Jane's World

The Little Old Man

2011-11-28T14:07:00.002-05:00

David is such a little old man. One day he was 'researching' on my computer. When finished he sat in a chair near me, crossed his legs and in a sort of Jack Benny mode said, "Aunt Jane, as I see it there are 3 options. Option 1..." He went on to tell me about 3 sets of Legos that he would like to buy and how much each cost. He finished his presentation, with a sigh, saying "I just don't know which to choose...I really have a problem. Trying to be helpful, I asked, " Well how much money do you have?" [The sets were $5, $10 and $20.] "I have $3," he answered, "That is my big problem."

About a year ago [he would have been 6 years old] David gave a big sigh and said, " I really liked it better when I was 4." "What is making your life so hard now that you are 6?" I asked. "Oh," he said, " I have so much to do. It was just easier when I was 4." Imagine... a six year old pining for the "good old days!"

Kids speak...

2011-10-21T00:08:00.002-04:00

Recently, Annabelle found a green tassel in a craft drawer. "I know what this could be for," she remarked. " If someone steals sumpin' of yours, you take this and you tickle them, and they drop it and you grab it and run!"
I showed Annabelle and David a video of a mother cat hugging her sleeping kitten. "It is so cute! Play it again!' were heard from both kids. David added, thoughtfully, "I wish I could be a cat...for a little while...just to see what it is like..."

Learning and Playing with Puppets

2011-06-22T16:29:00.005-04:00

David and Annabelle love to play with the puppets that my friend, Fern sent in a big box a few months ago. They insist that I join the play. The rule is that you have to "be" the puppet that you chose. You dare not step outside of your role.
David loves Mr. Owl who is wise and kind and usually knows what to do. Miss Pinky [a flamingo] is Annabelle's favorite. She is motherly and likes to cook. Lately, I have been Spotty, the puppy, who is afraid of everything and needs comfort from Miss Pinky.
The last time we played Spotty was lost and hungry as well as afraid. Miss Pinky rushed to console him and tried to phone his mother from the cell phone she keeps under one wing. She petted him and brought him pretend macaroni.
Spotty: Mr. Owl, are you the wisest of all the creatures?
Mr. Owl: Yes, I am.
Spotty: Do you know who is the king of the whole universe?
Mr. Owl: Of course. That would be...um...God. Yes, God.
Spotty: Where does God live?
Mr. Owl: He lives in heaven. And guess what? God will take care of you.
Spotty: How can he take care of me? He is in heaven and I am lost in the forest?
Mr. Owl: God is also right here beside you. He is in heaven too. .. Well... I guess a piece of Him is here and a piece is in heaven. I don't really get it, how HE does that. But I know that God will take care of you..

David and Annabelle with Puppets

2011-06-22T16:15:00.001-04:00

Pride

2011-01-19T22:05:00.002-05:00

Pride is regarding oneself as the most important person around... It may manifest either in too high or too low self-esteem. Either way it is an obsession with one's own value. Humility, by contrast, is finding one's worth so securely in God's unearned favor that one is not very concerned about [self] at all. -NavPress LifeChange study on Proverbs.

Angelic Annabelle

2010-07-16T22:12:00.002-04:00

I did not do very well with the new camera. This image is blurry, but I like it anyway.
I had A for about 2 hours by herself. She made several pictures with her hand including a frog, an octopus an Indian chief and a dinosaur. She made spots on the dinosaur's teeth and told me that they were cavities he got from eating candy.

Remembering

2009-10-27T02:41:00.002-04:00

Monday at Uncle Babe's funeral, Charlie mentioned that it was Mum's birthday and she would be 95. Mum loved the Psalms and 84 was one of her favorites.
Advancing still from strength to strength, they go where other pilgrims trod, Till each to Zion comes at length and stands before the face of God.
Shortly before she passed into glory I was singing psalm 30. She recited these words and said, " You must remember this.."
For sorrow like a pilgrim may tarry for the night, but then a shout of joy comes when dawns the morning light.

