What's that noise???

This morning I awoke early to get a few things done before we head to Sadieville. Tomorrow is 'Comin' Home' the 130th birthday celebration for Sadieville. It will be a day long event and promises to wear us both out physically. This morning we are headed across the creek to help move the bleachers from the park at the other end of town to the Warring Pavilion and do the final spruce ups to be ready for tomorrow.

Back to my story...I got up and headed to the living room. I heard what sounded like running water. Now I knew Claude was still asleep and I was the only one moving around in the house so I began to process mentally what the noise could be and where it was coming from. There should be no water running in our home.

I was standing in the living room by the windows that look across the deck to the back yard. There is a vent for A/C there. We have the A/C turned off because it so cool right now. But it really sounded like the noise was coming from that vent. I leaned down while envisioning water all over my basement.

Then I realized the noise was coming through the windows Claude had cracked open yesterday. I looked out the window and over the deck to the back yard. There were lots of little black specks out there.

I headed back into the bedroom for my camera and then quietly went out the door of the living room onto the deck.

Our back yard was full of black birds. They were swarming from the neighbor's back yards. By swarming I mean one of them would decided to move to another piece of dirt, I'm assuming because the bugs might be better over there. When that one bird would move then 10's of others would follow suit and that would start a chain reaction something akin to doing the 'wave' at a ball game. Then slowly in this wave motion they would move a little move over toward our hill.

I watched until they all flew away on down the flat area by the creek. Just another unique moment in time. I was ever so grateful it was not water flowing in the basement!!!

There's An Old Man In Our Town...

When Claude and I were dating and penniless, he would bring his guitar over and play and sing for me. I loved to hear him sing. Some say he sounds a little like Burl Ives (even using that name dates me!!). But Claude does have a very mellow, beautiful voice.

He sang a lot of Glen Campbell songs. But he also sang some Kenny Rogers songs. There were a few just becoming really popular. I remember specifically buying Claude a 45rpm record for a present of Kenny Rogers singing 'Ruby'. I remember that being the first Christmas when we were dating.

I got a notice on my computer about shows coming to the Lexington Opera House. Kenny Rogers was coming to town. I told Claude this was one show I would really like to see, he agreed, so I purchased us tickets.

Last night was the concert. It was just a most wonderful evening. Kenny's pipes still ring true today. We got seats in the 2nd balcony up so we didn't have to see his face as clearly. He was a very handsome man and I've never figured out why the plastic surgery. But the surgery didn't mess up his voice.

I was amazed they never made an announcement about no pictures. There were cameras flashing all over the place. Cell phones recording stuff. I was very good until the very end and then I pulled out my cell phone and took 4 shots. This was the best I got. The lady next to me kept flailing her arms out as she clapped and would knock my arm each time I tried to take a picture with my cell phone. No complaints, we were all having such a good time.

My very favorite song was 'Lucille'. The entire audience sang along loudly. I always loved this song because the harmony is sooooooo good in it. So I sang my harmony right out with the best of them. Claude was singing along too.

Kenny was great with the audience. He had us all enjoying his witty comments and personal stories. One audience member even asked him to bring back 'Kenny's Roasters' (a restaurant that bore his name and sold chicken). Turned out John Young Brown, Jr. was in the box seats for the concert. Kenny Rogers pointed to him and told the audience if they wanted Kenny's Roasters' back to tell John Young Brown, Jr. about it because he was the one who got it started. John Young Brown, Jr, was a former governor of Kentucky. The audience began to chant 'Kenny's Roasters' over and over. Cute moment.

During one song the audience really participated on the chorus. I can't remember which song it was right now. But we all tried very hard to sing really loud on that chorus. When we finished the song, Kenny told us we had to all stop swaying. He said we all sat perfectly still on all the other songs but on that one we all started to sway back and forth in unison to the rhythm of the music. He said we looked like an audience of 'Ray Charles' and we needed to stop swaying.

It was a really, really, really good concert. If you have the chance and enjoy Kenny Rogers music, I can highly recommend this concert. Well worth the price of admission plus some.

