Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Quiet times at the Woods Edge
We're having quiet times here at the Woods Edge, which is fine with me. I like both - quiet and busy. Soon enough it'll start up again and then we'll have enough to do.
Paul is finishing up the room down stairs. He's so happy when he has a project to do - and soon he'll have to think of another. (Did I tell you how lucky I am?) He's busy putting up lighting in the drop ceiling. He went to Walmart this morning, and other places to find what he was looking for.
We're beginning to have some hot days here and I'm beginning to empathize with my Florida friends and relatives. This is a good afternoon to be inside. This morning I went to Curves, got the car washed, filled it up. Hoping Bob can come up for a while this summer. However, he's busy working on selling his house so he can move to Alpharetta, GA to be with his son and his family.
Being a retired NYS teacher and having relatives all over the United States, it's amazing how different each state's school year is. Nicole, Jon's wife, in Alpharetta, is back at school doing a course to teach reading next year. Already.
Brenda, out in California, will be starting school the second week in August. She and Eric are on a two-week car trip to Washington State. They have a planned itinerary that may have to be changed due to the forest fires. Actually, it did change slightly. We talked with them last night.
Emma is back at Humboldt. NeeNee begins her senior year in high school in Gainesville soon. Lee leaves soon for college. As does Brenan. It's hard to keep track of everyone. Each year is so very different.
Alaina is in Uganda in the Peace Corp. God Bless Her. She's doing a wonderful job - One of her projects is organizing the science lab and creating a science fair for her students. She's working with all ages. I understand there may be another Peace Corp volunteer coming in to help her. She has a blog and a Facebook page. Lain-Way.
To me, NYS schools always started after Labor Day. Sometimes we'd have a teachers' week of courses, like Nicole does, but the classes would start the Wednesday after Labor Day - every year. Now, some states are done before Memorial Day. It's hard to understand why, but I guess they have their reasons. Some old reasons: It used to be crops needed to be planted, picked. Who knows.
It's good to see the family time our families are up to - traveling, seeing other family members. That's what summers are for. Nancy and Dan - to Michigan, and Bill and Epril - traveling around Florida visiting friends. I keep forgetting they're only a couple of hours from Miami - across the state. They've sent pictures on Facebook of that.
BTW - I am taking some powerful medication for my PMR and it appears to be working well. I have to be careful of side effects, but so far- (one week) all seems okay. I couldn't be more pleased or cautiously optimistic. For ex: without realizing it, I'm jumping up and down from my chair, climbing stairs easier. Things I haven't done easily for quite some time. I am keeping a close watch, however.
One can never be too careful. As they say - Growing old is not for the faint of heart. Which reminds me, I'm taking medication to slow my heart down. LOL. It makes me sleepy. I can't get a break - teehee - one of the side effects of my PMR medication is bone loss. So I'm taking something for that now, too. All in all - a different kind of week. Keeping track of my side effects. Boring. After a while I think some of them could be exaggerated or imagined.
I have a Bible Study group that I go to here at our church in Horseheads on Thursday mornings. Have I told you that? Not sure. Anyway - we have a leader who is going through all the books of the bible - page by page. Book by book. We have a "Newbee" (sp?) that joined the group. He knew nothing about the bible - and is learning a lot, as we are reviewing each book.. He's a stay at home dad. A lot of the information I knew before, but I am enjoying starting at Genesis and going through.
It's interesting that each place I've had Bible Study its been different. Some use a separate book to work through a book in the Old or New Testament. Others use books to follow a theme, with a video included. Some use questions and answer sheets. This Bible Study is completely different. I like it. And I like the others too. We're through Judges in the Old Testament.
Gracie is enjoying going downstairs to see how Paul's doing. He says she just kind of stands there for a while and then turns around and leaves after she finds out what's going on. It's like she wants to say hello - and what are you doing? Is everything okay? I guess I'll leave now.
She does like Ping-Pong balls. She likes to chase them, and watch them bounce as she tries to grab them in her mouth. It amazes me that she "flies" around down there - with all the obstacles put in her way. Ping pong table, chairs, desk, etc,. She never collides with anything.
Paul said when she was a puppy and she'd run down there, she'd slide half way across the floor before she'd stop. Now she knows better. She's got "more direction." We've got to get some of the small tennis balls they have at the pet stores so we can throw them outside for her. When it's not so hot.
