GOOD OLE SUMMER TIME

So Many Summer Activities

The Kids love going to Park West here in Oregon, Il and spending time in the Sprinkle Park.  A couple or three months ago, Nana got us a puppy.  We usually had a dog or more down on the river farm those many years past, but never had one in the house and never had to do anything about potty training animals.  Boy, this is a new experience... for us all.

July 4 was the beginning of our Odd Year Family Reunion.  The Boys, Sebastian age 8, and Leo age 6, and I drove over a day early, on Wednesday.  Carlene, Joanna and Elizza, age 10, came over a day later because Carlene was playing in an orchestra for the Celebration of July 4 in Muscatine, Iowa.

About half the Family were attending the three day Reunion.  Several of us were staying at the Country Inn Motel in Greenfield, Ind.  We had our breakfast there, and a swim pool.  We went for morning activities to Uncle Ray and Aunt Dianne's Heritage Summit Farm.  About 10:30 each morning all the Kids who arrived went to the hen house and gathered eggs from the nests into the designated basket.

Lunch Time found us arriving at Aunt Rachel and Uncle Philip's house, of "A Romantic Porch" fame.  About forty-five to fifty-two or three family members ate there each day.  A large swim pool was placed on the back lawn and a very fun play set near the garage.  There are almost a total of one-hundred in this Grand Daddy and Grand Mother Easley Family.  So about half of us were in attendance.

Afternoon many of the group made their way by car back to the Farm for afternoon activities.  Saturday the first picking of new green beans took place.  And they were O So Good!  Pulling weeds out to the rows of onions, checking up on the Okra plants, looking in on the huge Potato patch, discovering the first silks of the first ear of sweet corn was most significant.  Uncle Ray even took a picture with his ever present phone.  Skeet Shooting was a first at Reunion and very popular.  The children who had never shot before, first had lessons with BB guns, then their opportunity on a larger gun.  The whole experience was well and safely supervised by the Uncles and Older Cousins.

Thursday, First day of  Reunion, our new and previously unknown Cousins, Brian and Tommie Easley came for a few hours.  That was such a special time.  We are so very grateful for the new addition to our growing family.

Breakfast was late or early at the Motel on Sunday morning.  Everybody was packing and loading.  So I think I went to the Breakfast room two or three times during the morning just to see who had arrived.   Church Service was at 11:00 am. back at Aunt Rachel's.  From the start they had erected a wonderful white tent over part of their driveway.  So there were plenty of tables and chairs for all the meals and chatting.  Meals were all prepared by the Aunts in the kitchen or by some Uncles on the out-door grill.  The food was so wonderful and healthy.  Many watermelons made their way into the back hall and up onto the big buffet.

We've always rotated the evening devotions and Sunday Message among the brothers and brothers-in-law.  Uncle Elbert was our very special Guest Speaker a few years ago.  This year it was my turn to give the Sunday morning message.  A passage on my heart and mind for some time has been from John's Gospel chapters 13-16.  For this occasion I chose John 15:12-17.  I have felt that to be a strongly powerful message for the Church of this current age. 

It seems that most of the family swiftly returned to their usual rut.  A few have circled around a bit before the School Bell rings everybody back into line, at least by Labor Day, if not a week or two sooner.  I had the joyful opportunity to fly away on Thur., July 18 for about six weeks with Lydia and Gabriel.  Their two fine lasses, Gaia, age 7 and Carys, age 5, are training me in all things, Linguistic.  What a joy!

I should be back in the States before you get all the summer used up.  So we can plan on bringing in the Autumn together.  God bless and keep you, everyone!