11-28-11. Hello friends and family and some people I don’t know. I hope all of you had a good Thanksgiving. I sure did. I know I wrote this before about how we had a big dinner at Lisa’s on Saturday before and then we went to the Quad Cities and stayed with the pets while Candi and Jarred went to Michigan to be with his family and on Thanksgiving Day we went to Amber’s, Walt’s granddaughters home. Her husband, Ryan and children, little Rylan and Savannah were there. Of course we had another good, big dinner there. His parents were there and either, his brother or sister and their little girl. Walt’s daughter, Berta, and her son, Tony, and of course the two of us. It was good to see them again. Rylan will be two in January and Savannah will be one on January 11. They sure are sweet. I know all little kids are sweet. I don’t have any little kids in my family so that makes it especially good to get to be with them. I got the little green and white dress finished that I made for Savannah and a little green and white cap to match. Also a little cap made of especially soft yarn (kind of wooly) and made it in white with little white ears lined with the same kind of yarn only pink to look like little lamb ears. I saw it on a little girl in the crochet book and I made her two more little caps in different colors and a pair of booties in a blueish purple and white to match another little dress I’m making. I made a little cap for Rylan in medium blue trimmed in dark blue and a little scarf for him as well. He was afraid of us again when we first came in and started crying and Berta held him and he clung to her real tight. Berta took him upstairs for awhile and when they came back he was okay and smiled at us after that when we taked to him. Walt bought him a little dog that rolls back and forth on the floor and laughs and says things. Of course he liked that. That was on Thursday then on Friday we met Frank Dee at a park in Hampton, Illinois and got to see some more cute little kids. We finally got to see some of his little great grandkids. His granddaughter, husband and two kids ( I think they had two) and his grandson, wife and (I think three kids were theirs.) I still don’t have them all sorted out good. I know they had a little girl named Ava and I think she’s a year old and she sure is a cutie too and a little boy. I had seen a lot of pictures of them, but never seen them in person before. Frank Dee said he’s got 11 great grands altogether now. I was showing him pictures of Rylan and Savannah and he went and got a picture of one of his great grandsons and him and Rylan look enough alike to be twins. After they left with the kids Frank Dee, Walt, Bob and I walked in the park. We walked up to the visitor’s center at the other end where they have a huge tree in one room and all kinds of carvings on it. It symbolizes when people were going west and has people, a dog, an eagle up on top and I think a horse and covered wagon. The center was closed, but we could see it through the big windows. I took pictures of it once, when inside but they didn’t turn out real good because of all the sunlight coming through the windows and the camera facing them from all angles so I’d like to try again with my new camera. After our walk in the park we went back to East Moline and took care of the dogs. They’re always so happy to see us and just as friendly as can be. I enjoy playing with them. Little Chesney did his thing again where he lays on my lap on his back so I will scratch his chest and tummy and massage his little shoulders. Once when he got down “Lady Bug” the basset hound tried to get on my lap, but her back end slid off on the floor and she didn’t make it. She’s really sweet and mild mannered. One of the cats like her and gets on the big chair and lays right against her and she doesn’t do anything and Toby the white lab is just as friendly as a puppy, but I couldn’t even start to hold any part of him on my lap. I don’t have any pets at all anymore so I’m glad they can share theirs with me. On Saturday morning it was raining and we went to Dee’s and visited with him awhile and saw his house after they had gotten it finished. It looks good. Then we followed him over to our dear, loving, sweet, awesome friends in Silvis. That’s Jeff Heatherly and Betty I’m talking about and they’re all of those adjectives I said about them and much more. I know I’ve used “sweet” a lot, but it’s all true. They’re the kind of people who make you feel good after you’ve visited them. And I’ve never felt more welcome anywhere I’ve ever been. Dee and Walt are brothers and Jeff is their cousin. So it’s nice when they can get together. They all grew up together in Missouri near Ava. I took pictures of the three of them together and of Jeffy and Betty together and they really turned out good. After that we went back and turned the dogs out (first, we played with them awhile), then let them back in and got ready and came back over here to the farm. Yesterday morning we went to Tipton and got my mail and did a little shopping. It sure is getting cold now. Down in the twenties at night and sometimes thirties for the high. Some of you already know this, the funeral last week of Elsie Cunningham of East Moline, Illinois. She was born and raised in Ava and daughter of O.K. and Gladys Welton. She married Robert Cunningham in 1939 in Hartville, MO. He survives her. (In either Moline or East Moline). I hope I get it straight. They have a son, Jerry, and four grandchildren and seven greats and her sister, Nadine (Charles) Letsinger of Mansfield, Mo. one son, Robert, preceded her in death. I am so sorry to have to anounce her death and all of her family and loved ones have my deepest heartfelt sympathy.
I reckon I better finish this or Ol’ Risky will get a sway back from carrying it and his rider up to the mailbox.
Customer: Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup. Waiter: It’s possible. The cook used to be a tailor.
Take care of yourselves and bye, bye for now.
