Checking Out The New Toy Bin

Grandma has been putting in some serious preparation time for "The Coming." The living room cupboard got a redue complete with boxes, baskets and bins of toys...including some from her and Meg's childhood....for the grandchildren.

.....dogs and santa dolls....

......and airplanes to put smiles on faces!

A Warm Homecoming

A Visit To See Big Ben

Ian and I paid a visit to the Lakewood gym to see a developing athlete and friend. Ben, an 8th grader with size 13 shoes got some serious playing time......

...but not before getting the last word from the coach.....

......and scoring a hoop.

...That's pure concentration!

Your Room Awaits!

.......to those of you arriving from the East......Your room awaits you. Meg and the girls arrive this Thursday and occupy the Master Suite until the arrival of Sam, Mel and Eloise who will occupy it until Dec. 1. Out your window is the pleasantness of Pleasant Chapel and the remnants of fall. We just can't wait!!!!

The Gathering!

While out and about the other day I came across the annual fall round up of these starlings. "Birds of a feather flock together" was my grandma's way of advising me to watch the crowd I hung out with. Here they "flock".....and I do mean FLOCK!

........SWOOP.......GATHER.....FLY....to the great warm Caribbean.

............when I got to the corner of #668 and #16 the contrast of light fall colors and the dark sky backgraound caught my eye. The red light allowed me to aim and shoot!

THE PIE.....

Tonight Zoe and Addy (with parents help) delivered a cranberry/apple pie to Grandma and Grandpa's house. For more detail see "People in Your Life" posting below.

........with great anticipation I looked forward to that first delicious bite.....

ahh...nothing like the anticipation of that first yummy nibble.....drizzeled with icing.....(close your eyes, Heather!)

......and then the second .....

Sometimes There Are People In Your Life......

.....that every minute with them is special and has extraordinary significance. Such is how it is with Grandchildren. The other day Zoe called me out of the blue (we love to get "out of the blue" phone calls from kids and grandkids!) to ask if I would meet her after school with my camera so I could take pictures of her and Addy for her to post on her blog. So I reported for duty and caught the shots previously posted and these of the girls at their lockers....yes...lockers in elementary school.....VERY SPECIAL!

I followed them around as they directed me to shots they wanted me to take....I am Blogger Bill you know!

....even the aquarium brought from the the old school seemed to take on a new life and interest in this new setting.
Tonight we got a call from Zoe informing us that the pies we ordered had come in and asking if it would be alright if they brought them over. Wes, Cheryl, Zoe and Addy pulled up in the van to deliver the pies.....but so much more significant than that was the half hour visit we had. Adelle sat on my lap while Pat and Cheryl talked about recent bargains they had "bagged" at CJ Banks. Wes and I talked a little Valley football (when we could slide words in edgewise!).....but he is suffering from the latter stages of a flu like malady. I watched as several times Zoe would go over to the chair he was sitting in and put her hand on his forehead or cheek or stroke his hair. Cheryl shared that Zoe has been worried about her Dad being sick. There is a special significance to every moment we get to spend with family members, especially children and grandchildren. It is one of God's richest blessings to us at this stage of our life adventure.

Preparing For Company.....

First, my apology for the long time since last blog entry......but there has been good reason! Besides a lot of counseling and "work" related activity (I know you with regular 8 to 5 jobs out there can relate!), we've been preparing for THE COMING....
The coming to Ohio by Meg, Hailey and Alyssa and THE COMING TO AMERICA BY ELOISE, SAM AND MEL. Here I am planting a start of Black Bamboo at the entrance of Pat's Secret Garden and Bill's Botanical Gardens. You have to do a WHOLE LOT MORE than dig a hole and plant the plant. With bamboo you have to contain it. If not it will invade all of the world! ....so....I had to dig a 2 foot deep trench to bury a thick black plastic barrier to keep it contained. It and the completion of the stone wall will complete this phase of preparation for our guests to come.

Pat has been applying her decorating touch to the entire interior of the house. She does not want me post pictures of the finished work since she wants it to be a welcoming surprise to those visiting. Wes and Cheryl and the girls stopped by tonight to deliver Market Day pies we had purchased and they enjoyed the new look. For those coming in from other parts of the country and world........

.....these are the tools being used to PREPARE FOR YOUR COMING!!!

Pat Putting Her Decorative Touch on Every Room...

....stones and shells........

.....pumpkins, squash, corn and candles bring natural beauty to....

......the hurricane lamps and....

.....glass containers in the kitchen/dining room.....

Hints Of The Welcome Home...

....a nice warm fireplace to gather around with cups of warm cider and conversation.....

.....the feel of fall harvest.......

....and a new scene to greet you around every corner..... WE CAN'T WAIT!