I've seen fire and I've seen rain

but I never saw a frozen flower before.

I had been glad to see the crocus' bloom and they had just finished when my daffodils and Narcissus bloomed out full. We had a hard rain and the next day we dropped to freezing-POOF! My daffodils were all tipped over, leaves flopped to the ground. When I went outside for something I looked more closely and realized the flowers were in full bloom still.

Normally a frozen blossom goes brown and then dies. These showed no sign of damage at all. I walked over, flipped one upright by the stem and discovered they were daffycicles...

The sun shone through the luminescence of the iced petals like stained glass. They already look so fragil and frail but now the shatter factor added to that delicacy in a way I find hard to describe. I picked one and took it in to show the nephew, niece in law and grand neice.

They were there to fix a broken basement step for me and do some easy plumbing in exchange for the mate's pool table. C2son and family have just moved into their new home and the "family" pool table will be available to all of us still in their finished basement party room. It feels right. The older grand kids got a table and the younger ones don't have room for one. It's like the bike. I can hardly use it, I won't sell it and I didn't know what else to do but I need the room for people to stay over in, it had to go. This feels right to me.

The Bother in Law was out to do the sump for me last week and I spent two different days wading in water up to my calves on the cement floor. I was using the portable pump, a length of hose and two pieces of down spout left over from the guttering to run water out of the basement. Once was at, ohhhh, 1:30 am-ish...ew. It was fun visiting with Bro2 while he installed the new pump.

Yesterday I shared time with the Sis and family there. What a great dinner, our favorite; scalloped potatoes and ham au gratin and cooked to crunchy with glazed ham and pineapple. Yum! C1boy did the easter eggs filled with candy and hidden for the little ones. It was fun.

I visted with KMA on the way home. We had a great chat and I got to see her drawings of her dream retirement home. It was a nice time. Two pots of coffee worth of visiting enjoyed!

Jeanette's kids are now in their own housing. One family finally got the deal done on the place they were trying to buy. They moved in last week. The other family took an apartment in the city of Countyseat. Both males have jobs now but one of them fell and shattered the top of his tibia, he is working in pain and a brace while it heals. Why? Because, like many of us, he feels he needs the money and can't take the time off to heal. His girl was working but it was part time, a 20 mile drive and a babysitter math problem. She is looking for work closer to home.

Jeanett's car is giving her fits. It's a beater Chevy and we can't figure out why it gets all wacky at speed. They have fixed ball joint, tie rods, and etc. It still gets a shimmy over 40 mph.

Jeanette has been issued her building permit and is taking bids on the house right now. It's so hard to be half here and half there and the rest of your stuff gone or way over there. We are just waiting for the right contractor and solution to present. She is so homesick. I remember how it makes your heart hurt to have been not just self supporting but even caring for others and then to find yourself homeless.

There is a mortgage company ready to go her the loan - but only on a completed house. The contractors are bidding and will build it - only if she gets a building loan. It's more paperwork to everyone, call the bank, the mortgage company, decide what we can cut, get more paperwork to everyone, more bids, more time wasted piddling around while you try to get to work, see the grands who are in a new school, do your laundry, shower, try to have a life and all the while all you want is to run into YOUR HOME, slam the door and throw yourself on the bed to have a good cry. If they put a roof on it, she'd move in tomorrow.

Today she was the hero for me. I am back to work. She calls and says we have no water, could the filter be plugged? I have a simple, undersized in-line filter on the water pipe in the basement. I talked her through changing the filter, still no water. She has double checked the water valves, now what? She asked where it's wired in and I directed her to a box I think is it. We have never had this problem so I am guessing.

She pops it open and gets a spark. I had to replace a sump pump last week, this is not good. The floor is still very damp. Still, she bravely went ahead, decided she saw the problem, closed it up and we had water again! Yay! It's not the pump!

Double YAY! She didn't blow herself up either. Now I am sitting here wondering if she shut off the outside faucet....hmmmmm?

There have been multitudes of situations for the four families of us that could have erupted into huge messes but the solutions are coming as fast - and in some cases even faster than- the percieved problems. Every need has been met.

We aren't rolling in dough here, in fact I haven't let the cash get this low in a long time. But just when I think maybe this time it won't happen, here comes help. Money, food, labor, talent, friendship, counseling, a break for the stress. It just keeps working out. I told them I would be covered no matter how low I went financially as long as I was doing as I was directed. It's my "show me" kind of heart that so loves that part of this experience. My friend can't help but see that no matter how low I get, in my heart or my wallet, that something uplifting carries me over the rough spots. Always has, always will.

A good 'bo always walks with his head down but to find the way out you have to look inside yourself, to the mystery of the life that you are and connect with the source of all life, the Divine Love. Pour out your heart there then reach out to help others in need and your life will be rewarding and meaningful. Not always easy, but always more deeply satisfying.

"The beauty of the blossoms frozen in time, never aging, never dying, glows with the appearance of life but they will never create life from their seed. " ( I thought that up!)

There, a "real" post. Hugs to you all.