Christmas Music

From about noon today until early evening we heard continual Christmas music televised on PBS Bloomington Channel 30. We heard many choirs, bells and organ music from various sources including the 82nd annual Purdue University Christmas celebration, the Raleigh Ringers, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, the Boston Pops, Diane Bish at the organ and a few others.

Mostly the music was playing in the background as Nancy, Joe and Dustin joined us for Christmas dinner. There was no snow on the ground but the skies looked like it would rain. There is a little ice on the pond in front of our apartment and lots of geese walking on the ice and some were swimming where the ice has melted.

Joe,  Nancy, Ruth, Ray with Dustin in front

Since Kylie, Josh & Jayden moved to Ohio not long ago, they weren't here for Christmas but are planning a weekend visit sometime in January.

A Cub hat to celebrate the Championship

When I think back to Christmases past our 2016 Christmas celebration was quiet and fitting to our stage of life. There was no wrapping paper to pick up. No toys to assemble and not even a football game to watch. But it was peaceful and relaxing. We ended the day with watching the PBS movie "Anne of Green Gables" recorded earlier.

It's All About the Weather

Maybe we are pampered and unprepared, but winter has arrived. Last Tuesday we had our first measurable snowfall of the season. It wasn't a huge amount but the most since March 2015. This morning the low temperature was -1 F which happens to be the lowest December reading since 2004 and the coldest since February of 2015.

Yesterday morning our car's windshield was covered with ice and Ray could not scrape it off. Just a few days earlier I had researched ways to remove frost from the windshield and this knowledge came in handy. We were fortunate to have some rubbing alcohol in the bathroom. The recommendation is to mix 1/3 alcohol to 2/3 water and spray the solution on the windshield. We improvised and used a commuter coffee mug to pour the solution on the windshield.

The day before, on Saturday morning, we headed to downtown Indy leaving about 9 a.m. There were reports of many slideoffs and as we drove around town we lost track of the number of vehicles in ditches or abandoned on the side of the road. Fortunately for us, the worst of that storm had passed and we only encountered wet pavement and some light rain.

Our destination was Lucas Oil Stadium for the annual Bleed Blue Blood Drive. My appointment was 10 a.m. and we arrived in plenty of time. This was my first time for this event and I was amazed at the number of people though I suspect some of the early appointments didn't make it because of the weather and road conditions.

Standing in about the middle of the crowd.
Just as many chairs to the right.

Activities were going on the Stadium floor as you can see in this photo.

This was a perfect opportunity for families with children
 or young adults to participate in activities on the stadium floor.

As we left, I picked up an Adam Vinatieri signed football, a thank you gift for blood donors.

Earlier in the week, we attended the annual choir cantata and I happened to be in the balcony taking a photo of the Chrismon tree when the choir posed for a photo.

They had just finished their warmup
and posed before the program began.

Here's the tree:

Chrismon Tree

On our way home we passed the new event venue built this year and noticed the full moon shining just above the Barn at Bay Horse Inn and took this photo.

A year ago this lot was covered with
many large trees that were bulldozed
away to make room for the Barn.

We don't have a mantel so there are no stockings hung, but every day we enjoy listing to Christmas music. 

Recollections from the Last Two Weeks

It's been a week since Advent Glow, a tradition at church for the women of the congregation and their friends. Once again, I hosted a table. The hostess provides the decor for her table, dessert for everyone at her table and also prepares appetizers to share with everyone. The planning committee invited a women's group, Soul Purpose, to provide entertainment and they presented a beautiful program.

A portion of the guests who attended

Soul Purpose sang several selections and harmonized beautifully

A few days before Advent Glow I finally tackled a repair that I had put off way too long. Grandson Dustin's sweatpants needed a zipper replaced at the ankle (the original zipper was broken). Years ago I was comfortable installing zippers, but couldn't remember how to sew an invisible one. Thankfully, I found a You Tube video that explained exactly how to install one using an ordinary zipper foot. I was happy with the results as was Dustin to have his pants back again.

Nancy had outpatient surgery on the Friday before Advent Glow and wasn't able to attend. She's still waiting on the report from the surgeon but his comment as she came out of anesthesia seems to indicate that it will be a good report.

