A Memorable Day

Today Deke, Pam and I started out at 9:00 AM and headed to Flora, Deer Creek, Logansport and Kokomo to visit/decorate family graves. After placing a saddle on Dave's grave in Flora we visited the Segraves' cemetery near Deer Creek. This is the place where the infamous Harry Butz is buried. Just to show you how small our world is, we ran into a relative in the graveyard and caught up on even more family history. We arrived at the Logansport cemetery just in time to participate in the Memorial Day services. It was a regular small-town ceremony with a 21 gun salute, parade, band, American Legion veterans, wreath on the soldiers' monument, horse with the backward boot in the stirrups and taps played by 2 high school boys. Very stirring and so welcomed in this day of patriotic apathy. We proceeded to Kokomo where we stuffed ourselves with decadent tenderloin sandwiches, then drove out of town to find the Dimmitt homestead and nearby cemeteries in which our families are buried. When we stopped at the Dimmitt homestead, the owner was working in the front yard. We chatted with him for a few minutes and exchanged names in case he ever wanted to expand his knowledge of the history of the farm. Actually, he already knew a lot of what we know, as the former owner had passed on her knowledge of the farm when she sold the place to him 8 years ago.

It was a beautiful day with perfect weather and we all had a great time reconnecting with our ancestors via headstone information. At the oldest plots, we were unable to glean much information as the markers were carved from marble, making much of the names and dates unreadable. If there was any intrigue from the day's adventure, it was found on a stone adjacent to my great grandparents' monument. We encountered a name none of us recognized even though the last name was Dimmitt. I called Carole Siler, our only remaining relative who can still recall information, but she was unable to shed much light on the person other than to say that she and Mom had the same conversation at one time with Mom saying she thought he was some distant relative. But Carole and Mom would have known all the cousins etc so this still remains a mystery. Hmmmmm.

We returned home around 4PM and crashed on the front porch swing with iced tea in our hands. Later, we picked strawberries and asparagus and even got in some mowing. Deke is at the Delphi airport "kiting" his paraglider, preparing for his solo flight with his instructor who will come next week to check him out. It's a lazy, hot, somewhat humid Indiana Memorial Day.
Aah, perfection!

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Our great-grandmother was Quaker, thus the "Friends" cemetery









Mystery relative

Dimmitt farmstead established in 1864

North Carolina Visit

Right after Easter services, we left for North Carolina to spend a week with Erin and family. We stopped in Charleston, WV for the night and woke up the next morning to fog and slight drizzle. In spite of the weather condition, we decided to alter our itinerary to divert to Hawk's Nest, a state park that holds a fond significance for us. By the time we got there, the fog had lifted quite a bit so that it produced a spectacular backdrop to the gorge.

Our time in NC was spent doing Erin's honey-do list. And believe me when I say there were many honey-dos to do! Deke rebuilt the banister railings on each side of the entrance to their front porch, rebuilt and replaced all but one screen in the house windows and doors, repaired the tub plumbing, made 44 million trips to Home Depot etc. Erin and I painted the upstairs hall and the living room/playroom . Erin did most of the trim work. In between times, we celebrated Sugar's 2nd birthday, shopped, ate frozen yogurt, ate at a fabulous Chinese restaurant, went train watching, and one of us learned to ride a two-wheeler! It was a jam-packed week of frenetic activity. What bliss!

Hawk's Nest

A sweet little Sugar's 2nd birthday

Opening gifts

Watching G-Pa at work

Help me, G-Pa!

Where is he?

Whee! I can do it!

Not another picture!

Well, OK! How's this?

A Bit of Heaven

If you don't know what you're looking at, you probably don't live in Indiana or are not a Hoosier native. This, dear reader, is a morel mushroom, one of the most delectable morsels of heaven ever discovered. It grows in the Midwest (Michigan is prime real estate) and only appears for a short time in the early spring after a rain when the weather warms and the leaves on the oak tree are the size of a squirrel's ear. You have to know where to search and you must have a knowledge of trees, as they tend to grow around and under certain species. The locations are kept strictly secret; very few people will divulge the best hunting grounds and you rarely will be given any freebies. However, I must say, that some people have harvested them right in their manicured front yards, so this elusive little morsel can pop up in the most unusual places.

We've been back in Indiana for 8+ years now and have yet to find even one. We've begged, intimated, cried, hinted and outright asked the natives for some help, to no avail. BUT this year, some blessed soul took pity on us and brought us this "first fruits" found on her property. She gave them to us last night just before the Maundy Thursday service. It was hard to concentrate on the service but we managed to persevere. We were home only 2 minutes before the little pieces of ambrosia were submerged in salt water to rid themselves of bugs and mites that might be lurking inside. We cleaned and cut them into bite-sized pieces, dredged them in a secret mixture and fried them in mounds of butter. Are you salivating yet? Then, taking them right from the sizzling skillet, we popped them into our starved-for, can't-get-enough-of tiny bits of manna from heaven. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

So in the early spring when you see cars parked along any road in Indiana, happen to glance people carrying mesh onion bags, run into people tramping through the woods in your own back yard, or get a call from "friends" who found a bushel basket full, don't be surprised. It's time for "musharoonin'" and you ain't invited, Jack!

This Little Piggie Went Home

After only one week, our little C-Bear has gone home to be with her parents again. It was great having her here even for a short time. Her parents were vacationing in Belize, the vacation package Lori won on "Wheel of Fortune." Deke and I took her home over the weekend and spent some great family time with the Illinois Jones clan.

Reading with G-Pa








Mark and Lori and ?

She's Back!

The many faces and moods of C-Bear:

Grandma Jones' 90th Birthday

Last Sunday (13th) was Grandma Mary's Birthday




We gathered at Ken and Marian's for the celebration.
L-R Kathy, Randy, Marna, Marian, Dianne, Gr Mary.
Max, the photographer, is missing in all the pictures



Did I mention it was her 90th Birthday? She requested a Twinkie/Ding Dong cake.

All 5 of her children were together to celebrate.
L-R Marian, Gr Mary, Cindy, Deke/Keith, Ken, Jeremy, Mackinzie, Kathy, Randy, Marna

Wheel Party

Last night we had a "Wheel" Party. Some of the church staff and Grandma Mary gathered at our house for homemade soup then proceeded to the basement for popcorn dessert and "Wheel of Fortune" starring our favorite (and only) daughter-in-law, Lori. We had such a great time just being together to celebrate the big event. Of course Lori won hugely and if you missed it you missed a super-exciting show! We screamed and yelled as much as the winning celebrants. How did you like Pat's remark that they were making sounds only dogs could understand? Wow, it was an exciting night and not one that many of us will ever duplicate. Congrats, Lori! You made us proud.

PS. We even received an email from a Fed Ex pilot friend who watched it from Paris, France!

Partial group of diners




Preparing popcorn




Eagerly anticipating the upcoming show




Gathered in the basement for the big show on the big screen




Cheering when she wins big!