Alpha and Omega

"I am the Alpha and Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."  Revelation 1:8


Today we celebrated Easter.  All of our family went to church together and afterwards had dinner there.  Lola, my granddaughter, got to hunt eggs with several other toddlers.  


My oldest daughter got engaged earlier in the week and we were able to visit and see her ring.  She was very excited and happy.  We really like her fiance.  He called her dad a week ago and asked to come over for a man-to-man chat.  They got together and he asked permission to ask Melissa to marry him.  


Time really seems to fly these days.  They will be getting married next year in April.  Lots of time to plan the wedding.


When I was a child we had a large family Bible that I would read.  There was a passage that always intrigued me.  It was from the book of Revelations chapter 1 verse 3:  "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it;  for the time is near."  At the time I was especially interested to know that I would be blessed for just reading the Bible.  

Blizzard Brings out Memories

I never read the Little House books until I home-schooled my children. We read through the series and I cried at the appropriate places (couldn’t help it). That blizzard was the saddest part. I thought they were so brave and strong. We also loved the series on tv with Michael Landon. I have all the books. The Long Winter was all about the blizzard. Here is an excerpt:


“This life is a difficult riddle,

For how many people we see

With faces as long as a fiddle

That ought to be shining with glee

I am sure in this world there are plenty

Of good things enough for us all

And yet there’s not one out of twenty

But thinks that his share is too small.



Then what is the use of repining,

For where there’s a will there’s a way.

And tomorrow the sun may be shining,

Although it is cloudy today.



Do you think that by sitting and sighing

You’ll ever obtain all you want?

It’s cowards alone that are crying

And foolishly saying, ‘I can’t!’

It is only by plodding and striving

And laboring up the steep hill

Of life, that you’ll ever be thriving

Which you’ll do if you’ve only the will.”



On the Banks of Plum Creek has a chapter about The Long Blizzard in it too.

My favorite books from childhood were the Little Women series. I loved Jo so much. I also loved Heidi. But I believe my favorite books as a child was The Boxcar Kids. I could make-believe that life all day!

Also we had a magical time in the fourth grade with our teacher Mrs. Gray. She would read to us after lunch for an hour. She read Silver Chief Dog of the North by Jack O'Brien to us. We waited excitedly every day for her to continue the story. I loved that book and that woman.

The Best Cat in the World

Pebbles

He was the best cat in the world. My son could

carry him around like this and he loved it. We

named him Pebbles 'cause we already had a Bam

Bam and we also got his sister Wilma. We had him

for about eleven years. He got sick one day and died.

He is buried in our yard with a stone on his grave.

He was a very loving cat. He was nice to all the other

cats we had and loved to play with new kittens. We've

never had another cat quite like him. Rest in peace,

Pebbles.

August 27-The Way We Were

Here we are back in 1962. A family.

Happy Birthday Dad. Today you would be 80 years

old. You are missed.

Another Year Passes

Another year passes without my Dad. August 27, 1929- July 27, 2007

Some day I'll see you again in heaven. How I love you, Dad!

I Have a Photograph

I have a photograph:

My step-mom, MaryAnn, and my dad around December 1985.

Old Friends
Old Friends
Sat on their park bench like bookends
Newspaper blowin' through the grass
Falls on the round toes
Of the high shoes
Of the old friends

Old Friends
Winter companions the old men
Lost in thier overcoats
Waiting for the sunset
The sounds of the city sifting through trees
Settle like dust
On the shoulders of the old friends

Can you imagine us years from today
Sharing a park bench quietly?
How terribly strange to be seventy...

Old Friends
Memory brushes the same years
Silently sharing the same fear

(Musical Interlude)

A time it was
It was a time
A time of innocence
A time of confidences

Long ago it must be
I have a photograph
Preserve your memories
They're all that's left you

Wordless Wednesday-Dear Dad

Dear Dad,

I still miss you.

Love, Junebug

For more Wordless Wednesday, go here.

Michael Jackson-One Last Post

Childhood. He said this was the song closest to his heart. I only grew up watching Michael Jackson and his brothers on tv. I was one year older than him. I never kept up with his music much past "Puppy Love" and such. But I'm not gonna judge him.

Heal the World

Good-bye Michael Jackson. I hope you found a better place.

