Birds in my back yard

Anybody know what kind of bird this is?  I have no idea.  Closest I could come to identifying it is a Melander Falcon???  The baby one is in the nest at the bottom of the 2nd pic.  If anyone knows, perhaps you could inform me.  I would appreciate it very much.

Happy Birthday, Jacob!

Happy birthday to my oldest grandson, Jacob Matthew, who is 20 years old today!

Love you very much!

Nana

Baby Cardinals

Hatched yesterday, they're in a nest beside my back porch.  Beautiful even though some have no feathers yet.  The bold colors tell me there are several males in there. 

Thinking of my prodigal daughter and grandson today.

Rumor has it, my youngest daughter and her now, eighteen year-old son, have moved back to West Virginia.  It seems the rabid pedophile she is a married to has made a run for the Canadian border to work up there and perhaps cast larger nets for new boys to molest.  Wonder why?  Law closing in on him?  One can only hope! Anyway, I feel that perhaps my oldest grandson (or maybe his Mom) reads this blog.  If so, don't be afraid to contact me at my gmail address listed for this blog (I think it is available).  If not, please comment here and give me your birth date and your Mom's so I will know it is you.  (Comments are not published until I release them.) Please feel free to contact me, you will be warmly received!  Plus, I hold the key to the truth, to the answers you seek.  And, as the Bible says, "the truth will set you free!"  Much love to you and your Mom.      

Recovery

OK, I went to the hospital today, thinking I was dying. (A long story which I will tell later.)  While there, I noticed this doctor walking up and down the ER unit (divided only by curtains). He would look in and then quickly close the curtain back. He did this several times. Finally he said aloud, 'Deborah? So I poked my head around the curtain and said, "here I am." He said, "No way!" I said, "Way!" "It's me!" He told me he couldn't believe I was 63 years old and he kept bypassing me! LOL  He said when he looked in on me twice, he thought I was about 43, and therefore couldn't be his 63-year old patient. LOL (I have a daughter that's 43!) Once I found out I was okay, I can tell you that Doc's compliment sure made my day, actually my year! At my age, it's rare I get a compliment much less such a sincere one. He said I must have inherited some "good" genes. I told him I hope I had, and proceeded to tell him about my Dad being 92 years old and only looking about 70. Yup, it sure made my day!

Amazing Time Lapse Views of West Virginia

http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/west-virginia/timelapse-wv/

Happy Thanksgiving!

Every Thanksgiving, the table is set with my best china and silver, upon my fanciest tablecloth.  Every thing is in place, ready for my family to arrive. The crystal stemware, my beautiful flower arrangement in the center, everything just as I like it.  

The song "Over the River and through the Woods to Grandmother's House We Go" keeps playing over and over and over again in my head like a broken record, but is so apropos.  Considering I live about an hours' drive away from them and I do live out in the country, there are a couple of rivers they cross to get here. Albeit, Interstate bridges, but still bridges.

My oldest daughter, her husband, and my two grandsons, Brandon and Caleb should be well on their way to my house soon  I'm still surprised and shocked when I see them nowadays because I still think of them as little boys instead of the tall, handsome men they are now.  I actually have to look up in order to talk to them and they laugh those deep, nearly unrecognizable laughs and tell me how much they now tower over their "Nana."

On the table is turkey and dressing, ham with my special glaze, home-made gravy, corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, hot rolls with real butter, and my specialty dessert, Deb's Famous Cherry Cream Cheese pies (the name of the recipe was tongue-in-cheek as only my family and close friends, as well as some former co-workers have ever tasted it, but I still have high hopes. lol)

Yes, everything is set, but there is always someone missing.  Actually two people.  My youngest daughter, Melissa, and my oldest grandson, Jacob.  Fifteen years gone, fifteen fleeting Thanksgivings.  I've missed all of her twenties, and now nearly all her thirties. Not to mention these fifteen long years without Jacob.  All those years and milestones in his life, all vanished. Truly gone with the wind.

Yet, even though she is older, I sometimes feel she still really needs me.  At a young age, she was  thrown into adulthood (purposely planned and foisted upon her by another) far sooner than most girls her age. Often, I want to tell her I simply told the truth.  That the only one who can now vindicate me, is Jacob, my oldest grandson.  But, he never will because he is terrified of him, too.

What I would give to place my arms around her and just hold her, to protect her like I did when she was a chubby-cheeked little girl.  As only a Mother's love and arms will do.  Because only a Mother can make you feel truly secure in this world.  For sure, there is no one else in this world that will ever love you as much as your Mother does.  The one who gave birth to you, the one who raised you, the one who would let no one hurt or harm you for eighteen years. Only wish I could have saved you from him.  Life would have been so different for us all.

After all these years, I am really not morose, just get a bit sad missing her/them especially around the holidays.   But, life goes on and I have had to move on and live the life that God has been gracious enough to give me.  He's also has given me the faith that one day Melissa, Jacob, and I will be reunited.

I've also realize that Time is not a true healer, but Time is a great salve.  

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to you, and especially to those who are present in my life and the ones who are missing.

Love you all!