Yesterday was Dave's birthday.  I didn't take any pictures, but Peter did.  I'm going to have to have him download those onto my computer!  We had a little party with Aunt Em and Ruth over.  I made BBQ chicken, homemade baked beans (what's the trick to getting the beans soft? I soaked them overnight, rinsed them, then simmered them for an hour, rinsed again, all before crock-potting them for another 6 hours and they were still not as soft as I like them), watermelon, mashed potatoes and gravy and tossed salad.  With a white layer cake with strawberries inbetween and on top.  Yum.

More pictures from the garden walk.

They planned this planter area when they designed the pool. 

There were so many pretty ponds.  I'm still too chicken to make my own.

I really liked this table umbrella!

The yellows didn't photograph well - this is a yellow and blue bed from Ruthmere's garden.  Created like it would have been 100 years ago.

 I have been doing lots of work in my own garden.  I bought two flats of impatiens and planted them underneath the big pine tree in the front.  And I planted 3 knock-out roses (2 pink, 1 red) in front of the sun room.  So I moved the camanula and one butterfly bush from there over to the circle bed.  I have more perennials to plant - Varners had them 10/$10.

Today I'm meeting my lunch bunch for Korean food.  One of them has to go back to Indonesia for a few years - her immigration papers weren't handled correctly so she has to leave her husband for a few years - I think that's just wrong!  They came legally and her husband is gainfully employed teaching physics.  So why does it make sense to anyone to make his wife leave?  It's frustrating.  The immigration lawyer that the college hired has been fired.  But my friend still has to leave.  For three years.

As promised, pictures of the Master Gardener annual walk.  All of these houses were located on or near the river.  Very pretty gardens.  Most impressive.

It was a picture-perfect day.  Got a little warm, but there was a nice breeze.  Most of the workers found shade to sit under, so I don't think anyone suffered.  We enjoyed ourselves immensely.  Many of the gardens were on a scale difficult to imagine - they had to have gardeners.  Many of them had the original garden plans on display - all done by professionals.  I really enjoy those, but I appreciate the ones done entirely by the homeowner.  That's my speed -  my garden is entirely done by me, with a little help from my kids. 

I started taking pictures at the first house on the tour, only to be told, in no uncertain terms, that this particular homeowner didn't want anyone taking pictures of her gardens.  Geesh.  So this one is contraband.  Erase it from your files after you view it!

All of the other homeowners were fine with all our cameras.

Isn't this cool - It's a vertical fountain of water behind the glass crane.  This was one incredible Japanese style garden.  WOW!

More from that garden.  Very peaceful.

I love frogs in the garden.

These lovely ladies were hosting a tea in the gardens at Ruthmere - an historic home in downtown Elkhart which is now a museum.  One of the founders of Bayer lived here.

Another fun frog overlooking a pool.  Right about then, jumping in seemed like a great idea!

I'll save more for tomorrow.  I'm going to take Dave out to a steak house after church to celebrate his birthday, just the two of us, a day early.  Then on Monday I've invited the relatives over and we'll have chicken from the grill.  That should be fun.

I need to take some pictures of my garden - the raspberries are ripe and I had some for breakfast!  Yummy. 

I'm off to Muskegon for the memorial service for Charles.  They live across the street from in in-laws and were probably their best friends.  To have both husbands die within 10 days of each other is rather a shock.  The women are holding each other up.  I'll blog more tomorrow.  After my annual fun day looking at gardens in Elkhart County!

A mixed entry.  First some shots of Kaden's first 4th.

We all walked the parade route - all 1 1/2 blocks.  It's really just the right size for kids to ride their bikes.  So much fun.  It was the best turn-out in years.   Lots of grown-up kids coming back, plus the new people buying into the neighborhood seem to have young families.

We ate lunch in the park, then hung around and talked to lots of people.  Then Michelle and Sam took off for a water park and Ken, Kaden and I strolled over to another neighbor, who didn't make it to the festivities.  Chatted there for quite a while, then strolled over to yet another house where one of my best friends always hosts a huge cook-out. 

Uncle Buck put the can there.  You all know I don't drink.  So I whispered anti-drinking messages into Kaden's ear.  Ask me in 18 years if it helped!

Point and click - we are too funny.

The party was at Deb's house.  I should have been holding my head up - too many chins showing in this shot!

So we stayed there at chatted with yet more people, ate one more time, showed off the baby, then, when it was time to head out, headed over to see the daughter of one of my first book-club buddies, her husband and son.  They are a family similar in age to Michelle, Sam and Kaden. 

