Current Journal (4/25/04)
Sunday - May 2, 2004 - It didn't get as cold last night as they said it would, at least it didn't FREEZE! It's around 36 degrees or so. Plus, the sun is coming out. That is GREAT news. Bob said that the weather in Florida was pretty nice yesterday. They golfed 18 holes in the morning and 18 holes in the afternoon. He had a jacuzzi in his room, so he was planning to take full advantage of it to soothe his sore OLD muscles. haha Shawna told me to put out my Mexican SUNS. I have one out, and I'm bringing all the other ones out today. Plus, a sun wind chime. That should encourage the sun to come and stay!! (yeah, right!). It's early. I'm going to make some coffee and see if Hobbes is interested in coming back in the house. Here's a picture I found of Andrew and Jarrett with their cousin, Sara. This was probably taken in 1992. I just saw her last week and when I came across this picture, I knew I HAD to put it in here:
Andrew, Sara, Jarrett most likely in 1992 in DeKalb at Gladys & Malvin's
Ain't they cute? At first I couldn't tell what it was Jarrett was showing us but they were little monsters. We used to play a monster game with them. That makes me laugh because we were always so silly. SEE YA later, bye, djb
...later - (5/1/04) - I haven't done a whole lot this afternoon, but I think I've accomplished a lot. Does that sound contradictory? Could be because it is MAY! I feel so sad tonight. I got a package from my dear friend, Chetta. She sent pictures and the eulogy and the program from Jonathan's funeral service. It breaks my heart that her heart is broken as well as mine. He grew up to be such a wonderful young man. He was only 29 when he died. I hadn't seen him in many, many years. I knew him when he was a year and a half. He was a doll. I'll scan his picture tomorrow so you can see him. He was always full of life. Maybe that's why kids like Jonathan and Andrew are so damn hyper because they know they only have a few short years to get all of their living compressed into such a short time. Jarrett was never particularly hyper. He was more inner hyper. I think the psychic weasel the other night affected me more than if I had actually had a reading from him. So many people want to talk to the Other Side. Just to see how their loved ones are doing. It puzzles me why it is so difficult to contact them. It doesn't seem fair and it doesn't make any sense to me!!!!!!!! We're supposed to pay some conceited jerk a ton of money to talk to dead people - yeah, duh. If Jesus were around, do you think HE'd charge people!?!?! duh, no. Neither would God. I don't know why these people with some kind of alleged God-given gift take advantage of others. It makes no sense to me. It really bugs the crap out of me really. Well, having said all that, I'll just tell you that if you know someone who is dead, here's the scoop: they're doing just fine, thank you. That's what they ALWAYS say. Plus, they forgive you for anything you did and they're sorry for anything they did. And, of course, they love you and always will. That's about it! I guess since it's always been so mysterious and difficult to comprehend that we've been told all of our lives to ignore anything out of the "ordinary." NOW they tell me not to ignore it. ha!!! Pardon my rant. I just don't like phony people (or mean people either!). What about the truth setting us free? eh??? Okay, I found a great picture of the boys. It's another one of my black and white series:
When I had to name this picture, I called it "My Babies"
SATURDAY - MAY 1, 2004 - It's MAY DAY!! whoopee. I'm always excited when the first of the month comes around. I don't know why. Maybe because I always print out a new calendar, and with all the different programs I have on the computer, I can put anything I want on my calendars. So that's fun! I'm planning another trip to Wal-Mart to get 20 more bags of mulch. It's the dark mulch that matches my dirt. That's the reason I get it there. Everyone used to have it, now I can only find it at Wal-Mart. This morning I went out early to get the newspapers, accompanied by Hobbes of course, and the transplanted plants are all coming back from their shock. This is the PERFECT weather to transplant perennials. It's rainy, cool and early in the season. Everything I've dug up and put in pots looks fantastic. I tried an experiment with the astilbe (that's the feather flower). I dug one up and put some of my special compost under it. THAT's the one that is doing the best. So now I have to go out and dig up all of them and put compost under their cute little roots. PLUS, I have to move the purple clematis....doesn't get enough sun. I have a trellis sort of thing for it to climb on....I just have to figure out WHERE to put it. It seems to me that I'm going to have to dig up more of the grass (don't tell Bob!). All right, I'd better get going. I checked Weather Bug's radar and I don't see any rain, so it's probably a good time to get my skeedaddling shoes on!!! bye see ya later, djb
You can see the color of the mulch....looks like dirt, eh?
