Bowlway

Time to say Goodbye..

I loved going here.

This place has so many great memories.

I bowled in the Thursday Night Ladies league here for 22 years.

I bowled in a Sunday league with Dad and Sharen and Dup for a few years. 

Mike and I bowled in a Saturday night league.

I made so many great friends here.

Team High 5

Stayed late and drank too much.

Sang some pretty awful Karaoke.

Dixie Chicks??

Celebrated Engagements (Sharen and Dup's).

We had this great party for Bobby Richardson's birthday one year. I ran around taking all kind of pictures and then I realized I had no film (Yes, it was WAY back then). I asked Bobby if he would ever forget this party He said. "No". I told him "Good, because I didn't have film in my camera." he never let me forget that.

I first met Mike in the bar here. It was a Saturday and I was hanging out watching golf on TV.

He had just come from spending the night at a temporary shelter that he set up for the families who were misplaced from the flooding in the south of Elgin. He came in to see his Dad and have a Pepsi and unwind before heading home.

Mike first suggested that we get married one Sunday night siting in the bar after bowling. I needed surgery on my foot and was putting it off because I had crappy insurance. 

He offered to marry me for his insurance. We all know how great that turned out.

It had just 16 lanes

I missed the place when I quit. I missed the people. I missed the noise. I missed the unique smell that a bowling alley has.

I gonna miss Bowlway!

It was such a great place to be.....

3 Very Important Women in My life Turn 40

I've been gone for awhile.
My reason have been personal.
Did my readers really care that I've finished 6 quilt tops, 7 puzzles, and 8 books. Thank God the library is open again. (Those darn paperbacks are hard to read - I want my large print) Probably not. Though I do have to say some of the quilts are my best yet.
I did skip posting about Logan's graduation. 50 years after mine. I feel bad about that one.
We have 7 immediate family birthdays in May. Happy Birthday to Kathy, Keith, Jack, Kaylyn, Stacy, Brian and Mary.
I get angry with people who don't take this virus seriously, so I don't say anything and just do what is best for me and Mike. Sometimes that is saying No and sometimes just leaving when I feel uncomfortable.
I am related to someone who was hospitalized with Covid and survived, so I know how bad this shit is.

One thing I must do is tell you about 3 very important young ladies that all turned 40 within the last few weeks.
My amazing step daughter, Stacy's birthday was May 19. She turned 40.

 

Stacy and her kid. 

Stacy was 3 when I joined her family. She wasn't to thrilled about me being with her Daddy when she couldn't. We finally got there and now we are close. I know she loves me, I can feel it and I love her. Her kids call me Grandma and I proudly claim them as mine.

My beautiful Daughter-in-law, Mary, turned the big 40 on May 30.

Mary was the only girl that Bryan ever brought home to meet us. I knew right then that she was someone very special. Bryan loved her and soon I saw why. I love her too. She goes out of her way to let me know when things are happening in the Flory house and I really appreciate her for that.

My special Niece, Carrie turned 40 on June 4th.

Carrie and her kids

I knew that we would have a bond the first time I held her. The day we got tattoos together (her 18th birthday) I knew that I would do anything for her. Come on Tattoo? She (and Sharen) share the twins with me and that means everything to me.

There were no parties for any of them. I made sure I saw each one of them on their birthday. I really had to let them know just how much their love for me means, and my unwavering love for them will always be there.

So Happy Birthday sweet lovely ladies.

50 Years Ago - June 5th, 1970

It was a HOT evening. It rained and stormed all day.
The rain stopped just in time for us to line up outside the High School in alphabetical order to march into the Gym to get our diplomas.

The gym was split half the seniors on one side, half on the other. Sharen and I lucked out. We got to walk in together and were the last two in on the left side, which meant we were the first ones out. It was so hot...

