Oh, my goodness -- it has been a long time

So much going on, so little attention to this blog.  But here I am again.  For how many days in a row, or something close to resembling "in a row", who is to say?

Fri., February 14, 2003 - Saw a movie this evening, a tribute to Big Bands -- those taken from Lawrence Welk's shows.  Rained in p.m. and evening.

Sat., February 15, 2003 - Started to snow during the night.  Snowed almost all day.  Talked to Greta at noon.  They had snow, too.  Played cards in p.m. -- the group that plays on Mon. night.

Sun., February 16, 2003 - Nancy came at noon.  She made me a new kind of cheese & potato soup.  Very tasty.  Mitch & Anna here while Mary wen to Writers Group.  We played cards.  I popped some popcorn for them.

I'm having trouble reading Grandma's writing re the big band show, but I'll go with what I have there.

Of course, I cannot let dear Jenny's passing from this world to the next go unmentioned.  I should have posted something much closer to the event.  It wasn't for lack of caring about her, but just me being the usual me and not getting things done when I should do them.

However, since some time has passed it is much easier to say now how very happy I am for Jenny that her suffering is over, and for both she and Bill to be together.  The Lord works in mysterious ways.  I will always miss the two of them and particularly their laughs; both very different, but both very genuine and fun.  Bill and Jenny have left behind a beautiful legacy of lives well lived.  Their sons and grandchildren are testament to the lovely people they were.

Dual-purpose post

Sat., February 8, 2003 - Talked to Greta in late p.m.  No juicy gossip!

Sun., February 9, 2003 - Nancy brought a chicken dinner from Popeye's.  She helped rearrange some shelves in hall area. Couldn't stay long -- Jeff was coming for some legal matter.

Mon., February 10, 2003 - Played cards in evening.  Nine players there -  Helen Donaldson, Dolores Ulrich, Grace Ryan, Ethel Sovereign, Wayne Baldwin, Sam Eaton, Bob Burdick, John Ross, and myself. 

Interesting that Grandma felt a need to name the card players.  Maybe that was an exceptionally big group.  Or, she wanted to fill some space.

I've delayed this post for reasons soon to be made obvious.  First, I will note that today is Grandma and Grandpa's wedding anniversary.  I hope it was as lovely a day then as we are having now.

And the reason for delaying (not that I don't go long between posts anyway) is still the shock and sadness of losing Bill.  There are no guarantees in this life, but I for one was sure we would have him for another 10 years at least.  He was otherwise so healthy and vigorous and until recently, very much his usual jovial and lovable self.  We will miss him terribly.  It was very humbling to see the crowd that came from near and far to attend his funeral.  And Jayson did such a good job speaking under such sad circumstances.

Birthday party time

Sun., February 2, 2003 - Tom took me to Dale's for dinner.  All there except Merilyn & Jayson's family.  Jeff & girlfriend Sarah were there for dinner & Doug, Dana & Madison came in afternoon.  A nice warm day.

Mon., February 3, 2003 - Snowed today.  I went to Card Club in evening.  Delores made a cake & Grace furnished ice cream -- a surprise to me.  Then Nancy & Mitch came which was a real surprise.  Delores had asked them to come.  Anna was sick so she & Mary weren't there.  Jean called today & so did Raymond Iversen but we didn't talk much -- he could hardly hear me.  The trouble must have been in his phone because Jean didn't complain.

Tues., February 4, 2003 - I cancelled the hair-do appointment.  Nancy said the sidewalks were icy.  Delores here in evening for some Rummikub.

Darn, but I don't remember not going for cake and ice cream because Anna was sick.  Nice to know that Nancy and Mitch were able to pull off the surprise, though.

I've been re-starting my genealogy research of the family and came across a humorous little thing from the Winside paper.  Thankfully, well hopefully, it had nothing to do with anyone in our find, upstanding family but I need to share it anyway.  Here goes:

Winside Tribune, April 22, 1920:

Luthern [sic] Church Emblem Smeared with mud.

