Making the Most of a Month

Whew! Let me catch my breath. Hard to believe another month is almost history. Before we turn the page on the calendar, I should attempt a recap.

First, though, here’s a photo of the boyz to bring a smile to your face:


Ok, so we started the month of October off right by celebrating Missy M’s birthday.



I cannot tell you how much we are enjoying being close to her. We have brunch together almost every Sunday, although today’s meal was supper of M’s yummy potato soup...which was perfect on this first truly chilly day of Fall.

That same week, I got to attend my first Georgia Master Gardener Association’s annual conference in nearby Buford. Spent a great couple of days devoted to classes, workshops, and meeting new folks. Even had some good fortune with the Silent Auction items. Fun!

I think I told you that we have joined the Oscher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Georgia. I signed up for several classes this Fall, and we joined several of the Special Interest Groups (SIG) including the Lunch Bunch, the Supper Club, and the Lady Dogs Basketball group. While that last SIG won’t begin until basketball season, the other opportunities are keeping us busy.

I’ve been to two classes so far: Growing Blueberries and Figs in Georgia and World War I Military Training Camps in Georgia. The first one will help us as we plan our garden here (more on that in a sec); the second one gave me some insight into Papaw (Grandfather Keaton)’s boot camp experience at Camp Gordon as well as his service at Fort Oglethorpe (where he was a Quartermaster). 

We enjoyed two lunches at a couple of Athens restaurants (that we probably would never have tried) with the Lunch Bunch. And we met for a lovely dinner with the 6 other members of our Supper Club. Our hosts made a pork loin roast and asked that we bring sides with the theme of Autumn Harvest. I made an apple pie for dessert and baked yeast rolls as a special treat. 

We volunteered to host the November dinner...which will actually be a Sunday brunch instead. (More on that in my next post.) Now, you may be wondering whether I’ve gone ‘round the bend by asking people to come over to our house...you know, the house that is still being moved into? Actually, I thought that might give us just the nudge to get things wrapped up before the Holidays are upon us.

Soooo...we have finished the unpacking of boxes (for the most part)...and are beginning the hanging of pictures and curtains and shelves and what not. And you know what? Casa 303 is really starting to feel like our home. 

We did take a break this weekend to travel to NC to go to the Southeast Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF) and stay with Bro J in Asheville. I took a class on Beginning Spinning on a Takli, and Mr. T took a beginning wood carving class and made a Spirit Stick...cool! 

From the drive through the mountains to the Fair itself to the time we spent with J & J, it was a really great weekend! 

As we begin this last week of the month, I am staying the night at Missy M’s house with the dogs, since T will have to rise-and-shine to welcome the workers who are coming at 0-dark:30 to install our new garden shed tomorrow. It’s the same shed that he and I built from a kit in HPNC (the one with the purple doors), but we decided we had enough on our plates and could get a crew to do the heavy lifting (we’ll still have to seal, caulk, and paint, etc., ourselves). And after the shed is in place, we can get the garden going.

Oh yes. It truly is feeling like our home.

Rounding Third, Heading for Home

This week has FINALLY arrived! One could say we have been waiting for it for five long months, since we closed on our NC house on March 31st and moved in with Missy M. One could also say that we have been waiting for two years, since we decided that we would downsize and relocate after we retired. One would probably be correct on both counts. Either way, in baseball terms, we are rounding third base and heading for home!

So, how did this week begin? Well, we are celebrating the first full week of our newest family member, Logan. We adopted him from the Walton County Animal Control, where he had been owner-surrendered because he was "to(o) hyper." We were told that he was "around 5 months old and weighed about 30 pounds," and the guess was made about his parentage: possibly Dalmatian? 

Wrong times three as it turns out. I took him for his first vet visit this morning, and when we got him on the scales, he weighed 25 pounds (and trust me, he hasn't missed a meal this week!). She checked his teeth and found he still has his lower puppy teeth (although his permanent canines are in on the uppers), so she's guessing he is no more than 4 1/2 months old (I had guessed he was younger than they said, since those little needle-teeth had been doing a number on our hands and arms!). And she thinks he is probably a border collie and lab...or possibly a pointer...mix.

