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Keukenhof Gardens, Holland~Part 2

5 Apr

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

 

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Last time, I wrote about the Keukenhof Gardens, in Lisse, Holland. We so thoroughly enjoyed our visits there, and want to share this beautiful place with everyone we know.

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Here is some history about the tulips we found interesting from the Fluwell website:

“during World War 2, people ate tulip bulbs. The only reason for this was hunger. The Netherlands suffered a great famine in the winter of 1944-1945. Eating tulip bulbs is not something our ancestors did for fun, they did it because there was nothing else to eat.

 Many Dutchmen of certain age remember the famine and the tulip bulbs they ate. In our theme park Tulpenland, we have a lot of customers that share their memories with us. They sometimes still find it difficult to see tulip bulbs back, although they know that we use them only for flowers, not for food. Hunger is a deep emotion that is not easily forgotten.

 The Dutch famine was the result of the lost Battle of Arnhem (1944), when allied forces failed to liberate the northern provinces of the country. The northern provinces became isolated from the liberated parts of Europe. Food stocks ran out, as did fuel stocks. Then a harsh winter began. Thousands of Dutch citizens starved or froze to death.

 Due to the war situation, tulip growers had not planted tulip bulbs that year; so great amounts of tulip bulbs were stocked on farms throughout the country. During the famine authorities decided to use these stocks as food for the starving populations. The old, dry tulip bulbs were sold in grocery stores, and newspapers published recipes with tulips. The tulip bulbs were nutritious and relatively easy to cook, so that less fuel was needed.

 The tulip bulbs that people ate in the Second World War cannot be compared with modern day, fresh tulip bulbs. The war bulbs were old and dry and did not taste like fresh tulips. A fresh tulip bulb has a sweet, milky flavor that is actually not very bad. The tulip bulbs that were eaten during the war had a very bitter and dry taste instead.

 Eating tulip bulbs is not as bad as it sounds like, as long as you eat fresh tulips that were not sprayed. Unfortunately, such bulbs were not available during the last winter of WW2. It is important that this sad history is not forgotten. Dutch children are still raised with the words: you are not hungry, you only have appetite (Je hebt geen honger, je hebt trek). Real hunger makes you eat everything you can get, even old, dry tulip bulbs, as they were eaten during the Dutch famine.”

 

Amazing!

Just a side note here – there is a wonderful place to visit outside The Hague, called Madurodam. It is a miniature city, built to scale. It includes the normal things you would find in a city – churches, office buildings, and even Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, with working airplanes. It’s a fun thing to see during the day, but miniature lights come on at night, and it’s quite the fairyland.

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The family of Old Things R New wishes each of our visitors a blessed Easter. He is risen!

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Keukenhof Gardens, Holland

29 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills   

JUDY                                                

 

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I hope you are enjoying my postings about flowers as much as I am enjoying writing about them. Although my “green thumb” is as purple as can be, i.e. I can’t grow ANYTHING – I thoroughly enjoy flowers. We’ve been to many “gardens” in our lifetime, but I think the most magnificent is the Keukenhof Gardens by Lisse in Holland (pronounced koy’-ken-hōf). We’ve been fortunate to have been stationed in Germany for a total of six years, and have made the Holland trip quite a few times.

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One of the first times we visited Keukenhof was in April of 1968. Spring had not yet fully arrived in Holland, and we were treated to winds and bare trees. However, the landscaping of the gardens was still beautiful.

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And when we returned later, when Spring was in full swing, we were amazed to see how the landscape had just exploded with flowers.

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There were blankets of flowers.

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And when we climbed up into one of the many windmills there, we could look out and see fields and fields of tulips. Beautiful!

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Even though there weren’t many flowers outside around the grounds, there were tulips in abundance in the hothouses. We’ve been told there are about 700 different varieties of tulips there.

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I was fascinated to see some that were absolutely black – named “Black Beauty.”

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Another time we visited, we saw more black tulips called “The Ace of Spades.”

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We were amazed to see all the different colors and styles of tulips – lots of hybrid work going on there. Although tulips are the main flower, there are many others there, as well. There were blankets of hyacinths. I saw my first Amaryllis, and was amazed at the size of it.

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The next year, 1969, we visited again, but in May, when my Mother came to visit us. Not only were the gardens in full swing, the flowers were just everywhere

 

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Not only in the ground, but in planters, as well.

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Just about everywhere flowers could be – they were there. You can see the difference in the trees and the tulips and other flowers from the early Spring of our 1968 visit. We thoroughly enjoyed both visits.