1973-One of the most memorable years of my life

M. Jagger/K. Richards)

Angie, Angie, when will those clouds all disappear?
Angie, Angie, where will it lead us from here?
With no loving in our souls and no money in our coats
You can't say we're satisfied
But Angie, Angie, you can't say we never tried
Angie, you're beautiful, but ain't it time we said good-bye?
Angie, I still love you, remember all those nights we cried?
All the dreams we held so close seemed to all go up in smoke
Let me whisper in your ear:
Angie, Angie, where will it lead us from here?

Oh, Angie, don't you weep, all your kisses still taste sweet
I hate that sadness in your eyes
But Angie, Angie, ain't it time we said good-bye?
With no loving in our souls and no money in our coats
You can't say we're satisfied
But Angie, I still love you, baby
Ev'rywhere I look I see your eyes
There ain't a woman that comes close to you
Come on Baby, dry your eyes
But Angie, Angie, ain't it good to be alive?
Angie, Angie, they can't say we never tried

The Rolling Stones - Angie (1973 -)
Uploaded by guenael76 - See the latest featured music videos.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

My husband acted in high school.  Here he was Dorian Gray.  I always loved watching the high school perform plays.  That got us out of class to watch.  Bonus!  But I especially liked this guy (second from the left).  I even bought these photos from the year book because I liked him so much.  He didn't know it at the time.  I was a sophomore and he was a senior.  He only noticed me when I would walk down the Cotton Gin Road to my house from town or the high school.  He had a friend in his band that lived a quarter of a mile past my house.  There were times he would give me a ride when I was walking to work at the nursing home.  I had one cute uniform with a fitted waist.  I surely did like that uniform.  



Here is my future husband receiving an award for drama.

I liked seeing him in a caveman suit.  I had to check out his legs!

GRACE

"One night a farmer who was a skeptic about Christ stayed home when his family went to church one Christmas Eve. Then he heard a loud thump, something hitting against the window. And another thump. He looked outside but couldn't see. So he ventured outside to see. In the field near his house he saw, of all the strangest


things, a flock of birds! They were apparently flying to look for a
warmer area down south, but had been caught in the snow storm.

The storm
had become too blinding and violent for the geese to fly or see their
way. They were stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter, unable to


do more than flutter their wings and fly in aimless circles.
He had compassion for them and wanted to help them. He thought to
himself, "The barn would be a great place for them to stay! It's warm
and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm." So


he opened the barn doors for them.

He waited, watching them, hoping they
would notice the open barn and go inside. But they didn't notice the
barn or realize what it could mean for them. He moved closer toward them
to get their attention, but they just moved away from him out of fear.
He went into the house and came back out with some bread, broke it up,
and made a bread trail to the barn. They still didn't catch on.
Starting to get frustrated, he went over and tried to shoo them toward
the barn. They panicked and scattered into every direction except toward
the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where there
was warmth, safety and shelter.

Feeling totally frustrated, he exclaimed, "Why don't they follow me?
Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?
How can I possibly get them into the one place to save them?" He thought
for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human.
He said to himself, "How can I possibly save them? The only way would be
for me to become like those birds. If only I could become like one of
them! Then I could save them! They would follow me and I would lead them
to safety."

At that moment, he stopped and considered what he had said. The words


reverberated in his mind: "If only I could become like one of them- then
I could save them." And then, at last, he understood God's heart towards


mankind, and he fell on his knees in the snow and worshipped Him."

Paul Harvey

Trips Down Memory Lane

They threw a party for us before we went

on our cruise to Alaska in 2005.  I haz my

cake and I eat it too!  Alaska is much colder

than Hawaii so this attire did not make it

on the ship!  No, I did not see Russia and 

not even Governor Palin.  

Here we are in all our formal attire.  They did 

feed us like kings.  Oh my, the lobster tail was 

delicious!  If you ever get the chance, go on a cruise.

The Princess cruise to Alaska was the best trip ever.

This is my family on the most exciting trip we ever took.

This is the Arkansas River in Colorado.  It was similar to

riding a roller coaster, only better.  I laughed and laughed.

Here the family is in a fantastic cave, also in Colorado.

Colorado is the best place to visit.  I am thankful that my

grown kids are still happy to go on trips with us.  We are

planning a trip to Yellowstone next year with them.