Absolutely no matter...none whatsoever. Logan has completely stolen our hearts in the short time he has been under our roof. So much so that I have totally changed my thinking about one key point: I was at first appalled that anyone would surrender a puppy for being "hyper;" now, I am so very thankful that someone did surrender him so that he could have a chance at a good life. And "a good life" is exactly what we intend to provide! 

Here are a few more photos:

Also, as we begin our "Heading for Home" week, I had a good report from my foot doctor. He was pleased with my progress, but he wants me to continue to "ice & elevate" and wear the walking boot for at least another week. Fingers crossed that all will be well by September 6, which is when M is taking me to see Mickey at WDW for my birthday. But that's for a later post...

Back to reality...

I'd love to report that all was peachy-keen in the Peach State, but that's asking for too much. On the projects front, the electricians were busy with the fan and light installs last Friday (see pictures below). Single to right...man on first.

The Merry Maids guy didn't show up for his appointment to give us a quote (foul ball!), but the Molly Maids came through for the Move-In Cleaning today (double to center...advancing runner to third!).

But those electricians didn't quite finish the job and had planned to return yesterday. Didn't happen. Can't happen until after Labor Day weekend. Swing! Miss. Ah well...

Then Mr. T got a call from the moving company's Ops guy about our scheduled move-in on Thursday (8/31). Uh, no...that should be 8/30, says T. Hmmm. Seems that when they say a move is a two-day affair, they are counting their packing and transporting day as Day 1; the actual move-in happens on Day 2. Swing! Another miss. Ah well...again. 

Two strikes on this batter. I guess instead of rounding third and heading for home, it's more like we are standing on third and trying to steal home. So close...only 90 feet away! We can see it...we can feel it...we can taste it. 

H-O-M-E. 

And I have no doubts we will be there by the time I post my next update 'cause this batter is swinging for the fences!

Making Progress

As I write this progress report post, I am sitting on our new sofa which is sitting on our new floor in our new (to us!) GA home. Granted, we haven't crossed the Finish Line of this move just yet, but we are indeed coming out of the Backstretch and are headed into the Far Turn of this interminable, slow-mo relo race. And because things are indeed progressing, we brought Winston and Ella Rae along to help them get accustomed to the new digs.

Winston: "Can we go to the new house? Hunh, hunh, hunh?"

Are you ready for this? The German Shepherd who lives behind us...see his legs on the other side of this hole in our fence?...is also a rescue named Winston! How unlikely is that?! Let's hope the two Winstons eventually come to a mutual understanding over the ownership of the fence. Ahem.

It hasn't all been projects that have progressed. Mr. T took delivery of our new sofa and ottoman this past week. This sofa is replacing one we have had since our previous move to Georgia...in 1997. We figured after 20 years and 4 moves, it was time to retire Old Faithful.

New Sofa and Ottoman (probably the last time anyone will see it without a cover...;-)

New Sofa and Ottoman (complete with covers and happy dogs)

So, about that progress report I mentioned...

1) The tile project - Mark this one complete, as of 5:00 Friday! Hooray! And both of us think it was totally worth all the trouble. Here are some "after" photos for you.

     1) a) Install two new toilets - Done...no thanks to the plumber, I might add. As both bathrooms were getting new tile flooring, and as both 15-year-old toilets would have to be removed in the process, we figured we'd get brand new toilets (tall and elongated, to replace the seemingly child-sized ones) while we were at it. Bought American Standards, complete sets and had them delivered. But, when the plumber arrived, he kept saying they were "European" and would require much more work...and $600 to install. And then he left (without installing the garbage disposal either because there wasn't an electric outlet box to contain the wiring under the sink), saying he would have their office call us to reschedule. Good grief. Here is a picture of the new box that Mr. T installed under the sink (another one done!), and a screen capture of the text exchange between T and me, beginning with a report of my conversation with the scheduler at the plumbing company...and his pithy response:

New outlet...ready for the new garbage disposal (which this house has never had!)

