The Next Chapter

Mom's Funeral

2012-01-17T06:58:00.001-08:00

My Mom passed away last Tuesday morning in Farmington, New Mexico. She was in the hospital with pneumonia and cellulitis. She wasn't doing very well, but we didn't think that the end was this close.

Pallbearers were Graf, August, Christian, Ryan, Austin and John, all grandsons.

The funeral home blew up pictures of Mom for the calling hours. This was her senior high school picture.

She was interred at the Kirtland-Fruitland cemetary, where her father, Alvin Warner has a family plot.

My Mom loved wild crazy jewelry. We each wore a necklace to the calling hours, which out west, is called the viewing.

This was taken last August, when I came to New Mexico. She had been living at an assisted living center since her brain surgery in March. We were thankful that we had this time to say goodbye to her.

Christmas in Marietta

2011-12-26T13:36:00.000-08:00

Spent Christmas with Wendy and her family.

The Christmas Eve talent show had these funny faces singing "Jingle Bells."

The kids acted out the nativity. Max would not be baby Jesus, so we had to use Riley's doll.

One of Santa's elves came to the party, too.

Waiting on the steps.

The aftermath.

Merry Christmas to one and all.

Blue Jackets @ the Library

2011-12-26T13:25:00.001-08:00

We had a player form the Columbus Bluejackets, and the mascot, Stinger--come to promote reading. They signed autographs and took pictures. I could not resist the chance to show my grandsons how I hang out with the cool people.

Jenna Gets Married

2011-09-09T14:43:00.001-07:00

We were excited to see family and friends when Den's niece was married in the Columbus Temple on September 2nd.

That's Wendy's big noggin in the picture. It was so hot, we were all standing in the little piece of shade trying to stay cool.

Jenna met her fiance at BYU-Idaho and they will return there to finish school. Ginny and Allison are in the background as Jenna hugs her new mother-in-law.

We waited in the chapel across the street until we saw that they were ready to come out of the temple. We took pictures and then ran back in to the air conditioning.

Tim, Kelsey and Colton.

Harry with Gil and Casey Rieger

Ben and his wife of 3 months, Heather.

Wendy and family made the trip from Marietta. James and Ben love seeing their cousins.

Donna, Wendy and Ginger.

Happy Birthday, Benji!

2011-09-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

Benji turned two and we celebrated at the Japanese Steakhouse in Dublin. The boys really loved the "red hat guys" cooking at the table.

Hooray! Summer Reading is Over!!!

2011-08-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

We had another great year with over 10,000 participants just from our branch, but some days it was total chaos. Here are the decorations that my committee and I put up.

The theme was: Be a hero--Read.

The giant READ letters are new this year.

We had the staff pick heroes from books and put them on this wall.

Not as jazzy as previous years because all the decorations were pre-made, so the entire system would be consistent. Always fun to design and put up--always eager to take the down at the end.

Visit to Marietta

2011-07-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

Before we left for a quick trip down to Wendy's I had to snap a picture of my hydrangea bush. I took blossoms to church and work. So pretty, don't you agree, Suzy?

I actually have 4 of these bushes. I tried to add some acid to the soil to make some of them blue, but evidently didn't add enough.

I am sad that this is the only picture I took at Wendy's house. The kids had such a great time together and we had a bonfire, races and survived the 95 degree heat, even with a 4 hour power outage. Shauna's family came too, in case you were wondering who the little blond boy was.

We finally took the tour of Austin's new office. It is beautiful!

The grand opening was in May, and they have had 150 new patients a month since they opened. Business is booming!

Austin designed and painted the children's area. He is so talented.

We thought it was the nicest dentist office we had ever been in!

Happy 4th of July!!!

2011-07-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful BBQ with Shauna and Dan, their family and friends.

Album 2 - picture slideshow

Growing Season

2011-06-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

We had a very wet spring and it took a while to get all of our landscape projects completed.
Den put on the deck railing last fall.

This was my first year with raised beds. We have been enjoying fresh peas and I picked my first zucchini, yesterday.

Den spread all the mulch, and it looks great.

He decided to try his hand at planting corn. Can you see the little stalks in amongst all the weeds? There are actually about 80 plants in there. He planted a later crop to the left, but I don't know if he will be able to control those weeds either.

I have only had to water my pots twice this summer, and I don't think our yard has ever looked this good this time of year.

Happy Birthday, Jedi James!!

2011-05-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

We celebrated James'5th birthday with a Star Wars party in the park,

Shauna outdid herself making light sabers for all the kids.

James aka Darth Vadar with his cousin, Allison.

Spencer, Donnie and Dan battled all comers.

Benji and Riley participated in the pod race.

Darth Allison and Sam

Spencer Graduates

2011-05-16T14:10:00.001-07:00

Den and I traveled up to Cleveland for Spencer's dental school graduation. It was a very cold and rainy day.

Held in an old church, there were 87 in his graduating class. Spencer was honored by receiving the Pediatric Dentisty Award

Sydney was not happy about being out in the drizzle. We are still wondering about those things on Spencer's chest--they are awkwardly placed.

Case Western was having graduation from many colleges that day.

Spencer's parents made the trip out from California

Spencer and Suzy will be leaving for Japan at the end of the month.

He was sworn into the navy right after the ceremony.

The university put on a nice luncheon before the event.

Den vs wild

2011-04-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

Den spends a good deal of time in the spring knocking down robin nests in the barn. We can't believe that they continue to build in the craziest places. I am in the kitchen and look out the window to see he has put a ladder under the front overhang of the barn. The next thing I see is that he has the hoe and is using it to hit the underside of the awning. Then he comes out with a 5 gallon pail of water and tries to throw the water up there. He comes in the house and says that there is some furry critter up there moving around but he can't get to it. He takes a metal hanger, unbends it and heads back out. I get the camera, because this is just too funny.

Next he comes out with the drill and drills a hole, so he can shove the wire in. Apparently, this isn't working so he comes back with the pitchfork. After poking around a little bit, he leaves and comes back with the BB gun. He never did get the "critter" out, but it was very entertaining.

What a difference a week makes!

2011-04-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

The kids were all here last week, but none of the bushes had bloomed and not many leaves had popped. With a spell of warm wet weather, everything bloomed at once.
We had a very wild thunderstorm on Wednesday at noon and it took down a huge tree in the woods. Then that tree took down a bunch of others and a section of our fence.

The lilacs are going to be in full bloom this week.

Not sure what this bush is, but the purple phlox are one of my favorites. A mound of phlox, which I have transplanted all over my yard, and 4 yews were the only plants when we bought this property 6 years ago.