Lately, our ink jet printer was giving me error messages. I spent some time talking to a tech but couldn't solve the problem. The error message seemed to indicate there might be a paper jam. But we haven't had one. The error began showing up consistently even after printing only one page and since Ray couldn't use the printer for some strange reason, we decided it was time to get a new one. While Ray was watching Oklahoma play Oklahoma State I went shopping and came home with a new printer. I had looked online and had pretty much decided what to buy. We had it installed and were again printing later that evening. Hooray for us! Didn't even have to call tech support. Two days before purchasing the printer we had picked up ink cartridges for the old one. Fortunately, we hadn't opened the package and were able to get a refund.

On Thursday we had free tickets (for seniors) to see "It's a Wonderful Life" at the Artcraft Theater in Franklin. It's been many years since seeing the movie on TV and we both enjoyed seeing it on the big screen. Great movie! On our way, we stopped at the post office to mail Christmas gifts. Mission accomplished!

Speaking of movies, we recorded Hairspray and watched it several days later. Quite a feat to perform this on live TV but I think the cast did a great job. Can't remember if I ever saw the movie version.

Several months ago Ray picked up hickory nuts during his afternoon walks and we had them hanging in the closet to cure. Yesterday, he decided to crack some to check on their quality. They were very nice and this afternoon he finished picking out the nuts.

Crack them outdoors and
pick out the nuts indoors

We now have about a quart of nuts in our freezer

This afternoon we joined about a dozen or so members of Concordia to go Christmas caroling. First, we had soup and sandwiches for lunch. I made a Sausage Barley Soup that also had chopped spinach as a main ingredient.

Singing at a Nursing Home where a
member of Concordia resides

Finally, a big disappointment for Colt fans this afternoon. They lost for the 2nd time to the Texans this season and are probably out of contention for any post season playoffs.

One other interesting tidbit -- we live in an apartment building and have three close neighbors but since we all seem to come and go at different times, we wouldn't recognize any if we saw them in the grocery store or elsewhere. After living here for a year and a half we recently had two instances where a neighbor knocked on our door. What was the reason? One wanted a piece of aluminum foil for some food he was preparing and the second person only needed an ounce of butter or margarine. We were happy to help! But which door would we knock on if we needed to ask a favor?

Spending time in the kitchen

Last week I wrote about Concordia's 60th Anniversary Dinner served by the women's group (several men were involved and very helpful). My kitchen odyssey began last weekend when I spent time in the church kitchen on Saturday morning and then again for several hours on Sunday.

A few days later I was busy in my own kitchen preparing for our Thanksgiving Dinner. Ray's sister Karen, daughter Laura and spouse Carl were expected mid-afternoon on Thursday. Most of the dishes  were prepared a day in advance leaving roasting the turkey for the big day. Ray helped clean and pick up and get the house ready for company and always keeps the counters clean when I fill them with dirty dishes! That's an immense help and something I'm thankful for every day!

Nancy joined us for dinner and Joe came later after spending time with his brother. She added to our feast by providing a couple of dishes. Our turkey weighed about 14 pounds so we've already had several meals with leftovers and some more planned. The carcass was simmered several hours and the rest of the meat fell off the bones and the broth was used today to make a huge pot of turkey soup.

After the Thanksgiving meal, Laura left with Nancy to spend the night at her house. The four of us had fun playing several rubbers of bridge before it was time to say good night. The next morning we slept later than usual and had time after breakfast for several hands of cards and then said farewell as Carl and Karen left picking up Laura on their way out of town.

The funeral for an elderly gentleman in our church is tomorrow morning and this afternoon, in addition to making the turkey soup, I did some prep work for the luncheon. Tomorrow morning I'll be heading to church early and meeting with several other women to serve the meal for the family of the deceased.

Looking ahead I will be spending more than average time in my kitchen to prepare for next weekend. More about that in a later blog.

Ray and I did manage to get out for a few errands on Friday afternoon including a stop at a garage to purchase a new battery for the car, replacing a 4-year-old one. With the onset of winter and colder weather we'll have peace of mind that the car will start whenever we go out.

On Friday and Saturday we enjoyed watching two state high school football championship games. The first was Center Grove (from the school district we live in) vs Carmel for the 6A championship. Center Grove was the defending champion and led most of the way but lost in OT. A competitive game but heartbreaking for the local fans.

