A Bridal Shower and A Class Reunion

Saturday afternoon was Alicia's bridal shower - what a nice time I had.  She received many really nice gifts.  It's been a loooooong time since I've been at a shower so it was fun for me.  GREAT food too.  If you get the chance, ask Aunt Evelyn about all the "memorable" pictures I took on her camera for her.

Alicia and Jay are very fortunate - all four of their grandmothers were at their shower and Lord willing, will be at their wedding in September. 

 Her two moms:

 Alicia is such a sweet young lady - I look forward to getting to know her better.

 Saturday night was your dad's "52nd" class reunion.  They all got together two years ago and decided they enjoyed themselves so much that they wanted to get together every two years.
Before we left to go, Dad said he wasn't sure why he'd signed up to go.  I told him to decide that he was going to have a good time and to get over it.

He met up with a good friend of his that he hasn't seen in over 25 years and the four of us were the last to leave the parking lot.  I asked him on the way home if he had a good time and  --  hang onto your hats --  he said Yes, he did.  There were three wives of the classmates and we sat and visited together so I had a grand time too.  I think your dad was one of the two best "aged" guys there!!!

 Friday afternoon we went to the Gospel Singing in Sioux Center.  On the way the clouds were gorgeous.  There was a little break in the clouds that was bright blue - breathtakingly beautiful.  My camera just doesn't do it justice.  By the way, the singing was great also.

 The sidelight of our front door has a broken seal so the glass is foggy.  I took some "ice" spray that normal people use at Christmas and sprayed the window.  It looks nice and masks the fog.  Clever, don't you think?

 

Dad has planted flowers inbetween the roots of our front tree - he likes vinca and I like impatients.  As you can see, my impatients are doing very well - his vinca is not spreading or growing nearly as well. 





 Several years ago dad bought a screen to go in the garage door.  I asked him a week ago where that screen was because the mosquitoes seem to be everywhere this year.  He put it up again and it works great.

 Welcome to our home.  I think it looks very welcoming after a little painting, bringing up the wicker chair and a new pot of flowers.  Come visit us - SOON!!  Oh, that's right, you Washington people will be here very soon.  You Woodstock people, come anytime - I have some bags for you to take home, Amy Jo.

 



That's it for this week.  Love and good wishes going out to our dear friend, Linda.  Hope the break is not a bad one and that you'll soon be back up and on the mend.  Until then,  keep the ice on!!!

Love to all of you,
Gramma and MOM

Falls Park

With all the rain we've been having and the flooding, Falls Park is RUSHING.  Dad and I were there yesterday morning and took a little walk around.  The water was about as high as I've ever seen it.  Here's a couple of pictures and a video.  I love the sound of rushing water or waves crashing. 

 

 

 

They opened up the road going to Uncle Glen and Aunt Sue's again.  What devestation the water has done here in our area.  So very sad.

Have a good day.
Love to you all
Gramma and MOM

Backyard and Dad's eye surgery

 

Dad has been working in the backyard again.  Here he's putting daylillies in the area between us and our neighbors.  There was a hedge there that was badly damaged two years ago in the ice storm.  There were pumpkins there last year but the little boy next door moved so there was just dirt.  It should be really pretty when they all start blooming.

 

The pruned tree looks much nicer as it's leafing out.  This was taken from the deck so you see more of the top than if you're down on the ground.  It will be a lot easier for dad to pick the apples this fall.

 

The clematis has some blooms on it - just waiting for it to fill in a bit more.  Dad and I don't have a lot of luck with this particular flower.

 

Our hollyhocks are getting bigger and have lots of buds on them - am anxious for them to start blooming.  I remember Grandma having hollyhocks on our farm when I was a kid.

This actually looks worse than it is but he has to have this metal patch on his eye at night for a week so he doesn't accidently scratch or rub the eye.  He had a small growth and a skin tag removed on his left eye.  Things are going well as long as we remember the eyedrops three times a day for the next two weeks and then we start over with the next eye.  Good thing I'm an "old" secretary - have a chart laying here on the table to mark all the times down.

 Last week dad and I took Grandma to a "cousins luncheon".  There are two of her cousins that are older than she is but neither one was there.  There are six cousins here and then some in-laws plus dad and I.  I think Grandma had a really nice time visiting - one of her favorite things to do.

 

That's it for today - dad and I went to Sioux Falls this morning and took some pictures of Falls Park - the water was really high and I heard someone say it had been higher on Sunday.  Will try to get those pictures and videos posted tomorrow.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY VERY, VERY FAVORITE 11-year old.  Sam, you are truly one of a kind!!  Love you

 

Gramma and MOM

Uncle Mart's Sale Barn

Last Saturday there were a couple of things I would like to have done but as you know, you can only be in one place at any given time.  One of the things I wanted to do was to go to the Kramer Auction barn where auctions are held about twice a month.  When I was a teenager, Grandpa would go and help his brother on auction night when they would sell cows, pigs, and other livestock.  In it's heyday, the Kramer SaleBarn was a popular place.  My cousin, Cindy, still holds auctions about twice a month and I would now call it a "junk auction".  We got there about 12:30 and they were selling horse tack which is saddles, blankets and other things pertaining to horses; then they went outdoors to sell the hay that was brought in.  After that, they started on the "junk" - I can't imagine who was going to buy some of that stuff.  We left before they started selling the chickens, miniature ponies and sheep which is what I could like to have seen.  We would have had to wait over an hour and chose not to do that.

 

At one time, several towns around had sale barns with sales on Saturday afternoon.  It was the method by which farmers would buy or sell their livestock.  Luverne also had one.  I don't know of too many that are left.

 

  One good thing about the sale barn is that the CAFE has homemade pie so dad and I just had to have a piece for lunch - their sour-cream raisin was wonderful.

