A Week of Fun - Mostly in Pictures

Cousins after church today.

Rachel and her children arrived on Tuesday evening. The house has been filled with energy, noise, and activity nonstop ever since. It makes me happy. There is always something happening or in the planning stages, sometimes simultaneously. Next door Kurt and Julie’s daughter Kohl and her three children, who also arrived on Tuesday, and our niece Missy and her husband Chance and their three children, who arrived on Wednesday, combined with our crew to make a herd of children. Tabor arrived and joined the party on Thursday.

Russell wearing Grandpa's glasses.

Buying chicken feed with Grandpa.

There has been swimming, swinging, jumping, riding, climbing, playing in the new tree house, games of all sorts, and of course lots of food. I managed to harness some of the youthful energy into doing some garden work. I had them collect Japanese beetles and snails, pick broccoli and strawberries, and help to trim garlic. Tabor and Chance helped me work on the fence around the chicken yard.

Florence at the pool.

Russell and Mabel cruising with the Gator.

In the treehouse.

Beetle collectors - Mabel, June, and Hazel.

June helping to pick broccoli.

Fence builders - Hudson, Chance, and Tabor.

On Thursday we walked up to the hollow to hunt for salamanders. It was a warm day and in the afternoon the children played in the sprinkler.

In the hollow on a salamander hunt.

Finding salamanders.

Found one!

Playing in the sprinkler.

We ate most of our meals together – Mexican food one night, meatball sub another, pizza, and lots of treats. We spent a lot of time in the evenings just sitting and talking while the children played on the bikes, swings, hover board, trampoline, gator, and zip line – all the fun things the Shilligs have at their house (they are the best neighbors!).

Chatting at the Shillig's in the evening.

The orchard at evening.

On Friday morning some of us went out and bought Amish donuts – only available on Friday and Saturday mornings. Later that morning we embarked on an adventure to Watkins Glen. In all the years we’ve lived here, I’d never been there. The Shilligs go there a lot. It’s a good hike, over a mile, up the gorge’s trail over bridges and stairs – 832 steps! past 19 waterfalls. It was beautiful. When we arrived at the top of the gorge, we ate a picnic lunch. On our way home we stopped for ice cream. That evening we had pizza. Hannah made six delicious pizzas. We ate over on Shillig’s back porch. The weather had turned by then and it was chilly and drizzling, not at all the sort of weather I want in the middle of August.

Hiking at Watkins Glen.

Watkins Glen.

Picnic at the end of the hike.

Florence loves ice cream.

Hannah's homemade pizzas.

On a rainy morning last week while trying to keep my mind occupied, I decided it was time to brush up on my Japanese. It’s been forty-four years since I returned home from my mission and I’ve never had very many opportunities to use my language over the years. I took a semester of it in college, which helped a little, but that was over thirty years ago now too. In the past few years I’ve watched some Japanese shows on the computer and I understood bits and pieces, but that’s all. So last week I started taking lessons on a free app called Duolingo. At the beginning, I had to take a little test to assess what level I was starting at. It told me I’m a “rookie.” I felt embarrassed, sad, and a little insulted at the same time. I used to be pretty fluent (that’s perapera in Japanese). So every day now I do a few lessons on Duolingo. It’s coming back to me slowly. I’ve always wanted to go back to Japan and take whatever family members wanted to come along with me. In the past few years I’ve been able to travel to Italy and France. I think Japan should be next on the list. And I don’t want to embarrass myself, so Nihongo o benkyo shimashō! (Let’s study Japanese!).

Japanese in Japanese.

Saturday was a special day. We had an event at the church – the celebration of our branch’s 44th anniversary, the celebration of one of our members, Mary Austin’s, 100th birthday, and a farewell to the Moores, who are moving to Missouri. The Lion’s Club set up a tent at the church. We had pulled pork sandwiches, corn on the cob, all sorts of side dishes, and brownies, cake, and ice cream. We had a good turnout, over forty people. Our stake president and his wife and daughter joined us.

The event under the tent.

Mary Austin at 100.

After that, we came home and the stake president and his family came down to The Compound with us. We gave them a tour of the property. The Shilligs got out their cotton candy machine and later there were fireworks. We sat and talked in the cool of the evening. It was a nice day.

Cotton candy at the Shillig's.

Playing dollhouse after church.

Today is a lovely summer Sabbath day. It’s warm and sunny. The world is green and lush. Church was good. With all our family visiting plus people from the stake, we had almost fifty people there! We’re home now. Lunch preparations are underway. Some of the children are playing with the dollhouse on the front porch. I can hear them discussing the arrangement of furniture. Hazel is reading a book. Tabor and Russell are napping. It all seems happy and right, just as a summer Sabbath should. The Thayns will be going home tomorrow. Next door, Missy and Chance and their children leave on Tuesday; Kohl and her children, on Thursday. Then things will feel a bit too quiet and forlorn here on The Compound. But we have plenty to do to keep us busy as harvest time accelerates – so many blessings to gather in.