Yesterday afternoon we watched my high school, Concordia Lutheran, Fort Wayne, play in the 3A championship match against Lawrenceburg. We didn't know much about Concordia's season but this was the first time they've had a team playing in the championship match. When Concordia scored first, a touchdown following a long pass, I yelled the same as if I had been at the game in person. The team went on scoring again and again with the winning margin 56-14. Lawrenceuburg was a much better team than the score would indicate but it wasn't until the 4th quarter that they managed to get two touchdowns. Concordia has played for a state championship in other sports but this is the first time for a football team and they won convincingly!

 I'm not in the kitchen as I type this post, but if you need to get a hold of me in the next several days, just check the kitchen!

Full Moon & Anniversary Dinner

The highlights of the past week include two ventures after dark to photograph the full moon. We actually could see the moon high in the sky on the 14th but I wanted a photo just as the moon appeared on the horizon. My willing DH (dear husband) came along and we found a spot just a few minutes after the moon appeared. The rising moon doesn't stand still and wait for the photographer! There was also a power line that marred the photos I took. We learned that the moon would appear about an hour later Wednesday evening and, once again, DH drove me and carried a flashlight when we climbed the sledding hill and waited a few minutes. We didn't have to wait long to see the moon rise above the trees and houses in the distance. I took quite a few photos at the top of the hill and several at lower elevations as we were making our way back to the car.

The moon is large and at about 90%
since it's two days past full stage

The weather was beautiful most of last week and on Wednesday afternoon we helped a friend of Ray's from his working days move mulch into her flower and planting beds. She had the pile of mulch taking up space on her driveway since last April. Kathy was grateful for our help and a few others who have helped from time to time.

Today was the 60th anniversary celebration of Concordia Lutheran with the annual dinner served by the women with help from many others.

Ray and two others helped carve
the pork loin roast

These men entertained us with barbershop harmonies

When we returned after the dinner, we relaxed and watched our DVR recording of the Colts in a close game with the Tennessee Titans. I think the Colts were fortunate to win and in four days they play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thanksgiving evening. That won't be easy but we'll probably watch after eating our Thanksgiving meal.

A Week to Remember

I guess we're all getting used to the fact that Donald Trump is our next president, especially after hearing that his opponent was leading in the polls. The next several months or even years should be very interesting as we see if Mr. Trump can live up to his claims about making changes to improve America.

We took advantage of several offers this past week. First, a brand new Kroger Marketplace opened about a mile south of where we live and they offered a $20 gift certificates for the first 100 customers. On Thursday morning we were out the door without breakfast and in line by 7:30. Quite a few people were already in line; the weather was cool but calm and a few minutes after arriving an employee handed out wristbands for everyone standing in line. We didn't even have to wait until 8:00 before the doors officially opened. I don't remember ever being at the opening of a brand new store, but for this one there was a long receiving line with lots of clapping and welcomes as we entered the store and, in addition, we had two $20 gift cards to spend.

The next day, Friday, was Veteran's Day. It's my observation that in recent years there are more perks for veterans than in prior years. For many years, Indy has had a parade which I don't think I've ever attended. However, the Indy Star listed some of the freebies that were available to veterans and we took advantage of two: a free car wash and later we had dinner at O'Charley's. Ray's meal was free from the $9.99 menu but I had to pay for mine (actually, Ray paid for it).

Sticker alerts the waitress that she
was serving a veteran

This morning we didn't have our alarm set properly and I woke up at 7:10! Church begins at 8:00 and I was there on time and even had breakfast. However, I must admit that our bed did not get made until I returned home. The alarm will be set for tomorrow morning you can be assured.

Cubs win and other recollections

A week ago today the Cubs played the 7th and final game of the World Series in Cleveland. That was pretty awesome and I'm sure the Chicago area was rocking since this was their first win since 1908. Ray was a celebrity for a time since many people watched his interview made possible when we sent links to everyone we could think of.

On Friday Ray and I drove to Fort Wayne for the annual Concordia Educational Foundation Luncheon. We arrived a few minutes before 11 a.m. and enjoyed visiting with the three students (two boys and a girl) at our table. The young lady is now a Sophomore and I found it amazing to see the transformation from a timid Freshman to a more engaging 16-year old. She is getting her driver's license very soon.

On our return to Indy we stopped at the Convention Center to pick up my race number for Saturday's Half Marathon. Our next stop was at a voting center where we cast our votes for the Presidential, Gubernatorial, Senatorial and local races. The line was fairly long when we arrived but moved and about 35 minutes later we were on our way home. There were at least 14 voting booths and a whole cadre of officials to speed the process.

