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!