Disregarding the motives of the parties guilty of smearing mud on the emblem just above the entrance of the St. Paul's Lutheran church Wednesday night, the act surpasses any barbaric deed that was ever perpetuated in this locality.  Anyone that would condescend to such an outrageous and blasphemous act isn't as good as the mud he used to express the degenerate machinations of his furtile [sic] brain.

We haven't any idea who the guilty parties are but if we haven't made this article emphatic enough parties in question can call at the office and get what we didn't have space for in this weeks [sic] issue.

Well, amen to that.  

Seems I should have Nancy in charge of photos for my posts since she is the most organized photo queen in the family.  But, a nice photo of the church isn't a bad thing, right?

My apologies

Sat., December 28, 2002 - Greta called.  Nancy came in p.m. with groceries.  I showered.
Sun., December 29, 2002 - Nancy & I left in time so we attended church in Wahoo.  The family gathered at Bill's for our Christmas get-together.  Merilyn couldn't come.  Had a wonderful dinner -- had gift exchange.  Went to see Jayson & Lora's new house.  Will be real nice.  Lovely day -- pretty ride home with all the Xmas lights.
Mon., December 30, 2002 - Annabelle called.  She was in Lincoln but didn't care to drive in Lincoln.  Had a very nice visit with her.  Played cards again this evening.

Life has been a bit crazy for me and so I have been even more negligent in creating posts.  But, each one is one more done, so no harm really.

The coronavirus is making life interesting and difficult for a lot of people, but not so much for me at the moment.  Hoping this situation is resolved soon and things get back to normal.  Brought the dogs in last night and they did very well for outside dogs.  There wasn't too much fighting for the privilege of sitting close to me once the initial excitement wore off.

Hair appointments

Mon., August 19, 2002 - School started today for Jayson.  Played Seven-Up in evening.  Delores came after card game and we played Rummikub.
Tues., August 20, 2002 - Used my special card today to take car or van to hair appointment.  A mini-van came for me.  My appointment is at 11:00 a.m. and I call Mary when I'm ready to go home.  The ride costs only $2.00.  This way Mary doesn't have to take time from her job.
Wed., August 21, 2002 - Skipped Book Club tonite -- didn't feel too spry.

Grandma did fret plenty with our previous arrangement where I took her to her appointment and then waited until she was done to take her home.  Sometimes we had to wait longer than other times for her even to get to a chair and then with students learning and such, sometimes it was quite awhile before all was said and done.  I didn't mind at all, but Grandma came up with this compromise so all I had to do was scamper off once she was done and then pick her up and take her home.  Of course, we did lunch before I took off to work again.  We always had a nice visit.

Here's a photo of Grandma having a particularly good hair day up in Winside and Nancy very seriously contemplating where to put the taters and gravy (guessing that's what's in that bowl).

More than the eventual four

 

June 24, 1931 - I sewed doll dresses for Viola today.  Verne was here awhile and he took me up to Uncle Hans' for about an hour.  Mr. and Mrs. Baker and Viola went to Wayne this afternoon.  Linn's were here this evening and we had ice cream.
June 25, 1931 - Meta stopped here awhile this morning.  She was on her way to Carroll and her car wouldn't work.  Mrs. Baker's sister and family were over this evening.
June 26, 1931 - Oh!  It was hot today!  Mr. and Mrs. Baker and Mr. and Mrs. Dave Thomas went to Norfolk tonite.  I took care of six kids.  Ray and Ralph were up a little while.

I wonder if the six kids scared young Messrs. Andersen and Kahler away.

Also, I did not know that we were friends with the Wendy's guy and his family.  (Tee hee)  The main things I remember about Dave Thomas (the famous one) were that he seemed like a genuinely nice guy and that, being adopted, he was a big supporter of adoption.  Since our family was so wonderfully impacted by two adoptions, I would have to say I agree with him.

