it takes two

I can't get enough chuck roasts into one crock pot.

It takes two to feed my crew.

I load them up with potatoes and carrots and onions,

and let them slow cook all day.

I'm also making a big pot of field peas with snaps,

with a delicious pepper relish to go on top.

And, of course, there has to be a pot of butter rice to layer all of that on.

Add in some yeast rolls,

and I can present a feast.

David, Gus, and Arch have been touring Washington, DC, all week.

I figured they could use some good old home cooking.

I can't wait to hear how it went.

My Easter bed.

Bubba would have been totally fine with all of the pink.

Things like that didn't bother him at all.

💗

 

salvation

"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,

My soul shall be joyful in my God; 

For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

He has covered me with the robe of righteousness."

Isaiah 61:10

💗

 

just out of the oven

Grammy cooks.

I made homemade pecan pie 

It's beginning to look like Easter around here.

We are having hamburgers and hot dogs this evening...

 grilled outside.

Sides will include baked beans topped with bacon,

Pickled asparagus,

Potato chips with made-from-scratch sour cream onion dip,

and fresh tomatoes.

Everyone is excited!

The weather is absolutely gorgeous.

Archie was here this morning earning money for his trip to Washington, DC.

I had him spring-cleaning my window sills.

They are sparkling.

He did such a great job.

After we had lunch together at the pizza shop.

We talked a lot about cars, his favorite subject.

He thinks that I should buy a Lamborgini.

He said that I would be an even "cooler" Grammy than I already am.

We'll see!

In the meantime, He thinks my Honda CRV is pretty neat, too.

I love having my windows open when the weather is nice.

Now they are all clean.

Aww, Spring!

It is the best!

💗

 

greening up...

...except for the spider plant that got killed by the cold weather.

Yes, the first day of Spring is here.

It's so exciting to see things coming back to life.

The grass,

the leaves on the trees,

flowers,

and even the scrubs look good.

One of the nice things about living in my neighborhood

 is that the landscapers come every week and work their magic on my yard.

I don't have to do a thing.

I am amazed at how much my bushes have grown since I moved in.

The workers have even done some shaping, as you can see in the picture above.

I have been worried about the tree in the front that I worked so hard for.

I was convinced that it had died.

My neighbor's tree has already gotten its leaves and is green and thriving.

On closer inspection, I just now see that mine is alive and well...

just slow getting started.

Oh, Spring, I love you.

So many beautiful new beginnings all over town!

Thank You, God, for the seasons.!

💗

 

thoughts on turning 77

There's no place else I'd rather be than

sitting on a piece of driftwood by the pretty blue sea.

I've been a widow for five years.

Somehow, I never saw this role in my future.

Interestingly, it was God's plan for me all along.

Truthfully, I cannot imagine my life now without this time of singleness.

These years have been such a time of growth for me.

They have led me into a deep, 

personal relationship with Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

He has given me a great desire to know Him as He is in HIS word.

I have read, highlighted, underlined, and copied by hand my way through many books of the Bible.

My right hand is sore, but it hasn't given out yet.

I'm praying that my eyes will keep seeing

and my brain will keep processing all the things He is teaching me.

I spend a lot of time reading about heaven and wondering what Bubba is doing there.

Knowing that he is with Jesus is comforting,

 and I look forward to seeing him again.

Praying is no longer a chore,

something that seems hard and optional.

I am compelled now to seek Him out each morning... 

to worship Him and thank Him for all He has done for me.

 Praying is a joy. 

My family is my earthly support.

They love me unselfishly and unconditionally.

They are literally the love of Jesus ministering to me.

My Church family...

what can I say?

Their care and love is real.

Again, the hands and feet of Jesus.

"And even when I am old and gray,

 O God, do not forsake me

 until I declare Thy strength to this generation, 

Thy power to all who are to come."

Psalm71:18

💗

 

the morning star

I'm having a bit of writer's block...

it happens every now and again.

I have a thousand thoughts in my head, 

but I'm having a hard time pulling them all together.

Sharing one of my favorite Bible verses...

 and also a picture of one of my favorite flowers.

Thank you all for reading.

God is so good!

"And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, 

to which you do well to pay attention 

as to a lamp shining in a dark place,

 until the day dawns 

and the morning star arises in your hearts."

💗

II Peter 1:19

 

a place at the table

Saturday night, we had pizza and salad for dinner.

