Expecting a Killing Frost….

  Well, after sitting around the house yesterday due to the rain, McGuyver got the call to get back to the cornfields and take his throne in the combine.  I think he was glad, as we want to get this “show” on the road in about 3 1/2 weeks…We are planning an early family Thanksgiving here on Nov. 12th, and hope to get on the road South the following Monday or Tuesday…

  Today I heard we are suppose to get a frost out here in the Western Suburbs/Boonies.  I thought I should go out and warn my stubborn friend, Iris, who might not have listened to the weather…

….Iris insists on peeking out for one last look at Fall…I think the blue one on the left may just as well stay buttoned up and call it a day….

 

 

The same might be said for Rose…She appears to be pouting and not sure about making a grand entrance..I think she may get her “pursed lips” nipped in the bud tonight, so to speak….

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Clematis is also in for a rude awakening tomorrow morning.  I think someone (a hungry bug) has been getting a last snack from her petals…she’s really a mess.  Time to tuck it in, sweetheart…See ya next Spring.

 

 

 

 

 

Even though we are losing some of our “hangers on” with this frost, we have a few old friends gracing our yard who might be able to ward off Jack Frost a few more days…

The Mums should be OK a few more days, and that English Lavender, upper right, is close to our house….Of course, the  Firebush is just beginning to don her beautiful rose colored dress on her dripping leaves….

I got ambitious and picked a few last tomatoes from our garden….What a crazy year with this garden…We didn’t have lots of tomatoes, almost NO green peppers, and about 2 Jalapenos…until mid October….Now we are being over run with these veggies..I went out and picked as much as I could find…

 

This is just a portion of what we have….I do believe we will have ground turkey tacos for dinner tonight..mucho bueno!

 

 

 

This photo does no justice to my 3 bags of caramel corn I labored over today…It’s the best thing since Cracker Jacks…and much , much better!!!!( If I do say so myself)…It just seems that Fall cries out for taffy apples, caramel corn and acorn squash…

 

 

 

I do love the Fall, but it seems way too short…..I think I love it even more now because it means we are closer to getting into the Hiker and heading outa this Illinois winter….and they are calling for a dandy this year….Get in the truck and get it warmed up for us…We will be there shortly…

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
~George Cooper, "October's Party"

 

MIMI DOES ZIONSVILLE…AND SURVIVES TO TELL IT.!

  After a very precarious start, my road trip to Zionsville, IN got underway last Thursday… When I left our house at 5:45AM, it was still VERY dark, and raining hard…WARNING..This is not good news when you are 63, not of good vision, and driving back roads in the rain to get to the highway…Let me just say, I am now positive I should not be driving strange roads after dark.  Anyway, I managed to make it in 4 hours, white knuckled for the first hour… and the trip was really fun after the long drive.   I wonder why there are speed limits on our interstates??….No one obeys them anyway.  I found that out by almost getting my GMC ass run over.

Our daughter and hubby just remodeled their new home, and we hadn’t seen their new kitchen….After cooking in it, I can say it is “Food Network” worthy…

 

 

…Above photos show where I pretty much hung out…their climate controlled wine bar…Oooooh yeah, that’s what I’m talkin’ about!

They totally gutted this home and remodeled it…The big stone fireplace was already there and is the focal point of the open concept great room..They took out about 3 walls to open this up…

 

….Above photo??  Why, it’s a microwave in a drawer, no less!   I know, I know….I couldn’t believe it either.…And that button on the counter top, right?? Push that to turn on the garbage disposal… I had no clue.  I babysat Maddox Friday while Chris went to work and had to call and ask her what that button was for. I was afraid to push it..Hey, it could have made that island disappear into their basement, for all I knew!!  Suffice to say, after cooking in Chris and John’s new kitchen I wanted to come home and torch mine.

