Happy Birthday Daughter-in-love!

2010 Begins

I believe it is fitting that I should start this new year with one of the greatest gifts of the year, a snuggie. Paul gifted me with this one and said that since I am part "cat", I needed the leopard colored snuggie. So true. Here I am reading my book that was a gift from Andrew. This is almost a perfect picture. I dream of the day when I can sit here, in my snuggie, reading a book, to Granddaughter.....perfect

Happy Birthday Little One

Miss W turned one this week, how did that happen so fast? I like this picture of her sitting in the rocking chair on our back porch. She looks like a tiny princess sitting on a giant throne. Blessing to you little one. Nana

Murphy Reunion

Paul, Mom, Dad, Walter, Martha and I went to the Murphy Reunion this year.

After church we toured Murphy Cemetery. Helen was the tour guide and told us stories about Murphys and others from Sevierville. Paul and I carefully uncovered James C Murphy's dedication stone. This was once mounted on a building in town and was moved to the cemetery when the building was demolished.

Inside Murphy Chapel

Many Murphy's meeting at Murphy Chapel

I have enjoyed meeting my Murphy Cousins. Plans are already being made for the next Reunion. Will you attend?

beach

Some folks felt crabby at the beach

Gma introduced me to sunrises

Oh look, here comes a merman!

Chris and Laura showig the love

Gma and Gpa over looking the world

Uncle Andrew getting in some last minute hugs

What a beautiful family

The beach trip is over but the memories and pictures are here to stay

July 4th Party !!!

Visit to Fred

Paul and I had a wonderful visit with Zach, Stacy, and Wendy last weekend. They shared their home, took us on several tours of the city and let us play with "Baby Girl". What a joyful time.

Newport lunch lady

 

Sitting

 
on the back porch, waiting for visitors

Man in the garden, Mom by the pool, Men showing off their muscles, all is so Cool

The Garden is Growing

Check out this view from my window, compare this to the snow view!

100% chance of weather today

Train Ride!

Paul surprised me with a trip on the Three Rivers Rambler railroad. This is a 90 minute ride from downtown Knoxville, along the River Front. So much fun. At the end of the trip I was given a golden spike with Happy Birthday written on it's side. After the trip we called Sam and Andrew and met them at Calhouns on the river. Yum

The process to change the yard into a garden is shown in this photograph.
First you have a green yard. The grass has to be scraped lose with a spade. The soil is so hard, being packed clay, only a little can been done each day. Paul with Andrew's help, scraped and scraped, for weeks. Whew!
Second, the clay has been turned with the tiller.
Third, any compost plus bags of top soil and leaves are dumped onto the soil.
Fourth, garden area is 'turned' again with the tiller
Fifth, all the sod, good or bad, must be moved. We made a pile of the small pieces, but I moved the rest of the 1000 sq ft of sod to the front yard where it was replanted.

Playing in the Dirt

Paul and I decided to turn a portion of our backyard into a Veggie Garden. We know that we need to establish this space now, while we are still on our feet, so that when we are 80 years old, we can just poke holes in the soil with our canes and drop in seeds. This was the idea in March . This picture shows the clean slate. I wish I had kept up with the blog, showing the stages, but I have been outside since March. Playing in the DIRT!

Who are you? And where have you been?

This is a question I have been asking myself since last week when I met the lovely Dept of Motor Vehicles ladies. Apparently for 31 years I have been committing fraud when I filled in forms. Also, I am not married as their computer still shows my maiden name. Now, I must figure out my "real" , or "legal" name and make all my documents match.
So where have I been? In the closet. I have a file cabinet with mysterious content, files with labels that I once thought perfect , that now no longer make sense. In "Pack Mtgs" I found my birth certificate. Copies were also in two other files. My favorite file so far is the "Rose's Cool Stuff" Being a professional pack rat, I have kept membership cards from all kinds of adventures. What is fun is to see my name morph from Janet, to Janet Rose, to Rose, Rose B, Rose Burka Whalen. I have been trying to decide which of these names is the "legal" me.
In the South, we ladies love to keep our maiden names as our new middle name when we marry. Soooo why couldn't I be Janet Rose Burka Whalen. Well, oh no, not at the DMV or the SS office. My favorite quote I have heard in my visits to six offices is, "You can have as many names as you want, but you can only have one first name, one middle name and one last name" Somehow the math doesnt add up. Infinity does not equal three.
Today I took documents to the SS office again for the third time, used a little "blonde attitude", some southern charm, and a lot of prayer and along with a pile of documents. I sat as still as possible, so as not to distract the clerk and spook her into another denial. She looked at my passport, DL, marriage certificate, UT id card, my current SS card, my first SS card, my jury summons, and a letter from UT. and then. She said "OK!"
Next installment in this sage will be in ten days. DMV ladies, I will get a new license, like it or not!