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We visited again in March of 1981, with our two daughters, during their Spring Break. The weather was rather chilly, windy, and brisk. We were in jackets at the time. Once again, Spring had yet to arrive, and nature was still rather bleak. We had been wandering around the area and thought we would freeze if we went to the gardens, but really had no choice – it was then or never. Much to our surprise – inside the garden, with all the trees, the wind didn’t reach us very much, and we were quite comfortable.

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~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~

 

 

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Forsythia

22 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

                                                   

 

 

 

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Last time, I wrote about the beautiful Texas Bluebonnets. Today I want to write about Forsythia. Never heard of it? It’s a lovely Springtime-flowering bush. It can be a bit “straggly” (like a “bad hair day”) or it can be thick like a hedge – depends on how it is planted and cared-for. From what I gleaned from some Google sites, many prefer the casual look, rather than manicured. It’s a personal taste.

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There was this lovely unkempt bush that grew under the window of my parent’s bedroom in Albuquerque. It was always a favorite of mine to see it popping out in Spring. Here are a few shots of it in full growth. Not quite as straggly as I remember, but still not a severely shaped shrub, either.

Also from some of the Google sites, I learned that it is a member of the olive family. I never would have guessed that!   I also learned that it is named after English horticulturist William Forsythe. I don’t know whether or not he actually did the hybrid work, but it bears his name, in any case.

While we lived in Virginia, in Springtime, when all the flowers and wild flowers were just beginning to bud, there was a hedge along a county road that was just a riot of those beautiful golden yellow forsythia blossoms. We took some pictures of it, and as you can see, even though the rest of nature is still caught in the clutches of winter and bleak, God’s promise of Spring bursts forth with the forsythia just over-flowing with color. We loved to see it every Springtime, and looked for it.

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I was so amused, some years ago, to see a joke in a Reader’s Digest. Seems this gentleman was on an elevator, on his way to his office one fine Spring day, when a young lady stepped onto the elevator with some sprigs of forsythia in her hand. Trying to be polite, and make conversation, he asked her, “Are those forsythia?” Her surprised reply was, “No they are for Cynthia!”

Here are a few more pictures we took, as well as what I gleaned from some websites. Such a beautiful bush. As you can see, they can be rather large, if left to grow uninhibited. But the shrubs are beautiful, no matter what.

 

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Texas Bluebonnets

15 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

                                                    

                                    

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Some of my family is from Texas – actually my brother and I were born in Dallas, but moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico when we were small children. But my mother’s mother (Granny) and her oldest daughter, Jessie, lived in San Antonio for many years.

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Consequently, I had known about the Texas Bluebonnets for longer than I really knew what they were.

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Even though Fred and I lived in Fort Worth for many years, it wasn’t until we moved to San Antonio that I really knew about the Texas Bluebonnets. And they are AMAZING! They have been adopted as the state flower of Texas.

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On the internet I found this: As historian Jack Maguire so aptly wrote, “It’s not only the state flower but also a kind of floral trademark almost as well known to outsiders as cowboy boots and the Stetson hat.” He goes on to affirm that “The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland.”  Well said.

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When Springtime comes to Texas – from the Dallas/Fort Worth area down to the Corpus Christi area – the Bluebonnets are in full bloom, from late March to mid-April. They are the most dainty, beautiful flower, and we’ve see just fields and fields of them – like a blanket of blue in some cases. I’ve been sent many pictures of them via e-mail through the years, and have enjoyed seeing them all.

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There is even one of Bluebonnets in the snow! Must have been a late storm – although Dallas/Fort Worth can have abundant snow in early Spring.

When we moved from San Antonio to Florida, I took some Bluebonnet seeds with me and planted them, hoping for some lovely spring flowers to remind me of Texas. No such luck! As I’ve just gleaned from google, they must be planted in the fall and have to have the wind, rain, and cold weather to make them leap forth in the Spring. And the panhandle of Florida just doesn’t have that kind of winter weather. Shucks! Oh well, I then planted strawberry plants and they did very well.

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But the Texas Bluebonnet is a source of great pride for Texas – as if they needed something else! And they are just a beautiful side of Texas that most don’t know about. I think a lot of people think of Texas as dusty, flat, and unimaginative. But it is full of great differences, including some of the most beautiful flowers in God’s creation.

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                       I’m just so glad I was able to see them, and enjoy their beauty.

