Sky Watch Friday

I took this picture in between snow showers yesterday.It would snow awhile then clear off.Then within another 30 minutes it would snow again.That went on all day.Reminded me of rain showers in the summer but these were snow showers in the winter.We ended up with 6.75 inches of snow from the numerous snow showers.

Please join us for Sky Watch Friday at :http://strollingthroughgeorgia.blogspot.com/

Finally A Decent Snowfall

I was measuring our snowfall this morning and had my camera with me so decided to take a picture to document how much snow we actually received.I'll need to remember to do that in the future.

I always measure the depth of the snow on the patio table on our deck.This morning it measured about 6 3/4 inches of snow.

I've been wanting a decent snowfall all winter and finally got it at the end of February.Our area is known to have heavier snowfalls in February and March.Last year we had snow in April for Easter.

This snowstorm has been rather odd.Yesterday it would snow for awhile then the sun would come out.About 1/2 hour later it would start snowing once again.Reminded me of summer rain showers but instead it was winter snow showers.

You're A Grand Old Flag

Today is ABC Wednesday and I have chosen FLAG as my word to illustrate.

I took this picture of a flag mural at the SALEM VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HOSPITAL located in Salem Virginia.My husband is a Viet Nam veteran and receives his medical care at that hospital.I had seen this flag mural many times and was finally able to capture a picture of it when I had my camera with me.We are proud of our flag and what it stands for.I will now share the lyrics of the song You're A Grand Old Flag written by George M. Cohan.

You're a Grand Old Flag
by George M. Cohan

You're a grand old flag,You're a high flying flag And forever in peace may you wave.You're the emblem of The land I love.The home of the free and the brave.Ev'ry heart beats true'neath the Red, White and Blue,Where there's never a boast or brag.Should auld acquaintance be forgot,Keep your eye on the grand old flag.
You're a grand old flag,You're a high flying flag And forever in peace may you wave.You're the emblem of The land I love.The home of the free and the brave.Ev'ry heart beats true 'neath the Red, White and Blue,Where there's never a boast or brag.Should auld acquaintance be forgot,Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

Please join us for ABC Wednesday:http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/

The Day After....

I just took this picture.Wanted to show that our snow has started to fall.We are now under a Heavy Snow Warning through 6 AM Thursday morning.I'll take more pictures as the storm progresses.

I'm a little tired this evening.Our 3 year old granddaughter did really well spending her first night with us and her first night ever away from both parents.She was so good for us.She went right to sleep last night and slept really well.Never acted like she was homesick so we know it work well with future sleepovers.

My youngest brother has been on my mind today since it was a year ago today that he passed away from lung cancer.Doesn't seem like it has been a year already.Hard to lose both a brother and a dad in the same year.My dad passed away the day after Christmas which was the 26th.How ironic that they both passed away on the 26th of a month ....10 months apart.

Winter Storm Watch

We are under a winter storm watching starting tomorrow evening.I am hoping that our snow will look like the above picture that I took last April.

This might be only our second winter storm watch this winter.We have had a few winter weather advisories but not much snow at all this winter.

I am hoping that we will get a nice measurable snowfall this time.I do enjoy snow.Last winter we got quite a bit of snow in March and April.

Isn't She Lovely

This is my 3 yer old granddaughter enjoying my salad at McDonald's.I eat a salad whenever we go to McDonald's.Our granddaughter's older brother loves chicken nuggets.We got our granddaughter a cheeseburger kids meal thinking that's what she liked.Wrong...she eyed my salad and that is what she wanted! I don't mind that in the least, since a salad is a healthier choice than a cheeseburger and fries.

Tomorrow starts a new chapter with our granddaughter.She will be spending the night with us for the first time.She will be 3 1/2 in April so we thought it was time for her to have some Nana and Granddaddy time.Her older brother who will be 7 in April spends the weekends with us.He isn't too happy about little sister spending the night with us tomorrow night.This is our idea.Wish us well.Hope she does well.Her big brother loves spending the night here and has never been homesick.

We are hoping that this will be a fun time for the three of us and that our granddaughter adjusts as well as her brother did being away from home overnight.I'll update on Tuesday and let everyone know how it went.

