RYAN's Sweet 16

Happy 16 to my wonderful grandson. We are cruising the seas in celebration. enjoy the pics,

Amazing.....

It's officially SPRING - but you would not know it here in Montgomery. Cold front last night, cold out this a.m. My plants are going crazy. Just when I think it is a safe bet to plant, we have these weird cold snaps. Plus alot of wind. This year I doubt I'll be unhappy with the heat. Of course, having the garden room with a nice shade should definitely help with the really bad heat.

Today's thought from Ellen DeGeneres "Procrastination isn't the problem, it's the solution. So procrastinate now, don't put it off".

It's the middle of the night/early a.m. and it is a

sad day for me. A friend of many years has passed away after a long and valiant fight with colon cancer. Marlene and I had worked together for close to two decades, and been friends for that many years. We were both part of a "dinner group", originally there were 8 of us and finally down to the last 3 of us about two years ago when we ceased getting together for that once monthly dinner. We still kept in touch by email and telephone calls and an occasional lunch get together. Marlene, was strong in her faith, strong in her relationship with her family, scattered as they were, and strong in her friendships. She is survived by her dear husband and best friend, John, and four children, seven children and one great-grandson. A lovely lady, full of grace and laughter has gone to rest and has fought her last and most vicious battle. I will miss her and mourn her passing.

Marlene

November 12, 1938 - March 19, 2010

Rest in Peace dear friend.

SUNDAY Texas Pig-out!

TEXAS pig out with bluebonnets! What a way to spend a Sunday. Delicious Goode Company Barbeque - eat your heart out Seattle family. Followed up with a visit to The Chocolate Bar. FOR SHAME! ;-0 March Madness, enough basketball to last till 2011. Totally blew my choices. Tomorrow it's back to Montgomery, hospital volunteering and a busy week. Today's thought from Hai Gaon 'Three possessions should you prize; a field, a friend, and a book'.

Top of the mornin' to ya....

and may ya walk in clover today.....I'm not Irish by birth, but I enjoy the fun of it. Saint Patrick's Day is a yearly holiday celebrated on March 17. It is named after Saint Patrick (circa AD387-461), the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland. It began as a purely Catholic holiday and became an official feast day in the early 1600s. In recent years it has gradually become more of a secular celebration of Ireland's culture. David Price, CBS weatherman on the Early Show was in Ireland this a.m., wearing green and showing off the countryside. Food of course is always paramount in my mind, so corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes will be served in lots of Irish Pubs in H'town today. YUM!

Today's thought from Jest Desserts
"For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism".

Wear green so you don't get pinched!

Finally, the new

April Sound Country Club re-opened...3 years ago the club burned and it has been a long haul to re-build. Multiple problems with construction, design, etc...I had occasion to go to the Club today to discuss my mixed up statement (thanx to their new software). Marianna took me on a tour of the club, I particularly was impressed with the new fitness center. Going to be such a pleasure. The club's interior is well done in neutral colors, smart accessories, good art work, and nice furniture. Very workable floor plan, two stories, good access. I was also impressed with Chef Paul's kitchen. He does some serious cooking and I understand from several friends, the menu is 5 star. Looking forward to really enjoying the club.

From Life's Little Instruction Book I thought this was a great quote for today -

"Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know".

Tick Tock, tick tock, tick, tick, tic....

And miscellaneous other stuff.....Just in case YOU forgot, time to "spring forward". Loving it!!!! More time to do more stuff! Busy enough, I had no idea retirement would keep me so busy.

fyi - The Montgomery County Food Bank is the largest and most efficient hunger relief agency in Montgomery County. Ninety-five cents out of every dollar goes towards programs. 39% served in 2009 were children.

Coogs....wtg! Keep it up!

Finished in the cath lab today early so helped out in HR. Stuffed patient bags. Neat goodies for patients. For my help, I got a nifty Conroe Hospital fountain pen. Thanx CRMC.

Today's thought "A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking".

