Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Saturday, April 24, 2010

I hope you go out to Hicks, It is beautiful there.

Hicks, in Garden City, or thereabouts, is where we used to go to admire the plants and imagine what we might buy for our yard. I miss it.
my house
On my day off, I went to a farm, with my friend, that was absolutely beautiful. It was at someone's home. In his backyard he had thousands of plants watered and ready for purchase, trees, some fruit bearing and some decorative. I wished that I could buy one of each of the types that he had. They were so wonderfully well cared for.
The birds were enjoying themselves and when we were leaving, I walked on the lawn and looked down to see these large nuts on the ground. I thought they were acorns. I was getting ready to pick one up for the children. When I bent down, I saw that they were Pecans. These huge trees were dropping pecans on his lawn, like acorns. I felt like a squirrel. I wanted to grab a bunch of them and stick them in my mouth. I chose to use decorum and not even touch them. They were too beautiful and I didn't have enough self control not to act like a squirrel and hord them. It was so fun.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

I won Shotput, today!




Its my day off and we made it to the bus on time. Hooray for me! The little personalities, just bump against eachother all the way to school. Like a bunch of electrons from different chemical combinations they revolve and bump into eachother. I used to think that they were all from the Chemical Carbon and revolving in the same orbit, but that cannot be, or we wouldn't have as much combustion as we do. They must be from different orbits and the trick is finding what chemical combination they are from so that they can revolve off of our chemical bond and form another one, with fewer combustible dynamics. Anyway, thank God for school and for the teachers who participate in motivating the dynamics.
The argument this morning: how many 10 oz bottles does it take to put 23 and 1/3 ounces of purple paint into? Awwwww come on, lets stop arguing about it Ethan.
I am starting to learn that it isn't fun for a Walker child, just to write the right answer down. It isn't fun, if you can't argue about it. Problem solvers? maybe. Problem children, I think I will keep them!

Monday, April 19, 2010

The kitchen is the center of our home.







We are blessed with a huge and beautiful kitchen. No one picture can capture the beauty of our kitchen, clean or dirty, filled with the hustle and bustle of life and community. My husband (bless his heart) forces us to eat in unison. That is not my priority. I love watching the individuals revolve around eachother and enjoy the cocophony of the real. He imposes order and says, can we all wait for one another.
I joke with them, I have slaved over a hot microwave for 2 whole minutes, you are going to eat those grits. We laugh and laugh and sometimes we laugh too much. Soon enough this season will be over. But, for now, the chaos of love is precious to me, when it's not making me crazy!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

I am counting to 3!

I take my children and other children to that little room at 113, every chance I get. A half painted, burnt orange room that was the size of my walk in closet.
Who is holding the spotlight mirror, when we made shows in the room, at night? Kick fights and tickle fights with the likes of the bunch of us, snuggled together like puppies, in that little room. You guys had another room but mom would sleep, because she was expecting and all night, we would do shows in the bedroom for eachother. OOOOOOONE! I am coming in there!Who is going to sing Bouncy, Bouncy Bally, tonight? TWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOO! I mean it, Jayne, yours is the only voice I am hearing in there! The inimitable and incomparable, Joanne. Where is the spotlight? Julia, put the spotlight on Jo's face and not on yourself. We can't see her. These, little people interactions and energetic bedtime rituals make me laugh when I am very homesick. Why can't you remember the words to "when the moon", Ju? How are you going to be famous, if you can't remember the words?
Who remembers how we learned the words in the first place?...The hours on the reel to reel, listening and writing down the words...

Friday, April 16, 2010

Maybe, I was a tiger, when I wasn't fainting.

I do remember certain girls that we competed against, who brought out the tiger in me. One girl, used to take a moment(or more) to tie her shoes, when she was tired, after a long rally. I don't remember, if I ever beat her. She was my arch nemesis. The number of times we played eachother, through school we were neck and neck as, I recall.
There was something about her that made me love her, even though she beat me and I beat her, several times. She was always a good sport! I remember her with fondness, because, she was never so angry that, if I were beating her, to clap at a good shot that I made. I think, after she would clap at a great shot, I would lose the whole game, for the pride of that shot.
She was smart enough to know when she was tired and tie her shoes. I would wait until I fainted and blacked out, to know that I was tired.
Everytime, I think about clapping at a good shot on the court, I think of that nice competitor, from another school.
There were fierce competitors that made you shiver in your boots to play them. When some of them went up for a spike, you just covered your head and ducked. Their presence was so ominous. I was not one of those kinds of people, although my spike was a force to contend with. They never shivered. That is what Dad wanted to see. He wanted to see the other schools regroup, because I was coming. That didn't happen. I would hit them and then say I am sorry. What a nice girl, even though she hit me, she said I am sorry. Yvonne Goolagong, was my inspiration.
I often see the faces of the old competitors in my mind and they help me, dealing with my life responsibilities, now. Especially, my stubborn children. That was a good shot, I say, they back down and lose the game, everytime, just like their mother. (parenting the stubborn...)

