Golden Rain Tree

In driving along the Schuylkill Expressway a number of years ago, I noticed a tree in bloom with pretty yellow flowers.  Whenever I see a tree or flowering bush I've never noticed before, I can't rest until I discover what it is.  It was strikingly beautiful along the Schuylkill River - a welcome sight in the midst of all the congestion and traffic of the city.

In my investigation, I found out that it's a golden rain tree.  Details about the tree include:

 Goldenraintree (Koelreuteria paniculata)

• Fast-growing tree
• Tough and durable tree: tolerates air pollution and drought
• Adapts to many soil types
• Late-blooming yellow flowers
• Grows 30' to 40' with 35' spread

 

I just had to have one of these beautiful trees.  I sent to the National Arbor Foundation and bought 3 trees for $1.00.  Actually, what I bought were 3 tiny sticks.  I planted them with care and tenderly watched over them.  Andy was somewhat skeptical of what I saw in these sticks and was impatient with how slowly they were growing.  I admit, they were growing very slowly and over the years, we had to get rid of 2 of them because they were in the way of progress.  (We put in a sidewalk and garden and I adopted his impatient attitude.)  But I insisted that I had to keep this one tree because I had high hopes of future beauty.

The tree that was left was getting taller, but I confess I was beginning to wonder if it would ever bloom.  So imagine my delight when I recently looked out my kitchen window and saw glints of gold on the top of the tree!  I was so happy...my baby was in bloom.
  

An interesting twist to this saga is that in spite of Andy's making fun of me and my insistence on keeping this rain tree, he is the first one to notice that it was blooming this year and encouraged me to look out the window at the tree.

I admit my tree has a long way to go to look like a full grown rain tree.  But I now have hope that someday it will.

Another Birthday

Aiden’s birthday was in April but because of my classes and Andy’s illness, we weren’t able to have him over.  But finally we were able to schedule it and make it work for yesterday.

I left work early on Monday to pick him up and bring him to our house.  He had a list of things he wanted to do with us:

*  barbeque chicken pizza for dinner and ice cream for dessert!

* watch a movie (we chose Wizard of Oz)

* read lots of books

* ride bikes at the church

* play games (we played Rummy-O and Tri-Ominoes)

We did a few other things that weren’t on his list.  He shot the BB gun with Andy.  Andy made up a target and they had a lot of fun aiming to see how close they could get to the center circle, as well as to the edge of the target.

We also took Aiden over to Amico Island Park and enjoyed hiking along the Delaware River shore line and on the trails.  We went early in the morning before the sun got too hot.  We had been at this particular park twice before, but both those times had been in the winter.  It looked so different this time.  Everything was so lush and green and beautiful.

I realize this is a very bad picture but it just goes to prove how lousy I am with the camera.  I mistakenly hit the video button on this one.  Then I couldn't figure out how to get just the picture because that's all I wanted.  I finally was able to print the picture, then I scanned it, so this is a second or third step picture.  Sigh!

I had to have the picture because it gives a good feel for the beach we were able to walk along.

After lunch we were able to watch another movie, this time The Cat From Outer Space, before delivering him back to his family.  We must have worn him out because he fell asleep in the car on the way home.   

 We stayed for dinner with the family and enjoyed all the other kids before heading back to just the two of us again.

Because of having so many grandkids, it’s hard to get to know them when they’re all together.  It’s a special treat to be able to have them over one at a time to “spoil” them and zero all our attention on just him/her.

We’re very thankful for Aiden.  He's a delightful young man.

A New Dress

Weddings are usually the only time I ever wear a dress.  But all my dresses are out dated, in my mind at least.  So since we had a wedding the end of June, I felt the need to go shopping.  This is not something I enjoy, mainly because it’s very hard to find something in my size.  Well, I admit size isn’t the only issue.  And I also admit that I’m pretty picky.  But after all, my modus operandi is that if you’re going to spend money, you should make sure you don’t regret it later.  So my criteria???

1.     It needs to be modest.

2.    It shouldn’t look frumpy or old-lady-ish.

3.    It needs to be “my” color.

4.    It needs to be a decent price.

 So about a month ago, off I went prepared to come home with nothing to look through my closet to see if anything I already owned could possibly work.

Lo and behold!  After several stores, I found THE dress.  It was comfortable, dressy, pretty, my color, not frumpy and best of all – only $30.00.  Huh?  I couldn’t believe it.  It had been marked down several times, obviously.  

Graduation - Revisited

I have two degrees.  The first I received in 1978 was a PHT from Western Seminary.

We have a lot of happy memories of our 4 years in Portland, Oregon while Andy attended seminary.  God provided in a wonderful way for my job with Nationwide Insurance.  Here's the story, see if you don't agree that he was working in our behalf.

