Hello Nelda

William Bert Kinsey

2010-05-30T10:51:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I attended a memorial service for my younger brother, who passed away May 24, 2010. His four daughters did a wonderful job with pictures, the obituary, and the eulogy. Crystie, Bert's oldest daughter read the eulogy that she wrote and it was beautiful. She was so strong as she stood there and read what she had written. I know she was unsure of whether she could do it or not because we had talked about it. I told her to pray and ask God for the strength, and that I would say a prayer for her as well. Crystie wrote things about her Daddy that portrayed only what the family would know. Bert also had six step-children that honored him with their respect and love. Yesterday was a day of roller coaster emotions, so sad to lose a brother, and glad to see the people that were there to honor his memory. Bert, we love you and we miss you. May you rest in peace in the company of our parents, our sister, Mary Beth; our brother, Walton; our brother-in-law, Howard; and our niece, Lynn. Heaven is a little more beautiful today.

Mushroom Tree

2008-09-16T11:09:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks ago I was driving to Pleasanton to spend some time with Pat after she had surgery and I saw this tree, which looks much like a big mushroom. I wanted to stop right then to take a picture, but it was raining. A few days later when Pat felt like getting away from the house for a while, she and I drove back to where I had seen the tree and I was able to get this picture. Looks like a big mushroom, right? On closer examination I think the tree is growing up through an old cistern, but was unable to get close enough to make sure. I had hoped I would be able to determine that fact when I uploaded the picture, but it is too dark under there to see detail. There was a barbed wire fence between me and the tree, so I felt like the land owner really didn't want anyone over there. So, even though I am almost certain that is not the trunk of the tree, it is still my mushroom tree!

Hummingbird Moth

2008-09-15T17:53:00.003-05:00

Did I ever feel lucky earlier this summer when I saw a Hummingbird Moth feeding from the periwinkles in my back yard! I felt even luckier that I was able to come into the house, get my camera, go back out and actually find the moth again. They are called Hummingbird Moth because they fly like a hummingbird and feed like a hummingbird, and look pretty much like one, only smaller. This summer is the first time I have seen these moths in West Texas. I have seen them in Western Colorado around the cabin we used to stay in while vacationing there.

I have since learned (from reading a dear friend's blog - yes, Debi - you) that their real name is Sphinx Moth, although I kinda of like the name "Hummingbird" Moth, and will probably continue to call them that. It's good to know the real name, though; now if I can only remember it!

Guest Post by Debi

2008-09-13T09:08:00.001-05:00

..
Nelda and Wind Turbines

Back in January of this year, Nelda and I took a photo trip to Big Spring and back. She told me how the size of the new wind turbines popping up everywhere here in West Texas fascinated her. When we saw a new field of wind turbines going up near Stanton, we jumped at the chance to get a closer look before they went into operation. The cute little purple figure is Nelda. How's that for giving you a feel for the size of these things?

She convinced me. Wind turbines' size is endlessly fascinating. I found a couple of videos on Youtube you might enjoy.

Here's a less than 4 minute video inside a wind turbine -- the first 30 seconds is of a traditional water windmill in Europe for comparison.

And here's a 10 minute video of installing a wind turbine on the St. Olaf College in Minnesota. Another awe inspiring take.

And lastly, here's some quick facts about the size of wind turbines found on the US Department of Energy web site:

The largest machine has blades that span more than the length of a football field, stands 20 building stories high, and produces enough electricity to power 1,400 homes.

I'm glad Nelda introduced me to the awe and respect of these non-polluting giants.

Spring is coming!!!

2008-02-24T15:09:00.002-06:00

Looks like Spring is on the way - and I, for one, am very happy about that. I love the Spring and Summer because I really enjoy being outside. I have been working in the backyard some - getting it ready for planting some new plants. It was exciting to find the day lillies are coming up and green leaves emerging on a couple small bushes, which I can not remember their name and somehow failed to keep the tag that came with them. They are a flowering bush and are supposed to attact hummers.

