the garden's in!

It's my excuse to get to play in the dirt. When I was a kid, playing in the dirt was one of my favorite activities. I was rewarded with a Narragansett Indian arrowhead and bragging rights to the deepest hole dug by any kid in Rhode Island. My brother and I were seriously attempting to dig all the way to the other side of the earth and surprise the kids in China. The hole got so big, that as I was crouched inside it , digging away, my brother couldn't quite see me (or so he says) and his hoe came down hard on my head, resulting in a trip to the emergency room and several stitches.

I'm really excited about the dirt I get to play in this year. We added rose soil and Black Cow Composted Manure to the clay gumbo. Carl (Grandpa Carl) tilled it in with our 30 year old tiller and really felt his age after trying to get it to start. It's the greatest dirt ever! I add bone meal to the holes where I plant the tomatoes. My garden is long and narrow so I never have to step in it. Another tip, in case you get inspired to garden from my wonderful photo, is to work some bone meal into the hole where you plant tomatoes and any other veggies. I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, leaf lettuce, and zucchini squash. The garden's been in not quite a week, and the lettuce is already up.

shared birthdays

My "baby" Carl (also known as Uncle TaTa) turned 16 the same day, March 2, that his sister's baby, Avery, turned 2. What a good sport he is, sharing a birthday with a 2 year old!

flowers in heaven

I thought he'd be around forever, or at least another decade. When I stood in front of his headstone, lacking only a death date, reality hit me. This precious man, our prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, would be with us only a short while longer, after having served the church and the world for many decades . That was this past July, when I unexpectedly found myself standing by his gravesite. We were in Salt Lake City locating the graves of of Carl's pioneer great grandfathers, the Fishers, who are buried in the same cemetery.
The picture I didn't take with my camera, but which is firmly imprinted in my mind, is that of his departed wife's grave. By her headstone, stood a vase filled with water and fresh flowers. I was told by someone who lives in back of the cemetery, that President Hinckley places flowers in that vase every week. It was nothing fancy, just an ordinary glass vase containing fresh flowers. It was, however, an eloquent expression of love, which touched me to the core. Pondering the beauty and reality of eternal love, I forgot to take a photo of that grave.
After a lifetime of service to our Savior Jesus Christ, our prophet passed away on Sunday night, January 27. We'll miss the twinkle in his eye, his marvelous sense of humor, and his inspired words, lovingly encouraging us to be better than what we are. My sorrow turns to joy as I think of the flowers he must be giving his Marjorie every day now in heaven.

kids say the funniest things

This weekend, Kyla (4) told me, "Grammy, I want a pink wig for my birthday so I can wear it to church and look pretty."

Little Ava ( 1) loves Aunt Courtney's blog with all the animal pictures. She makes funny little growling noises while looking at Akira(the dog), and Butters and Callie (the cats).

our last eagle scout project!

The best part was pizza! I was the pizza delivery lady.

The guys stripped and refinished several of these nasty benches in Friendswood Park.

Carl B. can now join his 4 older brothers in the rank of Eagle Scout -- thanks to members of the troop sacrificing a beautiful day of Christmas vacation to come and help!

survived (just barely) the holidays!

Christmas wouldn't be the same without little ones. Emily and Brian's little ones joined with the other grandkids for a Christmas day full of laughter, noise, sticky fingers and faces. (See Jessica's blog for more photos of the little ones.)

Dan and his girls present a Christmas Eve program and with songs and telling of Christ's birth.

We had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. Ever since the kids were babies, they sat at this same table, eating the same Christmas soup and rolls -- now their babies are doing the same.

Our girl, Courtney (Mark's wife), is formidable with her pink controller!

Andy flew in from Utah. Let the party begin! I've decided to post a reward for anyone who finds his great masterpiece (a sculptured head of himself ) in the Provo River.

Grandpa Carl (in the middle) had fun with his Texas siblings during a holiday party at Aunt Sharon's house in League City. (we're all getting older)

One of the highlights of Christmas day (and my best presents) were the phone calls from our two missionaries. Both are doing great. Elder Jeremy ("eskimo Jo") is facing another challenge in the arctic wilderness -- Due to very little snow (in spite of frigid cold) , the wolves' favorite food, moose, has been able to easily escape. The starving wolves are invading the town, devouring family pets. I'm glad Elder Philip is in the more civilized state of Washington.