My Mother...

Virginia Mae Fisch was born June 9, 1929. Tomorrow would have been her 84th birthday. I won't have time tomorrow to do a Blog post, so I determined to do it tonight. Just to remember my mom with a few pictures I have of her.

 

This is Mom in cap and gown for graduation. She was valedictorian of her little class in Louisiana. She graduated when high school only went to the 11th grade. She entered school a year early so she graduated a year before she normally would have.

The is my mother at the family home in Starks, Louisiana at the tender age of 16. She was ready to leave home and try life on her own.

This picture is Papa's all time favorite. It is on his living room wall right across from his chair and he looks at it all the time. They were married in 1949 and this picture was taken right after they were married.

In 1961 Mom's parents and brother with his family came to visit us in Shreveport, Louisiana. This picture was taken in our back yard on East Herndon Avenue. From left to right:  Virginia Mae Fisch Lawrence, Laura Cordelia Fisch, Clarence Clifford Fisch, Clifford Fisch. 

This picture was taken in 1950. I know that because that is my Mom and I am the baby she is holding.  I think she is happy to have me as her firstborn baby. 

This picture was taken in 1992 as a Christmas gift from my parents to their girls. I cropped my mom's picture out of it to use for her obituary. Gotta love that smile.

We are one month shy of my mother's passing. How grateful to have had her for my mother. Happy Birthday Mom!!

That Primary Thing...

I'm slowly learning the things I need to do as Primary President at Church. This week I did one of those and it just felt right.

In our Church children are baptized when eight years old. One of the things the previous Primary presidency did was to go to the home of the children when they turn seven and give them things to help them prepare to be baptized when they turn eight. I was given a sample of what they made. Last week I purchased the necessary supplies and then made three sets of these materials for the two boys that turned seven in May and the one that will turn seven this month.

The items we give them are a notebook that has a label on the front that says "______'s Baptism Journal" with a picture of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist. On the first page I print my testimony of the Gospel. The next item is a folder with twelve Family Home Evening lessons. These will be used by the family throughout the year to prepare the child to make their choice to be baptized and to understand the commitment they will make and be sure they have an understanding of the doctrines of the Gospel. A cover letter to the parents is included with this folder. I also placed a little card with the 13 Articles of Faith in there. These are 13 statements of things we believe. Each child is encouraged to memorize these during their years in Primary. The final item is their own copy of the Book of Mormon. We give them a challenge to read through the Book of Mormon before they turn eight. Then to write their feelings and the things they learn in their journal as they read their Book of Mormon and have these Family Home Evening lessons.

Monday morning and again Monday afternoon I paid visits to the two boys who turned seven in May. It was just so cute watching their reactions. I met with each of the boys in their home with their mothers there. The first boy was all grins. The second boy was looking at me like "What is she doing in my home?" Kids are just totally honest. Both boys were happy to be visited and receive these treasures to help them prepare to be baptized.

At the end of these two visits, I felt good about this effort to help these children. It felt like time well spent. It felt like the kids knew they were cared for and thought of at this time in their lives. I can now see me asking each of these young men how they are doing with their reading or their journal writing or their Family Home Evenings or memorizing their Articles of Faith.  For me, amidst the struggle to learn and organize and accomplish all I need to with this calling, it was a positive step of doing something that was right. A very good feeling.

The Bush on the Hill...

Since we moved the irises to the flower beds that were supposed to be garden spots, this has left a vacant place on the hill. This vacant spot is under a low-hanging fir tree. It is also at the place where the drain that is buried underground and carries the water from gutters on the house away from the house and down the hill making the spot moist most of the time. I wanted to put something in there and wasn't sure what.

Monday, June 3rd, I had an appointment on the border of Georgetown and Franklin County. When I was returning, I drove to Shooting Star nursery. This nursery only grows native Kentucky plants. We purchased plants from them for the butterfly garden and a rain garden in Sadieville a couple of years ago. I knew these ladies would have the right answer for my planting dilemma.

I explained to the lady that came out to greet me about my planting needs, the amount of sunshine (or lack thereof) and the potential for moist ground a lot of the time. She asked the lady who appears to be the owner for a suggestion. The owner asked me a question regarding my feelings about something herbivorous. I was puzzled and began to have visions of Audrey 2 in The Little Shop of Horrors. Then I realized that would carnivorous and felt better. In just a few minutes she said, "Show her the Virginia Willow. I believe that would be perfect."

We went outside and right by their office doors was a tub with several pots of the Virginia Willow, also known as the Virginia Sweetspire. It was already in blossom. That seemed like a great solution. I was told I only needed to plant one as they will grown 2-3 feet tall and spread out over my 4 foot square spot. We went back into the shaded area of their nursery and found the one I would actually purchase.

While paying for the plant I was told it would have these lovely flowers during the summer. Then in the fall the leaves of the plant will turn a bright red. Yes!!! Loving the fall color on our hill.

Monday, afternoon I headed back to Georgetown for another appointment. This time I stopped at Lowe's and felt impressed to check out the markdown racks of plants. I found a really pretty blossom on one plant called a Dipladenia. Where do they get these names??? I picked out one of those for the front porch in the cow planter. Then I went inside and looked at the other plants. I found one the is just like one plant in the front flower bed that I love, only this version had pink flowers. The one we currently have has blue flowers. I purchased it to help fill in the front flower bed.

Monday evening found me planting the two plants in the front of the house. Then I grabbed my shovel and bag full of weeding and planting supplies and headed down the hill with my Virginia Willow in hand as well. I weeded the spot for the Virginia Willow and around the concrete bench on that landing. Then I planted my Virginia Willow. With the remaining daylight I finished pulling some weeds in my big flower beds on the hill.

