I am reminded of a friend who was wigged out because her kindergartener wrote and illustrated a story about a school bus on fire….where is he getting these ideas? He gets no screen time, we read lovely stories. Is he worried about the bus? He was her first, my first was 3.5 years older…so I giggled on the inside trying to comfort her. But wait…he is now a successful personal injury lawyer! Apparently, he dreamed of defending the poor, innocent students!

I must say the imaginations of Duckling and C are WILD! Heaven help y’all if they ever get together!😂🤣😂

I know, right? C just lets her imagination run wild, but usually whatever situation/scenario she dreams up for me to enact inevitably involves a bodily function or fluid (or solid) being extruded or extracted in some gruesome way... rofl!

But with Fiss' story in the front of my mind, perhaps she will grow up to be a ... proctologist?

Hahaha, rred! (Btw, we can see you. Your hair looks nice!)

duckie, looks and sounds like a great party! Everything you guys made is amazing, and, never having seen a mirror glaze before, I am particularly drawn to the shiny catcakes 😻

Not sure where macabre comes from…built in to the universe genes I suspect. Yesterday the two baby penguins (small bean bag stuffy’s )were flying around in a hot air balloon (cleverly constructed out of the berry box and some ribbon) when they got caught on the top of a volcano (a wooden climbing gym) and were slowly being tipped into the lava. Lol. These penguins put up with a lot. They also regularly get fried in the pretend microwave.

Two good laughs this AM…Babo, hoping to get her plants right side up, and the winning combo of pipe cleaners and laser beams…😑🤣

Happy mom’s day, peeps.

Love that sentiment, Lia. I can feel it.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, and all the offspring of moms, here.... that would be all of us, I think. :)

Happy Mother’s Day over here 💕 hoping everyone has a wonderful day!

I'm laughing at Alice's Mother's Day bouquet so true! Happy Mother's Day to anyone here love the flower gardens too and those cookies are so cute the kiddos will eat those up!

RRed, that is a funny guess of C’s future career! Lia, I shake my head for the poor penguins…😂

City is still without power for 66,000 folks but support teams continue to come in from all over the South. Officially hit with three EF2 tornados/up to 115 mph plus straight line winds up to 100 mph. Tornados traveled for 27.2 miles through the county. Boy, have I been blessed!

Good to hear you are ok, Jay.

My daughter and family brought me some gorgeous perennials for Mother's Day. That back garden area gets overrun with plants I-did-not-plant like Virginia creeper and I thought we had everything pulled out, weed prevention fabric put down and fresh pinestraw in place. I've held off on putting flower pots back out there because our weather's been iffy and now the 'wild things' are popping back up again. Phooey. But aren't the new Mother's Day plants lovely?

Oh very nice Jay 💗 good selection there. I’m meeting my daughter at Home Grown on Wednesday to see what we can find for our Mother’s Day together. Grandkids and step mom will be there and a nice lunch at the sandwich shop!

Glad to hear you missed being damaged by such a storm! So alarming!!!

I channeled my inner red (which is about 1/10th the energy) and did up my annual flowers. Got the front annual bed done, 3 front pots, 13 patio pots. I'm sure I will be sorry sometime here soon. Might be time for wine-uprofen.

Pretty flowers! I’ve started my list, but it’s at least another week before it’s safe to plant.

I'm gonna be sorry I planted pansies... I love them so much and they will absolutely wilt and die in the heat and then I'll be mad I didn't just put more heat tolerant stuff in. But dang, they are so cheery and colorful right now.

I have 6 pulmonaria plants to stick somewhere too, and I better get 'er done soon bc the nursery pots they're in are not holding enough moisture. They need water every day right now.

We are back at the Tree House... he has a band get together tomorrow night, and I have to help Cyster with a zoom meeting w her lawyer tomorrow morning.

No annuals here until Memorial Day. And next weekend we’re going up the coast to Brunswick….two fancy dinners and two nights away in honor of our 35th wedding anniversary. We shall go antiquing…and I might let him buy a fancy tool at Lie-Nielsen.

Photo of younger five plus number three plus myself in the hot mess. Number four came later for a bit. Going from the left, the birth order if anyone is interested is numbers 7, 9, 6, 8, 10, 3. Number 10 bought my mother's house. Number 7 announced today they are expecting their third child. Their 4-year-old kept that secret for almost 3 weeks and had the most fun telling people her surprise today. I am so impressed!🥰🥰🥰

What a lovely mother's day picture, marjie! And your youngest looks just like you!

Nice looking group in the hot mess, Marjie!

Cute! Marjie, I don’t know how you have time to breathe with a family of that size. I can’t keep up with two grandkids and two sons.

…

Lovely flowers Jay but even nicer is the fact that you are alive and well. No property damage or damage to life and limb.