Forget-me-nots

Purple leafed sand cherry
I got lots of yard work done today and planted 8 raspberries, a rosebush and some of the cool season vegetables in my new raised beds. I had to to it today, because this is one of the only dry days we have had the whole month. The wettest April on record.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter holiday weekend! We combined it with a Girl's Day Out since Suzy and Spencer will be moving soon. We started with shopping, attended the temple, more shopping, dinner, shopping, of course, and then dessert and games.
On Saturday, everyone came to our house for Easter egg coloring and the big hunt.

Easter 2011 - slideshows

Latest Library Creation

2011-04-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest bulletin board that I created for the childrens area of the library. Yes, I love getting paid to do this! Click on the picture to make it bigger.

March Madness

2011-03-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

Our March Madness isn't all about basketball. We have been excited to watch OSU and BYU travel through the brackets, but our month was really thrown out of whack when we heard that my Mom had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Her surgery, this past Wednesday, was successful in removing the entire tumor and she will be moved out of the ICU by tomorrow. We are so thankful for the outcome and hope that her rehabilitation will allow her to be home with my Dad in the near future. Special thanks to Shannon and Sean, who have been there through the whole ordeal. It is really frustrating to be so far away at times like this.

On the lighter side, we hung out with the Gusty's and I took some cute pictures.

James and Granpa Den--he loves to tease and James loves to be teased--the perfect couple.

Benji, on the other hand, is afraid of Den. It is pretty funny that all Den has to do is look and him and he will cry. We were playing peek-a-boo when I snapped this cute picture.

February's Storm

2011-02-04T12:45:00.000-08:00

The horrendous ice storm is finally over. Many homes without power. Our yard is like a skating rink, covered with snow.

Some people are content to stay in their warm home and enjoy the view of the sparkling snow in the sunshine. But others like a little more excitement.

Den--having fun.

Happy Birthday to me!

2011-01-30T16:35:00.001-08:00

Suzy and Sydney came down for MLK and my birthday, while Spencer went to the Dominican Republic with other CWR students for a dental service mission.

We had a wonderful time and had fun with Sydney. She loves to sing and read books.

Later in the week, Wendy, Austin, and Max came to town. Austin was speaking to the OSU dental students. Max had fun, with his cousin, Ben.

Dan and James were going skiing and so Dan got a harness to help James learn. They were practicing in the family room.

Benji was jealous, so we hooked him up and and he pulled Granpa around the room.

Beautiful Sydney

Suzy and Syd. I accidently deleted the pictures of my birthday cake off my camera. It's ok, though because Den was giving me devil horns.

Happy New Year!!!

2011-01-01T13:05:00.001-08:00

Starting off the New Year with a bang...we participated in the First on the First 5K run. There were about 750 other stupid people who also paid money to run/walk in the pouring rain. Amazing, it was only a drizzle by the time the race kicked off and at least the temp was in the 50's.

This is Den's second race in the last month!

They roasted 3.1 pigs to celebrate the race, but we decided that the line was too long for a pork sandwich and came on home. My biggest beef with the holiday is that no bowl games are being shown on network channels. Since we no longer have cable..I have to listen to the Rose Bowl on the radio--that stinks!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T12:46:00.001-08:00

This was our first year to spend Christmas without any kids or grandkids. Den loved it--but it was a little too quiet for me. The good news was that I didn't spend hardly any time in the kitchen! We went over the the Gusty's for Christmas dinner and were entertained by James, Ben and their cousin Donovan. I didn't take very many good pictures, but here's a sampling.

Me and my Mr. Doody.

A James sandwich, as Ben loves to wrestle and pile on top.

Dan and Shauna were exhausted, as they go to the midnight Christmas Eve mass every year. They were just trying to warm their tootsies.

These cool inflatable race cars go with a WII game. The boys couldn't really play the game, but they loved sitting on them.

Pre-Christmas in Marietta

2010-12-22T09:36:00.001-08:00

We traveled down to Marietta to have an early Christmas with Wendy and her family. We had a wonderful time, even though the weather on the trip home was a bit scary. They bought a live tree that they will then plant in their yard.

Allison, Riley and Elayna are modeling their new fairy costumes.

Elayna (4) with miniMax (9 months)

Sam (3) enjoyed his new motorcycle.

Grandpa Den with Allison (6) Wendy started calling her Allie Pie with she was little, so naturally Den called her Pizza. This trip he even shortened it to "Peetz."

I don't know how I missed taking a picture of Dallin (10). He was probably hiding from me. Den and the kids teamed up for a big nerf gun battle. To gain the upper hand, Den donned fairy wings and camouflage.

Den and Max with the traditional "rockabye."

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

2010-11-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful holiday surrounded by friends and family, good food and lots of fun.
Den got up nice and early to participate in the Flying Feather Four Miler, a race that takes place every Thanksgiving morning.

It was a rainy morning, but well worth it to get this medal, a shirt, gloves and this bottle of wine. He is going to take it to share at bishopric meeting.

Pat and Jim Gusty joined us for dinner.

Suzy and Spencer drove down from Cleveland, after Spencer had finished his last Dental Board exam. Dan took over the entertainment and brought Rock Band and many other fun games for us to play.

The kids made turkey hats, but Sydney would not cooperate for a picture.

Ben and James--my favorite little turkeys!!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Sydney!!!!

2010-11-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

We paid Sydney and Suzy a surprise visit for her birthday.

Her favorite gift appears the be the chapstick she is applying (eating.)

We love to take pictures of Ben's funny face.

Ben and Gramma Tam.

Ginger comes for a visit

2010-11-05T17:03:00.001-07:00

Den's sister, Ginger, came last week for a short visit on her way to Nauvoo, Illinois.
Shauna, James and Ben joined us for lunch.

Grave Tales @ The Dublin Library

2010-10-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Continuing a 25 year tradition of scary stories told in front of the graveyard! We had 400 in attendence!
Me, Loren, Michael (our manager) and the Mad Hatter, George.

Quick Trip to Marietta

2010-10-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

I took a spur of the moment trip down to Marietta this week. It was so good to spend a little time with Wendy and her family. Love those grandkids!!!!Here is little Max, now 7 months old and Dallin, age 10. Wendy has nicknames for all her kids and Max's is Mitter. At first, it was Mr. Max, but...somehow it got shortened to Mitter. I wonder where she came up with that?????

Sam was excited to hold the "knife-es" and clip the plants. Notice the cantelope that grew between the house and porch column. It was a volunteer. I sliced it in half and pulled out the pieces. Austin ate it for dessert!
Wendy keeps very busy homeschooling the kids. Riley holds up a skeleton that they are assembling from an owl pellet. They really liked this lesson.
Allison is a sweetie and let me do her hair. She, Riley and Dallin are also taking piano lessons.
Elayna and Sam spend two mornings a week at Grandma Rehl's, across the street where they have their very own preschool.

