Spring has sprung in Halifax County, NC

Saturday Assortment

Today a group of my company co-workers, Linda & I met at the local Cracker Barrell restaurant to celebrate the retirement of our friend Myrt Perry. Her last day was friday a week ago. She is pictured here in the purple with Bubba her hubby. They are both retired now so they can start spending some quality time together without the pressures and stress of employment. We had a great time of fellowship and promise to not be strangers in the future. Linda was taking this picture.

I am not the best at close up photography or any photography but felt I had to capture a flower that was growing in front of the restaurant. A little blurry but it sure was beautiful in the sunlight.

This is an orchid that was on the dining room table at my daughter Rachel's house where we stopped on the way home. More pictures of that in a little bit.

Any time we have to travel to Rocky Mount from Halifax we try to make sure and visit my Aunt Katie for at least a little while. She was doing awesome today and was sporting a new short hairdo from this past week. A lady came by the house and did it there so she did not have to make the trip into town. We had a wonderful time talking and hearing stories from her youth.

Aunt Katie's dog Polly has her own couch and was making good use of it while we were there. As a matter of fact she was snoring for a lot of our visit. She is a lot of company for Aunt Katie & very spoiled.

After leaving Aunt Katie's we stopped by to check on my two grandsons and found them doing great. This is Matthew looking good in his red today with his blonde hair like his mother.

Kaden, the older of the two is always a live wire and maybe you can tell he loved to be in front of a camera. He is growing up sooooo fast.

Here they are together standing in front of the aquarium. Most of the time they are very, very noisy but they do love each other very much.

Well my friends for half a day that was quite a full morning. Tonight Linda & I have a date with some of her cousins that she has not seen in quite some time at a local restaurant near us. Should be a good finish to a very beautiful & sunny saturday. Have a great rest of the weekend my friends.

Thankful Thursday

You all have probably heard the expression, "it was a good idea while it lasted". Well my friends I had one this morning but it just didn't make it to the blog world. I was thinking that for my thankful thursday I would list my friends individually with links to their blogs so others could click on them if they had not been there before. I started making my list and carefully noting the URL so I could link them and after a good while of doing this I realized that OMG, I have too many friends to do that. The list would be so long it would overwhelm whoever is reading it.

I said all that to say that I am so very thankful today for all my blog friends that have truly enriched this old guy's life. Along the way there have been a roller coaster of emotions shared. Happy times, sad times, confused times. The good part is that we were not alone during those times. Today I have 75 people follow The Simple Life and I thank you for stopping by and sharing what I have to say.

Get ready to be blessed, amazed & inspired!!

We encounter a lot of people in life that have problems, ailments, disabilities, etc. I am sure everyone reading this has something to complain about. My friend Gloria Fred in Canada sent me this video of a special lady that will make you stop and rethink the idea of negativity. Go here and be blessed as I was, then share it with someone who needs a blessing today. I did.

Watch a pair of eagles 24/7

Many of you may already know about this but there is a live feed of a pair of eagles on a nest in Iowa with 3 eggs. You can see them whenever you want by going here.

They are beautiful and it is amazing to watch how carefully they deal with the eggs when they change shifts sitting on them. It snowed there last night so it must really be cold there. I hope you will tune in and watch them.

Wordless Wednesday

Life

Life can seem ungrateful, and not always kind.
Life can pull at your heartstrings, and play with your mind.
Life can be blissful, and happy and free.
Life can put beauty, in the things that you see.

Life can place challenges, right at your feet.
Life can make good, of the hardships that we meet.
Life can overwhelm you, and make your head spin.
Life can reward those, determined to win.

Life can be hurtful, and not always fair.
Life can surround you, with people who care.
Life clearly does offer, its ups and its downs.
Life's days can bring you, both smiles and frowns.
Life teaches us to tak, the good with the bad.
Life is a mixture, of happy and sad.

So.......

Take the life that you have, and give it your best.
Think positive, be happy, let God do the rest.
Take the challenges, that life has laid at your feet.
Take pride and be thankful, for each one you meet.
To yourself give forgiveness, if you stumble and fall.
Take each day that is dealt you, and give it your all.

Take the love that you're given, and return it with care.
Have faith that when needed, it will always be there.
Take time to find the beauty, in the things that you see.
Take life's simple pleasures, let them set your heart free.

The idea here is simply, to even the score.
As you are met and faced with, Life's Tug of War.