A Plant and an IPhone

My favorite plant in the garden this year turns out to be this one. It's a Castor plant and I guess it's what they make castor oil out of. I started it from a seed that a friend gave me. All of the little red cotton ball looking bunches on top end up being the seeds so I guess if I'm not careful I'll have a whole yard full of castor plants. It's huge and is really sort of a tree. It makes these huge palm tree looking leaves and since I love it so much I have allowed it to shade pretty much half of my what is supposed to be a mostly sun garden.

I'm wondering if it'll die back or will it just stay there through the winter and continue to be a tree? I know, I could just google it, ask jeeves, or research it on some gardening website but I've decided to abandon technology and just do it the old fashioned way and wait and see. I mean, after all, we were perfectly capable of living our lives fairly successfully before the 80's when it all became "easier" because of technology. The other day I was in the grocery store searching for olive bruschetta to complete a new recipe I'd discovered. I found an olive spread and began to wonder what the word bruschetta actually means. So I asked a young mom who was shopping nearby. After thinking about it for a minute she whipped her iPhone out and looked it up. Which is fine! She didn't find out exactly what I wanted to know but her information did help me make a final decision so I was glad she could help me. But what if I'd had my own handy dandy internet in my pocket? Would I have engaged another actual person for help? Would I have made her feel needed and helpful because of my query? Would there have been actual communication between two (albeit a wide spread in age) moms going about the common task of making a home? Okay, maybe I'm being a little dramatic about the whole thing but I think the subject is at least worth a look and a thought.

In the meantime I'll watch my favorite plant and discover (the old fashioned way) the surprising and miraculous works of God in my garden.

Speaking of Bob........

..............HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! And since I posted 24 things about Kaylee on her 24th birthday I......well, I hesitated. You can probably guess why...lots more things! But it didn't take me long to figure out that with more years comes more things and I was running them off in my head lickety split so I decided to just do it (with a little help from Bob's parents for the earlier stuff). So, if you have a minute, take a look at a few things about my husband, Bob.

1. He was born on this day, October 28, 56 years ago.

2. He was a cub scout.

3. He wrote letters to his grandparents at only 4 yrs. old. His mom would spell the words and he wrote them.

4. He sang in the church preschool choir.

5. He is a sports enthusiast.

6. He's a plumber. (shhhhhh! don't tell anybody!)

7. He said "da-da" at 4 months old.

8. He plays the guitar (bass and acoustic).

9. When he was in high school Bob worked at a grocery store.

10. and at the city sewage plant.

11. and at a service station and garage.

12. and he hauled hay.

13. He also worked for the highway department during that time.

14. Before we got married Bob flew airplanes, had a motorcycle, and rode bulls.

15. As a boy he played football and baseball from little league and church league through high school.

16. He made the All-Area football team in high school.

17. His favorite pie is blueberry.

18. He usually reads two or three books during any given week.

19. Bob loves being up and about early in the morning.

20. He is my go-to-guy for all questions spiritual or Bible related.

21. Bob spent lots of time playing table tennis at the Ft. Smith Boys Club in Ft. Smith, Ark.

22. He lived in Ft. Smith till he was 13.

23. Character trait: Integrity.

24. Bob attended Ouachita Baptist University for one year after high school graduation.

25. While in Arkadelphia going to OBU Bob played Rugby and competed in Judo.

26. When in high school Bob was part of the high school choir as well as the Madrigals.

27. He loves to do the "little bear dance".

28. Character trait: fiercely loyal

29. Bob's worn a mustache almost since he could grow hair there. Hasn't shaved it off since.

30. Bob drove a '68 (I think!) Chevelle in high school.

31. He played on two or three different baseball teams at a time in the years before I met him.

32. He was an umpire. A good one too!

33. He was part of the youth choir at his church in McKinney.

34. He traveled with them to Puerto Rico. (how'd they get him to do that???)

35. On that trip a kid from FBC Dallas by the name of Robert Jeffress tagged along. He's now the senior pastor at that church.

36. Character trait: excellent work ethic.

37. Bob picked okra in junior high and bought his first guitar with his earnings.

38. He and a friend chased Big Foot in El Dorado, Arkansas.

39. Bob sings tenor.

40. He was voted "most talented" by his fellow high school seniors.

41. Graduated college around the age of 40.

42. He built trucks at Peterbilt for a few years before going back to college.

42. During his year at Ouachita he became friends with Mike Huckabee.

43. They fried biscuits in a popcorn popper.

44. Bob still owns a cell phone that isn't a camera.

45. His youth choir recorded an album.

46. He did a professional recording when he was in his early 20's.

47. Bob attracts bad customer service.

48. Bob's mom says he reminds her a lot of her dad, McCullah Wall.

49. His grandfather and great uncles were all named after Civil War generals from Arkansas. McCullah, Shelby, Price, and Marmaduke.

50. Bob is an example of what James talks about in the Bible when he instructs believers to "be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry".

