Tag: Sunday Report

Posted in Weekly Wrap-Up

Sunday Report

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

The gardens and the gardening is winding down for the season. The Peace/Bird Garden has been looking very scraggly for a while, partly because I leave the blooms until they’re fully pecked by the birds and partly because of the frequent rainstorms. I finally got out this morning and lopped off the really dead stuff and pulled weeds.

before
after

It feels fresh out there, now, with plenty of seed heads left.

The Edible garden is closer to closing time, though. I’m just putting off bringing in the tomatoes, giving some small green ones time to grow. There are six peppers very near harvest, but after that, they, too are done.

Instead of going to Disney World this fall, I decided to buy a new refrigerator and stove. Marked #1 off my list this week when I found this lovely icebox on sale. We had to uncover a little filth to get it in its new home, but doesn’t it look dandy?!

I’ve got my eye on a bargain-priced stove, hopefully bringing it home this week. The dust bunnies under the stove might need to be called “dust groundhogs”.

In the meantime, #two grandie and her bf are going to take the old fridge, and possibly the old stove, as well. I like that kind of recycling.

My Dolly crying jag delayed my potting-up the mums, but I decided to just keep everything out on the back porch, the one I hang out in most, so I can enjoy it. I don’t know when 80-years-old started being too young to die, but it is, so I’m pressing on, determined to Enjoy Every Minute that I can, Look for the Positive, and Be Grateful…

I hope you’re enjoying today in your neck of the woods!

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Sorry…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Okay, I lied again about those extra posts. When the daughter is around, there’s not a lot of down-time.

Yes, we did bet Golden Tempo, the longshot winner of the KY Derby!!! What’s even better is that we had a party of 10 to cheer the ponies on. It really was a Great Race–first woman trainer to win the roses, two brothers who came in neck-and-neck in first and second place, and the first in a while of fast track vs. muddy in Lousville.

In what seems to be my normal behavior lately, I have no pictures of yesterday. The Jr girls were in attendance and their mom took graduation pictures of them on the grounds, so you’d think it would have dawned on me to mark the occasion digitally. But, alas, you’ll just have to take my word for it – we are all gorgeous.

It has been a blast and today will wrap up with a visit from Aunt Dee and a visit to Aunt Donna. Tomorrow morning at 6am, she’ll be on the plane back to NYC.

Casey’s doing even better, kind of showing off for his daughter, I think. We see his surgeon again this Friday and I bet he can go back to driving. >sigh of relief<

Next week is Mothers’ Day, time to put out the garden. We’ve got one more week of low 40s temps, so that works out perfectly. I’ll see you then.

Hope you’re surrounded by Love in your neck of the woods.

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Weekly Wrap-up

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Was it just last Monday that I wrote you that we’d weathered a rough week? Here I am again, your intrepid reporter, to let you know that we’ve weathered another rough week…

When I started sneezing and wheezing on the drive back from Chicago, I blamed allergies, but had a sneaky suspicion that it was a rhinovirus aka a cold. I hoped it wasn’t, but it was, and Casey caught it. It was a real booger for me (get it) to cough up the tenacious sputum, but this guy with two inguinal incisions was laid down with excruciating pain with every spasm. It was a bit of a set-back, to say the least. We saw the surgeon for routine follow-up on Friday and, guess what? the doctor had had the same bug, and they commiserated with each other. His incisions are healing well and his progress, though slower now than we’d hoped, is positively positive.

My patient lost a filling during this ordeal and we’re going to the dentist tomorrow after his annual eye exam. That will test his stamina, and I’m skeptical, but he’s in charge.

Our lawn is going to need mowing before Casey’s able, and I’ve talked with Michael about coming over and getting the front and side knocked down before it gets too overgrown. I have always wanted to forego mowing the meadow, all the way down to the woods with only a path around it, to see what wildflowers would grow up there. Looks like I’m getting my wish this year (for a while) and there are lots of oxeye daisies, violets, and others I can’t name. I can’t seem to get a good picture, either, but here we are…

I think last night and tonight may be our last days of low temps in the upper 30s – fingers crossed – but I had to bring my tomatoes and peppers inside, where they’ll stay for a couple of days.

