What The Heck Blogger?

 I went to make some changes to my blog background and header and viola'...everything is screwed up and I can't make my blog look like it  used to. I hate blogger when they make changes and make it so difficult to get back to normal. Maybe I'll figure it out or maybe I'll find another way to blog.  Whatever. For today I'll just do a post and see what happens.  The truth is not much has happened at all...thankfully.  Ashland had it's annual Balloon Fest over the weekend and the weather was only good for one flyover but the rain did stay away at times so the festival on Freer Field could go on with lots of food trucks, games, and activities for families and kiddos.  We stayed away but I was glad for a successful event for the city.  After having to cancel last year tons of folks just want to go back to normal stuff.  In our little corner of the world  the gardens are growing and we're getting the Pines back into it's usual Summer mode.

Blueberries are getting ripe. We won't have tons this year but a few for a tastey snack is good.

Next to the peas I planted only one zucchini plant and it's getting ginourmous!  

The tomatoes have grown even bigger than this pic that I snapped last week.  I look forward to those delish fresh tomatoes right out of the garden...nothing better!

Our peppers are being guarded by Miss Scarecrow.  I'm not sure she really keeps the critters out but she is cute!

Beans are finally making an appearance. We had to replant and now they are sprouting next to the carrots.  That's about all for produce that will eventually be canned. I know it's easier to go to the store or the farmer's market and get fruits and veggies but there's something satisfying about doing it yourself. At least for now.  One day I'll probably give it up..except perhaps for the tomatoes?  Time will tell!

I did take the time to make some raspberry jam.   Actually it's a combo of raspberry and strawberry. I was shy one cup of raspberries for the recipe and I happened to have just enough strawberries to crush and add to the mixture.  It turned out pretty yummy! 

I brought out the icecream maker and whipped up a batch of chocolate.  So good. Some Hershey's syrup, and maybe some of that jam...double yum.  That's about all from the Pines. I hope everyone has a good July 4th. We're heading see my Sister and family and spend the weekend celebrating with them. I do hope the weather cooperates.  I took a quick pic of  the sky over Ashland this afternoon on my way home from Jack's office:

I'll call this "Angry Skies".  We had rain and some thunder but that's it.  It's been hot and humid the past few days and this kind of weather can happen at any time. Let's hope it's not happening for the 4th. Cooler temps are moving in and that makes me happy! 

Night all!

Moving On

 This week has been an emotional one.  We traveled to Kentucky for my brother's funeral and met with family and friends to say a final goodbye.  We cried, laughed, shared stories and food as is usually the case at times like this.  The funeral service was very moving and a wonderful tribute to a great guy.  His daughter's eulogy brought everyone to tears and even some laughter as she shared her love for her Dad. The Marine Military honors were so touching.  I can't even put into words how special it was.  So now we move on as a family as everyone goes back to their home and their lives with our memories and special moments spent this week.  Jack and I are slowly getting our yard back into order and I'm finally able to be of a help.  I still can't lift heavy objects and I do get tired more often than I'm used to.  But it's getting better day by day.  I can drive and even mow the yard!  So I'll end this with some pics and a wish that everyone gives their family members a hug or an "I love you"  while you can.  It's a shame we need reminding to do that and I hope it's something you all do naturally.

Our front walk is starting to bloom out and Jack and I planted a new tree to replace the one that died.

Back deck coming together.  I still have patriotic decor for this spot and will be finishing it up this weekend.  My little herb garden is coming on nicely.

My owls used to be out front but I moved them to help brighten up the ugly heat pump! Jack calls them my "baked potatoes"...well, they do kind of look like potatoes I guess.

My spinning balloon wind catcher is in honor of Ashland's Balloon Fest coming up at the end of the month..like next weekend! Hopefully the weather will cooperate so the big balloons can fly.  Everyone is looking forward to this festival as it was cancelled last year like so many events were. 

I was happy to be able to get out and mow.  My boys have been doing it and weren't really happy I did it but my Doctor gave the OK as long as it was a smooth ride and I wore my collar.  Well, smooth ride might be stretching it a bit but I went very slowly over any bumps and all is good.  Have a good weekend and Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there! 

