There's life and then there's tee-ball

This has been a less than stellar week for health and human services in our household. OK, not really human services, but it always goes with health. 

OK, it doesn't always go with human services but it was what was in my head when I typed that. I think I would blog more if I had a typist. I hate typing very much. 

Owen went to the doctor last week for a check of his blood pressure, as in, it's been too high. It's a long story but he discovered a blood pressure issue a couple weeks ago. So at the ripe old age of almost 21, he is currently on blood pressure medicine. I hate that too. 

Then this past weekend John was suffering with another kidney stone, the first in five years. But that's little comfort for him. Since the weekend ended, he has made some improvement and is at work today. But the rolling stone is still in there somewhere. Yikes to that. 

Yesterday was less than stellar for me. That's all I have to say about that.

But then yesterday was also William's first ever tee-ball game and OMG what a hoot tiny boys are trying to learn to play ball. It's sorta like trying to keep really wet spaghetti on a plate. It ain't easy. The most important thing of the afternoon for William was his awesome gold socks and his brand new baseball pants. He thought both were super cool. 

Of course I took some photos to document the happening.  

Even Anna made a appearance. 

She kept all opinions to herself. 

William waiting for something to happen.

And that's a wrap on the first tee-ball game. 

So it begins again. 

It's been 15 years since I watched Owen play his last tee-ball game. 

From tee-ball to blood pressure meds, a lot's happened in between. 

But I was at the ball park yesterday and there I found another crop of sweaty, uncoordinated, cute little boys standing in a small field tackling their own teammates for the chance to get the ball. It did the heart good to see some things are simple and sweet and constant. 

There will always be little boys learning to play the game while patient coaches and parents cheer and laugh and enjoy a moment in time. I say a moment, because that's what it feels like. Just a moment ago, Owen was standing in a small field amongst many, sweaty, uncoordinated, cute little boys tackling their own teammates for the chance to get the ball. And he was so excited about his baseball socks and his new white pants.

I love the boys of summer. 

They are some of my favorites.  

Peace out from me.

Here's what I'm thinking about today

This looks to be your standard tree. It's green. 

It's leafy. 

It has long limbs.

It photographs well.

A book looks great under it.

It looks like it could go on forever. 

 There have been many pictures taken of it.

It looks wonderful with the sunshine gleaming through it.

It's lasted a lifetime and then some.

And it apparently tastes delicious. 

It's simply the best tree ever 

And my favorite.

It's a rarity people

Two posts in one day.

Scroll for two....

Because there are.....

Anna Jane

Since I began the post about Texas many days ago, we have a new family member who thankfully safely joined us yesterday. Anna Jane Swander weighed in at 8 1/2 pounds at exactly 1:00 on May 4th. 

The little lady fought through a minefield of May birthdays to have her very own. 

She is baby sister to two older brothers, William and James, and she will be making a name for herself in the Swander household. 

Lord thank you for all our beautiful family. I'm overwhelmed at your excellence for giving us the absolute best we could have. 

Here's to the longest and happiest life possible for her and all of us.

It's a good day.

The Texas post

After our Texas weekend last month, I'm happy to report that Texas was indeed still in its spot, and looking very inviting for the coming months. As many times as my family made the trek last year, it's not looking good for many trips in the coming months. That makes me very sad. But we have plans in the making for a road trip to DC, as well as other tentative things on the books.

In the meantime, school's winding down with only 13 more days for me and then summer is in full swing....which means my life changes very little. But I'm looking forward to it anyway! 

I love summer. I love southern summer nights. I love southern summer nights filled with the thick sweet smell of blooming honeysuckle. I love southern summer nights filled with the thick sweet smell of blooming honeysuckle as crickets perform an outdoor symphony like no other. 

That's it. I'm out for poetic sentences about Louisiana. 

Moving on...

I love being in Texas in the summer. I love being in Texas in the summer riding down dusty country roads. I love being in Texas in the summer, riding down dusty country roads
finding fields of sunflowers, Texas longhorns, mail boxes shaped like tractors and cemeteries with old rusty gates. 

They are there, I've seen them.

This dude is not totally adorable.

I love hearing the midnight whistle of a distant train. I love hearing frogs calling at night, enjoying their humid southern homesteads.   

That's it. I'm out for all poetic sounding sentences. 


I love poetic sounding sentences. But some (my kids) think they're cheesy, and I'm not good at writing them. 

The cold wind whipped around her like a pack of wild dogs nipping at her heels.... Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. That's really bad.