A Few Ponderings

I'm a little late writing in my blog.My grandson was on my computer doing things offline.After that, I had problems getting online.Don't know if it was an ISP problem or something my grandson did.I re-entered my log in name and password a few times and finally after a few hours I was able to get online.

For lunch we took our grandson to a McDonald's that has an indoor play area.This McDonald's is located about 12 miles from our house right off of the interstate.While waiting in line I struck up a converstion with the guy behind me in line.I noticed that he was there with a group of young people.I could tell that they had been skiing at a ski area about 40 miles north off us off of the interstate.I asked where they were from.He told me Georgia so I asked where in Georgia.They are from an area south of Georgia.I then told him that we had lived in Georgia.He asked where and I told him.Come to find out he grew up about 10 miles from the area where we lived in Georgia.We talked about how much that area had grown.Where we lived 23 years ago in Georgia was a rural area then.It now has its own high school!

Our grandson had a nice time playing with another boy in the play area.We had eaten so we sat and relaxed while our grandson played.A little bit later the grandmother of the little boy came over and asked us if our grandson could join them in their party for her grandson who was the boy that our grandson had been playing with.I thought that was very nice to include our grandson in their party.

We all had a very nice time at McDonald's today.

Fog On The Great Smoky Mountains

I took this picture in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee the summer of 2006.What an amazing site that was.It had just stopped raining and the fog had moved

in.The fog is how the Great Smoky Mountains National Park got its name.The fog looks like smoke.

Please join us for Sky Watch Friday which Dot hosts at :

http://strollingthroughgeorgia.blogspot.com/

Where I Grew Up

This week our Gina for the February Blog Writing Challenge asked us to write within this week about either where we live now or where we grew up.Since I won the prize in the drawing this past Monday I would like to take myself out of the running for the poll or drawing this week.

I have chosen to write about where I grew up.I grew up in both the city of Washington DC and the Maryland suburbs.It is easier to say that I grew up in the Washington DC area which covers both the city and suburbs.Our daughter and son in law went up to DC a few months ago and shared some pictures that they took.I have downloaded the picture of the Washington Monument and The Reflecting Pool.This picture is very appropriate since tomorrow is George Washington's Birthday.

I can remember climbing the stairs to the top in the Washington Monument when I was a child.For security reasons they no longer allow you to climb the stairs.There is a elevator that you take up.There was an elevator back then too but we found it more fun to climb the stairs.

I have so many fond memories of growing up in the DC area.I've been thinking about it more this year since this June it will be 40 years since I graduated from high school.That is so hard for me to believe but it is so.I graduated in the class of 1968 from Suitland High School which is located in Maryland right outside of the DC line.There were over 600 students in my graduating class.That is hard to fathom since the high school that my daughters graduated from here in our rural area had an enrollment of a little over 600 students.Our high school had an enrollment of about 2,200 students.Don't remember the exact enrollment.To tell you the truth I would have much preferred a smaller school.

I feel very blessed to have grown up in the DC area when I did.This was back in the 50's and 60's.We were able to play outside and come home when the street lights came on.It was very safe.It was fun to play outside with all of my friends.

I remember when I was around 13 that my sister who is a year old than I am and a few other friends would take the public transit bus into DC and do some sightseeing.We did that during our spring break from school.It was safe for us to do that unchaperoned.I have so many fond memories of going into DC with my friends.

I can still picture spring time in DC.The cherry blossoms blooming along with the Cherry Blossom Festival and parade.That was always a special time in DC.The flowers were blooming all over the city.That was a nice time to see the city since it wasn't too hot yet.The summers can be quite humid and hot.

The year I graduated from high school was a very turbulent year in DC.I believe it was May of that year when Martin Luther King Jr was killed.There were riots all over DC and buildings were burned down.Then a few weeks before my high school graduation Bobby Kennedy was killed.

There is so much to see in Washington DC.If you have never been there I would highly recommend going.I especially enjoy the Smithsonian Institute museums and they are free!

There is so much more I could write but since this has already long I will close.It has been fun thinking back on my years growing up in the Washington DC area.

