Time to Say Goodbye

There's a time for hello, and a time for goodbye.  Sometimes I'm the one saying goodbye, and it's off to a new adventure--such as a trip or a photo shoot or an outing with friends.  But sometimes, it's someone else saying goodbye, and it's not temporary.  Our friends were moving, and the day to say goodbye had come.

I had the privilege of seeing this little girl, Miss C., when she was only four days old!  She had just turned two, and I would miss her growing up.

B. and I became good friends, but I never got a picture of us.  So I had Fernando do it, on this last day together.

Our mutual good friend T. was also there, so Fernando took a picture of our trio, too.

Lots of guys, hanging out together for the last time.

One last shot of the S. family, then it was time to head off.

Later that day, I looked out my kitchen window.  Snow.  Figures.

I texted B. and told her they should be glad they left earlier!

The next morning, she texted me that it was snowing in Kentucky!  Friends leaving is hard, and the weather suited my mood.  I know that we're sisters in the Lord, though, and with all our technology, we'll still keep in touch.  But I'll miss her face-to-face.


Back to life,
Christine

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First Spring Day in the Flower Garden!

April 12.

Same day that we worked in our veggie garden, and I wanted to check out my front yard flower gardens.  Signs of life--YES!

Scilla about to bloom!

Danny did some trimming for me.  You can see the broken statue there, from the backside.  This little lady lost half her flower pot.  :(

Columbine.

Coral bells.

Flowers are so pretty, and I believe they're the reward for waiting through the white, gray and brown of winter and pre-spring!


Back to life,
Christine

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First Spring Day in the Veggie Garden!

April 12.

Finally--just warm enough to work a little in my veggie garden!   Of course, I put the guys to work and I took pictures.  Hey, I worked, too, so don't bug me.  ;)

The overview of my back yard garden:

The straw was covering my strawberry patch, and it had to be removed.  I just hoped that it wouldn't totally freeze again and kill the plants!

The length-wise bed.

My helpers for the day were Danny and Joseph.  They did a great job while I snapped pictures.

Below, you can see Danny removing the staples which held down the plastic netting over the straw.  We put it on so the straw wouldn't blow all over the place.

While they worked, I wandered around to see if there was any life in my garden beds.  There sure was!

Spring garlic popping up.

And the rhubarb was showing (above and below)!!

At last, I finally felt like spring would be coming after all.  Everyone was weary of our extended winter, and it was such a breath of hope to see green things growing in my garden!


Back to life,
Christine

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Effects of Winter

April 12.

This was the most brutal winter I've lived through in Chicagoland.  Or anywhere, for that matter.  And it took its toll, on me as well as our surroundings.  Here's the first image of our pool I could stand to take:

Yeah, it was bad.  The antifreeze in the winterized water didn't stand a chance against sustained -20 temperatures.

Not pretty.  We're praying for funds to repair it.  Otherwise, it may just come down, and that'll be the last of our personal swimming space.  Spiritual lesson:  I'm learning to be content in our circumstances, in plenty and in want.  :)


Back to life,
Christine

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First Day without Coats

April 11.

Look, ma!  No coats!!

Finally!  Albeit short-lived, the warmer day was warm enough for a walk without coats.  We enjoyed every second of it.


Back to life,
Christine

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To Andy's - One Last Time

April 10.

Of course this is not the last time our family would go to Andy's.  But it would be the last time we would go to Andy's with the S. family.  They were moving (and have since moved) out of state.  Boo hoo.

We determined that one last visit to this awesome frozen custard shop was in order before their big move.  Who cared that even though the day was beautiful, it ended up rather chilly.  We would eat our custard and shiver, and enjoy every minute of it.  Together.

It's always so hard to figure out what to choose.  I usually end up getting the same thing, because I never know when I'll be back.

Isn't Miss C. a cutie?

There's a small airport across the way, and the male portion of our group enjoyed watching a few military helicopters come in for a landing.  Cool, huh?

Miss K.

Miss E.

Young man R. is an awesome big brother.

My friend B. is bee-yoo-tee-ful.  :)

We had a blast together, as usual.  These pictures make me smile and remember all the good times and fun we had together over the short time we lived close by.  God is good and gives us treasure--and the best treasures are our friendships.  :)


Back to life,
Christine

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