Sunday, August 26, 2007

Other Farm Day Activities


Now we're getting into a mishmash of the entire Farm Day in Michigan, while this, that and the other was happening besides the deadheading, jamming and word-processing (see posts below). This post is mostly from the adult perspective.


First of all, this is Don and Ruth's farm in Michigan, and here's the Chief Farmer, Don!


He does all the farmerly things, of course.


As does Ruth, who takes time out for Bishop, their farm cat, before the family arrives.


Ruth, my sister, is #8 of the 8 Sibs. I'm #3, with 11 years between us. She and I are the only faithful bloggers of the 8, so she and I are blogger buddies, big time. For her, this farm has been a form of therapeutic, inspirational, creative heaven.


Donica and I picked up Don and Ruth's daughter, Lesley, from the Detroit airport when we arrived. Lesley lives in NYC and hadn't seen her mom since April (when we 4 girls were all there together). So they had time for some tender moments before the festivities began.


Lesley and her cousin, Manda (Paul's wife, from the Jammers' session), share some catch-up time. We all had just recently found out that Manda has #4 child in her oven!


Now see Don, Ruth and Lesley sharing family time while the rest of us butt in. Actually, their son, Peter, was also there, with his girlfriend, Caitlin, but where are the pics?? Alas, none are to be found. So sorry, Peter and Caitlin. We ALL know you are definitely part of the family.


Paul (from the Jammers, and Manda's husband) is Mr. Photographer, big time. I've been told that he makes $300-400/month from his iStock photos. Ahem. That's why I'm buying a new dSLR camera. Maybe I can follow in his footsteps, now that I'm retired??


He also plays, with his cousin, Todd (son of my sister Nancy, from the Word Processors, and older brother of Eric from the Jammers). Are you keeping up with me?


Remember my sister Susan, the deadheader? This is her husband, Rodger, doing what he needed to do after a hard week's work...and just driving 5 hours from Chicago to be with us. A few hours later, he drove the 5 hours back, so no one begrudged him his hard-earned sleep.


Wilma (Paul's mom) is my brother Jim's wife. Big time boogie-woogie lady. Trust me. And she's DUTCH! She was in her mom's oven, so to speak, when they came over on the boat to America many eons ago. She'll try just about anything once and end up doing it well. She's also our chief buyer for cottage paraphernalia! Couldn't do it without her.


The big evening meal of the day was the event, of course, since we all like to eat. There's Donica, with her back to you. And Ruth on the right, of course. Sandy, in the middle, is my brother John's wife. John, the singer from the Jammers.


Here's Lesley again, getting the fixin's ready.


And of course, the chief cook, Don, with my brother, Jim, looking on. Yup, so that's how he does it!
And do you see Wilma and Donica shooting baskets in the background? Both of them were guards in high school basketball. But there was a difference in what that meant back then in the Middle Ages (I know, speak for myself), when Wilma played defensive guard with 6 players on the team and Donica played the entire floor with 5 players on the team. Hmm.

But as you see, there really was a lot going on that one day on the world's map in that one tiny speck in time. I guess we can call it an eternalized moment!

Next I'll do the same thing from the kids' perspective, when they weren't driving the tractor!

12 comments:

  1. i'm sure i'll enjoy the kids' perspective as much as the adults' one!!! :)

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  2. That was awwwwwesome!

    You know, you could put pictures up of the family and narrate what's going on in them, and I'd never get bored! I guess it's a good thing you put a time limit on your blogging!

    Thanks for coming to see my dissertation blog:)

    I've just had an interesting experience that knocked that boat out of the water. So, of course, I'll be making more changes! Ha- I love life!

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  3. Moi: I'm sure you will, if not more. :)

    RK: Time limit? What's that?! :) Thanks for checking in ever so often!

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  4. Hi I'm happy to meet ( by photo)your hus Donica THE CHIEF of the Farm and also the CHIEF COOK (wow!),
    your sis Ruth and her children, your brother Jim,
    your sister Susan's hus (sleeping) Rodger...Your cat/pet...


    ehhhh so far I can follow all the family,named and relations, but most important is....
    They all were having a great time right?

    Did you noticed see/red on my blog (your other chance-blog) that I nominated you with (my) "Thankyou" blog-award?

    Bye :0 smile of DUTCH JoAnn

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  5. Follow you - no way - you need to create a family tree. May be by the use of this tool:
    http://www.album2.com/landing.php

    You seems allways to have a blast wherever you are - and what a great and big family. And excellent photo's.
    Yeah, they might give you some "pocket"-money, presenting photos from all your travelling.

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  6. What is it with this people who can't keep a large family together??!! I married the oldest of 10 children (31 years ago) and I know them down to their birthdays -including grandchildren and great granchildren....what a hoot.. Loved this post...if not for the fun everyone was having but because of the many families that were there! I followed you! Lovely pictures and what memories. WE all get together in Petosky every summer...same idea. Thanks for stopping by for a visit...I will visit again!

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  7. JoAnn: I have to laugh because I'm sure I'm very confusing. Donica is a she and is my domestic partner. She is NOT Don, who is the husband of Ruth (my sister). HE is the Chief of the farm (not Donica). :) But other than that, you've done very well. And YES, I did notice that you nominated me. You are a real sweetheart!

    Ruth: Yes, it does. Like the energizer bunny. :)

    Tor: Where are you? I thought you were supposed to be in Amsterdam just about now. Let's extend the family and meet up! :)

    Neva: Wow. And I thought WE had a big family! Way to go. And thank you very much for finding me here and making a comment.

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  8. There's nothing like family fun, Ginnie!

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  9. Has it ever rained on Farm Day? There are so many people there, and you're all having so much outdoor fun, I wonder what you would all do if it was wet weather?
    How lovely to have a big family, I wish I had one too!

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  10. Ginnie, mind if I answer ex-shammickite? We've had 3 Farm Days (skipping one year), and every one has been the most God-perfect day you can imagine, although this last one was a wee bit hot, but still glorious. So we haven't answered the question yet about wetness for sure, but we've always said we'd cancel/postpone if it rained because we can't accommodate everyone inside our house.

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  11. RRD: You've got that right, Stacey!

    Ex-S: I'm glad Ruth answered for me, but that's exactly what I would have said! And yes, it's wonderful coming from a large family. My mom was an only child!

    Ruth: Thanks for answering Ex-S. Perfect!

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