Ninety Nine Candles

We had a very special celebration this week.  My grandmother turned ninety-nine years old. This is what the cake looked like.  I was drafted by my mom decorate it.  She insisted we put 99 candles on it.  I think she's evil.

This is my grandmother, blowing out her candles.

Grandma is most cheerful and contented elderly person I have ever known, bearing old age with grace and dignity.  She still lives at home, with my sister and her kids, and still does a little light housework. She also has knitted countless baby blankets for the local chapter of Birthright, an organization which helps unwed mothers. Even with failing eyesight and athritic fingers, she still knits on. 

She is constantly "reading" novels, that is, listening to them on tape. Mom says she takes out about 14 audiobooks a week from the library for her!  She is a huge baseball fan.  She never misses an Indians game.

 

Isn't she fabulous?  I hope I have those genes.

And, there was another special event: my cousin Dave was in town. He plays bass guitar for country singer Justin Moore.  Mom and I went to see them perform, and then he joined us out on the lawn while Brad Paisley played.  This photo was taken just a short while before the torrential rains started!  Argh!

But it was still a great night.  Any time I get to spend time with Dave, it's a great night.

Tomorrow, Mom and I are taking the kids to Cedar Point. My unfortunate sister has to work and can't come with us. I am the designated Roller Coaster Riding Auntie.  I can't wait!

Not Cute

So.... The Cutest Blog on the Block decided to remove my background and leave me (and thousands of other users) out in the cold did they?

Not Cute. 

Some Gardening Photos

Falen posted some photos of her garden, so now I have a serious case of garden envy and am posting a few of mine.  This is the front walkway border.  It faces south and is the main flower area.  This is how it looked towards the end of May, when the raspberry peonies and hybrid sage were in bloom.

This is how it looks now. Unfortunately, the lilies are done. I had some gorgeous pink, orange and yellow ones.  The butterfly bush (tall plant by the flag) has a few blooms on it but I expect it will be prolific quite soon.  The sage just finished blooming, but I trimmed it back and it will rebloom.  Everything has been getting lanky in this heat and I've been cutting it all back severely.

Petunias and gerbera daisies on the porch.











Some snapdragons from along the driveway, and the blueberries and raspberries we picked at a local farm on July 2nd.
 

The first harvest from our Cub Scout garden. No, that beautiful, tan, dark-haired woman is not me, but Sara, who allowed us to use her yard for the garden.  I don't have a good photo of the garden, as it's just sort of a messy plot by the road, but I've been quite surprised at how well the plants are growing.  Sara and her son have been taking excellent care of it for us.  It's been hard to get all the scouts in our den together to tend it regularly.

The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.
~ Oscar Wilde

"The unexamined life is not worth living. " -Socrates