Saturday, June 6, 2020

Friday in Fort Worth!

It was like old times - in some ways!
For years and years I spent every Friday in Fort Worth.
First I would take Mother to the beauty salon and then go do errands until she was done.
We would go out to eat and maybe do a little shopping.


This pic was taken 6 years ago when we took Mother to IHOP for her birthday.
Memories......


Today was the first time I have seen my siblings since late February.
It seemed much longer than that.
Nita is off on Fridays now and she hosted a sibling luncheon and I arrived early!!
I know! GASP!!! Shocking!


It was so good to see Nita and Mike's amazing home again.


There's always so much to look at!


I had to try out their new swing!
Zero gravity and so comfy!
I showed Louis Dean pictures of it this evening and he told me to order TWO!
One for here and one for the ranch!
It comes with a canopy but they took it off so they can sit out there and look at the stars.




It's perfect, isn't it??

Nita and Mike have the BEST neighbors and Sheryl and Byron will tell you THEY have the best neighbors!


It was such a pleasure to take a tour of Sheryl's gardens.


She is a master gardener.


Not one garden but many!


You can see what huge yards Nita and Sheryl have.
When they built fences last year - they chose privacy fences all around them except for between the two yards. Nita and Mike love to look over the fence and even placed their swing so they can see the gardens.


My photos do not do justice to Sheryl's work.



She has sitting areas that follow the shade.



What a treat to get to wander around her back yard!

Time for lunch!


 Good food! Good drinks! And really good to be together!!


 Nita made Taco Salad with the best taco sauce and diced mangoes on the side.
They added the perfect zing!


She had mixed up a small pitcher of margaritas that just hit the spot!


I brought dessert!
Cake with mixed fruit and whipped cream.

No one was in a hurry and we enjoyed every minute and every bite!
Deanie couldn't come but we caught up with her on Face Time so she joined us after all right there at the lunch table.


Just a few more pics together before the party was over.


Lonnie refers to Michele as 'my beautiful bride' and she certainly is!

I went over to Fort Worth early to shop for Lillian some treats and Nita had done the same thing the day before so we had several bags of goodies to take to the nursing home.
I had called the director last week and worked out the details and then called again before we left to go over there this afternoon. I talked to someone in the office and she said we weren't allowed to bring food in....however, I told her that we had already been approved to do that very thing.
We left the bags in the foyer. When we left, the attendant retrieved the bags and sprayed everything with Lysol. I told Nita I hoped they would take them to her and when I called Lillian to come meet us at the glass door for a visit, the lady was bringing all the bags in her room and asking if she needed help putting things away. That made me feel better. Nita and I sat in the car with the AC on for a few minutes while they put stuff up. It was 97 degrees in Texas today. The heat begins.


We met Lillian at the locked glass door to her hall and did our best to talk through the glass.
I had meant for us to talk by phone but Lillian was so excited she forgot and left hers in the room.


Lillian had given me a short list of things she would like so I had bread, lunchmeat and cheese, chips, cereal, breakfast bars, and snack stuff and toothpaste. Lots of snack stuff! Honey buns, cinnamon rolls.
All the things that are not so healthy but at this point - who cares? It's the one joy Lillian still has - she loves her sweets. Nita told her, "Linda brought you FOOD but I brought you CANDY!"
She sure did! A hefty sack chock full of it!
We all felt better for having seen each other and I assured Lillian I would be back before she ran out of goodies!


I came home to a happy husband!
He felt better than he has in days and was finishing up a project!
Now he has a light on the fence for when he's loading or unloading the truck in the dark.
I was happy to see my yard guy here!
He has mowed twice when we were either not home or at the ranch.
So today I owed him for three mows and extra for trimming some bushes last time.
I told him we are out of town some and I could leave him a check or mail him one.
He is such a nice guy. He said no, no, just when you get back. Is okay!
I really like him! He's been doing our yard since August 2012 when we moved to Katy, Texas for 7 months. Sometimes he's mowed 5 or 6 times before we catch up with him.
And he kept mowing. You don't find people like that every day!
He does a fine job edging and mowing and trimming some bushes but he doesn't do the cleaning out of flower beds and such as that. He does blow the leaves in the fall. 
I can still do the beds but it takes me awhile. When I can't do it anymore, I know a service I can hire to do just that part because I will always use my 'yard guy' for the lawn.
Do you know I don't know his name?
He's from South America - not Mexico but farther down.
I had his name and number in my phone - the one I dropped in a 5 gallon bucket of white paint.
It starts with an 'F'....I will have to go online and look at the check to see how he endorsed it.
It's not right to not know his name.
Maybe I can get his phone number again!

This was such a special day for me!
I was given four treasues and it's not even Tuesday!


Judy gave me this cute ceramic mold.
I just love it!


And LOOK at this!!!
My friend, Debbie sent me a picture and a text - do you want this???
Of course, I did and Louis Dean went right over to pick it up!


Brenda left these two pretty frames on the porch for me today.
They are already hanging in the guest room.
I will paint some still life florals to replace the prints sooner or later.
They look pretty as they are!


And Sheryl sent me home with lots of seeds!
WITH the name, planting instructions and notes.
I have such wonderful friends!
Thank you, ALL!

It's been busy since I got home. Laundry and housework.
We are getting ready to have the Bell kids for the weekend so I had some preparing to do.
The kittens are doing so well and so so far, they have been confined to the guest room which is soon to be occupied by three 8 year old girls. The 8 year old boy opts to sleep on the chaise in the living room.
AND since the guest room was a mess of all things kitty - I had some cleaning to do!
I loaded the water pistol and began their training tonight.
No more walking on the dresser and knocking the lamps over.
Once squirt and they got down. 
I hope they are quick learners. 
Louis Dean put cardboard in the kennel we bought and set their beds inside of it.
The kennel is in our bedroom and I covered it with a cloth.
So far the kitties are sleeping fine.
We can left them back in the CLEAN guest room in the morning.
They are going to get a lot of attention this weekend!
But at night they can sleep in the kennel in our room.

