Cousins Then & Now

We six were great chums growing up on Park Point in Duluth, MN. Butch (Ruben Jr.) was the oldest, then me, the twins, Howard & Harry, then Nancy, and then Rod. Our moms, Phyllis & Lois, made sure we had lots of beach time, birthdays, and holidays together. Fast forward nearly 60 years as we gathered at a picturesque cemetery in Heber Springs, AR to lay Butch, Nan, & Rod's mom and our Aunt Lois to rest. Just two years after our mom, Phyllis went to heaven. We've all lived full lives and haven't seen each other much over the years, but it was good to be together for a brief time and reconnect before going our separate ways again.

Happy Homecoming

This is a picture of my mother, Phyllis, and her sister, Lois, as young girls and best pals growing up in Duluth, Minnesota. My mother died nearly two years ago. Aunt Lois passed away just yesterday. I imagine after a warm embrace from our Lord, Aunt Lo would squeal with delight to see "Phyl"! Please click on the picture to make it bigger to better see the cute expressions on their faces. Thank you Lord Jesus for giving me this happy picture of two sisters who are now with You! Aunt Lo was 84, mom was 80 when she passed. They both had lived full lives and taught us much. They are both missed, but we look forward to a GREAT reunion some day.

"Lawn Boy"

Two days ago. It was so warm and lovely, Martin couldn't wait to fire up the old Lawn Boy. Just in the nick of time, too. Because a couple of hours later the clouds rolled in and the temperature plummeted. Spring can be fickle. Martin restrung my clothesline and I hung out my first load of laundry for the season earlier that day. Today it's raining cats and dogs and we are staying warm and cozy indoors.

Yellow Spring

This cute little house is across the street and a few doors down from us. When the yellow daffodils bloomed the other day, we finally realized these folks really like the colour yellow! Notice the heart on the front door that says, "Welcome." this cheerful house always makes me smile! Notice the yellow forsythia on the right also. It's in shadow in this picture so it doesn't look as bright as usual. I wonder if there will be other yellow flowers coming up later. We'll be watching for them.

Maple Syrup

One Saturday in early March, Martin & I set out to the little town of Alvinston for their annual Maple Syrup Festival. We enjoyed a pancake breakfast, served by the local firemen in the community hall, with lots of good Canadian maple syrup. Canada produces 70% of the world's maple syrup! (Maybe that's why there's a Maple leaf on the flag!) After breakfast we drove to the nearby conservation area where we learned a bit of Maple sugar history. We were shown different ways to tap out the trees, and different ways to cook it down. A very "sweet experience"!

Blank Canvas

Our living room, dining room, and den were all a very light neutral colour. The drapes are white, and the carpet was white. After living with all the light neutral for a few months, we were ready to add our own palate of colours and tones. First up was getting the old carpet up and exposing the lovely old oak floors. Last week we began painting the living room. The colour is dubbed "Painted Turtle" by Behr. Martin chose this one, and we both love this deep green with the "Pot of Cream" white trim and the white ceiling. Next we'll be doing the dining room, but are keeping the colour a secret until we see if we like it. When the dining room is finished and the art work rehung, we will resume the Gooch retrospective. Linda's art looks good on it's own merit, but will shine even more on newly painted walls.

Appreciation

We all like to be appreciated. But mostly we just do what we do, not expecting any recognition or reward. Who was it that said, "Virtue is it's own reward"? We do things out of love or duty, but once in a while someone says, "good job", and it adds a bit of pep to the day. I was painting woodwork in the dining room yesterday, a somewhat tedious job, when Martin said, "I really appreciate you doing that!" It may not seem like a big deal, it was not, but it's the little things, over time, that make a big difference.