October

2009-10-22T17:39:00.005-04:00

October's Bright Blue Weather

O SUNS and skies and flowers of May
And flowers of June together,
Ye cannot rival for one hour
October's bright blue weather;
When loud the bumblebee makes haste,
Belated, thriftless vagrant,
And goldenrod is dying fast,
And lanes with grapes are fragrant;
When gentians roll their fingers tight
To save them for the morning,
And chestnuts fall from satin burrs
Without a sound of warning;
When on the ground red apples lie
In piles like jewels shining,
And redder still on old stone walls
Are leaves of woodbine twining;
When all the lovely wayside things
Their white-winged seeds are sowing,
And in the fields still green and fair,
Late aftermaths are growing;
When springs run low, and on the brooks,
In idle golden freighting,
Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush
Of woods, for winter waiting;
When comrades seek sweet country haunts,
By twos and twos together,
And count like misers, hour by hour,
October's bright blue weather.
O sun and skies and flowers of June,
Count all your boasts together,
Love loveth best of all the year
October's bright blue weather.: Helen Hunt Jackson

Remembering...

2009-10-22T17:39:00.004-04:00

My mother loved to quote poetry. She had quite a lot memorized from childhood days on. As far back as I can remember she would recite this poem on the first bright blue October day. Today was such a day.

Something Told the Wild Geese...

2009-09-21T17:30:00.001-04:00

Today, on my way home from visiting Charlie, I saw a formation of wild geese flying south.

SOMETHING TOLD THE WILD GEESE

By Rachel Field

Something told the wild geese

It was time to go,

Though the fields lay golden

Something whispered, "snow."

Leaves were green and stirring,

Berries, luster-glossed,

But beneath warm feathers

Something cautioned, "frost."

All the sagging orchards

Steamed with amber spice,

But each wild breast stiffened

At remembered ice.

Something told the wild geese

It was time to fly,

Summer sun was on their wings,

Winter in their cry.

The little wooden train at Old Economy

2009-04-30T21:24:00.004-04:00

The Bed

2009-04-30T21:20:00.003-04:00

The kids tried out a rope bed fitted with a straw mattress and a feather [down] mattress. Annabelle seemed to prefer the downy feathers.

More print shop

2009-04-30T21:12:00.006-04:00

Print shop

2009-04-30T20:50:00.011-04:00

The tour of Old Economy

2009-04-30T20:41:00.005-04:00

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We were not supposed to take photos inside the houses that we toured, but the gardens outside were lovely.

Old Economy

2009-04-30T20:36:00.002-04:00

We began by watching a video about the history of Old Economy and then our guide appeared in costume for the tour.

The gym and Mini golf at Senecca Hills Camp

2009-04-30T20:33:00.001-04:00

Daniel Spiderman Blair on the Rock Wall

2009-04-30T20:29:00.001-04:00

P3 on the Zip line...

2009-04-30T20:24:00.004-04:00

The tour of Senecca Hills

2009-04-30T19:52:00.003-04:00

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We saw the chapel, and then went over to the girl's cabins. They look just like they looked long ago, when I was a camper. From the cabins you can look across at what used to be the dining hall with the steps leading up to it.

A with P2 and P3's new hat

2009-04-30T19:48:00.002-04:00

Registering and waiting for a tour at S.H.

2009-04-30T19:44:00.001-04:00

Checkers at Senecca Hills

2009-04-30T19:41:00.000-04:00

Charlie's garden and a bird's nest...

2009-04-30T19:37:00.002-04:00

Spring flowers and chickens...

2009-04-30T19:29:00.003-04:00

April Activities

2009-04-30T19:19:00.002-04:00

April is birthday month... I tried to stay away from the cake etc., but I did succumb on my birthday to a small piece of cake.
I had a great time visiting Seneca Hills' open house where my aging little grey cells were stimulated to memories of my teenage days at that very camp.
This past week I accompanied the Homeschoolers on a field trip to Old Economy. I recall taking a class there many, many years ago. I was nice to be in a smaller group. There is so much to see. I enjoyed looking at the tools with P3 and trying to figure out what they were used for.
April is also the month when the earth seems to be waking up from its long winter nap. It is fun to see the first flowers coming up. It seems that every day there is something new to discover outside.

Annabelle

2009-03-14T19:41:00.004-04:00

How did A get my frog purse?

Annabelle loves the big froggie!

"Take me! Cheeeese!"

Saturday morning...

2009-03-14T13:48:00.002-04:00

Saturday morning, Bill made blueberry pancakes for breakfast! They were scrumptious! What a great send-off!

Paul and Amber

2009-03-14T13:41:00.003-04:00

We did not see a lot of Paul, even though he lives just downstairs. He was fighting off a nasty bug. By Friday he was beginning to feel better.

Amber is always ready to play! She brought her stuffed duck to everyone, to try to get something going, but Paul is her favorite!

Around the house...

