And now we are back in Kentucky and we have a few more days with Bonnie before she returns to Michigan.

Saturday, June 5th was Bonnie's 81st birthday. We decided to treat her to dinner at Fava's in Georgetown, KY. Fava's is a fun local restaurant in downtown Georgetown. Originally the building was a pharmacy. Bonnie chose a fried catfish sandwich for her birthday dinner. Papa says they make fried catfish just right at this restaurant. Now you have to know that Papa is from Louisiana and he and Mimi had a favorite fried catfish hangout they loved. For him to put a stamp of approval on this catfish is a good strong recommendation. Of course, the owner of Fava's is a Louisiana girl and this could be why she knows how to make catfish like a man from Louisiana would enjoy. Bonnie did enjoy her sandwich.

The other reason we went to Fava's was for the 'frickles'. This is batter fried dill pickle sliced served with homemade ranch dressing. So very good. A large order for the four of us to share was just right.

We strolled down the street after lunch to a home and garden show that was set up in the little parking lot by the court house. The Humane Society has some animals there. Katelyn's eye noticed a white lab looking dog and she really wanted to pet it. We asked the lady tending the table if Katelyn could pet the dog. She assured us that was fine and took the dog out of his cage. It turns out this dog only had 3 legs and was very happy to have someone love and pet him for a bit.

We also wandered around the Georgetown Mall (a.k.a. Walmart!!) looking for a DVD for Bonnie. Claude has a concert DVD of Neil Diamond we listened to the night before and Bonnie really wanted one. They didn't have one so we'll have to check other sources.

Sunday morning we all attended Church together. I took my car because I was going to stay and visit Mimi after Church. Then I headed to La Grange to help Andie with Hayden and Bailey.

The mini-Marx's were very happy to have Ma come for a visit. We played and after getting them down for the night Andie and Michael went out for ice cream. I curled up on the sofa to work on needlework and watch some TV.

Monday morning Andie and I took Hayden and Bailey to a little dinner theater. They were performing a play of Snow White. This was a special performance for the Mom's Clubs, YMCA groups and day care groups in the area. Hayden and Bailey loved the play. Hayden has been there for plays before but I usually watch Bailey while Andie takes Hayden. This time we decided to give Miss Bailey a try at sitting through a play. Andie had prepped the kids by letting them watch the Disney movie version the night before. All through the play Bailey kept look for Bambi. In the Disney movie version there is a little deer with spots that looks a lot like Bambi and Bailey was just sure he should appear in the play as well. They did have a man dressed in a costume with antlers that was to have represented the deer family but Bailey knew that was NOT Bambi.

The play also tries to be a little interactive in places. When the wicked stepmother who looks like a witch is trying to get Snow White to bite the apple, Hayden and Bailey were yelling at the top of their lungs to Snow White to not bite that apple.

It was a really fun experience and both kids were well behaved and had a good time at their little play.

Then Andie drove to Chick-fil-A and I got us all something for lunch. Andie drove to the Whole Foods Grocery parking lot and I stayed in the van and had lunch with the mini-Marx's while Andie did her shopping. Then we hurried home for quiet time for Bailey.

Bailey settled in for quiet time and I stayed with her while Andie took Hayden to the elementary school where he will attend kindergarten next year. He had a special appointment to visit the school and see where the classrooms and things are. He was very impressed with their library.

Then Hayden came home and had a bit of quiet time...just a bit.

Andie had a 5pm dentist visit so I was staying to watch the kids while she went to the dentist. We popped in Ice Age and had a movie while Andie headed off to the dentist. When the movie was over, Michael was home from work. We headed to the back yard with Hayden and Bailey and they made a beeline for the new swing set. They also took a round in the sand box. Michael added another bag of sand for this 2010 sandbox season. This made the sandbox an extra special play area that day.

Andie got home from the dentist and she and I dug up some of the decorative grasses she has in her front flower bed. These seem to be really hearty and spread really well. I've wanted some for the flower beds Claude made by the altar on the hill in our backyard. This time I took a bag of them home to plant. Then I headed back to Sadieville getting home about 8:30pm.

During the day on Monday Claude took Katelyn to the bank to set up a bank account for while she is in Kentucky.

