Memories

This is one of my favorite pictures of me and my grandparents. It was taken in late July 2005 at my cousin Brad's wedding. I think that both Grandpa and Grandma look just beautiful in it... It was such a happy day and such a happy time of my life, too. James would arrive just a few days later...

I have so many wonderful memories of my Grandpa. He was such a fun Grandpa! I spent the night at Grandpa and Grandma's house many times as a child. It was always an awesome treat. They had a large yard... a great old pair of swings... lots of animals (a dog named Bowser, many barn cats, pigs)... I got to ride to the grain elevator with Grandpa in the huge grain trucks. Oh, what fun that was! As if that wasn't special enough, he would always treat me with a Chocola. To be young again...

Other memories that I have of spending the night there include "green" bread and grapefruit juice. Living on a farm, days always began early. Breakfasts were always yummy and included grapefruit juice. I think that might be where I acquired my love of tart things. Grandpa was such a teaser... they always had Roman Meal wheat bread, which somehow we lovingly referred to as "green" bread. It was kept in a special drawer with a really cool slide top that you had to open once the drawer was opened.

When Mom went into labor with Mendi, Grandpa came to pick me up at Mom and Dad's in the big grain truck. He took me back to their house. I'm not sure who had the idea... probably Grandpa... but, I hid in Uncle Jeff's closet to "scare" him when he got back from school that day. I'm sure that part of that visit, like so many others, included riding around the garage on the pedal tractor. I can still almost close my eyes and remember doing that. So much fun...

On one of my birthdays, Grandpa brought me a HUGE jar of dill pickles. He knew how much I loved them and got the biggest jar he could find. I'm not sure how big it was... maybe a gallon?!?! To a little girl, it seemed like it was as big as half of the refrigerator!

Thanksgiving and Christmas get-togethers for that side of our family took place at their house. We would eat a nice meal, open presents... and Grandpa would crack out his Polaroid camera to snap some pictures of us all. Oh, I smile when I think of that Polaroid...

Grandpa never officially retired from farming. Sure, there was a point when the day-to-day operations were handed off to Uncle Jeff... but, Grandpa was always there helping out in any way possible. I think that he even helped out a bit in the fields until the last couple of years. Unless there was a "special occasion", he would always wear overalls. After they stopped raising pigs, the farm seemed so "empty". The farm wasn't empty for long, though. A few goats now call the pig area home. They are so funny... so neat to be able to take the kids there to see them.

In the last few years, it was hard for Grandpa to walk around the grounds. He got a golf cart to ride around in. He loved to take it all over and back to the woods... just riding around enjoying the land that he lived on for so many years. He once told me about the time that he helped his father clear off the land just south of their home... it had never been cleared before. That truly amazes me. They had to work so hard... with horses, bare hands and tools that are so much more primitive than anything that we could even imagine today.

Grandpa had his chair... the chair that he always sat in. It was positioned so that he could see out the big picture window and look across the fields across the road. He also liked to monitor who was coming down the road and coming to visit. We often would talk about the deer that he would see over in the fields... and I would tell him about the deer that we would occasionally get in our back yard. I dread the next time I go to the house and see his empty chair...

There are so many other thoughts that have surfaced in my mind over the past few days. It's funny how sometimes things get shuffled around and buried under the day-to-day junk that rises to the top... I could go on writing more and more... The big white recliner that they used to have that Grandpa would lay back and lift us up like airplanes on... the fact that they didn't have air conditioning until just a few years ago... leaving their house on summer evening, thinking that we were going to get sucked up by a tornado before making it to my other grandparent's house... Oh boy...

As I have said before, Grandpa was such a hard worker. He also knew how to have fun. He was a teaser... he was a prankster, especially in his very young years. He loved to play cards. He just overall enjoyed life. Mentally, he was sharp as a tack until the last year or so. He could recall stories from his youth like they had happened just days ago. I always enjoyed to hear him tell his stories, and I would try as hard as possible to etch them into my mind. Unfortunately, I don't have the awesome memory capacity like he did... He really did have several health issues in the last few years of his life, but as my mom has commented, he rarely complained. He was strong until the end... and, he is truly someone that I admire. I will always smile when I think back about him... always.

Farewell, Grandpa...

Last evening, I received sad news. My grandfather passed away. He was 93 years old. We all knew that his health was rapidly deteriorating, but to hear that he was gone really did break my heart.