Almost too much excitement, then and now

August 1, 2002:  Talked to Myrtle this morning.  Tom here this evening for the usual tasks -- laundry, shower and Rummikub.
August 2, 2002:  Made rhubarb swirl for tomorrow.  Not a "blah" day.  Dolores came right after dinner and we played Rummikub.  Zoya came about 3:00 -- brought some Pepperidge Farm snacks. Delores left then.  Later Marilyn M. came -- she brought some "egg rolls" -- first time I had some -- really good.  Zoya and I played Rummikub before Marilyn came.  Was a very enjoyable day.
August 3, 2002:  Tom came for me at 11:00 a.m.  Merilyn had to work today.  We went to Nancy's for the July birthdays.  Bill's and Jayson's couldn't come -- had a wedding in Omaha.  Greta, Mary, Mitch, Anna, Dale and family, and Jeff M. all there for dinner. The men helped Dane move some furniture.  We gals and kids went over to Dale's new house -- really nice.  They will be spending tonight there for the first time.  Quite an occasion.  Mary, Mitch, Anna, Tom and I had lunch with Nancy before we went home.  A wonderful day!!!

Well, I got a bit confused with the above retelling of 2002 events.  I think the men probably helped Dale move some furniture since Dane would have been 14 years old and hadn't moved out of the house yet.  And I think the last bunch of us had supper before we went home; lunch was probably with the big bunch.  But, it sounded like a grand couple of days for Grandma, so maybe she was thinking faster than she was writing.  Or else, equally possible, I am just missing something obvious to everyone else.

The internet at home is up and running!  As it turns out, three volunteer trees, one by the east pasture gate and two in the goats' pen had grown enough to block the radio signal from Ceresco.  So, the very nice internet guy that came out (ex-Army, which explains it) helped John cut down the trees.  Then we had a 100% signal.  Yay!  I told John to leave the branches in the goats' pen where they were because 1) it was 98 degrees out, and 2) the goats love eating leaves and bark.  That turned out to be a bit of a mistake.  The goats had a great time to be sure, but one of them apparently does not have an "off" switch.  He was bloated-looking last night but acted okay.  This morning when I went for chores, he was down instead of standing like he always is.  I had read previously that sick goats can go downhill very rapidly and die without much warning.  So, I consulted some online friends and have been tending to poor Andy ever since.  We went for a couple of walks to get his innards moving and of course, had to take Barney along so he wouldn't cry.  I have massaged Andy's belly and generally have been checking on him every 30 minutes.  I think he may be out of the woods; for awhile there he was straining like he was throwing up, but instead of anything coming out, his cheeks would fill a bit and he would chew, like a cow chewing cud.  I am thinking that meant he was re-arranging things, so to speak.  I also heard some loud bowel sounds around that time.  Lesson learned with excess leaves.

Here's a photo of the sick boy and myself last night before he got sick.  [Oops, noticed after originally posting that this is Barney, not Andy.  And for the record, Andy seems to be doing much better.]

A permanent and some splurging

July 23, 2002:  Bill came for me at 1:00 p.m.  Got to Wahoo by 2:00 and Jenny gave me a permanent.  Had supper and then went to the Dollar Store.  I splurged there.  Bill brought me back to Lincoln.  Jayson's were there for supper.  That Sarah is a real busy body.
July 24, 2002:  Was tired today.  Didn't feel too good so didn't go to Book Club.
July 25, 2002:  Tom and Merilyn here for supper -- had fried chicken.  Tom did laundry and I showered.  Played just one game of Rummikub.  Tom had been up since 4:30 a.m.!!!  Myrtle called in a.m.  Verna M. called -- Bud in hospital having knee surgery repaired.  He's to go home Saturday or Sunday.

I can believe Sarah was a busy body -- she was days away from her second birthday at the time of Grandma's visit; I imagine she put on quite the show.  Now, 11 years later, she is a lovely young lady.  Being called a busy body at this stage would not be a good thing.

The internet at the house is still being splotchy and I cannot do anything with this site at work (I sense a conspiracy), so I have been hindered in my ability to post anything.  I wanted to let you know I had not forgotten.

It is a bit blurry, but here is a photo of Sarah being her super cute self.