On Saturday we headed out the door very early on one of the coldest mornings of the fall (39 degrees). Ray dropped me off near the Convention Center and then spent the next several hours doing whatever while I ran the Half Marathon. There were nearly 10,000 people lined up at the start and it took me 12 minutes from where I stood to get to the official start! Thankfully, we have chip timing and I finished in 2 hours 32 minutes and a few seconds, the first of 5 in my age group. Instead of handing out awards after the race, we learned they will be mailed this year. The award will undoubtedly be a gift certificate at a local sports store.

After the race, we helped move mulch for a Concordia member. Earlier in the week we had prepared the flower beds with a soaker hose and began the process of spreading the mulch. We had the help of another person so the three of us accomplished a lot.

Then, on Sunday morning we picked up Nancy and the three of us drove to Libertyville, IL for the surprise birthday party for our brother-in-law who turned 90 on Nov. 8.

Entering the banquet room and seeing all the people!

Nancy greets Uncle Bob

Ron (Veronica) and Bob

Bob thought he was having lunch with us as he was told we were on our way north to Wisconsin. Many relatives and friends were there to share the afternoon. We arrived home at 8:30 ready to begin another week and hoping it might be less active.

Baseball Memories

In all the years we've been married I've heard many stories, sometimes repeatedly, about Ray's childhood memories living on Sheffield Ave. across from Wrigley Field. This week he had the opportunity to share them to a much larger audience. The last time the Cubs played in the World Series Ray was an 11-year-old and now 71 years later the Cubs are playing in the Series for the first time since 1945.

Rich Nye, a sports reporter for Channel 13 in Indianapolis, learned about his connection to the Cubs and mentioned that he would like to do a story before the Cubs first home game. On Tuesday morning Rich made arrangement to interview Ray at the Community Life Center where we play Pickleball. We set our recorder to record the interview and Rich also sent a link and we were able to share it with many friends and family. It's been a lot of fun!

On Wednesday afternoon, my sister Judy and Tom arrived for a visit on their way from Grand Rapids back home to Hillsboro, Texas. After dinner we enjoyed watching the Cubs beat Cleveland 5-1!

The next day we took a road trip south to Medora to see the newly restored covered bridge billed as the longest historic covered bridge in the U.S.

The bridge was built in 1875 and spans the east fork of the
White River and was closed to motor traffic in 1973.
In 2010 restoration began and today an annual dinner on the
bridge is held the first Saturday in August.

Measuring by the span (​a part of a bridge between the
 uprights supporting it) the Medora Covered Bridge is the
 longest historic covered bridge in the USA.

A local Medora resident, artist and active supporter of the
bridge happened to stop and took a photo of the four of us.
 He also lettered the caption on each end of the bridge.

The enthusiastic young man also directed us to
this round barn located not far off the county road.

Preservationists are hoping to save the historic Medora
Shale Brick Plant that operated from 1904 until 1992.
The Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana
placed it on their list of the Ten Most Endangered Landmarks.

With no World Series game we had time to play some euchre Thursday evening and in the morning said goodbye with hugs all around.

Friday was a long day away from home. We played Pickleball in the morning and then headed to Indy's northside for the Heartland Film Festival at the AMC Theatre. The previous week I had won several vouchers and we would forfeit them if not used since the Festival concludes today. "Wild Prairie Rose" is the 1950s story of Rose who returns to South Dakota and falls in love with a deaf man.

The second film we viewed was a documentary based in Indianapolis: Night School. We learned that Indianapolis is one of the few cities that offer adults an opportunity to earn a regular high school diploma by attending night classes. Many students have challenges of daily life in addition to roadblocks that many low income Americans face.

We continue to have above average temperatures and are now enjoying fall leaf colors. October has been a great month and I hope that November brings equally great weather.

Cubs Win Pennant!

Over the past weeks I've mentioned the Cubs a number of times. Their season has been one of the best and now they will play in the World Series for the first time in 71 years against the Cleveland Indians beginning Tuesday evening. Ray has memories from 1945 when he and his family lived on Sheffield Avenue and hosted fans on the front porch of their second story flat. Were they the original entrepreneurs that started the trend of rooftop seating? I really don't know if they were but anyone who is a baseball fan is probably aware of the many rooftops that surround Wrigley.

Rooftop seating when we visited Wrigley last July.
Ray lived in the middle building from the
time he was 8 until his teen years.

