Wedding Bells!

This morning around noon the phone rang.
Bethany was at the other end of the line: "I'm a Brindle!"
She sounded so excited, so happy!
James and Bethany eloped today.
They took with them only those responsible for their first date, and Richard, to witness their committing their lives to each other, and alos take some pictures.
I can't wait to see them!
Hectic is the least way I could describe these past weeks.
I feel like we have been on a roller coaster, not knowing from one day to the other whether the wedding would take place as planned or if they would elope.
My mother was flying in from Florida. Luckily I she's landing in Louisville so Melanie can go get her and she can meet her newest great-grand-daughter. This is a treat none of our kids have had very many times in their lifetime.
So this week-end, we are all making our way to Kentucky to have an impromptu family reunion of sorts.
Mel only expected James and Bethany on the 19th as they made their way to North Carolina where they're honeymooning. Instead they will be going tomorrow and spend a couple of days there.
Jon was to go there today to do some yard work for Melanie but had unexpected delays and won't leave until tomorrow.
Richard will follow James and Bethany but has to work this week-end, so he will be heading home before we all do.
Unsure what Bruce will do still as Muriel needs someone here too.
Regardless, Mel's getting ready for an invasion... (=

Bethany is truly a wonderful young woman, genuine in her actions, true in her word. She and James have known each other for about 18 months and it's plain to see that they bring out the best in each other.
They both have grown by leaps and bounds as they find their own footing in life.

Before he first met Bethany, James was quickly becoming a hermit as he concentrated on his studies - producing wonderful academic achievements. He never saw it coming! Bethany stole his heart.

We are all so eager to have her join our family!

This evening we learned that they had called family members to introduce Bethany. We hope to have a family get-together so all here can meet her in person and learn to love her as much as we do.

It is cool to watch the bonding with our other kids too. It is so good to see!
Bethany truly is a new daughter to us, a new sister to our children.
We love her very much already and look forward to having this new Brindle in the family: Welcome home, Bethany!

May July 16 mark the beginning of a lifetime of happy memories, peace, joy and all the good things God has in store for His children.
May each anniversary find your love stronger than the year before!

Me and my shadow...

No doubt about it... Lucy is MY dog.
Wherever I am, she is.
Jon says she's spoiled.
She probably is.
She was sickly when she was days old and thanks to her being sick we were able to ensure that none of the other pups got sick too and she was treated and got better fast but I always had a soft spot for her.
Jon called her Yoda at church because of the funny almost purring noise she made - not unlike the one her dad (Max) makes still.
Anyway, maybe because of that, but more likely because whenever she was 'humanless' in the house, she discovered all sorts of things she could destroy.
So we began to take along pretty much everywhere we went and she developed a real taste for the car
She used to dart for the door once i picked up my keys and most often managed to get out before I did. She always came back when called and never strayed too far from me.
Lucy was destined for my mother, as a companion for her older dog. But her being sick made the future too uncertain to risk her leaving behind a little animal we had grown so fond of. SO we kept her and Lucy became my shadow.
She perks up her head. Her ears straighten out and she looks at me as though asking "Do I get to go too? pretty please..."
9 times out of 10 I melt and off together we go.
She must stay in the car at times and I have left the windows down a bit, enough for her to stick her nose out and she barks and barks and barks until she sees me and then all is well.
You would think she'd have figured out I was coming back by now.
BUT no... Today though she really did something funny...
Bruce and I were at the bank and Lucy was in my car, her hear sticking out of the window barking her lungs off. I could see her from inside the bank. We didn't have to be there long. Just a matter of signing two pieces of paper and we would be out again. Then it happened.
A horn sounded that would not stop.
We looked out side.
Lucy was no longer hanging out the window she was pushing on the horn with her full body weight. She seemed totally unaffected by the loud noise she had produced and was continuing to produce.
I ran back outside to get her off the horn!
and put her on the leash and took her in with me.
They gave her a treat...
You think she figured out how to get me back now???
mmm... Time to leave her home...

the circus is coming to town!

It was not until my mother-in-law mentioned that our niece would go to the parade then make her way to the wedding that I realized it was time already for the circus.

When the kids were little we would make our way to Main street and Benton and would find a place to sit among the crowd of people there for the same reason we were.
For some years now, people have put cords around their lawns so their families could at least enjoy the benefits of being on the parade's path. Many people come early knowing that there won't be room for long.

This year is special as it marks the 50th anniversary of the amateur circus.

People come to Peru from all over and the young performers, all amateurs, have been preparing for several months.
Last year there was some questions as to whether they would be able to perform indoors as the furniture store adjacent to the circus building caught on fire and was completely destroyed.

It would have been a shame as the building is now air conditioned, to the great relief of the artists as well as the spectators.
Indiana summers are hot and humid and I don't imagine that practicing and performing in this heat is not the most pleasant. Yet it was not so long ago that the performances were still held without modern comforts.

The Peru Circus City Festival always coincided with our boys' Baseball All-Star tourneys so we would rarely have time to do much more than go to the midway and enjoy the rides, eat a tiger ear (called elephant ear anywhere else in the states), walk about and then walk on home.
Bruce's favorite ride was the bullet. I preferred watching from the ground as he took each one of the kids with him. They loved as much as he did!