Teri, Keith, Anna, and Sadie joined us.

Robert was out of town.

This was Sadie's first time to sit at the table with the grown-ups.

She loved it,

ate all of her dinner,

and smiled the whole time.

What a joy!

So, 

I have an antique high chair.

It is definitely a relic of the past.

I love it, but...

there are no safety features...none!

If the baby is not big enough,

 there is a good chance that it will slip right out.

We tried Sadie once before, and even though we tied her in,

she still started slipping almost immediately.

This time, though, she was strong enough to hold herself up and sit at the table with us.

I still tied her in, though, just to be safe.

It's so much fun to have Sadie in the mix.

I 💗 her so much!

 

second time for this one

I just inadvertently sent this post to the trash bin.

I could not find it or retrieve it.

I'll try again, but I don't remember all the words I wrote.

This is me with Anna, my niece, Teri, my sister, and baby Sadie.

We were celebrating my birthday at Cohen's Retreat.

It was a glorious day!

I do remember writing this...

Thank you, God, for all of my blessings.

They fall down around me like rain...

too numerous to count.

💗

 

remembering bubba

The last time we were all together.

Family cruise.

Two weeks later, he was gone...

off to heaven to be with Jesus.

On February 29, 2020,

he stunned us all.

He didn't suffer.

He didn't say goodbye.

His life with us was over.

We were left to grieve but not without hope.

In Christ, we know for sure that we will see Him again.

💗

 

 

my birthday celebration ~ a little late

We went to Outback for steak and loaded baked potatoes.

I wanted a filet cooked to order.

It was delicious.

We came back to my house to have cake and open my present.

These heart glasses caught my eye in Anthropology a while back.

I was raving to David and Erika about them

They turned out to be my birthday gift this year.

I cannot believe I got them.

Now to put birthday #77 behind me.

I've got to get started on my 78th year.

Hope I see lots of hearts this coming year.

👀ing💗s

 

this morning

Loving the beauty that surrounds me.

Thanking the One who makes it all possible.

"The JOY of the Lord is my strength."

💗

 

here are those pictures I took down at tybee before i got sick

This man was feeding these seagulls from a loaf of bread.

They were going absolutely crazy.

He gave Walter a shark tooth he had found.

Walter went absolutely crazy, too.

So much craziness!

Sun going down.

I love the winter beach so much.

So peaceful.

It's like the whole expanse of beauty belongs just to you.

Harry pulled up this whole clump of seaweed and tossed it into the air.

I thought it kinda looked like a jellyfish.

Harry is always doing something a little bit off the wall.

This had washed ashore, rusty nails and all.

A part of someone's dock, maybe?

Gus walking on a huge piece of driftwood 

that has been in front of my condo for a while.

Love the effects of the sunset in the background.

The golden hour for sure.

Still waters.

I dropped my camera bag as we were walking back.

Walter gladly retrieved it for me.

More of the golden hour.

The moon rising.

The sun going down.

There is always a good show going on at the beach.

My Tybee place is such a blessing.

Coming soon on Cathy's blog...

Thoughts on turning seventy-seven.

77

 

Oh, by the way...

 

...because of the stomach bug, I missed Valentine's Day too.

I'm thinking a lot about Bubba this month.

It's been almost five years since he went to be with Jesus.

He was my Valentine for almost 50 years.

The picture is fading but our life together is still vivid in my mind.

I miss what we had...so much.

💗

 

my birthday week

Last Sunday afternoon, 

the last time I wrote, 

Amanda had come to Savannah for my birthday.

Three days to be together and do what we love to do.

We took a quick rest and headed to Tybee to walk on the beach and eat tacos.

It was so much fun.

A great start to a full week of birthday shenanigans.

On Monday I got sick with a horrendous stomach bug.

There was no birthday celebration...

only misery.

Today is the first time I have felt even remotely normal.

All that to say...

What?

I don't know what to say other than,

God is good all the time.

He has His purposes and plans for me.

They are for my good and His glory.

Also,

I was and am so well taken care of and loved by my family.

I needed a lot of care, and they were here for me.

My birthday cake is in the freezer 

waiting for a day real soon when we can celebrate.

Until then, I'm just so glad to feel better.

🎂🎉🎁

 

Amanda is here

Amanda💘 just arrived at my house.

She came to help me celebrate my birthday.

I'm giddy with excitement to have a housemate who makes me laugh.

We are having summer right now in Savannah.

