Laveda D. Rockford

  HAPPY HOLIDAYS I have not been feeling well for the last few days, but I am getting better. And today, I have done a few things around the house and finished adding a couple more decorations. My Mother, Aunt Bonnie and I like to have our house decorated for Christmas before the Thanksgiving festivities. Not only because we love Christmas, but because it gets colder as the days grow shorter and all of us do not like the cold. But we love this time of the year. Bonnie has been in the kitchen dishing up delicious dishes for a gathering tomorrow. I am disappointed that I will not be in attendance because I am being cautious for mine and everyone else’s sake. Take a look at what our kitchen looks like today. From the green and red apples, roasted pecans, and pumpkin, with a fresh turkey getting ready for its dressing. Fun times in the kitchen this time of the year. And that is not all. We have three trees, well, actually four. I let my Mother use the little tree that I was gifte...

THE FENCE It took quite a while to have my fence ordered and installed. I am pleased with the completion except concerning the caps. When the cooler weather moved in, wind beat down on this beautiful fence and caused some of the caps to fly into the air looking for some other place to rest. I had to go out during the rain and reinstall them onto their perch. After discussing it with family, it will be an easy fix. So, after all said and done my heart sings today. What a beautiful day it is. The weather has cooled some and the sun is shining bright which makes me happy. Here is a photo of the fence. Isn’t it beautiful? I just love it.   And talking about the fence, the reason I had a fence installed is because I love flowers. A flower garden is something that will be a joy to see year-round. I have purchased some items that will go into the flower garden for winter interest though they will not be included this season. They need to be cleaned and painted before I place them....

  ELOQUENCE I may not speak with eloquence about a seed or thought, but I know that what I do matters. I may not be the most beautiful woman in the world, but I know that who I am matters. I can speak about many things that other people can understand because I do not think more highly of myself than others. I learned how to treat people and not because I am all that, but from the ill treatment of others toward me. I learned from hard knocks that to become something better than what you have experienced is more eloquent than being like the ones who have hurt you. This is called the school of hard knocks. It is easy to enter and become a student, but it is extremely hard to graduate on. Graduation means that you have learned something. And what I have learned is that not all people are the same, but we all hurt the same. Whether it be feelings, physical or emotional, it is how we grow into something better than what we have been taught. I have learned how to stand in the world o...

  CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN BLOOM: The Fall Garden Daisy As you know I have been planting a new flower garden in my backyard. In the design I have incorporated perennials with spring, summer, and fall interest. Once it is in place, the maintenance should not be difficult. Anyway, that is the goal. Chrysanthemums are in bloom in my area and at the peak of their cycle. Whether pink, white, yellow, or brown, the chrysanthemum is the autumn flower power. It not only is pleasing to the eye, but it also welcomes the cool evening air as a best friend, not withering at the sudden cold evenings like some of the other flowers. It was built for these cool nights. I have not planted the Chrysanthemums yet, but hopefully soon. I was asked if I needed to take them inside over the winter, but from personal knowledge, I know that Chrysanthemums function as perennials in my area. I am still waiting on the fence to be built and hopefully soon. It will be a neat background for my design while protectin...

  AUTUMN PLANTING Last Wednesday was my birthday and I celebrated with my Mother and Aunt Bonnie by traveling to a few garden centers and purchasing plants to use in my garden design. Today was a very strenuous day. Wearing a straw hat while temperature soared into the lower 90’s, I continued the quest that I began in the early morning hours. It was nice this morning and made digging in the garden sweet. One thing that is funny about the past few days is the rain. We have not had much rain lately and I had been concerned about the toughness of the lawn where the garden would be. Well, God came through again. While riding home from Joplin on Wednesday, it started raining. We wanted to go through Nevada and pick up a tree that was purchased but we thought better of it. I did not want a muddy mess in the vehicle, so we settled down for the night listening to the rain and watched a movie.   It rained off and on for three days which made digging up the lawn a little easier....

  BEGINNING TO GARDEN In case you have not read my update about moving into town, I told you about the backyard and the birdbath that I have the pleasure of using in the backyard design. I have been very busy with my day job and taking care of the house and yard. Not to mention the time I like spending with my mother and aunt watching movies. Yes, you could say that we watch more than we should, but my mother does not walk as well as before and watching a movie together is the way we can spend time together doing something that we all enjoy. So, I have not had the chance to start the yard projects until now. Here is a photo of the birdbath with three Lavandula angustifolia, also known as Lavender, plants surrounding it. I thought it was an honorable day to plant these beauties. Their fragrant leaves fill the surrounding air with their lavender scent. I cannot wait to see them blossom next year. The fragrance is sweet from its fragrant leaves brings thoughts of future blooms desti...

  DÉCOR AND MORE I have spent the last three to four weeks moving me and my mother into a family home that we are sharing with my aunt Bonnie. After all, my mother still has stage four cancer and we three together will be able to assist with any unforeseen obstacles. Three women sharing expenses is going to save all of us quite a bit of dough. It is never fun when you move. But the joy of it is when you get to display your treasures in just the right spot. Each of our rooms are decorated accordingly and I had to share this photo of the top of one of my bookcases. I displayed one of my paintings with additional scenery. Yes, you may think that I am silly for thinking of something like that, but you have to find joy wherever you can.   It just so happened that our community and little part of the world we live in has a one-hundred-mile garage sale and since we had to move, we had plenty of items to sale. We were very excited to sale the first item and it just kept going....