Somebody Special's Birthday

Once upon a time, sometime in March, it was Granddaddy Dickens' birthday....

And so we celebrated.....all of us!   

G Loves These People!

and this place

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord.

  Psalm 127:3

Stranger in the Snow

A strange visitor was sighted in the front yard of G's house during the big snow of 2018. Who could this mysterious stranger be?

He was even spotted as close as G's front porch! Should she have called for help? Was G's house in danger from a spy using the snow for cover?

Oh wait...upon closer examination...it appears that the shadowy being is just...
Granddaddy Dickens!

Happy to report...all is well.

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord.Psalm 127:3

Uncivil War Re-enacted

"We talked the matter over and could have settled the war in thirty minutes had it been left to us."  [Unknown Confederate Soldier referencing a meeting he had with a Union soldier between the lines.]

"The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on."

- Ulysses S. Grant

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord.

  Psalm 127:3

Christmas Cousins!

Oh what fun it was to have all of the Dickens Christmas cousins together in one place at G's house!
From the youngest (2 weeks old ) to the oldest (15 years old but only 1 month in America), they are a special bunch to G--a mixture of grandchildren and great nieces and nephews.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all from the Christmas Cousins and G!

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord.

  Psalm 127:3

The Racin' Game

G loves racing....everybody knows that. What you may not know is that she is a bonafide graduate of the Richard Petty driving experience. Surprised? G is surprised that she survived!  
Anyway, G also likes to make up games...so she made a racing game [Rubbinz Racin!]. 

These 2 love to play G's game. 

G hopes she is not promoting fast driving among her grandchildren. 

Maybe she'd better re-think this thing.

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord.

  Psalm 127:3

Persimmon Season

This is the Season of Persimmons. Do you love them as much as G does?
She thinks they rival chocolate for the few short weeks they grow wild on the beautiful persimmon tree down by the pond. 

G found a number of articles online about the proper ways to eat a persimmon. She thinks their advice is funny, although it may be true.

• Be sure the fruit is ripe before eating....this is A Big YES!  As one advice giver put it, "If you’ve ever had an unripe persimmon, the experience is memorable."  [Understatement doesn't come close.]  

• Be sure to wash before eating...probably great advice but hard to do if you are eating persimmons G's way which is standing under the tree and smooshing them open, sucking out  and savoring the meat, spitting out the seeds, and repeating the process.

Don't try to take them home and save them, unless you are planning to make persimmon pudding immediately (which is no easy task!). They are sort of like the manna in the Old Testament...they go to mush right away in captivity.
Real persimmon pudding is better than good, but elusive now that Granny Cole is gone and her daughter can't remember the recipe. [G tried to follow in their footsteps once...and found she didn't have the Right Stuff to live up to their expertise. No surprise there.]
G loves a trip to the persimmon tree...either with Granddaddy on a "date," 

or with the whole safari. Either way, Persimmons Rule!

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord.

  Psalm 127:3

G Has a New Oldest Grandchild

G is very pleased to announce the arrival of her "new" oldest grandson---delivered  to the US at 7:00 PM on Nov. 30 by way of Delta from his homeland of Ukraine. 

Meet Valik, with his new family (he's the second tallest).

G is very happy and thankful that you are finally here safe and sound! We are grateful for the family in Ukraine that sheltered and loved you until you could come.
Know that we love you, too!

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 Behold, children are a gift of the Lord.  Psalm 127:3