Homecoming, Seth's Bear, Luke and Kelsey in the Sky with Diamonds

It's a beautiful fall day today; thought I'd start this blog out with a picture of our finished roof! Jon got the new shingles on and finished tearing down the greenhouse before he had to go back to work last week.

He was home for over a month. During that time he was around to help me with the garden (we had a wonderful harvest this year). We also finished firewood and got things done around the yard.

Jon helped our neighbor fix the dam for her pond, which was a big project. He also helped her fix a manure spreader.

He was here for a big chunk of Michael's football season, which was a major help to me... not to mention important to Michael and enjoyable for Jon.

Jonathan and Jack met us at one of Michael's football games in Mondovi. Another nice thing about Jon's time off was spending so much time with baby Jack... including a few overnights that he stayed with us.

Last weekend we met Jonathan and Jack at Grandma Jane's house, to watch the Packer game. Jack was feeling a little under the weather, but he was still happy and a good boy.

The kids loved Grandma Jane's spaghetti pie and vegetable pizza. We also can't get over how good her garlic dip is. I've tried to duplicate it but have never been able to make it as good and creamy as hers.

A few weeks ago Jon bought an old sewing machine for Emma, and we brought it along so Grandma Jane could show her how it worked (unfortunately that's not something I can help Emma with).


Something was jammed, though, so they couldn't run the machine that day, but the following week Jon took it in to a repair shop. Luckily it was a real easy fix; the repair man didn't even charge Jon. He told him it was a "real good machine" (yea-!; Jon got the machine for $15 at a yard sale).

We stopped at the cemetary in Cornell to see Grandpa Bud's bench. Here are all three kids sitting on it. I like this picture because it kind of looks like Leila's saluting in it.

While in Cornell we got to hear about the bear Seth shot.

Seth is less than a year older than Michael. He's Jon's brother Mark's grandson. Seth and Mark have spent a lot of time in the woods together, hunting.


Mark and Ryan (Jessica's boyfriend) had taken Seth bear-hunting. Earlier in the day they had all seen a large bear, but didn't get a good shot at it. Later that day they had another chance. Seth and Ryan were in a tree stand when Seth spotted a different, smaller bear coming by. He shot it in the shoulder area before it ran off.

Mark rejoined the crew and they looked for the bear for about an hour before they found it, dead, in the thick underbrush-- about 30 yards away from where Seth had shot it. It was a 240 pound bear, and Mark said he'll probably have it shoulder mounted.

(I hope I got the details of the story right; it was over a week ago that I heard them... let me know if I'm wrong on any point and I'll make a correction).

Friday night Michael went to his first school dance, on Homecoming night. He was supposed to ask a girl to wear his football jersey to the dance, but wore it himself instead (I think most of the 7th grade boys were too shy to actually ask girls).

I asked him if he danced with any girls. "No, but I danced in front of them." He added, "And I think they liked what they saw."

That's m' boy.

Emma (pictured at left in a shirt she designed) went to the Homecoming game, too. Her and about fifty other kids participated in a cheerleading "camp" that practiced that day after school, then performed during half-time for the Homecoming audience.

She did great and had a good time.

Jon has the pictures on his phone, so unfortunately I don't have any pictures of Emma performing that night or the previous week, when she had another big moment in the spotlight-- her, Jon, and Makayla (a neighbor girl) went to a performance of the Harlem Ambassadors.

The Ambassadors are like the Globetrotters, doing basketball tricks and playing against hapless locals (in this case, three Colfax teachers) but also giving the kids pep talks and a positive social message.

Emma's name was drawn in a raffle, so she and a few others were called down onto the basketball court. They were then coached on how to perform a victory strut, which Emma carried out with great enthusiasm and little to no shyness. She won a basketball with all the players' signatures on it.

We went to Rhinelander this weekend to visit the folks and enjoy the fall color. My sister Laurie and brother Bob were there as well. We watched the Badger game with them, thinking as we did about John, Jim, and Laurie's husband Mark, who all had tickets to the game and were watching the big victory in person.

And now, to close my blog, a story of beautiful romance...

Yesterday afternoon, on a hot air balloon ride, Luke got down on bended knee and proposed to Kelsey.

Luke is one of Jon's sister Sally's sons, so our nephew. He's been dating Kelsey for several years (she's the one who made the cake and cupcakes for David's graduation party).

Kelsey is one of five sisters, and her sister Georgia was the reason for the balloon ride (and present when Luke proposed). Georgia has diabetes, and a family friend had wanted to treat her to a balloon ride. Luke and Kelsey were invited along. Before the ride Luke asked Georgia if she would mind if he used the trip as an opportunity to propose. She didn't mind at all, so when Kelsey got on the balloon she had no idea what was coming (but her sisters did).

I don't know all the details, but apparently she said yes (see ring, at right).

Don't you love happy endings?