Tag: Weekly Wrap-Up

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 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

Posted in Sunday Report

Full Fall mode

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

We’ve enjoyed a beautiful week of Autumn with Sunshine and temps in the 60s. The trees have changed each day, adding more yellow here and a splash of red there. Yesterday it rained and this morning the temp attempted to reach freeze-point, so the blustering wind is making a blizzard of falling leaves.

The view from my back windows…

The beautiful last hurrah of the past season reminded me of the poem “Autumn Day” by Rainier Maria Rilke…

Lord: it is time. The summer was immense.
Lay your shadow on the sundials
and let loose the wind in the fields.

Bid the last fruits to be full;
give them another two more southerly days,
press them to ripeness, and chase
the last sweetness into the heavy wine.

Whoever has no house now will not build one
anymore.
Whoever is alone now will remain so for a long
time,
will stay up, read, write long letters,
and wander the avenues, up and down,
restlessly, while the leaves are blowing.

Translated by Galway Kinnell and Hannah Liebmann,
“The Essential Rilke” (Ecco)

Meanwhile, out on the back porch, the Giant Coleus, now two years old!, stands tall over the mint, and the Nasturtium is growing as if it’s Spring, blooms cascading onto the floor and leaves as big as a plate!!!

The Ancestors have prodded me back to writing and I’ve unearthed more photos and information regarding their adventures, so it’s been a week of researching and writing a Family Story that I’ve wanted to share for several years now. In my rush to crank out phrases to meet my word-count goals, I wrote before I had completed my research and had to delete a good part of the story and start again. I think the deletions count as pen-to-paper, don’t you? The goals are good, I suppose, but this week’s writing has been Fun and I don’t want to spoil by measuring my accomplishment with a random number. Anyway, a picture is worth a thousand words, isn’t it? I believe so…

Did I mention that we have a leaky roof? I said, let’s move!, but Casey thinks we should just fix it, so we’re in the process of getting estimates on that job. I can hardly wait to hear the sound of men scuffling around my roof, but for now I’ll just cozy up next to the fireplace and read a good book…

Hope you’re dry and warm in your neck of the woods…

Peace

P.S. This post is a 2-minute read with 433 words, but it was Actually Really 6,433 words…see how that works?

Posted in Sunday Report

November, again

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

I have remembered My Ancestors with flowers and music this All Hallowtide, lighting candles and feasting on harvest soup. I am very grateful to have been born into this line of DNA, especially for the love and care I was given by my parents and grandparents when I was very young.

23 years ago today, my Mom died. She was only 71, was in decent health, still planning her life and I’m sure she was as shocked as we were when she passed over into whatever dimension we transition to from here. That was probably the darkest November of my life, but the short days and long nights wear on my general cheerfulness.

What we need right here, right now, is a Dopamine Menu:

EVPL Book Sale 11/8-9

Get a flu, covid, RSV shot

Wilson Auction 11/7-8

Xanadu 11/23

11/26 Annual Thanksgiving Sleep-over,

11/27 waking up to watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, followed by feasting with the Jrs Give Thanks!!!

11/30 Casey’s birthday #71 – what a youngster!

There’s a lot of blank space in there which could open the door for some of that bleak November vibe to settle into the old bones, so I’m Taking a hint from the now-defunct NaNoWriMo challenge to write a Novel (50,000 words) in November….except I have never wanted to write a novel – not since grade school, anyway. I prefer to write features and columns, if you know what I mean from Journalism 101, so I’ve crafted a bespoke challenge to entertain me during this shady season.

I don’t mean that I’m going to publish something daily. I have an outline of topics for long-read type essays, and a list of characters for family tales that could extend to short stories. I’m stoked this time, though, so I ought to get in at least two weeks before I start flagging. Lord knows I have little else to do, but somehow my attention strays easily.

Which reminds me…I did this thing out in the Peace/Bird Garden.

Before
After

I’ve been looking at the peace sign upside-down for years now, meaning to change it around someday.

Upside-down or Inside-Out

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Last week’s news

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

We met up with the Jrs at Ellis Park last Sunday for the final race of the season. I can’t win a bet to save my life, but Casey did alright, as did Samantha!

I had surgery on Tuesday to re-center my left optical lens and it went well. This time around the anesthesia left me drugged for a couple of days, more than in the past. Maybe I’m just getting old? After my follow-up appointment on Wednesday, we walked over to the downtown Market on Main. I’ve been meaning to visit since it started up in June, however, it doesn’t look like I’ve been missing much.

Anyway, I did drag around the garden, trimming and uprooting, harvesting, and arranging. Fall is in the air, and both gardens are finishing up their service.

My son, Michael, will be 44 on Wednesday, but we’re celebrating today at our usual celebrating place, so I’ll cut this missive short.

Enjoy this Long Week-end!

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

I started a new blog…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Family Stories will be a blog about the lives of my shirt-tail ancestors – aunts, uncles, cousins – and I’ve got some good tales to tell. For the Introductory post, I introduced myself and said a few words about my other ancestry blog. Looking for a photo of some sort, I came across a prose poem that hit me in my heart.