 

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

 

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Let Me Tell You About My Grandchildren Forrest~Part 2

8 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

 

As I began my story about my grandchildren last time, I told you that our oldest daughter and her husband gave us our first grandchild – a boy, Forrest.1

 

Last time, I forgot to add this picture. It’s one of my favorite pictures of him and his dad.

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Karen has often said that she was just a “vessel” for her children. They both take after their dad’s side of the family. And you can really see it in this picture.

 

There was a bit of competition between us and the other grandparents. Forrest is the oldest grandchild on both sides. As a matter of fact, the other grandparents (grandpa especially) tried to get Forrest to call us “Aunt Judy” and “Uncle Fred.” So we had to correct him every time we saw him.

In mid-1990’s, Fred and I moved to Florida. Brian brought his family down that first Christmas, and of course we went to Disney. Later, the other grandpa stated that HE had wanted to be the one to introduce Disney to Forrest, but then we “went to Florida and bought the place up!” One up for the Wills side!

When he was learning his “ABC’s” we would say a word association with whatever letter he spoke. He did fine until he got to “G” – and I would say “Granny.” He would just look at me and grin – but wouldn’t say Granny. Took him quite a few years to call me that. Never did figure out what the hang-up was.

Our family has always been heavily involved with whatever church we found ourselves members of. Karen was brought up in this environment. Her husband, Brian was the son of a pastor, so he was, as well. So it was no surprise to see that family heavily involved in their church. When they moved to the Chicago area, they found a large church that they loved. Lots of good Bible study and classes for the children.

About 10+ years ago, that church decided the Lord wanted them to branch out and plant another body of believers. They began meeting – and still do – in a local high school. Karen and Brian felt the Lord leading them to be part of that new body of believers, and volunteered to help establish it. But because it was a small grouping, Forrest and Katie still attended the original church for their youth functions.

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Forrest and Katie have both been on mission trips, sponsored by this church. Forrest went on several mission trips, including one to South Africa. He loved it all.

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He is a delightful young man. When he graduated from Wheaton College, he had some choices to make about employment. But his heart was in a Christian program called Alpha (alphausa.org). It is an evangelistic program that was started in England, but has outreach in our country and others.

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There is an office near where Forrest and Alyssa live, and he accepted a job with them. They are pleased to have him, and he is delighted to be working for the company. He loves the Lord greatly.

As I said last time, we are so very proud of Forrest, and thank God for his presence in our lives. God gets all the glory for this young man.

 

 

 

 

 

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Treasures

22 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

I’ve found many “treasures” in my lifetime. The times in my life that I write about are, indeed, treasures to me. Such wonderful memories they are. But I have some “earthly” treasures, as well. I’ve collected things throughout my life, and they usually have great meaning to me. I remember when my Aunt Jessie bought me my first pitcher – and it started a collection with me. Most of the “pitchers” I have are actually creamers. She took me another time to Juarez, Mexico, and we purchased another pitcher.

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I have a pitcher that is purported to be from my grandmother – and the only thing I have from her. Remember, she had 13 children, and my family lived far away from her, so we didn’t get very much of hers following her death. 3 I have a cow pitcher that my mother filled with milk and we poured it over our cereal. 4 (I’ve actually lost that one, but my brother found another one and I have this one to remind me. Here is a picture of the original in our dining room window) 5 I also have a small pitcher that was used on the “family-style” table at our Glorieta Baptist Convention Center in Glorieta, New Mexico. They were filled with cream or milk, and several were on each table for the coffee users. 6 I have another “cow” pitcher that was for the same use. 7 I have a set of pitchers that Aunt Jessie picked up in Pennsylvania one time. 8 Yes, they are dust-collectors as well, but they remind me of good times in my life. But I have other “treasures” as well. I had heard of Hummel figurines most of my life, but it wasn’t until we moved to Germany that they came to mean something to me. In downtown Wiesbaden, there was a most unique store. Here is a picture of the storefront. It is one huge cuckoo clock! 9 But they had wonderful Hummel figurines there. Fred’s mother purchased one, and, since her death, I have it. It is a treasure.10One of the most fun treasures I have is a German nutcracker. Most of the nutcrackers you find have a smooth, rounded block of painted wood for the face.   12

 

Really gives character to him. We have him sitting where we can see him every time we sit down to eat. I know we are to “lay up treasures in heaven,” but these earthly ones give joy to our earthly life and times. When heaven comes my way, I won’t need them anymore – I’ll have the daily worship of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And I am so grateful for that assurance of salvation. I am blest beyond measure.

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The Crest

15 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

Growing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I always took the mountains for granted. They were just part of the scene.