2009-03-14T13:30:00.003-04:00

The picture of Mum and Dad was taken at Annabelle's wedding at camp many years ago. It is probably the nicest photo of the two of them together.

This is the bed where I slept very comfortably in Carol's sewing room. Carol made the beautiful quilt on this bed!

The living room window is prettier than any painting, especially when you look through it to the lovely winter scene in their front yard! That is Charlie, of course, no doubt watching Corner Gas!

Little treasures...

2009-03-14T13:18:00.005-04:00

Grandma Best's Victrola and Carol's fern. The fern was given to her by Jo Leino, who is now in China.

Uncle Georgie's medals...

2009-03-14T13:09:00.003-04:00

On Friday, since the weather was not nice for being outside, we stayed indoors. Bill brought out the little black box pictured here, which he said was damaged a bit when their basement flooded. It contained Uncle Georgie's medals [George Best] including his purple heart. What a treasure!

Lake Michigan shore...

2009-03-14T12:53:00.006-04:00

Charlie and I wondered if they were dumping snow into the lake, but Bill explained that the piles of "snow" were really the result of the water spray from the waves freezing as the waves rolled into shore. Pretty amazing!

Brrrr - It was cold!

2009-03-14T12:49:00.001-04:00

Lake Michigan

2009-03-14T12:45:00.002-04:00

Lake Michigan is about 40 miles from Bill's house. That is not the moon in this picture. It must be a spot on the lens, because it is on all the pictures. We were there in the mid to late morning.

Glenn's Market

2009-03-14T12:35:00.003-04:00

We stopped at Glenn's Market where this sign was hanging above an aisle near the front of the store. Glenn's Market is not a terribly big store, but it has everything - a sort of mini Wal-Mart. Bill bought some beef mesquite jerky. They had all kinds of exotic jerky including kangaroo, and alligator, as well as the more ordinary varieties. It was very good, not tough and impossible to chew. It would be good, I think, as a base for a stew as well as being a pretty good snack!

Carol

2009-03-14T12:32:00.001-04:00

We are just getting ready to go sight-seeing in the area. It was pretty cold and there was a lot of snow on the ground - about a foot! Bill said that a lot of it had melted off...

The Michigan Trip

2009-03-14T01:05:00.004-04:00

Charlie and I went up to Michigan the last week of February. It was a wonderful time! P2 loaned us his GPS which proved very helpful. The car battery seemed to die when we got stuck in a traffic tie-up in Ohio near the Michigan line. An Ohio State Police Officer came by and gave us a jump which enabled us to continue. We were afraid to plug in the GPS after that lest it drain the battery, so we just turned it on when we needed to know where to make the next turn. When we were nearly to our destination we were detoured to a country road. It was getting dark, but the GPS got us back on the right road without incident. Without it we would have been panicked.
It was so good to see Bill and Carol again! Good to see Paul, too, but we kept our distance from him as he was recovering from a nasty bug.
The next day we went to Glenn's Market and then on to Lake Michigan. We had a delicious lunch at a Chinese Buffet in a little town beside the lake.
The weather was not good for site seeing on Friday, so we stayed in and were treated to selections from Bill's vast collection of radio and old tv programs. We especially enjoyed watching Corner Gas. I miss being able to watch it on tv.
Our trip home was relatively uneventful. It was nice to see the snow disappearing as we neared home. Bill had about a foot on the ground, but at home it was all gone, except for where it had been piled up from cleaning the parking lot.
Going through my pictures, I realize that I never took pictures of Paul's apartment. He did a fantastic job of building his private retreat in the basement. It is just beautiful!

P3 turns 10

2009-03-14T01:01:00.001-04:00

We got together in the community room for P3's birthday. Valentines made it a very special day for all of us.

Keyboard lesson

2009-03-14T00:56:00.001-04:00

Wendy gave me a lesson on the keyboard when they were here in February. I am having so much fun using what she showed me - not that I am doing it very well yet.

Snowmen Wreath

2009-03-14T00:49:00.002-04:00

Each child contributed one snowman to the wreath. It amazes me that their individuality came through so clearly in this project. Can you guess who made which snowman?

BIG SNOW

2009-01-12T23:25:00.003-05:00

Beginning late Friday and all day Saturday, we had the biggest snow we have had in quite a while. I am not certain how much snow we got total, but Amy measured the snow on top of my car early Saturday afternoon at 8 inches. We got about 2 more inches and we also got a layer of ice [freezing rain]. Dino was kept busy all day trying to keep the sidewalks passable. The residents here phoned each other to check up and make sure everyone was ok. Bill got our mail for us. It was a dark dismal day as the sky remained gray, but still it was exciting to watch the snow pile up!

