…in a traffic accident?

Back in 2001 I needed to purchase a new vehicle. I had a 1997 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner Pickup truck at the time. My oldest son was in High School and was working part-time and needed dependable transportation, so we decided that he should have my truck and I would get something new. We felt comfortable that he would be safe in this truck in the case of an accident. I loved my Tacoma so much that I decided to get another one. So I shopped around and ended up ordering just what I wanted from the factory. Here are some photos of my new truck when I bought it in 2001.

In 2007 my youngest son received his drivers license and needed dependable transportation to get to school and to his part-time job. So, again, we decided that he should have my truck and I would get something new. Again, we felt that in case of an accident, the truck would be much safer for him to be in than a car. I was now commuting about 100 miles per day round trip to work, so we decided I would not get another Tacoma, but would get something more economical to drive and something that could be easily pulled behind our motorhome. While my new car is nice, I really missed my truck. Especially on the occasions when my son was home from college and I needed to drive it for one reason or another.

Then, earlier this week, we received a telephone call from our son. We knew there was trouble when his first sentence was “First of all, I’m OK and nobody is hurt”. While that is always GREAT news, it is usually a sure indication that what will follow is not more good news. However, in this case, there was more good news. Besides nobody being hurt, the accident was not his fault, the other driver was ticketed, AND the at-fault driver HAD insurance! But there was also bad news. This is what my truck now looks like.

Considering that he was travelling at 45mph when the other driver pulled out in front of him, and that he had a passenger in the truck, and nobody was injured, I guess we are very lucky. Thanks, God, for looking after him!

…to Peggy’s Backyard?

On a recent trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we were invited to a family reunion hosted at the home of a family member. Peggy was born with a green thumb and a walk through her back yard (actually all around her house) will remove any doubts you may have about that. The central focus of the yard is the greenhouse built by her and her husband, Ronnie, from left-over building materials.

The most interesting thing about Peggy’s back yard is that every time you see it, you will find some little detail that you never noticed before. There are many small decorations throughout the yard that draw your attention to one plant or another and perfectly compliment the overall experience of being in such a warm, comforting place.

This small bird bath in the open window of the greenhouse is an example of the detail you find throughout the entire yard. If you looked closely, you would certainly find a variety of decorations taking the form of frogs, bunnies, squirrels, angels, playful children, birds and birdhouses, etc.

Peggy’s love of animals helps her to maintain all of the bird feeders, birdbaths, and bird houses scattered throughout the yard on posts, hanging in trees, and sitting in window sills. There are always birds of some kind in the yard either eating, bathing, or sometimes fighting among themselves.

But the birds aren’t the only animals that get to live in the beauty of Peggy’s back yard. There are also dogs! Lots of dogs! Currently, there are four. Robin, the latest addition was a puppy that was abandoned or lost during Hurricane Katrina. He found his way to Peggy’s yard and has never left. But then, who could blame him?