Texts about the toilet install (done!)

I laughed for several minutes after I got that text from T. 

2) New light fixtures, fans, and extra outlets - In progress. Mr. T is tackling some of these installs (most notably, that outlet under the sink and the new vanity lights in both bathrooms - pictured)...

...and has contracted with an electrical company to do the more challenging ones (most notably, two fans in the16' vaulted ceilings). That's what is on tap for this next week.

3) Outdoor Clean-up - Mr. T has spent a good bit of the last week wielding pruners, loppers, and hedge trimmers in the Great Outdoor Clean-up project. It was abundantly clear that the previous owners (a) loved plants and (b) stopped maintaining their landscape a while ago. Everything just looked shaggy. So T has been intent on taming the property...and it shows! 

4) More touchup painting - Yeah, I thought we were done with painting, too. But the tile guys only "install" the quarter rounds after tiling; they don't do anything to pimp it. So next week, it looks like I'll be rolling on trim paint to the baseboards and qtr-rnd and using the caulking gun to put a period to our painting projects. Oh, and there are a few nicks and dinks on the walls from the tile installation, so patching and painting here and there will also be on the agenda.

And how does that work with a walking boot, you might ask? Well, I'm thinking I can use a low stool in order to avoid involving my foot. We shall see....

5) Finish Line - Our move-in date is officially scheduled for 8/30. Conceding that my foot isn't ready for all the standing that the cleaning required to spiff up the house before the Four Men and Two Trucks arrive would necessitate, we've got Stanley Steemer coming to do the carpeted areas (three bedrooms and closets), and then the Molly Maids are coming to do a move-in clean before The Big Day. 

Yes, the Finish Line. We will be crossing it in 11 days from today. Tick, tick, tick! Now, how exciting is that?

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If there are glaring design errors with this or any of my posts, please know that I do the best I can when I set up my posts and pictures in Blogger. But because Blogger (a Google application) and my iPad (an Apple product) do NOT play well together, it is a jaw-clenching effort to even get a post loaded. And, though I cannot lug my laptop around, it isn't much better or easier to wait until I can get in front of my PC. Oh, and there is no plan to fix the issues on Google's part. Sigh.

Four Months Down the Road

Hard as it is for me to believe, we arrived in Georgia four months ago. Or 17 weeks and 3 days, if you want to be more precise. Or 9 bars of Dove soap...but who's counting, right?

In the good news column, you could count the blooming of one of this year's daylily purchases called Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo. It makes us feel like things stand a high possibility of eventually returning to Normal. Eventually. 

And, I took time out of working on the house today to attend my first meeting of the Walton County Master Gardener volunteers in Monroe, GA. I had applied when it looked like we were going to be moving to Loganville (eventually!) and received word in mid-July that I had cleared the background checks (required of anyone working with children) and my application had been approved. I have missed this part of my life (which was put on hold last year while we were going through the throes of moving from NC), so it was a special day indeed. I will be limited in the number of volunteer hours I can manage until after we actually get moved in, but you have to start somewhere.

So where are we on "getting moved in?" Let's see:

(1) Finished painting - The guest room/my craft room just makes me smile every time I look at the "Uptown Girl" purple walls. Missy M says the color looks like my office in our house in O'Fallon, and I have to agree. 

We also finished painting the "Sailors Bay" blue Hall bath, which will be decorated with lighthouses.