Edward The Blue Engine

Today is ABC Wednesday.This is Edward The Blue Engine which is one of the Thomas The Tank Engine trains.

Here are some facts concerning Edward:Edward is an older engine and extremely kind:kind to small engines who get into difficulties;kind to big engines when they're rude or impatient;kind to coaches while he almost never bumps.

My grandson has quite a few of the Thomas trains so I thought I would tell all of you about Edward The Blue Engine for ABC Wednesday.

Mrs.Nesbitt hosts ABC Wednesday.Please join us at:http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/

Back To Basics

We are planning a trip to Disney World for this coming August.It is a great incentive for me to get back to exercising and eating more nutrionally.

I want to be able to enjoy myself and not mind all of the walking.What better way than to get back to exercising and eating better.

I am back to riding my stationary bike and doing strength training.I will do them on alternate days.Once our weather warms up for good I will be back to walking.

We are really looking forward to this trip.Hubby and I will be celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary in June.What a great way to celebrate all of these years together.We will be going with our daughter and two grandchildren.Should be a fun time for everyone.

The last time we went to Disney World was when our daughters were 7 and 6 and they still have fond memories of that trip.The one thing that they really remember was that our youngest daughter came down with chicken pox while we were there.She had a light case of them which weren't very noticable.Our other daughter came down with chicken pox two weeks later just in time for the 4th of July.

Look At What I Won!

What a pleasant surprise to find out that I am this week's winner of the February Blogging Challenge that Gina hosts at:http://ginaagain.blogspot.com/

Here is a description of the prize:Our prize for the coming week is a Hershey's gift box filled with yummy chocolate treats, a really cool silicone pan that makes brownies look like chocolate bars and a t-shirt.

I joined the challenge to give me an incentive to blog more often.I had slacked off some from blogging so I needed this push.I didn't even give it a thought that I would be a weekly winner.

Thank you Gina for hosting this challenge.It has been a lot of fun!

Windy Winter Day

Yesterday was such a pretty day that I spent some of yesterday afternoon outside with my camera.Took my camera with me since I never know what I might find.Saw this lonely dandelion.Since I am partial to yellow flowers I took this picture.I know it isn't a flower but I love the color,lol.

After such a pretty day yesterday the winds picked up.We were under a wind advisory for gusts up to 50 mph.I believe that prediction was quite accurate.We have been having quite a few windy days.Just a week ago today an area about 100 miles east of us had a lot of damage due to heavy winds.

Didn't see any kind of damage in our area when we took our grandson home this evening which is rather surprising.I am also thinking that we might experience heavier gusts of winds since we are on a hill and the wind blows down the hill.Just like we tend to get a little more snow up here on our hill since we are at a higher elevation than the area below us.

A Lovely Day

This isn't the best picture but wanted to show how nice it was today.Took this picture while going by a local college.It showed today's date and temperature which I thought was quite appropriate for such a pretty day.

Went outside this afternoon with my grandson.We picked up twigs and tree branches.A year ago today our area had snow so it is quite unusual to not have any snow on the ground in the middle of February.I even noticed my daffodils are peaking above the ground.I have a picture showing my daffodils blooming arond March 23rd last year.Wonder if they will bloom for Easter this year which is March 23rd.

Time to get out the Easter decorations and put the valentine decorations away.Seems too early to put them out but Easter falls the earliest it can this year.We are still having winter like weather in March.Really don't see much in the way of spring weather till late April and May.

Tomorrow is the Daytona 500.Can't wait.Hope Dale Earnhardt Jr.has a good race.

Sky Watch Friday

I took this picture while riding in the car last Friday.I like the way the cloud is behind the mountain.Interesting the way the picture shows the curve in the road.Thought the shadows on the mountain were quite interesting.

Please join us for Sky Watch Friday which Dot hosts at:
http://strollingthroughgeorgia.blogspot.com/2008/02/sky-watch-friday_15.html

Happy Valentine's Day

I want to wish everyone a very nice Valentine's Day.Hope it is a very special day for everyone.

