Eww

Mike walked in mid-carving and made his impact by:
a) insisting I dry and save seeds from the pumpkin to plant next year
b)microwaving chunks of pumpkin and eating them. Eww.

Happy Halloweeeeeen!!

Have I mentioned that one of my great skills is carving pumpkins? I have made some awesome jack o'lanterns, including Bert and Ernie. This is a skill that has gone relatively unnoticed, except by my children who were young and impressionable, and easily pleased. Well, I decided to do something different this year, and now have an immense appreciation for Michaelangelo's David. This really tested my spatial concept ability. Positive, negative, what stays, what gets cut?? I think I've got it though.

Take a look.

California cousins

We received news that Mike's cousin Mary Marceline passed away last week. Our epic voyage to California a year ago included a stop at her home in Minden, Nevada. Mike loves to tell the story of a time when he saw a Cadillac drive by the farm and turn towards the church and cemetary. Something told him (a California license plate?) that it was cousin Mary, and he hopped in his truck and pursued them to the graveyard. Sure enough, Mary and husband George were there visiting the ancestors. They had decided not to stop at the farm for some reason, and forever after, Mike enjoyed chiding her about that. She had a great sense of humor and enjoyed his teasing.
Her sister Maureen in Salinas just had surgery and Rita's husband, John, who is 96, is in the hospital. When we were at Maureen's house that summer, Rita drove up in a classic, black Jaguar. John was sitting in the passenger seat in a black suit and fedora. Rita takes him to his office every day. The girls were all delightful. We're so glad that we made the trip to see them, cousin Franny, and my brother Frank and family.
In the end, it's all about family.

Three out of six

...ain't bad. I saw three of the grandkids this weekend. First cute litte Kate, who grinned, and gurgled and spit up Friday to entertain me. Emilie put her on her back and she rolled from side to side. When she had her back to me, I called her name, and she rolled over and grinned. What a cutie pie!
Then Grace and Jack stopped in Saturday night so Pat and Angie could have a night out before the baby comes. Country Mart had cookie kits--a dozen pumpkin-shaped cookies, orange frosting in a tube and lots of sprinkles and candy corn to decorate with. So Grace did most of the work decorating all those cookies. Jack helped with a couple of them, then started licking all the frosting off.
We also played Maisy on the computer, built Legos, cut up tons of little pieces of paper, made a paper witch, ate applesauce, had time out, colored, changed into jammies, and five minutes before mom and dad came, decided to lay down and rest. Whew!
Sunday we slept late!

Haiku Thursday

How can I compete?
The family poets nail
Our legends in verse.

Their stories cause laughs;
Beware, young parents! Don't teach
your kids to haiku!

Grandpa Goes to Kindergarten

Caroline's class had Grandparents' Day, so Mike went to KC Friday morning. He can tell you precisely all the many activities kindergartners do, but his favorite was the "Problem/Solution" paper she had to do. Caroline's problem? Her fish died. And her Solution? She drew a picture of a toilet! Yes, poor Tex was flushed.

Sneeze, cough, blow...repeat

Here's a whine for you. I've been sick all week, but too busy at school to stay home.
So Gracie called last night.
Gracie: How are you Grandma Terry?
Me: (croaking) I'm fine.
Grace: You sound sick. I think you need some egg drop soup!

TGIF

So nice to talk to brother Frank last night.

This was a tough week and EVERYONE was glad it was over. I felt so bad for my crew that I brought in donuts this morning. We needed a sugar rush.

The Weston Irish Fest is this weekend. More great Irish music. I'm hoping we make it there! There's nothing like a little jigging to make you happy!

Mike was hoping to finish picking corn today. The girls came up last Sunday and we made a trip to the farm, but no grandpa. :( The city girls got to see how corn and soybeans grow. They especially liked taking the soybean pod apart and finding the little white beans inside.

Forty and counting

Memorial Hall in Atchison, Kansas, was the scene of many dances in the sixties. The colleges put them on regularly. I saw Ike and Tina Turner there, as well as other popular bands at the time. On October 7, 1967, I joined some other St. Mary girls that came up to Big A on a bus. We begged the driver to drive around the corner to let us out.
We usually broke up into small groups of two or three so we wouldn't inimidate the boys too much. We thought it must be hard to walk up to a big group and ask someone to dance. I think I was standing alone about 10 p.m. when this tall, handsome guy walked over. We danced awhile and stopped and talked some. He told me that he had joined the National Guard and was leaving soon for basic training. This was the height of the Vietnam War and so he had decided to join the guard instead of getting drafted.
His brother, Jim, rushed up to him and took the Maur Hill letter jacket he was wearing. Evidently, they shared it! Mike asked if I would like to go to Maur Hill's Homecoming the next week and I said yes. My roommate was from Atchison and I had heard lots of stories about MH.
The following week Janet and I came up for the game. Her boyfriend bought us both big yellow mum corsages. No word or sign of Mike. Later he found Mike and told him his "date" was here.
He joined us and we spent the rest of the evening together-even took him home to the farm.

Two years earlier, as a freshman, I was down in the dumps about my dating prospects, and brother Frank sent me a telegram. I think it's the only telegram I ever got. Anyway, he cheered me up and told me to have faith. Someday the right one would come along. That was Oct. 7, 1965.

Grace is six!

I left the corn shuckin' before Mike performed so that I could get to Grace's birthday party at a ceramics shop in Leavenworth. She was the "princess" of the party.

Caroline's in back with the green headband.

Mushie loves frosting!

Back at the house, Gracie gets a big gift!

Corn Shuckin on the family farm

Well, if you've read Erin's blog, you've seen a lot of similar pictures. But she doesn't have puppy pics, so here's a look at the fun last week at our farm. Jack loved these little guys. That's his windblown grandma looking on.

Kate was there, too!

A wagon ride to Erin's row of corn

Kev and Erin working on technique

Mike and Erin
"It ain't gonna shuck itself!"

Jack checks out an empty wagon.