Cutie patuttie Mom and her sunflowers

Here is Mom in all her glory with her 10 foot sunflowers. She has had quite the success with them. The little flowers below them are cone flowers, that used to be tall until their steroid cousins the sunflowers were planted. And these from little seeds she just stuck in the ground with her finger!

HUM!

So here I sit in my office, remember me the queen of clutter? Filing away until that little voice in my head said put Pandora on, it is so nice in the OR....and Pat loves it and David loves it.....

SO, I've finally ventured into the world of Pandora. Love Love Love is such an understatement.
I entered Joni Mitchell, I know, how original! But she is my all time favorite and all this FANTASTIC music is streaming from my computer while I sit here and file.......making new folders for Funerals, Jesus Valdez and ridding up files for Tim and Sibley!

Such a sign of the times.
What a wonderful play list I've had so far. Mostly took me back to my foggy days at Alderson Broaddus College. Bonnie Weston, Jeff Fine, Mellow: Neil Young, he always takes me there. I can see Jeff Fine sitting around a hog fest fire singing his heart out, me swooning to the music and Jeff! Oh, unrequited love!

Let me put my play list in and see if you are jealous now!
Joni Mitchell, Clouds
The Beatles Norwegian Wood......mmmmm
Simon and Garfunkel Bookends
Fleetwood Mac Landslide
Joni Mitchell Song to Aging Children Come
Bonnie Rait I can't Make you love me......my own personal theme song....till my Tim!
The Rolling Stones As Tears go by
Steely Dan Dirty work
Neil Young Old Man ...live I love it and that prompted me to HAVE to blog!
Joni Mitchell Michael from mountains.....actually took me back to 32o3 Weaving in my big bedroom....I sung that song so many times.......alas, my voice is not what it once was. Tim will tell you that for sure!
The Beatles Blackbird....love it too short, but good
Paul Simon St. Judy's Comet
Cat Stevens Katmandu......Jeff Fine at his best!
Joni Mitchell........Court and Spark My classic favorite for a woman who influenced so many artists in the 20th century.

Wow, I am a happy girl. Who knew one type of a word in Pandora could bring back so many memories!

I highly recommend this web site. Here is to you too Pat McInerney who first told me about this site and David Kestner my man blogging nephew at work, and all the OR folks who have had this on their phones!

Music is a bond that binds us all in so many ways.
I can hardly wait to try another name, but it will be a while until I tire of this Genre for sure!

Happy music and happy filing!
Am slowly ridding up my piles of paper!

My Dad

Today he would be 81! How can that be? I hardly remember him at 41, much less a retired man at 81. I hope he and Mom would have traveled this great big country of ours in their RV, and been to see all the grandchildren and children all over the country and been to all the state parks and driven to Alaska, and done England and been on cruises and danced and laughed together all these long lost years.

I wonder how his looks would have changed over the last 4o years. It is hard for me to imagine that, as I have such a hard time even picturing him in my mind. The photo below is of him coming out the door of a house before I was even born. It is dated February 1958. It must be the house on Lexington Street in Virginia. In has a hat he looks so handsome. He has a pipe and is dressed up. I think he liked to step out looking dapper. He looks so handsome and put together to me in this photo. This sits on the dresser in the guest room. I think I'll leave it in here in the office with me so I can say hello to him every day.






I wonder what he would think of this country and all that has happened in the last 40 years. I wonder if he had anything to do with the little souls sent this way to our family. Mostly Mike's children's children. But many others as well.

I know he would still have the bluest eyes like a beautiful blue sky day at the lake. He would still love babies, baby anything, even an earth worm according to Mom! He would be so glad to meet all the new additions to our family, no matter what branch they are on. I know he would still love and adore my Mom and all of her children. I know he would be proud of me and what I have become in my 49 years. I know he would be happy for Holly to be able to help raise the next generation of a Will Knight Kestner. I know he would be proud that both Kate and I are physician assistants and love our work. I know he would be proud of Kate and her daughter, and her ability to let us all still enjoy the lake as a family. I know he would be honored to have so many fine young grandsons to carry on the Kestner name.

I know he would be a computer whiz kid! He was impressed with computers in 1971. He would have had all the computers between now and then.