51. When Bob was little his brother Don broke his arm (or something like that) when he and Bob were copying a stunt they learned while watching Andy and Barney on The Andy Griffith Show.

52. At Ouachita he was part of "The Singing Men".

53. Bob loves listening to Bob Wills music.

54. In Bob's bachelor days he says he stacked pretty much a wall full of Diet Dr. Pepper cans.

55. Bob makes a yummy batch of chili.

56. Under God, he is my protector, provider, and best friend. Happy Birthday Bob. I love you!

Bob the Builder

It's finally here! The brand new north Denton Walmart will have it's grand opening tomorrow and my husband built it! Well, I guess he had help but I like to think they couldn't do it without him.

I'm so proud of Bob's accomplishments with Roger's-O'Brien. He's built hospitals, shopping centers, churches, warehouses, office buildings, and even a Neiman Marcus. That one was fun for me because we were invited to the "gala" the night before they opened and it was faaaaannncy! Way out of my league but I tried to keep up.

I'm pretty sure that Walmart will NOT be having a gala affair but tomorrow is the big day! Bob's crew finished the Sam's and the Walmart in a record nine months and apparently they're pretty proud of themselves. And I'm proud too. Thanks for celebrating with me.

All Together--Part 2

Well, my smart niece Kathy suggested I do a side by side family photo comparison and it reminded me of one that we recently did, thanks to my smart sister Linda's great idea back then. It was about 2002 and Linda wanted to do a family portrait to celebrate Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary. So in addition to that we did this little comparison redo from a picture made back in.....hmmmmm........let's see.....that purple shirt with white polka dots (and don't miss the purple corduroy pants) I'm wearing was from about sixth grade so I must have been about 12 (deep into my Donny Osmond stage...hence the purple ensemble....it was his favorite color after all!) so that must have been about 1972. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong! (Don't even try to correct me though on D.O.'s favorite color! All the teen magazines said it was purple!) I think we might have been saying good-bye to Grandma Bibb on one of the many Sunday trips to Whitesboro. Actually, my favorite part of this picture (other than that great skirt Mom was wearing and all the dark framed glasses! LOL) is the little tiny portion of the great old blue van. Lots of miles spent riding on the warm motor in the middle of that thing. No seatbelts for us back then. Just lots of room, miles, and memories. But I digress!

So now that you've seen the shot from 38 (WHAT?!?!?!) years ago, here we are in 2002. I couldn't help but notice that several of us are much more healthy now in 2010 as we quickly approach our golden years! Way to go guys!

All Together

Well, it doesn't happen very often but every once in awhile the Walton siblings gather together to visit. Yesterday was one of those good days.

It was the annual Walton yard sale/family reunion/Whitesboro Peanut Festival so we all traveled from Bells, Denton, Houston, Little Elm, Colbert, OK, and even Pocatello, ID.

There's Dave, the oldest, who is the ultimate oldest. He's very intelligent, good at taking charge and knowing what's best to do in any given circumstance. He likes to kid but sometimes you never know if he's serious or not--he likes it that way. But when it comes to the nieces and nephews he's a real softy and will spoil them as much as possible.

Then there's Linda, the ultimate big sister. Always the organizer and planner, her ducks need to be in a row. Linda is very computer savvy and creative in that area, as well as in many others. One of my favorite things about my sister Linda, is that she can laugh at herself and is okay with making a mistake here and there. She just fixes it and moves forward, always learning and growing.

Roger is the next in line and it's anybody's guess what Roger is really like. He's very quiet and observes from the sidelines. He could be my dad's grandfather's twin and that's kind of eery. When we were little Roger would always come up with a creative game or complex activity. I think for him, the fun was in the planning. Roger has a kind and gentle spirit which is interesting since the rest of us tend to enjoy a good rousing "discussion".

Next is Suzi. Oh that Suzi, she's always providing drama and entertainment. Over the last few years she's become a traveling partner for me and she's a good one, always willing to try something new and go along with whatever everybody else wants to do, appreciating any and all experiences and opportunities that come her way. The older she gets the more she looks and sounds like my mom. Again, eery!

After me in age, comes Kelly. I personally think Kelly's the family glue! He was somewhat of a surprise for my mom and dad when they found they were expecting him but I can't even imagine what our family would be like without Kelly. He's funny, interesting, and gets along well with everybody. Along with my sister, Linda, he's a computer geek and is always willing to help no matter what he's busy with. Kelly lives life with gusto, enjoying pretty much every minute and can make lemonade out of lemons better than anybody I know.

Oh, and that young man on the left? That's my dad--the patriarch of the family! What a character my dad is. Since my mom passed away five years ago I've gotten to know my dad a lot better and that's been such a treat. Dad is easygoing, intelligent, generous, optimistic, interested in any and all things children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and is just generally fun to be around.