During the division series against the Giants and the series against the Dodgers, we often went to bed not knowing the outcome. But that changed for the last two games when we stayed up to see who would prevail. Personally, I don't know much about the Indians but I hope the Cubs can continue to win and become world champions again, the first time since 1908. That's a really long time to wait!

Besides the Cubs win, I also won two tickets to the Heartland Film Festival Opening Night. I received the notice on Wednesday for the Thursday night screening of the film "The Book of Love" with Jessica Biel as one of the main characters. The male lead was Jason Sudeikis and Maisie Williams played a young teen attempting to build a raft to cross the ocean to find her father. The film will open in theaters in January. I'm not sure how many stars I'd give the film--perhaps 2.5 or 3. One thing I miss when viewing film in a theater setting is closed captioning and so I miss some of the dialog which makes it difficult to follow the story line.

And before I finish this post, there's one more event I'd like to share. Last Tuesday on a warm fall day, five of us spent an afternoon working in the flower garden of a member of our church family. Most of the time I weeded the space while the others planted and watered. We all went home tired but feeling good about what we had accomplished.

Genny, Sam & Ben (all on school fall break) & Ray

As I close, please join me in cheering on the National League pennant winner when they play on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. If needed games 5, 6 & 7 are scheduled for Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Let's hope we don't need to go more than four games!

Celebrating Ray's Birthday!

A few weeks ago I considered having family over for Ray's birthday and if the weather was still warm we would plan to have a picnic using the pavilion here at Copper Chase. A week ago I put the plan in action but this morning the windy conditions caused us to think we might need to change plans. Then when it started to rain lightly we knew that an outdoor event was out of the question and we changed our venue to the Clubhouse.

The food is ready--waiting for our guests.

Lots of puzzle books and a jar of cheese balls--a favorite!

Jayden spied the fitness room and we all spent a few moments watching him run on the treadmill and working out to build muscle.

Personal trainer Nancy coaches Jayden!

Building muscle!
(observers mirrored in the background)

Say "Happy Birthday" everyone!

When we were finished with the festivities, I invited Jayden to go geocaching with me at nearby Freedom Park. I knew where we could find one cache and Jayden spotted it immediately. I had hoped that we would find another but that didn't happen. Then we drove to another site where Ray and I had found a cache recently and with a few hints, Jayden found another cache.

An unusually large find was hidden in the trees and shrubs.

I'm back home now writing this post and listening to the Cubs' 2nd game in the National League Championship Series and also the Colts vs the Texans as Ray switches between the games.

Waiting for Game 3

The Cubs have won their first two games in the best of 5 series in the post-season. Their third game with the Giants in San Francisco doesn't start until 9:30 Indiana time. Since I didn't post anything yesterday, I now have some extra time to jot down a few of our happenings from last week.

Last Monday Ray and I stopped at church after we left the "Y" to help finish the packing of quilts and school kits for Lutheran World Relief.

A few quilts were draped over boxes
and several school kits were on display
at the Sunday worship service

Basically, we folded a few quilts and then sealed and labeled all the boxes. We had a total of 25 quilts and 46 school kits for Lutheran World Relief. Another couple is planning to deliver all the boxes to a pick-up point in Fort Wayne this coming Saturday.

14 boxes ready for delivery
to Lutheran World Relief

On Tuesday afternoon Ray finished the brick border that he had started the week before. I went along and tried to help but mostly he did the work. The woman who lives at this house worked for Ray many years ago but now she is handicapped and needs help with maintenance and other projects around her house.

Edging the plantings with bricks

On Wednesday Ray visited the dentist again. How many times this year? I've lost track. He needed to have a crown cemented in place after he accidentally loosened it when flossing. Let's hope this is the last visit this year.

We helped celebrate Dustin's 21st birthday on the actual date, October 6! He sported a new haircut but I didn't get a good shot of that. His official party was Friday night but both Ray and I had already made other plans. Being officially legal probably meant a lot going on that I didn't want to join in.

Count them! There's 21 pennies plus a check

Concordia's annual Women's Retreat was this past weekend. I made Chicken Sloppy Joes for the Friday evening meal accompanied by Asian Cole Slaw. Ray and I were both invited to a weiner roast but, since I was planning to go to the Retreat, he went solo. I missed watching the Cub's first win on Friday night and their second win on Saturday night. Actually I was home by the start of the second game, but I was very tired from lack of sleep the previous two nights that I went to bed early.