Now, why did I title this 'There's An Old Man In Our Town". One of the Kenny Rogers albums we had many, many, many years ago and in one of the books of his music I still own, there was this song we never heard on the radio that I believe is probably one of the best he ever did. The title is 'There's An Old Man In Our Town". Here are the words from my memory.

There's an old man in our town

And I guess he's been around

For years and years

At least that what they way.

Wrinkled hand and rocking chair,

Growin' old, just sittin' there.

Every year he has the same old thing to say.

CHORUS:

He says, "Youth only happens to you one time,

Or so I've been told.

So if you miss it in your young time,

Have it when you're old.

Now there's no old man sittin' there,

Just an empty rockin' chair.

But the things he said will always be around.

Someday when I'm old and gray

Maybe youth will come my way,

I'll be proud to be the old man in our town."

CHORUS:

And I'll say, "Youth only happens to you one time,
Or so I've been told.

So if you miss it in your young time,

Have it when you're old."

Claude and I loved this song. We learned to sing it together with him playing the guitar and singing lead and me singing harmony on the chorus. When we lived in Denver the youth had a skit festival. The theme was something about journals or family history. We wrote an original play about the stages of life, Betty Chandler even wore my wedding dress for one scene, and Claude sat on the stage and sang bits of this song between the pieces of the skit. Good memories.

Now Claude and I are the 'old people' on our town. Funny how that happens.

God's Handiwork...

Saturday evening I was invited to attend a baby shower in Georgetown. I decided to be fashionably late. You know, at least 5 or 10 minutes so you are not the first one there. So as I left my home I was already needing to get on down the road.

I pulled out onto Highway 32 outside our housing development. I looked to my left to be sure no traffic was coming. There had been a litttle shower before I left home and the sky was still very gray in that direction. But there was a distinct rainbow out there. I was amazed to see how vivid the colors were. I also noted at the bottom of the end of the rainbow the faint outline of a second rainbow. It was just gorgeous.

I found my cell phone and called home as I drove down Highway 32 to tell Claude to go outside and look at this amazing display in our Sadieville sky. I headed down the highway.

Highway 25 joins Highway 32 less than a mile from our home. When I got to that intersection and looked up and down Highway 25 I realized we had a full-arch to our rainbow. The sun was shining a bit more and the view of this rainbow was outstanding.

I hurried on up Highway 25 and turned to where Highway 32 crosses I-75. I found a parking spot, pulled the hood of my jacket over my head, and grabbed my cell phone to take pictures. My camera was at home and I only had my cell phone to record this.

In my head I'm thinking of how late I'm going to be to this shower. Not fashionable any more but REALLY late. Suddenly I realized I really didn't care. This was a moment in time that I wanted to enjoy and I was going to pause in the rush that life is and enjoy this moment and this beautiful gift after a rain.

I must note that two of my neighbors stopped their cars to check on me as I was stopped. They were concerned I was having car trouble. How thoughtful to have neighbors that care. I assured them I was having no trouble but I was enjoying this magnificent view.

The rainbow was too big for me to get the entire arch in the picture. You'll just have to take my word for it. At the base of each end of the arch there was clearly (albeit faintly) a double arch in view.

Here are some of my cell phone pictures of this spectacle.

The first two pictures were taken on Highway 32. The last picture was taken from I-75.

I was happy I paused to enjoy this beauty. I'm grateful for these tender mercies. There is just so much that is beautiful and we really miss a lot of it trying to keep up that pace of life. I am grateful to be reminded again that it is okay and wise to stop...pause...and appreciate and enjoy these gifts from above.

Claude's Birthday Begins...

One of the joys of having grandmonsters close is the opportunity to celebrate birthdays. Little ones love a birthday party no matter how it looks.

This month Claude has his next birthday and turns 61 years old. Since Hayden and Bailey really like celebrating any of our family members birthdays, we plotted a trip to LaGrange. Andie needed a sitter for Bailey on Friday morning while she went to the elementary school to receive training to help the kids with reading and other things. Claude and I would go over on Thursday evening in time for a dinner to celebrate Claude's upcoming birthday. Then we would spend the night and watch Bailey the next morning. We would end this visit by surprising Hayden at lunchtime at his school.

Knowing this was going to happen, I spent hours finishing their Halloween costumes so they could be given to them on this trip.

