The Building Ramp

I can't stress enough about the beautiful days that we've been having.  The weather has been perfect for working outside on projects that needed my attention.

I bought some treated 2x10"s and had Rick replace the old boards that had been there since 1994 on the ramp to my building.  The two old boards to the right of the ramp have only been there since around 2006, so I told him to leave those until a later date.  They're still pretty good.

The building also needs painting again with Rust-Oleum paint.  The last time I had it painted the paint job didn't last as long as the first time that Jimmy and I had painted it.  This time I'll have Rick apply much thicker coats of paint to it.

Below is a picture of a purple Clematis that still remains next to this building.  It's had a hard time growing through the weeds, wild grapevines and Rose of Sharon's that grow wild in my yard.  

 I think the Clematis is very pretty and I used to have several Clematis' of various colors, but I think that this is the only one that still remains, but I may be wrong.

An extremely large Azalea bush is growing along my front walk-way, and is fully in bloom with these very pretty dark pink flowers.  It never disappoints. 

Family pictures

Although I have 5 grandchildren I only have one granddaughter, and Megan has blessed me with my only great-granddaughter Lyv.   Lyv is  10 years old and soon to be 11, She's a very sweet and active young lady, just like her mother and her grandmother Sharon, and just as pretty as they are too.

The picture below from left to right is of Zac's family, Jennifer, Jack & Zac. Then Megan, (baby) Lyle, Myles with the baseball cap, and Lyv out front and center.  The Morris Family & the Malear's

This picture below is Christmas morning, all in their PJ's. Megan, Sharon, Lyv, Myles, James, Lyle. The Malear's & a Walker

This next picture (below) is, Suzanne, her grandson Carson, Delores, Matt (Carson's dad), and Ray.  The Powell Family

 Next is Brandon, Ody and Krystal.  The Hatcher Family

Below is Suzanne doing what she likes to do best, except for spending time with her family.

Rick doing what he likes to do best too.

                                               Ody cakes

Jack when he was a baby with Great-grandma Sandy

                    Ody likes Books

Rick at his Aunt Callie's house

                                              Sandy, which is Me. 

                           Carson with Lyle

The Malear Family and below that is Lyv with her traveling soccer team.

Below:  Myles giving his grandma Sharon a ride

ICE

The ice is 3 inches thick on our cars & truck.  Rick has cabin fever and went out to start the vehicles and clean them off.   He let them run for 30 minutes on defrost.  Since the Prius has very good defrosters on the front and back windows, the ice loosened up and he was able to remove it in big chunks.  But the Prius isn't the car he wants to take out on these salty icy roads.  He feels safer in the AWD Saturn and since it is so old the defrosters aren't as good so he saved it for last.

I'm sure he must be getting really cold out there because the windchill is 8 degrees F out there.  I opened a window in the bathroom and talked to him for a few minutes, but then I had to close it back up because it was too cold. 

I better check on Rick again.  He's been out there for almost 20 minutes, but he has the Prius and Saturn both running, and he's smart enough to get out of the cold and warm himself up.  I'll go check on him anyway, through the window.

  

Thanksgiving with Brandon Hatcher, Ody, Krystal, Rick and I, AND Suzanne & Ray's accident

This year Rick and I were invited to Brandon & Krystal's home for Thanksgiving dinner.  Krystal must have cooked all morning and half the day.  The meal was delicious and of course I over-ate especially when it came to desserts.  I love sweets and Krystal made the most delicious Watergate salad and of course I pigged out.

Ody entertained us with his antics and his cuteness.  He stayed close by and wasn't a bit of trouble.  He played quietly around us and carried the Little Golden Book that I had brought over for him.  It was The Night Before Christmas, and I'm hoping that he will allow either his daddy Brandon or his mommy Krystal to read it to him.  He amazed me when he climbed up into a chair that his daddy had been sitting in and opened up the book and began gently turning each page very carefully as if he was reading the book himself, but then Brandon walked up to Ody and said, "Son, it might be better if you turn it this way," then Brandon turned the book right side up.  Ody continued to look at the pictures uninterrupted just as before.  Ody is two and a half years old, but still very much a baby.  He's a very snuggly baby and every now and then he had to get snuggles from his daddy while his mommy was busy in the kitchen.

Brandon and Krystal had their Christmas tree up and decorated with vintage ornaments from her youth.  Ornaments she had made as a child that her mother and sister had saved, and now that they are both gone Krystal is carrying on the family tradition of putting up the Christmas tree for the Thanksgiving meal.  Krystal and Brandon's parents are gone, so holidays are hard for both of them, and for me as well.  But now that they have Ody they do their best to make holidays joyful events for Ody.  I am the only grandparent that Ody has and I am his great-grandmother.

Spending the afternoon and evening with my grandson Brandon, Krystal & Ody was lots of fun.   We told stories of things present and of course re-lived the past as well.  We laughed and had the best time, but the evening ended very abruptly when my son-in-law Ray called to tell us that him and my daughter Suzanne had been involved in an automobile accident that totaled their car.  

