Natural Bridge

One of my favorite places to visit is Aruba. The temperature is warm with a nice island breeze! The people are very friendly! The scenery is breath taking!

Babbling Brook

The Innocent One

Mi Corazón

My first granddaughter. What a joy! She is mi corazón! My heart! For me grand mothering is much better than mothering! I think that it is just because I have more time to give now. I have three beautiful granddaughters now, and I treasure every moment that I have with them. I am soooooo blessed!

My daughter is great at mothering! I don't know how she does it with three! What ever she is does, it works quite well!

My only complaint is that she lives in California and I live in Ohio. She doesn't fly. As I get older, it is more difficult for me to travel! I try really hard to keep in touch with my granddaughters, now 6, 3, and 2. When they first see me they all yell "Grandma", and run to give me a hug! This is so heart warming for me! My spirits are lifted so high...there's just nothing like it!

We keep in touch by telephone. Even the little one makes mommy dial grandma's telephone number. Just the other day I answered the phone and it was Lilly (2 years)...Grandma come! Grandma come! I was ready to book a flight immediately!

I wonder how other long distance grandmas/grandpas feel about this. How do you handle the heartbreak every time you have to leave?

True Love

Charlie (the Jack Russell Terrier) became very protective of this kitten! I love the relationship between these two. Does anyone have any animals that accept those that aren't their own?

DADDY AND ME

Father and daughter relationships are very important. When you're little, daddy fixes everything. He's supposed to be like superman! The teen years come and there's anger, getting grounded, and not understanding each other at all. As you get older you realize how much your father cares and how much you care. The past six years, I had serious health problems, and was in extreme pain. In those six years, I had 5 back surgeries, 4 hip surgeries, a shoulder replacement, and then ended up with a pulmonary embolism and a dvt!

During the surgeries I was in so much pain, all I could do is cry. My father called me everyday and he would mentally take me to another place. He was able to calm me down, and help ease the pain. He never gave up on me. He was always there! I never realized how much my father cared. He is very old school...he doesn't show his feelings much.

There were times when I wanted to die! All of the pain meds clouded me, put the pain remained! I just can't tell you how much I appreciated what my father did for me!

I really got to know my father through all of this. He wasn't just my father anymore, but my friend. I am so blessed to have him in my life!

SANDBABIES
Peeking out...being seen but not seen.

Crackhead

We all go through different moods, have different feelings that take us to many different places. This is one of mine. The title doesn't have anything to do with drugs, but fractures. Perhaps fractures in the mind, or personality. This is how I felt at the time.

A VIEW FROM MY WINDOW

MY BIG BACKYARD

I feed a variety of animals that pass through my backyard. Deer, skunks, raccoons, and possums are among the few. I have been able to establish a relationship with some of them. For instance…when the deer come, I hold up an apple and say “apple, apple” they look and then I toss it to them. They know that when I say “apple” I have something for them! Over time, they have become more and more trusting of me. They only seem to be skittish when there is a fawn present. Trying to photograph them has proven to be difficult to say the least. At times, when I hold up the camera to take a picture, I believe that they think it’s a gun! It frightens them at times, and they start to bolt! The regulars have gotten used to me, and the newbies learn in time that there is nothing to be afraid of. They are such a joy! I am beginning to think that an animal’s fear could be more learned than instinctual. For example, when the baby possums and raccoons are present, they seem to be so much more trusting than the older animals! I wonder if at a certain age the fear instinct just kicks in or if it is learned from their experiences.