...later today - (4/30) - Earlier today I went into town and bought some peat moss and potting soil. Plus, I took in the film I took yesterday and got some more pictures of flowers!! They were so gorgeous yesterday:
Pretty tulips in my garden looking cute and lovely.
MORE tulips in my garden - as of yesterday.
FRIDAY - April 30, 2004 - I think it's raining outside. Although I'd LOVE to see sunny and dry weather, we really do need the rain for my grass. I have holes in the lawn where the grass hasn't grown and it seems as though only rain can make the grass grow properly. Last night, we went to see John Edward, the famous psychic. It was a complete BUST. There were maybe 3,000 people there. He might have talked to 10 - maybe 12 people. So, the rest of us were sitting there waiting to hear from the other side and the line was busy!! But it was a lesson for us to learn that if you want to talk to people who are gone, you're going to have to do it YOURSELF! That's what I got out of it. I think that should be my new profession. Besides, every single psychic book I've ever read says that YOU CAN DO THIS AT HOME. We'll see what happens. Mostly, probably NOTHING! ha ha It's hard to believe that it's already the end of April. Tomorrow is MAY DAY!!! When we were little kids, one of the older neighbor girls would make May baskets for us. It was so much fun. I still remember it even though it was a long, long, long time ago! Let me see what picture I can put in here for the last day of April.
Underwater picture of Jarrett - I put a frame around it and added the sea gull. Ain't it cute?
I love this picture. It's a reminder that summer is coming and we'll be getting the swimming pool ready pretty soon. Oh boy. Must go now. See ya later, djb
THURSDAY - April 29, 2004 - It's 61 degrees according to Weather Bug. That's nice for now, but it's going to get cold and then turn rainy and cold for the weekend. So, we've got that to look forward to. I spent hours and hours out in the yard yesterday planting flowers. Then about 5, I moved the front and sides. There's still a lot of work to do out there but it's so much fun, I don't mind doing it. It's still only April. The pink flowering crab tree has made my year. I can't get over the fact that it bloomed so beautifully after nothing for the past three years. I think the boys had something to do with it. I'm trying to find a picture to put in here. Let me take a look into my files and I'll see what I come back with.......a few moments later.....ta da:
Andrew, Grandpa Berg, Jarrett and Uncle Bergy in the background cooking on the grill.
This is the picture that was taken before the picture of Andrew raising his arms in a winning salute. I'm pretty sure Jarrett wasn't happy about it. He was kind of like me: SORE LOSER. haha When I was little, I got the Old Maid game for my birthday. I was always mad when I didn't end up with the Old Maid card. My brothers told me, "No, you're NOT supposed to get that card!" And I'd start sniffling, "but it's my game and want the Old Maid." pretty funny. Better go. I smell the coffee and Hobbes is outside on his own. Hopefully, he's intact. bye. see ya, djb
WEDNESDAY - April 28, 2004 - It's colder outside than it looks. I guess that's because it's so windy. I have a whole bunch of flowers to plant. I went to visit Zofia yesterday. She is an amazing gardener and such a lovely person. She kept saying, "Do you have this plant? Here, let me dig it up for you!" WOW!! Thankfully, I have some plants that she doesn't have, so I can dig them up and give them to her. This is the perfect time of year to move the perennials around because it's not too hot yet. Not even close to hot. Moving plants and planting plants and looking at plants is my idea of a good time!! ha! very funny. I found this picture of the boys when they were little. It was in the summer of 1988. That was the year that we had record-breaking high temperatures. The boys were lying on the bed with the minimum amount of clothing on. Although after their baths, they would love to run around the living room with nothing on. I called them the "butt boys." (Don't tell them I said that.) I'm going to put a few more pictures on the Stories and Pictures page, so I'm out of here for now. bye, djb
Jarrett (6 months) and Andrew (2-1/2) posing for mom one hot day in June 1988.
