No Longer a Hazard Pulling In Here

After much deliberation, we decided to pave the driveway. Fearing that one day we would be rearended or someone else having the same fate trying to get into our driveway, we made the big splurge to pave the drive. So - come visit!

Speaking of Anniversaries

The Newlyweds & the Oldlyweds

Lookin' Good After 50 Years!

Roy, Linda, Mom & Marleta

Pat & The Gang

We attended a real 50th yesterday as Marleta & Larry celebrated their 50th Anniversary. A beautiful gathering that Dee spent weeks organizing and preparing for. We went to church in Elwood with Pat and he and his gang came right from church to attend the big event.

Remembering Camp Buffalo

Harry thought it was his 50th anniversary of his first camp experience at Camp Buffalo and went to spend the night there with John & his troop last Friday night. Dewey informed him that he went to camp as an 11-year old scout, so it was actually his 51st anniversary. The new dining hall is in the background. Harry says the camp is really top-rate with an indoor virtual archery range and a nationally rated rifle range.

Purple Robe Locust

Our purple robe locust has been in full bloom about 2 weeks. We planted it 3 or 4 years ago and it is already a magnificent tree.

Saturday on the Farm

It was a fun day. Amy and the kids came for a visit and Amy took me to lunch to celebrate Mothers Day. Grandpa played his favorite sport - grandparenting and stayed with the kids. It was an amazingly cold day. They did a bit of golf cart riding but not much - just too cold.

Later this afternoon, we had Seth while George & Anna and the other kids went to a Tin Cups baseball game (in the cold AND rain). We don't seem to ever have just Seth and he was such fun to be around. We did a good bit of playing on the back porch. Now that we have the windows in, it's a wonderful garden and playroom. I start all my seedlings out there and it looks a good bit like a greenhouse at the moment with pots and seeds and trays scattered everywhere.

Grandpa took Seth out to cover the eggplants and green beans with flower pots to protect them from the frost we're expecting tonight. We covered our strawberries with a tarp, hoping to save them. Grandpa loves to teach the grandkids when they spend time here, so he showed Seth the grapevines and explained how they are growing up the wires.

Spring Yard

Everything is in bloom, including my allergies but it's beautiful and still no regrets about moving to the country. I'm doing a little more raised bed gardening this year. I built another 5 beds - all just 1 level high this time, smaller more on the order of the 4x4 square foot gardening type. I have 3 of the 5 beds planted already and we've had spinach for about 2 months that wintered over in one of the larger raised beds at the back of the house that we covered with a heavy window over the winter. It's produced a nice crop and we could probably eat it twice a day and not run out for a month.

About 2 weeks ago we had mallards in the yard. We think they tried to nest in bushes in front of the garage. We found broken eggs on our front steps one day and think some animal (Harry blames the neighbor cat) got to the nest. We haven't seen the mallards since then.

Levi came out one Saturday to help Grandpa in the yard and Natalie went another Saturday to get dirt with him and delivered it to Sister Swing. Both kids are real workers. He was surprised that Natalie shoveled dirt like a trooper. We always knew Levi was a born worker - has always loved it and always wants to help. Last Saturday he and Levi divided and moved some hostas. So it is work time on the farm - always with lots more to do.

The Annual Easter Egg Hunt & Feast

Relaxing Read on the Porch

Who Me Driving?

Yup! She'll Be Driving Soon...

Look Ma! Hands & Feet...

Amy Carries on the Family Tradition of Making Chocolate Eggs

And the Winner This Year - Peanut Butter Cream Cheese...

George Now Organizes the Egg Hunt

Interested Bystanders

Hal opts to hide rather than seek

Chicago Grandkids Visit

I'm a big guy now!

We had a great time with Harry & Teresa's 5 kids for about a week. Harry & Teresa enjoyed a fantastic trip to Japan and we had a grandkid gathering here. Spent a good bit of time with the local cousins (George & Anna's 4) and then topped it off with a big family Easter which is our tradition with the Egg Hunt and dinner. We spent 3 days - 2 nights at Pokagon State Park with the Chicago & Fort Wayne cousins. They'd rented one of the bigger Inn rooms we'd reserved and gave us a very nice cabin with 2 sections and an adjoining door. It was perfect! Every day was filled with lots of activities and weather was perfect for outdoor fun - hiking, playing at the parks, etc. Our first night we found the Pizza Hut All-You-Can-Eat buffet in Angola. Buffet is the only way to go with growing boys (and girls). Days we were home during the week (usually evenings), Grandpa Harry took it upon himself to give driving lessons to Courtney, Hal and Tyler in the school parking lot and then breaking the law entirely but having Courtney and Hal drive from the school to our house on "primarily" the back roads. At least their first driving experience will not be on the busy streets of Chicago and Grandpa had a blast being their mentor. He woke up this morning saying he was ready to retire. I think he's found out what retirement activities he wants to do - GRANDKIDS....

The Boys' Table - Pizza Hut

Tyler Finds a $20 Bill While Hiking

Our Cabin at Pokagon

One Good-Looking Bunch of Cousins

FUN, GAMES & CRAFTS AT POKAGON

Spring at Last?

Yesterday was the first sign of Spring that we've seen in the yard. The first tulips and daffodils have sprung up and we're looking forward to some blooms if we can keep the deer from eating them. I sprinkled them with cayenne last evening hoping to discourage them some.

Long time since posting. Mom has been here almost a month now, struggling with a cold/cough. Isn't everybody out there fighting this upper respiratory stuff this winter? We hope she will perk up and be able to go home in a week or so.

First Snow

Exciting to see the trees planted a couple years ago garnished by their first snow of the season.