Honeysuckle Monday and Tuesday Treasures

I have developed the habit of taking my first cup of coffee with me in the mornings and touring my 'gardens.'

That's a fancy way of saying - I go out and look at my flower beds!

Monday was a little chilly and there was a light shower but I enjoyed my walk about.

I do so love honeysuckle.

It is a favorite memory from my childhood.

I cut enough to make a bouquet along with some fresh mint and rosemary.

I should cut some of my gargantuan parsley!

It is huge!!

I've also been making good hearty breakfasts!

They are served at noon but that works for us.

This one is rice cooked in my nifty rice cooker and bacon.

Everything taste better when you have bacon!

My Blog2Print book came in yesterday.

I did 2010 in two books but 2011 will take 4.

No telling how many I will have to print for 2012!

I spent a good part of Monday sewing face masks.

Since I am running out of elastic, I started using t shirt strings.

When I give these masks out - I try to include at least one of each - elastic and strings.

I'm afraid there was not much sleeping going on here at the Chapman's on Monday night and into Tuesday morning.  I was tired and went to bed before 10:00 only to be woken up at 2:00 AM!

Louis Dean couldn't sleep and got up and went in his music room where he was blasting out some Willie Nelson song! I thought, 'Oh, well......let him play on.'...except it got louder and louder!

I already had the ceiling fan and sound machine on in the bedroom and added my earplugs and I could STILL hear it.

I opened our bedroom door and shouted out - "It's TOO loud!"

He turned it down but by then - I was awake.

And I STAYED awake for another FOUR hours!

This morning I got up with barely 6 hours of sleep under my belt and still made breakfast!

I made egg, ham and cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread.

I knew Summer was having a hard time the last several days.

We are all in hunker down - cope and survival mode - but when you are in constant and severe pain - 

that looks and feels a world of difference.

Both Summer and Sherry (the amazing lady Summer lives with ) and Shanna (our cousin currently undergoing chemo treatments ) remain comstantly in my prayers.

It takes a lot of energy - mental, physical and emotional energy - to connect with other people and sometimes all you can do is use all your energy to just hang on to that thread that is holding you over the dark abyss.....

That's where Summer is.

I know this in my heart and spirit and it's confirmed when I do not hear from her.

I respect her need to use her energy where she needs it.

Rayne and Sabrina hear from her, I hope and if they do - it takes everything she has to make the visit seem more 'normal.' I am her mother. I do not need to be comforted or reassured.

I just need to know she is still hanging on.

So this afternoon I received a Marco Polo......

Summer is the most caring person I have ever met and she knew I needed to see her and hear from her. Of course her surgery to do the spinal cord stimulator has been postponed until this Clovid-19 crisis is over......but I pray Summer can hold on and God will give her some relief until she can have this surgery.

This is Tuesday and my Treasures arrived this afternoon on my front porch!

These are from my sweet neighbor, Tamara!

Just look at all those cute summer tops!

I am so thankful for my good neighbors!

While I don't know ALL my neighbors - I am grateful for the handful that I do.

Louis Dean has spent most of the last several days either in front of the TV or in his music room.

I marched into the den and gave him a few requests that got him out and in the back yard.......

and he found something else he could do!

This is a chunk of our old elm tree.

He tried to cut it up with his chain saw.

He had to repair that!

Then he used a wedge and it got stuck.

So he used something else and IT got stuck.

Tonight we had a campfire for the purpose of freeing the tools!

It worked!

Louis Dean was watching the activity on our Yaupon Holly Tree.......

It was buzzing with bees this evening!

That makes me miss the ranch even more.

Our new bees are to arrive this month.

I would so love to be there when they do.

I missed last year.

However, we are all taking life one day at a time.

A smile helps......