JT is three!!!

We would have loved to share in JT's birthday party in Kenosha if we hadn't had a big show in Des Moines.
John J. did a great job of getting organized for the party. Some friends/neighbors enjoyed a cookout with JT. Looks like the hot dogs and pickles were a hit. Then, he played with new sand toys at the park (love the background of this park :-) and had a skype visit with Elizabeth and Brent who "shared" some cake and ice cream and the opening of a gift.

ArtFest Midwest--Pella

So, is going to the ArtFest Midwest just an excuse to stop in Pella at the Jarsma Bakery?? Hmmm... Well, we only stop about once a year. I also got raspberry strudel...
The ArtFest was a fairly good show this year. Slightly under last year, which isn't bad considering the economy. Lt. Gov. Patty Judge spoke at the show. She's a big supporter of the arts and she visited most of the artists for a brief chat. I was able to get a few photos of her speaking and talking with John.
I also got a photo of John with the featured Iowa Artists sign.

Father's Day Weekend

What a busy but fun weekend. We had an early 3rd birthday party for JT, who arrived with his Daddy on Friday night. Then Sunday was both Father's Day and the Snake Alley Art Fair.
JT woke up when he came in on Friday night and we told him that tomorrow would be a busy day and that we would go out early to pick raspberries and strawberries but that he would have to go to sleep and wait until it was light. Well, it WAS light at 6:45 so out we went! :-) We got several raspberries and the two ripe strawberries on my new everbearings. He later ate raspberry pancakes, raspberries, a whole kiwi, and some ham!
We then had to check out some of grandpa's new toys and get out the trains. :-)
John Wayne, Cindi, and Nathan arrived later on Saturday so they were there for the picnic. I had made the "Thomas" train cake on Friday and was proud of it, even if the frosting was too soft to pipe well. JT seemed to enjoy it! :-) He was so excited about playing that he could hardly stop to open presents. He got a train repair shop, a train signal set, Thomas poster, and a clear clock which gets put together with colored gears--from Grandma and Grandpa. Then he also received a circus train, talking Thomas, tropical fish floor puzzle, wind up boat (which he played with all the way home), fish squirter, books, hanging train card......
JT was up early again on Sunday, at about 6:15. Grandpa left just before 6 (he overslept) and that probably woke him up. We went out to check the cherry tree and I picked some cherries. JT wanted a taste but these were pie cherries so I quickly switched for some Bing cherries that were in the fridge. :-) We had cherry pancakes for breakfast. We were at the art fair, with a phenomenal parking place, before 11. It was a very humid and hot day. Doing anything made you red faced and sweaty and I think Dad had a bit too much. Sales were fairly good though and Dad won the Committee Spirit Award. That was an honor, although we teased him quite a bit. "I've got spirit, how bout you?" Dad also appreciated all the calls from those of you who weren't able to be home. :-)
I was excited to get a 1948 Eloise Wilkin Little Golden Book at the antique booths. (And a bunny book for JT). I also got a Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee plate in burgundy and gold. Each at a quite reasonable price.
As usual, it was sad to see John and JT get in the car and leave. They had a safe trip back, however, and JT will be with Daddy on Wed and get to play with his new toys.
WE HOPE ELIJAH FEELS BETTER!!! 105.4 is a little too outstanding!!!

Dr. George, Dr. Beth (aka Dr. Mommy)

George's graduation events were as impressive as I expected, having attended a few other events at the Univ. of Chicago. Friday morning at 11 a.m. the hooding ceremony was held on the Midway Plaisance. This was a divisional ceremony for the Pritzker School of Medicine and was more personal than the huge Convocation. The programs pictured each graduate, listed their specialty, and where they would do their residency. George received his green and maroon hood. He also received his Richard W. Reilly Award for outstanding aptitude in the field of Gastroenterology. His specialty, however, will be internal medicine/pediatrics.
After the hooding the class photo was taken and then we lined up for a really good buffet luncheon. We had two kinds of green salad, southwestern potato salad, a pasta dish, and lots of kinds of cookies. :-) John and I were present, Beth and the boys, Beth's mother, Elizabeth and Brent, and Judy.
On Saturday morning at 9:30 the processional began for the outdoor unified Convocation. What pageantry! From all the quadrangles marched the undergraduates, the graduate students, the faculty....each line led by bagpipes and flags. 22,000 chairs had been set up and an outdoor stage erected. Multiple giant screens offered a better view for those who could barely glimpse the stage. Therefore we got a good "view" of the speaker, Paul Sereno, known to anyone who reads The National Geographic as the "dinosaur hunter", and who is on the faculty at the U of Chicago.
A cloudburst just as the Business School PhD's were announced (but after the Med school)caused us to take shelter in the bookstore, where Judy purchased a nice frame for George's diploma.
After the ceremony we met George in one of the med school buildings for a sack lunch. These "sacks" were so nice that I saved most of them. They had the U of C logo and I plan to take my lunch to school in them next year, thereby hoping to impress the new superintendent so that he believes I deserve the sub raise. :-)
John, Judy, and I, along with John J and JT, attended the Convocation and felt really lucky that we accidently chose chairs near the pathway down which the Medical School graduates would later walk.
Saturday evening was a graduation party at their new apartment. Beth graduated in late May from Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine so this was quite a celebration for them. The photo shows George putting on a bow tie that Judy got him.
Yes, of course I'm proud of all their hard work and sacrifices over many years. It's been a long journey for them. So, I certainly also feel that any sense of pride belongs to them alone. Only they know how much they've given towards what they have achieved.

