Autumn has been in to poetry since the May Pole dance. So we have been reading about the lives of famous poets, namely Julia Ward Howe (Battle Hymn of the Republic) and now Katherine Lee Bates (America the Beautiful). So I read to her these stories from the Childhood of Famous American books. I read to her, but don't tell her ahead of time what the person is famous for. So she gets all wrapped up in the story and then at the end "Ahh, they did that with their lives!" At least that's what I'm hoping for in a reaction from her when we come to the end of the book. So we're reading about Julia Ward Howe and we're toward the end of the book where Julia hears the soldiers singing "John Browne's Body Lies a Mouldering in the Grave" (which is the tune to Battle Hymn of the Republic). So I sing the "John Browne's Body..."part to her (Julia has not yet written her hymn, but merely hears this tune). And Autumn goes, "Oh, that's the same tune as the Battle Hymn of the Republic. I've always hated that song. They sing it over and over at all the presidents' funerals, and I get so sick of hearing it. I've never liked that song." So now my heart is sinking...She's wrapped up in the story of Julia, and will soon find out that she wrote the song in the next chapter. Well, there was a let-down. But at the end of the book we also find out that Julia helped found Mother's Day. And since we were reading this on Mother's Day, she thought that was pretty neat and made it all worthwhile.

Here's a poem written by Autumn..
The Violent Storm

A flick of a switch

A crack of a match

Lit the sky on humid summer night!


The lightning and thunder raced down from the sky

On to the earth in a blink of an eye


The morning arose

The sky-the color of blue.

It was almost as if the sky were new.



REMODELING....We met with a lighting expert and an electrician to decide where to put in our canned lights in the living room and hallway. They're suppose to put them in next week. We met withMid America Piano to store our piano while all this is being done. Found out it will be $500 just to move the piano. It's that much even if we move it into another room in our house! So...we are having to look into getting some guys here, moving it into the dinette, and moving our other furniture into the garage. All this will have to be done this week.
We have pretty much decided on the less fancy chandelier. For one thing, it's much cheaper. That's really what put us over the edge on that one. We are also looking at this light for possible entryway area of the house.


Our interior decorator liked it, and we're thinking maybe we should just go for it.

I ordered my red couch. Maybe I already told that. It's to come in around June 7th.

I planted probably 70+ flowers this week and am still not done. It doesn't LOOK like I did, but I have. For some reason, we think every bare spot in the yard needs a sprinkling of flowers.

Tonight Autumn goes to a sleep over. We are going with Sam to a 3 hour 6th grade celebration (the T.R. kids) at the park tonight. Tomorrow I have to lead the church, teach Sunday School, minister at the nursing home, and attend a BB-Q picnic of our pastor's graduating daughter. My Chinese friend wants me to write a skit for the kids to do at the nursing home. Hopefully, she'll understand I have no time to do that! Instead, Autumn will be reciting some spring poetry from her May Day celebration and we're going to have the residents hit a balloon around:-) We need some more ideas.



Sam Sam, the Working Man




I wasn't sure if Mom had ever seen the new woodwork. Remember that the walls just have white primer on them. The ornate woodwork is to stay white though.