Saying Good bye

This is our dear Great Aunt Irma.  In Sept we were able to spend her  107th Birthday with her.
Two years ago her only direct relative moved her across the state away from all of her daily friends and great and great great  and great great great nieces and nephews who saw her several times a week.

We were only able to visit every few months which broke our hearts as well as hers.  Her direct relative did not show up for her birthday and hadn't been seen since the previous year when he did attend her 106th birthday.  Sadly he lives 20  mins from her.

Aunt Irma loved us all as we loved her.  She especially cherished her great great and great great great nieces and nephews and when at home always wanted to 'have a tea party'.

 

Our youngest grand daughter and great great great aunt Irma had birthdays exactly 100 yrs apart.
Amazing when you think about it.

Shortly before Christmas Sweet beautiful Irma went home to the Lord and all of her beautiful sisters and one brother.  She leaves behind an awesome legacy.  Her favorite line was "Come sit down and I will tell you a yarn."

She regaled us with stories of growing up in a large family on a farm, having 3 children, 2 tragically died at young ages,  raising 32 foster children with her husband of 54 years.

One foster daughter is still living and calls her Mama.
 

Irma witnessed so many wonderful and tragic events in her life time.  She never flew in a plane but rode in a horse and buggy.  She was simple and humble and lived her life accordingly.

Her one vanity was to wear high heel 'pumps' from a young age.  She wore them to work, to church, on picnics, climbing a ladder, roofing the barn, hoeing in her garden.  She never wore flat shoes until recent years and her feet were badly misshapen.

Irma was a talented artist and loved oil painting.  She taught art students for years and finally had to quit 5 years ago at the age of 102 when her eye sight was failing and she had a difficult time getting up and down her steep basement stairs to her painting area.

The last visit with her, our youngest daughter recorded her telling stories and had sent them to us just days before Irma died.  We have yet to listen to them. Our hearts are heavy but we know she would not want us to weep and grieve.  She lived a beautiful giving, honest life and deserved to go to her final rest.




                                                         

Liberate Your Art Swap 2016

It is that time of year again!  Kat Sloma from Kat Eye Studios is once again hosting her annual 'Liberate Your Art' postcard swap.

Do you like photography?  Make art and take pictures of it?  Then this is the perfect swap for you!

This is my fourth year participating and it is so fun.  Every spring post cards start coming in from various artists all over the world.  Put on your big girl panties and put your art out there for all to enjoy and sign up.

It's A Nutty Life

The last week has been very gray and foggy with intermittent drizzle.  I have been entertained by two little squirrels that live in a pine tree in our front yard.

 
Because of the thick canopy of branches of the tree and the warmer temps the snow has melted here. The squirrels are rooting under the bird feeder for sunflower seeds.

They don't mind me standing in the window. But seem to saying  'Hey Lady where's the rest of the stash?

 

 I shoved a plastic bowl in this crevice so they could reach their peanuts.  When I put them on the ground or even the chair in the flower bed, our dog Shelka will knock them down and eat them.

Squirrels don't hibernate and they forage for food all winter.  Often we watch them taking peanuts and burying them all over this particular flower bed when they aren't eating them.

  

 This little stinker ran out of peanuts and jumped down into the bird feeder from the branch above and helped himself to the sunflower seeds mix.

                A few birds are dive bombing the bird feeder because they want their turn to eat.

                               
                                       While the partner is down below finding his own morsels.

Later  I went out into the back yard because Shelka was whining to go out.  On our side fence was Mr. Squirrel and straight ahead was a neighbor cat slunk down on the top of the fence just waiting to pounce.  I ran out to scare the cat away, then got the camera.  By then Mr Squirrel had run up onto the roof top to get away.

Phew!  We have two cats too and I am always watchful when the squirrels are out.

What wild life is in your neck of the woods?