The silent summer night left her wondering if the symphony of frogs and crickets had gone elsewhere to enjoy a lazy beach vacation.... Sounds pretty silly when I write one, but I love others not written by me. 

Oh well, some things aren't in my wheel house. 

But in Texas, the country roads are still dusty and the late night train whistles can still be heard in the distance. 

The bluebonnets are there too. 

This cemetery down the road from the house is lovely in the background. 

I find that cemeteries aren't scary to me like they were when I was little. I went back and looked for this post I wrote about regarding me, my aunt Mollie and cemeteries.

.....

...when I was little and visiting in Corsicana, I recall one time my Aunt Mollie went to tend to the family plot in the Catholic cemetery in town....and, I stupidly went with her. Well, we'd been there for awhile and I was exhausted from keeping my eye on each and every headstone in that place and it was getting near the dusk side of the day and I was getting near the hysterical side of, "Crazy old lady it's getting dark and we are in a cemetery!!!!" Now of course I didn't say this to her real face but I was giving her shooting glances between not taking my eyes off of the headstones and even so she seemed unaffected by all the deadness and not the least bit interested or afraid that in my small, tiny, frightened brain the INSTANT darkness overtook a cemetery, dead things reached up OUT OF THE GRAVE and pulled small children in with them. It was fact! I'm certain Dale told me so.

Well sure enough when she finally finished the manicuring of the family plot, it was time to go home and....as God as my witness....when we got in the car it wouldn't start! GADZOOKS!! We were done for! Well, just before I fainted, I clasped my tiny hands in a quick fervent prayer for Jesus to save me from all the deadies that I knew were coming specifically for me and then I don't remember what happened after that. When I awoke, the car had started and shockingly all the dead people had stayed put. It was one of the closest calls in my short life.

OK. I didn't really faint but it was STILL a close call. And the car did start after we prayed. And surprisingly the next day there was no report in the paper of any missing people...dead or alive. WHEW!! 
.......

All of that story is factual and accurate and not exaggerated at all. 

But now back to our trip to Corsicana...

On this day Maisy was very barky...about what, she kept that to herself.

Then she wanted to spend some time with Beba.

She asked me to take this one.

Then she shut Beba out.

Profiles of a dog in Corsicana.

Beba and I went for a ride around the bend and we saw these paint brushes at the community center, so we stopped for a photo session. 

These flowers are tiny and I used Beba's super up close lens attachment for an iPhone to take these next pictures. It's quite the handy little lens.

Then I finished up with one more church picture after I realized I'd cut the cross off of some of the other pictures I'd already taken. 

I always feel like there is one more picture to take.

Then we went on a lovely road trip to Ennis Texas for a trip down bluebonnet lane where rolling countryside held magnificent views. 

I love a barbed wire/bluebonnet picture.

There are no bluebonnets in this picture, only rolling hills and pastureland.

I took TONS of photos of Olivia and Caitlin in the back seat during the bluebonnet ride. It took Kit Kat a while to catch on...

Eleven to be exact....

Then she joined in on the hamming....

We found a fab red truck.

I had lots of time to myself which is always scary.

I took a selfie.

But I couldn't resist taking more of my lovely daughters.

And the beautiful countryside. 

And some fabulous paintbrushes.

Paintbrushes are second cousin to bluebonnets which I think is unfair. They are fab.

The only problem with the day was everybody from North America, Europe and Asia came as well and so I experienced my first ever traffic jam in the country. And I'm not even kidding. 

People were everywhere. 

I do not lie.

Hey Beba!

I may have gone overboard on taking pics, but here I was trying to get artsy.

I'll end these here, but trust me...there were more.

Hey again Beba!

I don't think she was giving me A finger.

Group selfie!

Snatched this from snapchat. So it IS possible to snatch from Snapchat. 

This one too which I strangely love.

Then we were back home at the farm.

Beba and I bought two red adirondack chairs.

I found an antique Corsicana street sign, something I've always wanted!

I also reflected on the degrees of separation Emma is experiencing on some days...

It's crazily down to one.

White bird in the big pasture.

A sunset.

Once again, before we knew it, it was time to go home. We had some very different and strange things to take with us this time. If you can't see it, you will in a minute.

On the way in town we saw this guy and John said, "I will never want or need gold pants."

Owen never expected to unload a wagon wheel from our car.

It's been placed for now.

The only thing Milo cared about was that one of his beds was back in town. What a jerk.

And that's all folks.