Sunday, July 16, 2017

A Walk Through the Neighborhood.....

Friday has long been Mother's Beauty Shop Day! For years I would drive to Fort Worth every week and drop her off at the salon, go on errands while she had her hair done and then take her to lunch when she was finished. We did a portion of that old routine yesterday. Normally she goes in the morning, but a lot has changed now that she is with me. The stylist, Im Sun, comes in the shop at 2:30 so Mother was 'so excited' when I told her it was time to get her hair done!


She got color this time - a cut last week. 
K Hair and staff were sweet to Mother and she enjoyed herself.


I took advantage of the opportunity to shop Walmart for yarn for my knitting projects.
I find it calming to sit and knit a row or two and when Louis Dean asks me to come in and listen to some music on his Rift Station (he still can't play the guitar until his injured thumb heals) knitting helps keep me in the chair for up to 4 or 5 songs.


Mother and I have taken to eating lunch together in the kitchen and at night I take her a tray in bed.

This morning I woke up to rain. If I had known, I wouldn't have stayed up till midnight watering.
It was 10:00 and when I opened the door, I found that I was the only one up. Louis Dean had gone to bed at 8:30 last night and got up before 7:00 so I assumed he was out and about doing his projects. No, I found him sound asleep in the den. Mother was still in bed so I turned on all 3 coffee pots and started the laundry. LD and I sat in the gazebo listening to the rain while we did our devotions. Once the rain stopped, I put on my Skechers and walked the 1.7 mile snake that is our neighborhood.
If you turn left at the end of our driveway and keep walking on the sidewalk, it will bring you right back in front of our house on the other side of the street.

It's been awhile since I walked the neighborhood. I noticed quite a few changes.
Some homes boasted new solar panels or an expanded front porch with lawn furniture. One had a fancy grill under a new pergola. Some homes had personalities and you can get a glimpse as to the kind of people who live there.


Others are neat and tidy but no personal charm.


I've always loved these tall pine trees. 
I've been walking here for 50 years and have watched them grow.


One of the homes I admire. They have kept the lawn nice and always plant flowers every spring.
They recently put up a new fence, I noticed. The 'He is Risen' cross and 'We Back the Blue' are small signs of who lives here.


One of my favorites!!
The couple is from the Philippines and the lady is a gifted gardener.
You can see they have embraced being Texans now by the Lone Star on the front of the house!

Some changes were good and some are sad.......


This was one of the loveliest homes on my walk.
A wonderful older couple lived here and took such good care of their home and their yard. 
Another older couple - who still lives across the street - were good friends with them and I would see them crossing the street with a big bowl of popcorn on Sunday afternoons to watch football games on TV together. The new owners were not caretakers of their new property - which was in the best condition at the time. Now the house is vacant and apparently greatly damaged inside.


Another favorite that makes my heart sad. This place was just filled with love and charm. They had enclosed the front porch and filled it with colorful plants and a small love seat. The owners had added a huge two story addition to the back and redone the kitchen. It was a great house. Empty now and lonely looking. Most of these houses were built in the late 1950's. Mine was built in 1959. I was 11 years old then. I bought it in late 1966. It has aged a great deal as all the houses have. We have given it uplifts here and there and try to keep it up to date as best we can.


While I was taking photos, I accidentally flipped the screen and took my own pic.
I kept it as it made me realize I am thinking about growing older and aging and how sad that can be sometimes. I hope and pray I can do a good job of it and - I am being honest with you and with myself - I sincerely pray I do a better job of it than our mother has.
As I age, I want to be kinder and wiser than I was in my youth and I think I have learned from my mistakes and grown in character over the years.

A dear blogging friend just lost her husband of 57 years this week.
Mr. Sweet was what she called him and he was a sweet man.
As I read his obituary this morning, I thought, 'He did it right!'
I hope I do.

Louis Dean and I love this song by Willie Nelson.....As I walked this morning, I thought about the words and changed  'drove by' to walked by!



I fixed a breakfast/lunch meal for us as soon as I came in.
Louis Dean had gone off on an errand so we ate in the kitchen together.



I can't understand Mother and she can't hear me so we eat in silence.
We smile, though.

Okay! You can tell I've been feeling a little on the melancholy side so this afternoon I did something to cheer myself up! First, I cleaned. That always helps but here lately I've even lost interest in doing that. Glad I recovered as my kitchen needed my attention!


The other thing I did was haul out some of my sunflower stuff!!!
I put all of the patriotic things away and fluffed, cleaned and semi-decorated a little bit!


I thought I had kept all the sunflower debris close to the front of the storage area... 
but I guess it got displaced when Louis Dean piled some Christmas trees in on top of it all.
Never fear! I dug until I found some!


