Monday, December 30, 2013

Sac City Christmas Eve, 2013

 Christmas Eve in Lake View (Iowa) at Aunt Mary's this year was fun!  Here's Mary digging treats out of her Christmas sock 'annex' bag.  (From left:  Ann, Mary, Rachel, Grandma Jean, Claire)
 All the hand-made knitted socks are hanging over the fireplace with care!
From left:  Samantha, Mick, Will, John, Marty, Kathy
All watching Marty read off Crayola colors from his 96-crayon box!  (Recently Marty told us he'd never had the big box of crayons as a kid... so he got one in his Christmas sock!)

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Walker Christmas, Stanhope, Iowa

 The really cute Christmas tree Allison and Samantha got us, and then decorated.
 Alex and Allison opening gifts.
 John opening presents.
Did Santa arrive early??  (With Marty on the couch and Samantha as the Christmas elf handing out presents.)
The tree is really pretty after dark, but hard to get a good picture of it then.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

The two orphans, Ron and Patrick, the early years. December 14, 2013

 This one is dated January 25, 2009.  From the beginning, they were inseparable.
 This one has a date of February 9, 2009.  Our veterinarian said they were born around the 10th of May, 2008.
 I think this is one of the earliest pictures of Ron and Patrick, dated June 28, 2008.  (This is before they were IN our house--before they were orphans.)
 Patrick and Ron in the bay window on May 12, 2009.
This is the most recent picture here.  John took it with his phone as the boys were cuddling with him on his bed a couple weeks ago!

Friday, November 29, 2013

Thanksgiving at mema's November 29, 2013

 Reed is enjoying turkey delivered by Aunt Amanda and Grandma Shirley. 
 Izaac sat between Asher and Ava at the 'kid table'.  (Asher and Ava are siblings and friends of Joe's, not actually cousins of Izaac's).
 I was attempting to get a picture of the table with all the delicious food on it my mom made! (John made the dinner rolls but had to get on a train and didn't get to spend the day with us.)
 Another attempt at the table/food before the hungry crowd makes it disappear! (mom is at the far end with mashed potatoes in her hand... not her favorite food, either.)
Great-great Uncle Charlie holding Miss Harper, now 4 weeks old!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

A little progress with 'furry children' interactions... November 26, 2013

 Queen tried to sleep away the day in hopes of waking up and finding out that two more cats arriving at her house was just a nightmare (it wasn't)....
 Patrick LOVED playing with all the toys laying around.
 Ron tried some leaping when the feathers were flying by his head...
 This is Patrick trying his hand catching feathers.  (Grace is hiding between the tv stand and the hearth, watching closely.)
Here's how the feathers game started.  (Ron is on the left, Patrick on the right and Gracie in the middle by the tv.)

Sunday, November 24, 2013

The newest 'old' additions.... November 24, 2013

 These are two of the 'orphans' that started their life in our back yard in 2008, Ron (Santo) and Pat (Hughes). Ron is looking at Pat's bowl longingly (they had the same flavor of food in them).  They switched bowls anyway.
Patrick (the black tuxie) is relaxed and playing with all the toys he can find.  Ron is a little more pensive, but still very loving.  They've been at our daughter/son-in-law's house for more than 3 years, but now they're BACK!!!  gheez.....  oh well.
                                         
This is Pat and Ron's actual sibling, Grace, who has always lived here and loves to help with my emailing.  This is her 'perturbed' look, which is what she thinks about her brothers coming back to live here.  (Bogie and Noel are NOT happy campers, either, but Queen doesn't seem to mind them too much.)

Friday, November 15, 2013

Our first great grand-niece! 11/15/2013

 That's John holding Harper Lynn Marie W. last Sunday at my mom's house in Des Moines.  Izaac (her cousin) is making sure (great) Uncle John is doing it right.
 That's my Uncle Charlie holding Harper, making him the great-great Uncle (for the 5th time...and two more babies on the way)!  
My son-in-law decided it was safe to hold Harper as long as she was sleeping!  She was born 10/29/2013.  (She was awake but not crying here, so he was okay with that, too.)
Our nephew, Ben, also has a birthday on 10/29, so he and Harper are 'birthday twins'.... (although Ben is now 21 years old!!)

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

After the harvest 11 05 2013

The corn stalks are chopped, gathered and baled, and then stacked. 
 One of these days a big trailer will come and load them all and take them somewhere else.
This is the baler.  It moves pretty slowly.
Here's a 34 second video of the tractor and the baler in action.  It's a smidge wiggly since I was in the house and the they were in the field across the road.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Another lazy day on the cat 'train'. October 31, 2013

I got a picture of 3 cats enjoying the train-shaped cat toy my son-in-law (Marty) built for us.  Grace had been IN the tunnel before I went to retrieve the camera... oh well.

Marty said he didn't intend for it to be shaped like a train, but it worked out that way, and the cats LOVE it.  (Queen is on top and Bogie is on the engine and Grace is underneath.)

Monday, October 28, 2013

A lazy, windy day in Iowa! October 28, 2013

Queen and Gracie decided how they would spend the afternoon, since they don't like the wind, and there wasn't much exciting to do in the house!
The north deck needs to be replaced (so maybe Marty will take some vacation time next spring to build a new one?????).... but it's still getting some use.
The sunset was unusually beautiful the other night with the sprinkles showing in the sky.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

A snowy day... October 22, 2013, Fall or Winter??

It had been snowing more heavily than this just a few minutes before I took this picture (and for more than half an hour!).
 I could barely see across the road so I went to get my camera out, and of course, it almost quit when I tried to take the picture!
The grass has recovered (mostly) from this summer's dry spell and the corn has been harvested across the road, too.  

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Marshall visits for the weekend October 12, 2013

 Marshall is visiting at Camp Stanhope for the weekend while his mom is busy.
 The yard looks green and the leaves are falling and Marshall likes to chase them as they're blowing in the wind.
The sunny side of the yard was definitely warmer this morning (it's a fall morning, so it's not unusually cool, but low 50's is brisk when it's breezy!). 

Thursday, October 10, 2013

A different kind of visitor... October 10, 2013

After mowing for more than two hours (and only getting half the yard mowed) I was inside having lunch when this guy came waddling through the front yard and started heading around to the back.
I stuck my head (and camera) out the door and he froze in place.  I then asked where he was headed and it immediately took off back around to the front.  By the time I got back inside to a front window it had disappeared.  I hope it's not digging under our back porch!  

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