DK the Nautical Knitter

A Weeping Willow tree that is… We celebrated Mother’s day a little differently this year. There is a background story to this. I will try to summarize it for you here.

There was a long standing arrangement between my mother and stepfather that allowed her to collect 20% of his golf “winnings” from his friendly wagering at the country club where they are members. My mother would keep this “stash of cash”, which was large indeed, because he is a very good golfer and probably a better grifter, until we were able to see them again. She and I would take this cash and hit as many resale and goodwill shops as possible in whatever area of the country we were in and would enhance our wardrobes tremendously.

When we were in town for mother’s memorial service, my stepfather gave me her “stash of cash” because he thought she would have wanted me to have it. I was at a loss as to what to do with it. I wanted to do something special. I did not want to go resale shopping with this cash by myself. So, I just tucked it away and knew that the right thing to do would present itself eventually.

Yesterday, we took a trip out to one of the larger plant nurseries in the area and found a Weeping Willow tree that is about 6ft tall. It was just sitting there among the other, much taller, trees and was calling my name. I had gone there looking for just such a tree and it was the only one they had. It was perfect! We also went to Lowe’s and purchased about 8 Crepe Myrtles that we planted in a line down our 1/4 mile long driveway. Mother was a prolific gardner and I think she would have been very happy to have her “stash of cash” spent this way. Now, every time we look at these trees we will remember her and enjoy them for years to come.

I hope your Mother’s Day was just as wonderful!

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A time to die

What you see in the photograph is an approximately 40ft tall pine tree that we built our house around as a focal point of the landscape. We were concerned about the tree even before building the house because it looked like it was sickly then. That was two years ago. Now, it is definitely not savable. My friend Reba suggested that it may be the pine beetles or some such thing. Upon closer inspection, there are tiny little holes all over the tree. It looks like someone has been throwing darts at the tree with uncanny accuracy. Millions of holes from this pest have taken our tree.

We are planning on removing it and replacing it with a large water garden. I really want to do this, but am not sure if I will be able to work with the plants enough to keep them alive. Time will tell…

A time to plant

On a more joyful note, we brought home a beautiful white azalea from mother’s memorial service a few weeks ago. I am happy to report that I have not managed to kill it yet.

For those of you who don’t know, I have no green part of my body, anywhere, including my thumbs! Anyway, isn’t it just beautiful? Apparently this azalea is not meant to be in the ground in this part of the country, so it will live out it’s life in ever increasing sized pots. Probably embedded in the pond foliage somewhere.

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Georgia A. Christal

Born March 28, 1946 and in the presence of the Lord April 9, 2008.

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She is a beautiful, caring, and loving woman.  Never hesitating to try to help others, especially family.

The most cherished thing I ever received from her was her time.  She gives us her time and her energy, constantly and selflessly wanting us to succeed in any venture we attempted.  She is always there.

She loves the mountains and outdoors, especially the trees.  She loves cutting her own Christmas tree each year, cutting firewood, and picking mushrooms.

Georgia, is my mother.

Georgia has been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments for an inoperable mass of malignant cancer cells on the wall of her brain.  She has been doing very well physically through these treatments and this past week was quite upbeat, as they were halfway completed.  She celebrated her 62nd birthday on the 28th of March, 2008.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008, Georgia was on her way to the hospital for her regularly scheduled radiation and chemotherapy treatment, just as she has been doing every weekday for the past three weeks.  Before leaving for the hospital she claimed that she did not know the man, my father, driving the car.  She could not recall what month it was, and was quite disoriented.  Upon arrival for her appointment, her health deteriorated rapidly, her blood pressure skyrocketed and she had a seizure for the first time in her life.  She was admitted to the hospital and a battery of tests commenced. 

Currently, Georgia is heavily sedated, stable, critical and in the ICU.  The outlook is not bright.  She may have any one of three types of meningitis, tuberculoses, or something they haven’t found yet.  This turn of events happened so fast that no one had time to think.  If there is ever a time to appreciate those around you, the time is now.  Please leave this post with a mission to tell at least one person you know how much they mean to you.  Thanks…

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I love ladybugs (or as Mr. K refers to them, manbugs). However, this is ridiculous! There are millions of them on every window, inside and out. This was the best shot I could get, but trust me, they are everywhere. On the bright side, we had NO mosquitoes this year so this is a wonderful alternative!

When I was little, and I found a ladybug, it was customary to release it after making a wish. Somewhat like blowing all the seeds off of a dandelion. Man, if that really worked, I could have anything and everything today!!

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We no longer have any human children in the house. However, we do have two dogs that have been with us for almost 14 years. Our Cocker Spaniel, Aubie and our Basset Hound, Blazer. The dogs are very much family to us and are getting up in years now. This, of course, means the beginning of illnesses, injuries and all the issues that come with aging pets. In some ways I think they know how much we care about their well being and sometimes it seems that they like to exploit this for everything it is worth, especially the basset, usually resulting in an extra biscuit, extra special dinner time, etc. Here is Blazer after his recent surgery to remove a lump of skin cancer from his shoulder. Doesn’t he look like a pathetic thing?

Blazer the Basset

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This post is for my best friend, closest confidant, staunchest supporter, soul mate and sexy innamorato. Thank you for all the times you have made me feel wanted, needed and loved this year. Looking back through the old posts brings back such happy memories of the time we had together this year and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead. You keep me on my toes and keep me thinking, but most of all you continue to demonstrate to me how deeply you love me. For that I am grateful.

Happy Anniversary My Love

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The water in the pond is gone. The fish are easy pickings for the birds these days and the plants are all struggling too. We have been in this drought all spring and the pond has just slowly gone away. Here is what it looks like now:

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Scott took his technician ham license exam about three weeks ago and passed without a hitch. We have been waiting for his call sign to be issued. Now I can finally introduce to you KI4WLR.

He installed another antenna on the house and now we are just trying to figure out the first radio to purchase so he can put this new license to good use. The house is beginning to look like a NASA station of some sort. I can’t wait until we put up the tower. That should be a blast.

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It’s official, I have crossed the threshold and am 41. The day was spent relaxing and doing pretty much whatever came up here at home. Scott baked a cake for me and it was stupendous!! My gift would have been an insult had I not actually asked for it. Now to rebound myself through my 40’s. The fat will probably successfully stay away, but I will probably sprain my ankle or break my leg instead. Stay tuned.

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