Dallin and his friend, Callister, pose after their karate class.

Allison and Riley love karate, too. Ali looks like she means business!!

Happy Birthday Benjamin!

2010-09-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

Our grandson, Benji celebrated his first birthday last Sunday with a family picnic and party at Shauna's.

I have no idea what he was pointing at, but he certainly was not interested in his cake. The only reason that it is messed up, is that they cut it to lure him into eating it. Shauna tried to feed him a little and that is why he has frosting on his face.

I went walking....

2010-08-16T13:39:00.001-07:00

A mile into my morning walk, I heard a small bahing sound. I turned around and there was a tiny faun. I stopped and it came up and nuzzled my knees. I kept walking and it followed me. As cars would pass, I would stop and it would come and stand by me. I kept thinking it would go into the woods, but it didn't. Three drivers slowed down and said, "Is that a deer?" They all gave me advice and then drove away. As I was getting closer to the end of the wooded area, I called Den. He told me to scare it and its natural instincts would take over. "You don't understand, " I said, "It loves me!!!" But knew he was right. I felt like I was re-living "The Yearling." Then I walked past a house and saw a chihuahua coming down the driveway. Good, I thought, he will scare the faun for me. The dog approached and yapped at me, then turned to the deer. They touched noses, sniffed a little and then the chihuahua walked back down the driveway and the deer followed. Problem solved.

Trip to New Mexico

2010-08-15T15:41:00.001-07:00

I had a wonderful time at the Walker family reunion in Farmington, New Mexico. All of my siblings were able to attend and some grandkids came, as well.

Back row is my sister, Shannon, Sean, Kristie, my Dad, Mike and me and my Mom in front.

My niece, Rebecca with her baby Brianna and daughter, Taylor.

Me, Ryan, Kristie, Sean, Mike Rebecca, Dad and Mom.

My nephew, Ryan's kids, Veronica and Ryan. I took this picture because the last time my girls saw them, Veronica was 3 mo. old.

Happy Birthday, Shauna

2010-08-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

It's Shauna's birthday. It doesn't seem possible that my little Noni is 29!!! We stopped by to deliver the famous Texas sheet cake.

We have this joke about Den popping his head in for pictures.

Family Pictures

2010-08-01T13:03:00.001-07:00

We had these family pictures taken when everyone was here for the fourth.

Fourth of July

2010-07-09T11:53:00.001-07:00

We were excited to have everyone over for the holiday. We spent most of the time in the shade, with intermittent riding of the atv, water fights, relay races and Frisbee throwing, and a treasure hunt for the kids. Shauna made her beautiful flag cake and I tried my hand at BBQ beef, which was a major hit. These are pretty lame pictures, but we did have a photographer come to take some group pictures, and I will put them up as soon as she edits them.

Wendy with 4 month old Max, and Shauna with Ben. When she puts sunscreen on his head, she likes to give him a mohawk.

Suzy, Spencer and Syd are in this picture, somewhere.

Den had a great water fight with the kids. Dan joined the fray with a huge squirt gun. I tried to get it on video, but it happens so fast I didn't catch it.

Summer Reading @ the Dublin Library

2010-06-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

Hooray!! The Columbus Metropolitan Library system (21 branches) has been selected at the Library of the Year by the American Library Association. I am so proud to be an employee of this wonderful system. We have had severe budgets cuts this year, but still manage to provide great service to the public. Our summer reading program is in full bloom. We currently have over 6,000 signed up, just from our branch!!! This is the second year that I have been in charge of decorations for the branch.
The theme is: Share the Love. Read.

Staff wrote book reviews and had their picture taken for the wall.

There were a lot more pre-made decorations, so it was a bit easier than last year.

This is one of the things that I love to do at my job!

Happy Anniversary to Suzy and Spencer!

2010-06-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe they have been married for 5 years! Suzy loves hydrangeas and had them in her wedding bouquet. I hope these will still be blooming when they come to visit next week.

Father's Day

2010-06-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Shauna and fam came for a visit and to deliver a luscious cheesecake to Den.The first thing James wanted to do, was to ride the ATV. Benji was anxious to take his turn, as well. When James moved on to the tractor, Ben fell asleep while riding with his Dad.James did all the steering himself.

They brought the slip and slide and a pool. Ben loves the water.

James likes to slide on his knees.

Even Den took his turn. Of course, with water being present, we ended up with the inevitable water fight. Shauna and I tried not to participate, but were soon sopping wet. Our family has a pretty good history of having crazy water fights.

Painting at Shauna's

2010-06-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

Shauna has been wanting to paint her green family room forever. We finally got busy this week. It was quite a job, we stayed up til 2 am on Tuesday putting on the primer coat.

James put on his painting clothes and was excited to help. He painted all the corners and then took a tv break.

Have you ever seen anything like this before? Benjamin was not going to let Shauna out of his sight, so this was the only way she could get it done. I should have taken a before and after picture, but I left before they had everything cleaned up and put back in order. We were all exhausted...but it looks great!

Graduation Party

2010-06-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

I was able to hook up with Wendy's family when they came to Columbus for Bob Rehl's graduation from OSU dental school. We met at the Prairie Oaks metro park for a quick celebration. Bob and family have already moved to Kentucky, where he will fulfill his military commitment. I got to spend about 3 hours with them.

Austin holding 3 month old Max--who is still tiny.

Dallin and cousin, Braden. I thought Dallin had grown taller since I last saw him 3 months ago.

Elayna was so happy to see me. She is sporting new bangs...which she cut herself and then Wendy tried to fix.

Sam, in the middle had fun with all his cousins. This boulder was acutally about 8 feet tall.

Austin's sister, Donna, brought all kinds of nail polish and decorations for the girls. They loved it!

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

No picnics or parties for us. Den took a test online and I did yard work.

Here's some random pictures of our yard.

The little quart-sized perennials I planted 4 years ago are starting to outgrow their spaces.

I can't wait every year for my delphiniums to bloom. They are spectacular!

This is probably the fifth big bouquet of peonies I have picked.

Suzy's beautiful family!

2010-05-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

Suzy, Spencer and Sydney

Big Top Birthday!!!

2010-05-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

James turns 4 next week, but due to many scheduling conflicts, we celebrated yesterday, with an awesome circus themed party.

The kids were so excited to get their "prizes" for the games they played. Fair food was served and there was even cotton candy and funnel cakes. Dan and Shauna did a wonderful job of making this a memorable day.

My contribution was these clown cupcakes! Pat and Jean worked the food stand and Jim and many other adults helped with the games.

The party was a big hit for the kids and their parents.

Dan and Shauna even made a ticket booth that you can see on the left in front of the gate. The kids had to "pay" for the food and games with their tickets.