Thursday morning we got up and got to work. We had friends moving to Tennessee that we were going to take dinner to on our way to LaGrange. I pulled that meal together, Claude took care of things at City Hall and we were ready to leave in the early afternoon.

Andie called in the morning and explained that Bailey had croup and was not going to pre-school that day. She felt we needed to be sure we wanted to come into a sick home. She also explained the teacher that was to have done her training that morning had also cancelled and she did not need a sitter for Bailey.

I hung up the phone and Claude and I discussed the situation. We determined that we really wanted to get the Halloween costumes delivered so we would go anyway. 

We took this trip in the Jeep. We visited the Brunty's and gave them dinner and said our good-byes. They had a wrought iron table and chairs for the patio they were not taking with them. One of the chairs needs a bit of mending. Claude and I were given these treasures and put them in the back of the Jeep. They will go on the hill on the tier of ground by the sandbox.

Then we headed to Frankfort. Claude had some paperwork to drop off for Sadieville there.

Then we were on our way to LaGrange. We made a pit-stop at the Dairy Queen in LaGrange for an ice cream cake for our celebration. Oreo Cookie was Claude's choice. I told him he could have whatever he wanted, he just had to pay for it...such is life as you age.

We got to the Marx home and the kids were at the end of quiet time. We visited with Andie a bit and then it was time for me to go up and check on Hayden. I knocked on his bedroom door and then entered. I found the young man standing looking through the blinds at Claude's Jeep. He knew we were there and had been a good young man and stayed in quiet time in his room until it was okay to come down. We read his new dinosaur book and talked to 'Rex' his new stuffed dinosaur. His Gramma Joyce sent him and Bailey gift cards to Barnes & Noble and these were the treasures he purchased with his gift card.

Then we headed downstairs to find Grampa and Mommie. Hayden is a delight after quiet time. He has had time for his little brain to process all kinds of thoughts and he comes with ideas and questions a plenty.

Eventually Bailey made noises on the monitor and I headed up to get our young lady. She spoke in whispers most of the time. Wah-Wah was close at hand a lot. You could tell she wasn't quite on her game but she was very happy to have visitors none-the-less.

We watched a movie named "The Princess Swan". Claude ordered pizza and went to pick it up for dinner. Then we headed to the dining room for our birthday celebration.

Bailey was happy to take a 'bunch' of pictures. This was one she took of Hayden Claude and me having dinner with 'Rex'.

Hayden wanted candles on top of the ice cream cake that said Grampa's age. Andie had a 6 and not a 1. So we improvised with the 6 and 1 candle for the one. This was fine for the kidlings. Bailey is only wearing my reader glasses. She does not wear glasses yet.

Andie brought out the special celebration plate. She made this in a pottery class and it is used by the person being celebrated. Hayden gave it to Claude with specific instructions about the importance of being the one who gets to use this 'special' plate.

Happy Birthday was sung (Hayden quickly volunteered to start us on this song) and candles were blown out. The cake was delicious. The sugar high put us in the right mood to open presents.

My present for Claude was on order and had not arrived. He would need to wait to get it until Monday. But the Mini-Marx's had made presents for me and for Claude. I was in St. Louis on my birthday so my present had waited until Claude's birthday.

Here is Sandi opening her present with help and direction for Hayden.

This beautiful plant is called a 'Turtlehead' plant. Andie found it at Lowe's and it was a must purchase for her turtle-lovin' mother. And the blossoms are purple in color. Could it get more perfect than that?  I never even knew there was a plant called a 'Turtlehead' plant.

Then Hayden brought me a bag with my present in it.

The kids had painted on pottery for me and for Claude. My piece was a beautiful flower pot with their handprints on it. Painted in purple of course!! Look at the grin on Hayden's face. I think the kid is about to pop with joy!!

Then Hayden brought out Claude's birthday pottery.

Claude's pottery is a bowl for popcorn. It even had a box of popcorn in it. It has planets and fun things all around the outside painted by the Mini-Marx's.

After everyone was full, it was time to pull out those Halloween costumes to give to Hayden and Bailey. Hayden asked to be Peter Pan this year. Bailey asked to be a dinosaur, specifically a T-Rex. Andie purchased patterns and fabric. Gramma did the sewing. The kids were beside themselves with joy at their costumes. They immediately set to work putting all their Halloween gear on. Here are the Dynamic Duo in their Halloween duds.

