Tag: grandkids

Posted in Christmas at Sonnystone 2019

Countdown to Christmas: 16 more days…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

How’s your Christmas going?  I’ve got about 2/3 of my shopping done.  We’ve finished up (as much as I finish up anything) the decorating.  I haven’t even started on the cards, though…

Saturday we picked up the Jr. girls and drove up to New Harmony for a Christmas Parade. Our first stop is Always the Main Cafe, a family-owned diner that I used to haunt when I was a Visiting Nurse in Posey County (20+ years ago).  They make grilled cheese sandwiches just as they should be made…

We love this Super Smalltown Parade with golf carts and tractors all gussied up for the holidaze.  They throw out Tons, I mean it, Tons, of candy and even gave everybody a Big Candy Cane full of sugary stuff.  We filled Two Santa Hats with candy that the kids scrambled out into the street for…  O & S loved it!

Then we headed over to one of the Galleries to make a cool craft.

Mr. and Mrs. Claus were set up over in CandyLand, but we opted to skip the line.  There were other photo ops…

Now we’re cruising into our Christmas in NYC.  We’re leaving Thursday, returning the following Tuesday.  The Rockettes are waiting for us.  Until then, I’ve got nails and hair to update and packing my fetching frocks for the trip.

Peace

 

Posted in Christmas at Sonnystone 2019

And the Countdown Begins

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

We have changed up our Christmas decorations this year, using our small tree and old-school Toy Story bulbs.  Today Olivia and Samantha came by with their parents to add the ornaments.

There’s something so sweet about a tree that has most of the ornaments hanging eye-level of a 4-year-old.

This coming week’s calendar looks pretty free, so  I’m going to Try to get Casey’s Family Tree published.  It is a very complicated family tree, but it is well-documented.  Remember when I was suspicious that my Eaton family tree could so easily be put back to the Mayflower, so I checked and couldn’t verify the connection?  Well, I learned to always have Real Records to prove relationships.  This group not only has records, it has historical markers that tell their story, state parks that are named after them and his 8th-great grandfather even has his own entry in Wikipedia!  Can you beat that?  I have had to study up on history that has come alive for me as I’ve stalked these folks.  It can’t all be written in a week, but I’m going to get a lot of it out of my head and on paper so I can take a Christmas break.

I hope your Thanksgiving week-end was full of fun.

Peace

Posted in 2019, Autumn at Sonnystone Acres, Weekly Wrap-Up

Weekly Update

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Last week’s Member Appreciation Day at the Zoo was Super!  We had a beautiful day for feeding giraffes

and petting lizard-things and Not petting the Owl

and playing on the playground,

We walked the hilly loop and when we got to the top, an empty Tram was ready to leave.  We hopped on and took the entire Tour around and back to the Top.

Colonoscopy Week wrapped up with Casey’s procedure on  cooold snowish Tuesday morning. Everybody survived and between the two of us, twelve polyps were removed!!  Crazy, huh?

Wednesday morning the Turkey Hens visited to peck for bugs.  We counted 22!  They seriously need a safe and reliable source of birth control…

I have been working a lot on Casey’s Family Tree.  It seems that four generations of his Mom’s family lived all within what we call Boxtown here in Evansville, most of the homes since torn down.  Listening to him share his memories about these folks is as interesting as his ancestors are.  His tree has fascinated me and I’m working on getting it blogged, but I keep coming across new stuff — plus he keeps adding new memories of people I have to run down.  It is a Good Story and its perspectives have moved me quite deeply.  It will be a series, so stay tuned.

 Did I mention that we spotted the Rare Red-haired Pandagirl at the Zoo?

Peace

Posted in 2019, Summer at Sonnystone, Weekly Wrap-Up

One Week at a Time

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

We’re resting after a busy week here at Sonnystone.  My thigh returned to its normal size after two weeks of antibiotics and I’m feeling much better.  That said, there is still some yuck left and I’m going to visit my NP next week and see if we need further treatment. This is a persistent bug I’ve been growing and I want it totally eradicated, never to return.

I may never go back to wearing pants… Unable to wear my usual uniform of shorts and shirts, I’ve bought several dresses and skirts that are so much more comfortable.  I feel a little like I’m walking around in my nightgown in the dresses, but I’m getting used to it.  Hell, I may burn my bras (again) and live in Total Comfort…

Casey, Michael, Olivia, Samantha, and I went out to Ellis Park on Friday.  I don’t think I have been to the track more than once each year in the four years since I worked there.  I was seriously burnt out after watching 300+ races per season x 5 seasons, but when I’m there I miss the days when Mom, Sister, or Cousins were likely to show up, too.  Olivia picked a winner and won $4.60–excellent payout for a $2 show bet, but the horse was 31-1! I came home po’.

I’m officially into Prep Week for the Upcoming Camp Sonnystone… Cleaning and menu planning, mostly.  Emma usually requests caprese using my garden’s basil and tomatoes under thick slices of fresh mozzarella drizzled with balsamic– which makes my mouth water thinking about it  Not all of the kids share my zest for tomatoes, but I have convinced them that my tomatoes are nothing like the tomatoes they eat in restaurants.  Everyone loves to pick the cherry tomatoes and pop them into their mouths right off the vine!

The best part of Camp Sonnystone is making the Sign with their handprintsand doing the annual height measurement.  The girls are growing 4-6 inches a year, forcing JoJo to acknowledge the passing of time. The sign has to be engineered to fit Large hands now.