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The Sandia Mountains are part of the Rocky Mountain chain, and are really majestic and beautiful, and I miss them, now that I live in flatland Florida. The mountains are quite wonderful all the time, but especially in the evening, when the sun is setting and they literally turn purple. Remember the line from “America the Beautiful” – you know:

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

Well, they really do turn purple! Amazing!

The top of Sandia Crest tops out at 10,678 feet above sea level – the highest point in Albuquerque. And it’s COLD up there – and breezy! We took our daughters there in the summer before we went to Germany – and we forgot to take sweaters with us!. As you can see from the pictures – we were FREEZING!

 

For a bit of information, I gleaned this from Wikipedia: Sandía means watermelon in Spanish, and is popularly believed to be a reference to the reddish color of the mountains at sunset. Also, when viewed from the west, the profile of the mountains is a long ridge, with a thin zone of green conifers near the top, suggesting the “rind” of the watermelon. However, as Robert Julyan notes, “the most likely explanation is the one believed by the Sandia Indians: the Spaniards, when they encountered the Pueblo in 1540, called it Sandia, because they thought the squash gourds growing there were watermelons, and the name Sandia soon was transferred to the mountains east of the pueblo.” He also notes that the Sandia Pueblo Indians call the mountain Bien Mur, “big mountain”.

There are two ways to get to the crest – driving or by the tram.It is reported to be the longest tramway in the world!

 

While we’ve driven the roads many times, we’ve only been up the tramway once – and it was quite a thrill! If you’re ever in Albuquerque, give it a try. Something you’ll never experience anywhere else.

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But Albuquerque and the crest are known for other things, as well. I know that many people have heard of the winter snow skiing in Taos, New Mexico. But the best-kept secret is that some of the very best skiing is right there in the mountains of Albuquerque!

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On a website I checked out recently, it said that there was a 23″ base of snow, and so far this year they’ve had 55″ of new snow! That should delight any ski enthusiast! I never got into skiing – little too expensive for me, and I’m a bit of a chicken. But many people have discovered that pleasure and ski right outside of town.

That’s the Albuquerque I know and love.

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The Chest Cold Remedy

8 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

When you get a cold these days (hopefully seldom, and just a mild one), when you search for the best pill or concoction to shake it out of your system…..how in the world do you choose? There seems to be hundreds out there to choose from. Just google it, and you will see.

And yet, I can remember my Mother’s remedy for a chest cold, as clear as yesterday. You see, we had this little space heater in our bathroom that was built into one wall.

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Sounds like a disconnect already, doesn’t it? Well, hang on……..it’s coming. She would have me sit on the edge of the bathtub, and she would rub Bengay® all over my chest.

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Then she would take a dry washcloth and hold it in front of that little space heater until it was nearly hot, then she would have me hold it over my chest while she was heating another wash cloth. That went on – back and forth between two cloths – until she felt she had done enough. Then I was sent to bed.

I don’t remember any cold medication, although there was probably something. Perhaps nothing more than hot tea with lemon and/or honey to help with the sore throat and the cough.

But I’m always sent back to that memory and Mother’s remedy when I smell Bengay™ or anything like it. It is such a sweet memory of a simpler time and loving care my Mother took with me when I was ailing.

I also don’t remember too many other houses that had that kind of in-the-wall space heater. Perhaps it was indicative of the time those houses were built. Fred and I did have one in the bathroom in our first apartment, but that apartment, too was built in the 1950’s or so. I think now in our modern homes, there is a “heat lamp” light fixture that warms the room. Such a loss.

But what a warm, loving memory that is for me.

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Tennis Anyone?

1 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

As a child, it seems like I was always pretty active. I mean, back in that day, we didn’t have a TV to watch all day long, nor a computer or iPhone to keep us entertained. We were outside most of the time, with our friends and those of us in the neighborhood just playing our hearts out.

I remember being in elementary school and playing tether ball. I was actually pretty good at it – even beating some of the boys! That was fun!

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And then there was the school field day – where there were races and high jump and broad jump. I think I remember getting a blue ribbon for the broad jump one or two years.

However, when I got to high school, we had to choose between sports and music. And music won out for me. So I went into the chorus program, rather than PE. Of course, most of the popular girls were in sports, cheerleading, etc. But that didn’t bother me. I just loved that music so much.

Then came college. I attend Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) for one semester and had to take PE. Since I came from a land-locked state, I had never had the proximity of large lakes or rivers or oceans, so I chose to take swimming. I passed the class, but it was by the skin of my teeth!