I shouldn't get so excited right now about warm weather as typically, we will have at least one more cold spell and new growth will freeze. So, I will wait a while before putting in new plants. But, for right now, I am going to enjoy the warmer weather as much as I can!

Longhorn Tree

2008-02-11T12:45:00.000-06:00

Can you see the Longhorn? This is a mesquite tree growing on Pat and Jim's place near Pleasanton, Texas (south of San Antonio). She was gracious to share the picture with me and gave me permission to post it on this site. It is very unusual to see a mesquite tree in West Texas - we only have mesquite bushes! Pat says the tree is on the far side of her husband's workshop, so they can only see the top part from their back deck. I guess the times I have been visiting there were leaves on the tree and the limbs were somewhat concealed. I'll be sure to check that out the next time I am down there. I suggested to Pat (tongue in cheek) that she climb up there and paint the Longhorn white, but she didn't respond very favorably. The growth pattern of that limb is rather unusual - makes one wonder what made the limb split and grown opposite ways?

Stanton Wind Turbines

2008-01-19T21:29:00.000-06:00

I am fascinated with the wind turbines that are being erected just about everywhere in Texas. Today Debi and I went to Big Spring and she took pictures of several old buildings and a bridge. I, being a total wimp sat in the car a lot of the time (it was cold out there), but I did get out and take a few pictures with my little "point and click" Kodac camera. On the way home we took a little side trip north of Stanton where there are many turbines being erected. We were able to get up very close to them. In fact, Debi took a picture of me standing next to one of them - those things are HUGE!!! It just about makes one dizzy to look up at the top when standing so close to one, at least it did me. I was happy for the chance to get so near them just to realize how very big they are, as they don't look so big at a distance. It was a very good day, mostly because I spent it with Debi.

Sun rise in West Texas

2008-01-08T11:02:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite times of the day is early in the morning. I can usually be found sitting at my kitchen table drinking coffee reading the paper and watching the sun rise. West Texas has beautiful sunrises, and this time of the year is the very best. I took these pictures early this morning from my back yard. The vibrant pinks only last for a very short time. One day last week when I was coming in the front door after having gone out to get the paper, I could see bright almost red through my closed blinds on the back of the house. It looked like there could be a fire going on out there. By the time I got my camera and got outside, the sun had moved just a bit and the colors were much subdued. I felt very lucky this morning to be able to catch the sun rise just at the right time to get these pictures.

My friend died on January 3 and her funeral service was yesterday afternoon. It was the first funeral service I had attended in an Anglican church. The service was beautiful and I'm sure Nancy was looking down from Heaven with approval.

To anyone reading this, may you have a great day.

More Rambling

2007-12-23T18:43:00.000-06:00

Here it is almost Christmas Day and I see I haven't posted since before Thanksgiving. Guess I am just too busy, doing what I don't have a clue. I hope anyone reading this will have the Merriest of Christmases ever. Again, I am cooking dinner for the immediate family that lives in this area. My stepson in San Antonio and his family will be absent this year. I really can't say that I blame them for not making a trip - with two little girls just 13 months old. I do hope to see them soon.

I did start doing volunteer work at my church one afternoon a week. I answer the phone to relieve the girl that normally does that. The past two weeks I have been working on the church directory; last week did some proof reading which is tedious, but someone has to do it, so I guess it might as well be me. After the directory is finished I don't know what they will have for me to do, but I bet they will think of something.

One of my elderly friends is in Hospice Hospital and is refusing any kind of medication, plus she has been unable to eat for several months - has been being fed through a feeding tube directly to the stomach, and she is now refusing that. She is ready to die. It is a sad time, but I fully understand her decision. She has Parkinson's and is unable to walk, eat, or talk, and has just about lost the use of her hands. She has no way to communicate, although her mind is great. She was taken to the hospital Friday afternoon because she was having trouble breathing, and is just tired. Fortunately, she is a strong Christian woman and is ready to go to her heavenly home. Some of the time she responds, but a lot of the time she doesn't. I don't know if she doesn't know us, or if she is just too tired to acknowledge us.

