Too funny..senior learning curve

http://youtu.be/FcN08Tg3PWw

I'm gonna miss all this fun

Children ....since our children live out of town moments like these Are so rare. Usually Don and I have our little daily routine and life around the Karrasch household is rather calm most of the time. These past weeks have been full of commotion...the house has been torn up from one end to the other.  Did I mind? No, not a bit. I loved being crowded. I loved sharing the house with my sister and my son and family. I loved the happy children who woke up every day with a smile on their face. I love their sweet words and kind and gentle manner. We had such fun. I will really miss them. 

Grandma Rose

Today we had a chance to visit with Don's mother. We always enjoy her company and the kids loved her. They had a great time playing with the bubbles she gave them.  

What is your passion?

Have you looked for your passion lately or have you been too busy with the mundane living of life to truly find your joy?  It's easy to fall into the trap of just getting by. There are always those daily chores which seem to never end facing you each day. Then there are some obligations, errands, and list items. Soon the day is gone. There are a lot of quotes out there about living life to the fullest, carpe Deim and so forth. But you know when you are in your bliss state. You know how when you are doing something that you truly enjoy  you enter a calm relaxing mode and time doesn't even pass. There is tat which brings you utmost pleasure. Do you find time for that in your daily routine? Why not?  We know that time will go by, and quickly, no matter if you are folding clothes or reading a great book. I have been very guilty of not making time for art. Other things got in the way and I let them. Soon I put the art materials away in a closet and only pulled them out briefly to see if the love was still there. But by then I was rusty and dissatisfied with the results and got discouraged. But I found out last week that it is still my bliss. When I was sitting in the glorious surroundings of the Buffalo Botanical Gardens last Monday taking a watercolor class I knew the joy of making art. I was lost in the bliss  I felt such joy and happiness. I must make time for that...I must!

Time, slow down!

When you are having fun the time seems to go by so quickly. I am enjoying having my Tennessee family here. Don and Ryan have had a chance to take the boat out on Lake Erie fishing a few times and Ryan even caught a big walleye. The little ones and I have played and played. I’m so lucky to have them here. Today Jenny is taking the kids to see Epic in a nearby town. I will go along, but go their library or mall. Then tonight we are treating Jenny and Ryan to a night at the nearby casino/hotel. We’ll have the kids here after they enjoy the pool over there for awhile.
    Tomorrow will be their last day since they will get an early start home on Thursday. 
   Our fickle weather has not been good for the flowers but the peonies are looking splendid!

Water day

.It's almost 80 today so the kids had fun with their slip and slide. We also took them to Callahan Park to the splash pad. 

Sara loves the water

I'm trying out a new app called moquu which makes animated gifts. Hope you enjoy them.

Ipad

I'm not the only one who loves an ipad. This generation is growing up tech savvy. Will they even learn to write in cursive? Will there be a need for that in the future?

Dad's day

Have I mentioned that my son Ryan is such a wonderful father?   He is raising his children to be compassionate as well as polite.  They are so sweet and very friendly to all. 

Happy Father’s Day

There’s something like a line of gold thread running through a man’s words when he talks to his daughter and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.  It is only when you grow up and step back from your father or leave him for your own career and your own home, it’s only then you can measure his greatness and fully appreciate it.  Dad, you didn’t tell me how to live.  You live, and let me watch you do it.  I learned from you honesty, intelligence, creativity, the love of continuous learning and discovery , work ethics, patience and creative problem solving.  I couldn’t teach people in 50 years what you taught by example in one week.  I cannot measure my admiration for the type of man you were.  No matter how old I grow I will always look up to you.  Your kind, gentle, and generous soul affects all who knew you.  I am so proud to call you father.
   When my sister was here we went to a medium. I am convinced of an after life and that spirits are around. The medium really confirmed that for me. My dad mentioned the name of family member that we had visited just the other day out of the blue..Delaney. He also said, “I am resting now” and said “I have the dog with me”. The medium said it was a beagle. My dad loved hunting with beagles. He also mentioned Seattle where my nephew lives. She also knew that he had a head injury and a right foot problem. I know you might think these are random guesses but when the medium came out with my mother’s middle name out of the blue I knew that she got messages. The old fashioned name Blanche is not one that someone would know. 
   So I know that even though dad is not present on Earth that he is still around and still knows what is happening here.
    Happy Father’s Day, Dad.

