Hi from Christine!
I am a widow of a Marine Veteran, mother of of two young men (Sailor and Security Guard). Lover of cats and dogs and all little critters. I love to garden organically, with raised beds for my veggies. Creating a safe place for nature is my passion. I have planted areas just suited for certain birds, butterflies and bees. I come by it naturally, as my Great Grandparents owned a Greenhouse and also loved birds and squirrels and such. My Grandparents were old fashioned Farmers. My mother could grow any houseplant and get new starts from them every year. I also recycle or re-purpose when possible. I learned a lot of that watching the Farmers Wife (my grandmother) long before I ever heard the word recycle. My Sailor loves to read my stories about what is going on at home. He keeps telling me I need to write them down. Lately he has been telling me I should start a blog, so here I am giving it a shot. Hope you enjoy it! Remember if everyone did just one thing to make the world a better place it would make a difference. Show some love and reduce, reuse, recycle!
Charles
Charles passed in September last year(2023) on his mother’s birthday. Although he beat the cancer he could not beat all the illness created by the cancer treatment. Thanks be to God that he died peacefully in sleep and is finally out of pain for the first time since I met him. I am deeply grateful that he fought to stay until our sons were grown. I don’t believe I could have done it without him.
My father Charles was the best father, husband, friend, and caregiver that anyone could’ve asked for. He and my mother have been married for 40 years.
Charles Christian
When Charles was young, he went to cooking school. After we had kids he was working out of town and did not have the time to spend cooking home made from scratch recipes, so I took over for a time. I grew up the oldest daughter of seven kids, so I learned how to throw something together and make enough for what seemed like an army. Charles called me the Queen of the 30-minute meals. Now that he is retired and the boys are grown, he has time to get back to cooking the way he likes. He learned my 30-minute meal recipes and adds his own touch now as well as the more time-consuming recipes.
My husband is a Cancer Survivor, six years cancer free. Between the two surgeries, chemo and radiation therapy, along with the meds he will need to take the rest of his life, he has ended up diabetic and surviving two heart surgeries. He was told that the chemo weakened his heart and caused the diabetes. He will be 70 this December and is still active for his age. His medication prevents him from spending much time outside in the sun and the garden, but he still loves eating fresh home-grown food. You will see several of his recipes and occasionally a picture or two with him in it.
September Memories
Looking back on posts of my September memories, nearly all of them concern the death of my father or my husband, Charles, on the edge of death and all the trauma that goes with it. Along with those posts I see a strength that I never realized I had and a son who grew up fast, stood by my side and has gained a strength even beyond mine. This is the son that was spending the night with my father when he had the stroke that killed him. He has many of my father’s good qualities. I am sorry that my sons had to deal with so much at such young ages, but I am grateful for the bond and the strength that has come from it. There are not many posts about my younger son, as he asked for privacy. But it changed him also. September is sometimes a difficult time for me and definitely a time of reflection.