120 / 365 The Kickoff

Although they’ve been here for hours, a traditional breakfast at J. Christopher’s marks the official start of any family visit.

119 / 365 Awaiting Visitors from Afar

H and I spent the day preparing the accommodations for D, J, F, and W, whose flight from Amsterdam lands in about an hour. It may not be the Ritz, but it has a certain charm… and, in any case, our guests keep coming back.

118 / 365 In Memoriam

Each year, for Easter Sunday, the church orders lilies for the sanctuary.  They are paid for by parishioners who purchase them in memory or in honor of a loved one.  After the services, folks are encouraged to take them home, but there are always some left over.  Three years ago my colleagues and I decided to plant the remaining ones in the front of the church, and sure enough, the lilies have returned each season.  Today we planted eleven more.  In essence, this small space has become a memorial garden.

117 / 365 Birthday Surprises!

I’ve had a fabulous birthday today with lots of singing, cards, calls, emails, gifts, and flowers.  It’s not every birthday girl who gets an eight-speed blender from her husband for her special day.  According to H, this gift was a win-win!



116 / 365 Under the Canopy

Our seniors group at church took a field trip to the Atlanta Botanical Garden today.  This event made me think of the visit H and I made a couple of weeks ago.  You can now walk along wooded trails that meander through the Storza Woods (a beautiful mature hardwood forest) and under the Kendeda Canopy Walk.  From underneath, the sculptural aspect of this suspension bridge in the treetops is pretty amazing.

115 / 365 Holding My Breath

Last year my sister gave me some yellow irises from her garden.  Mom had planted these years ago.  I brought them home, carefully selected a spot in the front where my mother-in-law and I could both enjoy them, and then anxiously waited through the winter.  To my delight, the irises have grown like crazy this spring and produced ten buds. 

Unfortunately, over the past few days, I have found blooms just on the verge of maturity snapped and broken on the ground – I’ve lost three so far.  At first I fussed about the yard crew being careless, and then I blamed it on wild raccoons and leaping squirrels.  Finally, I’ve decided that it’s actually fat birds swinging on the stems as they wait their turn at the feeding station.  

114 / 365 Easter Joys

What a lovely Easter day – a joyful church service featuring an excellent piano solo, dinner with H and his mom on the back porch, and (of course) a visit from the Easter Bunny.