summer 2011

summer 2011

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012
family

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

now THAT was a weekend!


Camille, Charlotte Claire, and Sonja K., on Benjamin's four-wheeler, with little Anya on her very own ride.

We went over to Ben and Ashley's for Memorial Day. We have been with Margaret and Adrian and little Wulf right along, because of many reasons, and recently added Ben and Ashley into our contacts. Ben works, he's essential, but his work is very isolated and usually outside (heating and air-conditioning). Ashley goes to the store once a week, and that's about it.

(the lockdown isn't a foolproof plan, what about when Margaret has a doctor's appointment (she's pregnant) and cannot bring her son? What about if Benjamin works full time and by the time he gets to the store after work there's nothing left that they need, and they can't bring their kids to the store, and need someone (grandma!) to watch them?).


Ben and Ashley and their little Anya and Elise, and the girls with their baby chicks. They have a nice house, with a huge yard, a really fun place for a picnic.


Paul with Elise, and some of the pups. We brought our two, Ben and Ashley have two, and Margaret and Adrian brought their Boxer-Lab mix, Bunny.


Our dogs think it's their birthday when they get to go BYE-BYE. They smile the whole time they are at Ben's house. They run and fetch the ball, and sniff around with the other dogs, it's so nice for them.


Sonja, Ev, Anya, Char running across, me, Camille, Jon, and Ben...Benjamin made the corn hole games, and the golf ball toss game.


Abigail, Evelyn, Sonja K., Char, Cam, and Anya in the back.


Jonny, Evelyn, Sonja.


...nice little spot in our front yard...the deck isn't finished yet, we are waiting for the perfect time to stain it...it has to be dry beforehand, and stay dry for a reasonable time afterwards. It's ninety degrees and humid today, so I don't think it's getting done today.

So all of our deck stuff is in the yard, and oh well. It's cooler in the yard anyway. We had snow just a few weeks ago, now we're frying!

The pool is a work in progress, too. Abigail and I got in there yesterday and scooped out leaves. Then I shocked the heck out of it, as I told the kids, added 8 pounds. It's still not clear, but it needs time for the filter to run. Soon, it'll be clear soon, can you tell I cannot wait? When this whole epidemic started, the quarant-ton, as Mariel calls it, I had been going to my twice-a-week water aerobics class. I just love being in the water, and it's the best exercise for me. Now, of course, all that is a blissful memory, but the fact that we have our very own pool has been moved up from just being vaguely thankful, to being extremely and unbelievably full to the brim with gratitude.

We took a quick trip to the store yesterday, to buy more shock. We also got a package of chicken breast, yay!, and some burger. I bought a new fan, too. ( We have two air conditioners, window units, but we haven't installed them in a few years. They do a decent job of dropping the temperature of just the kitchen and living room a bit, but we have to put up a curtain across the hallway, it's not ideal, and it doesn't get unbearably hot too often here in central NY state.)

I grilled last evening, hot sausages, coneys (spicy white hot dogs, a central NY state specialty, Hofmans), and hot dogs. I made salt potatoes, another central NY original (Hinderwadels in North Syracuse). We had fresh green beans, and blueberries and strawberries for dessert, and leftover cupcakes. Our picnic at Ben's was on Sunday, and on Sunday morning, I got up and made chocolate cupcakes, from scratch, just because. And buttercream frosting.

Our cook out on Sunday was magnificent. Burgers, coneys, hot dogs, pasta salad, baked beans, a huge fruit bowl with watermelon, berries, grapes...

Anyway, it was a phenomenal weekend, and our nice weather continues. Abigail and Evelyn have gone back to work, Paul is working (from home), and my kids who are doing school from home are still asleep.

It's a whole new level of crazy to have them learning from home, and this is coming from ME, who homeschooled the girls for five years, and Jon since after he was in third grade. They don't have much work, and it's so easy! I actually love it, and jeepers, if the new look of school is going to be social distancing and mask wearing, they might just stay at home...

Well, I actually, believe it or not, have things to do and phone calls to make.

4 comments:

Linda M. Conley said...

It might not get unbearably hot in central NY, but here in the Southern Tier, it does. Of course, nothing like what we put up with in Alabama for 20 years, but nonetheless, it does get quite humid here. Today it is 91* and humid. Hubby and son put the window ac's in early Saturday morning. I am afraid I don't like humidity and it don't like me. FACE PALM! You're near the lake, right? Maybe that's why you dont get the humidity or heat? Your land is beautiful!!! I am so jealous, grin.

I am glad you had a great weekend, smiles. Thank you for always sharing your family, it always brings smiles.

16 blessings'mom said...

Linda, don't get me wrong, it gets hot here too. It's 91 also, with high predicted of 92. We are north of Auburn, west of Syracuse, South of Oswego, an hour east of Rochester. I do not like humidity either, I just crumble and melt. Most of the weekend pics were of my son Benjamin's place. They have just under four acres, and a big huge old farm house that has been updated a bit, and two barns. They moved back to NY from Washington state three years ago, lived in an apartment for a year, then this house came on the market...ten minutes from me. It's like a dream come true. Ben was not the easiest teenager, then he joined the Army, was a medic in Afghanistan, and was stationed at Lewis-McChord in Washington. They settled in there, bought a house, and I thought I was going to only see him for one week visits once or twice a year, but they decided to move back east, on a whim, sold their house and boom, my son is now local! He's changed and grown up, and is now an honest, upright, hardworking, responsible citizen, and I'm still so thankful he's so close by. His wife too, I count her as not just a daughter in law, but a friend.
I hope you had a good weekend too. But this week, we're just gonna melt.

Rose Sperlonga said...

Looks like a great picnic ! What a yard! So lucky. Our pool is open! YEA! I went to my parents today and let me say you could fry an egg in their house it was so hot! They are very elderly so its to be expected. But sheesh, elderly doesn't mean you have to have your house 100! So , I came home and got in my new suit and went in the pool! A glorious 73 degree's! It was freezing and refreshing. So I'll be rooting for you to have a clean pool!

Have a good week !
Rose

Marilyn said...

Della what a lovely day spent with your family 😊The photos are just great and prove what a wonderful day it was. I love that your doggies went too and had fun with the other 2 fur babies. 91 is very hot!! I think that might be close to my melting point...........🀣🀣 I hope the weather holds for you to get the deck finished. It’s a beautiful deck....so nice and big!! You can get lots of chairs on there.............happy painting!!!

Marilyn from Canada πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