, always. - Aiden Wilson Tozer, 1897 - 1963
Justice is the insurance we have on our lives, and obedience is the premium we pay for it. - William Penn, 1644 - 1694
It appears that when life is broken by tragedy, God shines through the breach. - George A. Buttrick

Mar 20

Good Morning

Yesterday was a good day.  Actually everyday is a good day or at the very least has some good in it.  

While the day was pretty much the same old thing, it ended on a very high note.

I went out to Little Jo's.  Norma's sisters were in town visiting and Jo had everyone out for a Mexican dinner.  Kathy and
Doug were down from Colorado for the week.  All of Norma's family was there.  Some of them I had not seen in a while.  I
stayed longer than I should have and ate too much.  It was a long ride home.  I do so not like driving in the dark, but it was
so nice visiting with Kathy and Little Jo after things had died down a little.  I have nominated Little Jo for sainthood.  She
is one of the few truly good people I know.  She not only has a willing heart, but tends life with willing hands.  She really
does live by example.  Her children are very blessed to have her in their lives.

This morning I'll be on the hunt again.  I'm going to run to the store first thing and get that out of the way.  There is
always something to do or something that I should do.

I got some fabric in the mail yesterday and once again have sewing fever.  I got it washed and folded and ready for
whatever project it will be used.  I miss it so much when I don't fit it into my life and yet, soon tire or it while that is all
I'm doing.  We have got to be really stupid.  It is so true what they say about never being satisfied.  It probably has a lot
to do with those green pastures too.

I know that today and every day I am blessed with good friends and loving people in my lives.  Some of them are even
family.  Some of them are the family I have chosen.  I try to always see the glass half full.  I try to find happiness and joy
all around me.  Mainly I try to live a happy life.  I try to laugh easy.  I do so believe we should all just breathe in and then
breathe out on a regular basis.  Life will always have bad spots, but they do not make our life bad.  We're the only ones
who can do that.  So today, I choose to be happy and to have a happy day.  I wish one for you as well.

May you be blessed with lots of ordinary miracles.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

Be mindful of how you approach time. Watching the clock is not the same as watching the sun rise.   
- Sophia Bedford-Pierce
The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next. - Henry Ward Beecher
Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well. - Josh Billings
No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings. - Blake
The Lamp burns bright when wick and oil are clean. - H. P. Blavatsky
That you may retain your self-respect, it is better to displease the people by doing what you know is right, than to
temporarily please them by doing what you know is wrong. - William J. H. Boetcker

Mar 19

Good Morning

Yesterday was a great day.   I got all my roses sprayed in the morning and got all of them fed in the evening.  So they
should be good to go.  I never cease to be amazed how some roses seem to have some kind of a resistance to bugs and some
almost seem to attract them.  There were 3 roses that had way too many of them.  They were so bad that when I sprayed
the top, the bugs started dropping onto the lower leaves.  I'll have to pay particular attention to them so they don't get the
chance to suck the pretty out of both the leaves and flowers.

My day was further lifted by me being able to do in a cottontail that was eating my miniatures and nibbling on the other
flowers as well.  After shooting the one, I set the live trap and hope that I catch another one  overnight.  Today is garbage
day and it is a good day to be able to rid myself of the bodies.  I really don't like being so blood thirsty, but I think I
spotted some of the Oriental poppies coming up.  That was the last of the seed I had and I can not afford for the rabbits
to eat it down.  I have tried to find the seed in catalogs and have searched the net.  This particular variety is unusual.  I
will do just about anything to keep the small plants safe.

My other big moment was confronting two strays.  They were both pit bulls.  One an older dog and the other a pup
somewhere around 4 to 6 months old.  Casey and I were minding our own business in our own yards that they started
barking at us.  Then they both started coming into the yard.   I called Casey and we went to the house.  I suppose they
thought they ran us off.  Not so.  I went to get something to defend myself.  I got a rake and went back outside.  I left
Casey in.  I purposely stared them down and ran them out of the yard.  There is only one top dog in my yard.  After they
left, I let Casey out.  Damned if they didn't come back.  I made Casey stay in the yard and I got between the oldest and
Casey and slugged him over the top of the head with the back of the rake.  He shook his head and left.  The younger one
put his head down and started coming at me.  I stared him down too and called him a few names and told him to come on.  
He didn't seem to like the rake and retreated.  I followed him out into the front and Casey followed me.   Casey and I
went back into the yard.  I went back to feeding my roses.   That little one started coming back again.  I put Casey into the
house and chased him clear across the street.  If these are new dogs that belong to the neighbor, I'm going to have to have
a few words with them.  I will not be threatened by anyone or anything in my own yard.  If this shit continues, I'll be
drilling them.  I'd really hate to do that, but I'm not going to be attacked either.  I'll be calling and reporting the incident
tomorrow to get a police report on the record.  I'll also be reporting this to Pima County Animal Control - again for a
record.  I will be asking both about my rights in protecting myself and my dog.  People who can't control their own dogs
just really tick me off.  The most dangerous dog was the youngest one.  The older one was easier to back down.  The
younger one seemed to like try to lord it over me.  I know that the older one would have taken Casey had I not intervened
and Casey was in his own yard - not in front of his yard, but well inside his yard.  Thank God Casey minds me so well.  
Anyway, that got the old ticker going.  I'm getting too old for this kind of stuff, but I will not be bullied and will stand my
ground.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

Our lives are like a candle in the wind.  - Carl Sandburg, 1878 - 1967
The winds and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators. - Edward Gibbon, 1737 - 1794
The weather-cock on the church spire, though made of iron, would soon be broken by the storm-wind if it ... did not
understand the noble art of turning to every wind.  - Heinrich Heine, 1797 - 1856
A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with the wind.  - John Neal
Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears. - Barbara Johnson

Mar 18

Good Morning

I hope your St Patrick's Day was good.  Mine was great.  My meal was very good and I liked the way the bread turned out.  
I guess loaf is a better description.  After years of making my own bread, I just don't consider it to be bread if it doesn't
have yeast in it.  This was still good.  Caraway seeds and raisins were an interesting contrast.  I would so like a good rye.  
My neighbor made a Swedish Limpa that was to die for.  I sure would love to have a couple slices to make a sandwich out
of my left over corned beef.

