Come To Supper - A Diabetic Diet

Modified to cut the carbohydrates... less bread.  More basil and red onion.  The fresh pesto was the best part.

http://aspicyperspective.blogspot.com/2010/08/double-comfort-dish.html#more  

Thanks to that deck pot of healthy Basil which we have enjoyed so much this summer.

A Visit From The Elder Brother

It's the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God's light and doesn't block the light from others. 

I John 2:10 The Message 

I LOVE my brothers!

On Wednesday afternoon, August 25th, we were blessed by a visit from Greenville, SC, my oldest brother, William O. Montgomery,  better known as Bill.    Bill brought with him his new bride of three months, Nell. 

So on Thursday morning, Ken managed to get Bill to participate in his favorite ritual, the hot tub therapy event.

And he even had Bill try on his Bass Pro Shop hat which looked so much better on Bill than it ever did on Ken.

No amount of coaxing would get Nell into that hot tub, but she did enjoy the deck and reading a book while the guys bubbled.

Later morning, my youngest brother, Granville H, known as Bud, and his wife, Barbie, came for a visit and of course to meet Bill's new bride, Nell.    We had such a great time and enjoyed lunch together.

In the sun room.

Barbie and Nell hit it off as new sisters-in-law.  While we all miss Millie, everyone fell in love with Nell and are so happy for Bills new love.

Of course the Montgomery tradition requires photos of the brothers as well.

Just as we were finishing lunch, Jennifer arrived with her two girls, Megan and Allison.  They are always so glad to see their grandparents, Bud and Barbie.  Jennifer was leaving them in Tulsa for the weekend so that she and Kirk could make a quick trip to Dallas.

The cameras were snapping all over the place.  Here Bill is showing Jennifer the shot he just took.

Megan and Allie were happy to play with the Babe as well as a few toys under the stairs.

And Barbie had to take her turn with the Babe as well.

I love my brothers.  They are very, very special to me.   Each one has a very unique personality.  Yet both are somewhat laid-back and quiet.  Bill loves to serve others while Bud loves to make them happy with a tease or a laugh.  Both have a very positive outlook and a deep trust in God and HIS LOVE.    They grew up in different worlds .. deaf vs.hearing .  While Buddy went to boarding school at the age of four,  Bill found it normal to go away to Holmes Bible school at the age of 14.  Buddy grew up in Schools for the Deaf...first in Fredrick, Maryland, then Spartinburg, South Carolina and graduated from OSD Sulphur, Oklahoma.  Our Father was a preacher, writer, editor, etc which caused little Bill to move with the family 5 times in the first seven years of his life.  Dad was gone a great deal of our lives -- out preaching the gospel.  So after Buddy was born, with three Deaf children, our parents moved us to Fredrick Md, where I was born.  We lived very close to MSD so our two sisters and brother could come home on the weekends if they wanted. 

My earliest memory of Bill is his playing the trumpet for the Salvation Army on the street corner.  And I remember one cold snowy Sunday morning, Bill picked me up and carried me on his shoulders as the family walked to church in the deep snow.  Our parents gave us a wonderful heritage of faith in God.  Bill continued on to enter the ministry, pastoring churches from SC to OK to MO to IL and I don't remember where else. 

Here are three of the six siblings with their spouses.  We pray we do not loose any more of our family this year.   Loosing three in one year was traumatic, painful and sobering.

When people were thinking of leaving, Allie was climbing the stairs.  She is so adorable.  Here she is after conquering the top step.

Now since I had special guests, I decided to try some of Sommer's recipes from her food blog.  I chose the Thai Fried Rice and here it is with the Jasmine rice, pork, curry, green onions, garlic, fresh ginger and frozen peas.  It was really great and definitely something I must make again.  http://aspicyperspective.blogspot.com/

http://aspicyperspective.blogspot.com/2010/03/wanderlust-and-breakfast-fried-rice.html

I almost forgot to show the finished product.

And when I brought out my camera, so did Bill.

Babe worked hard to worm her way into our house guests affections.  She loves to have her rawhide held while she chews away on it and Bill was obliged to do so.  Is this Babe spoiled or what!  Nell was not much of a dog person (Like I am not) but Bill even got to the point where he asked if she would be interested in a pet.

I love this shot, it has so much expression without words.

During the three days, nieces and nephews dropped by for short visits.

Saturday morning breakfast.  We enjoyed Whole grain Oat Nut Pancakes from Laura's Blog.  These are my favorite pancakes.        http://darkredcreme.com/     

http://darkredcrema.com/?s=Whole+Grain+Oat+Nut+Pancakes

Then that sad moment for us when it was time to pack up the car and head out to complete the two-week round of visiting.  Bill and Nell had gone to Hobby Lobby to select flowers for the grave sites of both Bill's oldest son Billy and our Father, G H Montgomery -- Dad buried in Kansas City and Billy in Moberly, Missouri.  They will be traveling through Missouri and Illinois before heading back home.

A Sweet Good-Bye and Thank You for coming.  Ken and I were very honored by your presence.

