The Potato Cannon and Heart Smiles

Taking a break from blogs remembering Covid. We all need that. This is a happier topic....

                        The Potato Cannon and Heart Smiles

So... I spent over a week with family -- overlapping visits.  My son and his family stayed with me.  My nephew and his family stayed in a lovely Barndominium called "Into the Woods" just a bit down the road from my home.  Outstanding accommodations all the way around. Check it out if you are headed the way of Corry, PA.  My daughter and her family live nearby -- just across the pasture plus a bit actually. Icing on the cake. Perfect.... 13 people in all.

I simply don't know where to start.  What fun -- nice and fun people ... so much laughter.  Dinners out. Dinners in. Make your own breakfasts and lunches.  Many helpful hands.  A trip to Niagara Falls for the Virginia Branch of the family.  My grandson from Terre Haute, IN and his girlfriend, born and raised in the flatlands of Indiana, went exploring - in search of curvy roads and rolling hills,  and my son and his wife from Danville, Indiana were off to the Southern Tier of Chautauqua Co, NY briefly -- followed by their traditional lunch at the French Creek Tavern.  Then there was a lovely afternoon of crafting with my creative great niece. Pickle ball and fishing.  Fire pit fires into the night. Special times for me with each and every one.  Am sure I have missed some of the activities ...  We gathered in the afternoons and evenings for the most part.  Good times. Special....  I think the only thing we forgot to do was to have a recorded skipping contest set to music. We had hoped to repeat that and to establish it as a tradition of such gatherings.  

Have to mention.  Now it is during those afternoon and evenings that the Potato Cannon appeared. It was impressive. We should have given it a name.  Don't know why I didn't think of that.  My nephew built it out of PVC pipe. That construction, along with hairspray, a long lighter and three 5 lb. bags of Russet potatoes did the trick. There were other games as well -- something involving baskets and little sacks of sand and then corn hole, of course.  Another fave involved teams bouncing a ball on a circle of netting ... Spikeball.  All were played pretty much rain or shine.  And of course we had professional photos taken one evening -- in the misty rain. (Thank you, Barb Beebe of Be Inspired Photography!) Mother Nature was not very cooperative, but we didn't really care and the photos turned out great.

A few final words on the impressive potato cannon.  Huge Hit! (Instructions may be found on YouTube, I think.) Talk about the perfect way to put a smile on one's face.... All it takes is shooting potatoes over the tree tops in my back pasture.  The thing is there was never one scrap of potato left on the patio in the mornings and not one potato to be found anywhere in the pasture.  I envision forest wildlife in a line at the edge of the woods eagerly waiting --- hoping the crazy humans are going to shoot more yummy food into the air for them. We were a bit of a loud bunch with the laughter and the cannon booms.  So fun.  As far as I know the neighbors are still speaking to me -- at least the ones that usually do.  

Alas -- all is quiet now.  Everyone arrived back home safely. Thankful in that. Long trips for sure back to Richmond, VA and West of Indianapolis, IN.  So... today I ordered prints and made a photo book. Empty nest syndrome all over again, but good memories for sure. They make my heart smile. My family is a gift... the best kind. I am so thankful for them. 

Life Goes On

                                   

                  June 16, 2020 - June 23, 2020

Police across the country are in the news.  Times are dangerous for those who support law and order.  The world continues to be upside down. The world watches as American cities are being destroyed. We have been subjected to enough destruction, violence and vandalism to last a lifetime.

Every day I am thankful that I do not live in a city where many are pretty much confined to an airless apartment.  I am able to get outside, pull a few weeds, breath fresh air and take a walk in my pasture.  Huge. Sometimes the small things are the big things. Nice to be able to avoid protests and riots.  I am so sick of angry, shouting faces.  It's so ugly on so many levels.

People shopping for clothes are now allowed to try them on... in some stores. Progress....

Some businesses are reopening within certain constraints like limiting the number of customers at one time. 

Erie County in Pennsylvania is entering the Green Phase within a week. Governor Wolf has set Pennsylvanians free!  We will now be able to get a hair cut legally and some restaurants will be allowed to reopen.  One step at a time.  

Some parents across the land have established "Under the Radar" sports for their children.  It seems a very healthy thing to do  -- in my opinion.  I think of it as the "Healthy Activity Underground ".  

The blame game continues in nearby New York State regarding covid patients being retuned to nursing home facilities.  Cuomo may have a big problem.

Trump rallies. No wonder Biden is trying to avoid debating with him. The right seems to be looking forward.  The left seems to be angry anti-everything. Huge contrast. I continue to wonder if politicians on both sides of the fence listen to themselves.  

Once again -- thankful I live in an area of Farmers' Markets and road side vegetable stands.  

Some schools with late June endings are holding Baccalaureate and Graduation Ceremonies in parking lots.

Life goes on...