Fun Monday-Good Memories

Fun Monday is being hosted by Molly of Return of the

White Robin.  She wants us to share a happy memory

of our childhood.

One of my favorite childhood memories was shopping with
my mother in a nearby town. It was a wonderful way to
spend a day. We'd shop and get ice cream at a drugstore
soda shop with the old fashioned counter. Here is a link
to the post with pictures.

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Memories.

This song was written in 1957. (My birth year) But my memories

of it began in 1972.  

Dad's House

My brothers and I went to Dad's house yesterday.
Time to empty out the possessions of a lifetime.
My brothers found many treasures of their childhood.
Fishing rods, guns, tools, nuts and bolts of an electrician's trade.
I found several treasures in my Dad's little shed.
Things you would not expect to find. Memories of a
time past forever. I cannot quite explain how bittersweet
it is to go through someone's stuff and take what you want
and have to leave some. You feel like taking every little thing
he ever touched. As if that will bring him back. I found some
surprising things that he had kept for 40-plus years. Items of
no consequence to anyone but him...and me. Old business cards with
old phone numbers where he had worked when I was a baby.
I touch these things and remember him. It brings tears to me
right now but it will bring mostly pleasure in the future as I
look at these tiny pieces of my Dad and remember his life.

We sold his house.  He loved the outdoors.  I took a few rocks

and petrified wood and cactuses that were in his flower bed.

His cat was there.  Waiting for him.  

He lived in Texas.

Here he is doing a crossword puzzle.

These are my memories that I took.  The little table was

from his bedroom.  The water can from his shed.  

The big safety pin for his army duffle bag that he had in

Germany.  I remember playing with it as a child.  Why did 

he save it?  The wooden ruler, broken.  These are things

I wanted.  I played with it too.  The business card of the

Continental Baking Company that he worked for when

we kids were little.  He had a little notebook full of little

old cards he kept.  Why?  I mean this was after moving

several times in his life.  This last move was only for two

years.

We sold his pickup a few months ago.  A friend who is a 

car dealer went to the auction to pick it up for us and 

sell it.  All emotional stuff.  

Still I have a lifetime of memories of him.  I got a couple

of his western, snap-front shirts, a couple of his books, (he

loved to read) his boot-jack, and one of his hats.  Simple,

ordinary things.  I'm happy to have them.  

Time it was and what a time it was!

I have this photograph of my mom and dad taken in 1970.
I don't have a single photo of my parents and my brothers
and me together. I know my aunts and uncles took pictures
of us because I remember that but we don't have any copies.
Preserve your memories with photographs. I remember so
many little things about my dad now that he is gone. These
little things remind me of him every day. He loved to drive
around the countryside sometimes looking for deer, other times
just driving past pastures. He loved to take care of his cows
and horses. He liked to garden and mow grass too. He just
plain liked being outdoors. He'd sit outside in his swing in
the backyard for hours. Other things I remember, he liked
to eat crackers and buttermilk, ice cream with milk poured on
it, and he loved to hunt for wild mushrooms. We shared a
hidden bag of soft-centered hard raspberry candy together.
We would hide it in the bookcase. When I was little, after
he washed his hair he would let me comb it and mess with
it. I wish I had more photos.


This is me at age four.  


Time it was and what a time it was it was,
A time of innocence a time of confidences.

Long ago it must be, I have a photograph
Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you

I Love Lucy

I must admit I do love Lucy.  I always have and always

will.  I grew up watching her shows and re-runs.  She's

a zany gal and I love her.  So I will show you my Lucy

doll.  I have had her for years.  She's never been out

out the box.  


The Vitameatavegamin commercial girl:

So tasty too!  Just like candy!



I have been tagged for a meme by Kitten and someone

not too long ago tagged me for this same meme.  I don't

do well getting my meme's done.  This one is the six or

maybe it was seven random things about me meme.  I 

believe I have done this one before.

1.  I love Lucy.

2.  I like chocolate Ovaltine.  I bought some yesterday

for the first time in years.

3.  I seldom watch tv shows until they become re-runs.

Like "Everybody Loves Raymond", I never watched it

until it was over.  Now, unfortunately, I have seen every

episode.  The same with "King of the Hill."  I am watching

this show now and finding it very funny.  I love Bobby

Hill and Hank.  I can't stand Peggy.