National Potato Chip Day

Special Day for me.,.,.,It's National Potato Chip Day. My all time fav - Zapp's Cajun Crawtators....ABSOLUTELY wonderful! According to F.B. (facebook) recent survey, ArtS AND MARY'S HOMESTYLE TATER CHIPS, made in Cheney, Kansas leads the survey. I didn't see any local favorites, i.e. Dentler's Old Fashioned Chip, Fritos (potato - no, corn - yes, delish always), Cheetos or of course Zapp's. My grandmother used to make homestyle potato chips that were still the best ever.

What's is your fav?

After much effort, I've finally been able to do my blog on my Netbook. It's not perfect butit works. Today is also the HIV- Walk. Good luck to my friend Judi. No earth-shaking thoughts for today, enjoy the wonderful weathr and have a chip or 2 to celebrate.

Garden Gals March 2010 Enchanted Gardens

What a fun and wonderful day. The Garden Gals traveled to Enchanted Gardens in Richmond, TX. The weather was grand (sunny and warm), although we all went prepared with umbrellas, the sky was blue and nay a drop of rain. We had a short presentation by Joe, he had selected a lot of the new hybrid plants and that generated some questions - especially since they were all very colorful, and hearty. The nursery had just received a large shipment and was still in the process of unpacking as we shopped. Everyone was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. After shopping till our hearts were content, we drove to Richmond and had a good luncheon at Sandy McGee's. If you take a ride down that way, be sure and check out this lovely and delicious little restaurant. It's on Morton Street in downtown Richmond.

So many nice comments and appreciation made the day a real pleasure for me as I was concerned about the weather (which of course I could do nothing about) and that the nursery had promised a well stocked yard. It was a terrific day and I feel very good about all my efforts to make it so.

It's late and I was not very efficient about loading the pics, you will have to scroll down and view older posts to see all the pretty ladies and plants. Enjoy and good night...zzzzzz

Garden Gals March 2010 more

Garden Gals March 2010 - pics cond't

It's always fun

being with a group of H2U folks from the hospital. H (health) 2 (to) U (you) group is a healthy lifestyle - good health program sponsored by CRMC. Yesterday we took a bus trip to the casino in LA. and had a really fun time. Our bus driver Reggie was very professional and took and returned us safely. 12+ hours (that included gaming) and a fun time was had by all. It's weekend time today so the thought for the weekend "A day without sunshine is like night". from Laughing Matters, Jest desserts...

National Women's History Month

Asked to volunteer today for a sick person, and reading the SENIOR NEWS, I learned March is National Women's History Month. March 8, 1857, women in New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women's Day was first observed in 1909, but wasn't until 1981 that Congress established National Women's History Week, to be commemorated the 2nd week of March in 1987. A few statistics:

155.8 million - number of females in the U.S.as of 10/1/2009

82.8 million - estimated number of mothers of all ages in the U.S.

$35,745 - median annual earnings of women 15 or older who worked year round, full time in 2008.

29.4 million - number of women 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or more education in 2008. 197,900 - total number of active duty women in the military, as of 9/30/2008. Of that number, 34,300 women were officers.

from the column Laughing Matters, "Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it".

Off tomorrow with H2U (Wellness group) from the hospital to the casinos in LA. Fun and a bargain at $10 for the ride.

Important Day for TEXAS and other info....

It's Election Day and it's Texas Independence Day. Texas Independence Day is the celebration of the adoption of the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836. With this documentation, settlers in Mexican Texas officially broke from Mexico, creating the Republic of Texas.

Today, there still exist a group of individuals that claim the the annexation of Texas by the United States was illegal and that Texas remains an independent nation under occupation. The issue of the Legal status of Texas led the group to reinstate a provisional government on December 13, 1995. Activists within the movement claim over 40,000 active supporters; however, there is no widespread popular support for an independent Texas.

VOTE today, it's the opportunity to voice your choice for Governor of TEXAS.

Remember, if you don't vote you can't complain. It's your privilege to speak out and be heard.