I had a cup of coffee and my toasted English muffin on my front porch yesterday.  It was a bit nippy for me, but still
nice.  The air smelled fresh and there was just enough fragrance from the flowers to make you smile.  Perfume from
flowers is always great.  Something has eaten one of the buds off my gardenia plant.  I think I know what it was and I will
send it to squirrel heaven if I get the chance.  I suspect a rabbit has all but devoured one of my miniature roses.  It will
never make it if this keeps up.

I am going to plant some cantaloupe, watermelon, and summer squash seeds today in my upper lot.  The floribundas are
looking nice and full and seem to like being watered more often.  I think I'll dose them all with some plant food and really
try and kick them off.   

I'm not ready for it to get so warm yet.  My roses would like it to cool off a bit.  They would especially like it if the temps
ranged from 75 to 85 and started each morning with a light misting of rain through the end of May.  They would bloom
their little hearts out.  They always give it their best shot regardless the weather.

Today I wish you a day full of ordinary miracles.

Special prayers for Cleo and Beth and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live. - Joan Borysenko
Heros are people that rise to the occasion and slip quietly away. - Tom Brokaw
Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones. - Phillip Brooks
Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want to impress people they don't like.
- Will Rogers

Mar 17

Good Morning

Happy St Patrick's Day to you all.

I have my first blooms.  They are two pink miniatures and a white miniature, followed closely by Barbra Streisand.  The
new roses seem to be settling in.  While looking at the roses yesterday, I discovered varmints - not on all roses, but on
some.  So I'll mix up a batch of Orthonex and spray all of them today after my last client.  That is such a pain, but I do not
want messed up petals or eaten leaves.   Aphids suck the juices from petals and leaves and deform them.  Oh well, I'll send
them on their way to bug heaven today.

I went to the store last night and got some buttermilk and whole wheat and I'm going to mix up a batch of Irish soda bread
for my supper today.  This one called for both whole wheat and caraway seeds plus some raisins.  I thought that was an
interesting mix, so I'm going to give it a try.

I'm also going to have some corned beef and cabbage only I'm going to fix it a little different.  I had already fixed the
corned beef and had it sliced and in the freezer, so that part is done.  I'm going to shred and fry my cabbage in butter.  I
do so love it that way - even better than boiled.  Wish you all could join me. :)

My left shoulder is giving me fits.  The last time this happened, it was my right shoulder.  Casey is limping and I can't find
anything wrong with his foot or leg.  If he isn't better today, I'm going to make an appt with the vet and see if the vet can
find out what is wrong.  At first I thought it was a sympathy limp, but now I'm not so sure.  I don't like not being fit and
he sure doesn't either.  Poor thing still follows me.  Damn, I sure do love that dog.

Clients are making comments on my yard and flowers, so that always makes me feel good.  Some have even commented on
how large my lot is.  It does look bigger without anything growing in it and stuff stacked around.  

Best get to work, so I'll wish you the luck of the Irish and that you receive a day of ordinary miracles.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

Music is well said to be the speech of angels. - Carlyle
If a man who cannot count finds a four-leaf clover, is he lucky? - Stanislaw J. Lec
Some Irish quotes:
You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.
A scholars ink lasts longer than a martyrs blood.
Don't give cherries to pigs or advice to fools.
Both your friend and your enemy think you will never die.
Some Irish blessings:
May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, The foresight to know where you are going, And the insight to
know when you have gone too far.
May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live.
May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.
May brooks and trees and singing hills join in the chorus too, and every gentle wind that blows send happiness to you.
For each petal on the shamrock this brings a wish your way. Good health, good luck, and happiness for today and every day.
May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain
fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Mar 16

Good Morning

I had such a good weekend.  I went up to Dub and Barb's on Saturday to see Jackie and to be part of a get together for
Tim's birthday on Sunday.

On the way up there, I thought of my new poem.  It is going to be called The Chair, The Noose, or The Needle.  Don't ask
me where I get these ideas, they just come to me.  I'm going to get me a recorder to carry with me.  I have lost some that I
didn't get saved on paper fast enough.  As long as a fair idea is saved, I can finish it off later.  Sometimes it is a stanza.  I
have one stanza of one I will write about Brownie that came to me while I was doing something else.  I knew I had to write
it down so I would not forget it.  I'll be glad to get back to my writing and sewing.

First we gathered together at Becky and David's where Laura fixed some of her to die for fried chicken.  She also fixed
some green beans which were very good.  Becky finished up the potatoes while Laura made her gravy.  I'm sorry if it seems
to be insulting for any of you who make fried chicken, but Laura's is the best I've ever eaten.  I think I could rub the
grease behind my ears just to have that smell with me a little longer.  OK, is it good for you, well no.  Anything fried is not
healthy for you.  I decided my entire plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans only contained
150 calories so that made it very healthy.  The peach cobbler that followed the meal might have been a little high in
calories, it probably had 75 depending on how many peaches you got in your slice.  That is my story and I'm sticking to it.

I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.  If I hadn't had to go down those stairs and back up again and
go clear over to Becky's, I'd have stolen me another piece of Laura's chicken in the middle of the night.

The last gathering we had at Dub and Barb's for breakfast, was just too many people and poor Becky spent way too much
time being the short order cook for the entire crew.  This time they got a bit smarter and we cooked the pieces and parts
of the breakfast in stages and just kept it warm.  Dub fixed pancakes for those who wanted them.  Other than that, we had
a great Mexican breakfast of chorizo Barb started and Ann finished, warm tortillas, hash browns, scrambled eggs, and
fried eggs, bacon,  sausage and Barb's salsa.  I ate two burros of chorizo, hash browns, scrambled eggs, and salsa.  Boy
were they good.  The breakfast/brunch finished off with strawberries, angel food cake and cool whip.  It was a great
meal shared by good people.