(2) Survived a brief vertigo spell...only to have a possible stress fracture in my right foot - This has to come under the "good grief" category. I think the vertigo came about because of the up-and-down on the ladder; thankfully only lost a couple of days to that nemesis. I'm guessing the foot problem was caused by hyper-extending my foot while applying the blue tape to the baseboards. Whatever...I've been hobbling around like Grandpa McCoy (Lordy, doesn't THAT reference date me?!?) for nearly a week now. Seeing the foot doc on Thursday; currently practicing my pleas for a cortisone shot (which Mr. T says is an indication that I must be in pain if I'm asking for a needle!). Meanwhile I elevate and ice.

(3) Got the dishwasher installed - That means we now have all our new appliances operational. Gorgeous! I just have to touch them to make sure they are real!

(4) Got a new storm door, complete with a doggie door - Mr. T finished this install this week, and the pups got to come spend an afternoon at the new house. Ella Rae had an hour's head start as she rode with T, while Winston had to go on a little detour to meet his new vet and get his bordatella booster. It was hard for me to go back to Eastside, but I was so impressed with the care and concern that Dr. Houghton had shown for Abbie-girl that I wanted her to care for Win-man. He, of course, won over the whole staff within a few minutes, and had a great old time. But he then had cause for pause when confronted with the new doggie door...which has a different design from the one he is accustomed to. It took ER being out in the yard and barking at something for him to throw caution to the wind and go blamming right on through.

(5) Had internet connection installed...finally - After a false start a week ago, the Comcast guy finally showed up to install Xfinity (just the internet connection to set up our wifi network since we don't use cable). Not the best customer install experience ever...but we truly have no other choice (since AT&T doesn't have fiber in Loganville yet). If I've said it once, I've said it repeatedly: I MISS NORTHSTATE (our service provider in NC)! They showed up when they said they would, they put the equipment where YOU wanted it, and they managed to be pleasant about it...pretty much the direct opposite of Comcast. Sigh. But I will say this, things are working well, and the wifi is powerful enough to provide excellent streaming video (which is how we get much of our programming now...through Roku, Sling, etc.).

(6) Had another AC service call - Still have AC issues. (The tale of trying to get this resolved could make a whole post but I'll just leave it at that.) Double sigh. Waiting on yet another service call. Hopefully will have a fully-functioning AC before Winter sets in.

(7) Got good news about our tile installation - Looks like they have found the 3 pallets of tile all from the same dye lot and caliber. When it actually arrives, we should be able to schedule the install...possibly as soon as a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed! 

(8) Have a newly-mown lawn and trimmed bushes - Mr. T took M's mower and trimmers over to the house and started the monumental task of cleaning up the landscaping. While the seller kept the grass mowed, we have had so much rain this year that everything had experienced several growth spurts. Plus, the original owners moved out last August, so they more-or-less stopped caring for the plantings...making everything look shaggy and overgrown. Once he had cleared out a spot, Mr. T hung a bird feeder and set up a bird bath. Won't be long before the word gets out that the Adsit Bird Bistro is open for business!

So that's where we are as we begin a new month. I sincerely hope that we will be moved in before completing another 31 days...or unwrap 2 more Dove soap bars...whichever comes first.

Not Ready to Say Goodbye

I remember it like it was yesterday. She was the tiniest puppy with silky-soft, pointy ears and the cutest button nose, and she was supposed to be an Australian Shepherd mix about 7 weeks old. And the moment we saw Abbie, she stole our hearts. We couldn't write the check for her adoption fee fast enough. 

We had stalked the Forsyth County Animal Control website for weeks, even completing the adoption application before we found the perfect companion for Elmo, our blind Basset hound. After we found out that our other Basset, Duchess' chest tumor was inoperable, we knew we had to prepare for the day when she was no longer with us, and it seemed smarter to introduce a new family member before the inevitable happened. 

Boy, did that not go according to the plan! Still, although the sequence of events was not as planned, adopting Abbie-Dabbie was one of the best things we could have done. She proved to be a firecracker from the start, quickly showing her Holy Terrier parentage. She and Elmo became best buds, although Duchess was not amused. Abs took on the role of Hall Monitor, making sure everyone (2-legged as well as 4–legged) towed her line. From the time she found her voice (ironically in K9 Training class, where she was supposed to keep it to herself), she had this guttural growl that led to a take-a-step-back-buddy bark. Inside, she was a big ol' marshmallow, although most people never saw that side of her.