4.  I have watched "America's Next Top Model" a few seasons.

Especially when someone from Oklahoma is a contestant.

5.  I don't know why but I like "The Apprentice."

6.  I watched a few seasons of "Survivor."  Not a big fan of

it though.  I would rather watch "Amazing Race."

7.  I love to watch Martha Stewart.

8.  Here's a bonus:  I love cooking shows, gardening show,

anything about houses, like "Trading Spaces" or construction,

selling, decorating.  

Oklahoma Treasures

These are not pictures I took, I found them on webshots and wikipedia:

When I get time soon I will run over and take the pictures myself and

post my views.  I am looking for pictures from the 1960's or 70's. 

Pawhuska, gateway to the Tallgrass Prairie.


I love this town.  So many good memories.

The picture below used to be the J.C. Penney store.

The picture below used to be the C.R. Anthony store.

You can see the Triangle Building at the end of this block.

It is a very cool old building.  It divides Kihekah, one way

on either side of it.  

Below is where the TG&Y used to be.  Next to it

on the corner was a nice bank building.  It is pictured

above as the white building with apartments or offices above.

The Tulsa skyline at night.  This is not my picture.

This is a view from Talimina Drive.  Ouachita forest.

We drove this road from Wilburton, Oklahoma going

north and east for several miles.  It was beautiful.  We

accidentally took the road thinking it was a shorter way

home.  Not.  But it turned out the most beautiful drive

that went past Robber's Cave too.  This drive is very

close to Arkansas.  

Fun Monday

Robinella is our hostess with the mostest this week. What's funny about this saying is my dad would always say "the hostess with the mostest", for some reason he and I thought this was the most hilarious thing to say! Which brings me to this week's challenge, Robinella
wants us to search through our extensive posts and choose "one" that is what we would consider best. I have only been a blogger since September this year so I did not have a lot of searching to do. My most precious post was easy to pick having been the most heartfelt and dramatic thing that has ever happened to me. My dad passed away on July 27, 2007 and I found blogging shortly thereafter. I think it has been a God-send because I needed somewhere to post my thoughts and feelings even if no one but me ever read them. It has been helpful to my grieving process to have a place to post my dad's pictures and talk about his life and mine. So this post on October 27, 2007 says it all:

My Dad, My Hero


After being in the hospital six weeks my dad passed away early one morning after he started bleeding internally and receiving and losing blood as fast as they could give it to him. He finally stopped bleeding, but his heart rate and blood pressure went down to something like 20/30 and his heart finally stopped. We had made the decision that they were to do everything to save him except if his heart stopped, they were not to resusitate. You should have seen the condition he was in, he had a surgery that wouldn't heal. He was cut open from his sternum down to his belly button. He had to have part of his stomach removed to stop the bleeding that an ulcer was causing. He'd had these ulcers for years. He had been being treated for a malignant melanoma on his arm before he ever went to the emergency room with his bleeding ulcers. He couldn't keep anything down in his stomach. He was losing weight. His wife (my step-mom) had passed away less than a year ago. He had so many machines and tubes hooked up to him. I left the hospital once to go get something to eat and came back and they said, "where were you? We were looking for you. We had to put your dad on a ventilator." At least I wasn't there to make that decision, it was made for me. They started asking several times after this, "How much farther do you want to go?" They had to put my dad into a drug induced coma because he was in such pain. I wondered as he lay there just how bad it was for him to be absolutely out of control. I wondered if he was still in pain, if he was crying out to be released, to be taken home. I wondered if he could hear us as we were talking in his room, joining hands around him and praying for him. I wondered if he wanted us to continue or let him go. I told him it was alright if he went. The last thing he said to me before he went into his coma was, "You know that I love you." And I said, "Yes, Daddy, I know that you love me and I love you." At the end when they took him off his pain medications to see if he could wake up and function again because this was an up and down process where they thought one day he was 10% chance of survival to maybe he's gonna make it, don't give up! We lived 5 hours away from him so I couldn't be there all the time, but I came every week for a few days and nights. But at the last one nurse told me that he was getting a response out of him, he would open his mouth to let him swab it out. I wanted to be there to see this and I got to. The nurse said, "Claude, open your mouth so I can clean it." He opened his mouth. Now the most excellent thing about this is that means that he could hear everything that was being said.