Sunday, September 18, 2011

Meeting the Farmers, Old Phone & the Iguana

When we headed out on Friday evening to join our son and his family for dinner, hubby says - "Let's get some strawberries for the boys!"  So, we went across the street to buy them and visited with the flower grower and her son, and I decided to get our daughter-in-law a bouquet of flowers, too.  Of course I had my camera -- what do you think of this Dahlia!  I'm in love with it!
I snapped photos of their buckets of flowers - they were harvesting them to take to the Montavilla Farmers Market on Sunday.
Another bucket with my favorite red ones.
Here are some purple and white and some frilly pink ones.
How's this for modern day.. mom is on the cell phone speaking Hmong to someone while cutting flowers.  :-)
I asked mom her name and I think it was "Kim".. we asked the boys name but I'm sorry I've forgotten it.  He translated for her.  This is the bouquet she was putting together for me.
I walked out in the flower rows to get some close ups of the flowers.. I *love* this one with the yellow petals veined with pink.
This is a wild and wonderful one, red with frilly petals tipped in white.
The warm evening sunlight slanting over the field.
Another shot of this beauty.
And I wanted to show you my antique telephone that Dayle just hung up for me.  My uncle Don made a radio out of an old phone like this for himself and my mother admired it so much, that he made one for her.  I'm not sure if I should admit this, but I remember my grandmother had a phone exactly like this when we visited her farmhouse when I was 6 or 7 years old, after we moved from Oklahoma to Oregon when I was 4 years old.  My mom didn't give things away very often, she was a "keeper" of things.  But she did give this to Dayle and so it's pretty special to us.  It's amazing to me that in my lifetime we've gone from this kind of phone to the iPhone.. which does so many things.
Yesterday after dinner, I cut up the strawberries that we got on Friday and sugared them and chilled them.. then we had them on top of vanilla ice cream.  Of course, I had to add some Hershey's chocolate syrup, because everything is better with chocolate on top.. right?  :-)
And meet "Green Bean".. the name my daughter-in-law, Kristi, gave to their new Iguana.  The habitat home they got for him is the size of a closet, with a sliding glass door on it!  It's big!  She's decorated the inside with flowers and vines so that he feels at home.  :-)  And no.. I did not hold him.  When they let him out of his box when they brought him home I guess he leaped to the floor and it took them 15 minutes to catch him.  Yikes!
We're looking forward to a phone call from my daughter and granddaughters today.  Get this.. the 3 year old asked to call and talk to Grandma!!  She told me many times before they left "Gamma, I'll miss you in Ohio."  Awww.

For those of you who asked how I'm doing since they left.. I guess I'm going through a grieving process.  I think of those little faces and the hugs and the sounds of their voices and choke up and tears come to my eyes.  I am going to have to toughen up.  How do you do that?

I hope you're having a great Sunday... and for you on the other side of the globe, I hope it WAS good! :-)

((hugs)), Teresa :-)

20 comments:

  1. Green Bean looks fantastic! Very good looking. I wouldn't want to chase him around my house though! Your photographs of the flowers are beautiful too. I hope you have had your lovely phone call by now....Teresa you are being very brave about all this. It must be so hard for you and the girls...xxx

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  2. You're making me cry now Teresa!! Thank goodness for skype at least you'll still be able to talk and see them.
    I love the purple and white dahlias........but not Green Bean!!!

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  3. oOoh loving those flowers and just across the road too! they've got a fan club already and don't know it hehe
    No me no like green bean he's lovely in a picture or i could happily look at him behind glass but that's where it stops for me,
    Thinking of you as you await that special call ;) much love Amanda

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  4. Hello Teresa have been away this weekend with to see my son and his family-it's about two and a half hours journey (coming back this evening took three and a half hours due to heavy traffic) have just had a quick look at all the news from your last post and this. Love the fall decorations. The flowers in our photographs are stunning and what a beautiful view you have. I don't mind looking at green Bean on the screen but wouldn't like to be much closer. Those strawberries look delicious. Hope you have spoken to your 'girls' by now. Love Anne x

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  5. Oh Teresa, I so feel for you. I just don't know what I would do if my girls took those grands to a far away place. I am so attached to them. You need to cry, and express yourself. Keep busy!!! It won't hurt this badly always. I would have to plan quarterly trips if it were me. And those flowers are just stunning!!!!! What beauty!!!
    The iguana....not so much!!
    Hugs to you friend.
    Kris

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  6. All those flowers are stunning. I would have just pulled out a sleeping bag and asked to sleep in that field. One of my favorites, however, they do not do so well here and have to be all dug up in the fall. So glad you shared. Chocolate with Strawberries, never have thought of that one, but will be remembering for the next batch. Still recovering from the MIL all weekend. Hope to be back in blogland soon. Just trying to make the rounds now.

