February began with Julee and the girls here for a visit. So glad when they arrived safely and without incident – well nothing out of the ordinary, anyway. Lori and the boys also came for several days so the sisters could visit and the cousins could play. Several times I thought of something Dan said while we were at the Ellsworth house the first of January. It went something like this: He had discovered that when Ces and Wm were together, there was only ONE toy in the whole bonus room! Sharing seems to be the first major lesson that little ones need to learn.
We knew the anniversary of Arthur’s death was just a few days away and wanted to do something for Nancy. We (us girls plus Wm & Jack) offered to take her out for dinner and she accepted. We even let her choose the place and that was J’s. We all had so much fun together. After we ate, we let the kiddos play on the mall rides. They went through several quarters and had a great time. Nancy and Julee even shopped a little bit.
We also went to G’ma M’s one afternoon to see her. I rode out to Rocky River with Joe, and then Julee and the girls came by to get me. Ces was so cute holding Bla Bla and Penny up to the window so they could see RR as we left. Much too cold that day for her to do any exploring. We had a good visit with G’ma and made several pictures. Julee was excited to get some 4 generation shots with Natalie.
Bryce and his fam joined us for dinner one night. Keeley brought cupcakes and we had an early b’day celebration for Kyndal. So good to have that many of the kids together, along with their children. Natalie had lots of arms anxious to hold her!
Let the record show - it wasn’t all fun and games while we had two mommies and 4 little ones here. A huge septic tank problem raised its ugly head and Joe had to get someone to come pump the tank and clean out lines. Thankfully, they were able to come quickly. Some things we learned: It really is a good idea to use a bacterial additive once a month in your drains. The number one culprit for sewer line blockage is baby wipes – they NEVER dissolve. (That wasn’t our problem, though). Toilet paper is another big factor. The soft, thick kind takes longer to dissolve. Cheaper is better. :) Detergent and grease are major contributors, but the additive is supposed to take care of that. Oh, and one of the water supply lines for the geothermal unit got clogged from well water debris and we had to have a serviceman here to correct that. So, other than no heat and clogged drains, everything was just peachy. Opposition in all things, huh?
Patrick and Blake joined us on the last weekend Julee was here. We had a BIG breakfast on Saturday to celebrate various birthdays. We also combined forces to make a G’ma Miller Chocolate Cake Saturday night. Not sure if it could compete with hers, but we think it could be a close second.
Everyone went their separate ways on Sunday except Julee and girls. They had planned to leave a few days later. The departure date got extended because of Julee’s mishap as she was loading the van and some ice and snow. We got to keep them a little while longer since they didn’t leave until Friday (11th). We were glad when they arrived safely and without incident (nothing major, anyway) at their KY destination.
That same evening, Joe and I had an early Valentine’s Day celebration. We took the General Jackson Showboat dinner cruise. It was fun to see the Nashville skyline from the Cumberland River as we took the fourteen mile round trip. That was our favorite part, though. The country music show was next. The food was last. Been there. Done that.
The next night, Katie & Chas stayed with us while their parents had a Valentine date. K & C played for a while and then we all watched Secretariat and ate homemade cookies.
After we endured the very cold start to February, the weather turned amazingly mild (right after Julee left). It’s not amazing to have warm days in February. It is amazing, though, that the days have pretty much remained that way. We had our first round of severe storms on the 24th (one of G’ma M’s big walnut trees was uprooted) and the second round on the 28th. Daffodils are blooming and trees are budding. It’s not looking good for the fruit crop this year. It’s way too warm for too long a time this early in the year.
One day we went over to Walden’s Ridge which is the portion of the Cumberland Plateau east of the Sequatchie Valley. Joe purchased a bee hive from a family who has an organic veggie farm that markets their produce through a cooperative in Knoxville. We traveled Hwy. 30 through Spencer and Pikeville to the Dayton area. We don’t have bees, yet, but plan to get some when they’re available in April. Those will come from Maryville. Someday, we may have some honey to share. :)
Because of the nice weather, we spent a lot of time at Rocky River the last part of the month. For the first time since we bought the property three years ago, the whole bank along the river (to the bridge) and the bank above the driveway have been cleared (except for one little spot which we’ll attack in the next few days). Hip-Hip-Hooray!!!