Brenda got us a "Papillon on Board" sign to put in our car window. I took it - with my red car, it's something else I can use to find my car in parking lots. I never realized how many red cars there are in the world. When I look for my red car, I have to generalize about where it might be, and then use the Papillon on Board sign, and the "shark" sign on top. Yes. - there's a little shark fin on top - which is really the Siriius-XM radio signal. That plus my orange and black license plate. Little things mean a lot.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
A Week of Family
July 13- a week that has been filled with family.
Brenda arrived from DC with Sharon and her family last Sunday. As I mentioned in the last post, Sharon and her family borrowed Paul's van so that they could bring Brenda back with them. Brenda's certainly had a busy summer! She's been flying here, flying there.
We managed to Skype with Nancy, Evie and Vincent Thursday night. Vincent even played the theme from "Star Wars." on the piano for me. It was kind of interesting - they both were vying for "time" to let me see them. But, they couldn't be in the picture together. (It was the hour, 7:15, and the age.) I was thinking of the future when it'll be an effort for them to sit down and do this. (Kids grow up.) Walter wasn't there. He was in bed. Nancy said he's going through a tantrum stage right now. And it isn't easy. As Brenda said - she has her hands full! It was nice that Brenda could see them too.
They're now in Michigan with Dan's family spending a week at the shore at the place Dan's parents have rented for (30?) years. They look forward to this every year.
****************
Brenda left this morning at 6 AM. Sharon picked her up. They're spending some quality time together before she flies back to California - they're in NYC at the moment seeing an off-Broadway show - Avenue Q. Then they'll be spending tonight, tomorrow and tomorrow night with their cousin, Sue, who lives in Middletown. Then Brenda flies home to California on Tuesday. Then she's off for a two week car trip up the California coast, into Washington with Eric. She'll be happy when school starts to quiet down.
*******************
As mentioned . . . . this has been a week of Family. We had a Family Reunion of Paul and his siblings and children, grandchildren.
Paul's oldest siblings, Bonnie and Bob will be 88 in October. Edna is (well. . . she's younger than Bonnie and Bob. . . 85? ) and Howard is older than Paul by two years. They all looked well, and it was a pleasure to have a celebration and have them all there! As one of the children said, it's so important for them to get together and see one another.
You should have seen the picture-taking! Some are on Facebook or will be on Facebook, I hope. I've put them on my Timeline.
So there's a method to the picture taking. The pictures start with the siblings, then their spouses, then their kids, then their grandkids in the front. Luckily, there were a couple of "out-laws" there. . .Charles' girlfriend, and Lue. Because as more people were added to the grouping, less were available for the picture taking! I can remember doing that - since I wasn't related - my first year at a family reunion - (early on). I was a picture-taker at the end!
We had Bob stay with us. He came in Friday night with his daughter and son in law, Kathy and Lloyd. They stayed in a motel nearby. Then Bonnie came in with her sons Gary and Ray. They stayed with us, but just over Friday night - and they left Saturday, yesterday, after the party, so she could be at church.
Bonnie plays the piano during Sunday church or she said, there wouldn't be any music if she wasn't there. I spoke to Bonnie and, while we were talking, she said she had taken only 10 piano lessons and then continued on teaching herself.
Wow. Most people came from Eastern Pennsylvania - a three, four or five hour trip - depending on whom you asked. Edna and Mike came from only two hours south of us in PA.
Gracie did very well. She barked when people arrived, but ended up on their laps as the day progressed. We had two little kids. She kept away from them pretty much, but when they were unavoidable, she tolerated them. We made sure it was as few times as possible.
Saturday morning, Brenda and I went to the Millport Mercantile Market - which has only gluten free products. It was a planned trip. She wanted to make a gluten free pie crust for a blue-berry/rhubarb pie. Bless her. I'm not eating wheat since I'm trying to deal with PMR. And she decided to try a wheat-free diet, too.
When we got back, the front and side yard looked like a parking lot, because all of a sudden lots of people had arrived!