Her adoption eventually led to Winston's joining the family from Forsyth, and since they were both 2013 babies, we thought we could enjoy 10-12 years with A and W in residence. 

Again, things have not gone according to the plan. 

We had to take Ab's to the Eastside Emergency Animal Medical Center yesterday, as her tummy had become distended and enlarged...seemingly overnight. This was all the more worrying since she hadn't been eating properly for a couple of weeks, and she had begun to vomit yellow bile. At first, we had explained away the symptoms by attributing them to the stress brought on by our move...or by the multitude of recent thunderstorms (which terrified our little terrier)...or by the fireworks over the Fourth. But the tummy issues could not be explained away. 

The X-ray showed a huge white mass in her belly, which the ER vet thought might be a tumor in her spleen. Although stunned, we were able to participate in the planning process for her care: she would stay overnight at Eastside, getting IV fluids and pain meds. Since Abbie had the well-earned reputation (first noted by Dr. Barker, her NC vet) of being "stoic," it was difficult to tell that she was in terrible pain. It was easy to see that she was lethargic, though. If all was well, she would undergo a splenectomy when the surgeon arrived Monday morning. We kissed her goodbye as Marian the Terrific Tech took her back.

On Monday morning, we had several telephone conversations with the vet surgeon who wanted to make sure we understood what would be happening. And she assured us she would call before noon to let us know how things were going.

I knew the second I answered Dr. H's. call at 11:30 that her news was not good, but I wasn't prepared for the full gut-punch: a massive tumor had invaded multiple organs, and there was nothing that could be done. The decision was made for us, and the tears started to flow in buckets. It is always difficult for pet parents to make the hard choice to let a fur baby cross the rainbow bridge, but it is exceptionally wrenching to have to say goodbye way too soon.

Abbie-girl, you were loved and you are missed. 

Dog Days of Summer Indeed

Time for a bit of catching up. I've been absent from my blog, but not entirely checked out. Truth-be-told, I've been in GA for the better part of the past month, so let me take a few paragraphs to recap.

The short version is that I've been dog-sitting for Missy M, who has been "on the road again," or rather "in the air again," all for work. 

Ella Rae and Dixie on the sofa

Abbie in the chair...

Winston and Abbie share the sofa...most unusual...

Dixie and ER...back on the sofa...

The long version is that I took advantage of my extended time here to catch up with friends, to do a little work (coaching), and to start down a new path regarding my bout with Bell's Palsy.

It all began with a phone call. I think I told you in an earlier post that I had stumbled upon an "old friend" offering a "new way" of dealing with the residual effects of BP. Yes, I once received excellent treatment for benign positional vertigo in the form of vestibular rehabilitation training at the Atlanta Ear Clinic; so you can imagine I was thrilled to learn that the same therapist also offered facial muscle paralysis retraining (which is my last, best hope of overcoming the synkinesis and facial muscle spasms I have). Hallelujah! I couldn't dial the number fast enough to get an appointment! 

Of course, I should have known their first appointment would be months away, rather than days or weeks. Sigh. Oh well, the months have passed since June, August has arrived, and (being a bit over eager) I showed up 30 minutes early for my first appointment (of three currently scheduled). 

Again, I should have known. It isn't going to be quite as easy as I'd blithely anticipated. Double sigh. The first appointment with Dr. C revolved around taking my history (of my Bell's Palsy battles) and getting some baseline data. And therein lay the land mine. 

