Spring Time 2009 in East Tennessee

This is a picture of Norris Lake, near Norris, Tennessee. I was born and grew up in the town of Norris. We had a home in the woods, a very quiet and private place that my Father built for the family. We moved into this home when I turned seven years old. I spent many summers on Norris Lake. I learned to swim, canoe and water ski on the lake. I spent many quiet evenings sleeping on an outdoor porch at the Guyne's home, they were great family friends. We spent weeks on houseboats and I camped on this lake. One of my favorite memories is of skiing on the lake early in the morning when it was so quiet the water was like glass, unspeakable freedom.




Jim, Baba Juju and Sophia were together during the birth of her brother and our grandson, Nicholai Gabriel D'Elena. Nicky is a beautiful baby, he and his Mother are doing well. His Father, Gabriel, is fortunate to have a wonderful wife, a lovely daughter and a son.




Jim has been clearing land, digging up roots and building fences this spring. We now have a very nice garden right in the front yard. Every time I go out I can see what needs weeding. Convenient, and a great guilt generator. I have been weeding the flower beds in the front of the house this weekend. There aren't any weeds in the garden yet.

Screen doors . . .

through the screen door
a tiny window of light
funnels bits and pieces of life
to me through such a small space
what do I see coming back at me
exploding colors of
yellow and green and
the purple of spring
it's time to renew
our life on earth so
let's rejoice

I Love French Films

I love French films. Am watching now, will write later.

Joshua, Dahlia, Junior and Isaac Ryland

Joshua, Dahlia, Junior and Isaac are part of my family too. They are a strong fine family. I love these photographs, Joshua's Father is my husband. His Mother was Eyvonne who was married to Jim (my husband) for 30 years. Dahlia and Joshua Michael Ryland live in Sacramento, California with Junior and Isaac. They are a wonderful family.



This is Josh Junior carrying water on his shoulder. Junior is high energy, he has a dog named Coco and he is strong and a good boy.



This is Isaac in the snow, more than likely at Tahoe. He is just a baby.



This is the two brothers, Junior and Isaac, together. Always together . . .

Cupcakes

cupcakes are glorious
yummy and such
have one!

Sad Eyes

sad eyes
accompany me
until I remember to smile

Returning from a flight.

I am a semi-migratory bird. I returned on Monday from a flight to Hastings, Florida. I got wet because the weather was bad and the flight was longer than anticipated.

I long for my family and they are scattered to the wind. I am in Tennessee they are in Georgia, Florida, Washington, California, Texas and more . . . keeping in touch means using Facebook, writing and phone calls, but . . . there is nothing like being with them.

Saturday night I was walking the beach in the evening and it was 80 degrees. The next day it was stormy and windy, the temperature dropped quickly. Tornado warnings were in the area and I played in the back yard with my grandsons.

When I got there I asked Cassius what he wanted to do for the weekend. He said, "Everything I want to do." I thought about that for a few moments and said, "Well . . . all right." We made flags out of banana leaves, painted them and tied them to a car that drives around the yard with the boys in it. The flags were lashed and painted beautiful colors.

We built a garage out of blocks and backed a truck into it so Cassius could use his tow truck and hook with a wench to pull the truck out of the garage. We used pastels to draw a butterfly, read and went on walks. I got to know Elijah better and finally felt he was comfortable with me. It was a wonderful weekend.

I am truly blessed as a woman and a bird.

The here and now of it!

I love photographs. I wish I had created documentaries of my children. I love to remember and still laugh at the situations surrounding them as they grew up. One time I walked into my kitchen and found Gabe on the counter top naked with his hands on a bottle of Tequila, he had the most petrified look on his face because he had taken a swig out of the bottle and didn't know what to do. Try to put the top back on the bottle, throw up, or drop to his knees.


The here and now of it is that I am all about family. "A day without friends is a day without sunshine," luckily I am blessed with true friends and a wonderful family. My cup runneth over. This is a picture of Jim, my husband, and Cassius, my first grandchild. I appreciate my grandchildren. They make me laugh about simple things and are a joy to me. Then there is the beach . . .


I always love laughing, my sons let me be a child again, we laughed a lot together. I still laugh about the things they did as very young children. Like the morning the top to a wrist racer (haven't ever seen another wrist racer and hope I never do) stopped up the toilet that kept running (I forgot to show them how to giggle the handle), and they used the quilts on my bed to soak the water up around the bottom of the toilet. The toilet was out of commission for days.


Then there were the dishes that slid off the dish drainer, you can only stack them so high. The boys glued them back together using super glue on my counter. So although the dishes were together but cracked they were also glued to the top of the kitchen counter. A nice place to eat forever . . . . with grandchildren I can sit with them, love and enjoy them, and let them glue there parents dishes back together on the kitchen counter.


This was a very funny day!

Papa

This is my great-grandfather, Doctor Nathaniel Henderson Stone, from Claiborne County; Tazewell, Tennessee. He was born in 1863 and died in 1938. His daughter was my grandmother and he was the father of the family vocation.

I Can't Sleep

I lay down and can't go to sleep. I get up and turn to this spot and decide to view a few blogs . . . they were so interesting. Now I try to write . . . and I am growing tired, my eyes are drooping , , , I will go and lie beside my husband, naked bodies curled together and be warm all night long. Night, night!

TIME

When my Father died I was holding his hand. His attendant was with us by the hospital bed in the family living room. I watched him tell her where to insert the tiny suction she was using. Suddenly I saw him seize and gasp, then I heard the loudest noise I have ever heard; a very large heavy door slammed shut. I watched his arched back return to the bed and his chin drop to his chest. His life was over. We had all suffered but none so much as him. Then I spoke to her, "Did you hear that?" She responded, "What?" I did not respond and knew the sound was for me alone. I helped dress him, his shoes were hard to put on and I felt very bad because I yearned for the comfort we could not give him. No, not even in death. He was born January 27, 1923 and died October 14, 2005 at home. I heard from him right after his death but since then nothing. I keep waiting to see him in a dream or hear his voice. I know he is here because his spirit dwells in my heart.

I once read that the child is the father of the man . . . so true. Then we only get older and journey towards our death. I love you.