Catching Up : Thursday Night - Monday Night

Getting to spend a week at the ranch was wonderful.
It's like Life slows down and you can drift through the days instead of chasing around here and there with a do list a mile long.

We savored every day we were there.

Thursday night we grazed on appetizers in lieu of supper and sipped our wine while we watched the moon.

It was a beautiful night.

Friday I wrapped up my painting sessions, feeling pretty good about what I had accomplished.

Four paintings based in.

Nowhere near finished but probably another two sessions will do it.

I packed all my art up and Louis Dean loaded it in the truck. Perhaps I will get a chance to paint at home. Most of my art time has been at the ranch the last year or so.

One reason I cleared the art table was because Dean and Sherry were coming up for dinner Friday night. I cooked a pork tenderloin and fixed green beans and a salad along with garlic bread.

Sherry cooked the most amazing potatoes in a cream sauce and corn on the cob. Plus a pan full of pepper poppers. We love those things!

Saturday Dean and Sherry went to Dallas to teach a karate class. They did the critter chores before they left and would be home before dark to do the evening chores.

We checked the weather and the radar and figured we should go ahead and come home Saturday afternoon ahead of the storm.

The wildflower bouquets were still pretty and I thought it was a shame to toss them out - so I took a picture first!

The horse mint is one of my favorites.

And these!!!

Dean asked us to check on the baby ducks before we left so we went down to see the critters and say good to the ranch.

The pea patch now has the tomato plants Louis Dean put in and some cucumbers.

The squash and peppers are from the smaller garden down by the peacock pen.

The geese are beautiful and loud and I've learned to wield a PVC pipe to keep them from nipping at me.

Such interesting critters......

When I took this picture as we were driving up to the gate - it dawned on me that I had not fed the horses even one treat this visit! I'll do better next time.

We stopped in Hillsboro at the Lone Star Cafe for lunch and a margarita for me.....

unsweet tea for him!

By the time we finished eating the wind had picked up and the clouds had turned angry.

It rained on us a good bit of the way home but not torrential.

That was happening at home!

Traffic was a mess as I35 was shut down in an area due to high water and everyone had to exit the freeway and go down the frontage road. That took nearly an hour from when the traffic stacked up until we got off. From there we took Hwy 67 and came in on Loop 12. 

Normally we go I20 to Spur 408 and then Loop 12 but this time Louis Dean decided to go straight on I35 since it was Saturday. We were sorry we did that!

Finally got home and when I opened the front door - it smelled good.

Water had come in but not more than an hour or so before we arrived so I immediately started sucking it up with my Rainbow. Set out fans in the den and sewing room but it wasn't too bad.

Louis Dean is feeling the urgency of redoing the decks. Now he needs to do both decks.

I love going to church at Fellowship in Grapevine!

It was a great service! Ed Young started a new series called May Day.

After the message, there was a baptism service using a great big swimming pool from Walmart.

It was such a moving experience.

Several disabled people were helped into the baptism water.

Fellowship was all set up with everything anyone would need.

T-shirts and shorts were provided and the bathrooms all had toiletries and blow dryers and lots of towels!

There are so many areas of service available here.

I am not an official member yet but we are planning on joining next Sunday. 

You go to a special class after the service and have lunch and talk to the pastors and staff.

I'm excited about serving and looking forward to it!

I used to be a 'bagel lady' back when I was a member several years ago.

That means I served refreshments on Sunday morning along with coffee and juice.

Nothing stays the same at Fellowship so I will definitely see what is available that I can do and plug myself in as soon as possible.

Sunday afternoon I met my youngest son, Benjamin, at the movies!

We saw this one!

It was amazing.

Normally I am not a gritty blood and guts fan but I do love Keanu Reeves.

The fight scenes were amazingly choreographed.

I love Benjamin!!!

I followed him back to his apartment and it was like something you would see in San Diego!

Such a cool place with palm trees and a pool with a sandy beach.

When I got home, Louis Dean and I went out to tackle the jungle along the decks and the back pond.

He asked if I wanted him to trim the red tipped photinia tree back in the corner and I said sure!

He cut the whole thing down. But he said it will grow back.

This morning (Monday) I had set my alarm for 7:00.

Kailey was in a drama and we went to see it.

Trystan and Logan did their play on Friday but we were out of town.

They were in the audience, though, and when we walked in all three girls said, "There's MeeMaw and GRANDDAD!" It was a short play and entertaining! When we hugged everyone and left - we went home and went back to bed!

Our friend, Brenda, has lost another family member.

She lost her mother last year, her father in February and now the brother who was just two years older than she. Her husband lost his day last year. She and Billy are such good people and they have suffered one loss after another. We went to the visitation for her brother tonight.

Brenda's mom and dad would be very proud of her.

Stephanie brought over some delicious salmon and cauliflower tonight.

Mark grills a lot and everything he makes is excellent.

Stephanie is like a gourmet cook!

Talk a bout a good dinner!!

I forget what these bulbs are called but Louis Dean loves them and they are all blooming like crazy!

Right there along the edge of the 'jungle!'

The trumpet vine that is climbing up the telephone pole behind the gazebo was NOT blooming when we were out there last night but it was covered with blooms this morning!

As I was looking at all the plants and flowers - it dawned on me that we like old fashioned things and plants that are Texas hardy. Honeysuckle, trumpet vines, roses, latana.....Mexican heather and Texas sage.....pecan trees and Jasmine vines.

We have our work cut out for us over the next few weeks.
Louis Dean will be building - starting with getting the gazebo up and moving on to the decks.
I'll be taming the jungle and mulching the plants.
We work good together.
The seven sister roses need to be pruned back. Louis Dean asked me if I wanted him to do it.
I said, "No. I best do it myself."
I saw what he did to the photinia bush!!