She began by using a device called an ELECTROMYOGRAPH (or EMG), which is described as "a system of using surface electrodes placed over (facial) muscles" to "detect and amplify the electrical potentials of the muscles", transmitting the information "to a computer where the messages are converted into graphs." The EMG not only takes the baseline data, it will also be used in the facial muscle retraining exercises. For the first test, she placed the electrodes on either side of my mouth in order to be able to compare the readings for the left (affected) side of my face with the right (unaffected) side. So far, so good.

When she fired up the computer program, however, she apparently began getting a high reading, indicating a good deal of "electrical activity," even though I hadn't done any of the test yet. Hmmm. She asked if I had a cell phone in my pocket? No, it was in my purse across the room. Was I having a facial spasm at the time? No! I would have felt it...right?!?

Hmmmm...

So we started the testing. She had me pucker my lips and hold the pucker for an extended amount of time, then she showed me the resulting reading and graph. Left side showed up "weaker" than the right, as expected. We did the pucker exercise three times before moving to the next one: smiling.

To start this one, she said "smile real big, showing lots of teeth. Hold it, hold it, hold it! Release!" Same results. Left weaker response than right. Again: smile real big...

Only...

Almost immediately into the second smile, the facial muscle below my left jawline and down my neck locked into a terrifically painful spasm. Oh. My. Heavens. I was crying, it hurt so much. I guess the EMG had been picking up this anticipated spasm as increased "activity."

Dr. C removed the electrodes, saying "I think we got what we needed." She also said she was sorry I was in such pain, but that it really was fortunate that she had been able to record the spasm. I probably looked a tad skeptical about the "fortunate" part. Ahem.

And then came the question that took my mind off my current pain. "Has anyone talked to you about using Botox?" Not really, although I have read about it in some of the research on facial muscle paralysis. I've also read about the side effects (facial muscle paralysis). Why would one use something to "cure" a problem that can "cause" the very same problem? Seems counterintuitive to me. Oh, and did I mention it is delivered via NEEDLES?

Well, until my facial muscles can "relax" enough (which is what the Botox would do), I won't get much (if any) benefit from the retraining exercises. Bummer. 

So now I have a decision to make. To Botox or not to Botox? That is the question. Thinking, thinking, thinking. Researching, researching, researching. And, since I'm already scheduled for a regular visit to my GP, I'll get his opinion before I proceed. 

Meanwhile, I'm doing the facial exercises that Dr. C gave me to practice at home. Gently. Slowly. Deliberately. I almost always set off a spasm if I get too enthusiastic with the motions...especially the BIG SMILE, SHOW TEETH one.  And we shall see at my next appointment with her whether I've loosened up the tension in my jaw. We shall see...

We welcomed Mr. T back here yesterday, after keeping his Outlander between the lines for a couple of weeks. He stopped in HPNC over last weekend, doing a little yardening and making sure all is well while we are gone. He met a friend from his pre-high school days this morning, catching up and washing away several years. He is getting his dental work done before we exit GA, in compliance with his new orthopedic surgeon's directive. Yes, T is now scheduled for knee replacement surgery next month...more on this in my next post. Glad he will finally be getting relief from this ongoing issue...and also glad he will have no more bad knees to fix!

And in reporting other health news: I continue to wear my splint to deal with another flare of the DeQuervain's tendinitis (left wrist...need to schedule another cortisone shot, I suppose...NEEDLE!), and I've recovered from a recent "back attack." Limiting my gardening activities by not being in HPNC will probably be the best med for both of those...although maybe not the best for the garden itself.

Lest you think I've completely shut down with "gardening," please know that I have kept busy with:

— Creating and refining a couple of PowerPoint presentations for my two sessions at the International Master Gardener Conference, scheduled for September 22-25 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Now, that should be an Adventure for this Adsit, for certain!

— Writing...including an article that appeared in the local paper. Check it out here: 

From Our Gardens: What is a Master Gardener? - Home - News-Record.com

Keeps one's fingers in the pie, so to speak. Ah well...

I do believe I hear the dogs barking in the backyard. Of course, with 4 in residence, one (or more) is ALWAYS barking in the backyard. Better get back to my intended purpose here...minding the dogs in these final days of Summer.

