Saturday, February 28, 2009

Building Projects







Last Saturday we had a "special day". That's become the name of days we spend with our grandchildren. Sometimes we have one or two or three or four or five kids. Last Saturday we had all five. Part of the day was spent using the living room as a tool shop. Bing's brother, Paul , works part time at Lowes in his winter home of Fort Myers, Fla. Lowes has workshops for kids sometimes and Paul nicely collected a lot of the extra kits and sent them up to us for the kids. We brought the big box out last week and let the kids pick whatever they wanted to make. Eli, 3 picked a sailboat and Uncle Bernie helped him make it. Jamie, 10, and Alexa, 6, picked race cars, Michaela, 13, picked a squirrel feeder and Courtney chose a bird house. It was fun to see them work hard to put them together and hammer the nails. etc. Bing and I helped a little and Jamie helped Alexa a lot. They were pleased with their results and the three girls painted theirs. It is so neat to see these five cousins growing and learning and establishing family memories.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Two Deaths This Week


Two friends died this week and death always sets me to pondering. I wonder when it is that you know more dead people than you do living. I wonder if the dead can read your mind after death and see what you thought of them. I wonder if they have some sort of soul device that lets them tune back into the earthly world and see how things are going. I really believe that our souls live on after death. But the greatest of all mystery writers, God, keeps the suspense of what comes next, pretty close to the vest...........One of the recently departed was our dentist and a neighbor on our lake. He was 67 and still in practice, eagerly awaiting the graduation of his daughter from Marquette Dental School. She was going to join his practice and now will take it over - a sad surprise indeed. He died at his home after cross country skiing. He was always kind to us and did great dental work - may he rest in peace. ...........The other friend was a widower and 72. He worked at Bing's office for over 25 years. I remember clearly, not too long ago, thinking, wow, 72, that's a good long life and he got to be an old man. But now, 67 myself, that seems so young,

that there is so much more to learn and so much more to do, why so young? Death is definitely a memo to the living: Take each day as the gift it is and seize it!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Our January Grandchild




I'm a little late with this because it isn't January anymore, but I'd like to introduce our January grandchild. The pictures are of Alexa. She turned six on January 7th. You've probably heard people sometimes try to identify what kind of an animal they would be if they were an animal. Well, I think Alexa would be a soft cuddly little lamb. She is sweet and kind and giggly. But just as little lambs kick up their heels and sprong from place to place, Alexa loves to run and jump and swing and play. Her imagination and creativity easily fill her hours and she has taken to kindergarten just like Mary's Little Lamb of old. Six years ago there was a brilliant sunset on the day of her birth and it heralded the illumination that she has brought into this world of ours.


Thank you God, for Alexa!