Rainy Friday!!

Well, my computer is not broken so you can imagine what my house looks like!!! We have another typical Fall day but today we have a typical Fall day without the sunshine. In fact we received almost an inch of rain this morning. We even had a little hail.

Not much to report today but tomorrow is a brand new month and time for our birthday list. Please stay tuned!! Some people are getting older!!!! A real landmark for one special lady!!!!

Hope all will have a great week-end. My number 2 son is in Texas with some friends riding their Harleys. He promised me he would be careful and as of today, he says he is having fun and he IS being careful. Cycles sorta scare me but so do cars sometimes!!!

More later,
Dortha

Sunny Thursday!!

Today is a typical Fall day----bright sunshine and just about right temps. We are promised the temperature to be in the 70's for the rest of the week. That is soooo good. It will save our propane. We have been so blessed with all the sunshine that helps to warm our house.

Still no news worthy of sharing on Holland Hill. Life is good and we are well. No complaints here.

I told you a few weeks ago that Devin had been promoted to Assistant Manager of a store near us. He is glad to be back on familiar soil and we are glad we can see him more often than when he was 6 hours away. I was in the area of his store last week and thought I would see if he were on duty and doing his job well. I walked up and down, up and down, up and down each aisle in that huge store and NO DEVIN to be seen. I decided I might as well get my groceries and head for home. I turned one more corner, saw the back side of a tall, neat, young man. Wasn't sure at all if it were Devin but as I moved more closely, he turned my way enough for me to recognize him so I moved in a little closer and said, "I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THE ASSISTANT MANAGER, PLEASE"!!!! He was somewhat shocked and said, "Grandmother, what are you doing here." He was doing his job well and the store is fortunate to have such a fine young man as their assistant manager.

Kim, I am so sorry about your poison ivy. I am sure you are miserable. I hope you are healing. I can share your pain. I have suffered with it many times over the years.

That's all for today.

Love to all,
Dortha

No News, No blog!!!

What can one blog when there is no news? Perhaps no news is good news. Nothing bad or sad has happened and for that I am thankful. We have beautiful days and cold nights with heavy frosts now. We miss our garden veggies but we do have several green tomatoes that had to be picked before the frosts so now instead of fried okra and fried squash, we have fried green tomatoes. Not too bad!!! They are really quite tasty.

The days are flying by and very soon we will be observing the Thanksgiving Season. We are looking forward to our out of state visitors and our family-get-togethers. We have great times and make a lot of memories. We even have some food and I am already "stock-piling"!!!

We feel blessed these days when we fill our car gas tanks. We are now paying $1.87 per gallon. The lowest price since 2006. Wouldn't it be great if it could continue.

Remember to pray for the coming election.

Have a great day,
Dortha

Thanks Kim!!

Thanks for your comment, Kim. I am glad you like the older pictures. You are a brave one to say, "Keep them coming!!" Remember WHO has a birthday about a month from now!!!! I promise to be kind!!!

Love you,
Grandmother

Another Birthday Wish!!!!

Another Birthday Wish!!!

Perhaps I should leave well enough alone since I haven't had any negative comments concerning the picture I posted earlier today (truth be, I have had NO comments!!) but just in case, I felt this one a bit more dignified and true to form!!! This one shows you are definitely in control which is one of your strong points. You always seemed to know the answers then and you seem to know them today. God has blessed you in so many ways and I pray that He will bless you with a wonderful day tomorrow.

I love you,
Mom

Happy Birthday, Roger!!!

ONE COOL KID!!!!

Happy Birthday, Roger, and forgive me if this picture doesn't quite measure up to today's image of the man you are. It is so typical of the happy, sweet, carefree little boy I remember and it doesn't seem all that many years ago. I am so thankful God chose to place you in our home and trusted us enough to nourish and care for you and then to prepare us to release you to a life of your own--- beyond our walls. It was not easy to watch you walk out our door when you were only 17 years old into a new and strange world to you. You were then responsible for all you needs along with working long, long hours of very hard work which was necessary for you to do so you could attend college. My heart ached because I could not be with you to do your laundry and cook your meals and help you over the rough places but you managed and learned early on to take care of yourself.