James waits to take his turn a "tin can alley."

A neighbor had this bouncy castle that was a big hit. There was also a fish pond, shooting gallery, and a ring toss.

I did face painting. James wanted one on each cheek. My talent paled in comparison to the caricature artist...who was amazing. It will be hard to top this one!!!

Mother's Day

2010-05-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

Shauna hosted a Mother's Day brunch on Saturday.

Suzy, Spencer and Sydney were in town to attend the temple, how serendipitous.

Sydney is at the stage where she loves dogs and followed Lucy everywhere.

Spencer just finished up his 3rd year of dental school.

A nice surprise!!! Jacque and Steve were in town for a work seminar and got to spend a little time with us. It was great to see them again.

My Ode to the Nastiest Spring Chore

2010-04-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

Fifty bags
Loading, dragging
Dumping, spreading, raking
My back is breaking.
Filthy, messy, stinky
Beautiful
Mulch.

So..I guess you can tell what I have been doing for the past few days. I wore gloves and my fingers still look like I am an auto mechanic. The worse thing is... I have the front yard still to do!

Gotta love the spring!

2010-04-14T14:33:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to put up some pictures of the yard coming to life again. We had a freeze last Saturday, but luckily the plants came through it ok.
My creeping phlox are beautiful. I am going to try to plant my lettuce this week and maybe peas, too.
In another few days the pear trees and forsythia will be done blooming, but my lilacs have big fat buds on them. Each week there is a new succession of something ready to pop...I love it!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

We headed over to Shauna's for conference and dinner. It was a beautiful day and the trees and daffodils were all in bloom. Happy Easter, everyone.
It was too bright for Benjamin aka Little Chubbies.

The Easter egg hunt is on!
The old hiding in the fence routine. We always mixed the dyes altogether at the end of the process and made one "black" egg. Dan's family did the same and called it the "egg of death." Just another tradition being kept alive:)
Such a happy little boy.
Shauna made this beautiful cake for dessert. James decorated the top with berries and was very proud of his creation.
After dinner, Den brought the cake into the dining room and informed James that he was ready for dessert and going to eat the whole cake. James became very upset and had to have a little timeout. That grandpa, he just doesn't know when to quit!
James loves to cook and was helping prepare food for the grill.
Benjamin loves the pouch! But he can be a little grabby. In fact he pulled the glass pitcher off the counter and dropped it on the floor. Crash! We had a lovely time with Pat and Jim Gusty and Dan's sister Tory and her family.

The Best April Fool's Joke Ever

2010-04-01T12:08:00.001-07:00

Seeing Google's name change today, reminded me of the time in college, when my boyfriend, Scott Stringfellow, played the best April Fool's joke on me. I was at BYU and had auditioned for a performing role at "Marriott's Great America," an amusement park that was opening in California. The tryouts were in the fall and I had already received a letter that said that I had passed the initial audition and had made it to the final round. Then the months passed by and no word. I was getting antsy about what I would be doing during summer break, and had expressed this often. Then lo and behold, I get a letter in the mail telling me that I had been accepted. I was overjoyed, shared it with all my roommates and then my bubble was burst. I think it was my sister, Kristie, that said, hey wait a minute...is that a fake postmark? And it was and the letterhead was fake and everything else in it. Blast! We hadn't even realized it was April 1st til this point. I got over it quickly and then in retaliation, we soaped the windows of Scott's car and stuck oreos to it. Can anyone top this?

Riley's Baptism and Max's Blessing

2010-04-01T06:50:00.001-07:00

We traveled back down to Marietta on Sunday for Riley's baptism and Max's blessing. He was only 3 weeks old, but since we had everyone together, it would have been silly to do it at a later time. Wendy was not excited about going out in public this soon after having a baby, but I think she looks greatOur sweet Riley. Grandpa teased her that the water in the font should have been black!

Last week in Marietta

2010-03-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

I just spent the last 7 days down in Marietta helping Wendy with her brood of 6!!! I cooked, did laundry, cleaned, did laundry, drove kids to piano lessons, and did laundry! I had a wonderful time and loved getting to know my newest grandie.

Max is a sweetie and was very patient as he was passed from sibling to sibling.
His first outing at a park at just 4 days old.
Dallin and Sam both got a buzz cut on the front porch. Wendy had a good time, first shearing off one whole side and then giving him a mohawk. Thankfully, she finished the job.
St. Patrick's morning and the day I came home. We all dressed in our green while Wendy made green eggs and ham.
Riley hangs out on a beautiful spring day.
Dallin and Allie took a walk with me at a local park.
Sammy had a wonderful time on the slide and swings. I am excited that we will see them all again when we return at the end of the month for Riley's baptism.

Another baby boy!!!

2010-03-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

Wendy had her 6th baby, Maxwell Alexander Rehl, at 2:45pm, Saturday, March 6th. Weighing in at 6lbs and 8oz, he was 19 inches long. I will be going down to Marietta, Tuesday after work and spending a week doing the Grandma thing.

Hanging out at Shauna's

2010-02-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

Went over to Shauna's last night and watched the girls bomb on American Idol--hoping the guys will do better tonight. I wasn't able to get over before Valentine's due to a severe case of bronchitis that Den and I shared. We had a treasure hunt, made a St. Patrick's day craft, and built an awesome chipmunk house in the basement.
Benjamin is loving his Johnny Jump-up!
He is 6 months old and such a bright-eye little angel.
James got his own "camera" for Christmas and was taking pictures of Benjamin, too.

A Snowy Saturday

2010-02-06T05:09:00.001-08:00

I looked out the window and what did I see? My boyfriend clearing the sidewalk for me!
But, I'm not going anywhere. I think we have close to 12 inches and it is really drifting with the high winds. We are supposed to get 2-4 more today.

I've Been Busy...

2010-02-04T16:49:00.001-08:00

The long boring days of January had me at my sewing machine. I found this whole line of fabrics at JoAnn's that coordinate with my living room colors. Here is a sample of my handiwork.I made these valances for the two windows.
Pillows for the couch.
And wall hanging for art. I think the room looks great! Next, I think I will paint an upstairs bedroom. I can hardly wait for the warm weather, so I can get back outside!

Happy birthday to me!!!

2010-01-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again...another birthday to try to forget. Suzy and Sydney came down for the long weekend, while Spencer spent the week on a dental service trip to the Dominican Republic.
I'm not really a big cake fan, preferring the calorie packed hot fudge brownie.
Dan, Shauna, and fam came over for a Mexican fiesta, then we retired to the basement so James could hear his Granpa play the guitar.
Shauna took her turn at singing along.
When Dan started to sing, James covered his ears...pretty funny. Den and I celebrated my actual birthday by going out to lunch and seeing Avatar. We really enjoyed it. Thanks to everyone for all the calls, cards and emails.

