Farewell to a Friend

     We received word from Dave Meyer that his Dad, Larry, had passed away following a stroke. He also sent information about the funeral service. Ray and I drove to Cincinnati last Wednesday morning (September 24) for the service at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Larry was married to my childhood friend, Gloria, who has been in heaven for ten years. We visited with Gloria's sisters, Marcia and Karen, as well as Larry and Gloria's children, Sandy and Dave.

    When we moved to Indiana after our stay in Oklahoma, our families would spend time together, often in a Holidome, where the children could play in the water. Eventually, the children were no longer included as they became adults, but Gloria, Larry, Ray, and I would plan get-togethers at either of our homes or stay in a motel at another site. Gloria and I would reminisce about our childhood, and we'd play non-stop bridge games until it was time to go home. 

Larry Received the Gold Pringles
Award from P&G in 1982

    

Sandy Carter and Dave Meyer

Gloria's sisters: Marcia and Karen

    Gloria's younger brother, Bill, didn't attend the service, but I was glad to meet his daughter and grandson.

    It's just over a two-hour drive to Cincinnati, and on the way home, we noticed that harvest season is beginning. 

Soon, a combine will harvest these soybeans.

    

    A day or two after taking this photo, the Indianapolis newspaper featured a story about the state of soybean farming in Indiana. Did you know that Indiana is the fourth-largest producer of soybeans in the U.S., and is expecting a bumper crop this year? A high percentage of the soybean crop is exported to China. However, there is considerable uncertainty due to the tariff issues. Will China buy soybeans from us, or will they buy them from Brazil, which grows more beans than the U.S.?

    On the sporting scene, we watched the IU/Iowa game yesterday. For a while, it looked like Iowa would be the winner, but IU came up with a winning touchdown in the final minutes of the game and won 20-15.  This afternoon, the Fever evened the semi-final series 2-2 with a victory over the Las Vegas Aces, 90-83! The five-game series will conclude on Tuesday in Las Vegas, with the winner advancing to the championship series, which begins on Thursday.

    This afternoon, the Colts lost their first game of the season to the Rams in California, 27-20, and they are now 3-1. Today was the last regular game of the Major League Baseball season. The playoffs begin on Tuesday, when the Cubs play a wild-card game at home in Wrigley Field against San Diego. We haven't watched many games this season, but we're planning to tune in for this one.

    Until next time, may all your favorite teams win, and may good weather prevail throughout the harvest season.

Fever & Colts

    On Thursday afternoon at the Senior Center, where we play bridge each week, we celebrated Sara's 99th birthday. She's the second player to celebrate #99 this year. Both women drive and live alone! They are also excellent bridge players.

We all enjoyed a piece of cake!

        On Thursday evening, the WNBA's Indianapolis Fever played the Atlanta Dream in Atlanta for the final of a three-game series. On Tuesday, at home in Indy, the Fever played a dominant game, sending them back to Atlanta for Game 3, with neither team being dominant. The Fever's center scored a go-ahead basket with 7 seconds left in the game. The Dream couldn't inbound and had to call time. By this time, there were fewer than two seconds left in the game. Their last-second shot went astray. The Fever plays this afternoon in a five-game series starting in Las Vegas. This is the first time the Fever has advanced in the playoffs in 10 years. The current team is much different than when the season started. They have had six players with injuries that have sidelined them for the rest of the season. This was an upset win!

    Yesterday afternoon, I was busy in the kitchen preparing some goodies for today's bake sale at church. Our Fellowship Hall and Kitchen are being renovated, and the work is expected to be completed in a few more weeks. Since August, we haven't been able to serve coffee or refreshments. Proceeds from the bake sale will be used for the renovation. 

Chocolate-covered dried cranberries & cashews

    I put five clusters in a baggie. They all sold.

Cherry-filled Cupcakes

    I realized too late that the cupcakes weren't a good option for our bake sale. I should have had a take-home foam container so they could easily be transported home. The upside is that we were able to bring about half of them home for a special treat for us!

    This afternoon, we watched the Colts play the Titans in Tennessee, winning 41-20. They are now 3-0 for the first time since 1990. In training camp, Anthony Richardson, the quarterback for the last two seasons, and Daniel Jones competed for the position of starting quarterback. Jones was selected, and it appears to have been a good choice. The Colts haven't had a turnover this season and haven't had to punt until this game. Indianapolis fans have a lot to cheer about so far this season.