We arrived in Portland in August of 1974 after driving cross country with all our belongings for beginning our married life together - in our car.  It was packed full, the trunk, the back seat and even the seat next to the front passenger door.  This car had a bench seat in the front, so I was able to sit next to Andy the whole trip, but that was ok, we were newly weds!  (I would still sit next to him, though, if we had a bench seat in our car.)

We arrived, looked for an apartment, then bought a newspaper to look for a job for me.   Andy and I determined that if we answered an ad for an employment agency that we were going to ask the company hiring me to pay the fee.  I answered an ad for Nationwide Insurance that was being advertised by an employment agency.  I filled out their application and took their typing test.  A day or so later, we got a knock on our apartment door.  The head of personnel came in person to see me and told me he wanted me for the job.  He had tried to call, but our phone wasn't hooked up yet.  He told me no one had ever done as well in the typing test as I had - with 100% accuracy and speed.  We talked about pay, benefits, but then told him our requirement that we couldn't pay the employment agency fee.  He left and we thought that was the end of it.  But a little later he returned to tell us he had worked out a deal - he would start me out at a higher salary, enough so that I could pay the fee and still get the same amount they had agreed to pay me to start.  Andy and I were so thankful and blessed with God's obvious involvement in this detail.

Seminary years were difficult in many ways.  Andy had to work nights and at times, had several jobs, plus studying for his classes.  He did well, too!  I worked full time, then surprise!  I got pregnant.  Of course, we were very excited about a little one joining our family.  But it did throw extra pressure on Andy to wonder how he would continue to provide for his family, as well as finish his schooling.  As it turned out, that baby was still born at 43 weeks.  What a heart break.  But again God was with us and life goes on.  I went back to work at Nationwide, Andy continued his classes.  When a baby is lost, it's almost impossible for that mother to not immediately want another one - to fill her empty arms and heart.  Andy so graciously listened to my tearful pleas and agreed that we should have another baby.  So one year after Jeremy was born, God gave us a little girl.

Well, we now had a baby, but Andy still had a year left of seminary.  We decided that since the baby was new born, I could go back to work part time and Andy could arrange his classes so that he could watch her while I was at work.  So I worked from 8:00-11:00 Monday through Friday.  I look back at it, wondering how we did it, but I guess we were young and determined.  And it was for a season.

On top of Andy's work and class schedule and my getting pregnant twice, Andy was dealing with the beginnings of his health issues.  He was in the hospital several times for his bladder infections, and once for an freak injury to his neck that he sustained while running.  He was in traction with that for nearly a week.

So when Andy finally graduated, the seminary also held a graduation ceremony for the wives.  I value this "diploma" because it has a lot of memories attached to it.  We went through deep waters in those four years, but we also made some dear, dear friends who became like family to us.

I had dropped out of college in order to help Andy get his degrees.  I never imagined that I would ever finish my own college degree.  But 39 years after my classmates, I did!  In a way, it was more meaningful this time.  I was able to concentrate on one subject at a time.  I did a lot better - grade-wise - this time, perhaps because I only had one subject, but getting the A's in both classes did a lot to improve my overall grade point average!

So now, I'm finally a college graduate.  People have asked what I intend to do with my degree.  Hmmm...maybe I'll be a pastor's wife!  Or maybe church secretary!  Whatever, I hope I'm always available for whatever God has for us.

A Family Weekend Away

Amy had the idea.  And it had been a while since we had been away together as a family.  So she arranged with a friend who owned a house in Rock Hall, MD for us all to enjoy a long weekend together. 

Andy and I left work around 12:30 on Friday, packed up and left for the 2 hour drive to Rock Hall.  Unfortunately, it was a Friday and because of the promise of good weekend weather, traffic was pretty congested in Delaware and upper Maryland.  But after enduring that aggravation, the rest of the drive was beautiful through lush looking farmlands. 

Earlier in the day, Christy had called me to tell me that Claire was sick with a fever and nasal congestion.  She wasn't sure if they should venture out but they did and arrived soon after we got there.  Amy and her kids were already there and Dawn and Tommy had followed us down. 

We all had dinner together and then went out for ice cream.  There was a really nice ice cream shop in town and I think they were glad to see us all come in!  There were 16 of us because Ricky had to work on Friday and wouldn't be joining us until the next day.

 

Well, the next morning, Claire wasn't any better so the Lindsays felt they should leave and get her home.  We missed them the rest of the weekend.

The weather on Saturday was absolutely beautiful.  The beach was so pleasant and the kids played and played in the water.  The water was shallow and so gradually got deeper that the kids could stand up and play up to about 1/2 mile out from the shore.

We spent the whole day on the beach before having dinner together again, then visiting the ice cream shop again. 

The cousins had fun playing together.

Amy reading to the kids.