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  7. Hey Teresa!

    Hmmm, you can't 'toughen up...you just kinda grow with it and learn day to day how to deal with it. It gets better in time...really :)
    Your flower pictures look like something an artist painted! So pretty!
    Green Bean is awesome! My daughter is saving her money for a Bearded Dragon...I prefer Hermit Crabs :)
    ~Nancy~

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  8. Mrs. Teresa I am so sorry you have this pain in your heart. I know it must be hard to have them so far away. I don't know about toughening up though. Sounds to me like you are a wonderful mom and grandma!!!!!!!

    Those flowers...Oh My Goodness are absolutely wonderful. I love the purple and white ones and the one you love! To have such beauty just across the way must be wonderful!

    Green bean is quite the iguana. Handsome devil but I don't think I would like to mess with him.

    *hugs to you*

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  9. Those flowers are just gorgeous. Wish I could grow them so well. I think you will just have to get used to being away from your family. I live away from my parents and miss them very much and sometimes it is hard. But, you just have to deal with things and move forward.

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  10. You certainly have a 'way' with that camera Teresa. The flower pictures are gorgeous and it was nice of the people to allow you to go into the gardens to take photos. By the way, I think Green Bean is very cute (not sure if I'd be game enough to touch him either). I think of you often in regards to your grand-daughters and hope you're coping ok.

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  11. Nothing like a Dahlia..such beauties and so many right on the door step..lucky you
    Green bean..lol what a cute name for him

    Grandmothers are the people who take delight in hearing babies breathing into the telephone.... just a different kind of hug you'll give them
    thinking of you both xx

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  12. These flowers are beautiful.

    I wish you that you can visit your grand-children soon. But for now enjoy the phone calls as happy moments. I think it helps in the grieving process.

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  13. You are not going to "get over" the girls being so far away BUT you will learn to accept it & live with it & go on. It just takes time for the initial ache to ease a bit. My heart hurts for you because I just can't imagine my grandkids living so far away. Keep strong! Oh, yes, the flowers do wonders for helping to heal a heartache.

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  14. Beautiful dahlias! I can't believe all the different colors and kinds; amazing! It would be fun to have a picnic there, in the field, surrounded by such beauty and peace!
    As for advice--be kind to yourself, do what you can do to keep your wonderful relationship with your grandkids going, keep involved (crafts, other interests), etc. Over time the pain does lessen a bit and what you are going through is normal--my thoughts and prayers are with you.
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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  15. I'm going to give you the worst and most honest answer....Time. That's how you come to terms with most anything, but it will make you stronger and appreciate every minute you have had and will have with them. You can always cuddle with Green Bean :) Lots of Hugs!

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  16. I love the purple and pink flowers!! Those colors are my favorite.

    Also, you're making me drool with the ice cream and strawberries!!

    I'm sorry that the grandkids had to move!! I don't know what would make you feel better, but I hope you find it!

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  17. A lovely post, Teresa. Those flower pictures are so gorgeous, I have never seen so many dahlias at once! They are so fresh and colourful. Loved the old phone and the story behind it too. I can imagine how you must feel about your granddaughters' move so far away, and I suppose that as time passes you will begin to adjust to it...so sorry you have to go through it though. (It's sweet that the little one wanted to speak to you specially!)
    Take care. Helen x

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  18. Love, love, LOVE the flowers!!! How lucky you are!

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  19. I love those Dahlias. Makes me want to find my cross stitch and work on it.

    It doesn't get any easier. The other day I was organizing things and found this stuffed toy gorilla that Duane had bought me long ago. When you squeeze it's tummy it says, "I go bananas over you." GD loved that toy when she came to visit.

    When I picked it up, I hit it just right and it talked and I burst into tears.

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  20. Have you tried talking with them on Skype? My family and I have been using it for 4 years now and it's great. We can see each other while talking. I can even walk my laptop around and go outside talking with them.

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