Finally There Is Joy

 This week has been one filled with the ups and downs of life.  Isn't life always made up of the happy and the sad? The up and down? The hellos and goodbyes.? Friday night we had reason to celebrate one of the joys of life as our Granddaughter, Driana married her love...Jonathan..in a lovely ceremony and a fun reception with family and friends.  Driana is our first Grandchild.  She's the reason we became YaYa and PawPaw! She has brought so much happiness over the years and we have celebrated her journey threw her almost 26 years of life.  She found her vocation as a registered nurse helping hospice patients and their families.  She works hard and loves what she does and she loves her family.  We wish her and Jonathan all the happiness in the world.  Time has flown by and the little girl we babysat, shared  birthdays, watched cheerleading, basketball, and graduations has grown into a beautiful wife and maybe someday....a mother.  Best Wishes Driana and Jonathan!

Our son Jack walking her down the aisle.

The rings. I sure hope the real photographer did better than I did!

Jonathan wanted Kip to be there as the "Best Dog"! He was very well behaved and made everyone smile!

First dance.

The event center was very lovely and the food was good and I'm sure everyone had a great time. We did leave around 9pm as I was ready to call it a day.  Here's some final pics..

The Starkey men...minus Jordan who couldn't make it out from California but Craig...(blue shirt on the end!) came out from Portland, Oregon.  Unfortunately my Daughter-in-law and his kiddos couldn't make it because school is still in progress until  next week.

Our table.

I was happy to spend the evening with my guys. We laughed and had a great time together.  It's this part of  life that helps make the rest all worth it.  Best wishes Driana and Jonathan. Enjoy the journey because it's a very fast ride.  We love you!

Another Farewell

 Sitting down to write this post I keep thinking of what words I could pen that would say all that is in my heart tonight. Last night I received a call about my older brother, Greg. He was taken by squad to the hospital near his home in Louisville. After phone calls back and forth and hours of waiting I received the call nobody wants at midnight.  He passed away.  It has sent shock waves through our family and we struggle with trying to come to terms with yet another tragedy.  Another gathering.  Another funeral.  If you looked up the word success in the dictionary you should see Greg's photo there. That is if success is a kind person.  If success is a generous man. If success is a loving husband, father, grandfather.  If success is a wonderful brother who did all he could to be there for the family. If anyone needed help he was there.  If success was being a hero that would be him.  A brave marine who fought in Vietnam.  If success was running a company he built up himself and then made sure to employ any family member who needed a job and wanted a trade, he would fit that definition.  Greg loved life. He hosted many of our family Christmas parties and summer cookouts.  All were welcome in his home.  A smile, a laugh, a hug.  I have so many memories of a big brother looking out for me.  Letting me drive his car when I was 12! (secretly of course!) Giving me advice. Going off to war when I was 14 and thankfully coming home. He proved you don't always need a college education to be smart. He had class and grace and I know I sound like he was perfect.  We all know nobody is but in our family he was lovingly called St. Gregory.  So I'm betting he is with Mom and Dad and my nephew Jono.  What a party we're all missing. We will be here to honor his life and gather as siblings to say a final goodbye on Monday.  A time to reflect on a life well lived but gone too soon.  A brother we will all miss and another empty chair at the table.  RIP Greg...we all love you.

Hello...Glad To Be Back

 It's time to hit the blogging trail after a short break. The month of May blew by in a blur.  I was very nervous about my surgery and certainly concerned about the outcome as well as being down during a busy time of year as far as the outdoor work goes.  There were gardens starting to come to life and of course that means weeds.  The lawn that needs mowed sometimes twice a week. Planting the veggies and on and on.  I came home as expected 2 days after surgery.  I'm pretty good at handling pain but this sort of threw me for a loop.   Because the incision was posterior they had to go through the muscles in the back. Yep, I think I felt...and still do at times...every fiber they stretched!  PIC ALERT!!!  Scroll on by if you don't want to see my scar.  This is my journal so it's going in for history sake!

The bandage on the right side was covering the area where I had a drain. Thankfully all healed well. I had my 3 week post op visit and I don't have to wear the collar unless I feel like I need it or when in the car.  All else is coming along and will just take time to completely heal.

This section of my couch has become my best friend.  It reclines on both ends and I slept in the recliner until this past week when I was finally comfortable laying down.  Heat and ice were and still are good buddies also.  I guess having a broken wrist at the same time hasn't exactly helped but by and by it's getting better.  I wasn't able to be up for more than 5-10min. at a time and now I'm back to a few of my activities...even driving.  

