Archive for » May 3rd, 2009«

Weekend Whirlwind Trip

03 May 2009 by

Last weekend I made a trip home to the midwest for a few occasions. First I flew into Detroit on Friday evening to visit my sister, Sr. Maria Kolbe. The following Saturday was a day of visitation so the convent was just bustling with family and friends. Mom, Dad, Ben, and Mary were there as well.

In addition to visiting with Sister, we held a virtual conference with Marc, Misty, and Grace; and then with Sharon and the kids. The kids were more thrilled to see Dad rather than Sister – and rightfully so. ;)

Sister also gave us a tour of the convent’s “Phase 3″ construction efforts. It includes a gymnasium, auditorium, and infirmary. They won’t be needing the latter anytime soon as young as their order is. This is where Sister said she’ll come to sit and harass admire the deer and squirrels when she’s bound to a wheelchair.

The following day, I drove to Indianapolis for my Goddaughters first communion. Cecilia is such a sweetie. It was a great day to meet up with old friends.

Monday I made an attempt to snap a photo of all the wind turbines that sprung up all around the county. The panoramic didn’t come out so well so here’s a few looking out from my parents’ driveway.

That day I first made a visit to see my Grandpa Datzman. We had a great chat of the “good ol’ days” and what’s going on in Texas.

Grandpa and Grandma Datzman were always out looking for adventure. In their time together they’ve owned motorcycles, airplanes, and snowmobiles. They’ve been to all the 48 mainland states on their Honda Goldwing. Quite impressive.

After lunch with mom and Fr. Tim, I went to visit Grandma Datzman. She’s been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for a number of years. I felt very blessed to get a few smiles from her when we made eye contact. She’s got a strong spirit.

My last stop was a visit with Grandma Gretencord. She’s so fun to talk to and share a good laugh. Not to mention she’ll never let you leave without first having a bowl of ice cream and a few cookies in hand.

Tuesday morning I flew home from Indianapolis to be with my lovely family once again in Austin, TX.

Category: Family  One Comment

Sprouting Garden

03 May 2009 by

We caught up a bit more on the garden work this weekend. As Sharon mentioned earlier, we transplanted the peppers and tomatoes to Mel’s (mix) garden. They’re holding up much better and showing some life. The squash and beans are going strong as well as the cucumber, parsley, cilantro, and basil. We started one other tomato in a pot.

Grapes are looking good. We may have an early harvest.

We thought we’d give a try at swiss chard and okra with the space left over in the west garden after the transplant. I don’t particularly like either of those but they are in planting season.

The melon patch is a bit slow. We have one cantaloupe sprouting and a watermelon seed is germinating.

My hops are starting to take off. I strung up a 14′ trellis since the Nugget really needed the rope to start its accent.

The Cascade broke the surface earlier this week. This variety tends to lag behind a bit of others but its very vigorous in comparison.

I got one more variety – a Willamette – last week and will plant it in front of the house soon.

Category: Garden  One Comment