Tim got some great presents, but probably the zaniest was a King's hat and some saguaro sun glasses.  Damn did he look
cute in both.

Barb, Laura, and I got in a couple games of cards before I had to head for home.  While I am always glad to get to my own
home, I always have a good time at theirs.

I will be making the chorizo recipe of Ann's that Barb made.  It is made with ground turkey and I found it to be much
better than that made with ground beef.  I was very surprised to see how much vinegar it contained.  It also did not repeat
which is one of the bad things I've always hated about chorizo.

I hope you had as good a weekend as we did.  It always gets down to the people.  If you are sharing time with people you
care about, the space or place just is not that important.

Say a prayer for Jackie's safe trip home to her family.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

Every American carries in his bloodstream the heritage of the malcontent and the dreamer. - Dorothy Fuldheim
Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.  - Gene Fowler,
1890 - 1960
It's when we start working together that the real healing takes place, ... It's when we start spilling our sweat, and not our
blood. - David Hume, 1711 - 1776
The self-styled intellectual who is impotent with pen and ink hungers to write history with sword and blood.  - Eric Hoffer,
1902 - 1983

Mar 14

Good Morning

Had a bad scare yesterday.  Robin (Robby's oldest) passed out in school, hit his head and was taken to the hospital.  They
ran several tests and he got a CT scan.  Everything came back normal.  He has a bump on his head and his memory is messed
up.  The dr said he may never really remember too much about yesterday.  He'll do some follow up with a neurologist.  That
was really something.

Yesterday I turned my cooler on low before a client got here.  I was afraid it might be a little warm in the office.  I
thought I was going to turn into an ice cube before I was done and it was twice as cold in the house.  That cooler is going
to be just fine when summer really arrives.

Today I'm heading up to Oracle and will be spending the night.  Jackie came in last night and Laura will be leaving this
week for KY.  It just doesn't seem like she has been here that long this time.  It will be good to see them both.

I'll be back tomorrow night.  It is going to be good to get away for a little while.  I'll water everything good before I
leave.  I can hardly wait for all these plants to get another year's worth of growth.  I was out there looking at the buds on
everything.  The floribundas are going to be lovely when they start blooming.  I see buds of varying sizes on the teas.  
Some of the miniatures are just covered while some don't seem to have any.  Again a wait and see.  Happy Chappy has lots
of new growth, but I don't see buds yet.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human,
enough hope to make you happy. - Anonymous
Nothing in the universe arouses more false hopes than the first four hours of a diet.- Anonymous
The original point and click interface was a Smith and Wesson. - Anonymous
It is wise to keep in mind that neither success nor failure is ever final. - Roger Babson
God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December. - James M. Barrie

Mar 13

Good Morning

Friday the 13th - just another day or a day of superstition.  Attitude makes the difference.  

Claudi is healing up from her surgery on a root canal that was not done right.  He said there was infection in the bottom of
it which had something to do with the pain she had.  She said she looks like a chipmunk right now.  

Nadine got through with her surgery on her deviated septum and it was much worse than expected and she was in a lot of
pain last night.  Deb had little Nadia.  It is amazing what a 4 year old can do for and to a home.  I'm sure Deb will be
looking forward to her going to preschool this morning. :)

Beth's numbers are better and that is a very good thing.  It is also good that she is tolerating the chemo.

Yesterday marked another milestone day and one of a mixed bag as well.  The yard is pretty much done with all the heavy
work.  We got the tree wells cleaned out on the west side of the front.   Got the little flower bed planted. For new plants I
have two Silver Dollar Eucalyptus on the west side between the house and the shop.  There are 19 grease wood bushes in
the front area.  Some are outside the front fence and some are behind the 6 foot fence.  They will make this place smell so
good after a rain.  This place was covered with them when we bought it.  We foolishly removed them all.  They are a haven
for scorpions, but I'm in a live and let live mood.  In the small flower bed on the south side in front of my office is planted
with pink trailing verbena, yellow, orange, and variegated marigold and pink Kalanchoe on top of the purple desert verbena
that is a permanent resident in that spot.  We found some Hyacinths while digging up the bed.  I thought they had died.   
That was a nice surprise.  The Kalanchoe is a succulent and should only get better with age.  My purple robe locus died and
I replace it with an African Sumac.  I don't like that it is sensitive to Texas root rot, but we'll see what it does.  If all else
fails, I'll put in another desert willow.  My large flower bed on the north side of the office has 11 miniature roses.  Some
of them are not so miniature and I will be trading places with some of them.  They are just growing to big.  I put them in
for a nice small border and that is not working out. :)  Two of them are already too big and show no sign of slowing down.  
In that bed are two Hawaiian Lilies on the north edge.  I moved Happy Chappy so that he is closer to the middle.  I have
yellow and red glads anywhere from a few inches to about 12 inches high.  There are Dutch iris, daffodils, rain lilies,
stocks, ranunculus, lubelia, pansy, and assorted seeds that I'm praying will come up.  All and all, I am happy with the way
it looks right now and it is only going to get better providing they all grow nicely.

Adrian raked out the dirt against the back fence and straighten up the rock left there.  I had a bittersweet moment when
he was done.  I am really going to miss him.  He has provided me with good help and has certainly left his mark on the
place.  My yard would not be as nice looking had it not been for him and Tim, the bobcat guy.  This place has never looked
this good in all the time we've lived here.  I just wish we had been smart enough to plant mesquite  or ironwood trees back
in 1970.  I'd have lots of shade trees now.  Instead we went with the fast growth of the paloverde and don't have any of
those left.  I let a few come up on the east side just for shade, but yet, I know that is a mistake.  They are just too brittle
and have too short a life.    Over this year, I'll get more trees planted out back.  It would be so much nicer to have a drip
system to them, but I can't even think about that now.