This “subdivision”they live in is called Raintree..It was established in the 1970’s and there isn’t one home that looks like another…The inside of Chris and John’s home was vintage 70’s, dark cabinets with a separate kitchen,  lots of walls…Come to think of it,  their old kitchen was very much like OUR  kitchen is right NOW!!   We bought our home in 1975, and remodeled our kitchen back then…and it still looks the same today…HMMMM ..Me thinks McGuyver and I need to have a talk….

 

 

This is the  home across the street from Chris and John…Just look at all of those big established trees..That is one of the perks you get in an older neighborhood…John’s Dad and Stepmom live just down the street in this same neighborhood and have for 25 years…..Notice there are NO sidewalks…anywhere….I found that interesting as I took Maddox for a walk….

 

 

Well, the “bouncer house” birthday party was a huge success….”Classico” and I made spaghetti sauce,  and boiled a ton of whole grain pasta,.. plus some artichoke spinach dip,  and garlic bread.. We all ate like starving people…Of course there was birthday cake and ice cream….and wine for the grown ups.  I guess I was considered a “grown up”, although I never will.

OK, I know you are wondering..Did I go into the bounce house and go down the slide?…YES I DID (photo bottom 2nd from left)… Aiden had to help me. Let me just say that being inside a bouncy house with 10 little kids after a glass of wine is similar to having a bad hangover in rough seas…or having your toenails ripped out with pliers….

As you can see in  the above photos, I managed to sneak  into my outfit after the party… That happened  just as soon as…….no,…..BEFORE the last guest left.  Those boys take after Mimi and got into their “outfits”, too…I think I have influenced their affinity for stripes and good taste in evening apparel …(Hey!!!, I need some jammies with feet in them,…no… REALLY!!!!)

I already miss those boys…but will be going back in 3 weeks to be there when Chris and John both run in the Indy Marathon…Thanks for again allowing parts of our family to enter into your homes .   Please excuse the wrapping paper all over the place, the frosting stuck to your floors and the ice cream drying behind your couch….Your patience with my photos and this too long account of my trip are greatly appreciated….

 

“On the seventh day God rested. His grandchildren must have been out of town.” ~Gene Perret

 

One Of Our Favorite Texas State Parks….

All of these photos were taken at Goliad State Park, Goliad, TX.  Some are when we had the Cougar…Some are more recent..We LOVE to stay at this park…sooooo much history…

 

 

  I will be out of commission, ( blogwise only, I’m rarely entirely out of commission), until next Monday.  I ‘m leaving tomorrow at 6AM to visit my two grandsons in Zionsville, IN.  This would be just North of Indianapolis…Just North enough that I do NOT have to jump onto that circle of insanity commonly known as I-465, going around Indy….makes me dizzy just to think about it…AND they are notorious for road construction!!

 

  Aiden is turning 3 years old and they are having a party Saturday for his little kid friends, some old kid friends, and some “wannabe kids again” friends and family…His Mimi would be in that latter group (Mimi is what he calls moi)..Chris said they are getting one of those blow up jumping things.  I hesitate to comment here…because I may attempt to get into this thing…or not.  NO, NO, don’t worry…I will consume NO alcoholic beverages until AFTER the party, or at least the jumping part…Mimi doesn’t want to be the only “kid” who barfed inside the blow up thing.

 

  Of course, you know darn well I will take the camera…I haven’t been there since Chris and John finished remodeling their kitchen…I’ve seen photos and it looks lovely…What especially attracts me to this kitchen is the fact that it has a wine bar …As you can see, Chris didn’t fall too far from Mimi’s tree….

..OK, I have packing to do…As for the photos of Goliad State Park in Texas, you really need to go to their website, which I gave the link for…That park is fabulous….It has a wooden walkway that takes you a mile or so right into the town of Goliad, which is also just great!! I hope some of you get there someday!!!!!

Rving….”There's nothing not to like about it. The freedom of being able to pull up, stop, power up anywhere you want – beach or whatever. Set up and have your front yard different every single day. Whatever you want it to be, and to see the country that way – it’s awesome."-Matthew McConaughey, actor

BUSY WEEKEND…AND PERSONAL TRIUMPH..