It is really late but I was so excited about this day that I wanted to write about it before I go to bed.


Today was a truly BEAUTIFUL day!

Y'all pardon me for scooting out of here and going on to bed.
I didn't proof this journal entry yet but I will check it out later.
Now that I am printing up my blog into books - I see the need to make sure I proof read them first!

15 comments:

Bluebird49 said...

You have had another very busy couple of days, busy girl! I am so glad Louis Dean is better and that you saw Lillian and she got loads of goodies! She's so blessed to have you and your family. I'll be glad when it's safe for her to get hugs again. Hugs are the best for the elderly shut-in...and for all of us. 💕💕
I know you will have a full wknd, so I don't know if you will have time to post. I also don't know if there'll be quad pics, but they are the cutest things. The kittens will love them.
How's lunch looked so good. Ed doesn't eat tacos, so I never have them.

Kathy said...

You had a really wonderful day. I can't imagine how you fit everything in. The lunch at Nita's looked so good. And I love those swings. I'm glad you got to see Lilian I am so missing the ladies at the Nursing Home where we used to have Bible Study on Monday. I can't wait until we open up enough that we get a chance to see them again. Have fun with the quads tomorrow. Or maybe it's today?

Susie said...

Linda, It was so good to see the old pictures. I miss your mom , Pauline. Good to see your family and Lillian too. It is going to be wonderful having the grands over this weekend. They are going to be a big help to you while they are there. They are not babies any more. Makes me nuts how quickly time gets away. LD just isn't happy unless he is working. What a man. :) Nice idea to have a light to unload the groceries and such.. Give my love to all. Blessings, xoxo,,stay safe, love, Susie

Vee said...

How wonderful to see your sisters and brother and their spouses. February was a long time ago. And I am so glad that you had that little visit with Lillian. My thoughts on nursing homes being shut down...well, I'll keep it to myself, but I know you can imagine. I know that you folks are like angels to Lillian.

That swing looks very comfortable. I am sure that I could take a happy, little snooze in one like that.

Hope that you see all the gang again before another four months goes by. 🌿☀️🎣🌸🎣☀️🌿

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

How wonderful you got to see your family. It seems like I haven't seen my sister in forever and I miss her. This weekend sounds like lots of fun too with the grandkids coming over. The children and the kittens together should make for lots of fun.Enjoy !

Shirley said...

Linda, I am so glad that you got to see your family. It is a special time for all of us to be with family. I am hoping to see all of my brothers and sisters the first Sunday in August. It really hot here after two stormy nights. I always enjoy reading your journal. Have a great day. Hugs and Prayers your Missouri Friend Shirley.

Arlene G said...

So glad you got to see your siblings and Lillian. I do remember the Fort Worth Fridays. I know you will be busy with the grands this weekend. What fun...glad LD is feeling better. They need Granddad to sing and read with them.

photowannabe said...

Delightful !!!
Your days are so full of love and fun.
I'm so glad you could see your family again and Lillian too.
Glad also that you got permission to bring goodies to Lillian. this must be so hard on her.
Happy to hear LD is feeling so much better.
Love your shot of him on the ground working at what he does best.
Enjoy the quads this weekend.
Sue

Ginny Hartzler said...

Your mold is way too pretty to use!! I know you made Lillian overjoyed, this must all be so hard on her. I agree, let her eat all the treats she wants! If they haven't hurt her before, they sure will not now at her age. And what other pleasures does she have, not any probably. Nita's place is amazing, like e pop culture museum. But I shudder to think of having to clean it all! She must have even more energy than you! I'm so glad Louis Dean is much better!!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

What a wonderful day you had! I think we could all use some happy times like that...the sooner the better! Hope you have a good weekend and get to take a few minutes to relax! Oh and I love those swings! How fun is that!

Carole said...

Do you think a water pistol would work for an older cat??? I might have to give it a try ... would have to visit the 2$ shop for the pistol... Cheers

BeachGypsy said...

My goodness my green eyed girlfriend---you stay busy!! LOL Enjoyed this post. Their (nita's) house looks SO FUN.......LOTS OF fun things to look at, lots of collections it looks like? Hope you're having lots of fun with the kids this weekend!! they will sure keep y'all busy. Have a great time and enjoy the kitties too! Glad Louis Dean is feeling better and how is Summer doing?

Wanda said...

What a fun time with your family. I remember all your visits with your sweet mom. Know you miss her. What wonderful swing chairs. I can see you in one at the ranch...start gazing. Have a good rest of the weekend. Love you.

Rain said...

Hi Linda :) Fun post to read, I love those zero gravity chairs! They look so comfy! Sheryl's gardens are just lovely. I'm so glad you had a fun visit, wow on that taco salad, ooh lala!! :) It's so nice of you to bring Lillian all of those goodies and your good company even if it's through glass. I'm sure there is a lot of loneliness in those homes these days. I hope the spray bottle works on the kitties. Our cats are fast learners, but very stubborn and I can't seem to get them off the counters. I'm trying to live with it, but they do knock a lot of stuff over!

Donna said...

Linda, you have more fun than anyone I know! So happy you got to spend time with family. Glad Louis Dean is feeling better. We have to listen to our bodies and rest when it says "enough!". I have been wondering about Lillian and how she is. I will have to tell my daughter Erin that you are using a squirt gun to train your kitties. She has done that with every cat she has ever had. We have a large soaker squirt gun and use it on the chickens when they squabble or one is beating up on another one.