My Two Favorite Moms In The Whole World!

These two spectacular young women are the fantastic moms of our grandchildren. They are super wives, super professionals in their jobs, super daughter/daughter-in-law, and loving, caring, involved, complex, intelligent young women. We are richly blessed! Happy Mother's Day, Maria & Susan. We love you "all the much!"

The Treat That Is The LA Philharmonic

Tonight we attended a concert by the LA Philharmonic at Disney Hall. Gustavo Dudamel led the orchestra in glorious pieces by Brahms - "Academic Festival Overture" and "Symphony No.1." The audience gave the orchestra and Dudamel an enthusiastic and long standing ovation. In between the two works by Brahms, the violin soloist, Leonidas Kavakos, demonstrated his considerable talent in a complicated piece that many would describe as "notes in search of a melody." But the night belonged to the orchestra's superb playing under the baton of their inspiring conductor. They were both spectacular! We had all of this plus a delightful evening with good friends both long-time and newly met. Unbeatable!

Easter With the Hendersons & Tuckers

On Easter Sunday we all went to church and then we all came to our house for a family meal. It was a treat to have Grandmother Millie Tucker and Sara (for a while) both with us. The cousins had so much fun together, and the girls all looked beautiful in their dressy dresses. The Easter bunny came and put eggs all over the front yard for all of the cousins to find. The adults had a great visit while all of the children entertained each other. It was the perfect celebration of a special day.

Luke is Two!

On April 14, Luke Jacob Tucker will celebrate his 2nd Birthday. He is a delightful and happy little boy who smiles a lot, has fun wherever he goes, loves truck/cars/buses/"all vehicles"/, and is a good example for all of us. The look on his face when he goes into any place - room, restaurant, church, backyard, patio, mall, store, any house - is one of expectant joy. How nice if we could all greet the world that way. Thanks, Luke! "We were there to hear your borning cry," and we love you so much. Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Maria!

Today is Maria's birthday. For lunch we all went to The Yardhouse to celebrate. It was beautiful outside, so we had a great time under an umbrella on the patio. After coloring and eating and coloring some more, waving to the people in the kiddie train each time it came by, watching the kids running through the water feature with the spurting streams, staying OUT of the water because we had no change of clothes, sampling the freebies from Ben & Jerry's - what a great idea! - and getting coupons for our next visit, we all headed home. I made a quick "treat for Rose" run through Crate & Barrel to see the latest Marimekko prints and other fun items, and went home with a smile on my face. It was delightful to remember 35 years ago today when Maria was born. She has graced our lives with love and joy and beauty and caring. She's a super wife, a phenomenal mom, a talented teacher, a caring friend, an involved & compassionate volunteer, and a wonderful daughter. We are richly blessed by our children and their families. How lucky we are!

Claremont UCC's Garden Tour

Today 4 families in the church hosted tours of their gardens. It was a delightful day and a fascinating tour. Refreshments were available at the homes, and the hosts/hostesses answered questions about the plantings. All four yards have such a different take on outdoor living. Seeing the plants in their spring fresh "finery," either new green or flowering, was a treat. Now I've got great ideas for our backyard. While this picture is NOT from one of the homes, it is the sort of verdant planting that I find most appealing. So, temper this with some reality about summer heat in Southern CA, and I think we can make some new things happen in our yard. Butch was thrilled to hear that! :-)

New Cell Phones & The Challenges They Present

Maria and her family just left our house after our Sunday evening get together was more "challenging" than usual. Yes, Maria helped "Butch & RoRo" set up more "things" on our cell phones. I won't say that Butch and I are "cell phone challenged," but.... Anyway, we now have this synced and that downloaded and this button identified and this "skill" tentatively mastered for the moment. We're both determined to learn to use all of the features that appeal to us - calls, email, texting, GPS, photos, and preparing a 3 course dinner. Oh, please delete that last one. This is a cell phone, for heaven's sake!! :-) Fun time, good challenging learning curve, and determined "students" who WILL learn how to do all of this and more. I love technology and the advantages offered therein. Stay tuned!