I’m meeting Dee for the final USI theatrical production of the year: Merrily we Roll Along. I’m gaining a new appreciation for Sondheim this season. We have enjoyed all of the shows and we’ll definitely attend next year.

I hope it’s warming 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

Weekly Wrap-up

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

There’s nothing like a trip to Rural King to get you in the Spring planting mood. Monday morning I bought an excessive amount of seeds for both early starts and my countertop garden, and grabbed up a houseplant.

Casey got his pressure washer delivered and my back porch has been transformed.

Check out my new raised beds. He’s tilling them today and we’ll get a load of soil next week.

I spent a lot of last week following up on what I’d spent the week before thinking/stewing about. In the last decade, we’ve all seen families torn apart by politics/religion, and one of them was my birth family. You know, if you’ve been paying attention, that after the last election I turned it off, changed my habit of living in the internet world of “news”, but one can hardly avoid the fact that he’s started a war. I don’t know if that’s why, or is it something else, but many americans are beginning to see him in a different light.

So it was that a couple of the estranged-ers reached out to me (after 10 years!), a little embarrassed and even ashamed, kind of like they woke up… I have grieved losing these dearly-loved people, and once I was sure that they were sincere, my family and I opened our circle. We stepped back and made room for more Love. We are Family and we’ll do whatever it takes to hold each other up, to help us get through.

I hope we’ve reached a tipping point somehow and more and more of us come together to repair what has been so tragically broken in our country and in our hearts.

Looking ahead…

We’re expecting a hard freeze Monday and Tuesday, so we’re preparing some covers for our roses. We’ve lost the first buds for the last two years! But my lovely forsythia have got their blooming done…

I don’t care if the Irish like it or not, I’m having corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes on St. Paddy’s Day. This year, I’m adding a new dessert: Lucky Charms Treat Bars, which should be magically delicious.

Then there’s Ostara, the Vernal Equinox, the #1 day of Spring. That involves quiche, green salads, baked bread.

Hope Springs Eternal…I hope…

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 Family Stories, Sunday Report

Weekly Wrap-up & Part 4

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Oh, my. We Evillians are not accustomed to snow that comes to stay and this 12-inches of accumulation is intimidating as it thrives on these ridiculously low temperatures. I’ve lost all sense of what day it is and the kids have been out of school all week, so they must feel the same. I’ve ventured into the outdoors a couple of times to pick up essentials, but mostly we’ve continued clearing un-essentials from the attic. Since the trash guys couldn’t do any pick-up this week, we’re filling up the shed with weeks of throw-aways. There’s another large collection for charities waiting until we can get out and about.

With all this snow, the birdfeeders are in constant use with never less than 50 birds in the mornings and evenings.

We have to chase off the blackbirds if they start bullying, but under the current circumstances, we’ve no choice but to leave everything available to everyone. I’ve tried to get you some pictures or videos, but the sunshine causes a glare that even the smart phone can’t fix.

Inside, my plants keep me company.

I’ve got several basils growing on the kitchen countertop.

Writing is another excellent distraction from the cold and glare, and I’m keeping up. On Thursday, I published Part 4 of the Robert Horatio Story over on Family Stories blog. We’re almost to the end and I’m going to miss those folks. The final episode, Part 5, will be published this coming Thursday.

Part 4 -1898-1901

I hear we’re supposed to have some melt this week, but with lows in the 20s, that doesn’t sound so great. I still have a Lot of boxes to sort through, so it’s as good a time as any to stay home. Seems like the whole USA is under a blanket of sh***y weather and there’s no place to run. I must confess that these archives are making me feel a bit on the old side, and some recollections aren’t so rosy, but my gratitude persists.

February is Birthday Month and as soon as I dig out from under these memory boxes, we’re going to start celebrating. I do like a pre-celebration celebration, don’t you? Until then, take care of yourself!

Peace

Posted in All My Ancestors

Tales of my shirt-tail relatives: Part 2

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

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.

Part 2 – 1861-1869

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

Bundle up! Pass around the warm hugs!

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 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