So on this day, I will mentally say goodbye to Adrian.  He was an angel who came into my life and filled a need.  He was a
hard worker with a sunny disposition and a happy attitude.  He laughed easy and never shirked.  I do so miss him already.  
He touched my life as I never expected.  I doubt I'll ever look at certain places in my yard without thinking of him.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.  

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

Some of us are like wheelbarrows -- Only useful when pushed and very easily upset. - Unknown
The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and
achieving our mark. – Michelangelo Buonarroti

Mar 12

Good Morning

Kind thoughts for Nadine this morning.  She is going in for surgery on her nose.  She has a deviated septum and hopefully
this will make her breathing much better.  Deb will be having Nadia for the night tonight and possibly tomorrow night.  
Nadia will undoubtedly do better than any of the rest of them. :)

Guess I finally got the timers right.  They all came on when they were suppose to, so that is one thing I don't need to worry
about.

I finally got my new copier set up.  It is going to take some getting used to, but boy does it make nice clean copies.  I could
also hook it up to my computer, but have not done that.  Don't see any sense in that since it is just a copier.  I could print to
it, but that is not necessary.  

Adrian and I got our signals crossed the other day.  He was here yesterday and will finish up today.  He planted 15 grease
wood bushes,  2 eucalyptus trees and 1 African sumac tree.  That is going to be better than it was and it will sure make the
place smell better after a rain.    I think I've got one tree positioned so that it will shade the N end of the house and the
cooler.  

When I went back to Lowes to get the other tree, I had to get some flowers for the little flower bed.  It is going to look so
good and will be orange, pink, and purple.  The purple verbena was already there and we'll just give it a trim and plant
around it.  I've got a gardenia in a pot on the porch surrounded by some pretty purple flowers.  The name escapes me now.

I was awful tired last night.  It is exhausting watching someone else work. :)  I did something to my arm and ended up
rubbing it down.  It is hell getting old.  Like Bette Davis said, "Old age ain't no place for sissies."

Linda contributed the quote for today.  It has a lovely thought.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love

J
Mom
Gram

Life isn't just about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain. Unknown

Mar 11

Good Morning

Bob is now proud to have two new peepers.  He had his second cataract surgery yesterday and made it through just fine.  
He will be totally well in a short while.

Kind thoughts will be appreciated for Claudi who is having dental surgery this morning.  I know she will be very much
happier when it is all over.

I am so pleased to have some good news to report.  Ryan, who will be 13 the end of this month, has been accepted in the
Baldwin Academy at Truman State University in Missouri. http://jba.truman.edu/  This is quite an honor since you have to
be in the top 5% of your class.  The actual requirements are:

Students who are currently enrolled in the 7th, 8th, or 9th grade may be nominated by their school counselor or principal
if they rank in the 95th percentile of a normed exam.  He took the test a long time ago and just got his letter of acceptance
a few days ago.  He is very excited as he should be.  I never heard of this program before.  He got a scholarship of a little
over $300, but he will need at least another 1400 to pay for the tuition, book, supplies, boarding, and flight.  Would you
believe they are going to have to pay $100 each way since he'll be flying as an unsupervised minor and $75 each way from
the airport to the academy.  He'll be there basically for the month of July.  The kids will be taking one college class and
will be going to school all day Monday through Friday and about half a day on Saturday.  Anyone who would like to help
out, your help will be gratefully appreciated.

I got to use my plastic nipple extractor again yesterday.  It is so very easy to replace a riser with it.  Got all the lines
tested and the bubblers are looking good.  I got all my water systems set yesterday.  I swear I thought they were going to
get me down.  It is such a shame when you are not smarter than a timer.  Lets put it this way.  I  changed all the batteries
and got them set yesterday.  Now I just need to see if they are going to come on this morning at the right times.  They will
start at 4.  I'll be looking for wet ground as soon as it gets light out.

I was rather sluggish yesterday.  I just didn't feel like doing much and went to bed very early.  I hope things are better
today.  My one real spark of enjoyment was walking through my rose garden.  I get such a good feeling just looking at how
pretty everything is.  Boy, once I get everything done in the house, I'm going to be in hog heaven.  I've got a guy who will
be giving me an estimate on upgrading my electrical system.  That is one of those necessary evils that needs to be done
before I can really finish up the house.  I'm not sure how much I'm going to get done in the house this year, but even if
nothing more gets done inside, the outside makes me smile.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love

J
Mom
Gram

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls a butterfly. – Richard Bach
A knife wound heals; a wound caused by words does not. - Turkish Proverb
If you want a place in the sun, you've got to put up with a few blisters. – Abigail Van Buren

Mar 10

Good Morning

Yesterday when I opened my door I was shocked to see that it had rained.  It had been my favorite kind of rains.  It was
just enough to clear the air, dampen the ground, and settle the dust.  There were no mud puddles and everything just
looked clean.  I quickly went in and got my camera to take a picture.  It shows the true different color of the sands.  When
I first saw that, it reminded me so of fabric.  It makes me happy to be able to see the same things in my dirt.  I'm probably
the only person who looks at dirt and sees the same possibility in a beautiful quilt.  

It was more than a little cold for me yesterday.  It was more than nippy.  It was in the low to mid 50s and I was chilled to
the bone.  I have never been able to stand being cold, not even as a child.  I think I would have died had I lived anywhere
else.  Today is not any better.  It is about 48 at 4:30AM.

When talking to Barb, she thinks she has identified my problem.  She thinks it was a gall bladder attack.  That does make
more sense than my thought of appendix.  Deb suggested the possibility of it being my gall bladder too, but Barb was just
more forceful. :)  I have to go see the dr next month, so I'll be sure to mention it.  I was fine all of yesterday and last
night.  I just know I don't want one of them again.  I haven't felt such pain since I was in labor.