My Mom is 80!!!!!

2010-01-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

January 3rd is a special day for the Walker family. My Mom is celebrating her 80th birthday!
We made this video to send to her special birthday celebration in New Mexico. We love you Mom!

Happy New Year, Buckeyes!!!!!

2010-01-01T17:39:00.001-08:00

A Rose Bowl victory--and it wasn't even that painful!!!
I proudly accept the MVP trophy for best fan!!!!

Christmas Day

2009-12-27T16:42:00.001-08:00

We got to sleep in until 7:30 am...how did that happen?

Allison, Elena and Allison were on the bottom step ready for action.
We always have our kids line up on the stairs and wait until they hear the ho-ho-ho to come downstairs.
We had the traditional waffles with strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast.
Sydney got her presents delivered in her new sled. It has a handle so that it can be pulled.
I made superhero capes for all the grandsons. Here is Sammy in his.
Ben can fly high with his Super B cape.

Here is James as Super J. We played lots of Scrabble, Taboo, and Banagrams, and had a wonderful time being together.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-27T16:14:00.000-08:00

We were so blessed to have our entire family together for the holiday. We traveled to Shauna and Dan's for Christmas Eve.

We had our family talent show, with Riley, Dallin, Allie, Spencer, Suzy, and Den, all playing the keyboard. Dan and James did a magic act, and I told a story. Dan and Shauna were the game show hosts for the latest version of Headrick trivia. Which Den and I barely won...the one stumper question was who was Wendy's sophomore date to homecoming? (Willie Contantino) We had lots of fun and laughs and played Rock Band. The highlight was acting out the nativity. Sydney was an angel, but would not keep her halo on.
Benjamin made an appearance as Frosty the Snowman--how cute is that?
He was happy to take that suit off!

We celebrated Spencer's 27th birthday on the 23rd. He spent the last week in D.C. doing an externship for the Navy. He also got snowed in and had to take the bus back to Cleveland.

Countdown to Christmas

2009-12-18T12:24:00.001-08:00

The library is all decorated and so is the house...now I am just waiting for the kids to start showing up. We are excited to have 13 coming to our house for the big day. I have been busy baking and sewing and Den has been busy eating!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T07:02:00.000-08:00

We hope that each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family. We had Suzy, Spencer and Sydney down for quick visit. Shauna and family came out for dinner on Wednesday evening. James was not his usual self and and we knew he was not feeling well, so they left early. Turns out he had a high fever and they took him to the doctor on Thanksgiving Day!
I brined my turkey for the first time. We were not sure that it was that much better than before and it was quite a production, so I will probably just go back to the normal way of preparation.
Den, Spencer, and Suzy had a ping-pong competition going on in the basement. Spencer seems to be the only one who can beat Den on a regular basis. He was also the winner of our Scrabble game, and you know how much that disappoints me.
Sydney was such a sweetheart and let us hold and cuddle her. She would not, however, wear her Thanksgiving headband!

Library Art

2009-11-23T13:10:00.001-08:00

Another beautiful bulletin board, designed by me!!!

Here are me, my boss Loren, and Mr. Drew from Indian Run Elementary. He had his art students create scarecrows and then we displayed them in the children's area of the library.

Alpacafest

2009-11-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

We took two of our animals to the annual alpaca show at the state fairgrounds. We took, Chieftain, our herdsire, just to market him for breedings. He already has 17 blue ribbons, so what's the point. Den was trying to think of putting something in our stall that would attract everyone's attention. He had this cut-out of a tough guy in our barn. It was left over from a trade show he went to when he worked for Novell. He had me draw a tattoo on his arm that said, "I love Chieftain." You can see it better if you click on the picture to enlarge it. We had lots of comments, people thought it was pretty funny. Did it help us sell breedings--that remains to be seen.
Den showed Tranquility a yearling female. She was in a huge class and did not place at all. We are breeding her to Chieftain, so hopefully, his genetics will create an awesome cria. We are glad to be home. We spent 8 hours there on Saturday...well I should say Den spent 8 hours. I went over to the Gusty's to watch the football game, which I am happy to say was fabulous. Go Bucks!

Dangerous Decorating

2009-11-08T12:27:00.001-08:00

I have been bothering Den for four years to help me paint my two story entryway. It was a very daunting task, but at a weak moment, he finally gave in.
He had second thoughts when he was up on the ladder, but needless to say, he braved the heights and complete the task. Up around the front window was the worse, because he had to have the ladder at a steep angle because of the stairs.
This picture doesn't really show it, but it used to be white and is now a soft beige. There were are couple of areas where the tape us pealing up. When the house was first built and cracks developed above the doors, they just patched them, but never painted. I also painted the loft and hallway the same color. It looks great, but we are hoping never to have to do it again!

Fall is Here!

2009-10-22T11:04:00.001-07:00

The leaves are right at their peak this week. We have had a few days of beautiful Indian summer weather.
Our alpacas love the colder weather. Sometimes they sleep out in the pasture all night, and when we come out in the morning, there is frost on their fur. Just goes to show you how warm their coats must be.
Get a load of this monster. Not only is he trying to better himself by reading...but he must be getting old if he needs reading glasses!

Benjamin's Blessing

2009-10-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

Benjamin Andrew Gusty was blessed today in the Riverside Ward. We drove into Columbus and Suzy and Spencer came down from Cleveland. He is certainly growing quickly and Shauna said that he is around 12 lbs now.
Sydney really loved playing with her cousin James. She turns one on Nov. 4th.
Dan gave a beautiful blessing and we are so thankful to have Benjamin in our family. We went over to their house after and had lunch. There were probably 25 people there!

Quick Trip Down to Marietta

2009-10-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

Wendy has been wanting me to come down and help her for weeks, but I didn't make it down until her morning sickness was over! That's right, she is due with #6 at the beginning of March. Because she was sick, she is convinced that she is having a girl--the top name in contention...Gretel. They like to have an L in all their names, so let's think of some that don't come from "The Sound of Music."
I was so sad, that I forgot my camera. It would have been useful in documenting Elayna's new bangs, that she cut herself. I straightened them up, but tried to match the uncut side with the cut side and the result was a stylish mullet. They are having family pictures soon, so Wendy is on the lookout for a large headband.
I am overwhelmed for Wendy and her schedule. She is homeschooling the 3 oldest and still teaching aerobics a couple of times a week. Her laundry is like Mt. Everest!!!
They have chickens and I didn't realize how delicious fresh eggs are, and how yellow, too! The kids all have farm chores and Dallin herds the escaping goats with his bb gun!
We had a picnic by the Ohio river and attended a community theatre performance of "Oliver." It was pretty good, some excellent voices and Dallin really liked the gunshot at the end.
I had a fun time and as always miss my grandkids!

