Giving Thanks 2019

When I was a kid we always went to my grandparent's house during Christmas vacation. 

It was my favorite place in the whole world.  

There was family there, a familiar house, and lots of food and games and cousins.  

I especially enjoyed the years when there was snow.  We would play outside, making snowmen and sledding down 'the big hill' (which isn't so big anymore).  Then we would come inside and dump our boots and snow suits and put our wet mittens on the floor furnace.  

This thanksgiving we had snow, and friends and family and food and games.  There were grandsons to play outside and make snow forts and snowballs, and sled down the steps.  

They came in and dumped boots and snow pants and put their gloves to dry by the fireplace (and in the dryer).

I've come full circle.

I can't seem to find the words to explain how much those days at my grandparents meant to me.  I've always valued history, especially family history, and their place meant the continuity of it to me. 

It was just so special.

Now I have a place I love, and there is family that comes and talks and eats and plays and enjoys their time. There are kids who play with toys their parents played with and dump their stuff just like their parents did. Those kids are comfortable in my house and with their Papa and Gramma.  I'm supervising my kitchen and my family is around me.  

And I still can't explain exactly the way it makes my heart feel.

This is the only photo from this day,

but there are a lot more in our memories.

Time in Texas

Every once in a while Jim gets a hankering to see his daughter in Texas so away we go.

We went to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens to see their big fall display of 90,000 pumpkins and squashes.  We were interested in the whole place, but the squash display 

was definitely the star of the show.  

I have far too many photos, just as they had far too many squash.  

I was amazed at all the different varieties. 

Some sort of event going on here, but neat to our landlocked eyes.  

Since it was her birthday weekend, I got to make her cake.  

Leaves Much To Be Desired

I'm seeing the last days of October approaching on the calendar and the effects of the little bit of snow we got this afternoon.

I'm cleaning up my photos for the month, it was a busy month for me.  Lynette and Anthony stopped in for a couple nights on their way home from a big trip from Texas, up the west coast and down through Montana and Wyoming, so we had a family dinner.  My folks were here for a few days and we had a family dinner.  We went to Texas to see Lynette and Anthony at their house.  We had other company that didn't require a family dinner. 

We had Lorene and family over again to play in the leaves. 

 At the very end of last month we took Christian on his trip to the SAC Museum and Wild Safari Park and had the other two boys overnight the next two weekends. (See further blog post for pictures from Christian's trip and the Texas trip. I'm getting too tired tonight. 

I was growing celery, until I let it dry out after I put it in dirt.  Re-watering hasn't revived. it.  

Barry wanted to make a dessert and I was desperate for ideas, but he was happy with a layer cake.  There are 9 candles, 8 for him and one for me. He chose the color of the frosting. 

Dad entered the flag afghan I made for him several years ago into the county fair.  

I didn't make it fair quality, but a second place  and $3.25 will get me some ice cream. 

This is a book about the history and current status of immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer.  

It seems like the non-fiction books I have been reading are so in depth that they the complete history of every scientist involved and where even the most minor things started.

My take-away is that in order for immunotherapy to be effective it needs to be tailored to each patient, is very, very expensive and can have very serious side effects. 

Boys and the pumpkin patch.

Photo Shoot

Leafy fun.

Seven Years

Another milestone.

Another year. 

Seven years cancer free. 

I remembered earlier in the week that the seven-year anniversary was coming up, and the weekend was so busy I didn't think about it again until the evening of the day. 

The beautiful thing about that day is that we were already celebrating a family day, all of us together on a crisp fall evening.  Jim and I watched our children and grandchildren playing together through the picture window and I thought, "This is what Gramma and Papa's house should be."

Earlier that day we watched Barry's soccer game, the last one. 

Dad was coach.

Ahead of the pack, heading for goal.

Barry puts his all into the game does very well at it,.