I fixed a chicken pot pie with the breast meat of my chicken and a bag of peas and pearl onions.  I put in a little of the
pan drippings and boy was that tasty.  I fed the meat from the legs and thighs to Casey.  I do not like and have never liked
dark meat.  I only had dark meat in my soups because Brownie loved dark meat.  Casey is happy with this change.  I got
another chicken and the next time, I think I'll cook it with a can of root beer and see if there really is much difference.    
If not, I'll save the can and just fill it half full of chicken broth the next time I cook one.  I think I'll add a little more
ginger and less garlic.  In fact, I need to mix that up in my butter so it can set a few days before I need it.

I'll be picking up Adrian this morning for probably his last day with me.  He sure has been a wonderful help.  I could have
never made my yard look this good this fast without his help.  I'm going to miss him.  The weed guy is out.  He wanted 340
for the initial spraying.  That is just too much, so I guess I'll be doing it myself.  Do It Yourself Pest and Weed was closed
on Monday, but I'll call them today and find out what the materials will cost me.

Best get with the program.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love

J
Mom
Gram

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.  - Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850 - 1894
Find the seed at the bottom of your heart and bring forth a flower.  - Shigenori Kameoka

Mar 8,9

Good Morning

I slept in yesterday morning until almost 8.  While that felt good, I just didn't get around to doing any writing.  I ended up
seeing a couple clients.  For whatever reason, I'm seeing more clients on Sundays this year.  Guess it really doesn't matter
when I work.

I took pictures and posted them to my webshots album. http://community.webshots.com/user/jragels/albums/most-recent
I do so love looking at the yard.  It just fills me with such joy.

I am now the proud new owner of a new security light and a new motion spot light.  One of my clients is going to put them
up for me.  I did find out by reading on the box for the security light that something or other burns out in them causing
them to not turn off during the day.  That tells me that ours has needed replacement for a long time.  My God, it has only
been there since 1988 with only 2 bulb changes.  All this time I was blaming that damn woodpecker for shitting on the top
while he was pecking around up there.  So, even though it was not the bird's fault, I do still hate that bird and will do him
in if I get the chance.

I am also the proud new owner of two eucalyptus trees.  Barb and I were talking about trees for my yard and she
mentioned how much she like them, but they would not grow in Oracle.  She made me remember how fond my Uncle Bob was
of those trees.  So, Tue when Adrian comes over for probably the last time, I'll have him plant them on the west side of the
yard between the house and the shop.

I spotted a squirrel on my porch the other morning.  By the time I got my gun, he was gone.  Now that, I am very sorry
about.  Very little would have pleased me more than eliminating another squirrel from the face of this earth.  I can not even
really explain how much I hate them.  You know when they were just running around the neighbor's yard, I thought they
were kind of cute.  I didn't mind that they poisoned them from time to time, but they just didn't bother me the same way.  
Well, let me tell you that when those little beggars moved over into my yard, it became a whole different deal.  I am so
sorry that they didn't get them all.  I suppose I'll have to start sitting in my hunting blind again and waiting for another
golden opportunity.  I won't be able to do that on the days I'm working.  I don't know but I think some of my clients might
have second thoughts about using me as a preparer if I greeted them with gun in hand. :)

Last night I had some of my chicken on a salad.  That was pretty fair eating.  I am going to make a chicken pot pie with the
rest of it today.  I even got some peas and pearl onions to take it over the top.  I will nuke a potato and dice it.  I am for
sure going to make some gravy out of the drippings and throw it all together in a crust.  I wish I could make a couple
individual ones, but I'm just not going to mess with it.  I'll just eat it as leftovers for a few days.  I am hoping it is going to
be as good as I am imagining.  I got me another whole chicken and will fix that in about 3 or 4 more days.  I am so grateful
for Barb telling me how good theirs was.  I know that mine was out of this world too.  When talking to Niki, she said they
made one with Pepsi and it was sweeter, but went well with the sauce they put on it.  I wonder what one would taste like
with root beer.  I'm not sure that I won't try that the next time.

Sometime last night I got sicker than a dog.  I had a horrible pain in my right side and upchucked all my supper.  It got so
bad that I was very close to calling 911 and having them haul me in.  I wasn't running a fever and my stomach was not
sensitive to the touch.  In fact it felt better when I pushed it in.  I thought it might be my appendix, but all the symptoms
just didn't seem to match.  I can't imagine what it was, but that bag of greens I got for my salad are going in the garbage
this morning just in case that is what it was.  I had already eaten some of everything else.  Whatever it was, I don't want it
again.  That was rough.  This morning I feel like nothing had happened except that I also upchucked my turmeric and my
knee hurts this AM.  I am four square in favor of that stuff for what it does for my knee.  Whether or not my brain works
any better will be up for grabs with or without turmeric. :)

The weed guy is coming this AM to give me an estimate.  He stood me up before and I called him and basically bitched him
out and said I didn't do business that way.  He said he'd be here between 8 and 9, so we'll see.  I refuse to beg someone
to let me give them money.  I work for mine and I'm not into playing around when it comes to spending it.

Well, I best get going and get ready to greet the dawn.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

You can't turn back the clock, but you can wind it up again.  - Bonnie Prudden
Three o'clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do.  - Jean-Paul Sartre
In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed; they produced Michelangelo,
Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and
peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock!  - Orson Welles
Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.  - Sam Levenson

Mar 7

Good Morning

Yesterday was a good day for the roses.  While Adrian was working spreading the sand in the upper section, I planted my
four new roses.  I got two new teas and two new floribundas.  I spotted the first buds on the teas - Barbra Streisand and
Glory.  There could be more, but those are the only ones I saw.  Maybe I'm going to have an early bloom after all.

I had to do an over and above job first thing.  A stray drug a VERY dirty diaper out in front of my yard and started
tearing it apart.  I yelled at him and he dropped it.  I then had to go into the house to get a plastic bag and most carefully
pick it up with my very gloved hand and deposit it into my garbage can.  I gagged and gagged until I finally got it
deposited.  Damn I hate stray dogs.  Actually he is not a stray.  He belongs to a family who just lets him run loose and never
heard of spaying or neutering.

