Babe, Sometime I still want to blame you for leaving me. Then I remember that you gave me the best gift I can imagine. Three of the most wonderful human beings I know just happen to be our children. I love you. Joan

Mombo began one of her blog entries with, “Ok, it’s 81.” Well, today I wasn’t feeling that it was ok to be 57. It felt way too close to 60. And a kid named Carlos hit my coffee mug with his backpack and sent it flying across the floor where it broke into 20 pieces […]

Today I took my adventurous daughter to the airport to once again cross the pond and pursue her Oxford education. I decided I wanted to have adventures in 2007. I was just as hard as it always is—seeing her go through security and trying to wave to her when she is almost out of sight […]

After Mass at Wt. William’s in Lancaster, I went back to Kelley Ridge to clean up the holiday debris.Caitlan and her friends were planning on spending New Year’s Eve there, and I wanted it to be inviting. I headed on to the Valley at about 5 and was so tired by the time I pulled […]

“Sonnet 64” by William Shakespeare When I have seen by time’s fell hand defaced The rich proud cost of outworn buried age, When sometime lofty towers I see down razed, And brass eternal slave to mortal rage, When I have seen the hungry ocean gain Advantage on the kingdom of the shore, And the firm […]

Tonight we went to the Valley for Clan Christmas. Everyone arrived around 6 p.m. Unfortunately Bubba was on the road, so he was late, and Hayley had a ballgame so the Hellyers were not there. We fixed stockings for the kids under 18. This year we hng them on the dining room chairs. Then Rita […]

Today the Willetts came to have Willett-Adkins Christmas at Kelley Ridge. It was so nice to have them here. Andrew couldn’t come because he had to work. So we all missed him. Pat worked on the front porch light. We had lasagna and salad and snacks. Verla brought us her signature oyster crackers. She also […]

Today was the first Christmas at Kelley Ridge with the Adkins-Wood Family. I think Joe would have been proud, although he probably would not have picked the 9 foot tree. He would have wanted to cut our own. We slept in since we had been to Casey County for Midnight Mass the night before. There […]

Two years ago today, I woke to find my dear, precious Joe Wood dead in the bed beside me. Aunt Betty, my model true believer, would call this Joe’s Glory Day. KK and I decided that today should be a party since we decorated Kelley Ridge for Christmas for the first time this year. So […]

Now before you think how trite that is, Mondays don’t usually get me down because I am coming off a weekend where I’ve had a break from my work and I am energized. And I was going to complain about the rain until I remembered that it was not freezing rain and that I should […]