hide and seek

i grew up loving children.
my mom had a loving heart
for all children...
and their parents.
it wasn't unusual for us to bring home
someones child after church
just for the afternoon, to give the 
parents a break. 
we were headed back to evening
church, so it was a few hours
we got to love on and play with 
these kids.        

lately i've spent time with some 
great nieces and nephews.
in texas my sweet 8 yr old niece announced
she wanted me to sit beside her at dinner.
of course i would!
she was finished before me,
i sat and visited with her mom and
grandma a bit, while she popped in
and out checking on us.
soon i knew it was time to find Miss A.
i looked all over inside.
no.
then outside.
no.
where could she be?
come to find out we were both 
looking for each other and kept missing
one another.
hahah.
we ended up outside playing assorted
versions of catch.
she's much more athletic than
her old gray haired aunti,
but tolerated me well.
we laughed and giggled,
lots.
we even let her older brother play too.
the kids were really excited when
my brown-eyed-handsome-man 
came out to play. he could challenge
their skills which they loved.  

friday evening i had fun with more
greats.
these 3 are a full of energy. 
the youngest is 4 and the
oldest in kindergarten.
we played hide and seek at dads. 

2 of the 3 are young enough they 
struggle keeping quiet while hiding.
they giggle and wiggle with excitement.
no matter how many times
you hide in the same closet
they act like it's a new place
and finding or being found there 
is miraculous!
you can also hide in fun places
like on the bed, but
under the bedspread. your body
is very obvious but it takes them a bit to
'think outside the box'.
then of course
they must hide there next time!
the excitment in these bodies 
and joy on their faces
kept all 3 literally hopping 
like baby bunnies.   
 
bird and i had a blast!
i kept thinking how blessed
i am.

fyi
playing hide and seek with children 
is much more fun
than hide and seek with things i've
temporarily lost,
like my mind! 
 

  
  

   
            

 
        

 

 

birds grandson

my sweet sister shares her grand kids with me.
i hear the stories, 
the funny things they say or do,
and get to love on them as often 
as i can.

her grandson is a hoot.
he's a deep thinker, very intelligent
and says some of the funniest things.
he's also very determined with a tad
bit of strong-willed-ness tossed in.
so no one is surprised to learn he
told his daddy
"i know what i know
and i want what i want!"
he's almost 4 years old.

he also has some impressive
role models it seems.
after he had worn the same shirt
2 days in a row,
his dad has suggested its time
for a clean shirt.
that's reasonable.
but mr. z thought his 
thinking was reasonable too.
"why do i have to change? 
charlie brown wears the same shirt." 

hahahahaha!!

    
            

radishes, pumpkins, green beans and dad

this farmer's daughter is getting the springtime itch.
been thinking of doing some plantin' even.
i looked at the veggie seeds.
ahh yes.... radishes, peas.... oh garden green beans!
sigh,
my mouth watering already.

then i saw the flower seeds.
sweet william, i've not had that in years.
sweet peas, bachelor buttons, and Texas bluebonnets?
yes, yes, YES! 
i want them all.
who needs veggies?
bring on the flowers.   

2 days later while dining with dad and bird
we discuss gardens, chatting about mom's,
asking if dad's mom had gardens and where.
i told them of my mouth-watering time in
the store, 
but that i bought flower seeds instead.
 
however, the reminder of the freshness and 
taste of those veggies becomes intense.
a garden....
a veggie garden....
oh...to have one again.

and wouldn't you know it
the next words out of my mouth
" we should plant a garden!"
"YES" says bird!
"dad, can we put in a garden ?"
"i don't care" replied our retired farmer.  
and we could hardly wait to finish lunch,
clear the table and go find a spot.
dad headed down the hall for a nap 
and we scampered out the back door on the hunt.
we decided where the old cherry trees were
would be a good spot. 
after all cherry trees grew here,
then tomatoes did,  
plus water is close by,
sun is plenty and 
we're only yards from the pool! 

we study the lay of the land,
how the sun pattern is happening,
then drag a garden hose to form 
the boundary.
pleased with progress and ourselves
we go on the hunt for the rakes and hoes.
sure enough, there are several well-used
ones. defined to mean-
older than me and some with cast iron handles!
woohoo! we can pump iron too.

after dads nap we drag him outside
to show him our spot.
we also wander around the farm a bit
while he tells us where his mom's gardens 
used to be and how big they were.

we end up on the front porch
listening to the meadowlarks,
and petting a gray cat we promptly named
friendly...for obvious reasons.
fyi, we thought all the farm cats
were wild so the 3 of us were quite
happy to make him purr with
the ear-and-chin-scratching we did
for him. 

we also talked gardens.
told dad what kind of veggies we 
might plant.
"dad is there anything you would like"
he's quiet.
"would you like radishes?"
"well i would eat some, but don't plant
them just for me".
okay.
"we're thinking some green beans,
bird wants pumpkins and zucchini. 
anything else pops?"

and then with a sly little grin,
and twinkle in those blue blue eyes,
he said 
"flowers".