An Early Easter...

Friday night, after the Chamber of Commerce Banquet, Claude and I drove on to LaGrange. The Marx family was already in bed, so we quietly entered their home and tiptoed up the stairs to the guest room and curled up for some rest. There was lots of thunder and lightening all night long.

Hayden and Bailey knew we were coming on Saturday to play but they did not know we spent the night. In the morning I awoke to Hayden coughing. He had been home from school the previous two days. A little later I could hear Andie talking with Hayden in his room. I knew then Hayden was really awake.

I climbed out of bed and went to his bedroom door and tapped on it. Hayden thought it was Bailey wanting to come in. He gave the okay to enter his room. I quietly opened the door and entered. He looked up and saw me and was shocked. Then he fell face forward onto his bed. Then I got all those lovely hugs that only a six year old grandson can give. Good stuff.

It wasn't long before Bailey made her presence known. That meant it was time to go in and wake up Pa (Claude).

I assured Andie she needed to go back to bed and I would watch the Mini's while she got a bit more sleep. What a treat for me to be able to spend time with these two little characters that morning. We left Claude to sleep in and we headed downstairs to have some breakfast and play for a bit. Cushions came off the sofa and love seat and great places to play were made. Trampolines were played with. Cereal was eaten. I brought plastic Easter eggs that I put the sticky foam letters in that would spell 3-letter words. The kids stayed in the family room and I hid the eggs in the play room. Then we opened those eggs and made words. It was great fun.

Andie came downstairs first. We had to check out her 'worm farm'. Andie is trying out a tier container set-up that creates mulch out of your food scraps. The contraption is full of red worms. They process the food into mulch. Quite a set-up.

Michael joined us next and then, eventually, Claude came downstairs. We had a very nice morning.

Look carefully in the giraffe tent on Claude...you'll find Hayden curled up in a little ball.

Bailey is peeking out of the giraffe tent in this picture.

Both Hayden and Bailey are curled up in the giraffe tent this time. What a Mighty Pa!!!

Michael went out in the storms to get groceries. He was kind enough to stop at Big R's BBQ and get us dinner. Claude and I purchased two Groupon's for there and we used one of them.

Andie got egg decorating stuff together. After quiet time we colored Easter eggs. She had white crayons for the kids to write on them and the dye won't stick on them in those spots. She also had rubber bands to wrap around the eggs. The dye doesn't adhere to the spots that are rubber bands. Then you can leave the eggs that way or drop them in another color.  That changes the color of the stripes as well as the original color you dipped the eggs in. The kids had a fun time.

We were watching the weather to see when the best time to leave might be. They actually showed Sadieville on a weather map. LaGrange is in the Louisville news area and Sadieville is totally out of their region. Their weatherman was telling the viewers he knew this was not in their area but he also knew there were family members and friends of people in his viewing area that should tell them to seek shelter. We found a break in the weather and headed to Sadieville. The creeks were flooded between LaGrange and Shelbyville. The water was pouring out of the rocks along I-64 near Frankfort. We have definitely had more than our share of water this spring.

When we got to Sadieville and pulled into Eagle Bend, the Eagle Creek was way over its banks. Ususally the dam keeps it to a meandering stream by the water station tower. You can see in this picture it was all the way over the banks and up the land. The other picture is where the dam is. You can see that the water was high enough you can't even tell there is a dam under the water. By the time it was just about dark, Claude went back to check on the bridge. Last year it flooded over the bridge. Saturday night it was right under the bottom of the bridge.

We were happy to make it home between storms and be on our side of the bridge. It is the only bridge in and out of our subdivision. If it goes, we have to wait for the creek to go way down and then the Jeep could get us across.

We have been greatly blessed. We have only had two times that the warning siren for a tornado has sent us to our basement. We are grateful we have a basement to hide out in during these storms as needed.

Let's See How Much We Can Put In A Week...

Do you ever just feel like the days are so very full and you might like to say, as the old farmer did to his mule when the reached the end of a row of plowing, "Halt Rebecca, pivot, proceed!"