Tuesday was the day for Bonnie to fly home to Utah. She had a full visit and was able to see all the grandkids and great grandkids in this part of the country.

Claude had a city commission meeting Tuesday morning and Katelyn went with him for this meeting. Katelyn's summer job is to assist Cindy, our City Clerk, this summer. This would be Katelyn's turn to meet the rest of the City Commission and get a little start to her work for the summer.

In the afternoon we headed to the airport with Bonnie. Claude took us to Smokey Bones for dinner on the way to the airport. They have TV monitors all over the walls there. One of the stations we showing silly video clips and then displaying quotes and 'Did You Know???' things. They showed one about Goldenrod being a really high allergy producing plant. I found this amusing since Goldenrod is the state flower of Kentucky and Kentucky is the worst state to live in if you have allergies.

Wednesday, June 9th was my mother's birthday. I went in to sing with my father but I stopped and got her a Twinkie for a birthday cake on the way to the nursing home. She has no teeth and that is a soft enough cake she can eat it. Papa and I had everyone join in singing Happy Birthday to her. Mimi also turned 81 years old. She has no clue it is her birthday or that we sang or that the Twinkie was a birthday cake. But it makes us feel better about providing for her. She enjoyed eating something different.

Thursday morning Katelyn went to City Hall with me at 10am. I had a Friends of Sadieville Rennaissance meeting about the Sadieville Music Fests to be held through the summer of 2010. It was a really productive meeting. Cindy and Claude had an Easement meeting in Georgetown. Cindy made it back at the end of our Music Fest meeting. Then Katelyn stayed to work for the day.

In the evening Thursday Claude took Katelyn and I with him to dinner at O'Charley's. Then we accompanied him to the Learning Center at Royal Springs Middle School for the graduation of the GED students. Claude was the keynote speaker. After he treated us to ice cream at Dairy Queen.

Friday was a busy day for all of us. Katelyn is off from her City Hall duties on Friday's. Claude wanted her to learn to use the tractor. He started cutting the grass in our front and back yards. Then he cut the edges of the top of Area 11 (the empty lot we own next to our home).

While he was doing this, I headed with Katelyn to the flower beds by the altar. They haven't been weeded all year. Last year I had major surgery and was out of commission for 2 months. Then I had to take it real easy for the rest of the year while my body healed really well. It felt very good to be able to work really hard clearing out one of these big flower beds. I cleared it out and managed to plant all the grass starts Andie gave me in that bed.

Katelyn helped for a bit and then I had her go check on Grampa to be sure he knew she was ready to work with him when he was ready to teach her about the tractor. He showed her how it worked and then set her free on the rest of Area 11. It is just a rounded hill and a good place to learn how to work the tractor.

After they finished Area 11, Claude got on the tractor and Katelyn walked down the hill to the flat area by the creek. Claude cut the grass around the outside edges. We really don't want Katelyn to drive into the creek. The ground gets soft there and Claude knows it better so it got the outside cut a couple of rounds deep. Then he turned his trusty John Deere over to Katelyn to finish up the flat. This first picture is of Katelyn with Claude watching. The second I just find priceless. It is Claude watching his oldest Grandmonster with his precious John Deere tractor. It just teems over with the emotions of a Grampa and things he loves.

Friday evening Papa brought the missionaries out to our home for dinner. Afterwards Claude stayed upstairs with the missionaries and they had a discussion with Katelyn. Papa and I headed to the basement. I have a cassette tape of his mother speaking to her sons about her personal history. I'm trying to get it typed up and this made a great opportunity for Papa to listen and tell me words I was not getting. However, Andie called and Hayden wanted to talk to me on Skype. So we shifted our plans and Papa and I talked to Hayden and Bailey on Skype. This was Papa's first experience with Skype. It was a treat for them to see Papa with me this time and have a good, albeit very animated, conversation. Then I showed Papa the slideshow I made of Katelyn's life and showed on her graduation day. Then we looked a a slideshow Katelyn's graduation pictures. We also managed to get a peek at Hailey's reciting of her ABC's and Avery singing. Then it was time for the missionaries to be taken back to Georgetown. Maybe next time we'll get to the cassette tape of Gramma Duck.