They got knocked around, went airborne, and were blinded by all the explosions of the airbags before they came to a safe stop.  It seems that an oncoming truck hit a large deer, sent it flying over two lanes into the path of Ray & Suzanne who ran over it.  Ray received a large scraping wound to his lower leg which was caused by one of the airbags.  He was taken to the hospital which determined that he didn't break his leg, but the doctors were more concerned about his elevated heart rate, b.p. and possible damage to his four aneurysms.  Suzanne didn't want to get checked out, but now she is frightened by airbags.  Ray's leg is all swelled and bruised and he's limping around, and Suzanne is just shook up and without a car for the moment.

I'm so thankful and blessed.  My children, grandchildren and great grandchildren are all fine and healthy.  God was watching out over Ray & Suzanne.  God is always watching out and taking good care of my family.

ODY, Dennis & Laurel's Visit

 This is our sweet little Ody.  He's 13 months old now and just started walking.  His parents Brandon Hatcher and Krystal are very proud of him, and so are we.

We don't get to see as much of Ody, and his parents as much as we'd like even tho they just live in the next county because of unforeseen circumstances beyond anyone's control, but maybe good fortune will strike and things will change for the better.  They are just on a different schedule.  When I'm sleeping, they are awake and visa versa.  Third shift is a bummer that can't be helped for now.

These last couple of days we've been playing cat & mouse with them.  They had cell phone and car trouble and when we were one place they were where we had been and all of us never got to see Ody and his parents.  It's hard to meet at a specific location when you can't reach them by cell phone or Messenger.   

I grew to appreciate cell phones more these last couple of days when my brother & his wife came to town for a visit.  It seemed like I was on the cell phone texting or talking letting everyone know where we were at any specific time.  We had a wonderful time with Dennis & Laurel, but now that they have gone back home it seemed like it was such a whirlwind visit.  I enjoyed every minute of their visit even tho at times Dennis and I were raising our voices at each other, and if you know my brother Dennis you would understand what I just said perfectly.  He is such a gentle soul tho and I love him with all my heart.

I'm going to do my best to post a few pictures of our visit below.  My very old laptop doesn't always want to co-operate with me.

Playing Cards

Rick and I spent the afternoon and evening with Callie, Harold and Kathy yesterday playing cards, eating too much and just having fun laughing the day away.  We always have fun there.  Sometimes our card game gets a little heated, but we all understand that it's just a card game and what happens in the game has no reflection of how we care about each other and all hard feelings are soon forgotten when the game is over or we stop for a food break.

Rick is an avid cheater and we can always count on him to hide cards away for a later round.  Sometimes we catch him and sometimes he's so slick that he gets away with it.  Harold pretends to hide cards but he really doesn't cheat much anymore, anyway not like he used to when playing with Rick in the game.  Harold now just pretends he is placing cards in his shirt pocket to get Rick's goat.

 Rick is a loud boisterous card player and if he draws a good card you know it.  He shouts, screams and makes the games very exciting, and if he's not playing our card games are very quiet and subdued.  None of us have a chance of winning a game most of the time when Rick is playing.  Granted he cheats most of the time, but even when he doesn't cheat he's a very good card player and wins most of the time anyway.  I think he just cheats to make the game more exciting to him, and to make the games more challenging.  He also doesn't like to lose, and refuses at times to play on if he loses or gets caught with too many cards in his hand when someone else goes out.

Even if Rick cheats or anyone else cheats, I still have fun playing.  To me it's not all about winning the game, but just laughing and having fun.  I win once in a while and I do enjoy winning, but it's not all that important to me.  Granted it's a challenge to win against all of these good card players, so when I do win it's a very rewarding feeling, and I ask Callie our score keeper to put a great big star next to my name.

Family: I love every precious moment that I get to spend with them!!!!!

Since I've been here last I have taken several pictures of beautiful flowers, my two cats Jybow & Squeak, and several videos.  I'm only going to share the most important moments.  

First, because gas prices are getting higher and higher with each passing day, Rick and I drove the Prius to work, that's Rick's work,  I don't work, I just hang around waiting for the year that Rick will eventually retire, and maybe hopefully I'll still be around and able to do things.  On our way home from his job we stopped by KFC for a bite to eat.  The buffet was open for the first time since the beginnings of this Covid-19 pandemic.  

 It's a buffet and we pigged out!  We shouldn't have, but we just couldn't help it.  The food was so good too!  We both decided that we won't be doing that again soon, or we'll weigh 300 lbs for sure.  I even think that the next morning we didn't even bother with breakfast, because we were still full from the buffet.

Next, one of my nieces graduated from High School, Eliana Purcell.  Below is a picture of Eliana, Natasha and Talon at her graduation.  Congratulations Eliana!  I just can't believe how these kids have grown up so fast.  It seems as if my time here on earth is running out and everyday the day just slips away faster than I can think.  Eliana and her siblings are the children of Allison & Jason Purcell, and the grandchildren of Laurel & Dennis Diaz.  We're all so proud of these kids.  

