Posted in Sunday Report

The Purge is on! & Part 3

Snowbound today- looks like 9 inches and still coming down. It’s a lightweight kind of precipitation that can be “easily” blown, so Casey says. He actually misses driving the plows in this kind of weather, or at least waxes nostalgic about it. Though I warn him that he’s an old man now, he will have our driveway cleared asap. Not right now, though, as it is still accumulating.

Inside, all snug and warm, is a big mess that I’ve made going through attic boxes. I’ve reduced so far from 19 boxes to 9. We’ve mostly moved out of what is technically my kids’ stuff and on to what is “our” stuff, and it should be easy to do away with.

There are some Great Stories to tell, memories that were triggered (in a good way), and I can hardly wait to get it all done and cleaned up so I can write them down.

Part 3 of The Robert Horatio Walker story moves us through those years when Robert and his kin were raising their children, years that all parents experience, but I doubt they hoarded their offspring’s mementos. I do wish they’d taken more pictures!

Remember, you can always subscribe to this blog (or any of my blogs), over there on the sidebar, and receive an email every time I post. I know you don’t want to miss out.

This storm is a booger, isn’t it? I’m thinking warm soup, fuzzy socks and sweat pants, work on more attic boxes. Hope you’re cozy in your neck of the woods.

Peace

Posted in All My Ancestors

Tales of my shirt-tail relatives: Part 2

It’s cooold out there and we had a dusting of snow last night that has outlined the gardens and walkways. We’re hunkered down tending the fire, keeping warm.

We’re on a mission to clean the excess out of our attic. Back in the far corner there are boxes of keepsakes that we placed there 22 years ago, full of my kids’ drawings and report cards, birthday cards, and who knows what that I would annually gather up and stuff in a big manila envelope with the year written on the outside. If they haven’t disintegrated, there should be about 18 years of mementos that I need to >sob< throw away. This will be a challenge, and we may end up just re-boxing it all.

I hope you’re enjoying the Family Stories . The Robert Horatio Walker series is being posted every Thursday through February 5 and re-blogged here through February 8.

I’ll let you know what kinds of relics I uncover in the attic.

Bundle up! Pass around the warm hugs!

Peace

Posted in All My Ancestors

Tales of my shirt-tail relatives

It’s been a quiet week here at the Acres. I had started to write this story back in November, completing what amounts to a five-part series. I put it away during Christmastime and pulled it back out for editing last week, and here it is now for your perusal. I hope you enjoy it and that you will return next week for Part 2.

Have a Super Week, friends.

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

A little News…

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

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

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

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

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…

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…

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

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