I think we will head down Highway 80

to walk on the beach and eat tacos.

I'll take my camera and get some new pictures.

📷

 

snow at the beach

The Tybee pier.

The sea birds were baffled.

What in the world is this white, cold stuff?

Tybee pier in the background.

The roof was covered in snow.

No lifeguards were on duty ~ no one swimming this day.

This is the north beach ~ down by my condo;

What we call the convergence.

Where the Savannah River meets the Atlantic Ocean.

A favorite walking path of mine.

The Tybee Island Lighthouse and Visitor Center.

Front Beach.

Snow in the dunes.

Is that someone walking?

Freezing Temps.

Walkway to the beach.

Before the snow fell very early in the morning,

sleet and frozen rain fell all night.

It gave the snow great padding and was the reason the snow stuck around so long.

Savannah, Georgia

January 22, 2025

The great snowfall of the decade for us.

This blog is my personal journal of the last 17 years of my life.

I can look back and remember all those years.

It's my personal 

"Book of Remembrance."

How thankful I am to have these memories at my fingertips.

I'm so glad Bubba gifted me with a camera, 

and God gave me a desire to create this journal.

💗

 

Happy February ~ 2025

Saturday night dinner at Gram's.

Spaghetti,

Meatballs,

Ceasar Salad,

Garlic Bread Sticks.

They come in hungry and eat a lot.

🥗

I love it!

I made a pecan pie.

It was delicious!

My Aunt Clyde's recipe is over 60 years old.

Valentine's coffee bar.

Teenage boys having coffee with their pie is kind of funny to me.

Old souls!

They're growing up fast.

Big farm table set for dinner.

Always candlelight!

Didn't have fresh flowers.

Cook yummy food and make everything around you beautiful.

Life is so special.

It is a gift from God.

Cherish!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The  12 Seasons in the South

 

Winter

Fool's Spring (We Are Here Now)

Second Winter

Spring of deception

Third Winter

The Pollening

Actual Spring

Summer

The Center of the Sun

Fake Fall

Second Summer

Actual Fall

@southernsavers

I think this is spot on.

😏

 

Happy Birthday David!

 

One day last week, while we were snowed in, 

David turned 52.

So...

we decided to postpone the festivities.

We would wait until Saturday.

Surely, the roads would be passable by then.

Thankfully, they "fetched," and we headed downtown to...

The Melting Pot.

At the Melting Pot, you cook your own dinner at the table.

That whole experience was a hoot.

The boys had no idea what to do.

Basically, you order a dish of raw steak and seafood,

spear it on a long fork

bread it with something called tempura,

and cook it in boiling oil in the middle of the table.

The waiter gave a stern warning not to put the raw meat and seafood on our dinner plate,

 After that, we dove in with gusto.

We all loved it!

The pot was a huge mess when we finished,

 but we laughed till we cried and some great memories were made!

From there, it was back to Gram's house for a rousing game of "Spoons."

Present opening was next, and then dessert.

I made a batch of delicious "Blondies" served with coffee and lots of cream.

All of the kids love when I serve them "after dinner" coffee,

My snowman dishes are out now.

Perfect time for a snowstorm to come upon us.

Happy Birthday to David.

We Love you !

52 looks good on you!

💙

snowed in ~ day #3

This morning, there were diamonds in the snow.

Can you see them?

These are the days that dreams are made of.

Snowed in with everything I need.

Beauty surrounding me.

❄

❅

My backyard...

where the diamonds were sparkling in the snow.

I could imagine myself living in the mountains in a cottage in the woods.

❆

After Christmas every year I bring out my snow decorations.

Never in my wildest dreams 

would I have thought

 that I would be blessed with real snow

 and that it would stick around for so long.

Usually, snow in Savannah doesn't last past the first day.

❄

This afternoon, David brought Archie and Gus over to shovel my driveway.

I thanked them profusely BUT,

I don't really think I want this "snowed-in" time to end.

I'm not quite ready for real life to start back.

❄

Gus with the snow shovel David had when he lived in Chicago.

We are all very glad he kept it.

Archie had another shovel.

As you can see, the job is almost done.

❆

David and I shuttled pot after pot of water that we boiled on the stove.

The ice that fell before the snow came caused the snow to stick like glue.

It was an arduous job.

Thank you, guys, for a job well done, 

But I may not leave the house quite yet.

I'm content to be a hermit for a few more hours.

😍