Happy Birthday, Den!!!!

2009-09-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

Today is Den's birthday and while he would have loved a cheesecake, he got what his family calls graham cracker pie. We made a mad dash to run some errands in Columbus and stopped by Shauna's for a visit.
They had just returned from the pediatrician. BJ got a clean bill of health and James told me all the things the doctor had said. He's covering his ears, because he says "Cheese" so loud that it hurts them! He didn't have his special shoe on and seems to be recovering from his foot injury quickly. BJ is up to 9lbs. 8 oz.
Here is a picture of the little cria we had last week. It was so cute to see them sitting together, that I snapped this shot. His mother seems to be getting the hang of things, and he is gaining weight slowly but surely. We named the light colored girl, Misty and the little boy is Skye. We have another one due next week!

What a crazy week!!!

2009-09-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

So since my last post, Benjamin developed a fever and respiratory infection and was transferred to the the NICU. Shauna was released on Monday, and she and Dan took turns staying at the hospital with him. Dan's Mom, Pat stayed with James and brought him back and fourth to the hospital. BJ finally got to go home yesterday, and is doing very well.
I went over after work yesterday to cook dinner. After we ate, Dan and his Dad took James to the park. They came home about an hour later and James was screaming. (It's now 8:30) He had hurt his ankle and it was swelling rapidly. Dan took him to the emergency room at Children's hospital and the wait was 3 hours. Plus, there were some seriously sick kids in the waiting area and Dan knew that they would be low priority. So, he loaded James back in the car (poor kid) and they went the Dublin Children's hospital and finally were seen at about 10:45. It turns out that he has a broken bone in his foot. I don't know all the details right now.
Meanwhile...we had another baby alpaca. He was born to a first time Mom, who doesn't want to let him nurse. IYIYIYIYI!!!
Here's the big boy on his first day home. He doesn't have much hair, but it appears to be blonde.

It's a boy!!!!!!

2009-08-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

Only 4 days overdue, Benjamin Andrew Gusty enters the world at a strong and healthy 9lbs 2oz. At 20 inches long, he now holds the record for the biggest grandbaby. Go Shauna!There was an extra baby hat, so I put it on James. He has patiently been waiting for "brother" to make his appearance.
Dan called at 2:30am to say they were at the hospital. This time, I slowly walked to the phone, unlike when James was born. ( I got up so quickly, I fainted onto the kitchen floor)
Den holds his 4th grandson. He was born at 7:58 this morning, at Riverside Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
This makes grandchild #8 for us! But, not for long, because maybe someone else in the family is expecting....more details later.

A NEW BABY!!!!

2009-08-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

Now before you get excited....we had an alpaca baby....not a new grandson and Shauna is still pregnant, much to her dismay. Our female alpaca, Alex was 6 days overdue and we were freaking out. When Den brought up another female to breed with Chieftain, Alex was near them and she cushed. (sat down) This is a surefire sign that an alpaca is not pregnant. Den was so upset, that I had him hold Alex, while I checked her out. I could feel a hoof, or something hard through the skin, so we knew that she really was pregnant. Fast forward 3 hours later and I look out the kitchen window. I said to Den, "Didn't you put that animal and her baby in the back pasture after the breeding? He said, "Yes." Then it dawned on both of us. Alex had her baby and they were out in the pasture.It's a girl. She weighed 17.5 lbs. The first few hours are critical, as the cria needs to nurse to get the antibodies from her mom.
She's a little wobbly, but very active. Now the big question is....is Clarice really pregnant? (The brown one) She is due tomorrow....or not.

Girls Night Out!

2009-08-14T11:49:00.001-07:00

We had a lovely evening at the Cap City Diner, to celebrate Shauna's impending delivery of Benjamen Gusty, due August 25th.

Shauna and her good friends, Stephanie and Katie.

Melissa, Tori and Anne.

Shauna and Johna and Jeanie. She grew up with them in Cortland, Ohio. They both have new babies at home.

Me, Jean and Pat.

When we got back to Shauna's, James was modeling his new Buckeye football suit. A gift from "brother!"

.

Shauna's 28th Birthday!

2009-08-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

Shauna, Dan, James, Pat and Jim came over for a birthday celebration. This looks like a good seat! It was one of the hottest days of the year.

James picked some zinnias for his mom. Shauna is due in 2 weeks and her feet were extremely swollen. Good thing it is summer, because the only shoes she can wear are flip flops.

Her choice is the Texas sheet cake, because she is my chocolate lover. James was hoping to eat all of the MM's. I have to say that I have gotten very lazy with my cake decorating.

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

2009-07-27T13:36:00.001-07:00

It was a beautiful evening for sky watching. We went out at 9:30 to watch the international space station fly across the sky. It appeared right on schedule, but was so small, I couldn't get a picture. It moved very quickly.

Den tries unsuccessfully to track it with his spotting scope, but it was easily seen with the naked eye.

PARADE OF HOMES 2009

2009-07-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

Shauna, Dan, James and I attended the parade of homes last Friday. We love checking out all the latest decor and landscaping. Shauna is due in a month and paused to rest on one of the patios. We were all feeling the many flights of stairs that we had to climb.
This was my favorite house. Dan and James loved the one with the downstairs media center, featuring a floor to ceiling screen and comfy theater seating.
Taking it easy in one of the beautiful backyards. This was the only pool, but they all featured the built-in outdoor kitchen.
This was Shauna's favorite house, complete with 8 rockers on the porch! We weren't all that impressed with the decor this year, but there were lots of architectural details. Most of them featured some kind of homework, family management center, which was different from previous years. The house that won all the honors was one of our least favorites--it had flooring from an old barn hayloft. It might have been green, but it was also ugly.

Prize Winning Produce!

2009-07-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

Whoa! Look what alpaca poop can do for your garden!

I put this beauty on a dinner plate, so that you could appreciate its enormity!

Garden update

2009-07-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

Because my life is so boring, I have to fill my blog with pictures of my yard. This picture is for Suzy because hydrangeas are her favorite flower. She even had them for her wedding bouquet.
I have tons of bean, squash and peppers. Good thing I can share them with people at church and work.
Den is mowing the pasture. Not because it really needs it, but because it is going to seed.
Here is the front of my house. I had to water everything today because we have not had rain since Saturday, and it has been hot, hot, hot!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-08T16:04:00.001-07:00

Dan and Shauna hosted their annual 4th of July BBQ last Saturday. Shauna and James are excited about the upcoming birth of a little brother at the end of August.
Spencer, Suzy and Sydney came down for the celebration. Sydney starting crawling!
Grandpa Den with Sydney...does she look happy? Does he look sleepy?
Shauna made and Suzy helped decorate this beautiful 4th of July cake. It looks too good to eat...and yet we eat it every year! Den and I left before everyone walked down to the Upper Arlington fireworks display. We timed it just right and saw the Marysville fireworks from the freeway.

