Day Two Hundred Ninety Six 2013

Grandson Knox fell asleep on his mom’s shoulder while eating a Popsicle and watching Spongebob this afternoon. His mom and dad moved a load of stuff from their old house in Murfreesboro to their new house here. Got lots more to do before they’re fully moved and settled in, so all three are pretty much tuckered out. As long as he’s got his Thomas trains, Knox doesn’t seem to mind all the upheaval.

Day Two Hundred Ninety Five 2013

"There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October." 
~Nathaniel Hawthorne


Red maple leaves and jack o’ lanterns and pumpkin doughnuts ~ just to name a few things that make me wish October would stay all year.

Day Two Hundred Ninety Four 2013

Nothing worse than having to return to school after a two week break, unless it’s your teacher telling you it will be an easy day but it really isn’t because you have to do all this work, work, work. Not to mention all the homework [math!] you have to do when you finally get home. Grandson Elijah’s day certainly felt like a Monday and then some. Tomorrow is another day and hopefully a more tolerable one.

Day Two Hundred Ninety Three 2013

The squirrels who visit our yard are in hog heaven this fall. Our big walnut tree has produced a bumper crop of these baseball sized things. There are hundreds of them. They drop by the dozens all at the same time, and sometimes it sounds like bombs going off. The tree grows on the south side property line on our side, well away from our house, but the radius of the drop zone has reached all the way to our deck. We feel badly for our neighbor because the nuts bombard their roof with direct hits, so we debate whether or not to have the tree taken down. They’re all over the yard. It could be an ankle breaking experience if you’re not careful where you’re stepping. And I shudder to think what would happen to your skull if you should walk into the drop zone when those things are raining down. Anyway, if the squirrels are smart [which they are] they’ll be hoarding as many of these as they can for that cold snowy winter they keep telling us is coming.

Day Two Hundred Ninety Two 2013

FAMILY, FOOD, FUN, FELLOWSHIP, FOOTBALL! [GO BIG ORANGE!]

It’s been a long time since this bunch of Tennessee Volunteer football fans [also known as my family] has come together on game day to watch a Big Orange football game. We used to do it every game every Saturday during the UT season, taking turns meeting at each other’s house, especially when the Vols were ranked in the top five college teams in the country. But I guess as our team dropped out of the ranks over the years, we gave up the get togethers and found other things to do on a Saturday during football season. We kept saying we need to get together again for a game, but we never did. Well, until today. My sister Ann and her hubs Terry decided this game ~ UT Vols against the South Carolina Gamecocks ~ would be a good one to come together and watch. The Vols have had their coaching problems lately, but this team and the new coach have shown promise this season. UT, unranked, lost to number six [at the time] Georgia by only a field goal in overtime two weeks ago. So never say never. We put on our Big Orange shirts and gathered at Ann and T’s house for great food [ribs, Ann’s homemade potato salad, T’s homemade baked beans, and Shelby’s homemade brownies, all so very yummy] and watched some SEC football.

We dug in to all that great food at half time ~ the Vols were leading.

You can probably tell by the smiles on our faces [well, except for maybe Ken and Knox] that the UT Volunteers were victorious over the Gamecocks ~ unranked UT beat eleventh ranked South Carolina 23 ~ 21. What a great game! Well played, Vols! So happy for the UT coach and the Big Orange team and of course Tennessee football fans, who are always pleased to hand Steve Spurrier a loss no matter who he’s coaching. Thanks for hosting the game, Ann and Terry! Good times!
Our happy group shot: from left back row: brother in law Terry, sister Ann, sister Jane [who ran her first half marathon this morning in a little over three hours! woo hoo! way to go, Jane!], nephew Alex, hubs Neil, grandson Knox, niece Sarah, niece Julia, daughter Kelly and moi.  Front row, from left: brother Ken, daughter Holly, granddaughter Shelby, and grandson Elijah. Always grateful for my family and the times we can spend together.