You want me to do WHAT??

Yeah, he's grinning alright. He's laughing because he saw my BIL and Big Sis approaching for a ride and he's thinking, "This is a joke, right??"

But NOOOO, Mr. Camel-man in his white dress and little red turban wasn't kidding after all.

This is an actual excerpt from the email Big Sis sent me about their camel ride: "Did you notice, the camel that we rode--when we walked up and started making pictures, it was like he was grinning for the camera. But you should have heard him when D sat down!!!! He looked around at us and GROANED!!!!! Like "You have GOT to be kidding me!!!! I'm suppose to GET UP with these two HIPPOS on my back???"

She said it, I didn't! LOL!!

Anyway, it looks like it's all well because the camel with his happy little hat on appears to be quite content carrying his, ummm, "load".

Now for the bonus pictures. Big Sis says she is seeing LOTS of baby camels right now. I guess it's that time of year.

They are coming home some time in June and I can't WAIT to see them!

uh, that's Big Sis and BIL are coming home. NOT the camels. :)

For JB

This is for you, my dear!!!!

We've picked on JB for a while now about his foot fetish.

Not that he REALLY has a foot fetish, but he's just fun to pick on!!


Well....this is just the beginning!!!

What's funny, is that after taking the sock off (ok, so it's chilly in here and I had my socks on), I went out with my trusty camera, then got fixated on the bees in the azaleas!! Sorry jb, but bees won out over my idea for taking pics of my feet in the flowers....

Sorry, jb, the bees were just really cool and mesmerizing.

But I love you anyway!!

And one last foot in the flowers just for you!!

LOL!!!

For My BFF G

For my BFF G:


Your azaleas are beautiful right now.

A carpenter bee was enjoying the bounty...

Can't help but wonder what's up with this strange half pink petal thing going on...

They are absolutely glowing in the sun.

I sure wish you were here...

They really are beautiful.

I miss you so much...

Memories of an Iris

I know I've mentioned how much I love my little place in the country. Right now, I am blessed by a tiny spot of brightness in the form of snow white iris in full bloom.

I cannot look at a white iris without thinking about my late husband, H. He loved to take pictures and one time, he took a closeup of a stark white iris and framed it and gave it to me as a gift. There was just something very simple and sweet about that little gift. He was very proud of the picture and it touched my heart that he wanted me to have it.

It's funny how little things will sometimes make me think of him. And miss him. He taught me so much in our short time (7 years) together. Besides being a great father to my child, he was the toughest, bravest, kindest man I've ever known. He's probably a huge part of the reason I have not had a successful relationship since. There will never be another H.

So, as I walked around this little clump of iris this morning and took pictures, I said a little prayer of thanks for the time I had with him.

And for the gift of the single white iris.

Wisteria

Wisteria, did you change your face again?


Those of us who loved you when, can't even find you.






Wisteria, did you lose another man?








Did you make him understand that he can't touch you?













Wisteria, did he take you to the fair?







Were the folks that you met there the same that we met?



Wisteria, did he teach you how to dance?





Did he bring you paper fans to hide your secret?



Was he just like all the rest when he got to the sad part?





Did he stay a bit too long to save his heart?



Wisteria, are your lips still lily white?


Do they still bloom just at night and die at sunrise?






Rest in Peace Dan Fogelberg

Recognize this face?

Of course you do! This is the infamous Charlie Daniels. I saw him at the Pearl River Resort last Saturday night. He puts on an awesome show!

I managed to get real close during the finale, which of course was "Devil Went Down to Georgia". But it's REALLY hard to get a picture of his actual face. Most pictures you see of him are exactly this. Head down, hat prominent, but you always know who it is. At one point, I did manage to catch him in profile while playing towards his guitarist.

He absolutely still rocks! He is an incredibly patriotic man, proud to be a redneck American. He brought me to tears more than once. When he played a tribute to our troops and I was sitting next to my nephew who is in the Air Force, I was bursting with pride. When he did How Great Thou Art in his very own special way, tears were streaming down my cheeks. Just thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes.

He may be in his 70s, but he never stopped, for over an hour and a half. Absolutely fabulous show. If you ever get a chance to go see him, do it. It's worth it. He is a true American treasure.

Coop's Big Adventure

We got to the hospital around 6:20 since we were told to be there at 6:30. Of course, there was a pile of paperwork to sign.

Then it was off to take some bloodwork, blood pressure and temp.

After that was done, it was back to the waiting area to do just that. Wait. And wait.

I'd been told that the doctor likes to schedule surgeries where he doesn't keep people waiting for hours. Actually, it really wasn't too bad. I was taken to the "holding area" around 8 and the fun began. First donning a really cool blue backless number and a snazzy blue cap.

The anesthesiologist came by, followed by the doctor (who is pretty darn hot I might add) and talked about what was going to happen. Then the doctor autographed my hip so he would remember which one needed the work done.

After another wait of half an hour or so, they wheeled me into the operating room.

Oh, and for the record, if there was ever a time when I know for sure what my name is and my birth date, it is now. EVERY person that laid a hand on me today would look at my wrist band, then ask me what my name was and my date of birth.

Anyway, they gave me something into my iv that made me feel really good. Next thing I know, I've got an attractive bandage on my hip.

All in all, it was a very good experience, which is good because it was my first ever surgery. It would have sucked to have a bad "first time".

The staff at the hospital were all incredibly nice. The nurse that took care of me in the recovery room was exceptional and did a great job of explaining everything I needed to do post surgery.

So far, I'm still somewhat under the influence of drugs, but not really hurting and am hopeful that my days of non-stop hip pain are now over.