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Brunswick Maine… my old stomping grounds. My brother lives fairly close to Brunswick as did my father. Dresden and Bowdoinham. I used to go into Brunswick for my entertainment when I would visit. …used to be some nice interesting shops there. On the main drag. Happy 35th!

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I’ll consider myself lucky if I can plant anything on memorial day. Continues to be absolutely freezing here. I’m still running the woodstove.

Jay, glad you are ok! And your flowers are lovely! I really do think they make the best gift.

Fiss, what a fun weekend planned!

Marjie, just a beautiful family! You are blessed!

Just reflecting.

I've lived here for decades. My young daughter and I were inside the house when Hurricane Kate came through in 1985. My house has an extended roofline with a carport at one end. A version of MCM. I had just bought my first 'new' (not used) car about two weeks before and it was parked under the covered carport. A tree came down, headed right for the carport, and got caught in a dogwood on the way down. Car saved. Roof/house saved. We were without power for about two weeks. It was an uncomfortable time (thankfully, it was October so the weather was not blazing hot) but we all made it through. I don't remember a lot of grousing (dictionary calls that complaining pettily) because we all seemed to know that everyone was doing the best they could to get us back to normal.

Compare that reaction with today.

Two strong (possibly three) tornadoes hit us on Friday morning. NWS says it covered 27.2 miles. Tornados don't give you a lot of warning like hurricanes do. There is tons of really severe damage throughout our city and area but service people have come in from at least five surrounding states and are working 12-16 hours shifts to help us out yet there's so much complaining and negativity ONLINE right now from folks who are still waiting for power to return. Or unhappy about the school situation. Or blocked roads. I don't listen to talk radio but it's probably the same there.

It's so unlike back in 1985.

We've been pretty lucky here with storms. We've had some hurricane hits over the years but nothing like Kate so many locals have never had to live through inconvenience like they are today. There was ALSO no internet back then and no sites where you could go online and just complain. Folks are complaining about everything - and it's only been three days!!! Complaining about schools being open or schools not being open, school buses not coming or coming late, power still not on, streets not cleared of debris yet, etc., etc. Honestly, there are parts of this city that do look like a war zone and it's going to be hard for some to recover. But I don't recall the citizenry being so impatient and unhappy and 'grousy' back in 1985 - just possibly because we didn't have the internet to foster it.

And, wouldn't you know it, we're now under another tornado watch through tomorrow.

******************

Re-reading this, I honestly didn't mean for it sound like a complaint. Just an observation. 😊 ❤️

Jay, stay safe! Power outages do test your resiliency,

Jay, your story actually illustrates something I've noticed too as I've gotten older. People are much more catastrophizing these days... (That's even a real word now too, Spell Check!) About everything... weather, health issues, politics...

I will just stop there with any commentary about it. LOL

I got eight pulmomaria planted in the side yard where the dog goes.... some of the hostas I "rescued" from elsewhere in the yard here didn't take, so I'll try the pulmonaria. It's more tolerant of extreme wet and extreme dry than the hostas. I must try to remember to feed them occasionally... that soil is the poorest soil. It could use some compost, too, but I'm too lazy. I also rescued an astillbe from the LFL bed and brought her here. She is in a spot where I can keep a better eye on her, right outside the door when I let the dog out.

Now it's time to play "Heart rock, paper bark, scissor legs!" (tree frog)

Jay, it’s so true. Idk why people feel so entitled.

The last major storm here several communities were greatly affected with trees down across roads, etc. Hubby’s sis was without power for quite a while, but she had no internet for much, much longer. I wasn’t interrupted for power very long and the internet was back online by 10am the next day. I live a stone throw away. She was lit for bear. It prevented her from timely posting a FB memory on the day her brother died. To me it was a blessing her internet was stubbornly out because what I lived through is still very raw. I’ll stop my rant right there.

As a public service announcement……internet services take longer to get back because the cable companies can’t go in there until the electric companies are done.

I agree with you all 100%!

RRed, too fun, “ rock,paper bark scissor leg!” 😀

Marjie…what a beautiful family, and I know you’ve got a lot more…..

Halley Belated Mother’s Day to everyone. Just as Rred mentioned for inclusion. It takes a village, people.

Haha…..get it?

Duckie, you are so creative! How in the world do you keep coming up with such great ideas?

jay, I totally agree. IMO it's so different from 20-25 years ago. The "me, me, me" and entitlement. And social media fuels it.

I've been through several power outages, some 10-14 days. We dealt with it and lived. We actually had some fun with it. I remember we were cooking eggs, bacon and coffee on our grill. Our neighbor came over because he smelled it and couldn't believe it.

Remember when we laughed when older people complained that the world was going to H? Now we're complaining. Because it is. Not that it wasn't during the last generation, it's just that we seem to be accelerating in the H direction. A few things are better, like TV and civil rights. It feels like most things are in the never-coming-back dwindle, like nature preservation and product quality. I work with younger people and a shadow hangs over them. I hope that humanity gets it together, however that is.

