Oh, those kids!

  I hear mothers griping about their kids even when their so-called brats are adults.  Why?  I could never figure this as, to my of thinking, if you are complaining about your child's behavior, then you, as a mom, are not doing something right.  That said, I must say that I have good kids...when they were tots and even now as adults.  They amaze me!  All three are smart, polite, respectful and, well, talented...each in his/her own way.

  The two youngest are still near enough that they lend a helping hand when needed.  The upcoming Clue Hunt on the Bayou is a big ordeal and I can use all the help that is offered.  They are amazing.  Son literally does most of the hardest jobs and Darling Daughter lends her talents in the artwork area.  I am always needing some portrait or another and she never fails to render the perfect piece.  While she sketches or paints my needed piece, Son makes some of the most gorgeous frames for her artwork.  The two work together to help their old mom!  Whew!  What would I do without them???

  This year's theme centers around and eccentric, elderly couple.  I pondered just who should represent these fine folks when it dawned on me that my grandparents would have loved this endeavor.  They were all about fun!  So, Granddaddy and Grandmother were chosen as  the centerpiece of the clue hunt!  I was not sure if Elizabeth would agree to sketch her great-grandparents but I sent her their pictures on a whim. She was elated!  Whew, again!  I did have one request...a minor change...nothing TOO difficult...I hoped.  I wanted to change their clothes to something a bit more Victorian and not from the 1950's. Surely that would not cause problems!  

  Son started the frame and she started the portrait.  It was exciting to see the progress on both parts.  Needless to say, both kids outdid themselves!  I am impressed as always!  The likenesses are uncanny and the frame is outstanding.  Good job, kids!  You make your old mom proud....as usual!

The start of something good!

   At eight o'clock this morning, there was a loud rumbling in the yard.  Ms. Ez, the dog, started barking and snarling at the door.  She so wanted out to see what in the world was taking place in our driveway.  I tried to calm her and explain that it was merely a truck but she was having no part of this conversation.  She barked and the truck rumbled.  Personally, I was not one bit upset to see such a large vehicle backing into the yard.  This was a huge truck that was transporting a bunch of lumber to my house!  

  For a couple of years now, I have been hinting to my menfolk that I sure needed a greenhouse.  Not one of those flimsy plastic jobs that are good for maybe two seasons but a sturdy, old-fashioned one with wood sides and real windows.  Mark's sister had given me a lot of old windows that came from their house when it was remodeled.  These were perfect for a greenhouse!  After all of my harping, my son, Michael, has decided to set to work on the project.  He was going to use reclaimed lumber but Mark decided to go ahead and just order the entire load.  Now there is a goodly size pile just to the side of the driveway!  Michael and I will haul it to the back once he gets started building.  For now, though, it was best to unload the truck right where the driver had parked it.  I wanted to get the stuff stacked and covered being as we are in the midst of another winter storm.  In the wee hours of the morning, it had started raining and the temperatures were plummeting.  The quicker that lumber was stacked and covered, the quicker I could get back inside to my lovely wood stove!

  This will be the first major building project that Michael has ever attempted by himself.  It should be interesting to watch as he goes about learning the trade while he builds.  He has a college degree in math and claims that construction is nothing more than slinging a hammer after you make sure everything is mathematically sound.  Hmmmm..this could possibly why I never could build a thing!  I would always just throw a board up against a post and hammer away!  I do believe my math skills and construction skills make Michael cringe!  I think I will just help by handing him whatever he needs!  

  I really am excited about this greenhouse!  As soon as he has it finished, I will start sprouting my garden seedlings!  

A different tree and a very different story.

Yesterday's story told of how a tree can cause tremendous damage and harm by falling.   My brother is still cutting his way through the massive oak that fell in his yard.  The sheer size of the tree will cause his cleanup to be an ongoing process.  How he will ever cut through the four to five feet of trunk is beyond me.  He has the best attitude, though, and is looking at this as a year's supply of firewood.  Today's tree story is quite different from yesterday's.  It involves a tiny tree of only about four inches in height instead of four feet in diameter.  It, also, is a "feel-good" heartwarming type of story.

My son, Michael, and I were out for a hike around the hillside this afternoon.  I had an idea of another art project and needed some driftwood pieces.  Since part of my hike would take me through so pretty rough territory, I asked that he join me.  I figured that with him along, the coyotes or wild hogs would not be a real threat.  We gathered a good bit of driftwood and then were sidetracked by Sweet Gum balls (seedpods).  I started gathering a number of the seedpods to use in some future project!  I did not notice that he had wandered a good bit away from me until I had filled my box with the prickly balls.  When I caught up with him, he tossed a few items into the box and we headed home.  Once there, I started sorting my treasures and cleaning the wood.  He disappeared outside.

After about ten minutes, Michael tapped me on the shoulder.  In his hand, he had a red Christmas ornament and a small clay flower pot.  He had obviously dug up a tiny cedar tree that was not more than four inches tall and potted it in the two inch flower pot.  I guess I looked a bit confused because he explained his actions.  "This is the little tree's first Christmas just like it is Mary Ruth's first Christmas.  The tree has to grow to hold the ornament.  By the time she is a teenager, the tree will be large and she can have her very own real Christmas Tree."   Well, that did it!  I was a bit overwhelmed to say the least!  What a sweet thing to do!  You see, Mary Ruth is his niece..my first grandbaby.  She is a tiny thing that will be celebrating her first Christmas this year and Michael wanted to mark it as something special in his own way.  Michael, being a man of few words, never makes a big fuss over anything and this, well, this was just touching!

The Little Tree is the first decoration for the Christmas season in the Little Bayou House.  It will set the theme for all the others this year.  That tiny sapling will welcome in the warmth and joy of the holidays and then will be cared for each year until a sweet baby grows into a lovely young lady.  Her very own Christmas Tree..one that will grow with her each year.  Gosh, uncles are pretty amazing men!  And one sweet baby girl obviously has her Uncle Michael wrapped around her little finger!