Tag: grandkids

Posted in Sunday Report

And now to June

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

The gardens are keeping us busy here at the Acres.

I guess I won’t be starting a separate blog for the gardens. The days are just flying by, filled with graduations, recitals, healthcare visits, and actual Work in the Gardens, so I’ll just have to share its progress here. One never knows, but at this juncture it’s shaping up to be one of my best efforts.

Yesterday morning Samantha and I rolled out early for the Willard Library Book Sale. That afternoon the whole fam came together for Nova’s singing recital.

It is our annual tradition to see how long we can put off turning on our air conditioning. We do this partly because we are cheap and don’t want a big utility bill, but I think it’s an old-person thing…I like to tell our kids and grandkids about how we didn’t have air conditioning back in our day, how we toughed it out sitting in front of fans that could cut our hands off if we reached into the cage, and slept on the basement floor (the best coolant) on a pallet to survive. Maybe you had a/c in your home, but my dad truly believed he caught colds from window units, so it was 1967 when we finally moved to a home with central air. Anyway, the humidity is horrible and I am a heavy sweat-er, but I consider it training for our upcoming visit to Disney World in Florida.

Yes, we’re headed back to Disney, specifically to ride the newly-updated Buzz Lightyear Space Command in Magic Kingdom and the revamped Rockin’ Rollercoast, now featuring the Muppets over at Hollywood Studios. The Great Thunder Mountain Railway is another “new” coaster over at MK; it used to be like the old wooden rollercoasters, but they’ve put in all new track to make it smoother. At Epcot, they switched the Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure from 3D to 2D, so I’d like to check that out, and the Carousel of Progress is going to shut down in a month to upgrade, so I need to refresh my memory of the current one.

Recently I’ve been asked by a couple of folks if I still ride the rides. We have ridden every ride there and there are some I won’t ride again (I’m looking at you, Tower of Terror), but most of them I’m up for. This trip we’ll only be there for three days, so we’ve prioritized the aforementioned rides and have plans to crawl through some resort lounges, eat some good food, and drink fancy drinks. We have Lightning Lane passes for Our favorite-of-all-time-ride, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, to wrap up our trip on Wednesday. Despite the oppressive weather this time of year, we will be having a great time – I know where the air conditioning is!

I’m still coughing, dammit, so started a round of steroids to see if we can get this thing under control.

I hope you’re enjoying these last weeks of weeks of Spring in your neck of the woods.

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Wrapping it up

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

All of the graduations wrapped up on Friday last. Samantha gave a beautiful speech at her 5th grade celebration. I cried a little, but the cookies were good.

Nova finished up her third commencement ceremony at Central High School. They try to have it outside in the stadium, but the monsoons hit, so it was moved inside and live-streamed. It was our traditional Eville ceremony with a choir and band – the others have been sans music, though they played some canned P&C at Samantha’s. I do love me some Pomp and Circumstance, always a trigger for tears.

Last night was the Shannon’s School of Dance Recital and Samantha danced twice. I thought I got a video of her first dance, but I neglected to push the record button. I do that more often than I’d like to admit. For the second, “Wednesday”, I stuck with stills. Her daddy sent me his videos anyway. She is a lovely dancer.

Samantha is second row, first on left.

We’re in the process of buying a new car and I’ve settled on one that I hope to buy next week. I’m quite a wheeler-dealer. I used to use my looks to get a good deal, but now I’ll play the sweet old lady and see how far that gets me. I’m rather in love with the automobile, but I also know he won’t let me walk away — sweet little old ladies pay cash…

Tomorrow we’re going to put on our mud boots and head out to the Illinois cemeteries. I’ve got decorations for all of my grandmothers. I enjoy the loop – we drive up through Mount Carmel through West Salem and up to Parkersburg, then back down to the Marion Church Cemetery and on to Albion and Grayville. If we’re able to get an early start, we could make it to Carmi and Grandmother Gainsey.

During all of this month I have been sick. I’ve blamed allergies, so just kept going, but my coughing has been ubiquitous. I had a routine CT scheduled for Wednesday and it came back showing some fluid in my left lower lobe. I saw the doctor on Thursday and she gave me a Z-pak and we’ll follow up the CT in 3 months. I haven’t had time to worry about it, but I am really tired.

So I think I’ll just lay around the shack and nap my way through the day. The rain is supposed to Finally clear out tomorrow and I’ll wager I’ll be much cheered if the sun shines.

