Tea and Flowers

On November 16th, I was fortunate to be in Louisville for the annual tea that BJ and Margaret Shepherd have to display and sell Margaret's dried flower arrangements. She donates half her profits to one of St. Paul's mission projects each year and those invited get to get a start on their Christmas shopping.

BJ, along with her assistants, Ray and myself, cooked up a storm and the house was lovely. The food was wonderful. Recipes can probably be obtained upon request. Ray had the formidable task of collecting the shower of checks and, even more critical, wrapping the arrangements for transport.

Each year, both BJ and Margaret say, "I think this will be my last year." We'll see!

Fall Colors

Winter has moved in, but it was a beautiful fall around here. The red oak trees were especially beautiful around campus.

A Moving Adventure

The waiting list has moved my name to the top! A townhouse in the same complex became available at the end of October and Ray & BJ boldly and courageously came to help me move. A bit over 100 more sq feet and a flight of stairs to keep me active.

They arrived on Friday and we loaded the truck with one load and set up the basics (the beds) in the new location. Then had a last supper and birthday gift before the long haul of Saturday. Then a 12 hour day of packing/hauling/trucking/hauling. BJ sequestered herself in the kitchen packing the apt kitchen. Who knew I could get so much stuff in a very small kitchen? Ray & I carried the last load around the building and into the, by then dark, patio at 7:30 p.m. They brought homemade veg soup for our first dinner in the new place--all the more delicious after such a long day.

Then, they said, "There's one more thing." BJ had organized (isn't that redundant?) a "virtual shower" and invited family and friends to send greetings and gifts. What a surprise! What generous people! Thank you one and all! I now have many new kitchen towels, candles, stainless flatware, gift card and a hefty deposit in the washer/dryer fund!

I am still swimming in a sea of boxes, but am making progress.

Chad and Vita Come to Visit

October 4-5, 2008, well into the thick of Notre Dame football season, Chad and Vita visited and saw one of the best games of the season--ND v Stanford. (ND 28-21) We also visited Springhope Farm and picked apples and made a brief visit to the Lake on an increasingly cloudy, windy and rainy Sunday.

Celebrating a birthday

To celebrate her birthday, Cathy chose to visit a number of friends and family in the Midwest, which has come to be known as the Great Midwest Circle Tour. I joined the group at the Minneapolis stop September 12-14. Karen & Steve's house was a welcoming 4 star accommodation for Cathy & Shelley & me.

Hurricane Ike was making his way into the continent and the weekend was a bit soggy, but that didn't stop us from getting in a hike, much to Alice's delight. We also had a wonderful dinner together with Jerilyn, Anna and Annika where Annika demonstrated all her crowd pleasing talents.

Fruit Harvest in Michiana

Although it was a very brief visit, Don, Joan, Mary Ann and Malinda pooled resources and drove together to descendupon Michiana to pick apples, peaches, nectarines and plums the weekend after Labor Day. Some of the visitors eluded the camera and the pictures here omit the pounds and pounds of apples we picked. The apartment smelled wonderful for days as ripening fruit filled the air with Ethylene Gas.

The also endured various other excursions such as a drive to Middlebury to visit a couple of the quilt gardens and enjoy an Amish dinner. Getting out of town to enjoy a restaurant is important on an ND football weekend!

Grand Nephew's Grand Tour

Labor Day Weekend at the homestead was quite eventful. Morgan and Cat brought Nathan to meet Great Grandmother Fore. Of course everyone else who was in the country (Chad and Vita were in New Zealand) showed up, too.