Monday, March 28, 2022

Spring's here and I'm so glad!

This past winter has been sort of rough because sunless days depress me!  I'd say it was sort of an average Indiana winter -- some snow, some cold, etc. etc. etc.  But I'm glad for spring to be here!  In fact, the lawncare people are here today in the complex spreading something (probably fertilizer/weed killer).  The grass is greening up, the robins are back, I have finches at my feeder, I've seen flocks of sandhill cranes fly over, and I've seen crocus and daffodils blooming.  Great!

Since I've posted last I did get my garage sorted -- with the help of Jeff, Ray and Gloria.  We had a good day.  And it didn't take as long as I thought it might.  Very sad, seeing more of Wendell's things go.  It's like I'm discarding a part of him when I do this.  The boys took a few things, Jeff took a couple things to see if the local pawn shop wanted to buy them, and I took a load that filled the cargo area of my car to Goodwill in Richmond.  And we threw some stuff away.  I've got the nail holes patched and sanded, and now I need to call the painter and have my garage walls painted.  (If my knee wasn't bothering me so much, I would paint it myself.  But I don't think I could climb up and down the ladder over and over like I used to.  I've decided that when we get Veronica graduated this spring, I'll try to schedule knee replacement.)  Then, I bought a roll-around work bench with storage drawers, and I think it will hold just about all I want to have out there in the way of tools.

I've been crocheting hats.  And hats, hats, hats.  I should have kept count!  I think I already mentioned that our knit & crochet group, that meets weekly in Farmland, has committed to provide 800 knitted or crocheted hats for Christmas for a local charity.  Yikes!  We already have about 250 and I'm hoping we don't run out of steam before we get done.  (We may end up buying some, who knows ...)  So, every time I sit down to watch TV or take a break, I am crocheting away on a hat.  (But I love it!)

I did finish the photo organization project.  Best find was my 1962 scrapbook, which I had completely forgotten about.  Some neat stuff there.  Along the way I also organized the photos on this computer.  I started a folder called "Wendell & Judy".  Thought I'd share several from that folder, sort of time travel through the years.  Here goes...

1961, dating.  He was home on leave from the USAF.

1963, our wedding day.

1963, newlyweds at our apartment in Cape Canaveral, FL.  He was stationed nearby, at Patrick AF Base.


1982, studio portrait.

1987, aboard the Nathaniel Bowditch, a 3-masted schooner, off the coast of Maine. Great vacation!  

1990, in Brown County, at the T.C. Steele home and studio.

About 1990, church directory photo.

2007 The Colts win the Super Bowl!! And we waited in line an hour to touch the trophy!  We were Colts season ticket holders for 35 years.  (He was so happy that day!)

2008, atop Mt. Hopkins, near Green Valley AZ, on an observatory tour.


2012, we had a studio photo taken in anticipation of our 50th wedding anniversary.

2018, our first selfie, in the kitchen.

2020, we said our goodbyes to our church family in Freedom.  Happy/sad day!  To my knowledge, this is the last photo of us together.


Well, that's all for now.  I move forward!  God is good!