Cleaning up after the BIG SNOW

2009-01-12T23:19:00.004-05:00

A good neighbor

2009-01-12T23:14:00.001-05:00

Bill offered to get the mail for anyone who didn't want to risk the slippery sidewalks. In this picture he is bringing my mail to me.

David helps Annabelle

2009-01-12T23:08:00.002-05:00

This must be after church. How nice to have a big brother to help out. Is that shoe on the wrong foot? Hmmm...

A discovers the wheel!

2009-01-12T23:03:00.002-05:00

Annabelle entertains herself with a wheel from the tinker toys. She rolls it across the floor and chases it. She found that it works best on the tile floor in the kitchen.

Shmicksberg

2009-01-11T00:01:00.004-05:00

We made a trip to Shmicksberg one day. It is in Amish country and has lots of little stores and restaurants full of crafts and food. In one store that had a lot of pottery the kids spied a rabbit under the counter. It was love at first site for the kids. We also found a cheese place that sold delicious varieties of cheese.

The Rabbit under the counter

2009-01-10T23:40:00.011-05:00

Thanksgiving

2009-01-10T23:08:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving was at the Vulhops this year. She set a beautiful table! P2 and the boys made the favors on the left. Very clever! and tasty too!

P3 worked very hard on Thanksgiving cards for his uncles [Charlie, John and Keith]

Before and After

2009-01-10T22:52:00.002-05:00

Joyce stayed overnight with me and in the morning we set out for Sara Jane Frankland's wedding in November.
Joyce put her hair in 6 braids and I put rag curls in the ends to make her hair curly all the way. The result was stunning! She was pretty as a picture!

Bear Alert!

2008-11-13T20:10:00.002-05:00

Today we got a notice that several black bears have been spotted near the dumpster and in the wooded area behind my building. The game commission has taken one of them out of the area and they are monitoring the others. I have not seen any of them, but I will keep my eyes open!

Wedding mints and Smilies...

2008-11-08T15:47:00.001-05:00

Joyce came over yesterday to help me do some much needed clean up. We also worked on making mints and smilies for Sarah Frankland's wedding. What fun!

Fall wreath

2008-11-05T23:43:00.002-05:00

I found a bouquet of fall flowers and leaves at the Salvation Army thrift store last week and made them into this wreath.

Brownies

2008-11-05T23:41:00.000-05:00

Joyce and Paul made brownies and David and Annabelle decorated them.

Mac n Cheese

2008-11-05T23:33:00.003-05:00

Annabelle loves to feed herself, but she usually has difficulty keeping the macaroni on the spoon until she can get it into her mouth. Today she had it all figured out. She scrunched down and pulled the bowl right up against her chin. Then it was easy to use the spoon to push the mac right into her mouth. Pretty smart for 22 months!

Trick or Treat?

2008-10-31T23:07:00.009-04:00

Paul and Daniel are Jedi's, Joyce is an Indian maiden, David is a commando and Annabelle is the cute little bunny.

Headstand and Handstand

2008-10-31T23:02:00.002-04:00

That is Paul on top, still wearing his cap and Daniel standing on his hands.

All about Steve

2008-10-31T22:54:00.004-04:00

One day Steve walked into the lives of the Blair kids. They brought him over to meet me and showed him off to everyone. Mr. Bill said that Steve would not want to stay around. He could only be truly happy in the woods where he made his home.

Dancing with Frog

2008-10-31T22:51:00.001-04:00

Note the shoes. Annabelle put Joyce's shoes on Frog.

Princess Annabelle

2008-10-31T22:49:00.000-04:00

David the Muscle Man

2008-10-31T22:47:00.002-04:00

All the kids like to play with these tinker toys. I got them at a thrift store many years ago and gave them to my mother for her grandchildren. David's dad played with them when he was little.

Catching up...

2008-10-31T22:43:00.003-04:00

It is hard to believe that it is the end of October. The leaves have almost all fallen and we have had our first snowfall. I am way behind in posting...
Annabelle loves to share the fake baby bottle with her baby.

Country road...

2008-09-12T19:39:00.000-04:00

Sunflowers

2008-09-12T19:37:00.000-04:00

Zinnias and a butterfly

2008-09-12T19:35:00.000-04:00

Annabelle and David

2008-09-12T19:32:00.001-04:00

Annabelle is learning to do puzzles. David is helping her to do his favorite Madeline puzzle.