Hayden and Bailey got into character right away. Hayden was ready to fly and Bailey was growling and stomping like a real T-Rex.

Bailey's costume is like a zipper front footed sleeper. However, the bottoms of the feet have an elastic strap to go under the sole of the kids shoe to keep the foot in place. Bailey did not have on shoes. So the feet of her costume tended to go backwards on her leg. If you look at the picture closely you'll notice her tail and her feet. The feet are backwards in the picture.

Andie suggested the kids might want to head outside and run in their costumes to wear off some of that sugar high from the ice cream cake. So outside we went. The neighbors came out and checked out the costumes. Hayden's hat eventually turned sideways. Bailey learned that she could run faster if she reached around and grabbed that tail and carried it in her arms. The feet of her costume remained facing backwards.

For some reason the bush by the garage was great fun for these two. First Hayden suggested it would be a great place for Bailey's tail. Then Hayden tried peeking in it.

Whenever she needed a break, Bailey found safe refuge on the front steps with her Grampa.

The kids ended their evening with a big chase around the front yard.

Bailey would sleep with her costume. These costumes will get lots of use in October. Andie finds lots of festivals and things to take the kids to. What fun will be had!

Michael had been out refereeing soccer all evening. He was a happy camper to come home to good salad, pizza and ice cream cake.

Friday morning Hayden got up early and headed out to kindergarten. Bailey played happily around the house all morning. When it came time for lunch, Claude and I headed to Subway to pick up lunch for us and Hayden. Then we headed to the elementary school to surprise Hayden. He had no clue we were coming.

Hayden was ecstatic to see Claude and I. Claude sat by him for lunch and Hayden introduced him to his teacher and the cafeteria worker and his best little friend in his kindergarten class.

We are happy we braved the croup and other obstacles to enjoy this evening and morning with the Marx family. It was fun to celebrate a birthday or two. It was also great fun to see the kids enjoy all those hours of sewing costumes. And it was just a delight to watch Hayden and his Grampa enjoy a nice lunch together at Hayden's school.

Driving Hazards...

Yesterday morning I had a visit to make to a friend who lives further out in the country than we do. You must drive through Sadieville and head north on narrow, windy roads. I'm not sure what the deal was yesterday but I had more trouble dodging things in the road than ever before. I will tell you that I am so grateful that last year they added about a foot more asphalt to these back roads so that if you both slow way, way, way down you can pass another car on the road.

Anyway, I'm just outside of Sadieville with Eagle Creek on my right and a chipmunk carrying a huge nut of some kind decided to cross the highway. I figured it would see the car and run for one of the edges of the road. But I slowed down just in case. This little critter just sat in the road with a fist full of food for his winter storage and looked at me like I had no business on the road. I had to almost come to a complete stop before he actually headed on down toward the creek. I looked in my rearview mirror and a truck that had been way behind me was gathering it up and starting to pull into the oncoming lane to get around me.

Whew...

I headed on past where Davis Road turn to go to Cynthiana and headed out the country road toward my friends home. What should appear on this stretch of road but a squirrel who paused just like the chipmunk to check me out. I slowed down and it scurried away.

I got to Dryden where I make the turn onto another narrower country road. It is a sharp turn and up an incline. I got to that intersection and, lo and behold, there were two logging trucks whose trailers where piled high with logs. They even had little trailers behind each of the big trailers carrying additional logs. I rounded the corner hoping I could get around them. Turns out they were smack-dab in the middle of Dryden and I couldn't get past them. They saw me and quickly ran for their trucks. Hmmmm...what to do. They were way to huge for making any kind of a turn at this 3-way intersection without any other traffic. If I back down the incline they probably couldn't make a turn around me and I didn't know which way they even want to turn. I found a grassy spot and pulled up on it beside Dryden Road. They pulled out and worked at making their turns and I headed on down to my friends.

I was very amused that we live in the country to get away from that traffic rat-race we had in the DC area for 20 years. This was clearly the most obstacles I've encountered in some time on these back roads. It just gave me a chuckle that I wanted to remember.