Aiden is six months older than Kaden, but big for his age.  His mom is half-way through her second pregnancy, so she'll have babies one year apart.  Michelle looked a little pale when she found that out!  Yikes!

None of us slept well last night - got in really late.  So we were all exhausted in the morning.  One of my garden club friends does wedding flowers so she came over at 10 and talked flowers with Michelle and me.  Michelle wants a tropical look - Kathy is going to price out the flowers to see if we can afford that!

The invitations are being printed - I ordered them online, so I'll let you know.  The price was good and the samples were very nice.  They were also very helpful with wording, etc.  Tomorrow we have an appointment with a bakery to taste-test cakes.  Another appointment next week with a different bakery, then we'll decide.  This is fun!  Hectic, but fun!

 I really hope you all can read this now.  I had scanned all these photos from my photo album and apparently corel photo house makes them really really big.  So I had to optimize each and every one and replace them into this.  Live and learn.  Xanga thumbnail doesn't make them small enough for you to download.  Sorry sorry sorry.

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I've been reading some of your posts about how you spend each independence day so I thought I'd share how we've spent the day for the past 20 years.

Every year, probably for the past 50 years, our old neighborhood puts on it's own neighborhood celebration.  It begins with a parade, led by the local fire trucks.

All the kids in the neighborhood march or ride their bikes.  We're planning on Kaden doing that this year in his stroller.

This first picture is from 1986, our second in the neighborhood.  Ken was almost 2.  I was much younger and thinner as well.

By 1989 Ken was riding his own bike, which we all decorated that morning.  I remember running to the store for streamers more than one July 4th morning.

Each year the parade has a theme.   In 1992 the community dredged the lake, so clean lakes was the theme of the parade.  Ken was in green in honor of the frogs.

In 94 we had a Tom Sawyer theme.  Ken won a prize as Tom.

This same year was Michelle's first and she took first prize as Aunt Polly.  No one else thought of that character.  Pat myself on the back!

As the kids got older they'd play in the grade school band.  Michelle is playing her flute here.

She also liked to invite friends to share the festivities.  Michelle and Laura painted their faces while the Filipino twins, who were Michelle's best friends at school until they moved away, shared in the fun.

I was always one of the planners, so my kids also had to help.  Ken oversees the fishing pond circa 1999.

But we always made sure to participate in all the fun games, like the egg toss.

And in 2000 Michelle led off the band as the color guard.

Even Dave joined in the fun and walked with Michelle and her friends.  I was riding the park district float since I was secretary and recreation coordinator of the park district for many years.

In 2002 Ken won the watermelon eating contest.

And the last summer that we lived there, I played the bells with the band.  But during rehearsal I quickly discovered that I could not carry them, so I rode our radio flyer wagon while Ken pulled me!

Michelle was not there to experience that humiliation.  LOL.

We've gone back every year and plan to go again this year.  With Kaden and Sam.  Although Sam came last year.  Dave won't be with us.  Can you believe it but there is a chemistry convention this week in Maine!  How unAmerican can you get!

I hope all of you enjoy your 4th and take time to think of our soldiers who are still protecting our freedoms.  Thanks to all of them, wherever they are stationed.

I feel ever so much better today than yesterday.  Michelle is finally on board with the reception plans - we are going to have a garden brunch!  Mark your calendars for August 26, 11 a.m.  Quiches and muffins, fresh fruit and wedding cake.  Yum!  Seriously, if any of you want an invite, just e-mail me.  You have seen me through this whole past year - I'm indebted to each and every one of you!

I went to the Niles flower show today.  Before that my garden club went out to lunch at Steak and Ale.  They were the ones who gave me the great idea of doing a brunch.  Now this thing is moving.

I'm heading back to Muskegon tomorrow, just for an overnighter and to help Linda with cleaning and what not.  So I'll be offline for the next day or so.

Michelle and Sam helped out his parents when they hosted Amish church last Sunday.  They left grandmas on Saturday afternoon so they could help with last minute details and cleaning.  So when they came home on Sunday they were all dressed Amish.  Here is Michelle holding Kaden, both in costume.

Then some various arrangements from the show.

I liked this one - red hat theme!

Different use of color here.

This was a garden center display - very pretty.

Just unique!

This charming chunk now weighs in at 10 pounds, 12 ounces!  That's 4 pounds more than at birth, which was just 6 weeks ago!!!!  His mama must be nursing heavy cream!

