Ate cheese toast with strawberry jelly this morning on the porch swing pondering about life and how fast times flies. Sitting in the swing I see summer blue sky and low fluffy clouds, lazily changing shapes and slowly floating by on the horizon. I filled all the bird feeders at dusk yesterday so lots of birds are frolicking around the feeders happy to have fresh seeds. Something ate all the old cereal I put on the platform feeder and cleaned out the feeder closest to the porch bannister. Guess I need the critter catching cage again.

Beautiful sunny drive to Peachtree City today. Traffic was heavier than usual but I made it fine. Forgot to look at the all vegetable gardens on the country roads during my travels. I even forgot to notice Shady Oaks. If I ever take a selfie it will be me standing in front of the Shady Oaks sign. I was excited to be visiting the grandchildren. I love visiting with their parents, too. Sometimes I think our grown children don’t realize we miss them, too, and enjoying being with them. It’s not always about the grandchildren. We miss our grown children, too.

I checked my garden before I left this morning. One of my tomato plants has eight big green tomatoes hanging on two limbs. The plant is not very pretty but it’s loaded with tomatoes. My other tomato pot, at the end of the row of vegetables, holds a beautiful plant that has one bloom and one nickel size tomato. Picked two cucumbers and 6 big dark green bell peppers. My pepper plant is just full of peppers, so pretty with its shiny blackish green leaves. My tomato plants are the strangest color. Middle vet brothers are as true green as a Crayola crayon. I looked up Crayola green crayon names and jungle green, a dull green, matches my tomato plants. Maybe a rain shower will green them up.

It’s nice to spend time away from home with family and friends. Vacations are defined as extended periods of leisure and recreation away from home. When Chief and I were raising our family we couldn’t afford summer vacations in Florida but every chance the children and I had to get away we headed to Roanoke to visit my mother, “Grandnana.” The children loved these trips and enjoyed spending time with their McMurray cousins. They loved to go swimming at Mrs. Pittman’s pool. Rosie called her Mrs. Pittieman. She was a dear friend of Mama’s who died too soon from cancer. She was so kind to my children. I have lots of photos of the children with their cousins happily playing in her pool.

When the children got older they ventured off at middle vet brother’s home at the farm to play in the creek or to ride four wheelers. I’m so happy they’ve kept those relationships close. I think our cousins are our first friends.

I’ve been on several trips with my oldest son’s family. Chief and I went to Hilton Head with them the summer before he died and those happy memories are priceless to me. I look at those photos all the time and let those memories come alive. He looks so well and happy. Don’t think his feet ever touched the ocean water but he loved sitting under the tent and reading and watching the grandchildren play.

Family bonds and close bonds with friends help us through the worst of times and celebrate with us in the best of times. Family values govern the way we raise our children and help us make the right decisions when faced with choices. Families rely on each other for support and love and affection. The best thing about being in a family is being loved and accepted for who you are.

“The love of a family is a life’s greatest blessing.”—Eva Burrows.