What is really special about the Peru Circus is that the young performers often return to train the next generation of artists.
I recognized a few names from the list found online.
Some of their acts are very professional for amateurs!
In the past they have had some kids travel to Monte Carlo (Monaco) to compete with other countries and placed high.

Yes, it is a pretty exciting time of year for many. I can't help but compare it to a butterfly emerging from its cocoon after long preparations.

Circus weeks ends on a Saturday, with a huge parade, one of the largest in the state if not the largest and includes old calliopes and antique circus cars, elephants and many things you would expect from an old fashion circus parade.
YouTube had videos that you will want to see.
They were also published on a private site you might like to check out.

Aren't they amazing?
Remember these are not professionals... these are kids.
Some of these acrobats are 12-13 years old!
Of course they weren't thrown into trapeze right away There is a progression in what the kids are allowed to get involved in and it is very competitive. There are cuts and nobody is guaranteed a spot from year to year.
And some may even discover that's what they want to do with their life.

My father was fond of the circus and when we were little he took my sister and me to the Jean Richard Big Top. Vague memories of sitting on wooden benches and of clowns, juggling and dog performing tricks, buckets of confetti thrown into the crowd, balloons...
I sent him the special issue of the Peru tribune dedicated to the Peru Amateur circus and he seemed genuinely interested.

And as summers bring raspberries for a short while, before we know it the Circus has come and gone. At least in Peru, as they also take their show on the road.

I think I'll try and get a t-shirt this year. Brianne was not born in Peru but maybe this could go into her birth year 'time capsule'...
What do you think Mel?

Family Traditions

I have fond memories of going to the "talus" in Flemalle with Marraine when I was a little girl. We often took long walks to the Fort, sad reminder of WWI and WWII.
I was always intrigued and impressed by the rusted up bars of the reinforced cement walls.

But although our walk to the 'talus' would inevitably take us by the fort, my most cherished memories are of picking wild raspberries before starting back down the hill.

Shortly after I arrived in Indiana, my father-in-law showed me and my future sisters-in-law where to go pick huge wild black raspberries. Later, he and I went back many times and I became so familiar with his favorite spots that I even ventured on my own while he was at work.
Unlike the bushes on my Belgian 'talus' these were not as easy to access. We had to put on long pants, a shirt with long sleeves and wear a baseball cap of sorts to protect us from the briars but most especially from the ticks and the different poisonous vines I didn't know. He showed me what poison ivy looked like and gave me strict insructions to wash my arms, hands and face thoroughly after coming out of the woods so as not to become affected by these vines.
The mosquitoes were always more of a problem for me than the poison ivy in those days and I discovered that only Deep Woods Off would keep them away.

I loved picking the ones that were in clumps of 5 or 6 and would position my bicket underneath them and simply let them fall into it. That spoiled me quickly though.

A funny anecdote is attached to the berries. The year Melanie was born I again went back to the woods to pick berries and when I came back I noticed a raspberry juice spot all over her chest so I began rubbing it off, only it would not come off...
Melanie had not had that on here earlier or I would have known right away it was a birth mark! it was the color of berry juice, in the shape of a paw.

Another anecdote tied to picking raspberries is the story of then 2y old Richard going back in the woods by himself to catch up with me and getting himself lost along with his 4y old brother and 6y old sister!
I always took my crew with me. Richard was my best berry picker, but it was hot, as it usually is in Indiana in July. The kids were thirsty and so I took them back to their grandma's who lived close by. I saw them across the street, watched them go into the house and I made my way back into the woods with our German shepherd, Kei.
It was not until I returned a couple of hours later that I discovered that after getting himself a drink, Richard picked up his little bucket and also made his way back into the woods!!!
Grandma had seen Richard go outside and never thinking he would take off as he did, she sent James and Melanie after him!!!
The field I was in was nothing but tall weeds.
I thought I heard some children calling for "Richard, Mom, Kei!"
It occurred to me that if it were my kids - and I wasn't even sure I had heard right - I would definitely lose them in the weeds so I said a quick prayer asking God to send them home (Gdma's) safely.
Somehow they managed to find each other and then made their way out of the woods and back to Gdma's. I still believe this was an answer to my prayer.

As they grew up, they no longer accompanied me but I continued picking raspberries every year and enjoyed the benefits of having quite a few quarts in my freezer and jelly on the pantry shelves.

Then one day I stopped going... more or less like my father-in-law had done.
It was too hot... the idea of wearing the extra clothing layer just didn't entice me a bit and our dog, who always came along died and I didn't feel safe alone in the woods.

Today however I took my soon-to-be-daughter-in-law Bethany on the paths my father-in-law took me 30 years ago. The briars were thicker than ever and the poison ivy was still everywhere... We didn't stay long but we did get about 1 quart of berries.
They are just now coming on, so just a tad late.
Maybe this will talk me into going back again... we shall see.
It looks I have a new dog I can take with me: Lucy.
She had a ball in the woods! She could not get enough of all the new smells and when a rabbit crossed her path, she darted after it like an arrow! It was fun to see. AND she came back when I called her. It was almost as good as having Kei with me. He was attack-trained, Lucy isn't but she failed to recognize Bethany at one point and was growling and barking at her like there is no tomorrow.
I wish I could bring Max too. He would have fun too but he is too much of a free-spirit and would likely only come to me if he felt like it.