Fairy Garden

I wasn't going to write about the wedding we went to yesterday, but you'll see why I changed my mind in a moment. Oh-- if you haven't read the previous entry about the cousins starting school, please read it as well. Those kids are growing like weeds (did I really say that?) and getting older by the minute (did I really say THAT?).

Katie, the daughter of a friend of ours and also a former fifth grade student of mine, got married yesterday afternoon outside of Stillwater at Camrose Hill Flower Studio and Farm. If you take a look at the website, be sure to choose the farm tour link to see how lovely it is. The pictures will show it better than I can describe it.

When I'd looked at the site last week, I saw a picture of a fairy sculpture that was charming and funky. I found it near the reception tent and managed to get a photo without human distractions all around. Not easy, because it was a busy area, but I was patient, managed to lean in the right direction at the right time, and got a passable photo.

Then this little guy showed up. He loved the fairy, too. I loved watching him admire her, and then admire his shoes.

The most fun of the evening was talking to two SPHS classmates of Katie. Christine and Kari remembered a lot of the same things I remembered when they were in my class, and we shared other funny moments that they can be amused by now that they're adults! Their memory of that year is especially clear because the St. Peter tornado occurred in March of their 5th grade year, and it brought an already close and caring class even closer. It's funny for me to be Mrs. Potts to them now that they're in their late 20's. I'm working on being "Jill" to them. They sent a selfie of the three of us to their friend Andy (also in their fifth grade class), who's in Boston (I think). I told them I would be surprised if he knew it was me standing between them. Christine said, "Don't worry--I told him it was you." I'm somewhat relieved she didn't add, "I wouldn't take a picture of just any old lady to send to Andy."

Beautiful wedding, good time talking to not only Kari and Christine, but friends from Gustavus that we haven't seen in a while.

Off to school they go

Time flies. School is underway for all the kiddos. Vivi and Westy have joined the ranks of their siblings and cousins, meaning that all six Dellon/Grimmius/Potts cousins are officially in kindergarten or above. To quote Dr. Seuss, “How did it get so late so soon?” Pardon me while I take a moment to cry. Don't get me wrong, it is exciting to have each of the cousins grow and change, but not so dang fast, please.

Owen and Ethan started the cousin school parade this fall, earlier than usual because St. Peter is building a new high school facility and remodeling parts of the other school buildings, so extra days and minutes will be needed next summer to get the work done. Lucky boys--they ditched the cereal in favor of Star Wars waffles on their first day!

Here they are with Mommy, smiling and ready to be second graders.

Backpacks on and these two are ready to go. Have a great year!

Vivi and Hannah were next. They happen to go to school in a school district that will likely become a model for what NOT to do in planning and executing bus routes. Buses that arrive 30 minutes late, head for the airport instead of school, don't arrive at all, and cause anxiety for little kids gave Vivi a bit of stress in her first week of Kindergarten. But she'll get it all in order, and will soon benefit from Hannah's support and guidance. After all, Hannah is a 4th Grader and knows her way around Frank Porter Graham Bilingüe School.
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These two look sweet from any angle.

Shaking hands, ready for school at FPG!

The traditional opening day of school in MN is the day after Labor Day (exceptions made for building projects and natural disasters). This allows everyone to go to the MN State Fair and see the teeshirts Annie discovered. In case you haven't seen them, be warned you may need to cover your eyes for some. 

Owatonna followed tradition this year, so Westy and Miles got started on Tuesday. Westy is at KK for Kindergarten, with lots of his preschool and K-Prep buddies. Annie says the parents are holding their collective breath and praying for the Kdg teacher's well being. Ha ha!  Miles is in 3rd Grade at McKinley, and ready to learn cursive. Happy start to M and W!

Front view

Back view

 Kids Korner Kindergarten Kiddo

McKinley Monkey Miles

Hugs and kisses all around to cousins and their parents. Kiddos -- enjoy the new pencils, crayons, markers, and notebooks, learn lots, have fun, and be happy. Pretty soon tempus will fugit for you, too, and you'll understand what Dr. Seuss meant, and why your gma cries when you go back to school in the fall.  Love you all lots and lots.

Belated coverage of August Cousin Event

The Cousins visited in August, over the weekend of the Nicollet County Fair. Here are some of them, strolling in the back way, near the animal barns.

 Just because it's cute.

Miles recently became educated in the ways of cow management, so he shared lots of information with all of us. Sadly, there was no sign of Dollop (Miles' calf buddy) or Dollop's mom Daisy. Cows don't travel from county fair to county fair the way carnival rides do, and since Daisy and Dollop are Steele County residents, we really didn't expect to see them.

