Thanksgiving

Hadn't realized it had been so long since I posted anything. Here it is almost Christmas - everyone busy, busy, busy. We had a great Saturday after Thanksgiving with the family here. A Jones tradition started by Grandma Hazel carried on with a new generation. We dined together at The Factory, then came home for "the gathering". Cousins always love being together and always a little music in the mix. Hoping my kids and their families enjoy music in their homes as much as we did.

Busy Week

Mom trying out a scooter during the Apple Festival at the Manor

in Early October

A Solar Wax Melter Built By One of Our Beekeeper Club Members

Candles Made Displayed at the Beekeepers Meeting

Lip Balm Making at the Jones House

I spent the first 3 days of this week getting Mom settled into a temporary apartment. They closed the wing she was living on (they say "safety" issues but we know it was financial) and moved all those residents to other empty rooms in the Manor. We kids were upset about her leaving her beautiful apartment and going to a much smaller space that has very little to say for it - basically 2 nursing home rooms with a door between the rooms. Surprisingly, Mom was okay about the whole thing. While many residents were crying and having a hard time dealing with the move, Mom said it looked pretty good with her things in there. I brought all the dolls down after an initial smattering of dolls here and there and that seemed to make her happy. Everything else will be sealed up in her old room and stored until something else becomes available. I was so proud of my mom taking the move so easily and well.

Thursday we were in charge of our beekeepers meeting and I'd put together a video on making lip balm. Other members talked about melting wax, building a solar wax melter, and candle making. It turned out to be a fun evening.

A Record Honey Harvest

The Harvest

Cole the Birthday Boy Goes First

Aunt Marleta Takes a Turn

"Am I next?" (Griff to Dan)

John does a "superb" job decapping

"Unca Bump" asks the kids what they know about bees and honey?

Hal gathering honey boxes

Allie, Hal & Dan manning the fume boards

Harry O IV and Tyler gathering honey boxes

Before the Big Event!

The honey party gained ground this year with 23 family members and one guest here this year for the big event. We could have wished for cooler temps - the garage got up above 100, and you can't open doors or windows or the bees will come in after the honey you took from them. It was a great time with Harry IV doing his impromptu "bee class" for the youngsters. Uncle John jumped in and became the lead "decapper" - meaning he scraped the layer of wax off the honeycomb cells. George manned the line of "spinners" who cranked the extractor. Pat became the jar filler. Marleta gave us a little piano entertainment to inspire the young pianists in the group to keep up with their lessons and "practice". Some of the kids hung in to the very end with the adults and the honey processing in the garage that took about 5 hours total.

And, yes, it was a successful harvest. Our first year we had 2 hives and got about 5 gallons of honey. Last year we again had 2 hives and got only about 2 gallons. One hive died out shortly after that harvest. This year we had 4 hives and got nearly 14 gallons (168 pounds)! As Harry says, "Incredible."

Grandkid Saturday

The grandkids were here Saturday. Lots of activity but the most fun for them was piling into Harry's trailer full of dirt and digging to their hearts' content.

Project Finished

A hard day's work for Harry O, but the wall of the planting bed is finished.

Projects - Projects!

Harry has been hard at work around the place. He dug up 2 miniature lilacs that had overgrown beside the front of the house and planted them as key plantings along the new sidewalk. Today he is working on a brick wall for a flower bed on the back side of the new garage. He's become very goal-driven and makes his list in the early morning and goes at it. I try to do the same, but seem to get more distracted and trail off into something not on the list, but at least I'm getting more done that without a list.

Don't Ever Say, "I Don't Care. Just pick something out."

So here's the story. We're expecting our friend, Hugh Johnson, in this weekend and he'll being camping out with us for the next 11 months. We decided to rearrange some rooms and moved the office from the front bedroom to the basement. Harry wanted to paint the front bedroom and I agreed. As he was coming home from another appointment, he called to ask if I wanted him to pick out paint at Menards while he was there. I said sure. He said he wanted to do yellow and I only made the comment, "Don't pick anything out too bright - anything else is fine." And the very wrong statement, "I Don't Care." Here is the beginning of the paint job. Let me say only that the photo does not give you the actual brightness of the yellow hue.

Brittney's Birthday

I guess I forgot I hadn't posted pics of Brittney's 3oth birthday celebration at our place a week ago.

Garage Nearing Completion & Brittney's Family Visits

Highlights of the week - interior wiring for the garage, garage doors, and guttering were installed. All that's left to do is insulation, interior walls, ceiling, hookup the lighting and run the electrical to the main source. Crews worked in intense heat this week but moved right along.

Brittney, her mom Kathy and sister Lindsey visiting from Utah joined us for lunch yesterday. I guess we should call it supper since we're on the late church schedule and don't eat until 5 or so these days.

Lindsey has her learner's permit, so she practiced parallel parking with the golf cart and plastic drums as delimiters. She got really good at it.

A BUSY WEEK!

The Three Rivers Festival

Cousins, Cousins, Cousins!

Wyatt helping with the shed clean out - to the very end.

The start of the day

A hard-working young man

The End of Day 1 Garage Building

Dick's boys have been here for a week and Harry will make the return trip tomorrow with them. Amy's came last evening and stayed through this afternoon. I made a trip to Mom's yesterday and Harry & the boys managed to clean the shed (really needed doing). George's paid a visit last evening, so we had a good family visit with cousins (some cousins, once-removed) everywhere. In the midst of all this, the builders arrived to start on the garage. They're an Amish group and they did an amazing 1-day job and have the garage framed in. They have a little boy about 6 or 7 who works hard with them until about the middle of the afternoon or maybe until there are things he can't do. I was amazed at how the lad held up - carrying lumber and tools and being a right-hand to the carpenters. Amy's, Harry & the boys went to the Three Rivers Festival Midway this afternoon and I got a little nap in, then finished the lunch cleanup in time to start supper. I'd forgotten what a full-time job it is having kids around.