The week would be one of those. We realized we had somewhere to be every evening of the week. We had lots of places to be and things that needed to be done during the week. Fortunately, not all weeks are like that and you really appreciate the slower weeks after having full, busy ones.

Tuesday, Apr. 19th, Claude had himself double-booked. He needed to help with the Scott County Planning Commission's presentation as they try to prepare the next master plan. This is the same time he and Papa usually cover a shift at the Family History Center. I covered the Family History Center shift with Papa. Claude covered his Planning Commission presentation. We were fortunate to be able to connect for a quick dinner together in Georgetown. I was supposed to go to a Relief Society function in the evening. I just couldn't. I really needed and wanted to be in my home. So home I went.

Wednesday was one of those weirdly scheduled days. With gas prices at $3.89 per gallon we try very hard to combine our trips. The 20th that was not to be. Claude had a meeting in the morning. I sing at the nursing home with Papa on Wednesday afternoons. Then we had a special choir practice later in the evening at church in Georgetown. No way to do this day but three trips to Georgetown in one day.

Claude had meetings all day on Thursday (22nd). I worked on my Sunday School lesson and things in my home. In the evening we attended the wedding reception of James and Megan Jenkins. They held it in Lexington at one of the huge old homes there.

Friday (22nd) I finished my Sunday School lesson preparation and prepared to make a trip to LaGrange on Saturday. In the evening Claude and I headed to Lexington to attend the Chamber of Commerce Banquet.

We were happy to learn that one of our neighbors was Valedictorian for the Scott County High School class. They honor all of these seniors at the Chamber Banquet. This happened last year as well.  I told our table mates that there was something special in the water in Sadieville that produces great minds.

We have had sooooo much rain this Spring. This Friday was no different. As we headed into the Embassy Suites in Georgetown for this dinner, the rain was pouring. Claude pulled to the front door and let me out under the cover of the building. Claude went to park the car and as he parked the rain stopped long enough for him to get inside.

The emcee for this event is always Sam Dick, the news anchor for our local CBS channel. He assured us there were tornado watches out. He also assured us that the news station knew where he was and we would have first word if anything developed that we needed to know about. Applause went up through the audience.

We made it through the weekdays of this busy week and earned the prize of a play date with our two youngest grandmonsters. Yippee!!

So Sadieville...

I'm behind...again!!!  Let me being with Monday, April 18th.

Claude determined some time back that he wanted our elected officials to come to Sadieville for lunch and a tour. Monday, April 18th was the date everyone agreed on. 

Claude had his dental appointment in the morning for his cleaning. When he returned home he was carrying a picture in his hand of his mouth. I did not take that as a good sign at all. We had no time to discuss it because our guests would arrive soon.

Kentucky State Senator Damon Thayer, Kentucky State Representative Ryan Quarles and Scott County Magistrate Stewart Hughes arrived.

The lunch I prepared was chicken salad on croissant, fruit salad, veggies and dip and chocolate cake for dessert. We served it buffet style off the island in the kitchen.

Everyone  was so relaxed. We had a lovely visit while we ate. The guys were very comfortable going back to the island for seconds. I found it very nice to have these good men in our home for a bite to eat and a bit of conversation.

When we finished lunch, Claude and the boys headed over to Sadieville. They all got in my car and he drove them around Sadieville to see the buildings we have refurbished, the historic buildings we are working on restoring, the streets that need repair, etc. Then Claude came back to the house and picked me up.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at City Hall in Sadieville. The city commission was having their monthly meeting. Since our city clerk was on vacation, I agreed to go and take the minutes for her. I typed lots of minute information on my laptop.

In the evening we caught up on poor Claude's dental cleaning visit. He had to make an appointment with an oral surgeon. That was done this week. He now is assured he has an absess and must have a root canal. Yuck!!

In the evening we left a vocal rendition of "Happy Birthday" on Jake's cell phone. This time we did a lot better than when trying to sing to other family members this year. There may be hope for us yet!!

Good, full start to the week.

Clean up, Clean up, Everybody Does His Share...

