Hoops And Hope

Saturday we went to cheer on our Grandson Cameron who's playing basketball.  His football season was cut short due to a fractured wrist but he's healed and out on the court having fun.  He was a bit timid his first game so his Dad...our son Jack...told him to take off his glasses.  He went on to score 10 baskets and even dribbled with his left hand since he still had on his wrist brace.  He did great on Saturday too and we had such fun watching these little 8yr olds learn how to play hoops.

The gym has a ginormous screen that shows each kiddo individually and when the announcer shouts out their name the player runs out onto the court just like the pros do! With the music and crowd clapping for them it's pretty cool! Go Penguins!

Shoot the ball Cam-Man!

Looking less serious than the one guarding you!

Of course the after game the awards and snack aren't a bad deal!

Having an older brother there for support is great too! It was a really fun time and I Hope we can get to more games this season...and Hopefully no broken bones!  That's not the "Hope" I'm implying in my header however.  I'm going to show you a photo and you can guess what's going to be happening here at the Pines starting tomorrow....

Hmmm....Hope it all comes off OK and I'll post more about this mystery and show some pics of perhaps a new family member.....To Be Continued!! (Hopefully!)

For Our Freedom

A small post with a big thanks to all who serve our country to keep our freedoms intact, and to all who served in the past and gave the ultimate sacrifice.  Thanks to my family members who answered the call, when they were really just kids, to fight and to come home and live wonderful lives and raise their families and be the best Dads, brothers, friends, and citizens I've ever known.  Love you all!

Dad, I miss you every day.  You were the best! Love, Kathy

Plan B

Jack and I were up before dawn this beautiful Saturday.  We jumped in the Jeep and headed down to Columbus to attend the Temple.  Our session was to start at 9am and we had clear roads, skies and plenty of time.  5 miles before our exit the traffic came to a screeching halt.  We creeped slowly along and made 1 mile in 30min.  We also weren't going to make our Temple assignment time.  I called while we sat in diesel heaven and they said there were many calls saying the same thing.  After another half hour and only going 1 more mile we had to exit as the rest of I71 was closed down.  We couldn't see any signs of an accident and wondered what had happened.  Anyway we decided to go to plan B....head for home.  I called my BFF Donna and told her we would be able to attend an art gallery Christmas open house much earlier than planned!  And that's just what we did.

The Creative Chateau had recently expanded and opened up the renovated barn for all kinds of events.  It was a beautiful venue and many nice vendors too.  Plus freebie food and drink..gotta love that!

Those beautiful doors led you into a fun experience.

Like sitting by the fire with a good friend!

Enjoying the designs of local businesses.  There was live performances going on also from local musicians.

Here's a view from the loft of the barn....no barnyard animals here!

However, a very docile, sweet cat that just loved being petted had every one's attention.

On the property there's this sweet bungalow on the pond where they hold many events like yoga and meditation sessions, and you can rent it for small personal parties like baby or wedding showers.  It sits on stilts...

Here's my good buddy Donna on the cute bridge and in the background you can see the party house on stilts!  We had a fun morning and even though we didn't buy tons of things I was pleased with some beautiful handmade clay ornaments for my family. Donna found a cute little outfit for her Grandbaby Jax.  Thanks for the fun morning Donna!   When I got home Jack and I headed over to our local animal shelter that was having an adoption day.   I've been kicking around the idea of getting a dog and have been looking on line for a small to medium breed.  It's so sad to see the dogs in the shelter looking like they have lost their best friend and all hope of happiness.  It's a shame so many of the dogs are pit bulls.  They get a really bad rap and unfortunately they are hard to place.  We found one cute little guy who was kind of strange looking.  His daddy was a dachshund and mom was a yellow lab. He had a little body and a big head!  But he also had a big heart that loved all the attention.   I played with him a bit and was contemplating about adopting him when a family approached with a couple of little kiddos.  Opie went right to the little boy and seemed to really like him.  Jack said he felt that Opie and the little boy could really be best buddies.  We backed off and decided to head back home with hopes that he found a "furever" home with them.  Next weekend is another adoption day at another location.  If Opie is still there we may think more seriously about him. I still feel bad for all the others hoping for some love and a good home.  If it's meant to be we'll find the perfect one for us one day.    The leaves are pretty much gone for this season but the other night the trees seemed to be on fire. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots.

Our Creepy Woods was looking more glorious than creepy!