Whew! This weekend was full and I was suddenly the ultimate multi-tasker.  Starting with Friday afternoon, I taped off the ceiling and moved furniture in preparation to paint our living/dining room. Saturday, while McGuyver and Jim Otto finished siding our garage, I proceeded to paint the ceiling.  This is about as much fun as washing the Hiker.

 

Being vertically challenged, I am familiar with looking UP a lot…but this was looking up a BUNCH!! I was hoping that maybe my 4 chins might tighten up afterward…NOT!

 

 

I finished the ceiling about 3PM, and began taping off the woodwork. 

    At 4PM, Terrie and Tim brought the 3 Grands over to spend the night.  Tim was running his first Chicago Marathon Sunday, and he and Ter had to get up at 3:30AM and head into the city.  I fixed spaghetti, chicken nuggets and deviled eggs for dinner, and S’More ice cream sundaes for desert. As you can see, there are not 3, but 4 kids…Whenever the Heiser kids show up here, our neighbor Jessica magically materializes…She is just like one of our own grandkids…and she spent the night with us, too.

Sunday AM, McGuyver and I got up early..waaaay before the kids. I finished taping off the windows, doors and woodwork, took down the curtains and hardware, and began trimming the walls…About 9:30AM, Campbell came down the steps and the rest followed…I stopped my painting and made sausage and French toast for everyone.  Next came haircuts for the boys, which I had promised Terrie I would do. And then,  I dug out some poster board so the kids could make surprise posters for their Dad…(Gotta keep ‘em busy while I had my head in the paint bucket.) Those kids produced some class A artwork for Tim, if I do say so!!

 

 

 

…. I then proceeded to roller paint the walls, being very mindful of where I put my roller paint tray..

I finished my painting about 3PM. Den helped me pull the tape off, put back fixtures, wall pictures and curtains… and by 4PM, I had finished my project..Oh, I forgot to add that I fixed the kids a pizza about 2PM..this is coming from someone who has trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time.

 

 

I was very pleased to get rid of the pinkish paint that was slowly driving me more nuts than I already am…and replace it with “French Gray Linen”….In my next life I want to have a job naming paint colors…I totally think the name of the paint color influences the color you pick..right girls?? Like betting on a horse because you love the name.

 

 

 

 

 

The kids were excited to  have their Dad come back from the race..We were sent text messages(that would be Den, my phone isnt’ smart enough) about where he was at 10K, 18K and the finish..About 5:30PM Terrie and Tim pulled in..and those kids could not WAIT to show Tim and give him hugs….He could barely walk…and Ter said he was pale and a bit shaky after his shower….(I would have been on a gurney in an ambulance staring at the roof with glazed eyes.)

 

Tim said he began cramping up in his calves about mile 20, and had to slow down…not to mention he was having some heavy chest pain, nausea and felt like giving up….but he DIDN’T give up!!!!!! I guess that’s what this race is all about….pushing one’s self to accomplish what you deemed impossible… I guess you have to run it to understand it…They say it changes who you are and how you see the world once you run a marathon.

» Heiser, Tim (USA)
Sugar Grove, IL
24741-Bib
40-44
41-age
02:00:39-time at halfway
-
04:16:35-finish time

"I've learned that finishing a marathon isn't just an athletic achievement. It's a state of mind; a state of mind that says anything is possible."
- John Hanc

“Thank you to all my friends and family who provided encouragement and advice to me for my first marathon. What started as a joke and a dare a year ago, came to fruition today. I especially want to thank the love of my life, Terrie, who woke up with me at 3:30am to go down there and my best friend, JT, who sacrificed a Sunday morning to be there with me. When I made the final turn and thought I was...n't going to make it the last 300 yards, I looked up in the stands, and there they both were cheering me on...it meant a lot. I've been running for a while and never thought I could complete 26.2...it's one of those things you check off your bucket list. But get ready everyone...we're all doing together next year. Thanks again”  -quoted from Tim on his Facebook page

WE LOVE YOU BACK TIM!!