It appears that Della Joann McGinnis Johnson probably wrote the original version of this, but others may have edited/contributed. Whoever it was, I thank them. I’m happy to report that I’m not the only crazy person who feels the presence of their ancestors – even consulting with them – and who views graveyards as living things. This explains it…

THE STORY TELLERS

We are the chosen. In each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors – to put flesh on their bones and make them live again, to tell the family story and to feel that somehow they know and approve. To me, doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes have one.

We have been called by our genes. Those who have gone before cry out to us: tell our story. So we do. In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now and cried? I have lost count. How many times have I told the ancestors you have a wonderful family you would be proud of us? How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was love there for me?

I cannot say.

It goes beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who am I and why do I do the things I do. It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lost forever to weeds and indifference and saying I can’t let this happen. The bones here are bones of my bone and flesh of my flesh. It goes to doing something about it. It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today. It goes to respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving in or giving up, their resoluteness to go on and build a life for their family. It goes to deep pride that they fought to make and keep us a Nation. It goes to a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us. That we might be born who we are. That we might remember them. So we do. With love and caring and scribing each fact of their existence, because we are them and they are us.

So, as a scribe is called, I tell the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next generation to answer the call and take their place in the long line of family storytellers. That is why I do genealogy, and that is what calls those young and old to step up and put flesh on the bones.

Because I love writing this Report, because the format of “that was the week that was” is easy, because my loyal readers enjoy even the boring parts, I keep on truckin’. But, honestly, I want more people to read my stuff. I’ve got some stories to tell and they’re good ones. Hang with me while I get them written and published over at Family Stories. Until I get going, there’s a lot of good reads at All My Ancestors.

We’re off to the Races today with the Jrs (minus Nova, who has to work)! It’s perfect weather, and I’m feelin’ lucky…

Hope you’re feeling lucky, too!

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Weekly Wrap-up

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Last week was good. Appropriate cards and greetings were sent to the lucky people who married my children. My long-time hairdresser coaxed my tresses into their usual bleached-blonde-blowout — yes, I actually pay to look this bad. A new longevity-of-phone-call record was set by me and my soul-sister – and I could have talked longer! BruBurger saw me twice, first for a lunch with my sister and then, a couple of days later, dinner with husband to celebrate our Anniversary.

My green beans and cucumbers are popping right up!

I’m still out early in the mornings to water and trim. Tomatoes and Peppers are finishing up their fruiting, but they look pretty spent. As soon as this heat passes, probably Wednesday or Thursday, I’m going to tear in and tear out in both the Edible and the Peace/Bird. I have the beginnings of an idea to transform the P/B garden this fall, complete with native shrubs and some sort of fencing to keep out the deer.

Speaking of deer, we have three fawns that visit daily, hanging out in our backyard with their moms nearby. They are darling. This summer we’ve attracted a couple of skunks – Pepe’ and one of his girlfriends, no doubt – who keep digging along our foundation. Pepper Flakes to the rescue.

I am returning to my Ancestry research. I’ve had my subscriptions on hold for a while, but upgraded to an international version for six months, and will be trying to catch up with my Scots-Irish roots, going back to our 17th century years in the Highlands. My German greats arrived later, and will be easier verify, so I expect to find that I’m some sort of baroness. I publish our family stories over at my Ancestry Blog, and if you have never visited, you really should! It is chock-full of interesting characters, many of whom haunt my house and heart. I’ll be bugging you more about this, so why not bookmark it and give it a read? www.allmyancestry.wordpress.com

Despite the oppressive heat, we’re going to Try to go to Ellis Park tomorrow to watch the thoroughbreds. The last time I attempted this maneuver, the heat shut down the track, so that could happen again. The season is nearly over, so I’m getting a little desperate. I don’t remember the last time I didn’t go to the races at least once in the summer!

Hope there’s some shade in your neck of the woods!

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report, The Gardens of Sonnystone...

Midsummer Garden

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Despite the charming fantasy of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, the Actual, Factual, honest-to-goodness middle of summer here at Sonnystone is/was August 7. Many of our Spring-plantings have now aged out and we have just enough time to get in a second planting, so I’ve spent the week (mostly) pulling up and replanting, trimming, and harvesting.

Out in the Edible Garden, our tomatoes and bell peppers slowed to a halt under the heat dome, but they are slowly recovering, producing a half-dozen or so new fruits. By early October, we should have a big harvest of green beans, squash, and cucumbers…

The Big Show is the Sunflowers…

Or Maybe it’s the zinnias…

The Peace/Bird Garden is a little faded, but otherwise doing well.

We have a big week ahead – two birthdays, daughter-in-law and son-in-law, as well as our 45th wedding anniversary. We had some plans for this week-end, but Casey is having some dental problems, and we had to adapt so he’ll be better able to enjoy!

45 years is a long time. We never dreamed we’d get this old… Oh, well, beats the alternative. Hope there’s Love flowing around your neck of the woods.

Peace