Alabama

Drove -MYSELF - to Alabama from Cottage Conrad. The drive took about 11 hours - went through Texas-Louisiana-Mississippi and into Alabama. Second time in my life to drive over the Mississippi River. Very impressive. All in all a good drive. Started a little shaky when the semi -RIGHT NEXT TO ME- blew a tire. Rubber going everywhere and me going VERY,VERY fast to get away from the truck. Had to stop for a "break" for a little while but gathered my courage and drove on.

Came to Alabama to visit my brother and sister in laws. Jim and Joan. Haven't seen them in a while and had promised this trip -so here I am in Ohatchee,Alabama.

While here I have had an offer on my house in Panhandle. I want to formally give my thanks to Saint Joseph for the good work he is doing on getting the "sale-on" at that house. I have faith his influence will carry it through to SOLD. Any prayers on that are still welcome. So pray away--please.

I have always know I am one of the more "animated" members of the Conrad family, but these people I'm visiting are REALLY quiet.I'm pretty sure they are going to notice a difference when I leave. Hope they have not resended my visiting rights in the future. Time will tell -I guess.

Hope everyone has a least one animated person to share some guality time with every now and then.

Bling of the day---my brother-in-law has actually had conversations with me . I mean several sentences. Not just one word answers-how about that for some Sparkle???

Sparkle and Bling-on my ANIMATED Friend!!!

When You Are Old

When you are old and gray and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire,take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once , and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face.

And bending down beside the glowing bars
Murmur; a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And bid his face amid a crowd of stars.

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

REMEMBER

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go,yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be too late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

Sonnet VII by Hartley Coleridge

Is love a fancy,or a feeling?No.

It is immortal as immaculate Truth,

Tis not a blossom shed as soon as youth,

Drops from the stem of life--for it will grow,

In barren regions,where no waters flow,

Nor rays of promise cheats the pensive gloom.

A darkling fire,faint hovering o'er a tomb,

That but itself and darkness nought doth show,

It is my love's being yet it cannot die,

Nor will it change,though all be changed beside;

Though fairest beauty be no longer fair,

Though vows be false,and faith itself deny,

Though sharp enjoyment be a suicide,

And hope a spectre in ruin bare.

CELEBRATION-CELEBRATION-CELEBRATION

Celebration is the Bling word today !  We are having one of our famous cook-outs here in Canyon today to congratulate -Mothers we missed last weekend - Kylee is turning five - and Rachael graduated college and passed all her testing for job placement , so the world turns in good rhythm.

We like to get together with friends laugh - talk - eat and drink - and we usually do that over a grill. Today's menu is typical summer time --Burgers and Dawgs. A few cocktails and beer for good measure. After dinner cigars, guitars, joking, children running everywhere and you have a Conrad Gathering. Wish you were here but hope wherever you are you feel welcome. If you don't know of a place to be you are always welcome here --anytime --anyday.

Put on your party hats and Sparkle on. There is always something or someone to celebrate.

May Flowers

The Bling this week is my daughter Rachael's graduation from college.  Fwoooo and in the famous words of Madea ....." Halleluiarrrrrr......halleluiarrrr. "! Good job Rachael. All the fretting and worrying for nothing.You are such an intelligent person --I always knew you could do this .Even with two children and a job. Now you get to captain your own ship--sort of. I guess we all still have bosses in our lives but you get to choose the ship on which you sail . You Sparkle and shine with the best of them Baby Girl. Now go out and share your Bling (education) with the masses.

This family is celebrating a high school graduate and four university graduates and two of those are masters. Pretty good May flowers don't you think?

Other blooms in the garden are all the mothers who celebrated Mother's Day. There are five -no six ( I forgot myself oops!) mothers in this family who were honored this past Sunday. My beautiful girls have brought me wonderful grandchildren,with the help of some darn good son-in-laws, that I cherish everyday. Let's just say that when everyone is together it takes a really BIG vase for all the blossoms and a lot of fertalizer. That's a pretty good May flower bouquet too.

May God continue to bless this family and may we always remember from where our blessings come. Even the thorns can be blessings -just a little harder to hold onto. I have a song I listen to when I think the thorns in my life are too hard to hold onto -"To Make Me Who I Am" by Aaron Neville. "It took me who I was and where I've been to make me who I am."  It is who I was and where I've been that has made me the person I am today. The thorns in my life have directed some of those changes. I still change everyday. Don't forget to water the flowers of your life so they Bling and Sparkle on into the future. You can survive the thorns.

Spring Fever

Not sure where this is going but read on and let's go together.