Thank you Bill for being my wonderful brother and for introducing us to your new bride, Nell.

Please come again!

An Early Morning View From the Bubble Zone

There is a reverence, a solitude early in the morning when first arising and entering the lower deck for a early time of contemplation, and warm bubbling.  It is a time of prayer, a time of planning, and time of gratitude.

Even the Babe enjoys the morning ritual where she can sit in the rising sun and think about her day.  (Not real sure if she really thinks.)

A special treat is the visit by our family of humming birds.  They are combative and competitive but they are still a joy to watch.  They dive and dart in between drinks of the sweet nectar.

Birds and butterflies even enjoy the hibiscus blossoms.  And Babe loves to chew on the blossoms that fall to the ground.  I thought about trying these for Sommer's Hibiscus Tea, but decided it is not the same.

We don't have a camera that stops the action but it is a fun challenge to give it a try.

Coming back for more.

The chiminea gives off the fragrance of pinion wood and the smoke offers an ambiance that is delightful.

Of course there has to be a cup of coffee and a watch to know when it is time to go in and a dog -- mans best friend.

The moon rises over the roof as the sun comes up.

And our rooster tells us it is morning and which way the wind does blow.

Birds fly over very high at this time of year and sometimes even an airplane passes by.

No smoke from this chimney but still a reminder of the wonderful fireplace we will enjoy in the winter.

And our old faithful green umbrella that shields us from the scorching sun later in the day.

The cherished Japanese Maple which will be red soon.

The Lemon Balm that has provided us with delightful sun tea all summer long.

And the cart that held our towels, coffee, glasses and such.

Our Herb Pot with chives, rosemary,  and thyme.

Bromeliads that flourish but rarely bloom for us in Oklahoma.  But from the viewpoint of the water, we fondly remember Bromeliads in Hawaii or SanDiego and smile of the happy days of past and look forward to returning there again some day.

The lounge chairs waiting to offer comfort and pleasure.

A reminder of freedom which we must hold onto in troublesome times.

And a resting swan which so faithfully holds our wax begonias. 

Thank you God for the Morning.  For giving us breath for another day.  Thank you for a sound mind and the rest you provide simply because you love us so much.

May we never forget to live life for your honor and your glory and be grateful to you for every breath we breath.  And I always remember the story my Dad told when he was sick and God told him to breath in the breath around him---there is healing in every breath.   I'm breathing deep!

It's Been A Rough Summer - Life is Getting Better

Practically everywhere I turn I hear similar comments.  First of all, "where did our summer go .... kids back in school and I can't remember what happened."   Summer was rough at our house.   It started with Ken getting sick in April.  All attention was on the Pops getting well.  And getting well he is indeed.  Still, our lives and our surroundings show some battle scars.   Not that it was horrible, just rough.
April and her family have been right there beside us helping, and we are so grateful.  Yet even with all the help in the most important matters, the early spring fescue seeding, the fertilizing, weeding, loving touches had to be put on hold and now, like Ken is mending, so is our home and little gardens.

The front porch and yard are so important to Ken and they probably have never faired so poorly with all the 100 degrees plus Oklahoma heat and a broken sprinkling system which leaked the water down the street instead of on the yard and flowers.  (If you saw our water bill you would know what I mean.)

But now the sprinkler system has been repaired and Dave is painting the house and there is hope for recovery for the entry way as well as the lawn.

Rosie Sanding

Lily scrapping

So with Rosie's sanding and Lily's wire brushing the wrought  iron furniture, and with Elijah and Dave helping to clean up the front deck, the situation is looking very promising.

Even the wax begonias which should have been very tall and full of flowers and totally filling in the flowerbed, are sickly and sad to behold.

And the Mexican Petunias from Millie which bloomed last year have just now begun to show a flower maybe once every week.  They are a stubborn wild plant which goes underground and pops up where least expected.   But it gives a token blossom just often enough to keep me from totally cutting it to the ground this year.  I already know it will come back up next  year. 

Then those impostors that came up with the lovely Cone Flowers.  They looked like the Coneflower stalks.  I let them grow not realizing they were counterfeits until they did not bloom.  I advertised on Facebook asking what they were but not one answer other than they look like weeds.  Because curosity got  the best of me, I left them to identified them later as Goldenrod's -- yellow flowers that grow along the highway.  Then Dave pulled them out for me yesterday.  Wonder if they will be back next year and I won't be able to know which is Goldenrod and which is my beautiful Coneflower.

So all the signs of hope are there --- though we were mostly dead, yet shall me live again.

And with all the hard work that Dave is doing with our home, it is looking good again.

Thank  you God for all your bountiful blessings.  And thank you for family that cares when there is a need.

Here is the front door today --  and in a couple more days, it will be masterfully beautiful again.

And our Papa is a Very Happy Man!

The tinyest of all, Babe who almost got given away during those rough weeks of illness and summer heat, managed to make it to her first birthday with Papa's love for her renewed .  Here she is with her First Birthday Grooming.  Her Master regards Babe as his little pride and joy all over again, hardly remembering those annoying weeks of disobedience and yapping.