Dorothy and Jeff (Paul's oldest son and his wife) were there from Ontario. Their son, DJ, arrived a little later on. Their daughter, Alaina, is in the Peace Corp in Uganda. She called while they were there but reception wasn't that good on speaker phone, so they talked to her alone. Dorothy, Jeff, and DJ stayed at our house Saturday night.
Before we ate, we made a circle outside for Grace, which Bonnie did, and beforehand, we counted off. . . 41 total. That's quite a bit more than the 30 we had expected.
I'm not going to say names of all who were there, but when you look at the picture on Facebook, if you come from Paul's side of the family, you'll recognize people. BUT unfortunately some people didn't make it into the biggest picture - they were out front - walking around. We really tried to get everyone in it, and so as a mea culpa, we included them by themselves with the siblings. You could tell they were hurt. It was one of those unfortunate occurrences.
Incidentally, Gracie insisted on laying down on the grass in front of the siblings, and Paul picked her up after that and included her in the pictures.
Chicken: Paul cooked chicken breasts on the grill. I cut them in half lengthwise, and marinated them overnight, in the fridge. Now, I must say, I like my former family's chicken recipe very very much. BUT - It never turns out right for me, since I never was the one BBQ-ing it. but this recipe is very good for a large group and we love it. It's quite delicious. The chicken is very tender and cooks quickly since it is thinly sliced.
We also had hamburgers, hotdogs, millions of casseroles filling the kitchen table which was opened up as much as possible. Also - the desserts filled both levels of the kitchen counter from one end to the other. So. Much. Food.
Poor Lue.
She had planned on making boiled raisin cupcakes, and her oven exploded. She said flames were coming out the back, lots of smoke. She said it was awful. And then a "huge boom" and nothing. That's not something she should have to deal with. She called and asked if she could bring something else. What a lady. She should know that her presence is our present. Always. But - we were sorry to miss her cupcakes. Lots of people were.
I'm not cooking tonight. Leftovers for us. Although a lot of people took pity on us. Especially Paul since I'm not eating wheat products. Lots of food left the house with them. Still. . . we're quite satisfied with what's there.
Brenda arrived from DC with Sharon and her family last Sunday. As I mentioned in the last post, Sharon and her family borrowed Paul's van so that they could bring Brenda back with them. Brenda's certainly had a busy summer! She's been flying here, flying there.
We managed to Skype with Nancy, Evie and Vincent Thursday night. Vincent even played the theme from "Star Wars." on the piano for me. It was kind of interesting - they both were vying for "time" to let me see them. But, they couldn't be in the picture together. (It was the hour, 7:15, and the age.) I was thinking of the future when it'll be an effort for them to sit down and do this. (Kids grow up.) Walter wasn't there. He was in bed. Nancy said he's going through a tantrum stage right now. And it isn't easy. As Brenda said - she has her hands full! It was nice that Brenda could see them too.
They're now in Michigan with Dan's family spending a week at the shore at the place Dan's parents have rented for (30?) years. They look forward to this every year.
****************
Brenda left this morning at 6 AM. Sharon picked her up. They're spending some quality time together before she flies back to California - they're in NYC at the moment seeing an off-Broadway show - Avenue Q. Then they'll be spending tonight, tomorrow and tomorrow night with their cousin, Sue, who lives in Middletown. Then Brenda flies home to California on Tuesday. Then she's off for a two week car trip up the California coast, into Washington with Eric. She'll be happy when school starts to quiet down.
*******************
As mentioned . . . . this has been a week of Family. We had a Family Reunion of Paul and his siblings and children, grandchildren.
Paul's oldest siblings, Bonnie and Bob will be 88 in October. Edna is (well. . . she's younger than Bonnie and Bob. . . 85? ) and Howard is older than Paul by two years. They all looked well, and it was a pleasure to have a celebration and have them all there! As one of the children said, it's so important for them to get together and see one another.
You should have seen the picture-taking! Some are on Facebook or will be on Facebook, I hope. I've put them on my Timeline.
So there's a method to the picture taking. The pictures start with the siblings, then their spouses, then their kids, then their grandkids in the front. Luckily, there were a couple of "out-laws" there. . .Charles' girlfriend, and Lue. Because as more people were added to the grouping, less were available for the picture taking! I can remember doing that - since I wasn't related - my first year at a family reunion - (early on). I was a picture-taker at the end!
