Posted in Sunday Report

A little News…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

I have an announcement regarding my newest blog, “Family Stories” ! I’m getting ready to publish a series of posts regarding my shirt-tail relative, Robert Horatio Walker He is a cousin/uncle who was first brought to my attention in this picture:

The young lady in the center is my great-Grandmother. On the back of the photograph, in her distinct cursive, she identified the fellow third from the right as “Uncle Bob Walker”. Everyone else in the picture is a Kinkade, so that caught my eye.

Soon, he caught my heart, and I feel compelled to tell the tale of this colorful Civil War Veteran. The story will be told in four parts, covering 100 years of Walkers, Kinkades, and McWilliams. I will re-blog it here beginning next Sunday!

The temperatures are trending above average this week, a good time to visit the Penguins, and talk to the monkeys at the Zoo. The penguins had a baby recently, and I think we’re able to watch her now.

The Wilson Auction in New Harmony is this coming week-end, so we’ll probably go to the preview on Friday, stopping by the Yellow Tavern while we’re there. How many days do I have to fast to justify eating some of their bread pudding?

I’m headed to the library today to pick up some books for my new Reading Challenge. The first prompt is: A Food Memoir. Central Library has Anthony Bourdain’s “Medium Raw”, a highly acclaimed tome, so that’s my choice. I never went for Bourdain’s show, but it seems like he has a good story to tell.

That’s all I’ve got this fine Sunday morning! I hope you’re feeling well and staying warm!

Peace

Posted in New Year Day Special Edition

Looking Forward

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Happy New Year, Pals! Hope your year, indeed, your whole life, is filled with the magic of wonder. My Theme for 2026 is Create, as in stories, music, and Adventures, starting right off this month with a new blog series, “Family Stories”.

But today, I’m feeling lazy, so…

This poem is a traditional addition to my first blog post of the year…

New Year’s
by Dana Gioia

Let other mornings honor the miraculous.
Eternity has festivals enough.
This is the feast of our mortality,
The most mundane and human holiday.

On other days we misinterpret time,
Pretending that we live the present moment.
But can this blur, this smudgy in-between,
This tiny fissure where the future drips

Into the past, this flyspeck we call now
Be our true habitat? The present is
The leaky palm of water that we skim
From the swift, silent river slipping by.

The new year always brings us what we want
Simply by bringing us along—to see
A calendar with every day uncrossed,
A field of snow without a single footprint.

……

May our footprints in 2026 be gentle…

May our Days be filled with Love and Peace throughout the Seasons…

Posted in New Year's Eve Special Edition

Looking Back

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Here we are on the Eve of a New Year, celebrating this last day of the Old Year. We’ve got all the lucky food (Hoppin’ John, cabbage, cornbread), so 2026 is practically guaranteed to be happy.

2025 was a good one. I got my cataracts removed and fancy lenses implanted that allow me see near, far, and wide without glasses. It’s amazing. Our gardens did fine, our house didn’t fall down. We spent time with our children and grandchildren. Our health is good, able to walk six miles a day at Disney in October. I’ve heard the world is in a mess, but I concentrate on my local community and try to help where I can. Instead of politics, I obsess over the British Royal Family, so Harry and Meghan, and their fantastic failures, have made me smile.

2025 in pictures…

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Our celebration today includes watching some New Year’s Eve movies: Oceans 11 (the heist takes place on NYE) and Trading Places (goes from Thanksgiving to NYE). After eating all those beans, we’ll need to lie down and sleep it off over a movie we’ve already seen, then shake ourselves awake to kiss at midnight and go to bed. It’s a wonderful life.

As I play my rendition of Auld Lang Syne at the piano this evening, I’ll be thinking of you, bringing you to my mind, sending Peace to all of you auld acquaintances who stop by to read my writing. See you next year.

Peace

Posted in Christmas with the Sonnystoners

Christmas, 2025

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

From December 21, when we celebrated with our son and his family….

throughout our travels from Indy to NYC…

and with our daughter and her family from December 23-28…

It has been a Wonderful Christmas, full of Peace, Love, and Joyful companionship.

As we move through the 12 days of Christmas, I wish you all the happiness you can bear…

Peace

Posted in Christmas with the Sonnystoners, Sunday Report

11 days before Christmas

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

This has been the Most Peaceful Christmas Prologue I’ve experienced, probably because we’re all older and have less expectations. Or maybe I’m just at Peace… Or it could be I’ve lulled myself into a coma eating sweets and savories…

It feels a lot less hectic since I don’t have to cook for a group, and I got my shopping done early. Samantha and I have enjoyed the music at the EPO Peppermint Pops last Sunday, and the ballet at yesterday’s Children’s Nutcracker performance.

I am very appreciative of our Philharmonic Orchestra for their Classic and Pops concerts, and the Dance Theatre that worked with them to produce the Nutcracker. Eville is very lucky to have these organizations.

This week we’ll wrap up the wrapping — damn, I’m funny! — and get the place dusted and shined. I’ve got to get my hair and nails ready, and I’m still looking for boots, but no stress. Samantha will be here next Saturday to help with the baking and we’ll make snickerdoodles and roll out some dough for cookie cutters.

Oh, and my daughter, has a birthday on Saturday. We’ll celebrate appropriately…

Have a great week!

Peace

Posted in Christmas with the Sonnystoners, Sunday Report

Ghosts of Christmases Past…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

I’m hurrying out the door to pick up Samantha – we’re going to the Philharmonic Orchestra’s Peppermint Pops again this year and I can hardly wait to belt out the Hallelujah Chorus! In the meantime, here’s what we were doing nine years ago…

December 6, 2016, starring Nova (mostly) This was made for me by 1Drive, so it ain’t my usual perfection, but it will do….

