Last Weekend of March

 Tun of Ironcat.
Kila seems to be an easy mark to laugh at!

Steve made me a trellis for one of my rose bushes. It isn't quite done yet, but I was excited! It will be nice to have the roses on a real trellis instead of one of the many make shift ones I've created over the years. 

 

 Jon was annoyed. He had an idea for a trellis made from metal. However, the cardboard cat below is also a project he is working on. He's been toying with that since around Christmas (or earlier!). I was glad Steve got his mostly done, my rosebush really needs staked. It is tearing up the tulips planted under it!

 

Saturday was full of emotions and activities. In the morning, Jon was down at the park for the AVFD Easter egg hunt. (Athena Volunteer Fire Dept--see link) In the afternoon Jon was a part of an honor guard in a memorial service. The service was for the young man at the end of the second row of boys from the bottom (below Jon's left shoulder). Kyle Teater. Approximately 30 Scouts, former Scouts, and leaders attended. I wished Kyle could have seen how many people his life changed. It made me remember how important it is to love those around you now and not regret you didn't make time for them. When I start to regret, I love those near me more. 

April 2009

 We watched 'Big Hero Six' as a family and then watched the end of 'Real Genius'. Jon decided 'Real Genius' was more plausible. I enjoyed the former movie, it was cute. The latter movie? I'll watch it over and over!

 It appears there was a spot of turmoil in the doll world last night. Mrs. Klein and Amethyst were NOT sitting neatly next to the giant pillow this morning. I can only imagine what might have taken place.

 Easter Sunday has always been a fun day. When we were kids, Janet and I would hide dyed eggs over and over and over. They were played with til their shells were in bits! I remember looking for Easter baskets and finding one of mine one year safely lodged in the dishwasher. That was the year mum got us Trixie Belden. We used to dye and hide eggs and baskets for the boys. With Jon doing eggs by the dozen, we now do things a bit smaller. And place treats in chairs or on place mats. Steve ordered me the watch I wanted and I had him give it to me today. It was on my dresser. I was glad he had an old Ford watch container for it, I might not have found it with all my necklaces and earrings scattered everywhere!  I had picked up a Tshirt for Steve and a camo seat cover for Jon's Bronco (not sure it will work....). While I was out and about, I found these lovely cats. I was NOT going to get them, they were a pair and we didn't need anymore nick nacks. BUT, after dithering for quite a while, I brought them home.

 Moses doesn't seem too bothered by them! As long as he can have his 'paper' to sit on!

 I've been enjoying the rest of this Sunday making dinner. I created a couple of salads--which are tangy. I used my own recipe and NOT Pearl Burras' (Greater Tuna, TX). Jon thinks it is pretty funny. I've also made cookies (I was such a vegetable the last couple of weeks!). I was startled to find a baby alien in the last batch I pulled from the oven. I'm sure he'll taste just fine accompanied by a glass of milk.

Spring!

I love the purples in spring. Violets and vinca crowded together in a corner of my yard.  

This is one of many narcissus I was given from the Coppock yard. 

 Steve did most of the lawn, Jon said he'd do the rest. I picked violets before the guys trimmed them off. Many of my volunteer flowers were about 2 and half inches tall!!!

 I smiled when I found hearts in my yard. The cement rhubarb leaf lost the 'tip', but next to the mass of rose geranium, it doesn't look too bad!

Steve also decided to take the warm dry days this weekend to work on the fence. 

 He had help. (Jeremy came over first, then a young man showed up, after a bit the boy's grandpa stopped by.)

Day Off.

Steve took the day off today to take the Mercury in and get right with the Oregon DMV. The heart of this Alaskan was sad. However, I can put the Alaskan plates up on the wall in the little house with some of the other ones I have! 

