A registered letter came today from Nathan's mission president asking that we make sure someone greets him at the airport. At the bottom of the page were departure and arrival dates one day sooner that his previous travel plans! I quickly went to the web site to confirm, and yes, things have changed. Elder Jensen arrives home on THURSDAY, June 26 at 7:50 am!!!!!!!
I'm not sure when his love affair with that giant grass, bamboo, began. Perhaps it was in his childhood backyard in Hawthorne. A trip to San Diego warranted another visit to the Quail Botanical Garden in Encinas. A year ago February, we came for a premier visit right after a record freeze. He claimed that we needed to see if the frozen plants had recovered. But I knew the real reason for our trip. He missed the bamboo garden. He wanted a picture of himself in front of that giant bamboo plant in the background.
He also wanted to show off this giant bamboo.
He needed a second shot up close to show the correct perspective.
And then there was the bamboo bench.
And one of the variegated bamboo.
It was a great time watching Ruby light up the stage at her dance recital. It was a big affair, perhaps bigger than her parents had imagined, but Ruby loved her costume, moment in the spotlight, and flowers. We loved Ruby.
Her family was proud.
Her grandmas were proud.
Her neighbor Ella was proud.
And Sadie had fun dancing "in the aisles" so to speak.
When I found this chandelier with its elongated form and a perfect fit for our rectangular cove over our rectangular dining table, I was ecstatic - even though I felt it was overpriced. Still do. But it was the perfect thing for the space. I refused to buy the shades offered by the same company, also overpriced. I went to Lowe's and found the gold checked shades marked down to half price. All eight were the same price as just one of the above red shades. A deal. As you can see from the picture, that was not the end of the story. Every time I turned on this light I thought, "I wonder how the red shades would have looked in this room." Sometimes I would voice my thoughts. Glen would say, "Go order the shades right now." After several months of "I can't pay that much for lamp shades!", I put on the patriotic table cloth for the season. It needed red shades. They arrived yesterday, and yes, they are overpriced. I even think that the Lowe's shades are better quality, but I am so happy! They look like they belong.
Lately on visits, this is what Grandpa and Sadie like to do. They rock and rock.
Glen picked up this plant on a whim at Wal-mart. We usually don't buy from Wal-mart, because the plants sometimes don't seem as well cared for. I'm not sure what this is called, but the fuzzy leaved plant finally bloomed this week.
The plumbago is also blooming profusely.
A couple of months ago the doorbell rang. When I went to the door I was greeted by two large tall boxes, so tall that I could not see out of the high door window. I opened the door to these words, "Live Plants." I brought them inside and waited for an explanation. Glen came home so happy to see that his "crape myrtle trees" had arrived from North Carolina. I think that our somewhat cooler weather this year has helped them to get a good start and now they are blooming. He ordered "Fire Engine Red" and "Dynamite Red." I am at a loss to know the difference.
This one got planted in Glen's desert rock garden while the other is on the north side of the lawn. It will be interesting to see which one fares best.
Finally, a shot of his "wall of color." The bougainvillea are also putting off many new blooms. If you look carefully back by the Italian cypress trees, the potato vine has nearly reached the top.
Notice the shower head for tall people.
It's a bit hard to get a whole bathroom in one shot. Here is the new mirror reflecting my elbow. The tile trim was an after thought and creative solution to the marble being standard size when the old tile wasn't. We had four inches to fill above the tub enclosure. It seemed only fitting that the sink receive equal treatment. All in all, a happy mistake.