Weekend happenings

Our children and their families put on a fantastic anniversary party for Tony and me yesterday. The location was ideal...plenty of activities for all ages The youngsters had a swimming pool, badminton, volleyball, horseshoes, shuffleboard, a moonwalk, a campfire and a haywagon ride to keep them amused. The weather cooperated and the food was great...enough for still another party. Thank-you, all! We LOVED it! ! ! ! !

This was a wonderful opportunity to see friends, neighbors and family all at once. We are honored that folks came from far and wide...but still missed a few very important family members who are just too far away (sister in CA and grandson in Iraq...love you both).

Our 8 yr-old granddaughter made our anniversary cake by herself...I'm sooooo impressed. She's been cooking alongside her mom and me since she first could push a chair up to the counter. She's learned to read recipes, measure accurately and use the mixers. Now I see that she handles the icing bags and tips adeptly, too. She's also the one who makes gourmet doggie biscuits that she sells at the cafe...a budding entrepreneur who takes after her mom.

On Thursday, youngest son, Tony, arrived from California...and will stay for 2 weeks. Although we talk with him weekly on Skype, it's wonderful to feel those hugs. Technology hasn't yet fine-tuned in on that last aspect.

North Carolina family left at 4 am this morning after a week visit. Beth and the girls spent quite a lot of time in Putnam cooking and preparing for yesterday's feast. Having those facilities sure made their job easier. They also managed to squeeze in a Freedom Trail excursion, dinners and swims with Mark's family in Upton, and for Mark and Jason, a visit to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.

Sarah brought with her 20 T-shirts from her camp days as a camper, CIT and counselor. During the week, I showed her how to turn them into a quilt. She finished it on Saturday afternoon and has a wonderful memory to take back to college with her. It came out spendidly! ! !

Now the house is toooo quiet, but I'm catching up on laundry (towels and bedding) and finding the last few left-behind things. There is always a box to send on after a couple of weeks of discovery. So far, I've found 2 items to pack into that box. There is sure to be more in the next couple of days, although, for a family of 7 descending upon this house, they do a remarkable job of packing up all their stuff in just a couple of hours. There are years of routines and training in that task.

Wishing them all well on their journey south.