Last Saturday morning, April 16th, was Sadieville Clean Up Day. We have done this in April the last 3 years.

This year we combined the forces of the Friends of Sadieville Renaissance and the Sadieville City Commission to do the clean up, while also inviting the citizens the join us.

We were very blessed that the county sent the inmates on Friday to pick up Pike Street (Hwy 32) through Sadieville. Thank you Scott County!!

We were to begin at 9am. When Claude and I got to Main Street at 8:30am to prepare for the clean up, Detta was already there. This lady is amazing. She walked from her home on the hill cleaning up the streets of her neighborhood as she came down. That meant we only had Vine Street and the other streets on the Main Street side of Pike Street to pick up. We could do this!!

With rain clouds moving in quickly, we disperse garbage bags and reflective vests to the participants, took our assignments and the lovely sticks Claude made to pick up paper without bending over and headed out to our assigned streets. My was Vine Street.

I walked Vine Street last time we cleaned and felt it would be easy to do that one again. As I started up the hill on Vine Street it started to sprinkle. I just kept on moving up the street. The biggest item I found was a deflated basket ball. As I got over the top of the hill and started down the hill it really started to rain. I just pressed on. Rain or no, I was cleaning my assigned street.

We had two trees that fell across Hwy 32 at either end of Sadieville the day before and Claude was in the Jeep making sure all the debris was off Hwy 32. As he came back into town he saw me come down the last leg of Vine Street. He pulled up to pick me and my bag-O' Garbage up. As I climbed into his Jeep, soaked through, I just looked at my dear hubby and said, "I'm a 'y'ittle wet, Pa."  He just chuckled at me.

We had some of the members of Eagle Creek Baptist Church participate this year. One of them was a little girl maybe 6 or 7 years old. I spoke to her after we were finished and told her what a great job she did and what a good thing she did by helping to clean up her town. She said, "Well...part of this belongs to my church so it is our 'responsibility'."  What valuable lessons this young lady learned Saturday morning.

Sadieville's streets are picked up for this spring. Thank you to everyone who willingly participated. It was a good sense of community, even if it did rain on us!!

Toyota Stakes...

Every year Toyota, a major employer in our area, hosts the Toyota Stake during the two weeks of races at Keeneland in the spring. Claude, as Mayor of Sadieville, receives an invitation for us to attend. We enjoy this opportunity to watch the horses run those races.

This year it was a rainy day. We were very grateful to be in the Lexington Room above Keeneland's race track. It was also a bit colder than usual for this time of the year. I looked out the window at the open seating below us and marveled at those wrapped in blankets to watch the horses run. That is really no different that football fans sitting out in the snow to watch the sport they love.

We had wonderful tablemates this year. Vice Mayor of Lexington, Linda Gorton and her hubby Charlie were our tablemates. This was my first time to meet her. Claude has attended meetings and met her briefly before. She is a lovely, outgoing lady, warm and friendly. Charlie was delightful also and was more reserved and quiet. They actually reminded me a bit of Claude and I. Claude is by nature shy (some might not know that is his real personality). He, quite often, has an 'economy' with his use of words. So we fit quite nicely with these two good people.

We each get a program book with the horses, their stats and information, and instructions on how to bet. I read the information and pick my choices but never place a bet. That, it turns out, is a good thing. I clearly would NEVER win.

But I do enjoy studying that information and watching the horses run. My favorite view is of the track while watching the huge monitors out there of the horses running. You can actually look up and see the horses or you can watch the monitor to see them as well. One of the monitors has a cartoon like image that shows colored squares of where the horses are in the race. It is actually easier for me to tell where my horse is on that diagram as those squares move forward and back on the monitor.

Claude and I learned that we could pick a horse that starts well but didn't finish well at all, usually in the final couple of places. We seemed to do that consistently, even when there were only 5 horses in one race. Good thing we aren't the betting types.

It was a fun afternoon and we thank Toyota for providing us the very nice opportunity to meet new people and get to know them better and to enjoy the beauty of those well-bred horses running their races