Yesterday I traveled to Boonesboro State Park and visited with my daughter Sharon June who is camping there for a week.  It's Sharon's birthday week and she had so many fun activities planned for her birthday, but that four wheeling accident put a halt to those plans really fast.

Sharon wasn't alone there yesterday.  Megan had stopped in before I arrived and dropped off her two kids, Lyv & Myles, and while I was there Suzanne showed up and then Zac stopped by to drop off Jack, and then Zac had to go on off to an important business meeting in Lexington, Ky.  

I took a picture of the first two great-grandchildren to arrive to spend the week with their grandma Sharon.

I keep forgetting that Sharon is not completely alone while camping.....her cute little pup, Bo is camping there with Sharon.  Bo goes everywhere with Sharon.  That dog has had more outdoor experiences than most people.  There is nothing that dog can't do.  Here is a group picture that Zac took of us before he had to leave.  

And then the last picture is of me after Sharon put my hair in a pony tail so I would feel cooler in the 90 degree heat.

The kids spent their day riding bikes around the campground and seemed to have a great time.  

Lyv had to leave with her dad's mom for a little while and then came back after we had lunch.  Lyv got to go swimming with her granny and she loved it.  She said that she was there with lots of her other cousins and had the best time.

When Suzanne left to go pick up her grandson Carson, Sharon and I loaded up the boys and went into Winchester to Sir Pizza where we picked up a Royal Feast pizza and brought it back to the campground to eat.  The boys, Myles & Jack packed up a lunch (pizza) and rode off on their bikes for their own private picnic, leaving Sharon and I to enjoy a quiet lunch by ourselves.  I stayed until around 4:00 p.m. or maybe a little after and then I started for home.  When I texted Sharon  to tell her that I got home safely, she told me that Suzanne & Carson were on their way back to the campsite.  I'm sure that Carson had a great time playing with his cousins there at Boonesboro, and I wished that I would have stayed longer.

Sharon looked extremely well considering, but she is still very sore and moving about very slowly.  I could still see several bruises even after 3 weeks, and I could just imagine how bruised up and injured she had been.  Her broken bones and spirit will take time to heal, but they will heal and she will see life differently now.  There is nothing like a close call that makes you see life differently, and thru different eyes.  Relationships are better and people are more appreciated, and thankful.  Not that she wasn't thankful and blessed already....sometimes you just can't explain how things change after a close call with death.  

When I got home things didn't go as planned and Rick was upset at me.  But, this morning I found out why and it wasn't me that he was upset at, anyway not entirely me.  We had planned on driving the Prius to London, Ky. around 5:00 a.m. for his job, but we didn't.  

I enjoy going to work with Rick because it's the only time we go anywhere out of the ordinary......out of the ordinary for me anyway, he still has to work but I get a change of scenery.  I miss the days when we worked together because now I don't have anything to fill my time with.  Yes, I could clean house, but what fun is that and who notices anyway?

I miss Brandon Hatcher too & Krystal and if they are reading this.  Sharon will be camping at Boonesboro until Saturday.  Stop by and surprise her.  I'm sure she'd love to see you.  Her birthday is Friday.

Carson's First Plane Ride

 Last Saturday, April 30, 2022, we went to our local regional airport to witness my great-grandson Carson's first flight in an airplane.  The Madison County Regional Airport was offering free plane rides to children 8-17 years old in one section, and in another section if you were older and an adult you could pay $30 per person and get to fly too.  The children who flew for free, flew unaccompanied by any adults other than the pilot, so there were some nervous parents watching from below.

Carson said he flew all around the city and county, and even flew over his own house.  He used his cell phone to call his mom, Tori, while he was over his house, but he couldn't really hear what she had to say because the roaring of the plane was so loud.  He also took pictures while he was in flight of another of his favorite forms of travel, a railroad train of course.  Carson loves trains.

I can't post all the pictures and videos that I took, but here are just a sampling.  

Although Ray & Suzanne arrived early to register Carson for his first plane ride, here is a picture of Carson & his dad Matt arriving at the airport.  

 

Carson is seated next to the pilot in the front passenger seat by the open window.

The plane has started and about ready to leave for the runway.  I wanted to get the plane's numbers.

Carson climbing into the plane

The pictures are backwards.  This is Carson walking to the plane.

And here are also some pictures of Rick standing next to a bi-plane that has been beautifully restored, which was actually flown in WWII.

We had a good time, but this year there was no free buffet.  There were a couple of Chuck Wagon trucks and some picnic tables set up near the beginning of the parking lot for planes where you could buy food, but Rick and I decided to go to Golden Corral afterwards.  We hadn't been there since a year or two before Covid, and the food there tasted really good.  It's not a place we frequent because it costs too much, so it was a real treat for us to eat there, and it probably cost the same amount to eat food from Golden Corral than those Chuck Wagon trucks anyway.