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Dad, used to say to me, on Report Card day...

maybe facetiously..."I am so sick of these people telling me what a nice girl you are. I want to hear that you are a tiger and you will not fail or mess up without a fuss." Too, bad, Dad was blessed with just a nice girl.
My bunch came home with a varied set of report cards. Mostly a's and b's. I tease them and change the verbiage from my father's just a little bit. I say, You guys are so boring. I want some color in the mix. Try some c's maybe...LOL This year, I told Enoch, "good job" because I know he is really trying. It makes me giggle when I hear messages from the teacher like Ezra's that he is sleeping or Evvy's teacher that she is talking in class. I wish that I had that freedom and liberty.
We're in America, now! People are free to be nice, or not! I just love it!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Blessing of Sunshiney Days!

Emily is feeling a little better. I am always relieved when my children get better from their ills.
I pressed my way to church to get a special blessing of visit from dear precious ones, who love the Lord and whom we miss dearly. Jerry and Agnes Green, blessed us, at worship service. I am so grateful for the encouragements and the enjoyment of seeing an older couple who are growing still in the grace and admonition of the Lord. God gave us a message from Pastor and then, dear fellowship with friends. Thank God for his mercies!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Enoch and I got to go out to the courts on my day off!


What a sweet time we had. We snuck away from the crowds of family chores and work and homework and gardening. All of these are fun, but I rarely get time with the ones and the twos. He humored me, because he really only likes tennis a little and would have preferred to have run with Emma, the dog, going hawk watching. He had the binoculars, but he hit with me anyway. Happy for me!
The pollen on the courts was so thick that the balls hit the ground and kicked up dust. It was like playing on clay. A fresh can of tennis balls, the smell was delicious and we hit, on and off for a couple of hours and when we got back at 9:30 we were hardly missed. A mouth full of pollen and overheads until we turned green from the sweat and pollen mixed. It was as if, time stood still at home while we enjoyed the park and the sky and the sun. Fewer words are rarely spoken. Everybody else fills my mind with all of their stuff. Look at that, he says. Yep, I say. That is our way. When will these children learn to close the gate of the courts behind them? Does that bother you?

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Happy Easter 2010


6 Years ago Today, The Leader of the Band!

What a band of rabble rousers, we were. Playing hard and fighting hard, we were chips off the old block, everywhere we went. I am remembering with fondness and some not so fondness, the whip and the whistle that kept us in check. Line up! size order, First shall be last and...
The precise tone of voice that he called my name is indelibly marked in my heart and I hear it everyday in my mind. What a powerful influence a father is. What an indelible mark he leaves upon the heart. I do miss my Daddy and I pray God's comfort on Mom today.
Life goes on~~all may change, but Jesus, never.

Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.

Monday, April 5, 2010

38 or 39 years ago.



I do remember, my precious and departed baby brother. The happy visits to Dr. Hewletts office. The time in the car, waiting for mommy and the beautiful and gray skin of my baby, Abby. I miss him. I loved him and he would be such a great uncle for the children. He did love these children that he got to see.

We had a very Happy Easter!

North Carolina, and Charlotte, especially, seems to be a place where they Carpe Diem regularly. This seems most evident on a holiday, like Easter. There were egg hunts all over and celebrations for the children to participate in, at school and in the community. We don't know how to keep up with the seasonal changes here yet. It seems that we were just digging out from the snow and here we are with 80 degree weather already. When it snows, Charlotteans take off and celebrate with the children, if possible. When it is sunny, they shine up their ride and zoom for breezes in the sunshine. We are trying to learn from them.