    When the outcome seemed clear at the beginning of the 4th quarter, we left for the Greenwood Community Band's final outdoor concert of the summer. The band had invited middle school students from local schools to join them for the final three selections of the concert. While listening to the music, I enjoyed watching the children playing hopscotch, little babies crawling on the pathway, and noticing lots of bubbles floating in the air. The band had provided sidewalk chalk, and someone was doing face painting. It was an early concert, starting at 4 p.m. We picked up soft-serve ice cream before we arrived at the venue to enjoy while sitting in our lawn chairs.

Hopscotch was played in front of us.
I hope you can see it. 

    After returning home in time for supper, we were also able to watch the Fever play the Aces in Las Vegas. The Fever dominated the play, and the Aces' MVP player had four fouls and didn't score much. Fever's Kelsey Mitchell scored 34 points, leading to a 89-73 win to take the first of the five-game series. Maybe the Fever is a Cinderella team.

    Until next time, may some bubbles float your way, may the antics of children give you joy, and may you enjoy a cupcake with a friend.

Birthday

     Today was a busy sports day in Indianapolis. The WNBA Fever is playing in the playoffs against the Atlanta Dream. It's a best-of-three series. Then, an hour later, the Colts are at home against the Denver Broncos.

    

    Yesterday started as a beautiful sunny morning. Ray and I enjoyed a walk in the neighborhood. When we left the house at 1 p.m., the skies were threatening to rain. We arrived at Joe's house to celebrate Jayden's 18th birthday, and everyone was moving into the garage. Shortly after our arrival, it began to rain and continued for an hour. We were fortunate to receive some rain, as it has been dry and we haven't had rain in about two weeks. The day before, the weather forecast had predicted a dry weekend, so everyone was surprised, but I was happy to have my plants watered.

    

Blowing out the candles on the ice cream cake.

    All the guests were invited to write a special message to Jayden on this canvas. I regret not getting a photo when everyone had added their signatures.

    As we left to go home, Jayden said he wanted to challenge Ray to a corn hole match. We'll make that happen in the next month.

    Now that the games are over, I can report that the Fever lost to Atlanta and will play game two on Tuesday. The Colts played a great game and won in the final play of the game. Actually, for a second, the Broncos thought they had won when a Colt's 60-yard field goal went wide. Time was over, but the Colts got to kick again when the Broncos were flagged with a 15-yard penalty. On the second kick, a 45-yarder, the Colts defeated the Broncos 29-28! The last time the Colts won the first two games of the season was 2009. This is beginning to look like a fun season as a Colts fan.

    Until next time, may your flowers be watered by warm rains, and may the teams you support play well.

Flowers and more!

    Labor Day started with playing pickleball at the Y. At home, I decided to make a loaf of bread, which I've done dozens of times over the years. I don't use a recipe card as I've memorized the ingredients, but this time I made a mistake and used too much water. I don't usually bake in my bread machine, but I turn the dough into a 3x5 pan for baking. I wasn't sure if I should throw it out and start again, but decided to bake it.

The dough spilled over the side of the pan,
and the middle of the loaf dropped.

    
    The happy ending is that I sliced the loaf and successfully toasted the slices. It wasn't a total loss.

    I've planted several clematis plants over the last several years, and none of them have survived. This spring I planted a Sweet Autumn Clematis, and it's blooming now. You may see them on fences if you know what to look for. Their blooming season is late August through September.

Will it survive winter and bloom next September?

   
    When I'm running or walking in the neighborhood, I enjoy seeing what other people have planted. Here's a planting that has done well this year, only a few houses from ours.

I believe this is lantana.

   
    Last spring, I planted zinnia plants around our mailbox post. They have been a disappointment, as I hoped to see lots of blossoms. However, in the last week, they have been producing more flowers. I will probably plant lantanas or marigolds next year. However, it depends on what I find in the nurseries and what looks interesting to me.

My straggling puny zinnias

    I have three flower pots lining the driveway. During the height of the heat wave and dry spell, I almost lost the flowers because I didn't water them when they needed it. They have revived and are blooming again.

Gravel separates the two driveways.
Our garage is on the left.

    

    Our state teams won their football games yesterday. IU defeated Kennesaw State 56-9, and Purdue was victorious over Southern Illinois Salukis 34-17. How will they do when playing a Big 10 opponent?

    The Colts won their first home game of the season by defeating the Miami Dolphins 33-8. It was the first time in 11 years that the Colts won the first game of the season. Daniel Jones won the starting quarterback position over Anthony Richardson, and this win proved that he is the man for the job. It is an excellent start to the season. 

    Until next time, if you decide to use your oven, may your baked goods be delicious, and whenever you see flowers, may they bring you joy and happiness.