PaulandIandAndrew,

PaulandIandAndrew, have been working out the grand " garden" theme in the backyard. String, stakes, and pretend knowledge of balance according to some oriental ideal which I can say, but not spell, so it is missing, have created a space where this drama will be played. Andrew has lent his body, on two seperate days, to be a scraper of the sod. He also allowed his father to tie him up and dangle him over the edge of the two story house, reattaching the gutters. I borrowed Andrew for a few minutes and had him put up the Christmas boxes. This empty nest sometimes needs a visit from a son. Thanks Andrew
About 1/2 of the garden has been prepared, the rest lies under the grass. The lines have been moved several times as backs and knees have yelled to us, Enough is Enough. I have moved sod to cover an area in the backyard that has never had grass since we have lived here, over 25 years.

Maybe there is a reason.......we do live close the Oak Ridge.....

#2

'Since God himself cannot change the past, he is obliged to tolerate the existence of historians'. - Attributed to Samuel Butler

# 1

Set Goals, not resolutions

Springtime

I really enjoy that picture of my shoes and the snow. Maybe I should call that picture cold rose toes. I have been trying to work in the yard and have completed a few garden projects. We still do not have all the machines up and running and that is frustrating. The tiller, two mowers, and the weedeater are down and out. The large mower has been fixed and I had my first mow of the season yesterday. While I am waiting for the machine repairman to complete all repairs, I have been taking up the bricks in the patio and digging out roots. It will be a very long project I am sure.
We will really miss having all the guys living here this summer. They all payed rent by keeping the yard mowed and lifting heavy boxes. The boxes full of Christmas decorations are still sitting on the garage floor and the grass is tall. We want to put in a very large veg garden this year. We know it will be harder and harder to garden as we get older so we want to get it right this year. The guys will have to help with the tiller and hauling away all of the grass. It is too big a job for the two of us. It will be rough, but the reward will be great. I will relocat any useable sod to the front yard to stop the erosion. Our yard has changed from a lovely green lawn to a moss, clover, and crabgrass patch. Paul and I raked and raked the moss in the front yard and have replanted grass. We hope it grows. I want to create an 80 year old's yard. One that is easy to mow, when I am 80.
The blueberry bushes are in full bloom and full of bees. Yummmm blueberries....

Where have I been?

Well, I have a confession to make. I have been visiting facebook and have neglected my blog. Facebook has been fun,I have heard from old friends and connected to local friends as well. It was fun UNTIL, facebook changed. In an attempt to improve the facebook exerience, the program has managed to become more influenced by commercials, and not be set up in a way that expediates navigation. Their plan to improved the site by implementing more layers have made the experience less appealing. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact difficulties in navigation.
I could go on, but this would only generate more fuming, and to the end, not influence the Facebook site one bit.
So where have I been? I have been on a long Winter journey, some of my own making, some influenced by outside controls. It had it's purpose but now must end.

Now to Spring

Let it Snooooow

Chillling with Uncle Andrew

Chilling with Uncle Andrew.....

I pray for you.....

I look at this picture and know that no matter how much I love these three, God loves them oh so much more. I pray for you all. God will protect you, God will guide you, and God will bless you... now and forever

ah family time

Zzzzzz zzzzz zzzz, " too much family time...must sleep"

Happy New Year Little Family

I have been thinking of this new year, with all it's old troubles, dragged into our lives, bad news , uncertain economics, a world that is losing it's moral compass, then, THEN, I think about this new little family. They bring sunshine and love into so many lives. Being with them you can gaze into their eyes as they look at this little lady and see all the good and beauty that is still all around us. So much love between the three of them, how can all we who know them not say....Happy happy new year, and thank you for showing us what it is Really all about...

love you

HAPPY New Year......

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