After the missionaries left Katelyn shared that she felt the Holy Ghost as they had their discussion and she really felt good about that experience. I was trying to update this blog that I had gotten so far behind. After a bit I got a phone call from Katelyn. She was down the hill on the bench overlooking the creek. She just wanted me to know she was outside and just needed a little time alone to think about things. I assured her I would come if she called, otherwise I would know where she was.

Later she came inside and we visited for a bit. Then she asked if Claude could give her a blessing. I assured her he could do that but she needed to ask him. She went to him and asked. He turned off the TV and came to my sewing room. He gave Katelyn a beautiful priesthood blessing. Then we visited about what she was feeling and answered any questions she had. It was a wonderful evening.

Katelyn wanted to sleep outside Friday night. She found a big sleeping bag and was going to set herself up on the patio. Then she told me she would like to sleep in the hammock. I suggested she ask Claude if he would help her set it up. He got the canvas sling out and put it on the frame on the patio. Katelyn situated her sleeping bag on the sling part and got another blanket to lay on top. She had her cell phone plugged in on the patio and was all ready to go to bed. When she sat on the sling part it split in the middle. Oops!! She came in and told me and was feeling very bad and very fat. I assured her she was not fat and it was just that the fabric was aging. Katelyn went out and set up her sleeping bag on the concrete of the patio. I headed upstairs to bed and shared with Claude what happened. He too felt like the fabric had dry rot. A tried to sleep but told Claude I thought Katelyn might sleep better on the upper deck on the wood instead of on the concrete. I headed back downstairs to share this thought with Katelyn. When I mentioned the possibility of little creatures crossing patio at night she quickly bundled up and we headed upstairs to the upper deck.

She spread out her sleeping bag, plugged in her cell phone, and was all comfortable. I headed in to bed again. I laid there a bit and the Claude reminded me that the pads Mimi had made for the glider and swing were in the basement. They might cushion Katelyn's sleeping bag a bit. I headed downstairs to storage, gathered the four pads, then headed back to the upper deck and disturbed Katelyn one more time. She was happy for the pads. We got them situated and her sleeping bag on top and I headed to bed for the final time. I was ready to sleep knowing she was out of any harms way...I thought...and as comfortable as one could be sleeping on a wooden deck.

Somewhere in the night Katelyn became aware of lightening in the distance. She watched it for a while and decided she should come in and not run the risk of being struck by lightening. This was good because we ended up have rain storms during the night.

Saturday we planned to go to the Lexington Legends baseball game in the evening. Katelyn and I spent some time reading in the Book of Mormon. I got some computer work done. All day we listened to thunder outside and watch clouds come and go. Later in the afternoon we determined we were not going to run the risk of a game being rained out. We moved easily to Plan B...Claude made his homemade buffalo wings and some hot dogs, we brought chips and brownies downstairs. We had a feast and watched the Eagles Concert on the big TV. Great evening. I finished a 2nd blog entry. Good times.

Today was church. I visited Mimi during the Sunday School class time. I take my Ensign or my scriptures when I visit on Sunday and read to her. This time I was reading an article by Elder David Bednar about the care we should take with our bodies. It was a great article and he had lots of good insights. As I neared the end there was something about reaching out and at that very moment my mom's hand came into my line of vision. It was a very moving moment. It was like a visual manifestation to me of what I was supposed to learn from my reading. I reached up and took my mom's hand and held it. I had her wheelchair facing the chair I was sitting in and my hand had been resting on her leg and I was reading. It was just tender to hold her hand, feel her calmness, and to finished reading the last paragraph of this article. Just a really tender moment.

Our Relief Society room is cold. I left Mimi and headed back for Relief Society. Before we left for Church this morning I pulled down a pashmina for Katelyn and one for me so we wouldn't freeze if the Relief Society room felt really cold. I got to the Relief Society room and Katelyn was there with my counselors who were visiting today. She was wrapped in her pashmina. As Cheri Risher, our Relief Society president, began conducting, she noted that Katelyn had only attended one week and she had already learned her lesson...bring a blanket to Relief Society. We all had a good chuckle.

There...I've caught up. I'm going to go do something with Katelyn now. She is looking for a puzzle we can work on together. Having a teenager can be a fun thing!!