I am very thankful for the many memories of your growing up years. You were always obedient and respectful and loving. I hear so many negative reports about 'teen' years. I suppose God knew we would not know how to handle teen problems as He certainly spared us of experiencing any problems. Perhaps you just never knew that you could rebel or I rather like to think that your personality just didn't warrant causing problems. Oh, I remember a few spats with your brother but they were minor----probably the most severe resulted with a hole in the wall but hanging a calendar over the hole solved the problem there.

I am so thankful for you, Roger. Your love continues to grow with each passing year and I appreciate you for so many reasons. Even though many miles separate us, we are ever close in thought and God is so good to let us spend quality time together several times each year. I am so glad you have a happy life with Annie and your wonderful family.

Yes, I know you birthday is not until tomorrow but who says you cannot start celebrating a day early? Sunday is not a good day to blog and I do not want to be late wishing you your best birthday ever!!!!!!!

I love you so much,
Mom

Happy Birthday, Brandon!!1

Happy Birthday, Brandon!!

Yes, I know I am one day early wishing Brandon a Happy Birthday but this will help make up for all the times I have been late!!!! I hope you have a wonderful birthday, Brandon. This picture of you and big brother Scott, shows what a happy little boy you were. You were a very special little grandson and I have a lot of fond memories of your growing up years. Your Granddad and I flew out to CA to visit your family at Christmas time in '75 and you and Scott came home with us. We kept you for several days until your parents came to OK to get you. During that time, you decided you liked being with me and became quite attached. One day you said, "Grandmother, if my Dad would let me, I would be your little children!!" Well, the feeling was mutual. I would have gladly kept you. Your brother had a little different opinion of me, however. One evening the 3 of us were sitting in my living room and I was feeding each of you ice cream---a bite for you then a bite for Scott. Well, Scott walked out to the kitchen and spit his out onto the floor. When I saw what he did, I spanked him. He wasn't very happy with me and when he saw his Dad, he told him that I was BAD! I hope he has forgiven me. That act probably didn't warrant a spanking!!! I am sorry Scott!!!

It was so good to attend your wedding a few months ago and then to have you and Dailon visit us in August. We hope you can come again soon----Thanksgiving would be OK!!!!

I love you, Brandon, and it has been a blessing to watch you grow and become the person you are today. I wish for you much happiness and success during the coming year.

Grandmother Holland

Windy Wednesday

God is Our Only Hope!!!

Being concerned about the coming election would be an under statement. We know the results are in God's hands, however, I feel it is important that we put our faith and trust in Him and pray that He will lay on the hearts of the Christians to vote their convictions. I cannot understand how any one can support the killing of innocent babies. There are other issues that I cannot support. The time is short so we must pray, pray and pray.

Yours and His,
Dortha

Ryan is Moving!!

Ryan, the Marine!!!

We haven't heard from Ryan since he was here in September. He explained that he would not be in CA long enough to get a new address and then receive mail. I heard today that he is now en-route to Pensacola, FL. That will be much closer to us so perhaps he can come home more often. It would be nice if he could come for Thanksgiving. It will also be good to hear from him and to know how he is doing. Ryan, I hope you will have access to the internet so you can receive e-mails. We could send you lots of pictures.

I love you and am praying for you,
Grandmother Holland

Cheers for Devin!!!

Congratulations Devin!!!

Welcome back to our area, Devin. Devin has served as assistant manager of a Super Center in South Arkansas for one year and has recently been offered the same position in a much larger, newer and nicer store in our area. So he moved his earthly possessions AND his four legged daughter, Juneau, last week and yesterday was his first day at his new location. We are glad for you, Devin. Your loyalty and your work ethics have been rewarding. We see even greater promotions for you in your future. We are proud of you!!!

