A few more days of Amaryllis

and the show will be over for this year. Behind, or actually over, this beauty is a set of white that will open in the next couple days. My lavender cotton (Santolina) is about to bloom. They are so cute when the flowers open.

The Amaryllis Show continues

This is the third set of flowers to bloom in the first pot. I like the coral color and that the band of color is all the way around the flower.
These are from the 2nd pot of blooms. The top set of flowers is beginning to fade. There is one set of four underneath just opening and two more buds rising on their stalks.

The gardener anticipated me and dead-headed my roses this week. There are still a few blooms. Here is the vivid coral colored Tropicana:

A few iris are blooming:

"In the Old days"

I think a family friend is very spot on concerning grief and grieving. Over the Easter holidays we were talking about how nice it would have been to have been expected to have at least three months of "deep mourning". You wouldn't be expected to be at functions and activities that normally fill your days. Then, you would have been allowed to return to activities at a slow and easy pace.

Falling back in after a week was ok for a short little while. Then I was wishing for more time to think, to rest, to not think, to not cry, to cry. Now I'm ready for a break. I don't think it's related to the school year winding down. I want to go into a cave or take a month in another location and rest.

June will have to do. School will be out soon enough. Here is the chorus of a Hymn I've been humming all morning. Would have fit the service well (not to mention my fussing about rest) since the topic was Lost and Afraid, How do you react to fear?

Be not afraid.
I go before you always.
Come follow me,
and I will give you rest.

(Be Not Afraid, Bob Dufford)

Twenty Four, Three, Zero, Zero!

The child who might have been RSP turns out to be speech only! Not on my caseload! Well, not yet, teacher thinks he should be RSP and doesn't understand why the previous district dismissed him. I told him to document and refer if necessary.

Twenty Five, Four, ZERO, One

And a little paperwork.

I stayed at work until 6 pm! Six! I never do that. I didn't even get all the paperwork done. Then I bought a hotdog from the K fundraiser and drove off to choir. It only took 20 minutes to get across town. I think that's a record.

Twenty Six, Five, Two, One

There are 26, yep we're counting, 26! days left in the school year. There are 5 days of state testing remaining. I have two IEPs which will be finished tomorrow. There is a potential 1 new child to enroll. There could be more incoming but they haven't arrived yet. I'm hoping none will!

It's nice to feel this school year winding down. It's been such drama, trauma, and busyness. I'm not saying I'm liking the job but I'm used to it.

The amaryllis show continues:

I didn't make it to the quilt show. I had my fill of browsing at the farmer's market and craft fair. Both are small but enough to see for one day.

No weepies in church, whoohoo! Bright resurrection hymns, few traumas and deaths in the prayers, good friends to hug. What more could you want.

My amaryllis are sure putting on a show:


My favorite of the day:

Must be Friday

It must be Friday. I've got the Friday evening crankies. I did have a good dinner. I had bbq chicken from Spencer's and cole slaw from a bag. I used 1/2 cole slaw dressing with 1/2 Brianna's Poppy Seed dressing for a nicely flavored slaw.

Tomorrow I'm getting up and going to the farmer's market and craft fair. It looks like the craft fair is going to be a regular once/month addition to the farmer's market. If I'm feeling adventurous in the morning I'll drive up to Lindsay for the Best of the Valley Quilt Show. There is supposed to be an orange blossom festival nearby, too.

I've been slacking off on the Wii Fit so today I bought rechargeable batteries for the hand-thingies. Time to get back to getting Fit.

From Wednesday:

Tea Party Tax Day

I considered going to the tea party downtown but decided not to go. By 4:30 the radio show I had on was reporting 1200 and growing by the minute. Too much crowd for me.

In honor of Tea Party Tax Day-a (hybrid) Tea rose:


I feel funny getting back in the work routine. It seems like it must be end of year by now. I'm down to 2 IEPs to go. They're coming along slowly. I feel disconnected from these two because I'm no longer working with the two children whose paperwork I'm working on.

Odd week at church, too. Choir always takes off the week after Easter. I do enjoy not having rehearsal but that means only 4-6 rehearsals left this spring before we break for the summer. I never like that.

I'm trying to plan some trips for this summer. On my "would like" list: visit TX, NM, AZ. I think I may have figured a way. If I fly to TX I can rent a car there and make my way back to CA visiting people and places along the way. Then will be my nephew's college graduation/birthday/bon voyage party. After that my sister and I have talked about taking an Alaska cruise. Shaver Lake camping with a brother and family are the week after that. And, I'm hoping by end of summer to visit again with a friend in OR.

It will be fun to see which of those ends up in the final plan!

Three Days of Roses

I'm not much enamored of this slide show in the blog business but I'll put up one more. Maybe I'll keep them for a week or two and then just choose a representative photo and move on.

These are all from my yard. Happy Spring!



Edited: Ok, I just couldn't take the constant cycling of the slide show anymore. If anyone wants a link just let me know and I'll get it too you!

He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!

It was such a good idea to go to SB for Easter. No weepies in church on Friday here and no weepies in church on Sunday there! Yay! Appreciate and enjoy the celebration.

Edited to remove slide show, whew. One photo from the Botanical Gardens:

During a break in this afternoon's rain showers I popped out for a few flower photos. This is the bloom from yesterday's bud.

Rose of the Day

This is a Peace rose with it's classic light pinks and yellows with the creamy white. I don't know the names of the others.

After a little thinking I suspect that the pink is Simplicity. The yellow could also be a Simplicity rose. I'll have to look into that. (4/10)

In Remembrance

Quite fitting to have looked for and found Mom's grave marker today, Maunday Thursday, when we as "the church" remember, honor, and obey Jesus' command regarding the Lord's supper, "do this in remembrance of me."

Little Bits

It seems this week, since Sunday, is being sprinkled with little bits of grief. A little bit driving somewhere in town, a little bit traveling to visit my sister, a little bit when she mentions calling Mom on her own birthday and telling her thanks for having me. A little bit reading that a friend's mom and dad are living with her during her mom's recovery, a little bit listening to a spouse/caregiver having a hard day. I am so grateful for family, for friends, for the people of God.

Rose of the Day photo from Monday morning, my garden!


The apricots are "this" big:

Palm Sunday

I think I blinked and last week went by. I was fighting a bug and I slept a lot in the evenings and then went to bed. I have more energy now-if I get a good night's sleep. No sleep and all bets are off.

Yesterday I had a lovely day. I drove from Gorman to Lancaster looking for wildflowers. The desert does not disappoint. I had moment in Gorman remembering driving Mom, Verne, and Hugh on a wildflower drive but it quickly passed.

Today was difficult. I thought it might be but didn't know how. I was ok until prayer time when Pastor mentioned all the families mourning loved ones this week. I'm minorly unglued. We do, after all, have one more bell piece and one more choir piece before service is over. The harder part was after church. I casually mentioned to a friend that this was an anniversary and then promptly burst into tears. This would have been 5 years since Mom moved in with me. A choir friend remembered a few minutes later and gave me a good hug and a sweet word.

A new loom arrived this week. I ordered a prayer shawl loom from DAlooms. This loom is beautiful. It's made of birch and the finish is satin in my hands. The loom is light weight and just about the right size to hold on my lap. I expected the pegs to be further apart than they are. I'm trying it out with a cottom ombre yarn in pastel colors.