Well, that explains it

May 12, 2002:  Tom took me to Nancy's for Mother's Day gathering.  Merilyn came alone as she had to help Linda.  Bill and Jenny and Jayson's family came in p.m.  Rest of family there for pot luck dinner.  Lynn couldn't be there -- some sort of track meet.  We had a most enjoyable day.
May 13, 2002:  Nancy took me to the doctor in p.m.  Still doesn't know why my right [foot?] is swollen and causes pain at times.  Played tapes that Lester made for me -- some beautiful songs.  Played Seven-Up in evening.
May 14, 2002:  Had my shampoo and set.  Started copying material from old journal into new one Greta gave me for Mother's Day.  Called Lester to thank him for the tapes -- 4 of them.

I had noticed that this most recent journal, unlike others before it, were written in the same ink and in very consistent handwriting.  I would bet that this journal is the new one Grandma is talking about and the one she had been copying in to.  I peeked ahead and found other colors of ink and other variances.  Mystery, small as it was, solved.

Grandma left out a word and I thought it was her foot that she was having problems with.  Maybe we will see as we go along if I am right or wrong about that.

The photo isn't from 2002 since it was taken at Bill and Jenny's, not Nancy's, but I am thinking it may be a Mother's Day photo but the mix of short and long sleeves may mean it was Easter.  I like it nonetheless.

Dental fun

"April 15, 2002:  Played lazy today.  Went to party room to play Seven Up.  Dolores came afterward to play Scrabble.
April 16, 2002:  Cancelled my hair appointment since I'm going to Wahoo.
April 17, 2002:  Bill came at 7:00 and we went to the Dental Clinic at the University.  My appointment was at 8:00 and Bill's at 10:00.  Had my mouth open a lot -- took x-rays.  Tentative plans are to have five teeth pulled and have a partial lower plate.  They advised that I get a new upper plate -- will be able to get a better fit with the new lower plate.  Drove to Wahoo and ate at The Wigwam -- good food.  Then to the house -- Jenny gave me a permanent.  Had supper there -- Jayson and family were there, too.  Bill brought be back to Lincoln.  The clinic will contact Bill for my appointments and he will take me there."

Grandma had quite the busy day there.  You would think the entry about playing lazy would have been after that, but I peeked ahead and she had a normal day on the 18th.  Good for her.

I am pretty sure The Wigwam is gone and I do not believe I ever made it there.

I took a small break from Winside's history, but I found a entry that Mom will like.

One of the most able and most successful young business men of the town is E. T. Warnemunde, cashier of the Winside State Bank.  An honor student in Winside High School from which he graduated in 1923, his ability was recognized even in those early days and he was given a position as bookkeeper in the Merchants State Bank.  In those days a job in a bank offered much better opportunities for advancement and Mr. Warnemunde naturally was proud of the assignment and looked forward to bigger things, but the depression came along and like many other good banks, the Merchants State Bank, was forced to close its doors in December, 1931, and that was the end of the dream of another aspiring young man.  At least for the time being.

But Mr. Warnemunde was not idle long and for the next year and a half he found himself working for W. R. Scribner, bank receiver, who had two local banks to look after.  In 1933 and '34 he engaged in the insurance business and then helped organize a co-operative credit bank, receiving the appointment of secretary-treasurer of the new institution.  He was in charge of this bank until January 4, 1936, when it was dissolved and the Winside State Bank organized in its place.  Mr. Warnemunde probably was more responsible than any other one person for the organizing of this bank and he was rewarded for his efforts by being made cashier and placed in charge of the new institution.  Under his able direction, the bank has made fine progress and has grown substantially.

Mr. Warnemunde was born on a farm new Winside on June 16, 1904.  Since that time Winside is the only town he has ever lived in and he is truly devoted to its best interest.  He is a member of the school board, has served as village clerk for 10 years and as secretary-treasurer of the Wayne County Old Settlers Association for several years.

He was married to Irene Render on January 7, 1926.  There are two children:  Bradley 9 and David 3.

