Wow, That Went By Fast

I can't believe that summer is over and fall is here already. I have to admit that summer is my favorite season, but if I have to give it up for now fall is a good season to give it up for. I was sorting through pictures this morning and pulled out these that, if not the best pictures, hold good memories for me of the summer that just flew by.

A tether ball challenge between Hope and Uncle Rob.

Rob seems just a little too happy about beating a 10 year old, but then Hope is a pretty fierce competitor. 

Lots of family get-togethers made the summer extra good for me....this must have been one, or else it was a sunglasses commercial. 

Joanna, Jill and Leah

There were lots of fun water activities......

Justin

Swimming lessons for EJ.....she loved her teacher, once she got past the fact that he had lots of "fur" under his arms. 

The Elmo sprinkler was at the top of Beck's list for fun in the water.

Tennis in 90 degree temps didn't look that fun to me, but Justin played a lot of it. 

And. of course, the best of summer foods......peaches......

Hope

and popsicles.

Beck and EJ

Thanks for your indulgence with my "happy summer" post. I'll try to come up with a good rant soon. 

A Good Dad

Jared and Joel following 5K race

My grandson, Jared, 11, and his dad, Joel, ran a 5K race at a local town festival yesterday. I may be in big trouble for posting this picture of them immediately following the race. It is the "far from best" (I didn't want to say worst) picture I've ever seen of Joel who is really a very good looking man. I'm not sure if he was thinking " at least let me swallow my water before you take the picture", or "hurry up and take the picture because I think I might need to throw up".  

The reality is that Joel probably shouldn't have been running the race at all.....he had been dealing with a kidney stone for the previous 10 days or so and that problem was resolved only a couple of days prior to the race. I did see him later in the day and he looked much better, but I'd say he is a Good Dad for rising to the occasion.

Jared, it seems, is also a good son. He came in 2nd in his age group in the race and he quietly told his mom later that he would have won, but that he had to slow down a little for his dad to keep up with him.

Friday Fragments

The "partial" part of my being partially retired has kicked in and I have been working for the last week and a half. Whew! I don't know how I did that every day.  I am back to the "retired" part until a couple of days at the end of the month.

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 My family has been making our way through my favorite season, cake season, celebrating three birthdays since the first of September. My youngest grandson, Beck, turned 2 and celebrated early with a party with lots of friends and a very cool "dirt cake", put together in the back of a dump trunk.

On his real birthday yesterday he celebrated with their traditional "2" pancake. He got his favorite mac and cheese and more cake later in the day.

My son. Rob, and my oldest daughter, Jill, whose birthdays are 5 days apart, celebrated with a yummy ice cream cake. I guess they have gotten so old that a candle for every year might have melted the cake, so they just had one candle to blow out.

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My grandkids, except Beck, are all back in school. There were lots of first day of school pictures, but I especially liked this one. EJ wanted an FD, for first day, pancake instead of a P for preschool. Smart girl....she got lots more pancake that way.

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Did any one see this? Apparently not very many people saw this Salute to Veterans at a Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau field.  The network chose to show commercials instead of this thank you to our military. It was done with cards placed under each seat. It took 90 workers two weeks to place the cards for this show of patriotism. The cards changed several times during the show.

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With the start of school  fall sports are in full swing for my grandkids. I will have my choice of baseball, basketball, football and soccer games to go to. It is all fun, but I no longer feel like I have to get to all the games.....I pretty much go to the ones that are closest and at the most convenient time.

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I May Be A Baby Boomer, But.....

Holy Moly! Yes, I am a Baby Boomer, but this newspaper ad directed toward the Boomer generation did way more to make me feel depressed than it did to make me interested in attending the event.

It may be a little hard to read, but the exhibitors include several funeral homes, numerous assisted living facilities, memory care centers and a couple of places for people who have hearing problems. Throw in a couple of hospitals and clinics, an anti-aging skin cream company, a mobility company and another senior housing place or two and the fun has just begun.

I know, I know, this is probably all good information for someone my age, but I think I may just go to a movie that day.

I'm afraid to even imagine what the door prizes and snacks might be.

I Love A Parade

I especially love our little town's annual Labor Day Parade that my family has gone to (or been in) for over 25 years. The parade is pretty much the same year after year so my focus is the kids who keep getting bigger year after year.  My oldest grandson missed the parade this year because he was camping with a friend. I'm sure he was fine with it, but his mom and I were a little sad.

Anticipation

Call me sappy, but I always get a little teary when the parade starts with the fire engines, sirens blaring, from the local volunteer fire department. It was pretty exciting one year when several of them had to peel off mid-parade to go fight a fire.

"Mr. Bones" has been to as many parades as we have but he is always a crowd favorite.

This is my favorite picture....the kids all know to stand and salute the flag as the color guard passes by. Even Beck, in the background, almost got his hand over his heart. 

Then he showed his patriotism with a little flag waving.

My daughters always stand and sing the fight song when their old high school band passes by. 

Go Centaurus

The kids......not as impressed by this as they once were. 

The "labor" part of the Labor Day Parade always shows up at the end of the parade. 

Then off to lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. The big kids had some kind of game going that involved a folded piece of paper flying across the table....I know, I know, manners and all, but I was sitting by them so they got away with it.

The little girls were just happy to pose for pictures,

until they weren't.....I think this is their "no more pictures, Grandmom" pose.

Another year, another parade. I hope there are many more to come. 

Olympics Revisited

My grandson, Wil, turned 7 last week. On Sunday he had a family birthday party which was a visit back to this summer's Olympic competition. When the guests arrived they were greeted by an Olympic (Tiki) torch to set the tone for the day's games.

The badminton court looked very cool with its Olympic rings.

The boxing was a very popular and competitive event.

Beck, almost 2, was right out there with the big kids on the badminton court.

The (un)synchronized swimming was a big crowd favorite.

If hugging ever becomes an Olympic event these two 4 year old cousins will be medal winners for sure.

There was some pretty heavy competition in the track and field events,

which included the discus throw,

and shot put,

but in the end, everyone was a winner.

The award ceremony included gold medals for the winners and birthday cake for everyone.

Yep, another family event where the best part for me was kids of all ages having fun together.

Warning! For those who have been coming here for a while, there will be another annual Labor Day parade post coming up on Monday. I know, it is the same every year, but it is event my family has attended together for over 25 years and I just can't help myself. 

Chicken Fat

This blast from the past showed up on my car radio this morning. Most all of us (at least those of a certain age) will remember the Chicken Fat song, also known as "The Youth Fitness Song".

The song was written for President Kennedy's Physical Fitness Program and was distributed to all the school districts in the country in the early 60s. It was composed by Meredith Wilson and recorded by Robert Preston, both of Music Man fame. 

It became a hit song and was played in both schools and homes. I remember working out to it in gym class (wearing the one-piece gym suit that was the requirement of the day). For a time at my school it was even played each morning over the school speaker system so kids and teachers could work up a sweat before the day began.

Wherever and whenever it was played, when it came to the tag line Give that chicken fat back to the chicken and don't be chicken again!, everyone sang together at the top of their lungs.

Maybe a resurrection of the Chicken Fat song is just what we need to help solve the problem of today's childhood obesity.

If this song is a blast from your past, do you have any Chicken Fat Memories?