May Musings

We are in the last week of May.  Our neighborhood had its annual clean up day.

The orioles arrived!

This feeder broke so I purchased a new one and I really like it!  The orioles, finches and even the hummingbirds like it too.

One of Allen's workers gave me this new hummingbird feeder and I think it is pretty!

Barn swallows were wanting to nest on our deck but we don't appreciate the mud and poop all over.  Our deck is for our enjoyment and we eat outside on the deck a lot so I thought I'd try this 4th of July fringe that sways in the wind.  (Walmart was selling 4th of July already and it isn't even June) 

So far they haven't come back.  I do have a ring side seat out of my kitchen window and that is fun to watch them there!

Maybe the movement of the pinwheel will scare them too.

We shall see!

A birdie was making a nest on my wreath on the front door.  Sorry, you aren't welcome here either!  There are lots of trees to pick from!  I stuck a "snake" in the wreath and they haven't come back.

April showers bring May flowers, as the saying goes.  My peonies bloomed and then it was over after 1 week.  I wish they would bloom all summer!  I put some cuttings in Allen's grandma's vase.

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures forever." Isaiah 40:8

Thinking of the end of life...

This been a very unusual month as I personally know 6 people who passed away just THIS month! and 3 friends whose parents also died.  And the month is not even over!  

I really like this picture of Allen's worker, Troy and his mother.  Isn't it sweet?

"Our last breath on earth, our first in heaven."

Our granddaughter Tenley has been asking a lot about God and heaven lately.  She wanted her mom to ask Papa specifically if God has a tablet!  Her mommy told her that He already knows everything without having to look it up on a tablet, but she ignored her and said to ask Papa, who said the same thing.  I do know that He does have a Book!  The Book of Life!  (Revelation 3:5, 20:12-15, 21:27)

Allen's brother butchered a cow and we bought some for our freezer.  I met my niece in Halstead where we split some of the meat.

One of our young moms had a baby and they named her Deborah!  That's a name from the 1950s!  Debby meet Deborah!

May means the end of various programs at church.  Al finished teaching his last Sunday School lesson.  It was on David and Goliath so I HAD to bring the Goliath I painted for my Awana Cubbies.  

Our Cubbie class ended.  I look forward to seeing some of these kids next fall, but the ones who go on to kindergarten will be going onto the Sparks classes.

 

 We had our last Bible study in the "older women's" group.

Our young mom's group had one last time before summer break.  We met at one of the girl's home in the country and just enjoyed visiting while the children played.

They had baby kitties!  How I'd love one, but some in our family are allergic.

Sigh.  I'm told I can come anytime I need a kitty fix.

Several could not come, but that's how it is when you have little ones.

We had our last "Handling Accurately the Word of Truth" classes in Wichita.  

We've met twice a month plus zoom "Yeshiva" classes in between for 5 months!  

Mother's Day 

Although none of my kids are around, they always shower me 

with flowers and wonderful, meaningful cards that make me cry.

A friend who moved away popped by!!

I had coffee with friends.

And a couple meals with friends.

My friend Jennifer and I went to Lindsborg ("Little Sweden") to the Smoky Valley Soundscape put on by the Smoky Valley Chamber Music Festival.  Al's cousin's granddaughter, Caroline Beckman, planned it as her doctoral dissertation.

We went to the coffeeshop that is located in an old blacksmith shop to hear Bach while Jennifer's sister drew a picture with chalk that depicted the Swedes immigration from Sweden to Lindsborg.

Allen's cousin's daughter.

Jennifer, Sharon (who was Shelly's old schoolmate and is a friend of ours back in Newton and attends my church) and myself.

Bach and Chalk

We enjoyed shopping afterwards.  If you've never been to Lindsborg, you need to do it!  Such a cute town and a National Geographic photographer even lives here and has a shop!

Another day, we drove the 40 minutes back and went to Presser Hall at Bethany College for the festival finale concert.  Caroline is in the blue.

If you're inclined to listen, you can click here.

Allen's cousin, Jim and wife Joanne, and Dave and Nancy from Pretty Prairie.

We hosted small group at our home.  Minus Loren and Lynn who have gone to their summer home in New York.  We went to Braums with them to say good-bye (earlier photo).

May has tuckered us out.

May is also the month of graduations for 3 of my granddaughters, but I will share that in another post.

Colorado to see Mindy, the granddaughters and Michael M.

I mentioned in my last post that I would be going to Colorado to see my grandbabies.

Along the way, I stopped to visit my friend in Russell.

The girls watched my progress on Life 360.  "Hurry up, Nani!"  Well, beside stopping to visit Sheryl, I also stopped a couple of times for a nap.  It is an 8 hour drive. Better to be safe and late, than to be rushed and in a wreck!

They get so excited when I turn the corner and drive up!  Nani gets excited too!!

"Nani, come see the 'reindeer'."

After dinner and when the girls went to bed, I drove to the hospital just a couple minutes from Mindy's home to visit a missionary kid I had become acquainted with on a Facebook MK group.

Michael shared his story with me; how he had turned from the LORD and how Christ's love drew him back.  The 2 nurses in the room were believers and when I prayed for Michael, they also joined in.

That was 2 weeks ago. Michael passed away this Friday.

I shall miss the fun accordian memes and videos.  Here's an appropriate one!

I enjoyed the time with the girls!

While the girls were at preschool, Mindy and I went shopping.  I was struggling getting into her car that sat up so high.  So I purchased a step stool for her to keep in her vehicle that I can use to step up into her car!  You see, when I had stopped to take a nap at one of the reststops, I saw a lady pull out a stepstool from her son's car and use it to step up into the car.  What a great idea I thought!)

After preschool, this princess was serving tea and treats.

I am hoping Tenley will soon begin piano lessons!

I told the girls the story of Jesus calming the storm, using their new Bibles I purchased them.  We sang "Boomity-boomity-boom, I hear the thunder boom...." and we talked about Christ's presence with us in the storms.

Kaia's painting!  A little frightening?

The girls love to be read to.   Here Mindy is reading Strawberry Shortcake to the girls.  She was popular when our girls were little! 

Here is Jill in 1984 with her Strawberry Shortcake doll and pjs. 

We went to a store and the one thing the girls wanted was a measuring tape.

It entertained them for a long time!

Balloon fun too

Jason came home from his trip to Kansas (he drove right by our home going from Wichita to Salina!).  Our locations had flipped.  The girls were so excited to see Daddy.

The next morning, the girls saw their daddy climbing the hill behind them.

These photos below remind me of the verse 1 Peter 2:21

"For even to this were you called [it is inseparable from your vocation]. For Christ also suffered for you, leaving you [His personal] example, so that you should follow in His footsteps."

It was a short time in Colorado, but one that filled my heart with joy.