Wonder Years with Chris and Wendy

 Here's what we have been up to in March and. April: Wendy went to PA to celebrate her very much younger sister's birthday. It was great to see Michelle as well as her son and his family while there.  Aren’t they all beautiful? Chris continues to work at Dinner Bell Farm one morning a week. He gets a good workout and enjoys the connection to nature as well as the banter with Farmer John and Farmer Stephanie.  We enjoyed visits from Baltimore friends as well as a trip to New Bern to see beach friends and a Grateful Dead Tribute Band.  We celebrated Sheila’s birthday. It’s a big number, shh, don’t tell! We helped our church throw a huge Easter Egg Hunt with over 200 folks present to hunt eggs, play games and eat hotdogs! And we celebrated Easter week with a lovely Easter service at our church, First United Methodist Church of Graham, complete with bell ringing, AND a protest on Saturday.  In April, we enjoyed a wonderful visit with Chris’ brother, Tom. 

 Spending a few weeks of cold February in Phoenix sounds like a good idea, right? It's warm there and we can visit with friends. It's generally a good idea.  But, this time, we were beset with illness (probably Norovirus) and other health issues for us and our friends, one full day in the local emergency room for one friend, rebound Covid for another. And another couple was dealing with flu so cancelled their trip to Phoenix to see us.  Back home things were not much better. My cousin and my mother's beloved caregiver was in an awful car accident. Thankfully she and her husband both survived, but they have a long recovery ahead of them.  But, all was not lost. We had some very good days, hikes in mountains surrounding Phoenix,  long walks in Phoenix parks, visits to museums,  And lots of good food! We also enjoyed visits with Joanne from Boston and Diane and Paul from Sacramento.  And when we came home, we celebrated Wendy's birthday with NC friends, S...

 Good-bye Susan May 31, 1956-December 23, 2024 What can I say about Susan, so you will know who she was?  Susan was a good friend and a wonderful mentor.  She was a leader and an innovator, a teacher, a scholar, a mother, a wife and an aunt.  She was a good friend and a wonderful mentor. Susan taught her students by example, encouraging them, guiding them and showing passion in her lessons.  She was a good friend and a wonderful mentor. I remember her laugh, her joy of life and her love of children, her family and her students.  I remember the display we made detailing the abuse of children and how we taught our students to be warriors for children's safety.  I remember how she always recognized when someone was doing well and she was quick to praise and slow to criticize.  She was a good friend and a wonderful mentor. I remember the books she wrote on art and teaching and story telling and weaving lessons together so all could understand.  I...

    Once again, I read over 100 books (160) this year and I have tried to pick my favorites in both fiction and nonfiction. This is not easy, since there are so many good books out there. Maybe some of your top books are also on my list. Let me know what you like or didn't like! FICTION The Color Purple  by Alice Walker This is a book I had read several years ago and decided to reread it last year because of the new movie/musical based on the book. For some reason, I had not remembered how humorous it was and enjoyed the writer’s voice much more this time around. I also could see the characters as I read based on the new movie which was fresh in my mind. While the events of the story are often tragic and Celie, the main character,  faces so many hardships, the story is much more uplifting than I remembered it. I especially liked the sewing of pants for women. Definitely a classic! Snow Falling on Cedars  by David Guterson Another book I reread last year bec...

Congratulations! You've navigated correctly to our private blog! Merry Christmas,  Happy Holidays & Happy New Year to you and your loved ones. You may have already seen previous posts, if not, please have a look if you have both the time and interest to see what's been going on in our lives. I won't try to summarize too much except to say that 2024 was an excellent first full year for us in our "new-to-us" condo built back in 2006. We've been blessed again with good health, good communities & connections, mobility & even financial security.  The biggest blessing though, is one that we tend to lose track of through the hustle & bustle of third millennium life. A couple of Sundays ago, enroute from visiting Lily & Wes in the Baltimore area, we got to stop and visit with Mike & Jen, our nephew & niece who live outside of Richmond. They have the most beautiful private Christmas decorations we have ever seen. Being in their home really p...