I wouldn't stand next to me in a thunderstorm if I were you. Jack kids that he could scrap me out at the metal recycle place!  So at times if you think I have a screw loose..well, you could be right!  In the mean time, Spring sprung and the flowers bloomed.  My sweet Granddaughter, Summer, and her boyfriend, Spencer,  came and did some weeding and then planted annuals, containers, and my flower boxes for me. My awesome boys came and have taken care of mowing the yard.  Jack planted all the veggies and has taken great care of me as well as working and doing household chores and cooking.  Since I can reclaim some of those chores we're back to some kind of normal.  

My peonies bloomed on time for Memorial Day.  We had peonies in our yard growing up and Mom enjoyed them and I always think of her when they bloom. I can't believe it's been one year since she passed away.  Her birthday was May 17th and she would have been 95. What a party we would have loved to have had for her. I sure hope she's having a party in heaven with Dad and all her family. I picked a nice bouquet in her honor.

These are for you Mom!  Even though family has been a big help with the yard we decided to hire out someone to do the bigger weeding jobs.  Our good friends drive the Amish when needed and said they are always looking for jobs for the kids to do.  So Friday 3 Amish kiddos came and worked for about 3 hours weeding.  They were so cute and fun to talk to. I prepared lunch for them and then drove them home. We had some good discussions about the differences of the the Amish and English. 

They did a pretty good job and I know who to call if needed again. So this was my life in May. I'm hoping each week is better and soon I'll be back in full summer mode.  Our sweet Granddaughter, Driana gets married on Friday! Good times ahead and I'm sure more photos abound.  At least they won't be pics of surgery scars! Thanks for the well wishes and prayers. I've felt them and I'm happy to be back in blog land. 

Blog Break

 Just a quick post to say I'm taking a blog break.  I'm recouping well but it's been more of a challenge than I thought. So hopefully by June I'll be in a better place for blogging and life in general. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes.  As Arnold (the big guy, not my dog!) would say: "I'll be back".

One More Hurdle

 

I'm sure everyone is sick of my health posts...me too! Hopefully this is a last challenge for the year. Yesterday I had cervical neck surgery.  Because I had issues from C-3 to T-1 they went in posterior.... back of neck..to repair damage. It didn't happen because of my fall in March. Congenital and degenerate from age has plagued my neck for years . Good Chiropractic care kept me going but my symptoms went into high gear this year.  The surgery went good and hopefully I'll be home tomorrow. I had to go to the big hospital in Cleveland... University, not the Clinic.  Driving over an hour to get here is a pain but necessary.  So that's all folks! Fingers crossed 🤞!

Mother's Day And Birthdays

 May is a big month for gifts around here.  We have #3 son who's birthday is today and I always tell him he was the best Mother's Day gift I ever got! Happy Birthday Phil!  May 7th was our Granddaughter Lexi's 15th birthday. Oh my, she's growing up so fast!  She's an amazing young lady.  So smart and sweet and a wonderful big sister to Rae Rae!  May 12 is our Granddaughter Katie's 19th birthday.  Sure wish she and family lived closer to us. We'd love to spend special days with her!  May 21st is our Granddaughter Summer's 23rd birthday.  Now we're getting up there in the ages! But May is also Mother's Day.  A big Happy Mother's Day to all of my blog buddy Moms!  It's a bitter sweet Mother's Day for me since this is the first one without my sweet Mom.  Last year, thanks to Covid, Mom couldn't have visitors in the rehab facility and we did a Zoom with all of my siblings.  It wasn't a good day for her and she just wanted to come home.  I cried after that and felt it was a horrible Mother's day.  Her birthday is also in May.  May 17th and last year she turned 94.  I was out in Chicago and we stopped by and dropped off her gifts and flowers but it wasn't the same.  Mom came home a week later finally and we were so hopeful that she would continue to recover and we'd be celebrating Mother's day with her this year along with a birthday for turning 95.  But it wasn't to be as she passed away a few weeks after her birthday on May 29th.  So I will remember Mom fondly and all the things she taught me over the years.  I'll remember all the phone calls and the times we got together with my sister and laughed ourselves silly and talked until the early morning hours.  Her talents were many and I always said she was the smartest woman I knew.  She was fearless, loved to travel, a wonderful cook, and a fabulous seamstress.  She was a smart business woman also and my siblings and I were sure lucky to have her as our Mom.  Happy Heavenly Mother's Day Mommo! Sure miss you.  