As we drove thru Pendleton, I became aware of something startling. It shouldn't have been, but it was. People don't look. One car almost backed out in front of us, another lady, animatedly  using her cell phone, flew past as we waited to merge into traffic, and different folks walking by proceeded to not see anything other than the papers or technology in hand. Many people DO notice this bright blue and white with chrome car and it is fun to respond to their joy in glimpsing something different. Yet, those who don't, I felt sorry for. People who are so wrapped up in their own lives they can't see anything else, those people exist in an isolated world. I understand they may have been in a hurry, they may have been distracted by good news, or they might have been learning about something bad. It doesn't excuse them. Flowers bloom, raindrops make rainbows on dirty earth, and wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings deserve to be discovered and marked as special things. 

 Things as simple and gentle as warm fleecy blankets and whiskers on well.... everyone! Afternoon naps on rainy grey days and books-More favorite things!

I'm glad we can count up all these good things and I'm glad for the lesson learned on Steve's day off. Now, am going to make pizza dough and hope it turns out as well as it did the other day when I made cheesy bread sticks!

Happy Birthday, Jonathan!!!

 Jonathan Scott was born Feb 4 early in the morning. He's not gotten up that early since, except to go deer  hunting. His brother, Tony, gave Jon his middle name. Tony also gave Jon the cat in the photo taken last April (2015).

 We celebrated Jon's birthday this year with a moderate turkey dinner. Complete with grey mashed potatoes. (I had a spice mix from something else that I accidentally spilled into the lovely white taters, the spice mix appeared to be heavy on the pepper side!). There is not a photo of the mashed veggies--

When I made Jon's cake, I discovered I had not purchased enough Kit Kats. It took one break more than 10 full size bars to complete the circle. I also used 6 bags of assorted flavors of M&Ms on top. When we added the 21 twirly candles, it was a rather festive topping! We put in one straight candle for the 22nd birthday.

 Steve's hand was getting a bit warm, so he had to pull back to cool off before finishing the rest of the lighting.

 I also took one of Jon blowing OUT the candles, but alas--I was standing in the way of the smoke and well, it ended up being a VERY dark picture.

We decided if the citizens in Ceaser 3 had a chocolate coliseum to live near, they'd not have complained! (Jon's been playing this and his citizens got very annoyed at living next to their coliseum!)

 Cutting a cake is always  interesting. The edges would have been more secure if I had been able to get it all decorated when the frosting was 'sticky'. Putting more decor on at a later time made things tumble easier. Jon didn't mind.

 Kila tried to get a stray m&m. He was mad we took it away.

 OK, forgot to turn this around! Jon had a choice between cookies and cream and chocolate chip mint ice cream. He chose wisely.

 We let the birthday boy cut the cake (talk about a blurry photos!! Jon also didn't take many of these pictures). On the cake he didn't use a protractor or consult our neighbors (one is his HS geometry teacher and the other is a uber smart science professor type) for assistance.

 We rounded out the evening with a couple shakes of Yahtzee. Which dad won both times. We are pretty sure he added up his columns more than once...

 Jon had poppy seed muffins at work yesterday and then today, on Friday, one of Jon's coworkers made a cake for him! I think he had a pretty good birthday. Wonder what next year will bring??

Ice Cream Run

It started out stormy, but the sun poked thru the clouds by late afternoon. The kid suggested we make an DQ run and use the coupon I had. Sounded like a good idea. There was a lovely display of rays, but we stopped in the wrong part of the highway and the photos had too much of man in them. Jon wanted to get some of the hills and so we stopped. The winter wheat is lovely~ 

 I laughed when I read on a website about 'birthday freebies'. If you join the Blizzard Club, you get a coupon like this every month (good for a couple of weeks) and it is buy a medium and then you get one free. We did!

 On the way back to town, Jon took a different road. He also stopped to pick up a floor mat that was lying akimbo on the asphalt. It was in really good shape, too! I took a photo of the setting sun.

 Along Dry Creek, there are several farms. We were entertained by the lambs who have been born recently. They are such hilarious creatures at this age (before they turn into stubborn annoyances). They were bleating and frolicking and seemed to be having a great time celebrating being alive. The ewes weren't as impressed.

