Christmas 2024 - December 27 Owls, Irish, & Gathering

Friday was the last day we would all be together and we decided to make the most of it. But I did not think that that would include heading out into the woods (walker in hand) with Sarah.

"Mom, I found Ruby!" Sarah, crowed in an early morning text. "Wanna go see her?"

Racking my brains and coming up empty, I responded, "Ruby?"

"Mom, RUBY. You know her - she's famous around here. The red morph eastern screech owl out by the Celery Bog."

Ah, I did remember Ruby, and Sarah having looked for her for hours at crazy-early times in the morning the last couple of times she'd visited. But she'd never found the owl on previous trips. No wonder she was so excited.

"C'mon, Mom. She is just off a paved trail. You can get there. I'll take you."

And she did.

She had indeed found Ruby!

What a treat to see Ruby asleep in her home. And now that I know where she is (just fifty feet off the parking lot on a paved walk) I can go see her again! Thanks, Sarah!

We got home in time to change shoes and head out again, this time to Nine Irish Brothers, a popular local pub and family restaurant just off Purdue's campus. 

Time for lunch at one of our family's favorite places to go.

It's a very loud and noisy restaurant and our family fits right into that environment. A large table in the family dining room had room for us all. (Bonus for many in our family - soccer playing on the screens placed around the room!)

We were home for the rest of the day, and again we had three tables in use for games.

Me playing Cover Your Assets with Kate, Whitney, Lukas & Susan (who'd decided to play as a team), and Mila.

Curt and Vanessa playing Sounds Fishy (a really fun game for all ages) with Susan, Ian, Titan, Lukas, Melissa (behind Julie), Julie, and Cambria.

And Craig did a few rounds of Rudolph Bingo with Susan and Lukas and a few others who'd gone to get cups of pebbled ice to nibble on. I think our portable ice machine eclipsed our antique player piano as the most popular thing "to do" at Grammy and Boompa's house. The grands kept it running and making ice the entire week! 

It was Cole and Emily's turn to fix dinner and they made the BEST fettuccini ever.

I was hoping there would be some left over for the next day after everyone had left, but nope! Aside from about a half cup of sauce, it was all gone. Not a surprise; it was that good.

It was a great day, but also a bittersweet one, too. We love being together, but everyone needed to go back to homes, school, and jobs.

Saying good-bye that evening meant extra long hugs to those who would be leaving in the morning.