This is a new wreath I found at Goodwill!


Next year I am going to HAVE to clean out the ENTIRE storage building so I have room enough to organize things better.


So this is my blogging place tonight!
It's been a mixed bag of emotions the last few days but we are on the right path and doing the best we can.



13 comments:

Ginny Hartzler said...

I love this song and have never heard it before. I can imagine with your mom there now, you will be thinking too much and too hard. Plus bad memories. I have heard it said that we do not grant ourselves the same grace that we would grant a friend...in other words we are way too hard on ourselves, while forgiving others right away. I can see from your posts that you are doing the best job, far better than most daughters would!! I am not so involved, and can see from a distance that you are truly the best daughter, your mom is so blessed to have all of you as her children. Your block has a mixture of all different houses. Some wonderful and some sad. Our house was built in the 50's too! It is a three bedroom ranch with finished basement. Tell your mom that I love her outfit today and she looks really snappy in it!

Ginny Hartzler said...

I just played the Willie song for Phil, and we both sat on the couch and listened. So wonderful, and so appropriate for this post. Thanks. Sleep tight.

Kathy said...

Your post makes me think you and I are feeling the same way these days. I see things in my life winding down and I am not the young thing I used to be. You have lovely homes in your neighborhood. My house was built in 1925 as was most of the homes around here. Things happen in old houses. This has been a bad week for me -- car accident, my sister's dog dying, now the washing machine broken -- but I know I have a loving heavenly Father seeing me through. And I know you do too. I agree with Ginny, you and your family are wonderful children to your mother. You are all doing the best you can in these circumstances. Just sit back and enjoy the sunflowers. I wait until late August to early September to get mine out.

Bluebird49 said...

Thinking about you, praying for a brighter outlook, dear Linda!
Trudy

MadSnapper said...

I am listening to Willie and this is new to me. bob loves all Willie songs so he many know this one to. my mother was all things kind and gentle and never said an angry or mean word in her life. I am like my dad, total opposite.. the king gentle lady died at 63, the not so nice daddy lived to 93.. you are doing a great job of caring and so has your family.. my favorite house is the sad one that is last...

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

Continuing prayers for you as you walk this path with your mother. It's amazing to me that you've lived in your house your whole adult life! You've seen a lot of change there!

As we all are getting older, it's so good to keep our eyes on Jesus and to keep serving him daily. He will see us through!

Vee said...

And you really are doing a wonderful job of moving forward. God-confidence...that is what we need...to remember that He holds our lives and times in His hands and He Himself will see us through.

I love it when you bless your home. You are one of the best I know! I use Fabuloso because you told us about it. I fix my dinner plates as attractively as I can because you do. Yup. Just trying to be a copycat. I may be getting ahead of myself, though, because I just purchased some Pilgrims at Hobby Lobby. 🙃

Much love to you...Never forget: the best is yet to be...

Arlene G said...

I am with you in feeling a bit melancholy, Linda. I sat down yesterday and worked on my Smoky Mountain Christmas and it really helps me to process my feelings and calm down. I love the yarn you chose to knit with. I love the peaches and cream cotton yarn. I have used it for dish clothes and baby hats. I am not a great knitter or crocheter but it is very calming to me as well. I am off today to attend a house dedication for a friend of mine who got a Habitat for Humanity house. I am so happy for her and her husband. They are very deserving of this blessing.

NanaDiana said...

You know, I know the shoes you are in taking care of your mother. I had the same thing happen in my life and it can take the gumption right out of you. It is overwhelming at times. I need to write directly to you in an email, I think. God bless you- I understand. xo Diana

Susie said...

Linda, That Willie song almost make me cry. I go by mom's old house and remember "when". At times, it's like yesterday and at others a hundred years ago. You are doing more that most could or would, believe me. God knows, so it's okay dear friend. I have been looking forward to you decorating for fall...although , I am nowhere near ready for summer to wane. So, "keep your britches on Linda. " LOL Do you remember that saying? Today I am going to a baby shower...pictures later. Blessings to you and yours, Love you guys, xoxo, Susie

Linda said...

You will never look back on these days with fondness. The best you can do is indeed be gentle with yourself. Try to conduct yourself so you have no regrets, then let it go. It is what it is. I'm most anxious for you to get back to your countryliving and put this behind you. I wish there was something Deanie could do to give her a reset to a better space. This has been a long hard road for all of you.

Carole said...

Kia Kaha Linda - google it! It's Maori. Cheers

Ang said...

Sometimes our best is all we can do. Keep on keeping on Linda. Brighter days are on the horizon!