Ethan was particularly fond of this goat. He referred to her as Queen Elizabeth because of the royal garb.

The Nicollet County Fair equivalent of Machinery Hill at the MN State Fair is more like Lawn Vehicle Flats. Some big farm machinery, but mostly smaller vehicles the kids still love to climb on and pretend to drive. This little red buggy was their favorite mode of transportation. Gustie sunglasses from Uncle Charlie makes the Cousins look especially cool.

Milkshakes from the dairy stand always taste good, although next year we need to remember that most of the kids, younger and older, as well as Gpa & Gma, were on overload half way through the big, thick, smooth shakes. Who will share with me next year?

We took this one for Angie, who was both learning and sweltering 
in Baltimore. We missed you, Angie.

Swimming. Jumping off the boards, balancing on the WIBIT, swimming under water, lounging on deck. It's the perfect way to spend an afternoon. Oh yes... and eating treats at the pool, too.

As with every Cousin get-together, I could post 100 more photos. I'll stop here, though, leaving you with a few last images. This... 

a Star Wars invasion...

...dogs and their proud owners... 

... and two lazy sisters.

Our ears have (mostly) stopped ringing from the noise. As always between visits, we miss those crazy, sweet, smart, huggable, smoochy, and wonderful grandkiddos. Happy start to the school year to all of them from Gpappy and me.

Lawrence Donald Potts

Email from LWP to family members:

Guys,Today is the 100th anniversary of Dad/Grandpa/great-grandpa Larry's birth! July 18, 1916. 100 years before that Abraham Lincoln was a seven-year old! Take a minute to think about him. The attached picture was from 1943, when he was working on the Manhattan Project in WWII. I miss him and think of him often.

love,

Dad/Lar/Unc/Gpa

Figs, sharks and the OCC

What's going on with the cousins lately, you might ask. And what do figs, sharks, and the OCC have to do with any of it? 

FIGS

Eating figs on the Adriatic Sea. Just another day in Croatia for Vivi and Hannah, and the Rappold girls!

SHARKS

It's Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, which E and O find thrilling and entertaining. Ethan wrote, produced, directed, and acted in his own version of a recent episode.

Notice that there is an age range for admission to the play. This episode is not suitable for men under 7 or over 70, nor for girls under 34 or over 67. Fortunately, the blood washed off in the water after the shark bit off Ethan's left arm. Or was it his right arm?

Miles and Westy live in the OCC swimming pool for much of the summer. Fun to see underwater photos of the two of them, taken by creative lifeguards.

 

Water is the common denominator, if it wasn't obvious from the start. Great ways to make a splash this summer!

Irene Kirsch and Charles Reps

Annie reminded me this morning that today would be my parents' 68th wedding anniversary. They were married on June 3, 1948 (Did I do the math right?).  I've posted a photo of them on their wedding day previously, or at least I think I have. I couldn't find it on a quick perusal of June blog entries going back to 2008, but it's there somewhere. In the interest of posterity, I'll put a few photos here.  

An unusual tidbit: they were married on a Thursday morning. I sent off an email to Aunt Mary Alyce to see if she knows anything about whether that was common, or what the deal was about a weekday wedding. 

It's disappointing that there weren't family pictures taken. It would be fun to see what some of my other relatives looked like then. There were only 50 people at the reception, so it's possible that just the immediate family was at the wedding, and most of the guests were Roscoe folks. After all, Grandma Bene was from a "prominent Roscoe family". You might be interested to know that the population in Roscoe at that time was around 180. Everyone must've been prominent at that time. Today, too. Current population is about 100. Makes Spring Valley seem like a metropolis.

Wedding party: My mom's friend Helen, Gma Bene, Gpa Charlie, my aunt Mary Alyce, and my dad's friend Wayne 

To get out of the church, Gpa Charlie had to pay off the altar boys. We followed this tradition at our wedding, too.

Must've been a big enough pay off because Gma Bene and Gpa Charlie were able to break free.

I love this picture. The clothing from the 40's is fun to see. All those hats!

My grandparents: Marcus (Stub) and Martha Kirsch; Emma and Fred Reps (Grandpa Reps was known as Fritz to some of his family, although I never heard him called that when I was a kid.) 

And then there is the famous letter that Marguerite gave me several years ago. Marguerite wasn't able to be at Grandma Bene and Grandpa Charlie's wedding -- she and Lyman lived in California, and it was too expensive to come home. I'm glad she couldn't, because this letter wouldn't exist if she had.

There is so much information in letter, the most fun being Grandma Reps' attitude toward Catholicism and toward the Kirsches. AND, there's a good recipe at the end!

Birthday girl

Happy Birthday, Hannah!

We love you and we hope 9 is the best year yet!