The photo isn't of the farm where E. T. was born but it is a farm near Winside nonetheless.  And lots of us have fond memories of that particular place.  By golly, I don't remember a swing set though. 

Brief, but blogged

"March 31, 2002:  Easter Sunday.  Nancy and I to Wahoo.  Went to church with Bill's.  All the family except Jayson's were at Bill and Jenny's for dinner.  Nancy took me grocery shopping when we got back to Lincoln.
April 1, 2002:  Tired today.  Played SevenUp in the evening.
April 2, 2002:  Cold and windy.  Mary took me for my hair-do.  Delores came in evening and we played Rummikub."

I want very much to come up with something to say here, but I am drawing a very big blank.  But, I have blogged today, which makes two whole days in a row, so I will have to be satisfied with that.

The photo isn't of Easter, I don't think, but pretty flowers nonetheless that are Easter-ish.

Restaurants, schmestaurants

"March 19, 2002:  8:45 appointment this a.m. at Bryan Hospital to have circulation in feet tested.  Nancy took me.  At noon Mary took me for my weekly shampoo and set.  In the evening to Delores's apartment and played Rummikub.
March 20, 2002:  Mary came at noon for lunch.  Tom came in evening -- we ate -- he did the laundry -- I took a shower and then we played Rummikub.
March 21, 2002:  Loafed around all day.  Called Myrtle in the morning.  Tom came at 7:00 and we went to Grasanto's, an Italian restaurant -- good eating!!!"

I just have to poke a bit of fun since the restaurant was actually Grisanti's.  But, Grandma was close.  Much closer than Aunt Irene when she was trying to think of Tony & Luigi's and instead asked if we could go back to that one place . . . Anton & Frank's.  I still giggle about that one, but only because Aunt Irene did once we figured out where she was talking about.

I am going to work on a little something from the Winside history book to see if it is as interesting as I think it might be.  If it is a "go", I'll include it in a later post.

Speaking of Aunt Irene, here's a very lovely photo of her with some greatgrands.  I think we all look very cute in our 80's attire.

Christmas 2001

"December 21, 2001:  Took my walk today.  Made cereal snacks.
December 22, 2001:  Baked three pies for tomorrow.  A bleak day -- Howard died on a Saturday a year ago.
December 23, 2001:  Nancy and I to Wahoo.  Left early enough to go to church.  The service was all singing by the choir.  Jayson sings in the choir.  After the service to Jayson and Lora's for dinner.  Everyone there except Lester, Tom and Merilyn."

I am wondering if this is the first year we did the auction/exchange instead of drawing names.  It seems to me the first time we did that was at Jayson and Lora's -- two houses ago.  I do know we were much more reserved and polite about stealing gifts that first time, namely Grandma's throw and Patty's tabletop waterfall.  But even discounting those gifts, we were super polite.  It took us a few years to get cut-throat like we are now.  Most likely due to our fine Scandinavian Lutheran upbringing.

Up top is another 1954 photo.  I think it shows how extremely fond Nancy always was of her little brother.  What I can't get over, though, is how teeny her purse is.  That would never fly today.  As per Nancy's comment from yesterday's post, Tom is wearing a favorite shirt -- again.  It looks likes Nancy's sleeves are different, so either she rolled them up and down or Tom wore the same shirt on two different days.  I put it here below for easier comparison in case someone wants to weigh in and disagree or agree with me.

Always a teacher

"December 9, 2001:  Greta called in the morning.  I watched 'Anne of Green Gables' a sequel, all afternoon.
December 10, 2001:  Tom stopped in evening to get his keys.
December 11, 2001:  Bill came for me about 11:00.  Went to Wahoo -- had dinner.  Jenny washed my hair.  Went to Alicia's school at 3:00 and told the pupils about one-room schools.  In the evening went to school program that Alicia was in.  Bill and Jayson brought me back to Lincoln.  Had a wonderful time."

