Strange Things

The first Saturday of the month, at precisely noon, the tornado siren west of here goes off--just a test.  They do it every month, starting in May and going through August.  Everyone in the park knows this.  Last Saturday at noon, the siren went off.  No big deal--right?  WRONG!

I heard yelling, looked out the windows in my computer room and Dar was running up and down her driveway yelling, "Tornado!  Tornado!"  I got up from my chair to go out and tell her--but then I saw Pearl's husband, Merle at the end of his driveway.  Dar ran over to him yelling and then...she stopped--he was talking to her and then, she walked back to her house.  That poor woman!!!

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You know what is really weird?  I don't think about Fred everyday--anymore.  It's been 17 months now.  I'm pretty comfortable living alone--except when severe storms come.

We have a donut shop in town that has been there since 1950.  Fred loved the place and really liked the owner.  Yesterday, I stopped at the donut shop--I had the "need" for a cream filled triangle.  When I went in the owner looked up and said, "Well, how are you? I haven't seen you in a long time!  Where's that hubby of yours? Did he give up sweets?"

I so wanted to say, "Yes he did---permanently", I have that morbid sense of humor.  But instead I went on to tell the owner that Fred had died New Year's Day, 2012.

He got such a look on his face and I noticed that my eyes were tearing up.  What's up with that?  Haven't I said those same words to other people that Fred used to do business with?  The car repair place, the car detail place, his favorite check-out person at Wal-Mart, the ophthalmologist?

and yet--my eyes teared up.  

I guess the knowledge of a loved one's passing never quite goes away?  The pain is there---just under the surface...and it comes out at the strangest times.

Oh--he didn't have any Triangles, but he gave me a free jelly filled Bismark.  
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Today was a perfect day to be outside and playing in the garden.  I put a new edge on the one by my steps--and cut back all the spring flowers--tulips and daffodils, got all the weeds out.  Had to raise the stepping stones as last May, the kids had covered them with mulch :-(.  The only thing--when I put a new edge on my gardens--they somehow get wider and wider,LOL

Many beautiful "gifts" from Fred--lilies coming up nice and big this year.  (Notice--the chair-- for resting :-) )

So--then I tested out my handy dandy green snaky-looking expandable hose today. What I like the most, is the light weight of the thing. I pulled it out to my veggie garden, then went back and turned on the water--the thing grew and grew! Nozzle worked good, but it is cheapo, so it will probably break, but I've got a nice one to use when it breaks. I turned off the water, opened the nozzle to get all water out of the hose and it started wigglying its way through the grass back toward the water connection. Kind of creepy for a person who has a snake phobia, but....it doesn't roll up into a nice coil like they show in the ad, but it is so light weight, you can do it and then...................... I like it!!!

When it started filling with water, it started expanding and looked like

a regular hose.

I just coiled it up and laid it on top of my hose reel thingie.

Pearl doesn't want one unless it coils back up to the hose connection, in a nice neat, coil.  HAH!

As I was coming back up to the front porch--glad I had my camera--I spotted a Yellow Swallow Tail butterfly on my Geranium.  I haven't seen a Swallow Tail in quite a few years.   It was a strange and unexpected happening!!

Another strange thing--I opened up Face Book when I got back in the house and there are pictures of my grand daughter Susanna hanging with the Little Big Town band members.  I didn't even know she knew these celebrities!  I wrote a comment that "Gramma is worried that you are with celebrities and you have on shorts that are torn!"  Hope she understands my humor.  I am sure the shorts and the beat up denim jacket were purchased new looking like that.

I am aching tonight!!  Hard to get up from my chair and walk--everything is stiff and sore.  BUT--tomorrow will be a day just like today--68 degrees and sunny--and I will be back outside, weeding and cleaning up my other gardens.

Thank you, God that I CAN do all this.  I am having the best time!!!