Nova sang at the Eville Music Academy Winter Concert last night and did a Super Job! I know because her Dad sent me a video…sadly, I was unable to attend. So this little video is to thank her for being herself – she’s The Best!

Since I’m being so lazy, I’ll throw in a re-blog of the same event, three years later with her sister…

Countdown to Christmas: 16 more days…

I’m still working on Christmas presents, so there’s time to straighten up and get on my list!!! You’ve got my number and surely you know where your phone is! I’d love to hear from you!

Have a great week!

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Week-end Wrap-up

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

We had a nice Thanksgiving celebration with the Jrs on Thursday. I was graced with the presence of both my Casey grandies, so they decorated the tree for us.

In the days since, we’ve brought it all the decorations down from the attic and schlepped it all around…

We’re determined to let go of anything we don’t use this year (unless it’s sentimental) and we’ve brought out lots of stuff we don’t usually use, just to see if we maybe should keep…

Today is another Holy Day here at the Acres: Casey’s birthday #71. He just will not catch up with me, though I try to dawdle… He was tickled to receive his annual infusion of flannel shirts and socks…

Raise your glass! Here’s to my husband, my companion, my partner-in-crime:

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Long Life!

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Evening Edition

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Today was the first time I’ve been to see a production at the USI Performance Center. In fact, I believe it’s been over a decade since I’ve set foot on my old campus and wow, has it changed! When I went to school there, the Nursing building was brand spankin’ new and today it is covered in scaffolding, undergoing maintenance and updating. I guess that’s to be expected after 35 years!

Back in the days when I was an active-duty Mom, I watched Xanadu many times and always loved it, so I had expectations. This little show delivered, making us laugh and clap along, even providing us with glowsticks to wave around. The theatre seating is steep enough that short people, such as myself, can’t have their view blocked, so that’s cool. We have season tickets, and the upcoming plays look good, so I’m excited!

Let’s get in gear, now, folks! Full Speed Ahead! We’ll be watching the NYC Parade Thursday morning and having a light lunch with the Jr. family, as per usual. It has always been our tradition to have Nova and Samantha put the ornaments on our tree in mid-December, but last year schedules got wonky and it didn’t get done. So This Year, we’re going to have the trees up and ready for ornaments on T-Day to take advantage of the presence of Nova. At 17, she’s harder to pin down than the 10-year-old.

I’ve now “finished” my Robert Horatio story and it’s ready for editing. I really have to pull my head out of the late 19th-early 20th century and get with it for the Holy Daze, though. To continue with my writing challenge, I’m writing mostly poetry of some sort or another.

As we prepare for the Day of Thanks, I want to Thank You for reading this blather and balderdash. As Brandi Carlile famously sang (lyric by Phil Hanseroth): All of these stories don’t mean anything if you’ve got no one to tell them to – it’s true.

Maybe I wasn’t exactly made for you, but I do appreciate you.

Have a great week.

Peace

Posted in Random, Sunday Report

Ten years later…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Watching an interview with a 90-something-old Walmart greeter, I snorted when he said, “you should never retire, or you’ll rust”… I’ve read some AARP articles that imply the same sentiment: Don’t relax or you’ll lose your edge.. I completely disagree with these opinions, possibly because I’m not metal and I never had an edge.

What I did lose when I retired 10 years ago was a whole lotta stress and worry. Even nurses who love their jobs feel the strain of their responsibilities, and I did not love my job.

What I did gain when I retired 10 years ago, has been nearly 20 lbs., but more importantly, I have peace of mind (which has obviously made me hungry). As for the rusty part, we take our role as stewards of these acres pretty seriously, and that keeps us well-oiled.

Looking back at these first 10 years of retirement, I’m pleased with how well we adjusted to living together, just the two of us. We had four years of trailer-trippin’ with our dream RV, and another four of gallivanting in Goldie. We’re active in the lives of our grandchildren and present for our children. We’re Disney World Annual Passholders. There’s plenty for Casey to fix around this house. I’ve always been a housecat, and I curl up and read a couple of books a month. I play the piano nearly every day and learn new pieces often. I write a blog weekly. I cook supper dang near every evening. Naptime is 2pm. Maybe I’m being a little defensive?

I have to admit that there are days when I feel absolutely worthless, days when I consider getting a job, but I’ve heard they put you on their schedule and I’d prefer to put them on mine. Then there’s the inevitability that I will have to quit and that is a whole Bad Mood waiting to happen. No, thanks, I’ll keep my Peace of Mind…and my appetite…

Anyway, I’ve been writing a flurry of words this week, and I’m nearly done with a story about my Grandmother’s Family, spanning 1818-1918. Blogging has trained me to keep it short, so it has been a blast to just keep writing for 100 years. The “end” of the tale is too hurried, though, and I need to fill that in. It is a long read, (and getting longer) and I’m thinking I should break it up into chapters. Would you prefer a 20-minute read or four 5-minute reads? For reference, today’s report is a 3-minute read. Let me know what you think.

These are the rather dull lull weeks just before we find ourselves in the Holiday Frenzy. I am starting to plan our Christmas activities, and it seems Samantha’s up for The Nutcracker and Peppermint Pops this year. Anybody out there want to meet me at Handel’s Messiah (Trinity UMC)? We’ll be in NYC for Christmas Day and that’s always a treat.

But right now, the Autumn leaves continue to paint an awesome mosaic of yellow, gold, red, ever changing with the wind. I’m going to corral some up to cover my perennials. I hope this involves the sound of scrunching..

Peace