Daisies are my favorite flower.My husband usually gets me a big bouquet of flowers or a special arrangement of flowers for Valentine's Day.This year I wanted a smaller bouquet containing my favorite flower.I picked this bouquet out yesterday evening before the flowers were all picked over.They only cost $5 and I love them just as much as a $30 arrangement or bouquet.

The thing I really wanted was a necklace with a heart.Found the perfect one when we were at the VA hospital the other day for my husband's doctor's appointment.It is exactly what I wanted and didn't cost much.The idea is that you can get what you want by looking around and not paying lots of money.The necklace will be even more special since it was bought at the VA hospital and my husband is a Viet Nam veteran.Hard to believe that it was 40 years ago that he was in Viet Nam.How the years fly by.

We will be celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary in June.Over the years I have received all kinds of Valentine's Day special gifts.Some years flowers have been delivered.A few years ago my hubby wanted the flowers to be delivered.We aren't too far from the florist.We were going out to dinner that evening.It came time to leave for dinner and the flowers hadn't arrived.He ended up going into the florist and picking them up and handing them to me.After that experience he no longer relies on having flowers delivered.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

ABC Wednesday...D is for DuPont

I'd been thinking about the letter D since last Wednesday.Was going to use the letter D for dog since I could show a picture of our dog Bub.

Thought I'd go another route.I chose the word DuPont since we are NASCAR fans and my 6 year old grandson pulls for Jeff Gordon.He got a Gordon jacket for Christmas.This is my grandson showing off his Gordon jacket.Gordon's main sponsor is DuPont auto finishings as you can see in the picture.Sorry the picture is a little blurry but wanted to show off my grandson's big grin.

Can't wait till the Daytona 500 race on Sunday.I am a Dale Earnhardt Junior fan.

I participate in ABC Wednesday which is hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt's Place at: http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/

A Favorite TV Show

This is a picture of a TV family who's show I really enjoy.The TV show is Jon and Kate Plus Eight.The couple have 7 year old twin girls and 3 year old sextuplets which means that they are parents of 8 children.

I can relate to the show since my grandson will be 7 in two months and my granddaugter is 3 like six three year olds on the show.

The show comes on Monday evenings at 9 PM here on the east coast.

Is It Only Monday?

What a busy day this has been and it is only Monday.Our older daughter needed help this morning.She had sent our grandson to school only be called by the nurse to have him picked up.He had a rash on his face which she thought might be a strep throat rash.We noticed that there was a rash on his face yesterday and he was complaining about itching all over.

Our granddaughter needed to be at the primary school for her special needs sessions with speech and an occupational therapy evaluation.She is 3 and small for her age.She has an attention problem and needs help with that and her speech.She doesn't say many words.Her brother didn't say much at that age either but you would never know it now.

We went over and stayed with our grandson while his mommy and sister were gone.When they got back we stayed with our granddaughter while her mommy and brother were gone to the pediatrician's office.

Our grandson has strep throat which really surprised us.He stays with my husband and me over the weekends.Our grandson never once complained about his throat hurting but he did act very tired.He is on an antibiotic and can return to school on Wednesday.

My husband has an out of town appointment with a doctor at the VA hospital tomorrow which means a day trip for us.Guess Wednesday will be our rest day.

What Should You Be When You Grow Up?

***You Should Be a Teacher***



You are patient, optimistic, and good at explaining things.You work well with all types of people, and you are a good role model.Success and positive outcomes are extremely important to you.You are both a good leader and instructor. People look up to and depend on you.

You do best when you:

- Can see the results of your work- Are able to teach someone a new skill

You would also be a good nurse or non fiction writer.

What Should You Be When You Grow Up?http://www.blogthings.com/whatshouldyoubewhenyougrowupquiz/

Decorated Tree Update

The other day when we passed the tree we noticed that a guy was walking away from the tree and carrying a ladder.I noticed that more hearts had been added around the big heart.We had to go by the tree again after running our errands so I took a closer picture of the tree.I was hoping this picture shows the added hearts and it does.

Sky Watch Friday

I took this picture last fall as we were taking a ride looking at the fall colors.I love the clouds in the picture and the lovely shade of blue of the sky.