The game won't start for another 40-45 minutes so I won't be able to post the results. It would be great if the Cubs won tonight and then they'd have time to prepare mentally for the next round--the National League Championship. If they don't win tonight, they would have another two games to win the Division Championship.

Final Quarter of 2016

Ray reminded me the other day, that the end of September closes out the third quarter of the year. Even though the end of 2016 is fast approaching, we aren't seeing much color in the trees but sometimes that changes overnight but the temperatures this past week have been cooler a sure sign that fall is here.

Last Monday afternoon we met up with one of Ray's former co-workers and his wife for a short trip to Brown County where we had lunch at the Farmhouse Inn. Connected to the restaurant is a large nursery and greenhouse. There was a lot of product for sale and I was wondering if they will be able to keep it safe through the winter season. Do they ship it away to southern states or just let nature take its course and let plants die as the weather gets colder and colder?

Ray and Bill enjoy visiting and talking about their working days while Karen and I talk about gardening, plants and other day to day happenings. Bill is going to start working out at a boxing gym. His physicians have suggested this as he has many symptoms of Parkinson's. We hope this will help his balance issues. Both his father and brother had similar symptoms. We're also concerned about the woman who was our mentor when we started playing Pickleball. Linda is a 15 year breast cancer survivor and she announced several weeks ago that she is no longer in remission. Since then her diagnosis is that she has Stage 4 and has already started chemotherapy. A special tribute honoring her for her contributions to the local Pickleball community is being planned.

We had our annual eye exam the next day and Ray passed with flying colors! The doctor was impressed at how well he was doing after his cataract surgeries about a year ago. For quite a few years I was using bifocal contact lens but during the past year have hardly used them and was relying on reading glasses. I learned that I could not get a higher strength bifocal lens. However, before the advent of bifocal contacts, I had used one contact (AKA monovision) and I suggested that maybe it would work for me again since he could prescribe a higher strength when just used for one eye. Today is the 5th day of monovision, and I'm very happy with the way it's working for me.

On Thursday a group of 7 from Concordia spent 2-1/2 hrs at the Orphan Grain Train warehouse in Jonesville, IN, about an hour south of Greenwood. Most of us sorted donated clothing into bins for women, men, children, teens, winter, etc. When the bins or barrels are full the contents are transferred into banana cartons. Ray worked on filling the banana crates and enjoyed that since he didn't have to decide on size or where to place the articles of clothing like the rest of us had to. I can't even estimate the number of banana boxes already shrink wrapped and ready for shipping from the warehouse. Amazing and awe inspiring.

Last evening we had game night at church for the 50 Plus Group. I played euchre and Ray tried his hand at Texas Hold 'Em and did quite well. Of course, we enjoyed the snacks that everyone provided. Before the evening fun, the management at Copper Chase sponsored a community event for its residents. They had a bounce house for the kids and food in the clubhouse. Our usual diet was kind of messed up yesterday!

I have one photo to share this week. Today was LWML at  Concordia with a small display near the altar of the quilts and school kits we've completed in the past year. The quilts and school kits are heading to  Fort Wayne in a few weeks for eventual shipping to Maryland and then to places throughout the world.

We filled 46 school kits and knotted many quilts.

Later this week, I'll get a final count of the number of quilts, but for the small group of about 5 or so who work on the project, it's pretty amazing.

Well, it's time to sign off once again. When I started this post, I didn't think I had anything to write about, but I kind of surprised myself. Hope you, dear reader, have a blessed week.

Celebrating 200 Years!

2016 is the bicentennial of Indiana. I've been following some of the planned events as they happen. There is one particular event that has intrigued me since I first heard of it about a year and a half or two years ago. For five weeks in September and October 2016, torchbearers will carry the flame on a 3,200-mile journey through all 92 Indiana counties. The flame arrived in Johnson County on Friday afternoon and we made plans to be there for the arrival and the ceremony. 

The fire department raised this huge flag in
preparation for the torchbearer who would run under it.

I was lucky to get one shot as the torch passed by. As a photographer I should have been better prepared!

The final leg of the relay last Friday was carried by this young man. 

We learned that since this was the final destination for the day's travel, the torch was extinguished a few minutes later and this cauldron was lighted. On Saturday morning, the torch would be relit from the cauldron.