On a happier note, all my family is doing well, as am I.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Rambling

2007-11-17T10:21:00.000-06:00

Hello, anyone out there that might be reading this. It has been so long since I've posted anything that I had almost forgotten how! Guess that tells you that I don't have a lot going on that is worth writing down. I am still doing my thing with Meals on Wheels and have made some wonderful friends there. Right now I am considering volunteering to work in our church office one afternoon each week - staff there is short handed and there's a lot of work to be done. I am to talk to someone about it next week.

I just got back from a wonderful visit with my friend Pat, who lives in Pleasanton, Tx. I was down there for a week and as usual we played cards a lot. When Pat was here in August I introduced her to Skip-Bo. She went back to Pleasanton with a brand new deck of cards and proceeded to teach the game to anyone that will sit still long enough to play. Needless to say, she won a lot more games that I did! I did beat her in the one game of Gin that we played!

Also, since my last post I had some remodeling done on the house, actually just one wall taken out between the dining room and living room. That made the area seem so much larger - amazing. Also had some wood (laminate) floors installed in the dining area and halls. I think it looks great. I am in the midst of redecorating right now - which is taking a little longer than I would like, but I'll get there - soon, I hope.

A great big Happy Thanksgiving to everyone reading this.

Tagged

2007-09-29T23:06:00.000-05:00

Ok, I've been tagged!

Four places I've lived:
1. The first place I remember is Grassbur, Texas (does anyone know where that is?)
2. Fisk, Texas (refer to note on No. 1)
3. Midland, Texas
4. Ozona, Texas

Four foods I enjoy:
1. Ribeye steak
2. Turkado sandwich from Murray's
3. Oysters on the half shell
4. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich
Talk about boring!

Four vacation spots:
1. Vallcito Lake, Colorado (my very favorite of all times)
2. Las Vegas, Nevada
3. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
4. Branson, Missouri

Four places I had rather be:
I honestly cannot think of anywhere else I would rather be than right here where I am.

I loved living in Ozona, but that was before my husband passed away, and I would not like living there without him.

That's it, folks!

Blooms

2007-09-26T15:41:00.000-05:00

The peppermint zinnias are blooming and they are beautiful! There are a few blooms open and several buds, so I can enjoy them for a while.

All lined up........

2007-09-13T10:24:00.000-05:00

...with some place to go! This is Meals on Wheels, food containers lined up on the shelves, blue for cold food, red for hot food; cars lined up in front ready to deliver meals to approximately 500 homebound residents on 34 routes in Midland. This happens 5 days a week. There is another program called Share A Meal that delivers food on Saturday, with a frozen meal for Sunday. There are not as many clients in this program and I am assuming those that are do not have anyone to provide meals for them any day.

Almost two years ago I started delivering food twice a month with another lady named Nelda. We met at an open house at an Edward Jones office because I had heard people saying my name, but no one was speaking to me. I also heard someone ask this other Nelda if she was still delivering food for Meals on Wheels. Her response was that she was, but her partner had moved away so she was delivering alone. I later introduced myself to her and in our conversation I asked her if she would like to have another partner for Meals on Wheels. This other Nelda has become a very special person to me - so chalk one up for MOW!

After a few weeks I mentioned to the volunteer coordinator that if she should need assistance in the office I was available - on a volunteer basis. I told her I was pretty good on a computer and I could stuff envelopes, etc. Guess what! The very next day she called and said she had a project for me!

The project is to take a monthly list of drivers with the number of trips they made each month, multiply that by $3.75 and round up to the nearest $5.00, then to give each driver gift cards for that amount. Once a month I take my list, which I have broken down by days of the week, and I go to the Meals on Wheels facility each day for a week and hand out gift cards. I am a very popular lady that week!

The gift cards are for purchases at HEB, and are provided by a Midland philanthropic foundation to offset the cost of gasoline for the drivers. There are some drivers that deliver food 5 days a week. Some have regular routes for each day of the week and others drive where ever and when ever needed as substitutes.

I have met wonderful caring people involved with Meals on Wheels and am so blessed to know them.