We had Bob stay with us. He came in Friday night with his daughter and son in law, Kathy and Lloyd. They stayed in a motel nearby. Then Bonnie came in with her sons Gary and Ray. They stayed with us, but just over Friday night - and they left Saturday, yesterday, after the party, so she could be at church.
Bonnie plays the piano during Sunday church or she said, there wouldn't be any music if she wasn't there. I spoke to Bonnie and, while we were talking, she said she had taken only 10 piano lessons and then continued on teaching herself.
Wow. Most people came from Eastern Pennsylvania - a three, four or five hour trip - depending on whom you asked. Edna and Mike came from only two hours south of us in PA.
Gracie did very well. She barked when people arrived, but ended up on their laps as the day progressed. We had two little kids. She kept away from them pretty much, but when they were unavoidable, she tolerated them. We made sure it was as few times as possible.
Saturday morning, Brenda and I went to the Millport Mercantile Market - which has only gluten free products. It was a planned trip. She wanted to make a gluten free pie crust for a blue-berry/rhubarb pie. Bless her. I'm not eating wheat since I'm trying to deal with PMR. And she decided to try a wheat-free diet, too.
When we got back, the front and side yard looked like a parking lot, because all of a sudden lots of people had arrived!
Dorothy and Jeff (Paul's oldest son and his wife) were there from Ontario. Their son, DJ, arrived a little later on. Their daughter, Alaina, is in the Peace Corp in Uganda. She called while they were there but reception wasn't that good on speaker phone, so they talked to her alone. Dorothy, Jeff, and DJ stayed at our house Saturday night.
Before we ate, we made a circle outside for Grace, which Bonnie did, and beforehand, we counted off. . . 41 total. That's quite a bit more than the 30 we had expected.
I'm not going to say names of all who were there, but when you look at the picture on Facebook, if you come from Paul's side of the family, you'll recognize people. BUT unfortunately some people didn't make it into the biggest picture - they were out front - walking around. We really tried to get everyone in it, and so as a mea culpa, we included them by themselves with the siblings. You could tell they were hurt. It was one of those unfortunate occurrences.
Incidentally, Gracie insisted on laying down on the grass in front of the siblings, and Paul picked her up after that and included her in the pictures.
Chicken: Paul cooked chicken breasts on the grill. I cut them in half lengthwise, and marinated them overnight, in the fridge. Now, I must say, I like my former family's chicken recipe very very much. BUT - It never turns out right for me, since I never was the one BBQ-ing it. but this recipe is very good for a large group and we love it. It's quite delicious. The chicken is very tender and cooks quickly since it is thinly sliced.
We also had hamburgers, hotdogs, millions of casseroles filling the kitchen table which was opened up as much as possible. Also - the desserts filled both levels of the kitchen counter from one end to the other. So. Much. Food.
Poor Lue.
She had planned on making boiled raisin cupcakes, and her oven exploded. She said flames were coming out the back, lots of smoke. She said it was awful. And then a "huge boom" and nothing. That's not something she should have to deal with. She called and asked if she could bring something else. What a lady. She should know that her presence is our present. Always. But - we were sorry to miss her cupcakes. Lots of people were.
I'm not cooking tonight. Leftovers for us. Although a lot of people took pity on us. Especially Paul since I'm not eating wheat products. Lots of food left the house with them. Still. . . we're quite satisfied with what's there.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Happy Fifth of July, everyone!
What a beautiful day it is up here.
We had a quiet Fourth with just the two of us and Gracie. It was nice. We cooked a steak outside, and we put the big umbrella up and sat outside for our cocktails. Perfect weather. I'm happy to say that Gracie is unaffected by fireworks or thunderstorms. BUT have our smoke alarm go off and she shakes and shakes.
Okay - this is about family and friends: We wondered how our family and friends were making out - due to the hurricane coming up the coast.
Thursday night, we called Marcia and Hal who live close to the Outer Banks. No answer on their home phone, so I tried their cell phone. They were in Greenville at a motel. They had battened down the hatches at home, made sure their boat at their marina was suitably prepared also, and left for Greenville. Hal had a musical performance he was in on the Fourth, so they just pulled up stakes and left. They were fine.
We heard Washington, D.C. was fine. We were concerned because. . .