This is my Virginia Willow / Virginia Sweetspire.  You can see the while blossoms that are already on there. They have a nice fragrance. When that bush gets larger with more blossoms they will provide a lovely fragrance when sitting on the bench on our hill.

Planting is done for now. I would like to find something to fill in on either side of the peonies in the front center flower bed. I'm not sure what that will be but I'll keep looking until I find just the right thing.

My other success story in planting is on our upper deck. The nursing home gave me a package of flower seeds as a thank you for helping at them. I put them in a planter on the upper deck and have watered and waited and was about to decide they were not going to grow. Before I left the house this morning, I took a little bit more water out to them. As I watered the dirt moved a bit and I saw a green sprout popping out from under the soil. We had a little shower this afternoon. I went back outside after and sure enough there are a couple more sprouts. I may get flowers in that planter yet.

Now for the humor...my dear friend, Laura, was quick to point out to me the irony of me choosing to go to a nursery that ONLY sells Kentucky plants and then by something named Virginia Willow. That never occurred to me until Laura pointed it out. I'm still amused by this.

A Big Toe...

Claude is in Utah visiting his mother and family. Tuesday, June 4th, was the day Claude and should cover a shift at the Family History Center. I invited Papa to join me. He was happy to do so.

Tuesday morning I got to his apartment about 9:15 to pick him up. When I got inside he was sitting in his chair. It turns out he was up earlier and, while trying to put on his shoes, lost his balance and fell. He fell into the back bedroom of his apartment where these was nothing to grab onto or fall against. However, he did managed to hurt his big toe on his left foot. Where the toenail connects to the skin at the base of the toenail had bled. Since he is on Coumadin, I was concerned about any bleeding. His toe just hurt very badly. I suggested he stay home but he wanted to go. So he put on his shoes and away we went.

Papa enjoyed his time at the Family History Center. He has given me four binders full of his genealogy research. I combined them into one big notebook. I carried that with me to the Family History Center and gave it to Papa to review. While we were in Winnfield, he talked with Freddie Lee's (Cuz) son, Steve Lawrence, when we attended Church. He promised him some genealogy. I thought Papa would be able to sit and go through the book and determine which pages actually worked for Steve. I even took little sticky tabs for Papa to mark the pages we needed to copy. Guess what...inside this book was the history of the Lawrence family that Papa has written. He spent the entire 3 1/2 hours reading that history. He didn't mark a single page to copy for Steve.

While we were at the Family History Center, I called Papa's doctor and got an appointment to have his big toe checked. After we left there, I took Papa to lunch and then to the doctor's office. Dr. Weckman said there really wasn't anything to do but let it heal. I felt better we had it checked. I took Papa home and made sure he was settled in. I left his genealogy research for him to look through while he lets his toe rest and heal.

I checked on him today. The toe was a little swollen and bruised. Papa is cleaning it regularly with alcohol. He is not putting a sock or shoe on it. I got him some milk so he doesn't have to go out and can sit with his foot elevated. Now we just wait for it to get well.

This journey of caring for parents is full of adventure.

I Did It...

While in Ireland, Claude and I fell in love with Irish Soda Bread.  It is not the world's fanciest bread but it was just delicious to both of us. When bread was part of a meal, I found myself always choosing the Irish Soda Bread. I opted not to look for a recipe while in Ireland. Our friend, Bernie Bolton, is from Dublin, Ireland. She is a most excellent cook. I knew she would have the perfect soda bread recipe.

About two weeks ago Bernie brought me her recipe. She only asked that when I made it I post a picture for her on Facebrook. Friday, May 31st, we invited Papa over for our first cookout of the summer with the plan to eat on the deck. Claude was going to barbeque chicken, I was going to make Irish Soda Bread, and we would also have peas and cheese salad and a pasta salad. 

Now, I saw Claude making the pasta salad in the morning. I assumed this was so it could sit and the flavors blend together before dinner in the evening. Later in the afternoon I came upstairs to make the peas and cheese salad. I had the peas in the microwave cooking and I was slicing the cheese. Then I looked in the fridge for some onion and saw a peas and cheese salad already made. Goodness my hubby is efficient. I stopped the microwave and took the peas out. I ate the pieces of cheese I had already cut. Then I had myself a good chuckle.

About 4pm I started the Irish Soda Bread. Claude and I pronounced it beautiful when it came out of the oven.

I'm sure with practice it will get even better looking. But, really, the inside and taste is what is important. This bread had a great texture inside and the taste was perfect.

But, our first cookout of the summer and dinner on the deck did not happen. The rains came down and the floods came up. Well, those are the words to a song. The rains really did come down in a big way but the creek did not flood.  Hence, no cookout and no eating on the deck. Claude pulled out the George Forman and grilled that chicken inside and we ate at the breakfast table. But it was an excellent meal and we all enjoyed it very much.

There will be more Irish Soda Bread in our future. It is done start to finish in an hour and the loaf is just the right size for the two of us with some extra for the next day.

Thanks Bernie Bolton for sharing your recipe with us!!

Front Porch Musings...

Friday, May 31st found Claude and I enjoying the blessing of country living while retired. Make no mistake, this doesn't happen as often as it should. So, when it does, it is an amazingly wonderful experience. There was a good breeze which only made it even more pleasant.

Soon there was a turkey buzzard flying overhead. At one point it really came right over the front porch. It was at that point I told Claude I was heading inside for my camera. Of course, when I got back outside the turkey buzzard was gone.

We continued to sit and enjoy the breeze and our beautiful front yard. I strolled around to the center front flower bed and took these pictures of my remaining peonies.

I sat for a bit longer with Claude. Then the turkey buzzard returned.

It was decidely a grand start to the day. So blessed to live in this lovely spot of the earth.