Magical Kisses

Every child knows that a mother's kiss makes every boo-boo feel better and heal faster. That skinned knee can be stinging and hurting, but after mama blesses it with her Magical Kiss, the boo-boo doesn't seem to hurt as much. You see, there really is magic in that kiss. The magic can't be seen, only felt. But what the mother (and grandmother) knows is that the magic is in knowing how to apply the kiss with care. Of course there is no scientific proof of the healing power of kisses, but a gentle kiss during a difficult time can remind you that you will be okay. 

In April 2009, my second grandson was born with cystic fibrosis. He required emergency intestional resection surgery when he was less than 24 hours old. It was questionable if he would survive the surgery. Following the successful surgery, he spent several months in the neonatal intensive care unit. Twin brother went home on schedule but our little BB still had lots of healing to do and needed more of those Magical Kisses.

My BB received many of these wonderful kisses from all of the family but tons and tons of those magical healing kisses from Mommy. Placebo effect? Who cares if it works. Placebos can have powerful effects on the mind and heart. All I know for sure is that now, 19 months later, BB is a thriving, active toddler trying his best to keep up with his two brothers. It is my heartfelt belief that the loving and the Magical Kisses have had almost as much therapeutic intervention as the medical care to help him live as healthy a life as possible with all of his daily challenges.

My Man

Here he is. Ron G. The man that has helped create the life I now know. In June, 2009, we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. It's a bit strange sometimes to ponder something of this magnitude and realize that so many years have passed and you have been married for over one-half of your lifetime - and married to the same person for that long.

But in this era of time when many people are in their second and third marriages, there is also a great comfort and feeling of accomplishment that also arises when you contemplate this accomplishment.  And without this particular man, I would not have have been blessed with the particular two wonderful children who have brought such joy to my life.

In the early years of your marriage, your relationship is slowly evolving even when you get so wrapped up in the activities of daily life and forget about paying close attention to your marriage. Then years down the road, you look back with awe at how the relationship has evolved and the two individuals have evolved. In the early years of marriage, many young couples are convinced they can "change" their partner. They talk with friends and read books and think about how they can bring about these desired changes. But after years of loving and living together, your love matures and you realize that you can simply allow the other person to be their own self. And because you learn to love them just as they are, your love deepens even more. At a certain age you have quietly moved into living out the phrase "actions speak louder than words". In the early years as a couple, you focused on dancing the dance of life together. Then years later, you realize that you are two people who have somewhat mastered dancing a tango and two solos at the same time.

Once upon a time, we were newlyweds. Yet now Ron and I can be described as oldyweds.. But oldyweds are the reasons that families work. And...once upon a time continues.

"Grand" Children

Best Kisses

While I was preparing Christmas dinner a few months ago, my first grandson came to show me a few tricks with one of his new monster trucks. And I even got a special kiss to boot. There is nothing sweeter than young grandchildren who are so free with their affection.

Dandelion Days

 Are you a Dandelion Killer? If you have a lawn, the dandelions are bound to show up.  While dandelions are often one of the first flowers to herald the arrival of spring, most of us go running for the RoundUp with the first one we see.

While I have never eaten dandelion greens, the taste has been described as cool, sweet, and sometimes bitter. I can supposedly aid a number of organs, including the heart. Thus, they are not just a healthy, organic alternative to supermarket greens, they are also very economical! Just harvest from your own backyard! If you usually douse your dandelions with chemical killers, just think of the money you will save by tossing these greens in a soup pot or salad bowl instead.  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a serving of uncooked dandelion leaves contains 280 percent of  an adult's daily requirement of beta carotene as well as more than half the requirement of vitamin C.

Dandelions can be beneficial to your garden ecosystem as well as to your health. Dandelions attract beneficial ladybugs.

1) In a study done at the University of Wisconsin, experimental plots with dandelions had more ladybugs than dandelion-free plots.

2) The vegetable and flower garden will be less bothered by pesky aphids, as aphids happens to be a favorite food of the ladybugs.

3) The long roots of the dandelion aerate the soil and enable the plant to accumulate minerals.

4) These minerals are then added back into the soil when the plant dies. 

Dandelion salad will not be on any of my dinner menus.  But when I see a perfectly round, delicate white globe of a dandelion that has gone to seed, I'm taken back to the days of playing in the backyard and enjoying the simple pleasure of blowing all those tiny, down parachutes into the wind.  Before you blow, make a wish...and then be sure to blow away all the tufts with one blow if you want your wish to come true.

May you now see dandelions with new eyes.

Happy Mother's Day

All My Children

I have been blessed with a wonderful daughter and son, great son-in-law and daughter-in-law, and three perfect grandsons.  Mothering couldn't get much better. This photo was a day on the swingset with two of my grandsons.

The Pink Palace

     Another weekend photo shoot in Tate, Georgia, included a visit to the Pink Palace. A home built in the 1920s by the son of the man who discovered marble on his property and founded what is now Georgia Marble Company. In the land lottery during the days the Cherokee were moved out of Georgia, Samuel Tate bought plot #147 along the Old Federal Highway. Sam Tate soon found that the property had the Harnage Tavern and outbuildings, but also the remains of a long-vacated Cherokee village behind the tavern, which was destroyed in 1782.
     One of Sam Tate's son, Stephen, headed west when gold fever struck. But by 1854 Stephen had returned home. He and his wife raised 19 children on the Tate property. Marble quarrying was a booming business in the area but it was all done independently. Stephen Tate died before he could finish his task of trying to organize the independent miners. Stephens son, Samuel (known as Colonel Sam), complete the task his father set out to do and created the Georgia Marble Company.

    
     In 1923, one of Sam's quarries ran into a unique vein of pink marble. The Colonel decided to use the pink marble for the home he was building.  Sometimes called the "Pink Palace", this is the mansion that is know as the Tate House. It took Sam 12 years to build the house and the pink marble was used both inside as well as outside.

Savannah River

 Helping Grandson #1 with a 1st grade assignment, we took Flat Stanley to Savannah to get photos in front of a United States landmark. Behind Stanley here you can see the Savannah River - with a river barge loaded down with train cars.

Travel Days

Old train depots. Once the center of town, train depots were often the first impression visitors had of a community as they were traveling across the country by train. Many stations had unique architecture and were very useful in their design. Last Sunday, a trip to Tate, Georgia uncovered this historic gem.

Spring has sprung. When we see forsythia and thrift blooming in the south, we know the dreary days of winter have ended.