I love you,
Grandmother

A Sunny Monday

We Can Dream!!!!

We all dreamed of a BEAUTIFUL Fall and so far we continue to dream. Perhaps we are a wee bit impatient. We were so confident that we would have breath-taking, Fall colors to enjoy and so far that has not happened. We see a beautiful tree here and there but they are few and far between. For the most part, instead of our trees displaying brilliant reds, oranges and yellows our leaves are turning brown and turning 'loose'. We are, however, having perfect temps and lots of sunshine so it is still a very enjoyable season.

We had a very good week-end. Our church conducted our yearly Missions Conference this past week and yesterday was commitment Sunday and last night we had an all church International Dinner. There was more food than you can imagine and many tasty dishes which were representative of the different countries our missionaries represent. I would have planned the dinner a bit differently had I done the planning but no one asked my opinion. Can you imagine a not-large-enough area with 10 'booths', each one containing the foods representing a particular country and at least 400 people trying to find an opening to view and hopefully 'grab' a bit of this and that??? Well, since our services were spaced over 5 days and/or nights with each service offering food, I would have chosen 2 nights to offer foods from 2 countries, the next 2 nights would offer foods from a different 2 countries and so-on. That way we could have viewed and spent more time understanding the different foods. Oh, well, as I said, no one asked my opinion.!!! It was their loss!!!! Our church is very mission minded and we are encouraged to take part in our Faith Promise Program. Last year our Faith Promise Program received almost $300,000.00. That, of course, is in addition to our tithes and offerings.

Well, this is a brand new week and I have no special plans but do have lots of unfinished projects I should attend to. We are expecting CA company and perhaps some from other areas for Thanksgiving and I need to be preparing for that. (I have begun stock-piling groceries!!) Thanksgiving is a very special season. We are looking forward to it.

Have a great day,
Dortha

Frost on the Pumpkin!!!

Frost on the Pumpkin!!!

Well, the weather man was right last night when he said we would have a frost. That we did!!! The roof tops were white when I got up this morning. I am not sure how much damage was done but the sun has shone all day making this a very comfortable and beautiful day.

No news today. Just wanted you to know I am still alive and well!!!!!

Dortha

Beautiful Fall Day

A Lovely Season!!

What a perfect day we have---bright sunshine, gentle, cool breeze and temp in the 60's. Can't ask for more, except for a lot more days just like this. We may have a light frost tonight and we don't really want that just now. It would mean the end of our okra and our delicious, red tomatoes. We cannot complain, however. We have enjoyed fresh veggies since early Spring and even though we will miss them, we are thankful for all we have had. We appreciate Merrel and all the hard work he does to care for the gardens. He prepares the ground, plants the seeds, keeps the weeds out, plows the ground so it will be nice and soft so the plants can grow better. He then, not only gathers the mature produce but helps to prepare it for canning and/or freezing. We are so blessed.

We had a nice rain yesterday. It it is good to have the dust washed off the leaves so we can see the beautiful colors more clearly. They are very slow turning but I have seen a few beautiful trees.

Remember God loves you,
Dortha

Ryan's Graduation 9-12-08

Enjoy the pictures of Ryan's graduation from Camp Pendelton along with his 'cheering section'!!! Wish I could have been there but someone had to 'mind the store'!!! He had quite a support group and we are all very proud of Ryan and will be anxious to see him again soon when he will be assigned to another camp. Perhaps it will be a little closer to home.

Love you, Ryan,
Grandmother Holland

Ryan's Visit

We were blessed when Ryan finished boot camp and came to Holland Hill for a visit last month. We had not seen him for 2 months and it was so good to see a handsome, young man who seems happy and satisfied with the choice he has made to serve as a Marine for the United States of America. We all owe thanks and praise to him and other service men and women for their willingness to serve to keep our country free. The MOST important decision Ryan made while here was to be baptized. It is great to see him take his stand to serve God and to live a life pleasing to Him. We are proud of you, Ryan, and we wish you much happiness and success as you serve our country.