I got the little pipes the gate thingy goes into back into the ground.  They have both been buried for a long time.  Both
front gates are closed and locked tonight.  The first time that has happened since a few years before Brownie died.  I
don't like having to open and close them, but I am sick and tired of stray dogs shitting in my front yard.

I finally took down our newspaper holder and the pipe post to which it is attached.  When I finally got them out of the
ground, I put them under my free sign so maybe people will stop asking me what I have that is for free.  I'll be anxious to
see how long it stays there before someone hauls it off.

Adrian sometimes cracks me up.  Mostly because he doesn't know me that well.  I told him that when he finished what he
was doing, I wanted him to help me steal my neighbor's bush.  He said, he didn't think he could do that.  I laughed and told
him, it was just a little bush that was out next to the road that was in front of their house.  If it belonged to anyone, it
belonged to the county.  When he found out I wasn't going to do something that was going to land him in jail, he moved it
post haste.  The little greasewood bush is now where I took out the post.  The bush looks much better there.

We called it a day early.  The wind was not horrid, but just hard enough to really start getting to you.  Adrian didn't seem
to mind my suggestion to knock off a couple hours early.  I admire the front yard every time I go out there.  It is just so
very pretty.

Actually it worked out great for me.  I was able to cook myself a good dinner.  As soon as I got home from taking Adrian
home, I got my chicken with the beer can up its butt ready to cook.  As soon as it was in the oven, I got into the shower and
tried to revive myself.  When I got out, I fixed my salad and ate that and watched a little TV.  I had such a hard time
staying awake.  When the chicken had cooled down a little, I just ripped off the wings and ate them.  I wasn't hungry
anymore, so I put the entire thing in the fridge.  Today, I'll just heat it up and have another hot meal.  I must say that is
some of the best chicken I've ever eaten.  I do so wish I could remember what exactly I put in that butter.    I know it was
garlic power, ginger, a dash of cinnamon, chicken rub and some salt and pepper.  I know the butter has been mixed and in
the fridge for three days.  I'm sure that had something to do with it.  I can hardly wait to see what the breast tastes like.  
I will for sure be doing that again and highly recommend it for others.  You can find the little stand for the beer or soda
can and chicken at the BBQ section of either Lowes or Home Depot.  I got mine at Lowes.  Maybe I'll make a chicken pot
pie with half the breast.  I know the drippings in the bottom of the pan sure did look good.  That is sounding better and
better all the time.

Today, we should be able to finish up the upper lot and maybe even get a desert willow moved.    After the upper lot is
done, I'll put Epsom salt on my floribundas and then I'll be done with that for another year except for the four I just
planted.  I like to give them a few days to settle in before I dose them.  I am one of the few people who would rather have
a clean yard than a clean house, but I am ready for done on this project.  Today, I'll take my little weeder and go around
each rose.  There are some weeds coming that are just not going to be allowed to grow.

I wish you a day full of ordinary miracles and the wisdom and ability and desire to see them all.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love

J
Mom
Gram

These are several Confucius quotes.
Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.
Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.
When you are laboring for others let it be with the same zeal as if it were for yourself.

Mar 6

Good Morning

Let me tell you that yesterday was a banner day.  First I picked up Adrian and he put a top dressing on all the ground
around my tea roses with the concrete sand.   He completely covered the area from the fence to the rock border around
them.  It is SO pretty.  While he was working on that, Darrel, Norma, and John came out with a wonderful surprise for me.  
I thought Darrell was going to just take my old cooler in and revamp it for me.  Instead I am the VERY proud new owner of
a stainless steel cooler.  They exchanged the coolers.  They had already put in new pads, but had to go get a float and a
new belt.  They ran to the store and took care of that.  Darrell had me do a test drive and everything works just fine.  I do
so love the smell of new cooler pads.   We just finished up before time for my next client.  I decided to test out the
cooler.  Let me tell you, I was rather glad it didn't take any longer than it did because that office was getting a might
cold.  After my client left, I went in to shut er down.  It is so nice knowing that when I need it, it is ready and waiting and
it does look so very pretty.  They didn't have room in the truck with my old cooler and my old furnace, so I had them load
it in the truck and I'll take it into them when I'm in their area or make a trip over there.

While all this was going on, my new roses were delivered.  As soon as my client left, I put them into water to soak overnight
so I can plant them in the morning.  They do look so very good and one of them is already full of leaf buds.

I got in touch with Tim, the bobcat man, and he came over and moved the sand into the upper section and put the other pile
on the rest of the front yard and drive.  My oh my  does it look good.  I thought I was going to have to raise both gates, but
the lower ones are fine.  I don't think this driveway and front yard has ever looked this good. I haven't checked the
uppers yet, but I'm thinking they might be OK too.   Before he started smoothing it all out, I asked him to take a bucket
load out to the cooler so we can fill in the hole underneath.  When he came back, he told me what a nice cooler I had and
said it was a lot nicer than the other one.  He is so very right, but I was surprised he noticed.

After he was done, I just stood there and admired all the work.  My roses have never looked so good at this time of year.  
That concrete sand is such a nice color and provides a great contrast to them.  They are all in varying degrees of leafing
out.  So those deep purple and dark green leaves on the stumps against the sand has a degree of beauty all its own.  I don't
believe I have ever thought my roses looked so beautiful without nary a bud or bloom.  I am going to attempt to take a
movie of the front yard after we finish up with the top lot today and hopefully you'll be able to see it too.

We didn't finish up until 5:30 last night.  Adrian said he was going to sleep good last night.  I told him that 7:30 was going
to come very early.  I had a talk with Deb and then I took a much needed hot shower, ate something and settled in for the
night.  I know I didn't get much TV watching in.  I must say that since I've been taking the turmeric, my knee does not hurt
as much or at all and I have not taken any tylenol or aleve.  I am sold on it.  I need to take my BS this AM to see if it is
having any effect on that as well.  There was the caution that when used in addition to diabetic meds, it can throw you into
low BS.  I certainly do not need that.  I do that enough on my own.