Unhinged

                                

                                      June 8, 2020 - June 15, 2020

What in the world are people thinking?  The "Defund the Police" movement is totally off the wall stupid.  These are the same people who think that recent  demonstrations that tuned into injuries, killings, businesses burned and shameless lootings were not violent and were totally acceptable.  Beyond nuts. There is speculation and some evidence that someone, perhaps George Soros, is funding protestors.  Imagine that.

Biden is still in his bunker.  When will he talk to the American people? How can one run for President from a basement? The polls say he has a huge lead, yet we know nothing about him really.  There is reference to his handlers.  What? Who is in charge of that campaign? A President needs handlers? That's scary.

Am going to meet a sister/cousin to eat lunch on the porch of a nearby restaurant.  Excitement is high. It's been months since I have been out to eat anywhere.  What a treat! I don't think I will ever take such an opportunity for granted again -- ever. It is a touch of normal.

The "elite" continue the process of becoming totally unhinged.  It's unsettling.  Down has become up and vice versa. It seems that formerly intelligent people are caving into the "leftist lunies".  People of courage  who are not afraid to stand their ground seem few and far between. Bullies abound and they are mean.

Democrat Congressmen knelt on Capitol Hill with Kente scarves draped around their necks. I am sure they were trying to make a point of some sort, but it went over my head.  Wonder how the Ashanti Tribe felt about them wearing their cherished ceremonial cloth in some sort of demonstration? Today's Democrats do love to show off.

The country continues to be divided.  It doesn't help that the Dems have sorted people into little boxes and then lumped individuals they know nothing about into a box that they, the dems, deem to be correct.  It takes more and more courage these days to express even a mildly conservative view on anything.  

Some people seem to be almost overcome with a hatred for Donald Trump.  I don't understand the viciousness. Vitriol with a upper case V -- nasty and abusive. 

Protestors have been allowed to take over a section of Seattle, Washington.  What? I won't be moving the the great American Northwest any time soon.  American history is being torn down one statue after another.  Names of forts, military bases, and schools are being changed.  All this to appease a whiney bunch of libs throwing toddler-like temper tantrums. There must be more to this.  Something underground and cancerous.  Antifa is a new word in my vocabulary.  As if things were not bad enough.

People are able to get haircuts again and the world looks better groomed. Somehow that seems to matter.  Another step forward.  Then again -- man buns abound.

Special times continue with the Grandkids who are a most important part of my life.  Their world has shrunken and changed so drastically, but they are remarkable and resilient.  We will all be okay and hopefully come out at the end of the tunnel stronger and better people. They are the future. 

Enough Already

                                              

                              June 1, 2020 - June 7, 2020

Hopefully my county will move into the Green soon so that haircuts will become legal again.  So tired of masks and social distancing.

Am still considering a fencing project.  May call the fence guy to get my pasture on his To Do list.  There is usually a waiting period.  Don't know how busy he is these days. Perhaps he can use the work and the wait time won't be too long.

Riots continue across the country. I don't think rioters are adhering to the covid rules.  Not much makes sense anymore.  I am, of course, particularly concerned about my nephew and my cousin -- both police officers in areas where riots are happening. Hollywood elites are setting up 'Go Fund Me" accounts for rioters and looters.  I don't understand their thinking.

People in all walks of life are trying to do their best in most difficult situations.  Civil unrest makes no one's life easier. The atmosphere of unease touches everything... everyone. The Media manipulates coverage of everything to support leftist views and criticizes any thought with which the left disagrees. True journalism appears to be rapidly dying. I will not be cancelled.

Days continue to run together and day confusion is alive and well. Every day has become a "Blursday". Rioting, violence, destruction, and looting are now commonplace - in blue cities primarily.  Interesting. Protestors, local and imported, appear to be mostly representative of what some call the great American Unwashed.  

Ah --  as it turns out, the fence guy has all his equipment on the edge of town and will be here in a couple of days.  He will jump me ahead of about ten other jobs so that he won't have to move equipment more than once. Good timing. I am pleased.

Some dentist offices have reopened for emergencies. Some are charging a PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) Covid 19 fee of $15. 

Small businesses continue to close - victims of this forced shutdown as large chain stores are permitted to remain open. Logic?

Defund the police is the latest madness. Some of these leftist dems might feel differently if they had a prowler on their property or 1000 violent vandals headed up their driveway with bricks and built up self-righteous anger.

Tele-doctoring is a real, almost commonplace thing now. The word Zoom has taken on new meaning.

Decided to go ahead with a fence so my neighbor would not shoot my grandchildren's dog. The fence was installed in one day.  Dog and neighbor are now both safe.  Ta Da. Easy fix.  My neighbor, however, now does not speak to or make eye contact with me. Do I care?  No. Both sides of the issue are safe.  That's all that matters.

Now as we struggle to return to normal --  there is the killer bee threat.  Bring 'em on.. Seriously... enough already.