Hope you’re feeling well in your neck of the woods!

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Late News

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

It’s been a busy week here at Sonnystone Acres. We attended graduation ceremony #2 for our #2 grandie on Thursday. This is from Early College, a group of around 30 students who earned Associate and Technical Degrees from Ivy Tech. Nova gave a wonderful speech, mostly about Speech, thanking her Mom and causing some leakage from my tear ducts. Her final commencement will be this Friday as part of the Central High School Class of 2026. I will sit that one out, but I sure am proud of her.

8th grad graduation, 1st day of kindergarten

My Number Four Grandie will have her Big Day this Friday morning as she graduates Fifth Grade and leaves Elementary for Middle School. She, too, will be speaking at the ceremony and I already have a lump in my throat. She is my baby and I am dizzy with how fast this time has gone. She was here today and we’re planning a return to piano lessons this summer, and weekly get-togethers. I cherish every second I get to spend with her.

Samantha, 2019
Samantha, 2026

The Garden is all in and we are sleeping that tired sleep, waking up to the dawn chorus and getting back to it. When all of these graduations and dance recitals – did I mention dance next week, too? – are past, I’ll show you the garden Up Close with my new 50mm lens.

I hope you’re sleeping well in your neck of the woods!

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Still on Cloud Nine

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

I don’t know if there are words to describe the emotions this ol’ grandma has felt this last week, especially watching my Emma dance. It’s very akin to Joy, but more radiant? It’s a little like feeling proud, but more incandescent? It was beautiful, she is beautiful, and so deserving of her status as Top American Irish Dancer in the World. I’m so grateful for these experiences and thankful for my family.

We made it to the Art Institute of Chicago on a cold day, but it was warm inside. I was so thrilled! I’ve never seen so many impressionist artists in one place. There was Monet, Manet, Pisarro, , Renoir, and Cassat.

America was also represented well, with a great Norman Rockwell that personifies Chicago baseball, “The Dugout”, Grant Wood’s “American Gothic, and the renowned “Nighthawks at the Diner” by Edward Hopper.

The Matisse Exhibit featured his paper cut-outs, a technique he started to use in the 1940s. I didn’t know that.

We said our good-byes to the Jose Fam at dinner after the Awards Ceremony on Friday, and started back home in the storms Saturday morning. Geez, gas is $4.59/gal up there! About 50 miles into the trip, we began to see it drop to $4.20, then 100 miles south, the prices were down to $3.97; another 100 miles down, $3.78. Here in Eville, gas at the Walmart is $3.69. What’s with that??? I just shake my head.

Tomorrow’s Casey’s surgery, a simple hernia repair, no biggie. I’ll be playing nurse for a few days, and get caught up on my reading. The weather after Wednesday looks gorgeous and I’m hoping to get out and buy plants!!!

My allergies really flared up on the drive home yesterday – we went the backroads through the Illinois cornfields – so it feels like Spring to me! Hope it’s blossoming in your neck of the woods.

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Evening Edition

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

It’s been a busy week here at the Acres. We added fresh mulch all around the house foundation beds, rearranged some perennials in the Peace/Bird Garden, and planted peas, onions, and potatoes.

EVSC was on Spring Break, so I spent some time with Samantha – always a treat!

Thanks to my cousin Lori, I got to meet (on facetime) her granddaughter, Saylor Reese Deig, a most adorable little doll-baby, who cooed and smiled and is obviously brilliant!

Today we met up with the Juniors and had a nice lunch, an early Easter get-together. I always forget to take pictures at these things, but take my word for it, we are all darling af.

Now we’re packing up for our trip up North for the Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne 2026 aka World Irish Dance Championships. It’s being held in Schaumburg, Illinois, about six hours from here, and we’re so excited to be there! Eliza dances on Tuesday and Emma on Friday.

The weather looks absolutely hideous, cold, wet, windy, brrr, so I’ve given up any idea of walking much, but we will Definitely be going to the Art Institute of Chicago ! I can hardly wait to see “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte”, the backdrop for the Sondheim musical “Sunday in the Park with George”.

The Art Institute also owns “Nighthawks at the Diner” and currently there is a fabulous exhibit of works by Henri Matisse!

We’ll be returning by next Saturday, so I’ll get you caught up on our trip next Sunday…unless, of course, one of the girls actually Wins the World Championship, or comes in top 10, in which case, I’ll post a quick Breaking News Report. Wouldn’t that be great?

I hope Spring is springing in your neck of the woods.