One of the many projects throughout this year was Bison-tennial public art in many of our counties. The Johnson County Bison art is located on the grounds of the Library and was unveiled after all the torchbearers were introduced.

This fiberglass scale model of a bison as
it appears on the state seal was
decorated by a local artist.
Many familiar sites are depicted in each letter.

The backside depicts the main roads and well known
locations throughout the county.

We enjoyed a BBQ sandwich from one of the street vendors who set up shop for the special occasion as well as a soft serve cone sold at Mrs. Curl's truck. On the north side of the Court House Square a car show was underway.

Corvettes

Can you see the skeleton
in the passenger's seat?

Outside the Public Library this friendly lady was dressed to represent an 1816 school teacher.

She was happy to pose!

My secret dream would be to be a torchbearer and since that isn't going to happen, I had the chance to pretend as others could too!

Nice spot for this photo op.

Thanks for reading this far! One final note, the Colts found a way to win the first game of the season against San Diego and are now 1 and 2. The Chargers had significant penalties allowing the Colts to make first down on about 5 different occasions. That was a big help! Next week they'll be playing Jacksonville in London at 9:30 Sunday morning.

Singing in the Rain

Oops! I wrote that wrong. Should have been Running in the Rain! Yesterday was the Indy Women's Half Marathon that was black flagged a year ago because of lightning and thunder. Yesterday, there was a threat of rain but nothing dangerous. We started running on damp streets and after a few miles the raindrops started falling. At times the rain was heavy but there was no wind or lightning. Of course, I was thoroughly soaked! I couldn't help smiling and wondering about another runner who deliberately run through puddles much like a little kid! No photos of a bedraggled me but I did receive a nice medal and a red rose and was first place in my age group of two. The other woman finished nearly an hour after I crossed the finish line.

My official time was 2 hrs, 42 minutes for a 12.23 pace per mile. There were 943 finishers and I was #560.

Our summer's entertainment came to an end with the crowning of Grace VanderWaal as the winner of America's Got Talent. If you didn't watch, you'll be surprised that Grace is a 12-year-old who writes and sings her own songs playing a ukulele. We also celebrated the Cubs as they clinched as winner of their division and are headed to the playoffs. Could they be playing in the World Series? Stay tuned.

After the Women's Half yesterday I spent most of the day recovering but did finish making a Kale Salad and a pan of Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars for the annual church picnic today. The weather was perfect and there was an abundance of food and desserts. I watched a kickball game and frozen T-shirt tag and played two games of corn hole.

All summer we've been watching construction of a new event venue which officially opened this weekend. This property was heavily wooded and heavy equipment removed many trees before construction began. The site is adjacent to our apartment complex.


After the picnic we were home in time to watch the Colts vs the Broncos as they lost their second game of this new season. Will they improve? We'll find out in the next several weeks.

Celebrating #9

Our first mission yesterday afternoon was digging rhubarb that is slated for plowing over next spring so we could save it for transplanting at Joe & Nancy's house. The weather was gorgeous and in a short while Ray had dug up the roots and I had salvaged the stalks to take home. After cleaning and slicing these remnants, I have six cups of rhubarb for making something special.

Not much later we arrived at the Martin's and Ray busied himself digging a small row and eventually planted nine small rhubarb plants. This isn't the best time of the year for transplanting but we had to take advantage of the unique opportunity and hope that most of the plants will survive the winter.

Jayden's birthday was last Thursday, Sept. 8, but the birthday celebration was yesterday. Shortly after completing the planting guests began arriving. I don't know how many came, but there were many young children, many of whom I didn't know.

Contemplating what might be inside

Mom & Dad serve cake & ice cream 

A brand new bicycle birthday gift!

Ray watering the rhubarb plants
while Joe watches

When Jayden was born, Ray and I were in Italy competing in the World Games in running and race walking. Ray's sister Veronica was our chaperone on the trip. Communication then wasn't as convenient as it is today, but still it was pretty good and we knew a few hours after his birth that Jayden had arrived safely. We finally got to meet him in early October when we arrived home from our trip.

Also, yesterday was the 15th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Towers in New York and, as most everyone does, I can remember exactly the moment when I first heard the news. Ray and I and his two older sisters were in Norway. We had spent a good part of the day visiting the ancestral home of Ray's grandfather and had just returned to our hotel. The news was on TV with direct broadcast from the States. At first it was impossible to believe the news but it soon became clear that this was a major event and one that we'd never forget.