My neighbor's trees looked pretty impressive too.  And the reason was this going on across the street:

The sun setting quietly in the West.  Within minutes it was dark...the time was 6pm...I do hate the time change!

One Extra Hour

It's November and I like to think of it as my quiet month.  A lull before the crazy hustle and bustle of December.  A month to think of our blessings.  A month to take a deep breath and enjoy the final warmth of Fall....warmth that can feel like September!  Today was that kind of day.  The weekend wasn't too shabby either!   Sunday we were given an extra hour. An extra hour to sleep, or work, or just enjoy the day.  I used mine to go to Church, to make some homemade soup, and to spend some time outdoors.  Phil and Addy stopped by to spend their extra hour with us.

They hopped on the gator that was recently fixed to take a test spin around the Pines.

Fun!  It works great!

Where's Addy?

Hiding in the back?   After her ride she wanted to take some pics of her own.  She loves to use my camera and she does a pretty good job of capturing her favorite things.  Here's how she used her extra hour.

Taking a shot of the owl wind chime.

A pic of her favorite doll.

Her shoes.

Some flowers.

Wind chimes.

The sky.

Her Daddy.  I guess those are the important things when your 7!  Well, the month of October flew by.  It was fast and furious and fun in many ways.  So I'll let my friend close this post and say bye-bye for this season.

Whew! He's exhausted.

But with the help of family and friends, all the celebrating was worth it!  Hope you spent your hour doing something you love or spending time with someone you love. 

No Tricks...Lots Of Treats

The week has flown by faster than a witch on her broom across a full moon.  I've been making food for various Halloween gatherings.  Yesterday our Church had it's "Truck or Treat" fun night for the kids and adults.  It was a  potluck and also a dessert contest.  I can't resist that challenge.

My gory looking cake won for  "The scariest"....what do you think? I also made a few other things to go along with the night but didn't take any pics of them.  But I did catch a few costumed revelers!

Everyone was getting judged in front of the haunted house.  We didn't dress up...I ran out of steam before I could put a few costumes together.  Between work and making food, I was bushed!

We did decorate our trunk...well, the back of the jeep anyway...and handed out candy. See our little boney pet friend named Ralph? He's a stinker!  The weather held up nicely for the event with the temps staying warm in the 50's and the rain holding off.   But the fun wasn't over yet. At work today we had our annual Halloween lunch pot luck.  So it was back to the stove to make more food.  (no pics this time!)  But look who made an appearance:

He just happened to be standing under one of our motivational signs.  He was a delight to all today!  Ashland always has "trick or treat" night the Thursday before Halloween. We stopped in around 5:45 to see Lexi and Addy in their costumes.

Addy and her PawPaw!

Phil and his Greek Goddess Lexi, and little kitty cat,  Addy....they were excited!  After they left, Jack and I took off to see how the rest of the town was doing.

The streets were crowded with ghosts, fairies, storm troopers and all kinds of ghouls! Again, the weather cooperated with no rain, but kind of windy and chilly.  We found 2 really scary characters handing out candy.

My BFF Donna! Her newest Grandkiddo Jax and her hubby Larry were handing out candy at her daughter's home while Chelsea and Bryden were trick or treating.  Across the street,  their neighbors had made a very elaborate haunted house for folks to enjoy.

It gets scarier after the little ones are done gathering candy but I took a quick peek inside before the real ghouls came out!

It was quite the maze.  This is just a tiny glimpse of the fun inside!  I'm sure it was really crazy after trick or treat was over.  I would have loved to stay for all the scary fun but it was time to get back to the Pines.  It's been a busy week and I'm ready for the weekend.  I have a few more projects in store and maybe even a few more costumed capers! We'll see.   For now I'll leave you with this pic.  That little Ralph...I told you he was a stinker...remember the pie?

Well, he finished it off! Booooo!

Almost The End

In one week October will be done...I can't believe it!  I do love this time of year.  The final bits from our garden are in.

Maybe we pulled this one a bit early:

The trees are doing a final dance this weekend.  I'm sure by this time on Halloween they will be mostly bare.

Dogwoods are red.

Oranges and yellow on the side of yard.

The oak tree turned brownish yellow almost overnight and the trees near the Creepy Woods are trying to give a final blaze of color.  Maybe I'll just have to make more creepy things instead of going to the Creepy Woods.  Things like this:

A pack of spiders perhaps?  Or maybe a yummy pie would be perfect.

Hey, I think my new diet is working! Although I do understand the camera adds 10lbs! Yep, it's Halloween week!