A.........rriving at Glacier Park Lodge

Our relaxing train ride took about 27 hours from Columbus, Wisconsin, to East Glacier, Montana. Even though I had been to Glacier before, I was delighted (and the others were amazed) to be greeted by a red shuttle bus that transported us to beautiful Glacier Park Lodge. A carpet of flowers lines the way from the depot to the Lodge. It was also a joy to see the mountains again. The week before the weather had been cold and rainy, but we were treated to sunny skies and warm weather. More pictures of the Lodge and Glacier Park will follow in a couple of days...stay tuned!

"E.........arth Laughs in Flowers"...

...at least according to Ralph Waldo Emerson! With the delightful bouquet to the right it's easy to see that joy. This arrangement is especially precious because it was the gift of a dear friend. For more than six years, she and I and eight other incredible women have been enjoying laughter, tears, good times and sad times as we join together twice a month for lively games of mah jongg. When the Red Hat Society appeared in our area, we enthusiastically participated in "Red Hat Fun" as well. We always remember each other's birthdays, and this year, the flowers were one of my gifts. Isn't the red and purple appropriate? Flower arranging is just one of many talents that flourish in this group of ladies that I number among my dearest friends. So I would like to add to Emerson's quote, "and blesses us with their glory".

L.........onging for spring

By this time of year, the long, cold, snowy winter begins to be tiresome and I long for the warmer south winds, the bright spring flowers, and the joy of stepping outside without a warm jacket. Actually, we look forward to stepping outside and not having to watch our step for icy patches! Here, near Lake Michigan, our springs are cool, but are a welcome relief. Last year, a little friend of mine stopped to pose and smell the flowers outside our home. I wish you all the joy of smelling the cheerful flowers this year!

Flower Child

As regular readers to this blog may know, I belong to a very unique and creative group of ladies who get together twice a month for mah jongg and red hat fun. This is the next in a series of posts about those ladies, and I hope this very special gal will forgive the silly title to this post. She excels at flower arranging, to needlepoint, quilting and more. Delicate stencils are featured in her home including this whimsical basket of flowers which escape the frame. The intricate Christmas stocking was lovingly done for her first grandson, and the quilted pillows were gifts for her daughter. An avid gardener, she delights in arranging flowers, such as the sunflower bouquet, and delights each of us on our birthdays with an arrangement especially for us. A couple months ago, she presented me with a selection in a tea cup (did I mention she also gives fabulous teas?) which she called "Herbs and Edibles" because the whole arrangement could have been eaten! I chose to photo graph it instead, and enjoyed it for the longest time.

I.........f friends were flowers, I'd pick you!

I enjoy this little sentiment, but it doesn't begin to reflect the richess so many friends add to my life. The other day, a friend presented me with this teacup floral arrangement, which she called "herbs and edibles". She had grown most of the items herself and all are edible. I just couldn't resist posting a front and back view of this delightful treasure. May you all experience the joy my friends bring to me!

F.........lower Scrubbies

The scrubbie made of nylon netting has long been my favorite and I've had fun creating some unusual shapes for them. In honor of "May Flowers" I've designed these flowers to help in the dishpan. Why says doing dishes is an awful task?
Because so many of you wanted the pattern, here it is! You'll need one 2" x 1 yard strip of nylon net color A, one 2"x7 yard strip nylot net color B, J crochet hook. With color A ch 4, join with sl st to form a ring. Work 10 sc in ring. Finish off. Join color B to any sc. Ch 3. ♥Work 4 dc in same st. Sl st in next two sts. Ch 3♥ Repeat from ♥to ♥around. Final round: Work one sc in top of ch 3, two sc in next dc, sc in next dc, two sc in next dc, sl st in next sl st around. Finish off. If there are any questions, just contact me!

M.........other's Day with Camille

Camille, David and I had a lovely Mother's Day experience yesterday. We had the responsibility of delivering 30 Mother's Day bouquets, a project of David's Lions Club. You can see Camille in David's hand in front of a wonderful local greenhouse where we went to pick up the prepackaged beauties. They filled the trunk and Camille posed for a picture on top of them. Then it was off to the nearby City of Plymouth to ring many doorbells. Fortuneately most of the recipients were home and it was such a delight to see the looks on their faces when they received their roses or bouquets of mixed flowers. Some were expecting them; some were not. My favorite, was a lady who was so surprised

because she is not a Mother herself, and her eyes filled with tears and gratitude for the folks who had been kind enough to send them to her. The final picture shows the roses that I received. What a glorious way to celebrate Mother's Day! Happy Mother's Day to all Moms, especially mine!