Cookies for Mr. Bill

2008-09-12T19:30:00.000-04:00

David with Spongebob

2008-09-12T19:29:00.000-04:00

Picnic poser

2008-09-12T19:27:00.001-04:00

Annabelle the Gymnast

2008-09-12T19:21:00.002-04:00

That is actually a treadmill, but she made it work as a trapeze.

Bobbing for apples

2008-09-12T19:18:00.002-04:00

Grandma Camp

2008-09-12T19:15:00.000-04:00

David and the giant grape

2008-08-16T13:52:00.001-04:00

Grapes were on sale for 99 cents this past week at Giant Eagle. I got red, green and black. They were all huge and delicious!

Annabelle shines

2008-08-16T13:50:00.001-04:00

Annabelle loves to play with the flashlight. She shines it and tries to catch the light in her hand.

Charlie's produce

2008-08-16T13:47:00.002-04:00

Charlie has been supplying me with yellow and green zucchini, green peppers and peaches from his garden as well as eggs from his chickens. It really helps my food budget and helps me to stay on my diet!

Bible Jingo

2008-08-16T13:41:00.002-04:00

I found this Bible Jingo game at the thrift store. It was missing markers, so the kids got the bright idea of using coins from the frog bank as markers. They shook a lot of coins out and Annabelle had a great time putting back all the extras.

Star lilies...

2008-08-08T16:19:00.001-04:00

I think they are called star lilies. They are gorgeous! The scent of them is wonderful..

Barred rock

2008-08-08T16:17:00.000-04:00

Charlie's garden...

2008-08-08T16:15:00.002-04:00

The sunflowers surrounding Charlie's garden are spectacular!
Can you see the butterfly on the zinnia?

Enjoying the fruit of his labor

2008-08-08T16:11:00.002-04:00

Daniel was very enthusiastic about turning the handle on the ice cream maker. They made two batches - vanilla and orange. Both were very yummy!

Slave labor...

2008-08-08T16:06:00.003-04:00

P2 showed how to turn the handle and the kids each took a turn. Daniel and Annabelle seemed to enjoy the process the most.

Packing the bucket...

2008-08-08T16:04:00.000-04:00

Can you guess what we had for dessert?

Redneck ice crushers

2008-08-08T16:03:00.000-04:00

While we waited...

2008-08-08T15:59:00.002-04:00

While we waited for the food to cook, we watched the fire. Fire never seems to lose its fascination. Annabelle enjoyed pushing her little cart around.

Look what I caught!

2008-08-08T15:57:00.001-04:00

No, it isn't a fish. It is the husk from a well done ear of roasted corn!

The chef

2008-08-08T15:54:00.001-04:00

P2 is preparing vegetable packets containing zucchini, carrots potatoes, and Mrs. Dash garlic seasoning.

Redneck buffet table

2008-08-08T15:52:00.000-04:00

Redneck cookout

2008-08-08T15:48:00.001-04:00

The Blairs invited me over for a cookout. P3 is banking the fire pit so that the fire will be just right for cooking.

Goodbye Annabelle

2008-08-01T23:28:00.000-04:00

See you next time....

The superhero

2008-08-01T23:26:00.001-04:00

When I was getting into my car I discovered a superhero in the passenger seat!

Red neck water sports

2008-08-01T23:24:00.001-04:00

Who needs a pool? You can get just as wet from a spray bottle.

Spiderman, aka David

2008-08-01T23:23:00.000-04:00

Annabelle

2008-08-01T23:21:00.000-04:00

Annabelle is posing so nicely! She loves to play in the dirt, but is not fond of getting it all washed off.

Barred Rock

2008-08-01T23:18:00.001-04:00

This is one of Charlie's newer chickens. It is at least half grown. It will be a few months until it begins to lay eggs. I think they are beautiful chickens!

The star lilies

2008-08-01T23:16:00.001-04:00

These were my mother's lilies. They are spectacular in appearance and the scent is wonderful!

Annabelle

2008-08-01T23:15:00.000-04:00

Annabelle is on the phone as we travel home from church.

David

2008-08-01T23:13:00.000-04:00

I guess church day wears him out!

The girls

2008-08-01T23:11:00.000-04:00

Julia

2008-08-01T23:10:00.000-04:00

This is Annabelle's little friend.

Joyce in her new hat

2008-08-01T23:07:00.001-04:00

Joyce designed the hat at her Grandma's house.