I got my hair done today, then took Wilma to the vet.  She lost a pound in the past year, so now she's just 1 1/2 pounds bigger than Kaden.  He'll overtake her really soon.

I think this must be the only picture that shows part of his little outfit.    I can't believe that.  Oh well.  Guess I had other things on my mind.

Me and my big baby.  I know.  He is definately my son!

I'm baaack!

Important things first:  a picture of Kaden (there will be lots on this entry, leave now if you don't care to see!)

He's locking those legs without any help from grandma!

I'm really tired.  It's been too long since I've spent any time at all at home.  Lots to do, but fortunately, not a lot on the calendar for this week so I should be able to play catch-up.  I had to cancel my hair appointment, so this grey-haired granny (that's what I'd be without professional help) has to get over to the salon on Tuesday and take care of that right away!

At the funeral - my family.  Kaden was in the nursery.

It was enjoyable to see Dave's sister Linda, her husband Chuck, their daughter Kayla and her youngest son Justin the last few days.  Linda and Chuck live in Texas and Kayla and her family live in California, so we don't always see Kayla every year.  Funerals do bring people together.

Linda, Justin and Kayla.

Chuck, Kaden and Justin (Justin, who will be 2 on July 5, thought the baby was wonderful.  Kaden didn't care one way or the other about Justin.  Go figure.)

Mom, Justin, Kayla and Kaden.

I think I mentioned what a release it was for Al to go to heaven.  He's been sick for so long and it's been a lot for mom to take care of him.  Although she hasn't regretted a moment.  The rest of us were really concerned about the toll it was taking on her health.  But now she can drive down to see us and stay for awhile.  She can go out to coffee with friends and not have to find someone to watch Al while she's away.  She can minister to people in need.  She can have a life away from her house. 

She'll be lonely.  I'll probably be driving the 2 1/2 hour trip at least once a week for the summer.  Just to help her sort through things and play catch up and to make sure she's doing OK too.

Sam wasn't able to get off work to attend the funeral (it wasn't his grandpa - stupid rules) so he drove up after work on Friday and was able to meet the relatives and spend the night with his little family.

Ken came up right after day camp on Thursday so he modeled the pirate attire that he got to wear while he walked the plank.

Notice he shaved off his beard in honor of his granpa's funeral mom?  Didn't cut his hair though.

I've probably bored you all to tears.  Now I can go visiting and catch up on all of your lives, or at least the last few days!

My father-in-law passed away on Tuesday, just one day before his 83rd birthday.  We are rejoicing that he is now free from pain.  It's nice to picture him dancing before Jesus!  The funeral is Friday morning.  I'm on a library computer so I won't be reading your sites anytime soon.  I miss you all!!!!!!

Michelle came up this morning with Dave so I got to see my grandson again, first time in a week!  He's almost 10 pounds now and changed from the last time I saw him.  He still remembered his favorite grandma and I'm still the one who can confort him when no one else can settle him down!  I'm not proud or anything!

Hugs to all of you.

Just another quickie.  I'm home overnight, then I'm heading back up to Muskegon.  Al continues to slip slowly.  We'd all appreciate it if he passed away in his sleep.  Then mom wouldn't be burdened with decisions like telling him that she's opted not to have them insert a feeding tube.  He isn't going to ever be well again, so slipping away in his sleep would be a really nice way to go.  I will stay with her until they put him in a hospice home, a nursing home or until after the funeral.  At this point, I really am hoping for the third option, but it's a wait and see.

He isn't eating, other than the baby food that they mix with his meds.  Because he chokes on everything else.  He's tried to tell mom things the last two days and she has no idea what he's trying to say.  Frustrating for both of them.  He still has double pnemonia, along with the Parkensons, kidney failure, congestive heart failure and diabetes.  I think there are a few more, but you get the idea.  Because of the problems with swallowing the doctor mentioned a feeding tube and mom said "no".  I have to say I was happy to hear that.  She's about ready to keel over.  She's not eating right either and she's been sleeping at the hospital, next to him in a cot. 

I'm happy to be home overnight.  I already paid my bills online that are due between now and the end of the month.  There are a few other things I'd like to accomplish while I'm home but I'm especcially looking forward to a peaceful slumber in my own bed.  Although that ain't gonna happen because Wilma has missed me the last 4 nights so she will purr and love and lick all night long.  The down side of having a familiar instead of a cat.

I hope to visit - don't know that I'll leave long comments, but know that I still care!

Thanks for all your support and prayers. 

And I haven't even seen my grandson because they hightailed it to Napannee rather than staying here and doing work by themselves!