Gee - I’m - a - tree

 In high school my favorite subject was math. Specifically Geometry. I was very good at it. Maybe that’s why I love quilting, measuring squares, triangles, 1/4 inch seams -  all geometry!

My teacher would sometimes grade on a curve. When he did there was always an extra credit question. One day I walk into class and the test score were on the board. I got the highest - 105. 100 on the test and 5 points for the bonus question. Classmates were not happy with me.

I will never forget that question.

 “What does an acorn (we have lots of acorns) say when it grows up? Gee-I’m-a-Tree.

So I named our new tree. Mr. Z in honor of my teacher. Yes, it’s ok to name trees.

New addition to side yard

We had a crabapple tree there that died a slow death and had to come down. I liked the openness of the front yard.

Then After a storm we lost power and the down lines were behind our neighbors house.  ComEd thought it was a good idea to cut thru our yard.

Cost us $700 to fix it

Couple weeks ago they knocked on our door and asked to use our yard to get back there again. BIG NO!!! I showed them what happen last time. We needed to do something so they stop asking to go back there thru our yard.

Thanks to Wasco Nursery and these 3 gentlemen we got this beautiful blue spruce. It’s just a baby right now, but eventually it’s gonna be 15-20 tall. 

Now, the only question is Christmas light or no Christmas lights?

Grandparents Days

 We were very excited to visit our grandsons schools on grandparents day. 

We took a ride into the city last week to see and meet some of Owen’s and Luke’s teachers. The halls were crowded as usual, but Luke and Owen found us to guide us around to their different classrooms. 

Luke’s friend Peter took a picture of us in front of the book cover he designed to tell his story.

Luke is covering his book

We took a walk around - nothing much has changed since we took this walk with Roger, when he was in seventh grade, but it was nice seeing it thru Luke experiences. 

We found Owen and his other grandparents and posed for an another picture with both boys.

Proud grandparents

The priest was on a retreat so there was no mass. We got entertained by the school reciting and singing the rosary in the gymnasium. 

Luke being a seventh grader was in the back row

Owens turn put him in the back row also

Another successful visit.

Yesterday we headed on over to Notre Dame College Prep HS for our first visit to Roger’s new school. Their grandparents day was celebrated with a mass in the gymnasium. Roger joined us.

Proud grandparents again

He looked very grown up and polished. He was very happy to have us there and Mike and I were so proud to support him. We joined a few parents in the cafeteria for treats after the mass. I wish we had more time to see the school, but school was out and the halls were crowded, with boys talking, slamming lockers and laughing. Something’s about high school just doesn’t change.

A poem we were handed

So proud of these 3 Flory boys. I am very thankful that we could join them all at their schools.

Turning 70

 When you tell people you’re 70 years old their response is sometimes “age is just a number right”. Well no, for some it’s a milestone. 

My husband, Mike turned 70 yesterday. He has more than his share of health concerns. He faces them all with “What do I have to do to fix it? 9 years ago he had bypass surgery, got it fixed, but the doctors told him he may need a valve replacement down the road. 

Then 2 years ago the doctors told us it was time to get it fixed. Mike said “do what you need to do, cause I don’t want to die”. That was a gut punch for me. He felt his life was slipping away? He had the procedure and now 2 years later he is doing well. 

So, no, 70 is not just a number to us. It’s a sign of persistence and perseverance for us. 

And I was gonna make sure he celebrates it with his kids and grandkids.

Family

His kids

3 of six grandkids

We ordered his favorites. Wings from BWW and pizza from riverside tap (they have GF). I made him a lemon gluten free cake. Yes Mike has severe allergy to Gluten also that sometimes is dilapidating. Just something else he manages so he can show up for his golf games, and cheer the grandkids on at the football games. Being a Dad and Papa is his greatest joy. 

Happy 70th Birthday, Mike! 

St Paul

 Mike and I had a few days between his medical appointments so we decided to head up to St Paul to visit Steve. 

He lives in downtown St. Paul so we decided to stay close by and booked a room at the Hilton just 3 blocks away. DIRTY blocks. It was really disgusting. Thank god we had Steve to drive us around. They were replacing old pipes and so many streets were closed. 

Blocks and blocks of no streets

Right in front of Steve’s building

But oh what a beautiful building. It was one of the first buildings in the city built in 1889. It was the home of the first newspaper. The Pioneer Press.