Much love,
Grandmother Holland

Dortha & Friends

High School Friends!!!

While Merrel and I were in Arkansas last week, we stopped in Searcy to visit some of my high school friends. We graduated together in 1946. One of the four (above) has continued to live in Searcy and became vice president of the City Bank. One now lives in So. AR, one in Denver and I live in MO. It was good to see each of them and we just seem to 'take-up' where we last 'left-off'. We have much in common and cherish our memories from Searcy High. My class has had several reunions during the 62 years since we graduated and I have attended all except one. I always felt inferior while in school since I was not a 'city' girl. I lived 18 miles from Searcy and did not fit in very well with the 'in crowd', however my closest friends were also grafted in so we formed our own circle of friends and have kept in touch all these years. Some of our 'circle' have now passed away and one VERY dear friend is in a nursing home and does not recognize her own daughter. We do count our blessings. After graduation and each of us went our seperate ways and made the best of what life offered, I no longer feel inferior. I suppose as we grew older, it was not necessary to classify our friends and the 'in crowd' seemed to forget that we were not of their standing and accepted us for who we are. Perhaps they forgot that we were from the country!!!!

After we left Searcy, we drove the 18 miles to the little farm where I grew up. Seeing the area brings to mind many memories, many happy, some sad. There is a lot of activity going on in the area concerning the drilling for oil and gas. There are several producing wells close to my farm and pipe lines are being laid across the area. They can drill on my farm whenever they want to!!! I hope it will come to fruition while I am alive!!! Who knows???? I can dream.

Bye for now,
Dortha

Happy Fall

HAPPY FALL

What could be more enjoyable than a perfect Fall day with it's bright sunshine, cool brisk breeze and beautiful color-changing leaves on our trees? We are so blessed. We need neither air conditioning nor heat and yet we are soooo comfortable. That is good. Our propane will last longer. Our doors and windows are open and we are enjoying all the comforts God provides for free!!!

For those of you who have viewed the collage of pictures showing Courtney and Stephen's engagement and her ring, yesterday when we were eating, I mentioned that the picture of her ring doesn't show up very well. Stephen said, "Yes, I know, I should have got a larger stone!!" Actually, I think my photography was the problem rather than the size of the diamond. The ring is very nice and beautiful and Courtney wears it with pride.

Merrel and I had a good trip to Hot Springs last week. It was good to visit Terrell and Joann. Their lives have not changed much since we saw them in June. Joann is very tired as she has to do everything. She really needs physical help. It is very difficult for her to get Terrell in and out of the car as he has less use of his good leg and no use of his other one. We took them out to eat the last night we were there and when we got back to the apartment and helped him get into his wheel chair, I said, "It is hardly worth the effort to go anywhere, isn't it?" He agreed saying he would just rather stay home so no one would have to work so hard to help him. Just the same, it was good to spend time with them. They enjoyed the okra and fresh tomatoes we took them.

Hope you are enjoying the day.

Love you,
Dortha

Sorry I am late, Heather!!!

Happy Birthday, Heather

Please forgive me for being late with your birthday greeting. I was out of town all week and had no access to the internet. I hope you had a wonderful day and will have an even greater year. I cannot begin to tell you how great it was to have you and your special little family spend time with us in August. The miles between us prevent us from spending more time with you so we consider the time we are permitted to be together as quality time. We appreciate the pictures you share of the girls and look forward to new ones now and then.