There were no waves to catch on the Chesapeake Bay, so Tommy had to virtual surf!


























When we got up on Sunday morning, it was raining, so as soon as we ate our breakfast, we packed up and left.  Well, we had a good time together and hopefully, we can do it again in a year or so.

Birthday Boy

Chase is 7 years old today - another grandchild to add to the list of overnight pampering with Grammy and PopPop. 

I left work early on Monday and went to collect Chase.  We got to our house in time to have pizza for supper, then watching a movie accompanied with a bowl of ice cream.

We all woke up early on Tuesday morning, so while Andy and I were showering and getting ready for the day, Chase watched a couple of Veggie Tales videos.

Andy's dad had rented a cabin at Atsion Lake for the week, so that made it a convenient thing to do on Tuesday morning.  We took Chase down there and he was very happy with his bb gun all morning while Andy and I relaxed on the porch with Dad.

Andy gave him lessons on how to shoot the gun to get skippers with the bb's and that occupied Chase for a long while.

At one point, a chipmunk darted across in front of us, so that gave Chase another line of interest.  He waited patiently for a little while, then took to roaming the "woods," stalking his prey.

It was a pleasant, still morning - perfect for sitting at the lake, watching a 7 year old boy enjoy his gun.  I had packed our lunch, so we ate that before heading on back home.  When we got back, Andy had to get a blood test done, so Chase and I played some games.  I taught him Chutes and Ladders (which he loved because he beat me twice) and Parcheesi (which he seemed to enjoy until the end, when I beat him). 

All too soon, our time with Chase came to an end and we had to return him to his parents.  But we took along his birthday presents, as well as Joanna's gift since her birthday is only a week away.

Joanna with her new scooter...I think she likes it!

Katy was quite enamored with Andy's Father's Day card.  She has the cutest giggle and I love those dimples.  I thought she would cry when we took it with us.  I would have let her keep it, but Amy insisted we take it.  But when I got home, I put it in the toy box so she'll be able to enjoy it again.

A Bright Spot

There's a certain comfort in the routine but sometimes it's good to throw in a little something different to keep the interest going.  I took a day of vacation on Wednesday to do some grandkid sitting.  Dawn was on a 5 day cruise with her friend Laura so when she asked if I could help take care of Kira while she was gone, of course I said YES!

Kira's other Grammy had her on Monday and Tuesday, bringing her over to us on Tuesday evening in time for dinner.  Tommy joined us for dinner, as well.  He said he felt like a single parent having visitation rights!  Kira is nearly 4 and easy to take care of.  We watched a Disney movie together, then read books till bed time.  She must have been tired because in five minutes, she was fast asleep.


I was happy that Kira was willing to let me braid her hair this time.  She also wanted me to do it the next day, too!  Her hair is a lot like Dawn's - thick and easy to manage (brought back fond memories!)




Earlier in the week, Christy had told me she had tickets to the Camden Aquarium and did I want to take Kira and join her and her kids on Wednesday.  Sure, sounded like a great idea.  Kira got to hang out with her cousins and I had something to do with her.  I had to take care of a couple of things at the office before we left, so Kira played in the church gym with Andy while I took care of payroll (some things, like getting paid, are just too important to not get done).

It was a beautiful day and the aquarium is such a fascinating and interesting place to go.  I think it's somewhat excessive in price, but I guess when you think about, the cost of maintaining all those animals and facilities must be very expensive.

 Notice the aquarium map in Kira's hand.  She was very insistent on carrying it around and referring to it as we moved from one exhibit to the next.  I sense the development of some leadership and organizational qualities.

It was somewhat crowded with school kids, probably doing field trips at the end of the school year.  But we managed to still enjoy the day.

Most of the time, baby Claire insisted on my holding her.  I'm amazed I was able to get a photo of her when she wasn't with me.  I'm honored that she wants me but that girl is heavy!  I kept switching her from arm to arm but after several hours, I thought I would die!  I would ask Christy to take her back, but Claire would look at me and start crying with rivers of tears running down her cheeks.  Of course, I had to take her back and comfort her.  It was so cute.

 I like this picture in spite of the arm on the right because it seems so random with the kids all doing their own thing - not so posed.

She's worn out.

 When we got home, she still had the energy to play outside with PopPop and the neighbor girl.

Thursday morning, Andy and I got up at 5:00 to go pick up Dawn from the cruise dock.  We took Kira with us and she was a gem the whole time.  The trip up took an hour and a half.  We had left in plenty of time thinking we might hit traffic, but we didn't - a big blessing, except that we got there so early.  But Kira entertained us as we sat in the car waiting for the cruise passengers to disembark.  Then she had to sit in the car another hour and a half for the ride home.  But she was a trooper, happy and a delight to be with - a bright spot in our week.