Bridging Three Centuries

Second Post of the Day

Yesterday I posted this question that had come across my social media feed:

My Grandma Honeywell came to mind immediately.

My Honeywell grandparents lived in West Lafayette, having come here from Kansas so that my grandfather could take a position at Purdue as a professor in the Horticulture Department. 

I saw a lot of them throughout my childhood and was very close to them.

She never wore anything but dresses - we never saw her in pants. Not once. Why? No idea.

                  

Thanksgiving 1971, me on Amy, our dog Chuck, and Grandma and Grandpa Honeywell.

Our daughter Sarah was just a toddler when Grandma Honeywell died, but she, too, knew her Great Grandma who was born in the 19th century.

My Grandpa Martin was born in 1892.

Last year I gave a huge tub of family photos to Sarah who is digitalizing them all for us, so I only have one or two of him to share at the moment. He passed away when I was 7, but he lived in Indiana and so I was able to make memories with him, too. 

A railroad conductor, I have two of his lanterns on display in my dining room. He is the reason that I love trains so much!

He is also responsible for my love of circus ponies and horses. He surprised my dad by buying him a circus pony straight from the circus! When my father saw his new pony, he cried, "Oh, boy!" hence the name.

The third person from the 1800s that I have spoken with was Craig's grandfather, Cormilles.

Cormilles in 1920. 

He lived in West Lafayette almost all of his life and I first met him when Craig and I began dating. Craig was living in an apartment over his grandfather's garage.

Craig with his grandparents in 1960.

He passed away doing an act of service for a mother and her baby who were walking in downtown Lafayette. The baby carriage had broken down, and he stopped his car to help them by fixing it. (He was very handy with tools.) As he was working, he had a heart attack and passed.

There is one more person born in the 1800s that I have met and spoken to, but the memory is very dim.

My great grandmother, Josephine Schenk, the mother of my Grandma Martin. I was three when she died, and I had met her and visited her in her home prior to her passing. 

Her home in St. Louis was hit by a tornado when my father was a child. He was upstairs in one of those bedrooms trying to shut the windows when they blew in on him. Luckily, he was okay.

So, four people from the 19th century whom I have talked with. Bridging three centuries! More than I had realized and in my opinion, pretty neat especially when you consider my own love of history. (Even though my focus is the century prior to their birth century.)

           

Have you had a similar opportunity? I know reader timaru star ii has from her comment on the previous post. I would love to hear if you have and any quick memories you might have.

Stay 'tooned!

Dogs of Our Lives: Pepper & Her Frisbee

First Post of the Day

Taken from another blog of mine that consists of letters from Pepper to Sarah, the woman she guided. Knowing how hard it was for Sarah to part with Pepper, I began writing these letters shortly after Pepper retired and came to live with us. Nacho is Tate's predecessor and guided Kathy.

---

Dear Mom,

Oh, boy, just wait until you hear about this! I have a new toy and I am so excited because I absolutely love it. Can you guess what it is? Here are some hints for you.

First hint: It's round. 

I'll bet you guessed a tennis ball. Nope! It's not a tennis ball. They're fun, but this is funner. (Lynn says that "funner" isn't a word, but I had her look it up and she discovered that by normal rules of adjective formation, it is a word. She says she still won't use it herself but agreed to type it in for me.)

Okay, here is another hint. My new toy is round and flat.

I can hear you now - you think I got donut #5368, right? It isn't a donut! (Although I love, love, love all my donut toys. Lynn says the food donuts are even better, but she won't share with me when she eats one. She said that if I want to stay svelte for my sweet Nacho, then edible donuts aren't for me. Hmmmm...)

One last hint. My new toy can fly! Well, it can fly IF the person playing with me has a good arm. ::cough cough:: (Lynn needs practice; a lot of it. Just sayin'!)

It's a frisbee! Did you guess? (Photo of Pepper lying in the grass, green frisbee beside her.)

Lynn and I have been going down to the park every day to play with it. (Picture of me loping after a green frisbee. Lynn would like to point out that it IS FLYING despite what I said about her ability to throw. I say that she got lucky.) 

When Lynn pulls my frisbee out of the cabinet by the front door, I grab it in my mouth and carry it all the way to the park. (Photo of me carrying the frisbee in my mouth.)

I don't mind that I can't sniff at all the trees and things to see who has visited the park before me. It's more fun to carry my frisbee. (Another photo of me carrying my treasure.)

Lynn has promised to practice throwing it, and she said that, in the meantime, I should be glad that she hasn't (yet) thrown it into the lake or someone's back yard by mistake. (Picture of me lying in the shady grass with my frisbee between my front paws.)

Call me one happy dog!

Flying high into the sky I remain,

Your Pepper

Family News & Updates

Happy June and happy first day of Summer to all who celebrate the seasons meteorologically like me! 

There is a lot happening in our family. Here's just a bit of it.

Lisa "Retires" (or so her students call it)

After 13 years in the classroom, Lisa is moving on to other opportunities. She will be missed. 