 I've always like this old grain elevator and Jon took several photos of it for me. This isn't my favorite one, but it shows the whole building. The ghosts of previous harvests were blowing in the weeds before it-I'd like to go inside, but am pretty sure it wouldn't be very safe.

 Yesterday, a favorite FB friend (one I got to meet in real life) died of cancer. This ice cream run was in honor of him, really. He loved ice cream, we met at DQ before one of his chemo treatments. Alaska Bob was a larger than life man who wielded a keen wit and had a great eye for photography. He'll be missed by so many of us. Toni wrote about him on her blog, I hope you visit it as we celebrate Alaska Bob.

There was a jiggling in the Force.....

No spoilers. Just jell-o. I got a Star Wars jiggler mold for Steve on his birthday (he was 51, what else do you give someone that age?) and finally used it this month. Which makes sense, right? 

When all the jigglers were together in the blue glass pie pan, it was hard to discern who the characters were. From top to bottom we have: Darth Vader, Chewie (and it appears he was....), R2 and C3PO, Yoda, and a Storm Trooper. (did you get them right?)

As for this new movie? Well, tears dripped down my face several times. Not during the times you might expect, though. The opening scene of words and theme music really got to me and the last scene on the hilltop made me sniff, too. If you have seen the middle movies(the only really good ones, if you watch them un-altered), you won't need to follow the lines in this one. I think they cribbed most of their dialogue from those classics. Which made me laugh a great deal (I may have annoyed a few people). All in all, I have to agree with Tony. It was extremely satisfying..and it wasn't even a Snicker's Bar. 

Christmas!

We always miss Tony, but we seem to feel it more on Christmas. In ages past, the boys would sleep by the lighted tree. We'd leave the Christmas lights on all night, inside and out. Makes for a very bright household! We left the lights on this year, but Jon opted to sleep in his room with Kila. They woke up VERY late. Another thing Tony would never let happen. The first things we usually open are Santa presents and Christmas socks. Jon found a Hallmark tractor  this year. A tractor very similar to the one he drove for Brooks (It appears I don't have any of those photos posted to share, cept on FB. How silly!). 

 Steve found a box of candy cane Christmas lights in his loot. Maxwell wasn't as impressed as Steve was.

 How irritating-I can't turn this photo of Jon's ammo box full of candy. The perfect preppers box. Inside is a part of a 2x4, assorted KitKats, Rolos, the ammo was added after the candy was removed!

 Our tree. The first one purchased from Jon's former Boy Scout Troop. It was a lovely tree. I'll be sorry to take it down in 10 or so days.

 Jon got me a lovely oven mitt. On me, it is an elbow mitt, but I rather like it. We were amused to discover the tag had 22 different languages on it, all stating this was 'not for commercial use'. It, however, didn't state what was not to be used. The mitt? The logo? The tag?

 Another of my gifts included bird seed and a new feeder. In my haste to fill said feeder, I forgot to cinch the catch on it and poured out a measure onto the porch. Moses is waiting for someone to stop by.... They did later, but only after Moses left!

 Supper was yummy! Jon's volunteerism got us a lovely ham earlier, so the not thawed turkey went back in the freezer. (they did have a dress down call on Christmas Eve Day--it was a false alarm, but they were ready!) After dinner I had some spice cookies that needed decorating. I think it was a great deal of fun!
                                               Jon's cookies.

                                                              Steve's cookies.

 Kristen's cookies (note, they are sideways again. Dadburn blogspot!)

 Another of Steve's sideways cookies.

                                                Dorothy's cookies (also sideways).

 We ended the evening with a few hands of Triominoes. Steve and Kris were left in the dust as Grandma and Jon blasted away. It was touch and go for a while. At one point, Jon forgot there are more ways than one to reach a solution. He had the numbers 4,4, & 5. Steve told him his score was 8 and 5 or 13. Jon looked up and said, "I thought it would have been 9 and 4....." Jon finally got into the math groove. Here is Jon's closing round of points. 44. Grandpa would have been very grumpy with this grandkid of his!!!! Nest time we'll skype Tony and he can play with us.....I wonder if that would work?????