Happy Mother's Day & Other News

You know, you think when you retire that you'll be living a peaceful, stress-free life, but the reality is that we're as busy if not busier than when we were working! But at least the busy-ness is of your own design.  Yesterday I went swimming, I wanted to show you my salt water pool at LA Fitness.  I just love my hour of swimming and the feeling of weightlessness in the salt water is pretty neat.  I push off underwater and propel myself under the water and it's kind of like flying... whoosh...

I pulled in the driveway and went *WHOA* the red azalea had bloomed out since the first buds the other day.. isn't that a gorgeous sea of color?  Our flag pole comes out of the center of it.

While I was off swimming, hubby was showing the gorge to my middle son's wife and their roommate from Taiwan (she met her in college).  She moved in a few months ago and will graduate and return to Taiwan soon.  Beth my DIL wanted her to see the gorge before she left.  I gave him my camera and this is what he brought back.. Vista House and the Columbia River Gorge with the pretty new green of Spring.

From the upper viewing deck at Vista House.

Multnomah Falls with all the pretty new green leaves.

He photographed a train going over the railroad bridge blowing it's whistle..  hubby was a Railroad Engineer for Southern Pacific RR for 25 years and then Union Pacific bought SPRR for his last 8 years before he retired.  Before he was a railroad engineer he was a helicopter pilot.

He got a great shot of Multnomah Falls Lodge.

And the falls with those incredible neon green new leaves, ferns and mosses.

Last night our DIL Kristi called and invited us to come to dinner, she made homemade turkey pot pies and was very proud of how they came out.  But we begged off as too darn tired.  So guess what?  They brought dinner TO US and we enjoyed a visit with them and the 2 grandbabyboys.  Look at that face! :-)

Today our daughter brought out our two granddaughters for an early Mother's Day as she is staying home tomorrow to celebrate her own MD.   Below are the girls playing with *my* Playmobil Farm. LOL

And below they had so much fun with a Fisher Price "Sweet Streets" village I bought on eBay - a huge collection of houses, shops, hospitals, schools, fair, with all the little parts and peoples and cars, etc.

My favorite one is the little country store with real light up lanterns and a twinkling fire in the wood stove and if you press the welcome mat it plays sounds of birds singing and owls hooting and frogs and crickets.  :-)

Lastly - I'm crocheting a string of pennants, or what some call "bunting".  I got the inspiration on dottie angel's blog .  It's easy to do, chain 22, double crochet into the 3rd chain and on across, turn, double crochet across skipping the last chain 3 (which is how you decrease it).  Keep going, until you get to 2 double crochets on the bottom and finish off.  I'm going with patriotic colors of red, white and blue.  It's FUN!

Tomorrow we're going to youngest son's house for a combo party - his birthday and Mother's Day.  We're looking forward to that.

I lost my Mother last year at this time and I just want to tell those of you who still have your Mother to spend time with her, love her, let old wounds heal, ask her to tell her stories.. and appreciate her.  I know she's not perfect, but neither are we.  Love her.

And Happy Mother's Day to all of you who are celebrating it tomorrow and to those in the countries who celebrated earlier.  Where would we be without Mothers?  ((hugs)) Teresa