We Will be painting birdhouses and there Will be Music and Dancing and Games.  Of course, we’ll have to go back to Ellis Park, too…and maybe New Harmony… Henderson is having their Bluegrass Fest the week-end the girls are here…  And you know, they are just such nice company!!!

I’m trying to stay calm…

So we’ll pick the Jose’ fam up next Sunday around 10:30am our time…

6 more days..

Peace

 

 

Posted in 2019, Summer at Sonnystone, Weekly Wrap-Up

Monday’s News

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

The Rain was unrelenting this morning, and I woke up to a Sonnystone Acres shrouded with drab drab.

But there’s a Bright Spot on my calendar, bright enough to dispel the Any gloom:  The New York City Girls and their Mother will be Arriving on August 4!!  Melissa will be staying until the 7th; Emma and Eliza will stay until I take them back to NYC on the 14th.

Because Olivia has to start school on the 7th, we’ll do an abbreviated Camp Sonnystone from 8/4-8/6.  We still haven’t decided on a Theme, but we’ll brainstorm once we’re all together. I haven’t seen Emma and Eliza since March at Disney, so I am Ready to give them some hugs and have them hang out with me.

I should probably insert the brag here that the Girls are Rocking the Irish Dance World.  Just last week Emma got her first 1st in champion level and Eliza got three 3rds in her new prelim level.

I am weaning myself off of Ancestry in prep for the Visit.  I am to a place of blogging the ancestors where I need to start a new line of research on several grandmothers’ families which will take weeks.  It’s hard to stop, though!  Check out my latest post great-great-grandparents Leander and Emma Mayne ,

Livvy, Sam, and I went back to the Zoo to visit the Budgies last week… I really love those Parakeets, but you have to be patient.  I have the Jr girls for a day this week and I wouldn’t be surprised if we went Again…and of course we’ll take the New Yorkers. when they are here.

I’ve got to open up the upstairs and get the rooms ready, but not much else.  I can hardly wait! I’m horrible at doing countdowns — does today count — but I think it’s about 12 more days..!

Peace

Posted in 2019, Monday Musings, Summer at Sonnystone

Rainy Day’s a Monday…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

It’s been a tough week, guys.  What the H is going on with me?  It’s one weird malady after another. On the one hand, I don’t want to talk about it.  On the other hand, damn,  why shouldn’t I gripe…

Shortest version: A small cyst on my upper thigh suddenly blew up into a Giant Invading Mound of Infection and I had to go to the doctor and get it lanced and get a shot of Rocephin and take a bunch of doxycycline  and the swelling in my thigh was serious and cellulitis set in and I only had one dress (that fits) to my name so I have worn it out and bought three more but two haven’t arrived and it hurts when I walk and I’m worried we didn’t get all the goop out and it turned out to be a rare strain of staph and I prefer average everyday staph and nobody gives you good pain medicine anymore…   >stops to breath<  But it gets better every day…

Yeah, so I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired… Hmm…you didn’t need to know that at all, did you?  Judging by my productivity — 4 blog posts, about 5000 words — you never noticed and had no idea I took all those naps, did you?  Damn, I just blew my entire superwoman image…again…

I was heartened to be with my Jr. girls again.  Saturday we went out to the mall and messed around and I bought them some new shoes, at a real shoe store where they measure your feet and put the shoes on them and feel for your toe…  They both chose converse, Olivia’s in Orange and Sam’s in Rainbow.  I got a little carried away and got Samantha a unicorn dress and unicorn headband, and Olivia a sweet yellow top.  Their parents barely recognized them when I took them home.  I had forgotten my phone, so this picture is one I stole from their mother’s fb page…it does not show the cool shoes, just my pretty girls.

Sunday we got together again and went to Central Library.

We needed this rain today– I thought I’d never say that again after Spring! I’ve got more beans to snap and cook and the last of my cilantro is going into a lime marinade for some chicken breasts.  This year’s bell peppers have been the best I’ve ever grown and I’m dipping them and the cucumbers like a fiend.  I couldn’t do much in the garden last week, so it was all on Casey, and he came through like a champ and planted three rows of green beans.  If you’re not keeping with the Gardens at Sonnystone, you should!

I think I’ll take advantage of the rainy weather to do more Ancestry, as usual.  I was so relieved to finish up all the Eaton family work, but there is no real finish to it!  I’m ready to get back to the Maynes soon, and as long as I’m still solving mysteries, I’ll keep going. Check out Last Week’s Work…

  Peace

 

 

 

Posted in 2019, Summer at Sonnystone

A spot of News…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

My NYC grandies were in Vancouver, B.C. last week, dancing in the North American Irish Dance Championships.  They both have worked so hard to qualify and have practiced their little hearts out.  I am so proud of them and was overjoyed when Emma Placed #30 in the U13 group!!  These girls love Irish Dance and make friends as they travel around the World.

 

It’s typical Eville summertime now, humid and buggy.  I’m doing my best to keep up with the vegetables, cooking and chopping, snapping and slicing…  If you haven’t been reading my garden blog, you should visit the Gardens at Sonnystone.

The Jr girls are still at their Other grandmother’s this week, so Casey and I are having to entertain ourselves…super fun times, if you know us…

I’m still caught up in the ancestry, too. Come on over and Climb the Family Tree with me.

Peace