Observations of autumn...

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN...

 Today was the first day of setup for the annual Boy Scout Christmas Tree lot. As most of you know, this is our troop's big fundraiser each year and I am the "go-to guy" for the mechanical part of the project.

  We have stands, designed by me and built by the scouts, to display the trees for our customers. There is also the power pole and shelter to be set up.

 We like to have the scouts do as much of the work as possible. They learn by doing, and they really have an "investment" in the project. The sales from this project provide our annual budget, and gives each scout 50% of his summer camp costs. Today's weather was excellent and we got a good start on this season's efforts.

A WALK WITH EVE...

                        

  After my morning with the scouts, I took care of a few things around the house. A bit of yard work was needed after our recent floods here. Eve is a very outdoorsey type of girl who loves to be a helper. After we got the yard looking acceptable, we decided that our work was worth a reward.

  One of my greatest joys in life is time spent with the grandkids. Eve and I set off to enjoy the beautiful fall weather. The sun was high and the air was comfortable and dry. We followed our usual route to discover what was new.

 Our neighbors on the next block have a new mailbox. Eve says it looks like one of her favorite PBS shows, "Between the Lions". It is a show about reading, which she is getting better at all the time.

                            

 We also discovered that our community has a new "eco-freindly" storm drain system. The medallion on the drain shows that this drain flows into a waterway. Eve liked the fish logo.

                                  

 We also took time to stop and smell the whatever-they-ares and to taste some delicious honeysuckle.

                                

 When Eve spotted this woodland candy she asked me how to open it to get to the honey inside. I showed her and we had a nice treat, then she took a picture. We had a wonderful time and a nice talk (she talked and I listened) on the way home. It was a glorious and precious day and time.

 TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON...

                            

 With the autumn season here we are all looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday. On our return to the house, Eve wanted to swap our halloween flag for a Thanksgiving one. Ever the helper, she chose the flag and helped me hang it.

  So much for another day in paradise. Here's hoping all of you are enjoying the beautiful fall season. Until next time, I'll be seein' ya'...

and as an added thought;

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL...

MY TURN TO CATCH UP...

MOM'S BIRTHDAY...

...was GREAT! Thanks to everyone who helped and showed up. I believe she was really surprised.

A lot of people were there...

...from the youngest...

to the next generation,

of cousins, spouses...

siblings and grandkids...

and many,

many,

more.

THERE WAS "PAPPERAZZI"...

all over the place,

...WHO WANTS CAKE?

"oooh, I do!"...

Who could resist a custom cake...

made to look like the Tybee Island Lighthouse?

Thanks for the great job, Victoria and Michael.

THE BIG GIFT OF THE PARTY WAS COOL...

All of the kids and their spouses. What a handsome group! Thanks to Kelley for the photo, and Mike for the enlargement and framing.

AND A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL...

 To quote my sister.

...and all the guests

...who were nice enough to attend.

THERE IS SO MUCH MORE...

 but for now, I think we are all tired and could use a break.

Until next time, I'll be seein' ya'...

TIME TO CATCH UP...

MOST RECENTLY...

We all turned out to offer our small bit of support to the Basile family and their fundraiser with "Team Kathleen". The friday night event was well attended and produced a generous donation to the scleraderma foundation. It was a privilege to attend.

I was able to attend with my daughter, Victoria. We all enjoyed the wonderful food, as the photo shows.

There was great entertainment, in the Holy Cross tradition, which included lots of music...A few golden oldies...

...and even some celebrities. Two "thumbs up" and a job well done to Team Kathleen.

SINCE THE LAST POSTING...

We have been enjoying summer fun. Mostly our world revolves around the grandkids and Denny.

Eve has continued her budding builders ways and has completed another kids workshop project.

Noah is still planning to build a robot that will help him conquer the world, and continues to experiment constantly toward that end.

Rachel continues to write wonderful stories and create characters that remind us a lot of her actual family. She has completed another summer "college for kids" course. She also enjoyed drama camp! Here she shares her feelings on the last day.

Aaron and I are staying very busy with scouting. Most recently we had a work day at the scout hut to prepare for the upcoming 60th anniversary of the troop.

Aaron was tasked with helping clean the pavillion out back. Others got to help clean, paint and organize the inside of the main building. A few weeks back Michael and I helped paint the buildings exterior.

Here is Michael mixing paint in preparation. We got a lot done that day, and since.

AND THEN WE HAVE...... Uncle Denny. Who continues to glide along in his own way and his own world. Our rain man is healthy and happy despite his refusal to smile for the camera.

AND NOW THE REFRIGERATOR STORY...

A week or so ago we had a small meltdown in our spare refrigerator. It sparked, popped and died. We made the decision to move the kitchen fridge into the pantry and get a new model for the kitchen.

Simple enough to do, right? The door into the kitchen is right next to the space where the new fridge will go, just slip into the kitchen and slide the new one in. Armed with a tape measure and a notepad with dimensions we set off to look for a new refrigerator. We found a great deal on this stainless model and loaded in on the trailer.

Once we got home I rolled the new fridge into the garage, leaned it into the doorway and pulled it up onto the step. The handles on the front would NOT fit!!! We had carefully measured the entire unit without considering the handles!!!

I decided to check the front door. No problem! the fridge would clear with almost 3/4 of an inch. Problem. I had to remove both front doors from the house to clear. No problem. Maybe I could remove the doors from the fridge. No way; there is a wiring harness and water feed in the door hinge. I eventually removed the front door, two foyer doors and got the furniture in the hall and living room out of the way.

Next I called my neighbor, Bobby, to help me grunt the fridge up the steps in front of the house. He was glad to help, and almost laughed himself to death at our story. We got the fridge into the kitchen only to discover that the chair rail was almost 3/4 of an inch wider than we had assumed from our measuring.

I "gently" removed the chair rail and hooked up the water line. The fridge slid into place with exactly ZERO room to spare. W H E W!!! All the doors were then replaced and I got some sleep.

Next day I trimmed the chair rail to fit around the new fridge and re-installed it. When we stepped back to see if the rail was level Sue asked why the two doors on the fridge were not even. I looked; she was right.

I tried to adjust the doors, but they were even all along the edges and perimeter. The handles were uneven. I got a light and examined the inside of the handles to see if there was an adjustment. I spotted a small button and pressed it. THE HANDLE SLIPPED OFF THE DOOR WITH EASE !!!

I could have removed the handles with a push of a button and slipped the fridge in the kitchen door with no effort!! If I had only realized.

We laughed for quite a while; unlike our neighbor who is now certain he hurt himself - laughing at us!

Enough for now. Until next time, I'll be seein' ya'...