Bud

2007-09-10T11:53:00.001-05:00

Look! A bud on one of the zinnias planted August 6! I can hardly wait until the bloom opens - I've never seen a peppermint zinnia, so this will be a new experience for me.

Whirley Gig

2007-08-29T23:37:00.000-05:00

This whirley gig was a gift to me from Pat's husband, Jim. He has a wonderful wood working shop and is very good in wood craft. He has made some beautiful pieces of furniture which they have in their home. Jim has made two extremely nice medicine cabinets for me - for the last two houses I have lived in. The one I have now is mounted on the wall in such a way that I can take it with me next time I move - which is a good thing because he is probably tired of building medicine cabinets for me! I think the whirley gig is a nice addition to my patio and I enjoy watching it spin when the wind blows, even just a little. I admire his work, and know if Jim makes it, it will be to perfection.

Butterfly

2007-08-24T23:19:00.000-05:00

Today while Pat, a friend from Pleasanton, Texas, visiting me for a few days, and I were in the back yard we saw this beautiful butterfly feeding from the zinnias. Fortunately for me, Pat had her camera out there and I was able to use it and get this picture of the butterfly. I know someone out there will be able to tell me what kind of butterfly it is, so please do. This particular zinnia is labeled Yellow Blaze. The bloom goes from a very bright pink in the center to orange, then yellow. These are from seeds from last years zinnias. Interestingly, both butterflies and hummingbirds are attacted to these zinnias, even though there are other zinnias and other blooms all around.

Pat has been here for the past several days and we are having a wonderful visit. I will miss her when she goes home next week.

Emerging Life

2007-08-10T19:41:00.000-05:00

In my last post (Monday, 8/6), I mentioned that I had planted some zinnia seed. Wednesday the little plants emerged, and I found it very exciting. I don't do much seed planting - mostly I buy plants, so I had just about forgotten how exciting it is to see new life springing up. Now, I am eager to see the plants in full bloom! (I'm pretty sure the little plant on the left end is a weed!)

Monster Mum

2007-08-06T11:50:00.001-05:00

I call this my "monster mum". Last fall I planted several small mum plants for some fall color in the flower beds. Surprisingly, they did not freeze during the winter and we had some very cold weather with sustaining below freezing temperatures more than once. I also have been surprised that the mums have bloomed in the spring. These mums are not placed exactly as I would have placed them had I know they were going to stay alive and grow so big, in fact, they have sort of unbalanced the flower beds, but they are pretty, so I hesitate to dig them up while they are in bloom. A white one bloomed very early and after the blooms died, it wasn't very attractive anymore, so I dug it up and will probably do so with the others. I just planted some Peppermint Zinnia seed, (sent to me by mred) and am excited about them and hopeful for a late frost so I can enjoy the blooms late summer and into the fall.

Double Beauty

2007-07-20T20:58:00.000-05:00

These darlings are the next newest members of my family. Alex and Halie were born right after Thanksgiving last year and in this picture they are three months old. My family has been growing this past year, wouldn't you say. Three beautiful little girls! Don't you just know they will have a great time growing up together?

Peppermint Geranium

2007-07-17T17:29:00.000-05:00

When shopping for plants this spring I came across this peppermint stripe geranium and think it is very pretty. It sits on my patio and gets lots of TLC.

One of my passions is working in the back yard. For some reason, I don't enjoy working in the front yard, only do what needs to be done there - like trimming hedges, mowing, and watering. Jeff, one of my grandsons, mows for me most of the time (for pay, of course) and I pay a young man that lives across the street from me to edge the front lawn each week. I'm just not ready to turn Jeff loose with a weed-eater because I have injured myself a couple times with one. But, I do love working in the back yard and find it to be very relaxing, even if the work is hard. It's my therapy - which I seem to need quite a lot of some days. So, lots of days I can be found in the back yard "digging in the dirt".

Precious in Pink

2007-07-16T18:38:00.001-05:00

Meet the newest member of my family, Kallyn. My friend Debi has encouraged (and, I use the word loosely) me to start a blog, so I decided to start with something new. Hopefully, I will be able to post things of interest along the way. Wish me luck as I learn!