Existing In BFE

Happy Labor Day

Congratulations to Jo and Gib Gosline of Burgess who recently celebrated their 70 th wedding anniversary in the newly renovated Burgess Civic Center. By any standard that is quite an achievement. As Gib said they have had only one fight in all that time, "...it started 70 years ago and is still going...".

We have been told, unofficially, that Brendan's unit is scheduled to return from deployment in Iraq, on or around November 11th. They will fly into Ft. Campbell and he will then have a month's leave around December 10th. Another emotional Welcome Home Ceremony (find the description somewhere in the list of blogs, its worth it) I know I'll have my box of kleenex with me to help others who may be unprepared. All this, of course, is fluid, but, by God, we are certainly getting closer to having him back in the U.S.

These guys were having a good time in my front yard pothole yesterday after a rainy day. Kind of refreshing to know that kids still wallow in mud, or at least they do in BFE .

Michael left us a short while to live in Florida. We received a call from his Mother wanting to know if I would come out and meet her in Virginia to bring Michael back home with me. She wanted to spend a little quiet time with her new husband, Brendan, who had graduated from Boot Camp earlier and was at his secondary training school. It took me about 15 minutes to round up a few things and head down to the bus station. It was grueling trip that encompassed Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C. But those were just the transfer stops. In between were stops in Peoria , Columbus, Wheeling, Harrisburg, King of Prussia, and Richmond, among others. The above depot is in Petersburg and that is where I picked him up. I remember him racing around a bench at the dimly lit place, and a friendly bus station employee who liked Michael and talked to him a bit. I told Michael we were going on a bus and of course he liked that idea. That is until it arrived. It pulled up under the ca...

...with Grampa dutifully following behind. He wore out two tires and that machine really got him around well. We got two extra batteries to assist after an unfortunate trip left us without power and poor grampa hauling it back home. Without a doubt one of the absolute all-time best purchases I've ever made. First day after I got the Raptor for him. We went out to Lake Story and let him ride in the nice big park areas.

On Friday night the Budweiser Clydesdales delivered beer to 11 downtown businesses. Here they are on Seminary Street about to get on Main. I could use a couple of them to help me with some yard work here in BFE .

I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each other's dreams, we can play together all night. ~Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes

Send in your captions for this picture. This is the future Mr. and Mrs. Blythe. Damn long-haired hippies.

"A dragon lives forever but not so little boys Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys." Today marks the birthday of my grandson's 6 th birthday. Michael Nathanial and sis Alhanna left to live in Oshawa, Ontario Canada last summer. He was 4 then about to turn 5. I have not seen him since. I will highlight our time together since he arrived at our house in Galesburg at the age of 2 1/2. Alhanna was born in Galesburg in October and then left shortly after so I don't have the history with her that I had with Michael. For two years Michael and I were inseparable . This is our story. They all arrived from Florida via a Trailways Bus. Brendan, Lindsay and little Michael. He could barely talk and was quiet. Certainly not love at first sight. In fact I think I referred to him as a "friend of a friend" when discussing our little man who moved in with Nancy and I that cold winter night. Brendan saved Lindsay and Michael from a tough situation and we...

Mackenzie and Brendan: As you guys know, Missy is beginning to show her age. She is 12 now and has reached her expiration date. She is still bouncy on walks, hungry constantly, and sleeps much of the day away, but she is hard of hearing and has cataracts. She loves the piggy tug-of-war toy and the G rinch toy she got last year for Christmas. She went in yesterday to get her nails done and I noticed a new cyst on her side. This one concerns me because it is different than the soft cysts on her tummy. Her appetite is good but she seems to be losing weight, or hair. Her check -up is in October and I'll ask the Doc about them. If I thought she was in pain or uncomfortable I'd take her in but she seems just fine. For those who are not aware of Missy Marie she is Kenzie's pound dog and one of the most loveable dogs you'd ever want to meet. Of course she lacks many of the qualities really great dogs possess, but she makes up for it in other ways. Missy has not an ounce of...

Blick Art Materials is offering me additional hours. Instead of 2-6 I will now work 3 hours at the Warehouse starting at 11:00 a.m. "packing", then at 1:30 head over to Central to process Fed Ex packages. This is a good thing for me, not so good for Missy. She'll just have to squeeze in another nap till I get home.

Somewhere out West seems like a great place for the old family vacation. You gather the kids and sell it by saying, "The West has scenery and hiking trails. Go where few have ever gone, and enjoy the Big Sky, no traffic and unimaginable vistas." Then you get out on one of the trails and you see something kind of interesting, perhaps something to explore. You get closer. And closer. I don't know about you, but if I make it back to my car, and hotel, and laundromat, vacation is over. Sure hope the kiddies and wife can move as fast as I can.

My brother and sis-in-law invited me over for breakfast this morning and had biscuits and gravy. I have discovered that a lot of people enjoy breakfast food(s). Many prefer breakfast and like almost all of the wide variety that breakfast offers. I am no different, and biscuits and gravy may be my favorite. Nancy and I went to a cool place in Clarksville for breakfast and they had B & G that was to die for. A small ma-and-pa type place that we took the kids and everyone liked because the decor was a cobbled mish -mash and wasn't the least bit stuffy. But I digress. Brother Phil is the hardest working person I know. He travels constantly, has to catch flights and has long weeks that sometimes goes into the second. He has to "on" for his contacts and has to manage a large staff. Tough work. We have worried at times about a diversion in his life that may allow him to slow up a bit and relax, unwind and get his mind off work. I have been trying to get him to buy an old ca...