A class photo on the last day of school for the kids and for Lisa.

Such a sweet group of kids - they actually wrote a short play with vignettes from one of her (and their) favorite books, The One Hundred and One Dalmatians.

They named their play 25 Dalmatians, although there were 24 kids in the class.

Just as the book reveals the 101st Dalmatian at the very end, the students revealed the 25th Dalmatian at the play's end - Lisa! (Pass the tissues!!)

Two of her besties as well as her colleagues, Vinnie and Brooke. Lisa and I have agreed to continue visiting the 4th grade classrooms every Fall and presenting about The Feast of the Hunters' Moon as we have done for years. 

Sadly, though, Pepper will no longer be coming every quarter to read with kids. That makes me feel sad, but I was also becoming concerned about Pepper's health. Going to school is a very big day for her, and we both come home quite tired. So, this is a natural ending for the program.

Cambria & Titan Perform at Disneyland

Mountain Mama Jessica and her family are heading to California this week. Cambria and Titan do a lot of performing with Stand Out Studios, and they have been invited to perform at Disneyland!

These are some screenshots from one of the dress rehearsals.

There are many costume changes as well as choreography that the kids had to learn. 

And, of course, all the songs they had to memorize.

Titan is wearing a mic as he is a strong singer and they wanted his voice to be heard during the boys' chorus.

When he sang a solo, though, he used the other mic.

I have no clue what Disney movie this is from! Rams' horns??

What an opportunity for all of these kids to get to go to Disneyland and perform!

Jessica sent me the video she put together from the dress rehearsal clips. The song played throughout is "Stand Out" by Trevin Campbell from A Goofy Movie and is their opening number. But, the music did not upload with the video when she sent it to me.

So, I suggest playing the song while you watch the clip. LOL

Wait a few beats after it begins playing and then start the kids' movie. Worked for me!

Curt & Vanessa - Spreading Out

Curt and Vanessa are building some extra room for their home - but it's detached!

HOA rules say no mother-in-law suites or detached rental units can be built in the neighborhood so there's no chance of Craig and me moving in when the time comes. Drat! 

It's easily accessible from their back door - out the sliding door, hop across the patio, and there you are!

There is a bedroom and a full bathroom inside, and the plan is to use it for our big family when we all gather together.

At the moment, we hope to gather there on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. There is plenty of space for people and dogs and we will all fit easily.

The addition won't be completed in time for our 4th of July gathering and family bocce tournament, but that's okay. 

Super excited to see it when it is finished!

Horses Over the Interstate

Okay, I rode my horses just like this, right over interstate 65. I'd never do that again!

Kyle sent me this video yesterday. This is out in Utah. 

Haying Season!

Speaking of horses...

It's haying time!

There is nothing like pulling into (or out of) your neighborhood and seeing those big round bales, including one right at the entrance!

There's a ten acre field adjacent to us and it is used solely as a hay field for a farmer who lives elsewhere.

I hope it stays that way forever.

Pepper's Book Delayed

(Yes, Pepper's doings count as family news!)

I had shared a week or so ago that the woman Pepper had guided was writing another book. This time, it's about the guide dogs she has partnered with, so of course, Pepper is in it.

And One Last Thing

And yes, it is family related.

I came across this on social media last week.

I have! Can you guess who it is?

Stay 'tooned!

Weighing My Options

Yesterday's talk went well and is in the books. Belle was in attendance and afterward we got some lunch and had some horsey chat.  I have another speaking engagement in June and then in July (BreyerFest Sunday) and that's it until October.

One of the most fun things about collecting is the surprises. Walking around a corner at an antique mall and spying something really good 

like my Breyer Boxer clock.

A neighbor showing you a piece that they have had for years 

and it turns out to be something pretty special and valuable (Kat and her Wedgwood Fighting Stallion),  

or an auction lot that turns out to be far better that you first realized 

because one of the pieces is so lovely that not only does it becomes a personal favorite, it does very well at shows. (Windsong Sherif.)

Yesterday afternoon, I had an unexpected surprise while perusing eBay. (A great way to relax after a speaking engagement, right??)  I came across an auction that had two Freeman Leidy circus horses and their wagon.

I always stop and look at auctions for these pieces. Even though I already have nine horses and three wagons in my collection, I'm looking for a green and purple head down pony and both head up and head down ponies in blue and yellow.

The set on eBay is the the pink and blue horses. That color order is important - it indicates that the manes and tails are pink and the ribbon accents are blue. 

Then there is the reverse or flipped color pair. (My terms for them.)

 An example of the blue and pink pair - blue mane and tail with pink ribbon accents. This is the flip of the pair in the auction.

This is the purple and green pair,

and the green and purple flip version. 

As you might imagine, these color pairs (head up/head down in one coloration) and their flip pairing (head up/head down in reverse coloration) can get really, really, REALLY confusing. Especially when you are looking to purchase them second hand.