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Short, but sweet…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

It’s been rainy, gloomy, bleak week here at the Acres. I’ve been grappling with my Self, sorting out and expanding my point-of-view — Changing my Mind. Of course, I change my mind like some people change their underwear, but that’s an ADHD thing. What I’m talking about here is a shift in perspective. It’s bewildering at first, and I mourn the loss of my old way of thinking, but I’m kinda excited to see how this all plays out.

What the hell is she talking about, you ask? I don’t know, but I spent so much time Thinking this week that I have nothing else to report.

But I do have something here to make you smile. From 2020, it’s our Camp Sonnystone video. Enjoy!

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Cake Pops…& birthdays

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Samantha came by yesterday to help me make cake pops. They turned out tasty, but not too pretty, and we had a lot of fun. My baby grandie will turn 11 next week! I’ll be out of town, so this was our Party…

Nova won 1st Place at her Speech Competition last week! Go, Nova!

My New Yorkers are in Ireland, competing in the All Ireland competition, so I’m sending Radiant Beams of Supportive Vibrations to them as they dance.

There’s a convergence of Holy Days this week – Tuesday is Mardi Gras, Lunar New Year, and Ramadan starts at sunset. Oh, I guess Ash Wednesday is the real Holy Day, and Ramadan goes on for a month, but New Year and Mardi Gras are serious Party Days. Bring on the Jambalaya and Hurricanes…and Spring Rolls.

On Thursday I’m meeting up with Dee to see the USI play, “Almost, Maine”. It looks like another good one.

On Friday morning, we’re setting out for Disney World, where I’ll be spending my Birthday #73 week. Arriving on the 22nd, we’ve got Lightning Lanes for TRON that evening, our first time to ride it with the lights on. It’s a great ride, a little short, but the lights should enhance the experience.

To celebrate my actual birthdate, 2/23, we’re spending our day at Epcot, browsing the Arts Festival activities, and riding the Best Ride Ever-Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. That evening I’d like to get over to Raglan Road so I can have some tribute songs and dances.

The next morning we’ll rope-drop Hollywood Studios and snag Slinky Dog, another of my favorites, and one that I missed riding last trip. We’ll be sure to visit the Tune-in Lounge and The Brown Derby Lounge later in the day, and to check the queue lines for Rise of the Resistance.

Our final day will be at Animal Kingdom, saying hello to the animals at the Safari, and riding Avatar: Flight of Passage. There’s a new “ride” there – Zootopia: Zoogether – under the Tree of Life, where A Bug’s Life used to show; we’ll be on hand for that. In the past, we’ve been able to snag a table at the Nomad Lounge overlooking the river to watch the character boats float by, waving and smiling, and we’ll try to do that again.

A couple of the days are predicted to barely reach 70, but that sounds Great! It’s been a while since I needed a jacket there, and I’m looking forward to it. All sun, no rain – who could ask for more?

I get a little carried away when I’m planning, but I’m flexible when there are unexpected diversions. We always have fun just being together, and if you know me at all, you know that I love celebrating my birthday. It comes at a time of year that needs light and laughter, and I always take advantage of it. I’ll take you along next week and we’ll celebrate together!

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

Visitors

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Melissa and Eliza arrived on…um…I think it was Wednesday… I’ve lost track of the days.

Nova and Samantha joined Eliza and me to visit the Mall on Friday, I do know that.

The Jrs joined us yesterday for our Family Picnic (inside, of course) – green beans and new potatoes, corn on the cob, fried chicken, sliced tomatoes, cantaloupe, and watermelon filled us up. I don’t know why on earth I didn’t take pictures, but we all had a good time playing yahtzee after our feast.

Our plans have gang agley – gone awry, if you will. We had planned to go to Ellis Park today, but Excessive heat shut down the thoroughbreds for the week, Eliza is feeling under the weather (get it?), and I’m out of ideas of air-conditioned entertainment, so we’re just hanging here, talking and enjoying each other’s company.

I think that’s fine, really. We are still maintaining the gardens in the early mornings, though most of the plants in the Edible garden are shocked by the heat. I seem to be mentioning “heat” pretty often, so let me add some adjectives: blistering, sweltering, scorching, oppressive…it’s as bad as I’ve ever experienced and I hate to see my utility bill next month.

The Company is cool, though, so I’m living my best possible today – whatever day it is. I promise I’ll take more pictures as the week goes on. Thanks for dropping by!

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

The Last Missive of June…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

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