When I transferred to the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, I thought to take up tennis. My parents surprised me with my first tennis racket. It was the greatest thing – wooden frame and all! That’s all there was at that time. I found that I really LOVED to play tennis! I think I had a pretty good rhythm for it – since I have the music background, and rhythm is everything!

So, feeling very sure of myself, I took Fred out to play a match – and he beat me!! That is soooo not nice! It’s especially not nice, since golf is really his game. (I actually tried one time to play golf, but gave it up. I was using Fred’s clubs and was so afraid of breaking the clubs that I swung at the ball more than I hit it. I thought for sure that he would kill me if I damaged his clubs!)

When we were stationed in Florida (Tyndall AFB, Panama City), I was involved with a Wive’s Club league. I played with them for about four years. When I arrived one morning, there was a man wanting to play some tennis, and the girls told him that one of their “best players” would be there shortly – and pointed to me. He and I played for a while, and he complimented me on my play, but said I had a “baby” serve. After that I took lessons to improve my serve.

But all good things must come to an end – and so did tennis for me. I hadn’t played in a while and tried to play in a “league” set up by our church. When I realized how badly my knees were hurting, that’s when I knew that I needed to stop playing.

But I must say that it didn’t stop me from watching. I just devour anything tennis I can find on the TV. We watch all of the major tournaments – the Australian Open is on right now, and I’m lovin’ it.

Through the years we’ve had our favorite – and most unfavorite – players. They have come and gone, as well. I am distressed to find that women’s tennis has become a screaming match – who can scream the loudest? Nothing classy about it at all – not like when Chris Evert and Margaret Court and Yvonne Goolagong were playing. Now THOSE were classy players! I can understand a “woof” of air after hitting ball, but a screech? I usually have to watch women’s tennis with the mute button on.

But that doesn’t stop me from watching – and screaming (inside my head, of course) for my favorite player to win!

Men's Doubles match - John Newcombe_Tony Roche vs. Casal_Hocevar

 

This picture was taken when we stopped at Wimbledon in 1983 – on our way home from Germany.  We were in the nose-bleed-standing-room-only area.  But it was still exciting for us.

 

 

 

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An Amazing Adventure~Part 14

25 Jan

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

After our venture into the mountains, we drove back to Denver. We parked and walked some of the downtown area. It is a lovely city. We walked through Lincoln Park.

 

We saw, across the way, the County Courthouse, decked out with pink ribbons on the columns.

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We saw a statue memorial to a Medal of Honor Recipient from World War 2;

 

we saw a cowboy and an Indian warrior.

 

We saw bronze statues,

 

and the library, and a cow!

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In front of Katie Mullins bar were some bagpipers.

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We went through the library and were fascinated by it. Very modern. It was of great interest to Karen, as she is a librarian in her hometown. We rode the downtown bus—free—for several blocks, just to take in some of the town, and the architecture.

Finally, tuckered out, we drove back to the hotel. Actually, we stopped at the Texas Roadhouse Grill for supper. The food was really good, but there was an enormous amount of it! We were stuffed! Then back to the hotel to pack and sleep.

The next morning, we checked out of the hotel, then went back to Rosie’s Diner for one more breakfast. Then Karen and Brian drove us to the airport, where we said our goodbyes to them. We then flew home. Karen and Brian had most of the day to do with, and they made a full day of it.

So, as you can see, the whole thing really was an A…M…A…Z…I…N…G adventure! One we would happily repeat!

As promised, one last word about the friends we stayed with our second night (I invite you to revisit my November 2, 2014 post).

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Ruth Anne and I have known each other since early childhood. We both lived in New Mexico: she was in Deming, and I was in Albuquerque – about a four-hour’s drive apart. Our fathers played college basketball together in Louisiana (early 1920’s). We are fairly convinced that her father was partly responsible for bringing my father to Albuquerque. I would spend weeks in Deming in the summers with her, and she would spend weeks in Albuquerque with me. We met up with her and her husband while studying at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in the early-to-mid 1960’s. Charles went on to become a pastor, while Fred went into the Air Force. We visited with them and their family once when we were all living in Kansas. After their daughters were grown and away from home, Charles and Ruth Anne went to the mission field, in Malaysia. They were invited back recently by the Malaysian Christians to help them. They are absolutely lovely people, and we rejoice that our family has stayed connected with them all these years.

~~~~~~~FINALLY…..The End…of an AMAZING adventure!~~~~~~~

 

 

 

The whole earth is filled with awe at Your wonders…..

Psalm 65:8

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