I check on the plants every day and no less than twice a day – just to make sure they’re growing.

I have several different kinds of hydrangeas, bearing pink and white flowers, but I know that some of them should be blue – at least that’s what it looked like on the tag.

Right now my poor hydrangeas seem a little confused, they don’t know what color to be. Some are pink, some are blue, and some are a strange hybrid color.

So I decided to help things along by rummaging through the garbage at work for coffee grounds, which apparently will help to increase the acid level in the soil. The more acid the soil, the more likely the blooms will turn blue. While I was going through the garbage, several of the young facilities guys came in to empty it. They stopped short when they saw me head first in the large garbage can.

The poor guys didn’t quite know how to ask and they stood awkwardly at the door.

I explained that I was searching for coffee grounds and why. I’m not sure if the explanation really rang true with them, I’m sure they were just trying to get over the fact that I was in the garbage to my elbows while dressed in heels.

In any case, I was able to gather quite a lot of coffee grounds and now my garden and Ella the Dog, who likes to sniff around the bushes, smell like Folgers.

I’ll keep you posted on how the blooms are doing. I know you’re waiting with bated breath!

I’ve said this many times before, but I’ll say it again, I wish I could sing.

Happy Wednesday and I address weightier questions over at Vision and Verb today. Please visit me there!

Happy Monday morning, hang in there, Friday will be here soon.

Thus he grew up the man of the house. All of his brothers and sisters were older and on their own, and he stayed at home with his mom, just the two of them, until he was 23 years old. This was not Leave it Beaver, it was reality.

Because of his childhood, or rather, in spite of it, he knows the value of having a father in the home. He took his charge seriously and with love and I thank God that he came into my life and became the father of my children.

Happy Father’s Day from our family to yours!

We surprised him one day with a phone call and found him in the middle of moving furniture around the common area so they can race their remote control cars.

Even though we text often, about every other day or so, we only actually speak with him every two weeks or less. This is me saying, “Hey, you need to call us.” He does the sucking molars shhh-ing sound.

He’s doing pretty well we think. When he was home, there was constant laughter at his antics as well as all the other normal family frustrations, like trying to balance homework with his social life. I chronicled some of right here in this blog.

Now I don’t know what’s going on in his life. Hello? Hello?

I’ve seen some of his friends who are home from school out and about. Seeing them makes me miss the boy.

I was at dinner a couple of nights ago with a friend, Grant’s mom, and we were saying our good-byes while sitting in my idling car in the parking lot when Grant zooms by behind us. He was going slightly faster than the speed limit – to put it conservatively. He obviously didn’t know we were there – caught and clocked – and I’m sure his mom told him so when she got home.

Boys.

I saw Dylan, another friend of his at a graduation party, and Dylan mentioned to me that he needed a job. I suggested he call a friend of mine who was looking for someone responsible and hardworking. I just assumed that of Dylan.

I texted him while I was visiting my sister in Atlanta last weekend and I said among other things, “Make sure you’re clean shaven when you go apply.”

Gosh I miss my boy. Mothering other boys fills that hole a little bit.

Happy weekend to all the Father’s out there who are missing their sons.

Maybe they appreciate the accomplishments of Nicole-girl.

She’s going to do great things I just know it!

Shots of the kids walking back to their seats among a sea of graduates are my favorite.

or maybe this shot is my favorite. She’s just adorable.

Then there’s Megan-girl. She’s going to be an engineer.

She’s such a little pixie. I was just at her mom’s 50th birthday celebration. Let’s just say that 50 is the new 30. She looks fabulous and Megan-girl is going to be just like her mom.

Here’s my man Joe. He is super cool. The boy and Joe used to play together when they were in elementary school. Now the boy is flying and Joe is off to school on a football scholarship. Joe like to visit us during a hurricane, here’s proof. I’m going to his graduation party this weekend, they’ll be more pics of this handsome boy!

This is Neighbor Cody! He’s a super soccer player and his father tutors math. I frankly haven’t seen him much, just coming and going in his sister’s hot yellow car. I’m sure he’s going to be a huge success.

There’s my girl Amy! Look how happy she is to graduate!

She loves children and will be a great teacher once her education is over. She’s an amazing girl, I just love her and her family.

Seeing these kids just fills me with pride and hope.

We’re in good hands everyone!

Well it never came! It wasn’t because it wasn’t highly anticipated (double negative watch.)

This is what it looked like at work when the clouds rolled in and the rain began. People ran outside to stand in the rain and watched – it’s the weather equivalent of watching an accident.

I kept texting the girl from work to see if she was ok and each text I received back had rolling eyes behind it.

Happy Father’s Day weekend,
Love the Weather Worrier

It also brought back the boy’s graduation a short year ago. I can’t believe it, it’s come and gone and already a memory.

So I’m back at the same place for the same reason as last year and next year – well, it will be the girl’s turn. And I’ll be medicating right there on the graduation floor.

My friend’s daughter, Jordan, was all smiles as she came up on stage to get her diploma from the academically-clad dean of students.

And then, wow, it was done. I’m so glad I was able to snap a photo for my friend. This is an incredible and momentous moment in time and it’s over in about a split second or two.

I started shooting photos of other friends’ children. Here is Sarah-girl, her mom worked with me about eight years ago. Sarah was a wee bean on the Upward soccer team and boy was she fast. Now she’s a young lady and will be a Division 2 cheerleader in college.

This if Faith-girl, one of two twins and pride of joy of my friend Mary Anne.

Her sister Rachel is a carbon copy. Mary Anne never got the test to determine if the girls were fraternal or identical though I have my guesses.

I say identical.

Yeah, identical.

I snapped a few more and I’ll show you soon. Once I’m on this road to remembering it’s hard to stop . . .

Last night I hardly slept a wink waiting for a predicted derecho. I frankly had never heard of such a thing until last year when I was scared like the dickens when it hit. This time I was ready! I was awake for a long time – and it never came.

The prediction now is for the derecho to come this afternoon. Argh! I can’t live like this!

So I’ll be looking out the window again today with morbid fascination and expectation. And I’ll shoot the damage which I hope is minimal.

If I don’t make it back, it’s been nice knowing you . . .

What a great outlook and I vow to take the advice to heart.

Happy weekend!