Tuesday - April 27, 2004 - According to my outdoor thermometer, it's 33 degrees. Now that's COLD! Tomorrow is supposed to be 78. Sounds good to me. I had this picture of Andrew on my desk. We lived in North Aurora and he loved to take all the pans and other assorted kitchen utensils out of the cupboard and then sit inside. OF COURSE, I had to take a picture. I also have a picture of Jarrett inside the same cupboard, but for some reason, it's not properly lighted. That always drives me NUTS! The new digital cameras are so wonderful. The colors are perfect and I can even take pictures in the dark and I don't have to use the night vision goggles. ha must go. brrr see ya later, djb
Andrew was so proud of himself that he was able to fit in the cupboard.
...later this day (4/26/04) - I was out in the yard digging up hosta and chasing objects that were being blown by the wind! It's VERY windy out there. I found some daylilies that I'm going to plant as soon as I catch my breath. Whew. It's cold AND windy. Yikes! The pink flowering crab looks great today, plus it smells awesome. It hadn't bloomed in three years and I was going to get some sort of treatment for it, but never did. So here it is, right by the boys' garden out front and I'm very happy to see it:
Pink flowering crab near the boys' garden, plus the Christmas candles are still lit...they haven't burned out yet!!!
I have to go back outside and start cutting the pampas grass. Wish me luck! see ya later. bye, djb P.S. I have to use the reciprocating saw!!
Monday - April 26, 2004 - Bob and I sure had our skeedaddling shoes on yesterday! Yikes!!! We got the Colonial House (thanks Jessica!) a little after noon for the going away lunch for Sonja and Dennis. They're leaving Friday for Texas. We had such a fabulous feast. Yummm. Plus, Aunt Gladys made a yellow cake with chocolate frosting (a favorite of many people: Sonja and Bob, especially). Dave & Sue and Taylor & Lauren never did show up, so we missed them! But we had a very nice, enjoyable time visiting and munching. In fact, here we are yesterday (Bob took the picture):
Sara, Erin (Sable's new mom), Gladys, Brandon, Scott, Roger, Sonja, Dennis and Donna Jean - on April 25, 2004 in DeKalb.
Bob and I then went to see Grandpa Burkholder's stone, then Krissy's house, but she wasn't there, then to Avis and Denny's house for more excellent food (Headon's pork chops!), then on the way home we stopped to see Bob and Joan. It was quite a whirlwind for us. If only we can remember everything that people told us!! haha Okay, it REALLY is time to get coffee. I'm NOT kidding. See ya later. I have SO many pictures, I can't believe it. bye, djb
Sunday - April 25, 2004 - I'm finally starting a new journal page. The other one kept going on and on and on. It doesn't take that long to put it on the Archives page - procrastination was involved here. We had rain yesterday afternoon and last night. I put so much peat moss on my grass seed that it didn't get wet, so I had to go out this morning with my watering can and pour water on all the spots I planted seed. Pretty funny. Yesterday, I dug up three lilacs and put them in pots. Apparently, they like this cool weather because they look quite happy this morning. Bob and I are going over to the going away party for Sonja and Dennis. They're going to Texas at the end of this week. I'm going to bring back Aunt Gladys's pictures that she let me borrow. I'll have to put one of them in here because they are absolutely precious!!!
One room schoolhouse picture taken in 1931. The twins, Gladys and Gale (my dad) were 11, George was 5.
I think this was the Chamberlain School but I'm not sure. The teacher in the middle of the picture (with glasses) is Verna Gittleson who was 21 years old at the time. She was a first cousin to the Bergs. Then in later years, she taught in Elburn and then married Earl Horne. Now, she's living at Oak Crest in DeKalb. I just completely and totally love these pictures of the olden days! Kind of reminds me of when I was young!! haha gotta go. see ya later. bye, djb