Sunday - Woke up to rain - just as they forecast. 1.15" so far. Going to take Doris' book back to her after lunch, but before I do, another of her family group pictures I scanned:
This one taken in the 40's while Calvin was home on leave from the Navy. Men in back, Uncle Tom, Delmar and Calvin. Don't know the dog's name, but Uncle Tom always had rat terriers. Women, left to right: Darlene, Aunt Florence, Leota, Ester, Doris and Fern. Clyde & Jim in front.
I took some old photos of Grandma's along to show her to possibly help me identify. This one is of Aunt Florence, Uncle Tom and my Grandpa Joe fishing at "Trumbel Lake" August, 1941. But is it Trumbull Lake Iowa or Trumbull Lake California? Doris & I decided it must be the one in Iowa. Although both her parents and my grandparents had made trips to California, she did not think they had ever gone on one together.
Doris was doing therapy when I got to the rehab center. She does get to go home Friday. I thought I would stay an hour, expecting other visitors to show up, but none did and I stayed two hours. Had a most delightful visit.
Monday - 'Official' Memorial Day. Up early - 5:15. Cloudy. Wet. Repeat. Another .25" of rain in the gauge.
Stopped to see this year's Freedom Rock on the way to Casey for lunch with Doug & Shelly. Each year the artist repaints the boulder in time for Memorial Day. (Google 'Freedom Rock' for more info about the artist and his freedom rocks.) I wish I had taken photos of this rock years ago when it was covered in graffiti. The only times it was repainted then was when a new graduating class added their "class of" year. I don't think any graffiti has appeared on the rock since Bubba started honoring veterans in 1999.
Back view. The helicopter never gets painted over because ashes of deceased veterans were mixed in the paint. This side gets refreshed each year as more veterans' ashes are added in the paint. So many people were here this morning. (By afternoon when we passed by on the way home, there were even more people there. Dozens of motorcyclists.)
A
quieter Memorial Day remembrance - While at my Ridnour great-grandparents' grave Saturday, I broke off this peony. The plant had only buds, none open, and they looked so unusual I wondered what they would look like open. Like this. Did some of Rufe & Kate's children or grandchildren move peony bushes from the Mauderly/Ridnour farmstead to the cemetery after their deaths?
Tuesday - More rain - 1.35" This is the deck two houses down now that someone new has moved in:
It is something I've often thought about getting for our deck. Then we could be out there rain or shine. But I've always worried that some of the strong winds we get would carry the whole structure away - at the very least tear the top off. But maybe not....hmm...in time for Christmas in July???
Wednesday - Sunny. Just in time for the arrival of our new bed. Yay!
I'm still amazed at how little hassle there was to replace the old bed under warranty. Practically painless. And so nice to have a firm mattress again.
This Grackle looks like he is wondering, "What is the name of those lovely petunias"? (Autumn Mystery) In reality he is eyeing the bird feeder. I thought these iridescent, purple headed black birds might be
Brewer's Blackbirds, but I'm fairly certain they are just common grackles.
Thursday - Slept really well on the new bed; much less achy. Mom's coral bells are in bloom:
They seem to do so much better here than they ever did on the south side of her house.
The sage is also blooming. And while I'm at it, let me give some 'sage' advice:
Don't try to mow when it has been raining, and raining and raining. The closer you get to the pond, the wetter it is. The tall grass on the upper right is where the bobcat was stuck last month. Hasn't been mowed since.
Friday - Took a longer way home from the Y:
Parkland southeast of Summit Lake dam. You can see we've been having lots of rain by the amount of water going over the dam. This is the same area where the tornado hit in 2012.
So many places look better than they did before the tornado damage - like this home east of Summit Lake Avenue on 165th Street.
This was the house on April 16 two days after the tornado that caused so much damage to our hospital, the college and our Y. The Y didn't re-open until late September.
There is still a bare slab where the one house which was completely destroyed used to be. It is where the two people who were hurt the worst were at the time of the storm.
Saturday - Heard it
raining in the night. I should not complain. What we are having is
nothing compared to what Texas and Oklahoma have been dealing with. Years of drought followed by epic flooding. It does seem our weather gets more and more out of whack. Total rainfall for the week according to our gauge is 3.35 inches. I am turning into my mother. She always noted the weather, rain fall, even wind direction each day. (I couldn't do any better than being more like my Mom.)
Wonder if it is edible? The rainy, cool weather is contributing to fungus.....and flowers.....
....bouquet of peonies, sage and fern. The ferns I have are ones I got from the home of a dear neighbor of my youth, Neva Vogel. It is nice to have plants and flowers that remind me of loved ones.
Some first blooms from Pauline's clematis. She the new neighbor when we moved here. Now also deceased. Clematis - representing
art in the language of flowers. I'm not very artistic when it comes to arranging flowers - but I don't have to be with these gorgeous blooms.
And this is the week that was.
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