Jesus is risen and we celebrated as usual and extra specially. It was in the 80's and we are still not used to this heat in the Springtime. My twin gardeners are helping transform this new house and hopefully we can take advantage of the season.
I really always try to keep moving and have a small black cloud that overcasts me on the day before Easter, no matter what I try to do to change it.
The tumult of family preparations rose to a fever pitch about the middle of the evening. I was blessed to hear and participate in the fever pitch, some good yelling and some not so good yelling. All a part of the preparations for the celebration of the Resurrection in my house. Jesus is risen. As usual the comforts of the praise and worship and the beauty of the day seemed to raise my deadened and mournful soul to celebrate the Resurrection, with joy.
Each week, I say, I don't know, if I will be able to worship with joy in the Lord. But, especially, on Easter. Each child looks me in the eye on Easter and my precious husband and they are a reminder of the Resurrection of Jesus and salvation of our souls. I know that our undying souls are leaning on the everlasting arms. God comforts my soul, which sometimes seems to have blinders into the grave, on Easter. My heart goes to the gravesite, every year and God sends a special Angel to fly me back into the present to see the restoration of my soul. Halleluia. I couldn't shout to the Lord, at church, because it was too crowded and distinguished people come on Easter. I always say, I am going to try to be siddity, like the Charlotteans and God reminds me of His goodness and I am out of my seat acting a fool, for Jesus again. "Hold my mule!" I'm fixin to shout again.


After Church, we went to Freedom Park to photograph our beautiful, happy, tumultuous family.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Trying to make a good Easter memory

It is Saturday before Easter,

Menu: corned beef, cabbage, roasted potatoes, molasses bread and sundry poached (microwave vegetables) Ice cream cookies.

Wish me luck getting this stuff together for my big crew.

Title- The Studious One!

Title-  The Studious One!
artwork by Elyse

Of biscuits and syrup

Of biscuits and syrup
tasty treats

Happy Saturday!

Happy Saturday!
a day at the Raptor Center.

Widdle Emmie in outer space school

Emmie jumped on the bus and off it flew out into the atmosphere. There was a set of clouds with turbulence right above the house and it took a few minutes for my Emmie to buckle her seatbelt. They hit the bump hard and it knocked my Emmie out of her seat and she bumped her head. The video camera came on and the monitor looked through and stated, Ms. Emmie, where are you? You are not in your seat. Where are you? I am alright I fell because I hadn’t buckled correctly. Well jump up Emmie we have a long way to go and you have to be buckled there is entirely too much turbulence in the stratosphere for you to unbuckle now. As soon as we are through this weather system there will be straight sailing but right now you must buckle. Emmie scrambled into the seat with intensity and purpose now. She watched every cloud pass her window and her nose was pressed to the window trying to see the top of the house as it drifted slowly out of sight. Soon they were not only out of sight of the house, the sun came out brightly and just as quickly they were putting on the atmospherical breathing apparatus and the outerspherical lights. The ABA and the OL. These precautions were to make them appear to be satellites to the radar as they were out in the ionosphere. Emmie knew all about this now. She had gone to the orientation and had a good breakfast and it took them 20 minutes for her to get out past the atmospherical pull and to feel the zero gravity. It would be 15 minutes before the gravity simulators would take effect, a glitch in the system which was being worked on. Until then, they enjoyed the couple of minutes of floatation, while being connected to the seats by belt. The first thing they saw everyday was the strataflotsam. The items which had been dumped into the atmosphere by earlier generations. What would their generation do about this ecological waste area that remained floating above their heads? This was a question for the generations. For now it was the area that they had to guide through on the way to school.

Midnight at the OASIS

Midnight at the OASIS
Sunset in Huntersville

My little Emmie

ran to the bus on the first day of the last year of school. 2 buns on the side of her head. She kissed me and ran at dawn to the bus. She was starting the adventure of a lifetime. I would never see that little girl again, she was going to woman school!

My Father and I 1989

My Father and I 1989

to the tune of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

A VISIT TO PAPA











Are you going to Mary Immaculate?

Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



Remember me to the one who lived there,



He once was a true love of mine,



Tell him to buy me an acre of land,



Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



Between the muddy Hudson in Jamaica Bay,



Then, He’ll be a true love of mine,

Tell him to sow in it seeds of pure cream,



Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



And build Ice cream mountains and buildings of whipped cream,

Then, He’ll be a true love of mine,



Tell him to reap them with sickles of M&M’s,



Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



And chew bubble gum and eat till we’re done,



Then, He’ll be a true love of mine.



Tell him to run it off down the motor parkway,



Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



After your done 50 pushups



and jog down the West Side Highway,



Then he’ll be a true love of mine…

(Don’t wait for me today dad, The kids are sick again, My tummy’s bulging again, My heart is aching again, And now there’s no love there…)





He once was, a true love of mine….So, Girls, I do beg you don't miss your Daddy,Apricots, Chocolate cherries and Pie,You have one short chance to see him on this side, Go visit him and let your light shine.