BEAR

BEAR
Oct. 2004--June 2010

We miss you Bear. I'm so sorry and I'll be sad forever that I couldn't be there for you when you needed me. You were the smartest and most gentle of giants.

My Estate :-)

I arrived home from Iowa City about 11, having stopped for a visit with Mom. It rained all the way but the radar looks clear now, so hopefully we won't get any more waterlogged.
I fed the cats and when the rain stopped I fed the rabbits, the dogs, the birds. I still have a junky cough today so I thought I'd go lie down for a rest and fell asleep on those soft down pocket pillows.

It is so incredible here to listen to the birds. You'd think you were at some magnificent gardens. At my feeders I have goldfinches, purple finches, rosebreasted grosbeaks, cardinals, orioles, and even a short term visitor, the indigo bunting. Of course there are woodpeckers, sparrows, nuthatches, chickadees, titmice and ground feeders like doves and chipping sparrows. The wrens don't visit the feeders but sing all day. The hummingbirds just hum. :-) I think if the sounds were sold as a recording it would be considered a bit over the top and unbelievable. But, I get to hear it every day. And I love the sound of the wind in the firs and the giant white pine that was Elizabeth's first Christmas tree.
When I open the door I'm likely to see the pesky squirrels, the dashing (as in dashing about) chipmunks, or the poky possum. Or calves and colts! :-) Chip the Chipmunk has holes beneath the pile of concrete blocks and in the rocks around the fern edged ornamental pool, and a run under the house to connect easily with the perennial bed along the fence. Life is good for him as long as the cats are inside. He sometimes sits on the rock pile and "chips" his song. I can usually say hi to him a few times a day. I should be unhappy with him as he probably has runs through the rose roots. Oh, well, I'm not going to chase him away. The deer I'd like to see from a bit more of a distance. Having them walk right up near the door as if they'd come on in if I talked to them a bit more is not helpful to a garden.
My flower gardens make me happy most every minute of every spring, summer, and fall day. With a little elbow grease, a reliance on sales on perennials, and a dividing of ones I've had, I can have gardens the equal of anyone. Another of those "richer than I you cannot be for I had a mother who read to me" feelings. (I had that, too.) Let's see, "Richer than I you cannot be, for I have gardens, and birds, and a cup of tea..." Add in books, a cozy bed, and I really am easily made happy.

June

Ah, June.
We have survived being married for 36 years! :-) It seems like such a very long time ago. We're getting a new camera as a present but the model John picked out is back ordered. After having steak and potatoes that Mom fixed, we went out to the DQ for ice cream.
In May we had a few trips to Iowa City, a trip to Chicago. (This just after Beth's graduation from med school!! Congrats!!). Then there was Memorial Day weekend. In Chicago we were able to visit George and Beth's new apartment. It's bright and roomy and has wonderful features, like the stained glass windows at either side of the hearth in the living room. We went to the beach, to some nice shops in Andersonville, and to a Japanese garden. Fun visit!
I was able to go with Mom and Judy to some of the cemeteries the Sunday before Memorial Day. I got more photos, as I think a family record of the grave sites is important. That evening we went to Stephen and Carolyn's for a cook out with them, Mom Weyer and Judy, and Cindi, John W, and Nathan. Mom Weyer brought potato salad and fresh strawberry pies and life was good!
Oh, and I did finally go to the Dr. yesterday and get antibiotics, steroids, and an inhaler.
Will the flowers of 10 be as beautiful as the flowers of 09? The deer have already eaten the Casablanca lily and a clump of Stargazers. The heat of last week finished the peonies early and things aren't blooming together as they did last year. But, the roses along the fence row were pretty spectacular last week, after the calves had their walk about. :-)
The deer were repelled by Dad's stinky popsicles (florist foam soaked in blood meal and amonia) for awhile but yesterday he discovered that the sweet potatoes had been nibbled. So he put wire mesh over them.
Here are some favorite recent photos, including some from Chicago, one from Memorial Day, one of the future strawberry bed. Sigh.