Of course Grandma had a wonderful time -- family, kids and getting a chance to teach.  I don't remember Grandma ever going on and on about how much she did or didn't like to teach, but I always thought she was good at it and she sure was fond of her students.  Alicia would have been in kindergarten or first grade and that's a fun age where kids are engaged and wanting to listen, so I am thinking the talk about one-room schoolhouses was great fun.

Since we have Bill and Jenny and Jayson in this particular post, I thought it only fair to get Jayme in there, too, so here he is in a photo.  Sure wish he would have cheered up a bit for the occasion.

Sorry about that

I was home for two days and since it was unplanned, I didn't bring Grandma's journal home with me.  Hence, no posts yesterday and the day before.  Back in the groove now, however.  I think.

"October 31, 2001:  Nancy took me shopping.  Bought a new coat.  Drove past Dale's new house.  Laid in a supply of groceries -- a senior discount on Wednesday.  Stayed at Nancy's part of the evening to watch the Halloween children.
November 1, 2001:  Myrtle called in a.m.  Mary, Mitch and Anna here in evening.  We played one game of Rummicube.
November 2, 2001:  Jayson and family came in the evening and brought Chinese food.  After we had eaten, put up pictures, clocks and items in the kitchen.  A lady came about 8:00 and said the pounding kept her awake!!!!  Sarah is quite a go-getter."

Not much of a segue there, but I bet Sarah was a go-getter.  She would have been a bit over one year old at that time.

I was pulling up floor tile in Grandma's unit (before she moved in, obviously) so the contractor could lay new flooring.  I suppose it was a bit late and I hadn't figured the tink-tink-tink sound of my screwdriver/wedge and hammer would carry.  Knowing now that it did, I didn't have a problem with someone calling me on it.  However, I did not like that the man scared me half to death since he did not knock on the door and wait for me to answer it, but instead, since he had a key, he just let himself in.  The first inkling I had of any problem was when he was addressing me quite emphatically with my back to him.  Holy cow, talk about civility!  Lucky for him I didn't over-react and toss a hammer at his head.  I recovered, apologized, and quit for the night.  I still think that was very rude.  Hrumphff!!

Sorry for the poor quality of the photo, but here is Sarah a few months after Grandma's journal entry.  I think she was probably still being chased around by her parents a lot of the time.

Two babies in one day

"March 31, 1995:  Finished Alicia's quilt.  Merilyn came home in p.m.
April 1, 1995:  Merilyn feels good.  Nancy came after me in late afternoon.  Tom grilled steaks for us for supper.
April 2, 1995:  Jayson, Lora and Alicia stopped to see us in p.m.  After they left Nancy and I went to see Doug, Dana and new baby Madison Marie -- then over to Tom's.
April 3, 1995:  My feet are so swollen I can't wear my shoes.  Tom worked late."

It's very irritating that work is keeping me busy as of late (no post yesterday) so I am doing this semi-first thing in the morning to be sure I get it done.

1995 was the year for girl babies, I guess.  Nothing wrong with that.  And Grandma got to see two in one day.  Nice!  Also nice that Merilyn was doing well.

I couldn't resist adding this photo of another girl baby.  Isn't she just precious?  :-)

Busy times and another new baby

"March 24, 1995:  Went to Wilva's in a.m. and Pinochle Club at Marie H.'s in p.m.  Won 1st prize.  Rick and Mitch came in p.m. to Greta's.  Madison Marie.
March 25, 1995:  Busy day getting ready to stay in Lincoln.
March 26, 1995:  Left about 7:45.  Mary was at Columbus for a meeting of day care leaders, so we had to go that way to get her.  Greta left Howard and me at Nancy's and then went to Dale's.  Went to the church at 1:00 for Alicia's baptism -- then to Jayson's for a no-host dinner.  I went home with Nancy -- Tom and Merilyn came and we had pizza and then played Rummi-Cube."

Grandma was so busy, she only had time to mention the name of the new baby but she gave more details in later days.  Those will be coming up soon enough.

I am pretty sure I had a fun time in Columbus.  I think this was the convention when someone fell in the pool quite accidentally, of course.  The group I was associated with from Lincoln were a fun bunch of gals.