I see signs of spring all around --blossoms --new life--longer days. You'll notice the change in people's clothes and attitudes. Excitement and feeling freer of spirit. Enjoyment of nature. Anticipation of upcoming trips and vacations. Many outside activities. Family gatherings. Spring cleaning. LOVE.

But to say LOVE is in the AIR is an understatement. You can feel that. It's everywhere. The birds and bees are doing it. Everyone falls in love during spring. So what if it is in varying degrees? Hand holding and intimate eye contact is noticeable just about anywhere you may be. Soft touches and caresses are what everyone craves. To know you have connected with someone in one the most intimate and intense moment of shared feelings is a blessing. So what if it is only Puppy Love...or Summer Love....or even short lived Love? Love is Love and no matter how it comes to you or for how long --it is a blessing. Something to be a Bling and a Sparkle to wear for how ever long. Enjoy your Love. If Love brings good and warm feelings of happiness--how can that not be a blessing?

There are many things and people that want to take that from you. But you fight for it. They just have not been blessed with Love and don't know how it feels. Or they would know the treasure it is and leave you to enjoy yours.I know some in this world have never had true love. Life had been hard for them. Then it becomes our duty( not sure that is the correct word--maybe pleasure) to give them Love. A handout is a sign for someone needing Love. Sometimes screams and cries are a signs. Love comes in many sizes and as I said before varying degrees. It doesn't take much to show Love. Start with a smile and hello. Just show some Love to anyone.

Love for me has been in many forms. Friends. Family. Stangers. But the one that stays with me until I die is the Love Richard gave me. I still receive signs of love everyday but every day I still remember that Love. I get the same rush of feelings and emotions when I see any couple showing affection to each other.  We don't always let the world see the closeness we have with one another,but if you have ever really connected you both know it is special. That is what I remember and still feel-everyday. I see it in others.

The first time you meet each other . The warm excitement of the first touch. That sweet tender first kiss. The longing to be together and the heartache when you are not.  Anticipated phone calls or if you are older -the letters. Making plans for a life together. Finally together. Then plans for that life as it changes. Then the end comes for one of you and all of those feelings and memories stay with the survivor. Spring comes again and renews those feelings and memories. Age nor death takes those away.

So I change the clothing I wear , enjoy nature , anticipate trips and vacations , have family gatherings , do my spring cleaning , but mostly I remember LOVE.  Put on your Love Bling and share it someone--anyone. We all need a little Sparkle in the Springtime.

When the Bough Brakes

So the other day started with a series of "Stops and Starts". One incident after another and I just had the feeling they weren't finished. And low and behold I was correct. And this was a strange one.

I received a call from the City of Canyon saying my neighbor called to report the wind had blown DOWN the tree in my front yard and  the tree was laying in the street. My question was ...."What are you telling me I have to do now?" And the answer ....."Nothing...the city employees will clean up the tree.They will place cones around the part left in the street after they move the fallen tree closer to my yard. But being it isFriday afternoon ,the employees will return Monday to clear away the tree."

Easy- peasy no worries to me except I am now missing the symmetrical look to my front yard with the downed tree. I was still in a tizzy over the whole event and unaware of all to come. I was suspicious that it would not be as simple as the phone call was implying. I've lived in the Texas panhandle since 1967( with a few glorious years in Austin,but that is another story) and have experienced many windy days. Days with much stronger "Blowing Down" force than was in the winds that afternoon.  Anyway back to the story.

As I feared within five to ten minutes from the first call I received a second call. The short version......" the tree is mostly in your yard and BY LAW we cannot come into your yard." My question ......."SO you are telling me I now have to find someone to PAY to remove the fallen tree?"......answer..."Yes mam,you do. Sorry."

                                           OMG!!!!!! Thank You Very Much!!!

No-no not finished. I was not home, but within ten minutes my daughter was at my house and someone drove up wanting payment to remove the dead, blown down, and very troublesome tree. Very suspect as to the timing of the arrival of the voluntary- tree -cleaner- upper- person, we started to barter over the phone on an agreeable price on tree removal. He mentioned a number ..I countered with another number...he offered another set of digits....I mentioned I had friends with chainsaws......a slight pause....I hooked him. CASH... was the word of the day and with that simple word a price was decide upon.The tizzy was fading as the tree was being sacrificed to the firewood pile.Then he uttered other words......carpenter ants....oh! NO... another tizzy was brewing.

The act of Nature --blowing winds-- has produced a chain reaction of events that now include calls to an arborist and an exterminator.

I'm guessing the Sparkle to this story is that the falling tree did fall away from my house. Not into my house. Into the street. Not on anyone. Nor any vehicles. My thanks go to Mother Nature for her aim. My advice is to always try to find the Bling to any situation. It's the Sparkles that make these times easier.