I so look fwd to most mornings.  The early morning and dawn are very special to me.  This day is filled with such
anticipation of how much we are going to accomplish in the upper yard.  The first thing I'll do after picking up Adrian is to
plant my new roses and let them get acquainted with living here.  I have some old glad bulbs I found when I found all those
seeds.  I'm going to just stick them in the ground and see what happens.  If they grow, they grow.  If not, I only wasted a
tiny moment in time.  I can hardly wait for it to get light enough to see my pretty yard. :)

Best get on the move and get this day rolling.

Special prayers for Cleo and Beth and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love...

J
Mom
Gram

Quite often we change jobs, friends and spouses instead of ourselves. - Akbarali H. Jetha
Action without study is fatal. Study without action is futile. – Mary Ritter Beard

Mar 5

Good Morning

Dick Ragels passed away from his battle with cancer early this morning surrounded by his wife and girls.  Dick is
Brownie's cousin.  Their fathers are brothers.  In that family there were 3 boys and one girl.  So far no one in the only
girl's family has had any cancer and I pray that continues. The rest have not been so lucky and have had more than their
share of cancer.  Dick's older sister, Romona, died of cancer several years ago.  Aunt Rene, first lost her husband, Clip, to
cancer, then daughter Gayle, then Cleo's daughter, Wendy, and now Cleo is waging a battle against it.  In Brownie's
family, his father died of cancer and 4 boys out of 8 children have died of cancer- first Arden, then LaVoy, then Brownie,
and just recently Gary.  Of the other four, Darrell had colon cancer a long time ago.  It was found early and he won his
round with it.  Dub had a skin cancer removed from his nose a while back.   Dub's daughter, Becky, had a skin cancer
removed from her nose and LaVoy's daughter, Carey, had some precancerous polyps removed.  Enough already!!!

Yesterday was very productive.  Adrian got the row of rocks in across the top of the front yard.  I got another load of
bedding sand delivered as well as a load of concrete sand.  The concrete sand is for the rose garden paths and the upper
section where the floribundas grow.  That will be moved by wheelbarrow.  The bedding sand will be used to finish out the
driveway and upper yard.  I will have to raise my gates, but it is going to be so nice when this is all done.  I am going to see
if Adrian can take my sledge and knock out the old mulberry tree stump that has been rotting for the past couple of years.  
It would be nice to be rid of that eyesore.    After we get some of the concrete sand moved out of the way, I'll call Tim,
the bobcat man, and see when he can come over to finish things up.  I'm hoping I can get him over here soon.  After that is
done, there will be more pictures. :)

This morning Darrel and Norma will be out here.  Darrell is going to take my cooler in so he can fix it and get it ready for
the season.  He said when he is done, it will be like new.  That is good.  I know the squirrel cage is shot.  We are going into
a little cooling period, so I'll have it back in plenty of time before it gets hot.  I'll be talking to him about the stand as
well.  With the dirt piled around there, I am able to reach the top of the cooler without my step stool.  That is such a good
thing for when I have to get out there and unplug the spiders.

Today is garbage day.  As soon as I get back from picking up Adrian, we'll start picking up all the garbage and
tumbleweeds that have blown in the yard.  I do so hate the wind.  There really isn't that much, mostly it is just along the
west side of the yard, but this is garbage day and I really don't like to send off a partially filled can.  

The weed guy will be here to give me his estimate.  I just know I don't want to have any stupid weeds popping up to mess
up the way this yard looks.  

I will be going over to Desert Survivors this weekend to see what they have that I need for my yard.  I know I want to get
it all in before our rains hit.  My greasewood bushes are in bloom - one more so that the other.  Nothing says desert like the
smell of greasewood after a rain.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth and their families.

When our worlds darken, we just have to work harder to look for all those ordinary miracles that surround us.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness. - James Thurber
A brook would lose its song if God removed the rocks. - Anonymous
Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly. - Anonymous
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to
skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming -- WOW -- What a Ride! - Anonymous

Mar 4

Good Morning

This is going to be a lovely day.  I got all my teas and miniatures fed with Epsom Salt last night and I think I've got the
water set for the teas.  I know the new system is OK, it is the old system that I'm not sure about.  I'll pick up Adrian first
thing and I'll get him to clean out the rose wells in the upper lot where the florabundas are.  As soon as he is done, I'll
treat them with Epsom Salt.  After that I'm going to get him to move some more rock and build a division in the upper yard.  
Sometime this morning, my last load of dirt will be delivered.  I'll be calling Tim, the bobcat guy, to see when he can come
over.  Things were suppose to be done on Mon, but he couldn't come over then, so I delayed the dirt and now it looks like it
is all coming together.  I will be so very happy when all this is done.    My weed guy is coming out to give me an estimate on
the job tomorrow, so that will be another thing done.

I need a fast growing vine to grow on the front fence.  I've got a few ideas, so we'll just have to see how it goes.   I need
to stop by Desert Survivors to see what kind of plant materials they have now.   I need to call the dirt people to see if they
can deliver me a load of plain old sand to fill in all the low spots of my upper lot and coat my rose paths.

This day I wish you a day full of ordinary miracles and that you see and feel them all.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, Dick and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do. - Benjamin Spock  
Think it more satisfactory to live richly than die rich. – Sir Thomas Browne

Mar 3

I made the most wonderful discovery yesterday afternoon.  I found my Oriental poppy seeds in the very safe place I put
them.  Actually, I don't know how I missed them the first day of looking for them.  They were really in a good place.   I am
going to toss them, some larkspur, and some California poppies in my flower bed and just hope I get at least a few of the
poppies so I can have some fresh seed.  I am so hoping some of the beautiful Oriental poppies will grow.   My glads are
growing in leaps and bounds.  I was going to get some edging for all my roses, but that would set me back quite a bit so
they will have to do without.  I think the rock border will help protect them.  I might still be looking at some trellis along
the front to try and protect them from the wind.  Maybe that would be a good place for a vine.  I certainly don't want to
lose as many rose canes and I did last year to the wind.  When they are at their most vulnerable, that is when the winds
gusts are so strong.  Guess that is nature's way of ensuring the survival of the fittest.  I do want a vine that stays green all
year.  Not having that, maybe I can put out some sweet peas next year.  It is already too late for them now.