 

 This is the auction ring.  The auctioneer is the fella in the red hat.  At one time they would herd the livestock in through the white door in the middle of the picture and then after they were sold they would be herded back out the door behind the fella in the plaid shirt.

 The red things in the cages are chickens that were going to be sold with the sheep and ponies.

This is where the people sit around the "ring".  I couldn't believe how small it was - seems to me it was much larger at one time!!!

 My Uncle Mart's diploma from auctioneer school.  I asked him about going off to school once when I was visiting with him.  He said it came so easy for him and it was something he loved doing.  It's called "crying" an auction.

After we left the salebarn, we headed off to Ward, SD to have a birthday dinner for Kurt along with Uncle Glen and Aunt Sue.  We stopped and got a cup of chia tea and dad got a coffee smoothie and then we proceeded to take 2 1/2 hours for a one hour trip.  We took all back roads - a lot of them were gravel.  Drove through Dell Rapids and then spent some time driving through Flandreau.  Discovered that there is an Indian Residential School just north of Flandreau that is still operating.  Very interesting.  Need to do some further research on it.

Arrived in Ward about 10 minutes early and Uncle Glen was already there - we had a wonderful evening with the birthday boy and his wife and Glen & Sue.  I think we were there at least two hours. 

When dad and I left we went east, rather than west where we'd come from and took back roads all the way home.  It was a great afternoon!!!!!!!

Well, that's my blog for this Tuesday.  Aunt Sue reminded me this morning that it was Tuesday and time I updated my blog.  I have no excuse for not getting to it other than I didn't.

Have a super week!!!
Love to you all,
Gramma and MOM

Cemetery Visiting

As you both know, cemetery visiting is a ritual for dad and I ever since we took care of Lakeview when you girls were MUCH younger.  Yesterday we picked up Grandma for breakfast and then we were off to eight different cemeteries.  (Valley Springs, Hills, Steen, Rock Rapids, Doon, Rock Valley, Lester and Larchwood)    We put flowers out at Valley Springs, Hills and Steen.  Uncle Rich had brought a geranium for Aunt Pat's grave plus a bunch of silk flowers and a couple of crosses so I took most of what he brought apart, bought some new flowers for the crosses and went from there.

Grandma had these red flowers hanging down in her storage unit for years and decided maybe she should put them out this year.  She was pleased with the look of it when we finished.

 I think this is a bit flowery but Uncle Rich likes lots of flowers.  After Memorial Day, I think dad and I will plant some day lilies where the orange cross is. 

 

Aunt Fanny always brought flowers for Grandpa's vase every spring and since she died, I've taken over for her.  I always try to find something bright that can be seen from the road.  I think it's a good tradition to carry on.

 This was the first year we've ever put anything out for Grandma but Rich had brought this pink bouquet and it looked really nice out there. 

 This little gravestone was a highlight for Grandma.  This is her little brother who died when she was 8 years old - she doesn't remember a funeral nor does she know what he died from.  She had no idea where he was buried but as we were driving/walking around, we found this.  We also found several other "Gorter" gravesites.  I think it was "fun" for her as she tried to remember who some of these people might have been and how they were related to her.

I'm sure there are many people who think our spring ritual is morbid but for us, it's a journey down memory lane.  I saw the gravesites of both sets of my grandparents and it brings back happy memories of going to their homes and a sense of comfort knowing that they are with our Lord and Savior waiting for us to arrive home.

I always feel a bit sad though when I visit Aunt Nel - I just wasn't ready to let her go.

As Memorial Day comes, we think of our armed forces and what they have done to help us keep our freedom.  But I also think it's a time to remember our loved ones and how they have influenced our lives and help make us the people we are today.

Enjoy the holiday!!!!  Loads of love from,
Gramma and MOM

25th Anniversary

Do you recognize all of these wonderful people who helped us celebrate our 25th Anniversary so many years ago?  We went to the Bali Hi for their Hawiian dinner.  At first I was a little upset that dad and I didn't have a drink of any sort when the rest of them did (note:  Gary's ever-present coffee pot).  However, as I looked closer, dad and I have the largest drink of all - see the two straws coming from the drink in the middle.
This was a very memorable night in other ways - it's the one and only time that your father has danced with me and it was on stage in front of everyone.  He still talks about it.  It was a fun, fun evening with very good friends.

I don't think any of us have changed at all, except Marvin maybe.  His hair isn't quite as dark as it was back then.

ENJOY!!!!

Love to you all
Gramma and MOM

PS:  This memorable picture came from Nancy this last week.  She must be cleaning.  Click on picture to make it bigger, if you wish.

Our backyard

 

We've been home over a week now so I decided to just skip our "going home" trip.  This last week one day Dad told me he had to go to Menard's and buy himself an electric chainsaw.  Of course, I asked him whatever for.  He indicated that the apple tree in the backyard was just too tall and had too many apples that were too high for him to pick last year.

 

After I hear him cutting away, I go out to check his progress and this is what I found - he absolutely massacured this tree.  Even the neighbors were giving him a hard time this weekend.

 It's all cleaned up now so the backyard looks better but the tree is still super ugly!!!!

However, dad's flowerbed along the back of the house looks quite nice - his red tulips are blooming; his old-fashioned hollyhocks are coming up nicely and also his lilies. 


 This is our clematis and it's actually growing this year.  Maybe it will bloom and be beautiful like other people's plants.  We'll keep our fingers crossed.

 

Tonight we went to Maggie's graduation party - what a nice party!!  Maggie was lovely.  Dad didn't even recognize her with her cute dress on.  We had a good time with lots of EXCELLENT food - good jog, Aunt Sue and Maggie.

 

That's it for this week.  Have a good week ahead.

 

Love to all

Gramma and MOM