Mom and Arnie.

Phil and his girls...Lexi in tan and Rae Rae in red. 

Miss Katie!

Summer...who we always say her personality is bright, warm and fun just like the Summer season. Happy May birthdays to everyone and I hope it was a lovely Mother's Day also.  If your Mom is still with you, hug her and know you are blessed!

Happy Easter! (Greek Easter I Mean)

 Although I'm not Greek Orthodox I am half Greek. Growing up we always celebrated both Easters.  My Mom's relatives would do the whole roast the lamb on the spit and tons of food thing and we would go and manage to have a good time even though we didn't speak Greek and didn't understand many of the grown-ups.  But the memories of those days have stayed with my siblings and myself and have become sweeter over the years as all those adults that were there have now passed on.  I know many of my cousins have taken over those traditions and it makes me happy when I see that on Facebook.  Today we decided to gather our kids and Grandkids and celebrate Greek Easter since we didn't  get to have regular Easter in April because of my accident.  So I made some traditional Greek foods and we did ribs instead of Lamb and there were lots of other goodies brought by those that came today.  We had  our traditional Easter Egg hunt and even did an Easter Egg hunt with the adults who seemed to have as much fun as the littles!  We put money in the little kiddo eggs and the adults had candy in theirs and then were awarded lottery tickets when they completed the hunt.  A few won a little dough even!  The weather was perfect, the food was really good and the smiles and laughter made it all the better.  My hope is they all will have fond memories of time spent with YaYa and PawPaw and remember the traditions we've shared.  My sweet  Mom was on my mind today as I was putting out the food and making sure everything was going well...just like she did when I was little and also when I was all grown up.  I sure hope she had a smile on her face in heaven  as we celebrated her heritage along with our family traditions.  Miss you Mom!  Here's just a few pics of today.  I usually snap food pics but I guess I was too busy having fun!

The weather was sunny and warm and perfect for gathering on the deck.

Lexi is old enough to get the Gator out and give rides to the younger ones and keep them entertained before lunch.

The kids enjoyed the Easter Egg hunt and then they hid the eggs for the adult hunt.

The dude in this pic is our #3 son, Phil.  2 things about this make me smile.  #1...It's been many years since I saw him carrying his own Easter basket hunting for eggs and #2...He's pretty grey on top!  But it looks good on him and his Dad always says..."Our hair may be grey but at least we have a full head of hair!"  True words.

The hunt was divided into teams and team Jackie and Evelyn were the first ones done! Winner, winner chicken dinner!  Well, actually rib dinner and Jackie had a $20 winning ticket!

A couple of other egg hunters...Summer and her brother Anthony and Driana and her fiance, Jonathan. Driana won $20 too!  Some others won small amounts but at least not all were duds!

Everyone was busy scratching off those tickets! We decided this was going to be an annual event and I was glad they all enjoyed the day and the games.  I love it when we can all gather together and make memories.  Happy Easter everyone! 

I Hate To Do This

 I hate to post another weather phenom but next year when I go back and read what the weather was like in April I might want a heads up to not move the snow shovel off the deck until June.

On Wednesday last week, the 21st, we got 6 inches of snow.  To make it a perfect day I had to get a root canal that morning.  Yep, doesn't get more perfect than that!  The root canal was a breeze and by Friday the snow was gone and my neighbors were mowing their yards. Welcome to Spring in Ohio! 

The blossoms on my Dogwood near the deck were laden with the white stuff and I don't think anyone would have wanted to dine alfresco!

The roads were clear for my trip to the dentist thankfully.

A few days later all was good in my neighbor's yard.

Down by the creek all looked pretty.

Jack and I went to the cemetery this afternoon and this tree was so beautiful and smelled great!  I'm thinking we can resume our outdoor yard work as the temps will hit 80 by Tuesday. We have some tree stumps getting ground out this week and new trees planted.  I hate to keep posting yard pics but I know more will be coming as we get more done at the Pines. Thanks for putting up with me!  Happy crazy Spring!