I got out my two head down ponies in the pink/blue and blue/pink colors to compare them to the auction pieces. 

Definitely the pink/blue version and paired correctly - neither was the flip of the other, so they are a correctly matched pair.

Another look back at my collection and I already had three of the pink/blue head up ponies and one of the head down pony. (The pink/blue head up is the most commonly found Freeman Leidy circus pony of all.)

So I already have both and I have no need for the wagon. Both pieces show some damage to their ribbons. (Very common for Freeman Leidys - they are fragile.)

I am considering getting this trio. There is some damage but for the price, that's reasonable. 

Questions I am asking myself now:

Does the seller know how fragile these pieces and how to pack them with lots of protection?

If I buy them, where will I put them? The wagons take up a lot of space and I already have three of them. 

The horses take up an entire shelf in the sewing room cabinet.

There is no more space in that cabinet, so buying the eBay set would mean a complete overhaul of shelves. 

As most collectors know, that can be a major project and I am in the middle of the JCs^2's quiet book, plus (and I haven't written yet about this) we are doing a major overhaul of our home. Blinds, painting, flooring, counter tops, and some new furniture. 

Just getting my flowers planted took a lot out of me (I didn't write about it, but I was exhausted and ill for a day afterward - my body cried "Uncle" big time.) I have been learning that I need to parse my time out better and chop things into little bits. 

So, with that all said and those projects either in progress or coming up soon, do I really want to do a rearrangement of my shelves to accommodate three pieces that I already have?

And that actually is the bottom line, the nitty gritty. I'm going to think about all that, weigh those activities and my options, and then make my decision.

Stay 'tooned.

Ready to Go

I am speaking at a conference this morning and while speaking engagements don't make me nervous, I do get to the point where I am ready to go and feel restless as I wait.

I'm at that point right now. 

Mostly. 

My talk is three sentences.

Now, to be clear, I never write out my talks and presentations. I outline them first and then add a few notes of things I might want to mention. That allows me to personalize my remarks off the cuff and make eye contact with those to whom I am speaking. I also have some ideas in my mind for tangents I might want to speak about, depending on the time I have been given to speak.

So, yeah, I am ready.

I wish the clock really was going as fast as this.

Stay 'tooned!

Starting the Summer with Mustangs & More

Now that they live in Montana, Sarah and Todd are spending a lot of time traveling and visiting the parks and scenic areas of the West. The Memorial Day holiday was no exception.

They drove to the Bighorns and looked for mustangs and moose.

Two mares with foals and a third pregnant mare. (I love how Sarah talks to me as she films.) I don't have any more pictures from the herd yet, but I will post them when I do.

Here in Indiana, Curt and Vanessa invited us to join them for a BBQ. Knowing my family members well, I made potato salad to share.

A BIG bowl. While Curt loves potato salad, Mila takes it to the next level. She will tell you that it is her favorite food of all. No birthday cake for her; make her a potato salad on her big day!

Sure enough, she filled (FILLED!) a dinner plate with the potato salad, grabbed a book, and snuggled into some blankets. No hot dogs or chicken, no pasta salad or fruit, just potato salad.

Now that school is out for the summer, we can play games later into the evenings. Curt had joined Jessica and Andrew earlier this spring in Las Vegas for a board game convention and he'd come back with some new ones to teach us.

Tumblin' Dice was one of those games. Easy to learn and play, it's a lot of fun. Lukie beat me again - I don't know how he does it, but almost every game I play with him, he wins!

Down at our park, I got to check on the mallard family I have been watching. It is an unusual group of two males and one female that I first noticed in March. It is not uncommon when females are in short supply that two males will share a female mate but I had never seen it before.

They have five ducklings that they are raising together.

Pepper and I walked the lake's perimeter a bit and discovered some mulberry bushes that have taken root along the banks and are currently fruiting. The birds will love those! (So will the turtles, and the raccoons, and the muskrats, and the deer...)

I also came across a patch of purple crownvetch. 

I always plant my flowers around Memorial Day and this year was no exception.

Because they are pretty, easy to care for, and will grow quickly and fill out a planter, I always plant begonias. White, pink, or red, I love them all.

I wish I could figure out how to repair this fountain's pump so I could use it as a fountain again, but it does look nice as a planter.

My patio is bookended with two large planters, both with horsey garden stakes in the middle. The one closer to Nan's house has my dragonfly solar light next to it. When her husband died last year, I bought two - one for her and one for me in his memory. I always make sure she can see mine from her windows.

It's been years since I planted a large tomato garden and canned all the produce. My canning days may be behind me, but I still like fresh tomatoes straight off the vine. So, yesterday I planted two tomato plants and one bell pepper. I still need to put in some support stakes as they will grow and branch quite a bit.

I hope to finally get to the front porch flowers today. And the stepping stone garden needs some weeding and new mulch. Ian, Mila, and Lukie are going to help me with that.

It's not quite summer yet, but it's feeling like it!