Dog days, indeed.

All This...and Heaven Above

"I'm just an old hound dog
Roaming around, oh Lord
I've got all this and Heaven above

Oh, Atlanta
I hear you calling
I'm coming back to you one fine day
No need to worry
There ain't no hurry cause I'm
On my way back to Georgia

On my way back to Georgia..."

— Lyrics by Alison Krauss

We are on the road again, for the second weekend in a row. And since our destinations involved Nashville and Atlanta, I thought the song lyrics above...written by one of my favorite "country" artists (she is just so talented: singer, songwriter, and performer!) about one of my favorite places...was apropos.

Last weekend, Mr. T and I made it to a very special picnic with a very special group of people: my Lunn cousins. It was held at a fabulous park in Goodlettsville, organized by my oldest first cousin and his wife, who not only coordinated everything and everyone...but also grilled the hamburgers they provided...on one of the hottest days of the year, so far! Three generations from near and far were in attendance, and we were delighted to see the duo who drove the distance from AZ. Someone said "that's a long way to come just for lunch!" But you know what? I wouldn't have missed this chance to see these folks for all the tea in China...or all the meclizine in my medicine cabinet. Yeah...I had to overcome a vertigo episode to get there, but dizzy or not, I was determined to be a part of this happy get together. And Mr. T, who had driven 8 hours to get home from NJ on Friday, got right back behind the wheel to drive us the 8 hours to get to middle Tennessee on Saturday. Go, Mr. T!

Here are some photos of the family picnic (forgive the first few, as the lighting in the pavilion was not the best):

Thomas Adsit; Julie and Jack Lunn

Foreground: Terry Lunn

Roy and Ann McGuire

Walt Lawson; Kenneth Fly; Steve Clark; Kevin Lawson; Helen Fly Clark; and Ann Brown McGuire (back)

Thomas and Patricia Lunn Adsit

The First Cousins, from oldest to youngest: Kenneth, Wayne, Cliffordene, Terry, Ann, Helen, Walt, Patricia, and Jack

The "Outlaws:" Granville, Madge Ann, Steve, Roy, Irene, Thomas, and Julie

The Seconds and Thirds

Julie and Jack Lunn

Patricia, Terry, and Jack (Sidney Lunn's children)

And even though the picnic lasted just a few hours, we got to spend time with Bro and SIL J & J...spending the night with them...and Bro T, who met us for breakfast on Sunday. We also got to meet two extended family members (Bro T's stepson who drove him to TN and SIL J's aunt who joined us at Cracker Barrel). Oh, and Mr. T and I had an "interstate 40 reunion" with a couple of my Stewart cousins on our way to the Lunn picnic! So, all-in-all, it was a very social family weekend.

Then, it was back on the road this past Friday (with the Pound Pups this time) to get to ATL in time for a Braves vs. Mets game that Missy M had arranged as her Father's Day gift to Mr. T. We made it to our seats in time to sing the National anthem...which is an accomplishment, take my word. With somewhat low expectations for a good outcome (have you heard what they did to our roster this year?!), we endured many scoreless innings for the Bravos. Then, as the 8th inning rolled around, we went ahead 2-1, and the crowd went wild! It was a great finish, capped off with the Friday Night Fireworks...ooh, aah! Loved it!

Missy M made a fabulous salad (fresh baby greens, strawberries, walnuts, feta cheese, and cherry tomatoes from her garden...with a vinaigrette dressing...yum!), while Mr. T grilled fresh corn on the cob and thick strip steaks last night, and today I made blueberry pancakes for our breakfast...with blueberries from our garden. At least we ate well before we had to get back in the car!

And we have enjoyed being together. As a family. As it should be.

Oh yeah. I've got all this...and Heaven above. Sing it, Alison!

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Remember, check out the latest post over on our gardening blog, Gardening with Giants. Click here to go there!