87 and still kicking

My mother celebrated her birthday this past week. So far she's beat breast cancer, liver cancer (even though she still lives with both), a stroke that left no ill effects and was robbed this past year. Even though she lost her hair as well as alot of weight and wears a wig nothing seems to stop her. Her life is filled with Uno, bingo, evenings filled with card games of 500 and Hand & Foot, Farkle, Spanish Dominoes and Skipbo not to mention the Red Hats where she goes with her many friends to various functions for social outings. The last time she went to a restaurant outing with them the wattress had to use last names for the bills since most of them were named Betty. I guess it was a "hot" name back in the 20s. Two weeks ago she insisted on getting her driver's license renewed. The man at the counter told her she could get a senior ID card instead for only 11 dollars and it would last the rest of her life. I tried to head him off by telling him I had already gone down that road with her but she leaned against her walker and gave him a few choice words as to what he could do with that idea and firmly demanded that she wanted a drivers license renewal and she would be glad to pay the 25 dollars knowing full well that she would have to come back in 4 years to again renew it. He knew it was a losing battle and drew up the paperwork. When we got to the eye test I held my breath and prayed to God. She sat for the picture, wrote out the check and when we got outside she turned to me and said "we probably didn't have to put down the donor part. I doubt there will be anything left to use". What a woman!

Survivor of the Lions Den

The other day I got a phone call from Daniel. Apparently he witnessed some animal abuse at the hands of an unfortunate dog and its owner. I gave him some advice, told him to pray for the man and his anger problem and moved on to other items of the day even though his concerns and what he could do about it for the sake of the dog were the reasons he called. That in a nutshell is Daniel. Always rooting for the underdog and what he can do to remedy the situation. The eternal caregiver. The eternal peacemaker. I told him once he would make a great nurse, however the issue of blood and something about needles squelched that option. Instead he works on large inanimate objects. Unlike his brother, Daniel always has had to weigh all the options before venturing out which is a good thing in itself. Needless to say risk-taking is not one of his strong suits. In spite of that he has grown into a gentle soul surrounded by numerous friends of various backgrounds, beliefs and ways of life. He may have been my youngest child and my smallest baby weighing in at just 5lb but he stands tall in the eyes of Jesus as he invites his friends to church with him, worries about little dogs at the hands of their abusive owners and quotes some of his favorite lines from Casting Crowns on his Facebook page. May Jesus bless you this day, Daniel on your 23rd birthday!!

Noerenberg Gardens

This past weekend Michael and I did our weekend biking up at Lake Minnetonka area including Wayzata and Orono. WOW, how some people live! I try to keep it in perspective while asking God to show me once again how blessed I am and to be thankful for all He has given me, esp. not in material ways. Anyway we were to meet our biking friends at the Noerenberg Gardens. They were running alittle late so we walked through some of the garden areas. They are located on the north shore of Lake Minnetonka's Crystal Bay in Orono. Noerenberg Gardens are among the most beautiful and prestigious gardens in the state. This former Lake Minnetonka estate of Grain Belt Brewery founder Frederick Noerenberg, was donated by the family to the Park District in 1972.

"Noerenberg is a reminder of the quiet elegance and grace of days gone by." The gardens include a wide variety of unusual annuals and perennials, an assortment of grasses and a large daylily collection.

The park features accessible brick pathways and an ornamental boathouse/gazebo overlooking the lake." After walking through the garden I was not disappointed and was once again reminded that He created all the color and beauty just for us and it doesn't cost us a single dime! Enjoy!