My irises are optimistic and so shall I be!

stryker: Wow! Just Wow! Vincent Van G would be so inclined to grab a paint brush!

Kcooz, coffee on a grill? Interesting. Jay, you are on to something. We know way too much in that we know all about catastrophes everywhere and think about them all the time - or some people do. At the same time, social media has dumbest down to where I only know two phone numbers - mine and my husband's. Do not know phone numbers for anybody else at all.

Coffee on grill is a great adventure. If it tasted good I would be surprised, but that's not even the point. The point is that you take what life gives you and are not overwhelmed by it. You make a joke of it or you try to change it or you laugh at it or you simply are glad that you are with those you love as you go through it together, whether it is good or bad.

jay is right, and so is stryker. I can come up with quite a few reasons but like rred, I'll stop here.

The irises are an impressionist's dream, I agree, especially with the colours of the other flowers surrounding them.

I went to Bostons MFA yesterday with my old college roommate, we spent the most time in the impressionist room. They have quite a few Monet’s.

Ladma, I’d be doing the same. When hubby and I went to the art institute in Chicago I got to see my favorite Renoir in real life. A cheap, framed print hangs in the computer room/office. Got a coffee mug so I could wake up with it and everyone knew it was mine….hands off!

Come to think of it, my parents gripped about similar but especially the cost of things, and we’re doing the same.

There was another reason I wanted a fire pit and OB made it doable. If I ever ran out of gas for the grill there’s an attachment to slap a cooking grill on the pit. I’ve watched him use it a few times so I know how it’s done.

Last night I pulled the lawn tractor into the shed with nobody around….feeling empowered. Next time it needs cut I can do it myself. Dad wouldn’t let me cut the grass growing up…. I think I drove a little too fast. Push mowed when I lived on my own where I ran with it so as not to run out of gas when it was almost done. I still have that push mower.

Marjie, the same with phone numbers. I have the kids’ written down and stuck in my wallet.

Yeah, people are overwhelmed. I’ve stayed away from the news, and FB pretty much, since hubby passed. I let other people tell me the news, personal or otherwise. Never been happier.

Yep, I can’t watch the news. I always wind up say, “ WTH?” My mom would always say, “ I’ve lived too long, I don’t understand this world.”

Today is a VERY WINDY morning. Our deck chairs have blown around to the of our deck. I was afraid they would blow over the railing. I made OH go out and bring them to the corner for safety. We have lost 3 tables in the past. One crashed my friend’s sunroof of her van parked 8 floors below.😜 So I get paranoid when this wind is over 20 mph. Right now it’s 30 with gusts of 40 mph.

Glassy, bungee cord them to the railings. Jay, in Maine, we had so much flooding this winter , and high wind wind events. People without power in freezing conditions. Federal disasters declared. But not a lot of whining. I think it is accepted as a fact of life…and people who don’t want to deal move south!

GLS I didn't hear about any storms coming your way but I I only watch the Nightly News and sometimes I'm busy when I'm doing that like cooking still when I rather be at the table eating that can happen but you probably keep tabs on the forecast better to know about some storms especially since you don't like it too windy

Back to the lake to pick up the boat and the Mother's Day gift my daughter ordered me (and we weren't here to accept delivery for.)

My mom's grandma's peonies are beginning to bloom now. And her lilies-of-the-valley. Hi Mom!

I just spent an hour washing the grunge off my polywood rockers. They still looked terrible. Mr got out the power washer, and in 5 minutes, they looked amazing. Power wash next year!
I winter overed a few geraniums, I just put them outside last week, to harden them off. Today is 80 and sunny, and a few of them got sunburned. Do I just trim them back, fertilized and pray?

I would!

Yes, on the geraniums.

I cut mine back to stumps with very few leaves on them. They are recovering nicely, and beginning to show signs of new growth already! It's only been a couple weeks. I did fertilize them with some MiracleGro spikes before I put them outside, and I only hardened them off for a few days. Survival of the fittest for me. If they croak I have time to replace them still.

These are my Bolton Geranuims, that are an antique variety, that you can only get from the historical society sale, the Saturday after Mother’s Day, so I have 4 days to decide!

I can’t remember if I told you guys I lost my 20 year old evergreen clematis. Covered two arbors, 18+ feet long. The ice storm we had killed it. Today our garden helper Simon came and cut it down. Filled OH’s pickup truck heaping, plus two city yard debris carts. Now to refurb the arbors and plant anew.

Those are so pretty RRed. I got that color of peonies from OH’s mom, and planted them at the patio home in MO.

NWDuck, that is quite the evergreen clematis!

Yes, move down south, and get a whole other kind of storms!🥵💨🌬🌩⛈🌊🌫🌪🌈