Thanks Elise and James

Thanks to Elise and James for the cute photo taken after a Tune Town practice. That is the group Elise sings with in Nashville.

Elise and Paul

A friend from church gave Paul these photos from a singing gig sometime last year. I'm unsure of the event, but thought they were nice. The last few days have been busy with fixing and painting in the rental. The girls have moved in, and they are being very patient with the work going on around them. Aliyah is joining us after school, and she thinks it's great hanging around with the 'big' girls. Yesterday I spent the day at a mandatory in service on abuse and neglect issues in the workplace, and the presenter was very good. Usually, those things are painfully boring, but this was different and actually interesting. We broke up into groups and discussed real cases. Afterward, Elle made a wonderful broccoli cheese soup for supper. This afternoon it's more work at the rental, and then home for some new york strip steaks...James' favorite:) Every time he visits he has to go to Sebastian's for steak. I can't guarantee ours will be that good, but if the weather holds, they'll be great on the grill.

good news

Elle went to the Dr. today because she had a painful and swollen gland under her left arm. With her medical history, we always worry about changes. She's also complained of a sore throat for several days. It turns out what we thought was a swollen gland was a benign sebaceous cyst, which should disappear on it's own in the next few weeks. If it does not, it can be removed during an office procedure. Her strep culture was negative, so she has nothing more than a cold, and the two were not related. The nurse began by saying..."I have to ask you some lifestyle questions. Do you smoke, drink, take drugs, have sex," etc etc. Jeez. What a world we're living in when many 15 year olds have to answer 'yes.' On a brighter note, I had a nice visit with Stan this morning, and he showed off 2 little kittens hiding in a box in the shed. Mama cat was nearby and very friendly. They were so cute that I was tempted. Just tempted. I know better than to bring another one home:)

51 to 14 victory

Elle's marching band (Fondy) participated in the UW Madison Band Day on Saturday. 4000 high school band kids from the state attended, and played 4 songs at the half time show. The badgers won 51 to 14 and a good time was had by all:) The UW band also performed which was the highlight of the day. The Fondy band kids boarded the bus to Madison at 4:45 AM, and arrived home at 6 PM. Yawn.

hectic few days

We've been busy getting the rental ready for Eva and friends. I have paint in my hair and fingernails, even after a shower. The house is shaping up slowly. We plan an open house in October for everyone to relax and enjoy the efforts of making the place into a home. The girls have all been helpful...they have lots of good ideas on colors and patterns and fabrics. We're getting there. A special 'thank you' tonight to Kathy and Bob, Kylie and Erik for the lovely card and kind words following the loss of McTavish. They are animal lovers, so this means a lot:) Photo today is of Henry and Aliyah in the office, taken while I typed away. Hen slept all day, and is in need of some exercise. The rain is the problem. We haven't been able to walk him. We all are feeling less than 100 percent. Let's hope tomorrow will be better. I heard a Weather Channel announcer say that when the front comes through, it will be clear and cool...like high def. Cool. Hit me with it.

labor day 1998

I found this photo taken on labor day 1998 and thought it was nice. Eva's friend Lucy is on the left holding Moses, followed by Eva holding a kitten Mozart, and a 5 year old Elle with McTavish. The 2 bunnies are Benny and Ginger the lop. Aunty Jo bought Benny for Elise for her 12 birthday, and he lived an amazing 10 years. Ginger was the mascot of Elle's preschool, and of course Moses was 14 when he died. Our animals have always been great companions:)

disappointing

Elle was to march today in the parade with the Fondy marching band. However, after a 2 week camp and a 2 hour rehearsal today, someone forgot to reserve the bus to get them to the parade start. They did not make it. All the students sat in their black woolen uniforms for 40 minutes waiting for the bus. Unfortunate. On a lighter note, Elise called to say that although they were evacuated due to the storm, they made it home safely. She was stung by a jellyfish and stepped on a sting ray (which squiggled away and felt like a chamois.) Other than that, she got a little sunburn. On the Eva front, she's busy this weekend moving in to one of our rentals with 3 other girls from Marian...I think they are nursing students, but one might be an education major. Tomorrow and Wednesday I am taking off to help with painting and cleaning. Paul has to do some drywalling, as the previous renter's son was autistic and kicked a lot of walls. Eva went to the residence early yesterday to help the family move and to clean up. The autistic boy's 3 year old sibling said, "get the hell out of my room." Eva handled it very well. She said, "I am here to help your Mom." To that he said, "Well stand here," pointing her to the corner. Eva went to the corner and waited for Mom. Mom said nothing...just collected the child and moved on. I count my blessings every day.