Sharon and Dave and the kids borrowed Paul's van to go to Washington, DC. (That's 5 people). Brenda flew in to Washington, from California, to see Lina (her German exchange student who visited with Greg, Noi and NeeNee in Florida.
Greg and Noi were in Washington for a Peace Corp reunion.) So they all met in Washington for the fourth of July weekend. Brenda will be coming back up here with Sharon and family. Thus the needed car space. (6) Lina has tickets to fly back to Germany from Florida and Brenan is coming back from the World Cup in Brazil, so Greg, Noi, NeeNee and Lina weren't able to come up this summer.
We're anticipating a lot of people coming next weekend for our Family Reunion on Saturday, so it was nice to have this quiet weekend here at the Woods Edge. So far, we have 30 people coming.
Paul's daughter-in-law, Dorothy usually writes and asks what to bring. She's a big help that way. That started the ball rolling. We've begun to make lists and checking through the house for "stuff" that we don't have to replenish. We found hundreds of plastic cups. Really. Amazing - we've really accumulated them. Plus plastic utensils. And loads of plates. This led to cleaning out the computer room closet. Paul will rent tables and chairs.
We're pleased that we've heard from Bob, Edna and Mike, Alicia and Howard will be coming to the reunion! That's great news. We're hoping Bonnie can come.
My brother Bob is back in Florida from Alpharetta, GA, getting ready to get his house put on the market. Because the house is his major concern, and rightly so, he doesn't anticipate any plans to come up north until the end of the summer It takes a lot of work.
Talked with Bill and Epril - he's been very busy with work. He's working at his transcription job and also some work for two other firms. Epril continues to work at the nursing home. She makes a lot of Filipino friends and Bill and she enjoy socializing with them. They also go to a Filipino church nearby that has been very good to them.
Nancy is back in Chicago with her family. They're into their summer routine - of day camps, day care (Short Stuff. . . I love that name). I understand the day camps that Vincent goes to will be varied and interesting. Nancy's enjoying the short travel to day camps. And Vincent has the chance to be re-acquainted with some of his old friends from his old school because that's where the camps are.
During the school year, Vincent has to travel quite a distance. Dan puts him on the bus in the morning, but Nancy picks him up in the afternoon. It ends up being an hour and a half or more - depending on traffic. Now, during the summer, it takes only a half hour. His present school now is either the best in Chicago, or one of the best. His last one was very good too, but this one is better. Vincent will start third grade in the Fall. (where has the time gone?)
Cousin Carol is back in the hospital and has begun her dialysis. Alice said it was going well. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Carol. And Alice.
I've been working on researching the geneology of my family - both my father and my mother's sides. It's a lot of fun - like detective work, discovering one person leads to other people. Births, deaths, siblings, children, husbands, wives.
I even found a Walter William on my mother's side born in 1847. (Nancy's youngest child is named Walter William. And unbeknownst to us, until I discovered this, this ancestor has a family name that has been passed down through Nancy and Vincent).
Paul's son, Greg, got me interested in learning about family a couple of years ago. He has done a wonderful job. I don't think I can do as well, but I try. Paul showed me a beautiful bound book that Greg gave him a couple of years ago. Paul said Greg's gone back even further now.
Paul went to Sharon's to do some chores she asked him to do, and he stopped at the annual fourth of July Antique Farm Show on route 14. He had his lunch there, so I don't have to think about that. He's downstairs hammering away. . . Just as happy as can be. When he's finished we'll have a room to be used by company or himself. As a Man Cave. Who knows. He's so happy working on it.
I AM getting hungry. I'm on a wheat-free diet. Which is not why I'm hungry. It's 1:00. It's not as hard as I thought it would be because there are a lot of gluten free foods around. So - I'll get some soup I made the other day. It's really good. It was recommended to freeze it flat in quart size bags. I did and it takes up less space in the freezer.
We had a quiet Fourth with just the two of us and Gracie. It was nice. We cooked a steak outside, and we put the big umbrella up and sat outside for our cocktails. Perfect weather. I'm happy to say that Gracie is unaffected by fireworks or thunderstorms. BUT have our smoke alarm go off and she shakes and shakes.
Okay - this is about family and friends: We wondered how our family and friends were making out - due to the hurricane coming up the coast.