My grandpa was such a spunky man. Such a strong man. He farmed the land... worked with his hands. To see him in the last few months was to know that his body was tired. Now he is no longer suffering and is at peace.

Those of us that are still here will grieve and remember him... remember the funny stories that he would tell - stories of his youth, the changes that he saw in his lifetime. We will move on and look forward to the day that we are all reunited again.

I love you, Grandpa.

Fresh Feast

Ok... trying to get back in the groove here. I know that I still need to post pictures of Part II of Doug's birthday. And, now I need to put up some "report" of our trip to Georgia, too. We had fun... it was hot, busy and crazy. We were able to geocache a bit, and we hit several parks to play. So much more to tell... it will have to be later.

For now, here is today's feast. Enjoy!

Appetizer:
What is the nearest big city to your home? Indianapolis, IN. We are in full swing for the month of May... It's time for the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing"... the Indianapolis 500. I've been there several times. Believe me, it is quite a spectacle!

Soup:
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets? I'd have to say 9. Sure, there are times when I might let something slip, but for the most part, I am a very trustworthy secret-keeper. I don't keep secrets from my husband... unless it's a surprise for him. I don't think that secrets (big or small) in a marriage are good at all.

Salad:
Describe your hair (color, texture, length). Blonde with added highlights... thick... shoulder length, layered. I would love to have it shorter, but Doug isn't a fan of short hair. I've got it just about as short as it can go without ridicule from him.

Main Course:
What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow? I tend to drive a bit more quickly than the posted speed limits... especially when we are on a long roadtrip. I wouldn't say that I am aggressive, but I am very defensive... always looking out for the other guys. I would consider myself a courteous driver... no need to be a jerk... why not help someone else out?

Dessert:
When was the last time you had a really bad week? I don't know that I've had a really bad week for a long time. I've had stressful weeks... tiring weeks. Probably the last time that I had one of those weeks was a couple of months ago when Doug was working tons of overtime - during the work week and the weekends. That pretty much stunk...

Leftovers... a late feast

We were in Augusta, GA last week visiting Mendi and her gang. I totally forgot to do Friday's Feast last Friday... So, here is last week's set of questions.

Appetizer:
When someone smiles at you, do you smile back? Absolutely! Most of the time, I feel like I am the one smiling at the other person first.

Soup:
Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix? We've got it all! Hardwood floors in the entry and dining room... Ceramic tile in the hall bath... Vinyl in the master bath, laundry room and kitchen... and carpeting everywhere else.

Salad:
Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name. Sally suddenly sang silly songs.

Main Course:
Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption? I know several families that have adopted children. One of my best friends from college and his wife have two beautiful girls that they adopted from China. They all couldn't be happier!

Dessert:
Name 2 blue things. My children's eyes... the ocean... I could go on and on. I love blue!

May Showers

Wait... isn't it supposed to be May Flowers? Anyway, it is a nice Spring morning here in our little corner of the world. There is a light rain falling... it makes everything appear that much greener. The freshly mown lawn is looking awesome this morning. I love color outside! No drab brown and white winter for me...

It's already Friday. Time for another feast. Pull up a chair and enjoy!

Appetizer:
What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child? Honestly, I didn't watch too many cartoons as a wee one... I would have to say that my favorite would have to be the Pink Panther, though. Loved the music... loved the pink cat.

Soup:
Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it? Oh boy... If we were to get another pet, it would have to be another Great Pyrenees from our local rescue. We have already received such joy from our "little" Shasta. She is so sweet... so loving... Ok, sometimes she can be a bit of a handful, but she really is chilling out overall. As for a name... we would probably stick with the name that he/she comes with.

Salad:
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion? Oh, a 10 for sure! I love to get dressed up! I just don't really have the opportunity to do it. I loved to go to proms and dances when I was in school... so much fun! What a difference a few (ok, a lot of) years make. Now, I don't even wear makeup and have a wash and wear hairstyle.

Main Course:
What kind of music do you listen to while you drive? Well, it totally depends on my mood... and my passengers. Most of the time that the kids are with me, we listen to Thomas the Tank Engine songs. I'm glad that they are catchy and fun to sing along with. If I am by myself or if I can convince the kids to break away from Thomas, we listen to smooth jazz (usually Euge Groove) or classic rock.

Dessert:
When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it? The last time I bought a clock was about a year ago. I got a digital, red LED display alarm clock for James' room. It's pretty basic... but, it does have the super-big numbers so that I can actually read it in the middle of the night, if necessary.