A shovel the size of Star Wars lightsabers--just the right size for little helpers.
John giving his sons a ride. 
Uncle Ryan helping get the pile bigger.
James liked pulling out the summer flowers.
When the tulips bloom, we'll think of Luke's planting.
Uncle Gordon knows how to make the boys happy.
One for the money, two for the show....
The marshmallows tasted good! As you can see from the attached photos, Diane and I are proud grandparents. We just had a hoot with Luke and James. We enjoyed milkshakes at the Ford Hopkins Pharmacy old fashion soda fountain at 9 a.m. You are correct! We would never have done this with our own children but hey we are grandparents. Leaves were raked into a large pile into which two young men were deposited after wheelbarrow rides around the house. Summer flowers were pulled and tulip bulbs were planted with my little buddies. Every day included a wagon ride with Papa and Grandma to the end of the block and back. Of course, we had a football game that rivaled anything the Kennedys could have done. We watched DVDs of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. Oh my God, I am Peter Pan!! I'll never grow up but I like that. There was snuggling in the morning with Grandma and Papa. Luke and James picked out purple T-shirts with a Rocky logo (of course) at Gumbarts and made numerous trips to the bank and walks around the square. The visit concluded with a raging bonfire on the side yard and a marshmallow roast.
Gordon, Lisa, and Ryan also joined in the festivities, and I believe our Christmas card photo has been taken. We shall see. All and all it was a wonderful week and everyone has returned home safely. Diane heard about a survey concerning laughter. Little children may laugh as many as 300 times a day. As we get older, we decrease dramatically in the number of daily laughs. Luke and James laughed so many times a day that it became infectious around our home. We could probably all use a little work in this regard. They thought everything was pretty darn funny. We loved it.
As this is being typed, I am experiencing a bit of a wake-up call. Up until the past couple of days, my progress has been extraordinary, but it has been so consistent that I really haven't noticed or appreciated it until now. I overdid it. I got rundown. I'm paying the price. I have not felt this bad since I completed radiation and chemo in June. Tuesday afternoon after returning from St. Louis where I dropped off the Stevensons for their flight home, I told Diane "I think I have a sore throat." We looked at each other in stark horror--a sore throat, oh no!! What does this mean?
What it means is a sore throat so severe that I am back on product exclusively as swallowing is simply out of the question. We went to my family doctor yesterday and he prescribed liquid antibiotics after saying my throat was red. In addition, he prescribed some magic cough syrup that puts people out for about 8 hours. It is my new temporary friend. After completing this blog, it will be about 9 a.m., and I intend to take a dose and then see Diane about 5:00 this afternoon--no kidding, it is that powerful. I do feel a little better today so I'm hoping this is all very temporary.
I'm beginning to fear I possess a "wedding curse" as we are scheduled to attend a wedding in Carthage, IL, on Saturday of our neighbor's son. At this time, I think I'll be able to make-up but too soon to tell.
All of this is sort of deja vu as Diane is back giving me my meds. Let me be clear here. I don't think this has anything to do with cancer other than the fact that a sore throat for me these days is really a sore throat. I have put myself on 100% bed rest until this passes which is not too tough to do since 1 teaspoon of cough syrup twice a day really puts me out. My immune system is still compromised.
Diane is indeed an empathetic and sympathetic spouse as she has a severe head cold that came on Tuesday as well. Maybe we should quarantine 35 Indian Trail until further notice? Let's conclude on a positive note. The sun is shining, the leaves are radiant, we're both getting better, and it's great day to be a Leatherneck.