Thursday night, we called Marcia and Hal who live close to the Outer Banks. No answer on their home phone, so I tried their cell phone. They were in Greenville at a motel. They had battened down the hatches at home, made sure their boat at their marina was suitably prepared also, and left for Greenville. Hal had a musical performance he was in on the Fourth, so they just pulled up stakes and left. They were fine.
We heard Washington, D.C. was fine. We were concerned because. . .
Sharon and Dave and the kids borrowed Paul's van to go to Washington, DC. (That's 5 people). Brenda flew in to Washington, from California, to see Lina (her German exchange student who visited with Greg, Noi and NeeNee in Florida.
Greg and Noi were in Washington for a Peace Corp reunion.) So they all met in Washington for the fourth of July weekend. Brenda will be coming back up here with Sharon and family. Thus the needed car space. (6) Lina has tickets to fly back to Germany from Florida and Brenan is coming back from the World Cup in Brazil, so Greg, Noi, NeeNee and Lina weren't able to come up this summer.
We're anticipating a lot of people coming next weekend for our Family Reunion on Saturday, so it was nice to have this quiet weekend here at the Woods Edge. So far, we have 30 people coming.
Paul's daughter-in-law, Dorothy usually writes and asks what to bring. She's a big help that way. That started the ball rolling. We've begun to make lists and checking through the house for "stuff" that we don't have to replenish. We found hundreds of plastic cups. Really. Amazing - we've really accumulated them. Plus plastic utensils. And loads of plates. This led to cleaning out the computer room closet. Paul will rent tables and chairs.
We're pleased that we've heard from Bob, Edna and Mike, Alicia and Howard will be coming to the reunion! That's great news. We're hoping Bonnie can come.
My brother Bob is back in Florida from Alpharetta, GA, getting ready to get his house put on the market. Because the house is his major concern, and rightly so, he doesn't anticipate any plans to come up north until the end of the summer It takes a lot of work.
Talked with Bill and Epril - he's been very busy with work. He's working at his transcription job and also some work for two other firms. Epril continues to work at the nursing home. She makes a lot of Filipino friends and Bill and she enjoy socializing with them. They also go to a Filipino church nearby that has been very good to them.
Nancy is back in Chicago with her family. They're into their summer routine - of day camps, day care (Short Stuff. . . I love that name). I understand the day camps that Vincent goes to will be varied and interesting. Nancy's enjoying the short travel to day camps. And Vincent has the chance to be re-acquainted with some of his old friends from his old school because that's where the camps are.
During the school year, Vincent has to travel quite a distance. Dan puts him on the bus in the morning, but Nancy picks him up in the afternoon. It ends up being an hour and a half or more - depending on traffic. Now, during the summer, it takes only a half hour. His present school now is either the best in Chicago, or one of the best. His last one was very good too, but this one is better. Vincent will start third grade in the Fall. (where has the time gone?)
Cousin Carol is back in the hospital and has begun her dialysis. Alice said it was going well. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Carol. And Alice.
I've been working on researching the geneology of my family - both my father and my mother's sides. It's a lot of fun - like detective work, discovering one person leads to other people. Births, deaths, siblings, children, husbands, wives.
I even found a Walter William on my mother's side born in 1847. (Nancy's youngest child is named Walter William. And unbeknownst to us, until I discovered this, this ancestor has a family name that has been passed down through Nancy and Vincent).
Paul's son, Greg, got me interested in learning about family a couple of years ago. He has done a wonderful job. I don't think I can do as well, but I try. Paul showed me a beautiful bound book that Greg gave him a couple of years ago. Paul said Greg's gone back even further now.
Paul went to Sharon's to do some chores she asked him to do, and he stopped at the annual fourth of July Antique Farm Show on route 14. He had his lunch there, so I don't have to think about that. He's downstairs hammering away. . . Just as happy as can be. When he's finished we'll have a room to be used by company or himself. As a Man Cave. Who knows. He's so happy working on it.
I AM getting hungry. I'm on a wheat-free diet. Which is not why I'm hungry. It's 1:00. It's not as hard as I thought it would be because there are a lot of gluten free foods around. So - I'll get some soup I made the other day. It's really good. It was recommended to freeze it flat in quart size bags. I did and it takes up less space in the freezer.
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