Chieftan makes news!

2009-07-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

Windmill Cove (our alpaca farm) got some free publicity this week. We were excited to see that our male herdsire, Chieftan, was featured on the Alpaca Guy's blog.
A Big Year for Lancaster’s Highland Chieftan

by Cooper Smith.

No doubt about it– ‘Lancaster’s Highland Chieftan’ had the most impressive spring show season of all the Huacaya males. This is a male who only got better with age, winning Championships at PAOBA, MAPACA, and AOBA Nationals while competing in the 2+ yr class with cria already on the ground! Lancaster was bred and owned by Highland Alpaca, but co-owned with Windmill Cove Alpacas. His histogram stats are impressive on their own:

Date of Birth: 6/20/2006

2007: AFD 18.9; SD 3.3; CV 16.9; %>30=0.6
2008: AFD 18.6; SD 3.7; CV 19.9; %>30=1.0

Chieftain’s sire, Peruvian Lancaster has produced a number of winners to date; however, this National Champion son seems to be the best to date.

* * *Watch for Chieftain to be featured in our upcoming “Show Animals of the Year” awards article. Stay Tuned!

Unexpected Visit

2009-06-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Wendy and fam came to Columbus on Friday and spent the night with us. The kids had fun on the ATV. Den let Riley drive it by herself (she's 7!!!!) but after she almost ran over Allison, and then jumped off when she thought she was going to drive up on the sidewalk---she had to go back to riding with an adult.
I shot these pictures around the table when we were having a snack. Elayna's hair is always so crazy and she is anti-ponytail.
Here is Sam. He sure loves his grandpa! He is a happy boy and makes us all smile.
Riley and Allison picked squash from the garden on Friday night. I did not make it out there on Saturday. This afternoon, I went to take and look and this is what I found. Yikes!

How Does My Garden Grow?

2009-06-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures of my garden. It has been a great week for heat and rain. When I went to check my plants after a storm, I noticed that one of my chili pepper plants had been broken off. On closer inspection...it had a 4 inch pepper on it already! These are some random perennial plants that are in bloom, including baby's breath, lilies, yarrow, pluminaria and the purple one is a cutting form a plant given to me by friend, Rita from Hinckley, Ohio. I think it is from the campanula family.
Isn't my lettuce gorgeous? Too bad it has all turned bitter in this hot weather. I wanted to take one more picture before I pulled it all out. My spinach is the next to go, as it is already starting to bolt. On the bright side, I will be able to pick my first zucchini by the end of the week!

Get a Clue @ the Library

2009-06-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

I worked really hard to make and put up these decorations for our summer reading club.
The kids are supposed to guess what the shapes are.

See any that are familiar?

The trees are covering two columns that seperate the children's area. We have already signed up over 5,000 people, just at our branch. Talk about busy!!!

More Marietta Pictures

2009-06-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of our trip to Marietta. I just realized that I didn't have any of Den...because he was in the basement playing the Wii for the majority of time we were there.
Elayna, Allison, Me and Sydney.

Suzy, Sydney and Shauna, who is expecting boy #2 in August.

Wendy and her youngest, Sam.

Riley rides the donkey, while Dallin tries to stay on a goat!

Riley isn't afraid of the chickens and gathers the eggs with her sister, Allison.

Down to Marietta

2009-06-13T10:17:00.001-07:00

We took a quick trip down to Wendy's in Marietta, Ohio. Shauna and James came with us and Suzy and Sydney met us there.
Here is their beautiful home.

We were absolutely overwhelmed with the red clay. It was on everything and everyone!

Austin and his brother, Jared, built a chicken mansion! Riley caught this chicken for James to hold.

This is Checkers, the donkey that Riley received for Christmas.

James takes a ride on Checkers...a very brief ride.

Week 4 garden!

2009-06-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest with my garden as the summer rolls on. These are delphiniums. It is about the best blue flower you can find. I got this for $1.98 in a four inch pot from Lowe's two years ago.
I created this island from a spot where grass would never grow. I put down thick layers of newspaper under the mulch to stop weeds. This is a knock-out rose and coreposis. I got the wonderful grass for free from a co-worker.
We can't even believe that anything can grow here. There is hardly any dirt at all...just rocks. It took me forever to try to dig out the holes for the shrubs.
Things are really growing well...I've only had to water a couple of times. We have feasted on the lettuce and spinach, and even given some away.

SSS

2009-06-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

I wonder if they knew that they would be SSS. Here are Spencer, Suzy and Sydney on their vacation at Lakeside on Memorial Day. This picture was so cute, I had to copy it from Suzy's blog. Sydney is wearing Suzy's sweatshirt, because it was really cold near the lake.

June is bustin' out all over!

2009-06-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Actually...that's really a song...from the musical "Carousel." I thought it would be fun to update my garden periodically, so that all could share my joy.
This is week 3 and I have already picked lettuce and spinach, yummmmm.

My peonies did really well this year.

My poppies are so bright and colorful. More to come in the future.

Happy Birthday to James!!!!

2009-05-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

It was off the the Arlingate park for James' birthday on Friday. He and his friends are loving the swings, especially being pushed by the two grandpas.
James wanted a baseball party and there was a big baseball pinata that Dan finally had to break. Here is LJ with his buddies Charlie and Riley. Dad got LJ to eat a good part of that hotdog by "challenging" him to a race to see who could eat theirs first. Shauna was real excited (not really)...likely envisioning a choking episode in the making (Dad...not LJ :o) ). He didn't want to wear the birthday hat, but obliged yours truly for this shot.

Hats off!

2009-05-22T07:35:00.001-07:00

When I went to New Mexico, we went through a lot of my parents stuff to see what we could give away or keep. We came across a hat box with these beauties in it. My Mom was a big hat wearer and I have memories of her wearing each and everyone of these. There is a picture of us at Easter time and Mom is wearing the little pillbox hat that I have on. We used to say that the hat she is wearing looked like whipped cream. Yes, I know...it's all about the food!
My favorite was this pheasant hat I am wearing here. Krisite took a couple of hats home for her costume collection. Good times.

Battle of the Backyards

2009-05-08T12:44:00.001-07:00

Again with the landscape postings...what can I say? Compare and contrast the differences. This is my brother, Sean's backyard in Albuquerque. I think they have done an amazing job. It is truly a desert work of art. As you see, they live on the side of a hill.
< Ah, the flat terrain of Marysville, Ohio. It is so green and lush and some of the trees have not even budded out yet.