Looking More Like Valentine's Day

This is a picture of a heart decorating a tree here in our town.The owner of the house decorates the big tree for each holiday.Made sure I got a picture of the heart.Want to make sure to take pictures of the tree all year long to depict all of the ways it is decorated.

We are thinking that it will be decorated for St.Patrick's Day next or she might skip that and decorate for Easter since it falls only 6 days after St.Patrick's Day.

Fond memories of fun Valentine's Day in elementary school came sweeping back when I saw the note that my grandson needs to take an old shoe box to school by Friday for an art project.Wonder what that might be used for,lol? I gave him a shoe box that I have so the tradition continues with one of my shoe boxes to be decorated for all of his special valentine cards. How well I remember when we decorated our old shoe boxes in elementary school for all of our valentine cards.That was back in the late 50's.Yes that ages me but it sure is nice to see that 50 years later the same tradition goes forth in elementary schools.My grandson is in the first grade and will be 7 in a few months.Hard to believe that half a century ago I was his same age.Sure doesn't feel like a century ago.

C is for CLOWN

One of the grandmothers dressed up as a clown for our grandson's kindergarten class Halloween party.The clown was the big hit of the party.

Spring Like Day

Felt more like a spring day today.Took this picture when we were out today.The clouds look as if it was about to rain.Guess I should explain that I was taking a picture of the mountain and got an added bonus of the dark clouds hanging above the mountain.No rain today.It turned out to be a very pretty day.Set a record high of 69.The sun came out for awhile but it was a little windy.Wouldn't mind a few more days like this but it will come to an end tomorrow.They are predicting snow for the weekend with lows in the teens.

The NY Giants Win!!

We noticed yesterday evening when we took our grandson home that there wasn't much traffic.We left to take him home a little after kick off.Saw a few cars speeding.Hubby mentioned that they were probably in a hurry to get where they were going to watch the game.

Our area was quite excited about the super bowl since a local guy is a rookie on the Giants team.Ahmad Bradshaw our native son had a good game and the Giants won.

A Book I'm Reading

I am almost finished reading the book It's All About Him Finding The Love of My Life by Denise Jackson.

I have really enjoyed the book.Since I am a country music fan I was interested in the breakup of Alan Jackson and his wife Denise Jackson.The book is about the couple's breakup and how they got back together.It is about the ups and downs of fame.It is a very inspiring book.

Groundhog Day

Don't have a picture for Groundhog Day so I won't post a picture with this post.

It was a very pretty sunny day here.Needed such a nice day after the two previous wintry day.A local college Concord University has a groundhog who goes by the name of Concord Charlie.I haven't heard the official word but I am pretty certain that Concord Charlie saw his shadow which means 6 more weeks of winter.That doesn't surprise me one bit since last April brought us snow.Seemed like winter even after spring had arrived.

Our 6 year old grandson was all excited about Groundhog day since he loves to celebrate all of the special days.President's day will be coming next and he's disappointed that they have school that day.

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl.We are pulling for the Giants since a local boy is a rookie on the team.We are in a rural area and the school where Ahmad Bradshaw graduated along with our daughters only has 600 students.One third of the student enrollment either participate in football or the band during football season.As you can see football is very big in our area and to have one of our own on the Giant's football team is a BIG DEAL.

Icy Morning

We woke up to ice every where.It will be short lived since the temperature will rise to 40 today.Not too safe to drive yet so schools are closed once again.They were closed last Friday due to the snow and bitter temperatures.

I took this picture after I let our cat outside.He goes out for a short while but was ready to come back in.He sat there like he didn't know what to do and he didn't know what to think of the icy ground.

Been taking it easy this week.Didn't even realize that I hadn't blogged for over a week.Thanks for checking on me.Our snow is melted and I am so disappointed.I love the look of snow on the ground.The bare ground looks rather gloomy to me.

The Super Bowl is this Sunday.Our area is rather excited since a rookie player on the New York Giants team is from our area.His name is Ahmad Bradshaw.He graduated from the same high school that our daughters attended but they were already out of school by the time he was in high school.He was a great player on the high school team and is now showing the New York Jets how good he is.We are pulling for the Giants to win.