Mike in the lobby. Steve had to come down and get us, because the elevator works only with a key

Elevator from behind, all open

It was built with an atrium that had a glass floor so the press had light in the basement

Stairwells were circular to each floor

We parked the car in the underground garage and Steve drove us around. Me waiting for “Uber Steve”

I read some of the reviews online and this place was either 1 or 5 stars. Everyone said to stay away from the buffet breakfast. We checked it out, just to make sure. We left laughing. Mike has to be very careful with gluten - we even have separate toasters at home. Nothing gluten free there, no breakfast sausage and the eggs were hard boiled. They were peeled though. The lady at the front desk, whose sister lives in Elgin sent us to a diner right around the corner. So good….

Took us awhile to get there walking

We took a drive out to “The Mall” - that’s all you gotta say “The Mall” - everyone knows what you mean.

Mike and Steve watching the rides

I noticed after I took this picture that one of Steve’s calves was bigger than the other. He said it’s been bothering him. He was walking slow too. I told him to get to his doctor. 

Didn’t stop him from taking us out to Stillwater the next day, where he used to live (think Galena) to walk around in and out of the antique shops. I love this bridge. 

Goes up and down like an elevator

We met a couple of his friends that he stayed in touch with from when he used to live up there in the 80’s for dinner. She’s a reader and we shared different authors we liked.

It was a nice getaway. Steve ended up in the hospital the day we left. He had blood clots in his legs. 

Roger’s Graduation

 Roger has graduated from the 8th grade. The graduates (all 36 of them) proceeded into the church in no particular order. None that I could figure out anyway. Roger was the last one to come in.

Saved the best for last 

After mass the eighth graders were given their diplomas.

A special word from his principal 

They left the church, all with big smiles on their faces, and gathered in the front of the church for one last group picture.

Throwing of the caps

All kinds of pictures were taken with friends and family. 

Time to say goodbye. He even said some goodbyes to his friends parents. Being such a small school and many of his friends have siblings in Luke’s and Owen’s class he got to know a lot of people.

He seems ready to move on. He says he is going to miss Mary Seat, but he is really looking forward to high school and being challenged academically. 

I had the opportunity to visit Notre Dame with Roger, when Mary was out of town and Bryan was working. We had to pickup his uniforms. I obviously didn’t see the whole school, but what I could see, I think he’s gonna fit in.

My grandson is now a “Don” at Notre Dame College Prep. I look forward to see what he can do. 

8th grade Awards

 Roger is leaving the only school he has ever known.  Kindergarten to eighth grade he has gone to the same school. Mary Seat of Wisdom! It’s a catholic school that has molded him into a smart, gentle, kind, religious young man.

He will be attending Notre Dame College Prep High School. 

Mike and I went into the awards ceremony to celebrate, where we knew Roger was getting the highest scholarship offered at Notre Dame. He scored a 99% on his test score, which was the highest over everyone that tested this year. What nobody knew was Roger got the first scholarship of the ceremony - a literature  one a family offers in honor a former student that loved reading and was tragically killed in a car accident at 17. It was for an essay he wrote. 

Accepting his literature scholarship 

The big honor was presented to Roger from the assistant principal at NDCP. Roger got a 4 year scholarship for 50% of his tuition each year. His friend Kieran got a scholarship too.

Bryan told me a story that when Roger registered for classes at the HS he wanted to take 7 classes. Both Mary and Bryan thought he needed a study period. A counselor came over and offered her help. When she saw his test scores she handed the paper back to Mary and told him he can take anything he wants. They all laughed. Since he tested into algebra 2 classes he admitted that maybe a study wouldn’t be so awful.

He is ready to get started at the all boys school where he will make new friends, find new interest, have a school with a large library, and be challenged.

We re so proud of him.

Generator

 We lose our power at least once a year. When that happens EVERYTHING is missing. No electricity means not only no power, but no water - being on a well that needs electricity for the pump. Last year it was for 4 days. It was work. So Mike and I decided to for go our winter vacation and put that money into a whole house generator. We knew there was a chance that we wouldn’t ever need it, but that’s ok. We have it when we do need it though.

Mike called around and got some estimates- yikes it was not going to be cheap. After procrastinating for a few months it was time to get it done.

I thought I wanted it on the south side of the house. Close to the gas meter and not to far to run the electricity. When I found out it would have to be 5 feet from the house because on the basement windows I said nope. They had to run the gas the length of the house thru the basement and the electric up the inside of the garage and thru the roof I said ok do it.

Tools of the installation 

Access to the gas

I’m so glad my flowers weren’t coming up yet. Where to put the generator was a discussion. Decided On the garage side of the house where we couldn’t hear it. 

Why they didn’t line it up with the pipes coming down the side of the house, but they didn’t and now we have more exposed pipes. I will soon paint them to match the house, but come on. The only time I really will see it is when I mow so I can live with that.

We now have insurance that we can live thru a power outage stress free. So bring on the storms (but not too bad,I really hate thunderstorms).