Today, I'll have several clients.  I need to answer all my messages and take care of business.  It was great to play hooky,
and I guess it is almost good to be back to work.  I so enjoyed my night with Jack.  Tom and Jack are both very easy on
the eyes.  

Well, I best get to work and get back in the groove.  I'll be glad when I can get Adrian over here to do a little more rock
border work.  After we finish this last border, I'll be done with the rock work, but am going to put out some desert type
growth in the back.  I know I'll be adding some more grease wood.  I do so love the smell of it after a rain.  I need to put
in a few more trees out back, but not sure what they will be.  All and all, I am happy with the way it looks.

I wish you all the best day possible and want it filled with plenty of ordinary miracles for you.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, Dick and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness.  You have to catch it yourself.  
- Benjamin Franklin

Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.  - Jacques Prévert

If you want to be happy, be.  - Leo Tolstoy

Happiness is never stopping to think if you are.  - Palmer Sondreal

Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy.  - Robert Anthony

Those who can laugh without cause have either found the true meaning of happiness or have gone stark raving mad.  - Norm
Papernick

Mar 2

I spent another night in Oracle.  Barb got me up early.  Even after some more talk time, I left at 7:00 was back in Tucson
almost home by 9:00.  I stopped at Home Depot and then Lowes before I finally found the device to hold a chicken on top
of a beer can or a soda can.  Barb said that Dub thought it was the best ever chicken.  She graciously gave me a can of
beer so I wouldn't have to buy a six pack as she had to do.  Unfortunately the chicken I bought at Safeway was frozen so
I'll be having that tomorrow.  I already have mixed up several spices into some butter.  I've got loads of garlic and ginger
with a dash of cinnamon, salt, pepper, and a chicken rub getting to know each other a little better and becoming one with
the butter.   I'm anxious to see how it comes out.  I was thinking one chicken was going to last me a long time, but it won't.  
I'll bone the thighs and legs for Casey and I'll either make two meals out of the white meat or turn some of it into chicken
salad.  I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.  

I had cleaned up the kitchen before I left.  I do not like coming home to a dirty kitchen.  I spent the next several hours
washing bedding and clothes.  Unfortunately I left my office window open and there had to have been some kind of bad
news dirt storm while I was gone.  The few papers I had left on my desk had blown off and there was actually a sand
dune beside my desk pad.  I hate cleaning up that kind of dirt.  I vaced first and then started wiping everything down.  It
was awhile before I got that cleaned up.  By that time I was ready for a nap.  I sat down in my chair with my freshly
washed blankie and was out like a light.  I woke up several hours later.  Guess I needed the rest.

I got an email from Carole telling me that Adrian suffered a bad case of food poisoning and ended up in the hospital for a
couple days.  Looks like he is able and willing to work again, so he'll be over here for a couple days this week to finish
things up.  I can hardly wait to hear that story when I see him.

I have only been taking my Turmeric & Bromelain combo capsules for a few days now and felt a difference almost
immediately.  My knee just doesn't hurt as much.  I got mine at a health food store.  I got 90 450mg capsules for 21 and
change.  You are suppose to take one in the AM and one in the PM with a meal.  So far, I am very pleased.  With all the
things turmeric could do for me, I am satisfied if it only makes my joints feel better.  Help with the brain function would
be a plus. :)

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, Dick and their families.

I so love today's quote.  I believe it; have lived it; and my farm boy almost invented it. :)

Cyber hugs and lots of love

J
Mom
Gram

Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects. - Arnold Glasow  

Mar 1

I find it so very hard to believe that two months of this year are already gone.  Time is so fleeting.  I'm not sure how it can
drag on for one part of the day and race forward at a rapid clip for the rest.

On this day I was in Oracle having a great time at Dub and Barb's.  Becky's MIL, Laura, AKA the KY B, is such a sweet
person.  Barb, Laura, and I had a nice head to head for one card game,  Becky joined us Sat and Sun night for games of
Phase 10.  Saturday night's version was a horrid game that just would not end.  We did manage to keep Barb on Phase 10
for 4 hands in a row.  I know we were all secretly wanting her to win just to end the game.  Laura, Becky, and I were
struggling on different phases.  We finally just gave up and called it a night.

Sunday we were all looking fwd to a lovely day and planned on spending it outside.  That did not happen.  While it was not
cold, the wind blew all day long.  Our morning started with a great visit with Beth and Susan.  Beth looked great in her cap
and her earrings were quite the nice accessory.  I do so love Beth's humor and attitude.  Cancer is no easy road to travel
and she is doing it in style.  She said that she has amassed quite the library on books about cancer.   While I believe quite
strongly that cancer is a horrible disease, the Tall One has not lost an ounce of her class.  Here's to you Oh Tall One.

Because of the wind, there was no outside eating.  We ate inside.  The steak was great, but mostly it was the company that
made it special.  I think that is always the case.  When you are around good fun loving people, what you do is just
secondary.  We topped off the meal with Laura's peach cobbler.  Not a bad way to end any meal.

The four of us had another go at phase 10.  This one moved a little faster and didn't leave us all in tears.  Laura and Becky
went home.  Barb and I settled in for a hot date with Tom Selleck (born January 29, 1945).  That man is still just very
easy on the eyes.  Sadly, he is married.  Now I would not mind dating that kind of a younger man.  Since he is not available,
I guess I'll muddle on just the way I am. :)  I'm so sorry we missed most of the interview on one of the Sunday morning
shows.  That would have been fun to see.

Special prayers for Cleo, Beth, Dick and their families.

Cyber hugs and lots of love.

J
Mom
Gram

Don't let one cloud obliterate the whole sky. -  Anais Nin
A leader is one who knows the way, Goes the way and shows the way. - John C. Maxwell