Category Archives: travel

There and back

It is early Sunday morning and it is still dark out. It is quiet and I am sad, Ivy is not at my feet or curled up on her pad in the kitchen or whimpering because she wants to play and I want to work. She is in Ohio at the kennel where Olivia and momma are staying with grandma and grandpa – I know she is wondering if we left her, again. It has been busy and I have a fuller appreciation of the workings of the house, kids, and a dog. Granted, the week has been complicated by VBS and several doctor appointments, but nonetheless, keeping all of the plates spinning requires quite an effort and even more concentration. Continue reading There and back

Weather

Weather fascinates me. Really, the changes in the weather are amazing, especially in our area – the Midwest.  Growing up in Texas, we had two kinds of weather hot and humid or cool. Texans would claim that my cool is cold, and I would have, too until I moved here. Here summer weather can be hot and at times, but for the most part, it is mild. Right now, it is 59 and cloudy with partial clearing forecast for later in the morning and into the afternoon. The forecast high is 70 and it will drop down to 57 overnight. After twenty years of Midwestern summers, I have gotten used to the weather and I enjoy sleeping with the windows open when I can, having to throw on a sweatshirt when I need to, and wearing shorts most of the time because it’s summer. Continue reading Weather

Day 8 – rain and more rain

A wizardy looking Mr. Potatohead!

Getting Olivia to a 7 AM softball camp was the official start of the day, but I was going before then. Beth and William had appointments including William’s camp physical and sports physical for next year. I have to get one too, and it is on my list. It rained early and rained off and on all day. In the evening, the sun came out briefly, and then disappeared. The day, like the weather, was prefect for odd jobs and procrastination. Continue reading Day 8 – rain and more rain

Versailles and Poultry Days

 

Brown’s Sweet Shop – Versailles, Ohio

We left home early Friday morning with a full car and travelled across north Indiana, through western Ohio to Versailles to visit Grandma and Grandpa Weaver and experience Poultry Days. We had left just as there was a thunderstorm blowing through our area, but once we got on the highway it had moved through and the drive was mostly rain-free. It is always an interesting drive regardless of the time of the year; in early summer, it is budding crops with baby cornstalks poking through the soil and old, established with names like Valparaiso, Plymouth, Warsaw, Columbia City, Fort Wayne, Van Wert, and Celina until we arrived in Versailles, Ohio. Continue reading Versailles and Poultry Days

It’s here!

It’s here! The last day of school is finally here! Yesterday was hot, really hot, and today and tomorrow is going to be even hotter. If you don’t believe me, check the Weather Channel widget on the right side of the web page! Of course, if you are reading this after Tuesday 6/7 or Wednesday 6/8 it won’t tell you the story. Hot air, not me, has gripped the area and we are under heat advisories. After the kids leave today, I am going to take it slow and easy. There is no rush. Continue reading It’s here!

Spring Break – Mr. Freeze style!

William and Olivia - on the lake, last year they were in it!

Minus four at the airport, five on the temperature gauge at the cottage. There is no other way to say it, it is cold.

We left yesterday afternoon for a short trip to the cottage and visit with grandma and grandpa. We picked William up after his merit badge class – Citizenship in the World – stopped at Trader Joe’s and we were headed north by four. Continue reading Spring Break – Mr. Freeze style!

The List

several lotto tickets - waiting to be checked!

The other day, I went to the grocery store with a list, Beth made the list and it included everything I needed. I ran my errands and drove to the store. I got out of the car, forgot about the list and left it inside the car, where it was safe, and went inside to shop for groceries. I added items to my cart, remembering the items from the list, as I walked down each aisle.  I checked out and drove home. Of course, when I walked in and unpacked the groceries Beth asked where the sour cream was and it was still at the store on the shelf, where I had left it. It was on the list but evidently, it never made it to the Iist, I used. If it were the first time, I suppose Beth could have forgiven me, but this happens all the time; I make a list or am given one and do not use it. Continue reading The List

Allegiances

Tom Regner's football card from 1970 - I have two of them!

I grew up in Sugar Land, Texas in the late 1960s and lived there through the mid- 80s. My mom still lives in the house we grew up in, though it is quieter today than it ever was when my brothers and I grew up. It was at the early age of eight in 3rd grade in 1970 that I became a football fan. I was a fan of the Houston Oilers, who were not very good in the early 70s. Our next-door neighbor was Tom Regner and he played for the Oilers. The 1970 season was his fourth as a professional after a college career at Notre Dame where he was a first team All-American in 1966. As a third grader, and even today, I remember him being big, Continue reading Allegiances

Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend

Lafayette County Courthouse with a Confederate soldier facing south in memory of his comrades.

I am in Oxford – Oxford, Mississippi. A couple of months ago, in late November I texted my bother Warren – ‘Hey what do you think about Oxford for MLK day?’ Warren, being Warren, texted in return, ‘Wouldn’t Selma be a better choice?’ I have to admit he got my message, but he had me in the one-liner department. Continue reading Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend

Back to School after Thanksgiving Break

Olivia and William at the game!

It was a short break or so it seemed. I had five days and the kids had nine days away from school. The time went quickly as it always does when you are busy. As a family, we packed it full: Thanksgiving Day and dinner, cooking, wreaths, wreaths (did I really include it twice?), a little shopping, a high school football game, and some Christmas decorating in the yard. Continue reading Back to School after Thanksgiving Break