Memory Walks

I was looking for a picture of a different hair-do that I used to wear and I found these two photos and they made me laugh out loud.  I hope you get a smile from them!

In the previous picture Tristin had been doing a somersault on the bed.  She was two when this was taken.  The look just makes me laugh!!!  Is it Mommy, Grammy, Auntie's look??  Goodness, it is hard to believe she will be 21 in January!  Yikes!!  Hummmm?!  That must make me about 49?



Tristin is 3 1/2 here with "Cookie" and one of her puppies.  Is it any wonder that this girl loves dogs!  I have loved dogs for a long, long time!  Red boots... we always like to get our little cowgirls RED boots.  Aren't they magic somehow? 

This was taken the summer of 2010.  I see a resemblance...  Hope she doesn't come after me, but after all it is my blog.  Ha! 

Nothing earth shattering on my mind, I just wanted to share these fun pictures and I put them on face book, but that entity drives me nuts because I don't what I am doing.  Do I know what I am doing here?  Well, that could be debatable too!

Pansies

I have always loved pansies since I have been a young girl.  I love their faces.  I usually try to grow some and this year I got the best pot and the best place to put it.  Pansies love cool weather and they do well early in the summer and into the fall.  This year I did not empty the pot until last week.  I couldn't bring myself to dump it.  The pansies went through several frosts too.  Anyway, I took a picture of my almost frozen pansies to say goodbye for the season!! 

I took the wire off of my pot so I could take a picture, otherwise the deer would have eaten them a long time ago!!!

I will be waiting for the garden catalogs to look at all the pictures and dream, but alas, I don't plant that much as it is frustrating to just feed the deer besides being expensive.  I am thinking I need to have a window garden, but I don't know how to start such a project.  We would love to eat the fresh herbs.  Although this year we ate the cilantro and it was delicious!!  That is one herb one either really likes or cannot stand.  We are in the "love it" catagory!

Until spring, my fellow gardeners!!!

Granddad

I lost the picture that I had posted of Dad/Granddad, so I will try again.  Computers can be so frustrating! It certainly can't be the operator!  Ha!  My computer gal couldn't give me a solid answer either and we decided  this was the quickest way to get the pictures back!!

This is a good picture and the name shows of his last truck.  That shirt he has on is one BJ gave him for a gift and he literally wore it out.  I brought it home and washed it and was going to make something for BJ's family, but it was so threadbare and holey that I didn't.  Granddad literally got the "goodie" out of that shirt!

The truck was bought by our son Barry, so we were pleased that we know where it went.  Grandad spent lots of money keeping his equipment in top shape engine wise.

We think he may have been the oldest trucker in Montana with a CDL at 85 years old. 



Veterans' Day, A Special Veteran

Friday was Veterans' Day and it was a beautiful day in Eastern Montana.  Cowboy wanted to fly the flag if the wind wasn't going to blow hard enough to tear it off of the pole.  So with the sun rising in the east, I just had to take a picture.

What it is about the American flag that puts a lump in my throat?  I am so thankful for all the men and women who gave their lives and who simply served their country so that we could have the freedoms that we know today.  There our young people still going to the armed forces to serve this country.  What a blessing they are to give so selflessly.  In my family alone we have a grandfather, a father, a husband uncles, great uncles, and a son-in-law.  The county we live in, Garfield County, has a high number of veterans and enlisted people per capita. 

Our Veterans' Day Dinner was last night in Jordan and the veterans were asked to stand and it was impressive.  Saying the pledge brings a lump in my throat...

This also a tribute to my Father who was a Veteran.  He passed away a month ago and his burial was touching for me.  The VFW Honor Guard from Miles City did the 21-gun salute and played taps.  The two service men that did the flag-folding ceremony were especially honoring to Dad.  I cried when they did that and handed the flag to Bonnie, my step-mom.  It makes me tear up now as Cowboy and I have always liked a veteran to be honored. 

When Dad was in the hospital during his last days we looked at pictures and talked about work that Dad had done over the years.  One could tell he was listening.  Bonnie had found two letters that were in Dad's "stuff."  One was from an Army buddy that wrote while he was serving in the service and Dad was home in Montana.  They other letter Dad had written to his granddad when Dad was in the service.  What Bill pointed out to me is that Dad typed his letter and there were no mistakes and his spelling was accurate.  Cowboy is not the best speller, but that isn't why I married him!  BJ read those letters out loud two different times and you could tell Dad enjoyed that.  What was almost Bill's undoing was when Granddad said, "Bill, read me War Bags out of the Western Ag Reporter.  Bill got through it, but I could tell he was trying to not get tears in his eyes. 

When Dad died there was a true character that will be no more.  We miss his phone calls in the mornings and his telling us about different people in general, "Oh, they don't know a thing!"  Bill is missing Dad's stories and I am kicking myself that I didn't sit down and just write some of them down rather than cook!