You just have to laugh

Boys will be boys. Sean was walking around the pond, lost his balance and fell in. He thought it was hilarious of course. We had one warm day...almost eighty but the rest of the week has been sweater time. Linda will be going home tomorrow. We've had such a great time being together. Ryan will be here until next Thursday. 

Sugar and spice and everything nice

I love little girls!  It is so different having a little two year old girl around. I had two sons and three grandsons before Sara came along. She is so girly and love frills and pink. I bought her some princess dresses with wings and she was delighted. She is such a sweet child..so polite. We are having a great time. Today we went to the local park and played on the playground. 

The grand kids are here

Ryan and Jenny got in last night from Tennessee with Sean and Sara. Of course nana had some gifts. 

Botanical gardens

What a perfect day we had today. We had stayed in Buffalo last night after spending the day in Lewiston NY. We traveled early from Bradford to Lewiston first thing in the morning , about two and a half hours. To attend the Tour of Kitchens. I know it seems like a long way to go but it is well worth it. I wish I could have taken pictures because we got to see six gorgeous homes. We saw not only the kitchen but also the dining room and the outdoor spaces as well. At each home restaurants provided little snacks...tiny salads, Brunswick stew, mushroom soup, corn bread, pear salad, marinated beef salad, lobster bisque, jambalaya ..so good. There was also dessert and wine, then chicken sliders and rum at two local restaurants. More pictures from my camera will follow on another day 

  Today we went to the Buffalo Botanical Gardens for a watercolor lesson 

The setting was so beautiful. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. We loved the lesson and were thrilled the way our pictures came out 

Headline

My sister walked down to get the paper and came back laughing at the front page headline. She knows our weather is fickle at best but to highlight that the sun is coming is positively crazy. 

Graduation

Last night we attended Scott's high school graduation. He is off next year to Shippensburg University to study journalism. We are so proud of him. 

Happy birthday

Yesterday was hubby's 71st birthday. We celebrated by eating at the Olive Garden in Jamestown. What a lovely evening.  

Why Jack Russells deserve their bad reputation

In the previous post I thought it was rather cute how Sadie had staked out a spot where she saw a chipmunk. Only a few minutes later my aggregated husband came storming in the house calling to me, "Come see what your dog has done!"  (Yes, she's my dog when she's bad. ) she had dug up the rock around the pond which so happened to be covering the hose to the waterfall. She chewed the hose right in half!  Bad Sadie!  Not so cute now. I had to take her inside for a bath and she is confined to the house the rest of the day. Now Don has the additional chore of repairing the hose. 

He looks so sweet, doesn't he?

Top Gun looks so lazy and contented taking a nap on the back of the sofa. Who would know that he is lethal? He was a stray in North Carolina near my sister's home. When a house burned nearby he showed up a few weeks later. He eventually came north to our house. I didn't let him out for a few months just to make sure that he wouldn't run away. I took him to the vet for neutering first. He is the most loving cat you've ever seen. He loves people and when there is company he is sure to make an appearance. But when he is outdoors he turns into a killing machine. Numerous rodents have lost their lives due to his sharp claws and patience. I have seen him hiding so quietly just a few feet from a squirrel munching on seeds. He usually leaves his prey in a row outside the house. But occasionally he will bring one in to play with. Just the other day he walked into the kitchen with a chipmunk in his mouth. When he let it go I was practically up on a chair. Then Top Gun just very nonchalantly walked away leaving us to deal with the scared creature. I won't tell you the rest f the story except to say that don took care of it.  Right now we have quite a few chipmunks and squirrels running all over the place gathering the seeds from the maple tree. Sadie has also decided to take up the hunt. 

Once she sees a chipmunk run under a rock she will stay there all day waiting for its return.