London Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Cindy Goes Beyond

October 12, 2014

Day 285: Joey’s Tailgate Party

tailgate party

What a delightful way to spend a Sunday afternoon, with family at my first ever tailgate party. Grandson Joey’s final football game of the regular season was played today, postponed from yesterday due to a very soggy football field. That worked out perfectly. My sister Linda and great niece London was able to join us today. Five year old Aubrey and four year old London were long overdue for a play date.

The overcast day was chilly but remained dry, perfect weather for jeans and hoodies. Joey’s third grade Carthage Tigers football team hosted an end of the season tailgate party complete with grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, chips, drinks and homemade cookies. I gathered with Linda and London, my son Nate and his fiancé Megan, and the grandkids, Joey, Oliver and Aubrey. We parked on a picnic table and enjoyed food and fun. The kids lined up to have their faces and hands painted, in blue and white designs and tiger orange and black paw prints to show team spirit. While the kids ran off energy, the adults chatted and kept an eye on the antics of the children.

This afternoon’s game was against the Webb City Cardinals, who are always tough competition. I watched Joey’s team run two touchdowns and hold the opposing team to a single score. And I applauded not only their efforts today but the marked improvements the boys have made, playing as a team. Joey ran and carried the ball and made impressive tackles. Oliver served the team as water boy today and he performed his tasks well. It was especially touching to see him carry a Gatorade onto the field for his older brother and trot alongside him Joey drank.

Aubrey played with her cousin until it was time for London to leave and then joined another friend in practicing cheers. I loved her enthusiasm and self confidence. She stood before the bleachers, calling out cheers and kicking her legs and waving her arms. When the girls ran out of known cheers, they sang the ABC song! Adorable.

It was a fun day. I enjoyed sitting with my sister, son and his bride to be, watching the game, cheering and chatting between plays. With this win, it was a near perfect season for the third grade Tigers, and a perfect end to the weekend. Below is a Magisto movie of the day. Enjoy!

July 20, 2014

Day 201: Plant Corn

Today my sisters and I, great niece London, niece Ashley, her husband Jon and their boys, Ethan and Kaleb, met at my Uncle Rex’s farm to help out cousin Mike with planting. Mike works so hard every day on the farm, after putting in long hours at his day job. For us city girls, it is not only fun to help out on the farm but beneficial to Mike, as it shortens the time he has to spend out working the ground or harvesting. Today, for my first, I helped to plant corn.

I’ve had small vegetable gardens before. I think once I even planted corn but it didn’t do well. I don’t think I harvested a single ear of corn. Today, I understood better why. There is a process to planting corn. Mike showed us the steps and then we got busy. The only step we did not try was tilling the rows for planting. Mike expertly guides the tiller along, making straight rows. He walks off to the side as he guides the churning machine and I feared I couldn’t maintain enough control as I lack the arm strength Mike has. However, we performed every other step and by the last row, we had a good working system.

After the row is tilled, plant food is scattered over the freshly turned earth and two of us used rakes to work the food into the soil and smooth. Mike showed us how to attach each end of a long cord to short pieces of rebar that stand at either end of the row. Then a metal tape measure is also attached to one rebar and held in place at the other end by a bucket full of dirt…or something. I never actually looked in the bucket! We would move down the row then, poking a hole in the warm soil with our finger, up to the second knuckle, at one foot intervals, dropping a single corn kernel in each hole. After the next row was prepared and the string and tape measure moved, one of us would move down the planted row with a yard rake, shallowly covering the corn.

Planting corn is not hard, but it is wearing on the body. We stretched our backs often and we were very grateful for a large tree to the side of the field which graciously offered its shade. Although the day was the warmest of the past week, there was a good breeze to cool us. We drank ample amounts of water. Work shared goes faster and also gives opportunity for chatting and laughing. Mike supervised us patiently and couldn’t resist grabbing a handful of the precious kernels and helping to plant. I had a new appreciation for the word “cornhole” after poking holes in the earth today and dropping a kernel in! I recently played the lawn game by the same name and understood where the name is derived from.

After planting corn we moved to a long row of bushy green plants and grabbing buckets, picked green beans. The children, who had been splashing in a pool, and Jon, who had been watching them, joined us. Ethan made a game of picking, seeing who could pick the most. I think he won. Mike showed us the maturing eggplant, okra, squash and tomato plants. I can see that there is always planting, harvesting or preparing to do here.

We also celebrated Uncle Rex today, as his birthday is the 22^nd. He seemed to enjoy the company today, and the children made him laugh. We brought lunch in and Uncle Rex enjoyed the peach pie especially. He is a sweet and joyful man with a wonderful sense of humor. I look at his handsome face and I catch a glimpse of my dad as well, who was Uncle Rex’s younger brother. My dad has passed but being with my uncle is a bit like being with my dad. It is bittersweet, the familiarity and yet the missing of him.

Next weekend, my sisters and I will once again meet at the farm and assist Mike in planting watermelons and cantaloupe. It will be a plentiful harvest this fall.

May 24, 2014

Day 144: Girls Outing to Andy’s Custard

My planned first for today didn’t involve family or food. However, when the day shifted and an opportunity presented itself for me to get together with my granddaughter, Aubrey, sister Linda, and her granddaughter, London, I seized it. Aubrey, 5 years old, and London, 4 years old, adore each other and treat each other more like sisters than second cousins. Aubrey misses London, and vice versa, when too much times passes without a play date.

We had a fun lunch at Chuck E Cheese. The girls chowed down on pizza, played games and danced with the mouse, Mr. Cheese himself. Since we’ve all eaten at this place many times, I considered dancing with him also, as a first. But that didn’t seem appropriate somehow.

As the girls used up their tokens, we discussed what we could all do, for my first today, that could involve the girls. We decided as we were leaving Chuck E Cheese to go to Andy’s for frozen custard. The little girls weren’t sure if they had eaten there before. Linda and I knew we had been there, and frozen custard isn’t on my list of acceptable foods, but off we went.

As we arrived in the parking lot, the girls recognized Andy’s. Everyone was agreeable to trying something new that they had not eaten before. London and Aubrey got children’s sundaes with rainbow sprinkles, Linda tried a new vanilla – chocolate concrete and I had Andy’s special for the month of May, a strawberry shortcake sundae. I did get the smallest size available!

The four of us had fun trying new treats. We chatted as we ate and snapped pictures to post with my blog and to capture a visual reminder of our special outing. The girls got to play at Linda’s house afterwards. These young ladies know how to get all the joy and fun possible out of spending time together. Watching them, listening to their animated conversations, clapping as they danced from their hearts, brought the assurance that all was well in my world. Children are wonderful teachers, showing by example how to live in the moment and find the happiness and perfection there. Thank you, Aubrey and London.