It's been a crazy week for us! We found out that the insurance adjuster that came out a couple of weeks ago quit and took our entire file with him...so, a new adjuster had to come out and start all over. He was here yesterday. Also, Joe and I both have been sick with an awful "tummy thing" so we didn't get to go to Emily's birthday party today or to ranch to plant our wildflowers : (
The "up side" is that I've almost finished the latest Oprah Book Club Selection, I've watched most of my favorite movies again and I've had time to bug my family (via email) about viewing my blog and pictures : )

We went to the ranch for the first time since returning after the storm. It was a beautiful weekend. Joe worked really hard getting the yard cleaned up and the ground prepared so we can plant our Wildseed Farms flower seed next weekend. We fed the cattle and then we took our traditional ride to the Piney Pasture to watch a beautiful sun set. That's my pet longhorn, Rosie watching me through the well cover and posing for a close-up. For those of you who don't know, Rosie was my anniversary present from Joe five years ago. Isn't she cute? Rosie is really sweet and docile but she isn't what I'd call a cuddly pet : )

The family went to Fredericksburg, TX last weekend. It was really fun! We stayed at 1 Big House...a 2-story (3 bedroom; 2-12 bath) house located at the Cotton Gin Restaurant & Lodging. It was the perfect place for our family getaway. The first night (Fri.), we made S'mores on the fire pit located on the back patio and visited. After a leisurely breakfast at the house, the rest of Saturday was spent shopping and eating (including authentic German food at Der Lindenbaum)...then we drove to an old abandoned train tunnel about 12-miles out of town (operated by Texas Parks & Wildlife) and watched the bats emerge. Unfortunately, little Emily got a sick tummy during the night (poor little thing) so Trey's family left right away on Sunday morning to get her home. Melissa's family went with us to the Airport Diner for breakfast before they headed back. Joe and I stopped at Wildseed Farms on our way out of town and we had a slow leisurely drive back home. It was a wonderful family weekend...made some good memories! Trey says Emily is finally feeling better today. Also, the insurance adjuster came today so we should be able to start repairs to the house some time next week...yippee! I can't wait to get my house put back together.

So much has gone on since my last post! I suppose I'll start where I left off...with Tiffany. Tiffany is staying with her paternal aunt and she is being home schooled. I spoke to her a few days ago and she is fine.

Joe and I went to San Francisco for our 42nd wedding anniversary from September 6th thru the 9th. It was the first time either of us had been there and we had the absolute best time! It is so pretty...we're already talking about going back.

We were home just two days when we had to leave because Hurricane Ike was knockin' at the door. So it was off to the ranch! Hurricane Ike just followed us...the winds were 70 mph up there! We lost lots of pecan tree limbs and the beautiful old peach tree in the front yard blew over. But everyone returned home safe and sound. Our house here took a pretty good hit. The whirley-birds blew off (leaving holes in the roof) and the water poured into our bedroom as well as the newly renovated bathroom. It looks pretty sad upstairs right now...but I'm going to have a blast fixing it up again!

I've come to a fork in the road. Thursday was the last day of school for Tiffany. Out of the blue, she asked me if she could go spend a few days with her Dad. Just the day before, we discovered that her Dad had given her a "herbal gift" when he came to visit earlier in the week. So, I told her NO. She informed me she was going anyway. After explaining the consequences about her leaving without my permission, she stated she would "rather be in "Juvie" than here". She hit me with more...but those bruises are too deep to repeat. Her Dad arrived. In a moment of desperation, I tried to reason with him and they left. Her probation officer will call when they have Tiffany back in custody. Now I have to choose which path to take: the one that allows her to come back if she asks (which would make me a liar because I told her I wouldn't) or the one that would probably lead her to certain destruction. Through tears, I look up at the picture above my desk... I'm reminded that this is exactly the sort of situation that moved me to buy this picture.

On a much happier note, Joe and I went to see Aunt Freda in Anacoco, LA over the weekend. Joe promised Auntie a few months ago that he would return soon to replace an old storm door. He made good on his promise. We shopped, took flowers to the cemetery, played "42", ate a delicious meal Auntie had cooked and we went out for ice cream. It was a really nice visit. Look what I saw on Sunday! This is a nest of baby Barn Swallows that set up residence in the rafters of Auntie's carport. It's hard to miss the "four tenors" but look down low on the far left...can you see the shy little dude staring at me? He's harder to see in this picture but if you look real close you might be able to make out his yellow lips.

And that pretty much covers the last week for me. Except that Trey, Brandi and the girls are back from their trip to Florida. I missed them. It's amazing how much the girls grew in only 10 days! O. C. and Dylan are spending the night with us. The guys are watching a movie that I'm not interested in, giving me this opportunity to catch up. Until next time...

The weekend at the ranch was nice...hot, but quiet and peaceful. It's amazing what a couple of days in the country can do for the soul. Tiffany found a baby bird egg that had fallen from it's nest. It was so small lying there next to the huge pecan tree. Kind of sad that there was nothing to be done to save the baby, but I found it a little comforting to see that the egg had landed "nestled" so close to the tree. I had to "snap it". Hopefully, I'll figure out how to do slide-shows soon so whoever would like can see more of my photos. Tomorrow is the last day of school for Tiff. She and I will be attending a family grief support group beginning next week for eight weeks. The school counselor turned us on to Bo's Place...a non-profit center for grieving children and their immediate families here in Houston. We attended the orientation yesterday and I was really impressed. I'm not sure what else we're doing this summer...continuing the journey I suppose.

Hi and Mary Friday! For those of you who don't know yet, I've recently started a new leg of this journey . My grand-daughter, Tiffany (16) has come to live with us. Bless her heart, she doesn't complain but I know she has to be bored to death! And, it's been a long time since we've had a teenager in the house (at least 10 years). Tiffany is now attending Pasadena Memorial High School...she has to be there at 7:00 AM (that's in the morning)!!! The three of us are making adjustments. This is a ranch weekend. We've had to limit our trips to the ranch. Gasoline prices being what they are. The wildflower picture was taken a few weeks ago. I have a large patch in the front yard at the ranch that's planted in Texas wildflowers. I'm going to watch a movie with Tiffany called Step Up. So, until next time....