Below is one of my next favorite photos. This is Dad and his siblings in 1957. Dad is the blond in the front row. Alvin Knight, Dale Elwood, William David, Lois Elaine, And Uncle Wayne. They are all gone now. Aunt Lois was at our wedding, she was the last of the Mohican's. She died just last year of colon cancer.

Dad was a wonderful man. He changed the course of this family and brought me here to live with this wonderful family. I miss him often. And know he is with me often. A rainbow makes me think of him and lets me know he is around

Happy 81st Birthday Dad. I still miss you.

8/9/10 What a great date!

A Monday at work at at 7:45am when writing my first post-op orders I had such a treat with this date! 8-9-10! Too bad it was not 11:12 or something like that (my birthday) A Fun day for sure. Almost as good as M. David's Pi day birthday! 3.14!

All is hot and humid here in the lovely state of Maryland. I was back to work, Tim is in school tonight. Mom is home lonely, call or e-mail her. Kate is at the lake and thinking of Holly being there.

The lamp, veggin', vacation a go go

So, where did today go? Oh! We went to see Salt, a good spy mystery with Angelina Jolie, Tim loves her, and she is a pretty good actress. Did some snipping of skin tags on the man o my dreams. Soldered a bit o finishing touches on the lamp....still working on that project!
Read a bit o my book. Puttered in the garden. Took photos of the sunflowers, will post, just this computer does not like the card, so have to go home to do that.

This week Pat did "put up" a bushel of tomatoes we got at our local favorite farmers market...that will taste like heaven in the winter! If they last that long!

Tomorrow the plan is to do my toes, proof a paper, finish up the house projects. We had a leaky back hose bib, fixed! An ice maker not wanting to make ice....still perplexed by that one. And two spots that need to be replaced in the siding....It is always something with houses, I suggested Ice trays! Did not go over too well! :)

Cannot believe my week of vacation is over again! But I've had a lovely time and mostly did not HAVE to be anywhere or DO anything!
But next will be a conference right back here in Sept. with Audrey and Kate in Ocean City, MD, we will commute from here! Should be fun. And then our 6 year anniversary! Talk about where does the time go!

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes to Tim!

Time is flying

Hard to believe it's been since July 16 that I posted. Life is busy. Tim is in school and taking 3 math classes and a Humanaties class. I am the number one tutor for the math classes and editor for all the papers. Three are at Strayer and one is on line. This keeps him quite busy. He is also in charge of the houses, groceries and errands. He is doing quite well and just through midterms and I think has 4 A's again. YEA!
Last Friday the 30th we had a lovely visit with Mary McInerney and the Keanes. They are on the east coast for their annual Keane week at the Jersey shore. Mary and Kevin's children are all doing well. Colette will be a Sophmore at Fordham in NYC, Brendan is a senior at his catholic school and playing basketball. He is 6'10", I missed seeing him as he took a red eye east after his baskedball games. Will is taller than Colette now and will be in 9th grade. And Jack has wonderful curls back in his blonde locks and will be in 7th grade. Will and Jack are doing their usual summer meals while out of school. I so enjoy visitng with all of them, and do wish they lived closer.
I am working myself silly. I'd say I average about 50-60 hours a week and am taking call on the weekends to help make ends meet. I am off this week and totally enjoying a week of nothing. Pat was down in the beginning of the week while Tim was in MD in school, they switched places and now I get to enjoy the end of the week with Tim. I brought a few projects to work on, none of which are getting done. I am reading the Shack, an interesting take on The trinity. We'll see how it ends.
Kate is at the lake for 3 weeks, so no news of Sibley this week from her. I am sure she is in total bliss.
Holly is busy with Will and teaching him songs. His little 2 year old voice is so sweet on the phone.
Mom is lonely and bored at home with Kate and I gone this week. BUT she will be going to see the west coast family in Portland and Washington state soon. Kate is joining her on that trip. I'll stay here and hold the fort down.
I cannot belive how hot it has been here. The beginning of the week we had the windows open and today there is a red hot heat advisory!
My sunflowers are doing well here. The fountain attracts hundreds of birds as water is at a premium with no rain and intense heat.
Life is good. We are doing well.