And here is a photo of Tom and Dale and myself, for no other reason that we are all mentioned in Grandma entries.  Plus we are pretty cute -- all of us.

A new baby!

"March 8, 1995:  Jayson called.  They have a baby girl -- Alicia Kaitlin born at 11:03 a.m. -- weight 7 lb. 14 oz. and 20 1/2 inches tall.  Finished piecing the Rail Fence quilt top and started putting together brick quilt pattern.  Pieces were cut several years ago.  Cold and icy -- didn't go to WELCA.
March 10, 1995:  Warmed up -- Club at Ida's.  Arlene R. took me.

Well, I was unable to lay hands on a baby photo of Alicia last night.  She was a cutie, though.  Still is, even though she is now all but grown up and ready to graduate at the end of this school year.  It's crazy how time flies.  Oh and Grandma didn't mention Lora by name, but since she did all the hard work, I've included her in the labels for this post.  It seemed only right.

Here's the only photo I had ready of Alicia.  She's the one on the yellow looking at Grandma.  Very cute!

Yay, January!

"January 13, 1995:  Arlene R. took me to Pinochle Club at Elsie J.'s.
January 14, 1995:  Finished piecing baby quilt for Jayson and Lora this past week and started putting the 9-patch sampler quilt together.
January 15, 1995:  Greta, Howard and I left at 7:15 for Lincoln -- trees, wires, everything covered with frost until we got close to Lincoln.  Foggy most of the way.  Went to Nancy's.  Mary, Rick, Mitch, Bill, Jenny, Jayson, Lora, Dale, Lynn, Dane, Kyleah were there.  They brought the dinner -- soup. sandwiches, salad and dessert.  Celebrating Mary's, Kyleah's and Jayson's birthdays."

All right!!  I remember gathering during more than one July to celebrate those birthdays, but here we did January's people.  We skipped several months, ten if memory serves, since July and January are the only multi-birthday get-togethers I remember.  Of course, it was due to a preponderance of birthdays in those months.  I imagine we didn't do December because of Christmas, but we had Grandpa, Lora, Mitch and Gavin all in December -- I hope I am not missing anyone.  And we have more Julys since 1995, too.  Maybe we should resurrect that idea.

No disrespect to two in the photo (my ancestors) and the man with the cake, but I hope we had more fun on 1/15/95 than these folks appear to have been having when this photo was taken.

Christmas 1994 and Post #300

"December 22, 1994:  TOPS had Xmas party here.  Low calorie snacks and gift exchange.
December 24, 1994:  Nancy came at noon.  Helped me for evening.  Greta, Dorothy Jo, John, Helen here too for soup supper at 5:30 -- then gift exchange.  Greta, Helen and Dorothy went to 9:00 p.m. Christmas Eve service at church.  Nancy and I played Rummicube.
December 25, 1994:  Howard rode to Wahoo with Nancy.  About 10:30 when we got there.  Jayson and Lora left before dinner.  Exchanged gifts in p.m.  Tom and Merilyn not there -- her sister and husband were at their place.  John and Helen and all the others there.  Came home about 8:30 -- saw so many pretty lighted places on the way."

How very well I remember soup on Christmas Eve -- I had chili and left the oyster soup (ugh!) to others.  The evening also included church and singing carols by candlelight and the goodie bag we kids got when the service was over that always included an apple or an orange (sometimes both!) plus peanuts in the shell.  Nothing so extravagant as to write a book about, but remembered traditions nonetheless.  I suppose I was a wiggly pest waiting for the soup and polite conversation to be over so we could open gifts.  We didn't do things in the order Grandma lists here.  It was church, supper and finally presents.  Hard to wait through all that when you are a kid.  Even an older kid.  I became a mean mother and had my kids wait until Christmas morning.  I figured it was actually less torturous that way for the adults than the wiggly pest thing going on for a whole day.  They survived quite nicely.

I am out of Christmas photos, so thought I'd just use this one of the almost-Christmas baby.  He's two days old here, so it was December 28 of that year but oh, well.