So that's us in a nutshell (well, my nutshell anyway)! We've had lots of years together that's for sure. But they've been good years. After all, we're all still willing to be in a picture together. That's a good sign, right?

Don't Fence Me In!

I chose the title for this post because that's the song that came to my mind as we were winding down our visit to NYC. There are just so many people and buildings!! Even after three days I found myself looking forward to getting back to open spaces and good ol' Texas. BUT.......that doesn't mean that I didn't have a great time. And I wanted to share with you my favorite day. On Sunday we woke up bright and early and walked down 5th Ave. to Grand Central Station to purchase tickets and board our train to New Haven, Connecticut, stopping along the way to grab coffee and a little breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts. Here is Mimi, Lily, and me in front of Grand Central Station.

It looks like not very many people ride the train on Sunday morning but we were there early and made our way to one of the front cars. By the time we departed there were quite a few more people, including a motley crew of young people sitting right in front of us that were quite entertaining. This train wasn't as nice as the Amtrak we took in Colorado but it was comfortable enough for our hour and a half ride through places like Harlem, Fairfield, Conn., and Westport, Conn. Caryl Ann told us that Westport is home to such icons as Martha Stewart and David Letterman. Too bad we didn't have time to pop in and say hi!

On the flight to NYC the guy sitting next to me was an attorney and when I told him we were going to visit Yale he said that we really needed to go to a great little pizza place called Frank Pepe Pizzeria. Since he had attended Yale I figured he knew what he was talking about so as soon as we got off the train in New Haven Kaylee looked it up on her handy little IPhone and we were off. It was in walking distance and wasn't far from campus so we found it, enjoying the beautiful views along the way. Here you can see our delicious pizzas and birch beer. The bb tasted just like Root Beer but I liked it better.

Here are a couple of pictures showing the pizza ovens.

When we got to the restaurant at 11:30 we just walked right in but as we were leaving we realized just how great it was when there was a line forming around the corner and a man was in the parking lot monitoring and directing the cars. I'm glad we got there early because we had a scheduled tour at 1:30 and since we were walking, didn't have time to spare.

After leaving Pepe's we meandered our way past homes and churches as old as our country. It was such a privilege to see them and I would love to drive up there sometime and see more of that area. I think we had to walk about five or six blocks to Yale University and we got there just in time for our tour. From the first building to the last, I was amazed at the architecture, beauty, and history. But the whole experience was kind of a study in irony and contradictions. All over the place we saw proof that Yale's foundation was Christianity but most of the people inhabiting the buildings are non-believers. Our 21 year old guide stood on the steps of the chapel and talked about the diversity of the school and how, even though he's not Buddhist, he attends Buddhist ceremonies in that very building to destress or get in the zone or something of the sort. He even told us that the school motto is and always has been "For God, For Country, For Yale"........huh???? It's just so amazing to me how so many smart people can fool themselves, thinking they've discovered the REAL answer when the truth is surrounding them. In spite of this sad aspect, I savored the beauty and thought I'd show you a tiny bit of what we saw.

This is sort of a parlor that each "college" (I think that sort of means a dorm) has. I could just imagine the generations of scholars that "hung out" in that room. Can you believe that wood?

Right next to the parlor was this dining hall! Unbelievable! It's sure not like any dining hall I've ever seen in Texas.

The picture above and below are of the library. A great example of the Christian foundation. The windows had many pictures depicting stories from the Bible.

I was sad to leave the campus. We honestly could have spent a day looking around and roaming through the buildings and still not have seen it all. But we had a train to catch and so we found our way back to the station and then to New York City.

Monday it was raining but we did get to go on a tour of the NBC studios and then made a quick run through the New York Public Library before our plane took off for home. That library was another jaw-dropping place. Everything pretty much was marble and old wood! They sure knew how to do things up right back in the day!

It was a quick trip but it was lots of fun experiencing it with my family. Thanks to Caryl Ann, Mimi, and Lily for allowing Kaylee and me to tag along!

Live from New York! It's Saturday Night!

Kaylee and I finally made it hear after a delayed flight and a mix-up with our shuttle at LaGuardia. Caryl Ann waited up for us but Mimi and Lily gave up and fell asleep. I think we finally arrived at the hotel at about 1:30 a.m. Not a perfect way to start but we got right to sleep on the 25th floor of the Doubletree Hotel. The first thing I saw when I looked out the window was the Empire State Bldg. about three or four blocks away. Wow, what a greeting!

We spent today doing a lot of walking but that's what you do when you visit New York. We walked around Central Park and saw the musical, "In The Heights". We took the Staten Island Ferry, walked around Wall Street a little, stood in awe at the breathtaking Grand Central Station and rode the subway.....a lot!

Here are just a couple of pictures to show for now! The first is in Central Park and the second is where we had breakfast at a fun little deli/restaurant/grocery store. Taking in a little of the local fare! Nothing beats hanging out with my sis-in-law, fun nieces, and dear daughter