A Weekend Chat

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and we are smiling here at our house!

Although at times it seemed it would never get here, Kati's surgery was Thursday morning. Her ornery gall bladder is now a thing of the past! She had a good deal of pain and nausea after the surgery and it was decided that she should stay at the hospital overnight. But we all arrived home yesterday afternoon and she is improving day by day.

Today, we all took our lunch out to the patio (we didn't linger...the wind was chillier than we thought!) and Kati and I took a walk down our long lane to the mailbox. It feels so good to be moving ahead.

So many of you have told me that you were praying for Kati during these past six weeks and it warms this mama's heart to know that you were concerned.

Thank you for your prayers! I know that "the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16) 

While Kati was in the hospital, Bekah stayed at her big sister Kristin's house, taking some school work along to do during the time that her niece and nephews would be doing their own school work. Knowing that Kristin had planned some fun things for all the kids to do during the two days that Bekah would be there, I said to Bekah, "While Kati's having surgery, you're going to have a little vacay!"

"A vacay with school," Bekah replied. 

Schoolwork notwithstanding, they had a great time together with outings and in-ings and special treats. And Bekah was able to avoid the whole hospital scene, which suited her germaphobe self to a T.

Back at home, she went into caretaker mode. She went out and picked a daffodil for Kati's tray, and is happy to do her bidding. (One of her jobs is keeping Pinky from trying to climb onto Kati's lap. Ouch!)

Speaking of vacay, Ron took off Thursday and Friday, and is on vacation this coming week too. Our grand plans for the week are to paint our bedroom and to do some yard work. I really don't like yard work in the summer heat, but in the spring, it is invigorating.

Most of the green in the picture is weeds.

Our herb garden took a beating this winter. Plants that have wintered over for years did not survive this brutal winter. My very large rosemary plant died. The thyme that I got from a friend twenty-five years ago did not make it. The oregano from the same friend is hanging on for dear life, with only a few green edges on a large (mostly brown now) plant. The marjoram, also barely hanging on. The chives thrived, as did my least favorite plant in the herb garden, rue. I only keep it because it is food for the large number of swallowtail caterpillars that feast on it each summer. It lives, so the caterpillars will dine sumptuously again this year. 

So the herb garden needs an overhaul. Trees need trimming. The beds need mulch. Maybe we'll get some of it done during this week of working vacation. Or maybe we'll go get ice cream.

April is shaping up to be a busy month of celebrations. On successive weekends we have Bekah's 13th birthday, Resurrection Sunday, and a baby shower for my niece. Lots of family time! Lots of celebrating! Blessings abound!