Most of us were headed on to college. Some were just happy to get thru High School. Me I already had a job lined up.
With a few days left of school and a couple days after I got suspended for skipping class I got called down to the principals office. I'm thinking they must of found out that I didn't actually leave school that day, but spent the day playing cards in the Sr. lounge. (That way I could tell Mom and Dad that I DID go to school.)
No, Mr. Alexander, the principle, offered me a job.
They were looking for a scheduler and I was recommended for it. I still to this day do not know who recommended me. I asked - no one would say.
Of course, I took it.
That was back in the day when everything was done by hand with IBM cards.
I spent 3 months pulling cards and building class schedules for kids that I went to school with.
Yes, I did think about putting kids I didn't like with crappy classes. I was 17!
I loved the job. I loved the work. I love the people I worked for and with. (Sharen was hired a couple weeks after me as the Guidance Office secretary)  didn't have any problem going from student to employee.

Our tassels

My grandson, Logan, graduated this year. I have no words of wisdom for him. I just told him to think about the choices he's given and make the choice that feels right for him at that time.

Wow... 50 years ago!!!

Scoops

Every Christmas we get together with Sharen and Dup.
We usually exchange small gifts. Just to let each other know "we appreciate you."  I have no problem thinking of a gift for Sharen, but some times Dup takes a little more imagination.
When I saw a guy on a TV show (don't remember which one) using scoops, I thought OMG Dup needs them.
He mows the lawn into a pile in the center of the yard, then picks it up and puts it into lawn bags. He needed scoops to make it easier. I thought!!
Cleaning out the leaves around the house this spring Sharen tried out the scoops. She loved them.
We have 11 trees in our yard and why don't we have scoops? I fixed that real quick when we started our spring cleaning of our flower beds.  I went over to the Ace Hardware store and bought some.

Into Garbage Can, Then into the Fire Pit

One Fell Scoop

Sharen was right - These things rock.
No a bad idea for a Christmas present.

Easter 2020

It wasn't what I would of chosen for a Easter celebration.
When things are taken out of your control, you make it what you can.
There are some things Mike and I were going to keep as normal as possible.  I cooked the normal meal and we sat at the dining room table with the good dishes. We will have plenty more of meals from the left over ham.
Then things changed....
We watched mass on TV.
We got a social distance visit from Stacy - who brought us a Easter basket with eggs and sterile gloves. That we sweet.
That tells me that they miss us as much as we miss them. I let them know that I am counting on long, hard hugs in our future.

We got to facetime with the Flory family.

The Florys

One of the benefits of modern technology is staying connected at any moment. Talking with someone instantly and to spend time actually seeing them move, talk and giggle and seeing that everything is ok is huge.
I made bunny face masks for the boys.
Owen got so excited he screamed. Made our hearts happy.

Yes, Owen it's Grandma and Grandpa

We took a walk and many of the neighbors were out and about.
So I guess you can say we spent our Easter 2020 with them.

Doing Our Part

I got a text message from Linda asking me if I was making masks. I told her no.
That night I got a call from my stepson Brian asking me if I would me interested in making some masks for his roommates place of work. They needed some.
I then thought jeez, Karen why are you NOT making them?
You have the material. You have the elastic. The neighbor saw to that.
What exactly is stopping you?
I told Brian I would give it a try, so he sent me a specific pattern they were looking for.
I did some research on what people were using for the filters.
Interfacing seemed to be the material of choice. Good Luck with that. Everywhere I looked - Sold Out.
Brian brought over a box of Swiffer dry clothes to use. He saw it online as a substitute.
They weren't looking for masks that will take them into a war zone area. Just precaution for the work place.
Of course, I called my partner in crime (and everything else that matters). Sharen came over and we tagged team this project.

Hard at Work

Feels good to be Helping

Sharen cut out the material with the pattern Brian had given to me and I sewed the pieces together.
We took this on like the serious crafters we are and had a great time doing it.
We both agreed that it was a feel good day.
Spending the afternoon together laughing and talking and doing something important was just what we needed.
We made 2 for Linda and Deanna. and I'm sorry I ever told her I wasn't doing it.
My gosh, if you can't do something for the ones you love the most then shame on you.

Yes, I finally got rid of that crappy Cubs material

All the masks are reversible and washable.

Self Isolation

What is a quilter to do when you are in self Isolation and you run out of thread?

Bucket of empty spools

Order some online and wait, I guess!