My beautiful lilacs! When I am done, I hope to have about 50 of these babies in my yard.

The Cutest Puppies!

2009-05-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

When I got to Sean's in Albuquerque, I was introduced to their new puppies, who promptly started to lick my toes. It tickled. They are so tiny and cute!

Trixie and Chewy are a shitzu-yorkie mix and just 4 months old. Den calls this type of small dogs... yapping, rat dogs. I have often told him that this is just the kind of dog I would like to have in my house!!!

New Mexico Architechture and Landscapes

2009-05-01T09:03:00.001-07:00

While in New Mexico, I got up each morning to walk. I am always enchanted by the big difference between the homes and yards there and in Ohio. One day, I took my camera, so I could document just what I mean. Because it is a desert and water costs money, many homes have opted to completely use stone in their front yard. This is pretty typical and low maintainence...also pretty ugly.
Now, here is NM landscape gone wild. Trying to jazz up the rock, they have overdone the yard art.
This was actually the yard next door to my parents. These were made from car parts...pretty clever... if you like that sort of thing.
The dry creek bed is very popular these days. Notice the lovely trailer, made from a pick-up bed, in the yard next door. My brother said it had been there for years.
I like the way they use the glass blocks in designs for windows. Look, they have a little grass.
Here is the xeriscaping at its finest. Native drought tolerant plants in a naturalized setting.
No grass here, but check out those windows and ever popular tiled roof.
Aspens are the tree of choice, here. Gotta love the use of the natural stone.
This was a cul-de-sac that I walked by everyday. I thought they did a great job!
Not much of a backyard, but oh, what a great view. There is something in me that still likes the Pueblo/Spanish style home, must be from growing up there. If nothing else, you have got to love the blue sky with no clouds. That is how it is everyday! There is no humidity and I swear, by the end of the week, I thought my skin was going to crack off!

Shearing Day at Windmill Cove

2009-04-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Despite the rainy day, we had the alpacas sheared today. It is quite intense and we both have to help. The fleece is a little damp, so we will have to spread it out in the basement to dry before storage. We are always excited to get it done and although the alpacas hate it, we are sure they feel so much better without their fur coats.
Here is Christina before shearing. We think she is very fat...but she's not.
I know this looks mean, but it is the fastest way to get it done, and the alpaca is in not pain. She has a sock over her nose, so she won't spit on us!

Done at last...the shearing takes about 15 minutes. Look how skinny she is.
Hooray, all four animals done! Den and Charlie Reinhardt. He has been our shearer for the past 4 years.

New Mexico

2009-04-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

I flew into Albuquerque last week and then Sean and I drove up to Farmington to visit with my parents and other siblings. It was wonderful to see everyone again. It had been two years since I had seen my parents!
Our family, minus my sister Shannon. My parents in front, then Kristie, Mike, Sean on crutches and me! Mike and Sean both live in New Mexico. Kristie and family came from Vermont.
Me and my big brother, Mike.

We went to a TEA party!!!

2009-04-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

Den has been whining about the government and their pork spending bills for forever, so I suggested that we go to a tea party to protest. There was one in Columbus tonight, but when Den found out there was one in Marysville--we opted for that one. It was cold...but at least it wasn't raining.

Happy Easter

2009-04-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter with the Gustys, Shauna, Dan James and Pat and Jim. Here is James showing off his cool sunglasses.
James was the only child, so it didn't take him long to find the dozen eggs. No competition!

The Battle of the Birds

2009-04-11T14:17:00.001-07:00

When I came home from work yesterday, Den complained about the large amount of bird poop on his truck. This morning, I looked out and saw a robin sitting on a rail and pecking at it. I yelled for Den and this was his solution to the problem.
Not only can you see the owl decoy...but unseen is a life sized cut out of a man lying in the bed. When Den came back from washing his truck, the robins returned, so that was his next attempt to scare them off. The final attempt involved the usage of a 22 rifle. It alone was successful. I love documenting this stuff...if he wasn't around my life would be so dull.

Spring is here!

2009-04-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

I look out the window and see the grass greening up, the daffodils blooming and the leaves budding out on the trees. It is my favorite time of the year! It is like a breath of fresh air and the promise of good things to come. Since Den's job loss in February, we have been pretty down--but look forward to better days, and better weather! I know it's a little early to plant, but it was a nice day to till the garden.

Tuesday, Marge 17th, the unluckiest day of the year!!!

2009-03-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

Do any of you remember the cartoon, "Ren and Stimpy?" It was a big hit with our family in the 90's. Particularly with Den, since he is a huge cartoon fan. One particular episode features Ren, as the unlucky beast. He has to do all sorts of wild and crazy stuff to break the bad ju-ju. Shauna and Suzy have been waiting forever for March 17 to fall on a Tuesday, so that they could have fun with their Dad. They created a kit with everything he needs to celebrate the unluckiest day of the year.

Here is the display that Den woke up to on the unluckiest day of the year! Cinder-block possum hat, skunk shoes, garlic-filled underpants, an ample supply of leaches, pig intestines, a mix of baboon drool, owl pellets and putrified toad squeezings. And last but not least a lucky leper's foot...all to ward off bad Ju-Ju on the unluckiest day of the year, Marge the 17th!
Den truly is the unlucky beast!

OUCH!!!

2009-03-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Having my yearly blood test was extra colorful this time around. It took forever for this bruise to fade.

Having a Rehl Good Time!

2009-03-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

We had a quick visit with Wendy and family this weekend when they came to Columbus for a wedding reception. We celebrated Riley's 7th birthday a day early.
We weren't it a big hurry to sing to Riley and cut the cake because Wendy and Austin had to leave. Apparently Den couldn't wait and this is what we found when we went to the table to sing.
Even though it was freezing and so windy, the kids wanted to take their obligatory visit to the alpacas.

Valentine's starring Cupid!

2009-02-26T05:53:00.000-08:00

I think Shauna tricked James into posing for this picture by saying, "Hey, would you like a bow and arrow?" They came out for a visit and we had a treasure hunt, and flew James' helicopter in our family room!

Happy birthday to me!!!!!

2009-01-23T08:20:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am indeed once again 49 years old. Shauna, Suzy, James and Sydney, surprised me at the library with a balloon and flowers. Suzy is staying with us while Spencer is on a dental service project in the Dominican Republic. That is the best present of all.
This is actually a recreation from the night of my birthday. I challenged Suzy and Shauna to an arm wrestling contest. Wendy gave me a dvd weight workout tape that I have been doing for 6 months. I wanted to see if it was doing any good, and guess what? I beat them both!!! I kept asking Suzy if she let me win, but she insists I took her down fair and square. Not bad for an old woman!