Thank you for everything you and Scott contributed to my birthday. Your page for my scrapbook is so interesting. Your dad is quite an artist and everything in the picture relates to my years in the drapery shop. I am anxious to see the book all put together. The single pages are all spread out on the extra table in my dining room. I stop and take a look often and read the comments. I feel humbled when I read what different ones wrote and feel unworthy of the praise but I am thankful if I have been able to touch lives in a productive way. I am sorry for the mistakes I have made but know I cannot change the past. All I can do is try to do better from here forward.

I am so glad you are part of our family.

I love you,

Grandmother Holland

Sept. 21, 2008

September 21st was a very special day on Holland Hill. Ryan was home for a few days after having graduated from Marine Boot Camp in California. We had a special Sunday Dinner for him and gathered together some VIP's to share the meal. After the meal, Stephen paid a very caring tribute to Ryan for having chosen to serve our country by enlisting in the Marines. It was good to see Ryan as we had not seen him for 2 months. He looked very handsome in his uniform and he seemed very happy. I will post more pictures of him a little later.

Courtney, thank you for the comment you made recently. That was the 3rd---or maybe the 4th---comment I have had in only 15 months!!!! I had wanted to tell the world about Stephen's proposal and YOUR accepting but I felt your Mom would want to do it and I did not want to take the opportunity to announce your engagement from her. Seems I have given her ample time so-------- it is with MUCH pleasure that I tell the 'world' that September 21st was a very special day for you as well as for Ryan. After Stephen congratulated Ryan, he walked around to the other side of the table and told us he had something he wanted to say to Courtney. It was a very sincere and touching proposal and as I have said many times before, you two are a very handsome couple and I deeply admire you for your commitment to serve God and also your commitment to each other. Marriage can be--and should be-- a beautiful thing. God ordained marriage and I believe He is pleased that the two of you have chosen, first to serve Him, and then that you have chosen each other. My blessings and my prayers will follow you and I wish for you a wonderful life together. I am thankful I have had the opportunity to watch you grow from a sweet baby girl to a very, very sweet young lady. Even though I have only known Stephen for a few months, I have admired his kind spirit and I appreciate the way he cares for you. I wish you the very best and a very happy life together.

I love you,
Grandmother Holland

Rainy Monday!!

BISCUIT ANYONE?????

Just couldn't resist sharing this picture of a handsome little boy and his biscuit!!! Mavrik, if you will come to see me again, I will make you another biscuit!!

We are getting a nice, slow rain tonight. It will be nice to wash the dust off everything and perhaps our leaves will then show more color. They seem to be slow changing from green to beautiful Fall colors.

Merrel goes for a walk most mornings and since we are in a rural area, dogs are allowed to run free. He encounters some that are rather vicious. He asked me to go shopping and buy a water gun for him. That I did and he got it all loaded and secured in his pocket. Well, since then, the dogs have not growled at him so he hasn't got to try out his water gun yet. Maybe they sense it is in his pocket!!!!

Not much happening on Holland Hill these days. We are just enjoying the near perfect Fall weather. Sure nice to be saving on the utility bill. We need neither air nor heat. Hope the mild temps continue for a few more weeks so our propane will last longer.

Time for some rest.

Dortha

Happy Birthday, G. J.

Happy Birthday, G. J.

G. J., this is YOUR day!!! As of today, you have said "Good-by" to your teen years. We shall now expect bigger and better things from you!! Do you realize you will now be an adult for the rest of your life? Teen years should be good years but sometimes they can also be not so good. We make many of life's decisions during those years and I trust you made some good ones. God gave you a brilliant mind and it is your responsibility to use it as God has ordained.

I hope you have a great BIRTHDAY and please don't cause as much trouble as you caused 20 years ago today!!!

Grandmother Holland

Happy Birthday, Bill

Happy Birthday, Bill

Today is YOUR day!! I hope you have a wonderful birthday and remember to count your blessings. God has been good to you and has given you a good life and a family second to none. I am sure they brought you breakfast in bed and will meet you at the door tonight with a glass of tea and your robe and slippers. Live it up while you can!!!

Have a great day,
Dortha