He is really grown up now!

My oldest son was married two days ago on a beach at St. Augustine. We have always been big fans of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" and the song from the wedding of the first daughter is poignant on several levels.
The line from 'Sunrise, Sunset' that goes
"I don't remember growing older,
When did they?" strikes a strong chord in my heart today.
If you would like to see a picture of Andy and Sara, here it is:


Dr. & Mrs. Andrew Paul N*


Last week I opened a box of photos that had been sealed up since 1997, and there was Andy's childhood in front of me. Those years were a lot of fun with just the three of us when Andy was an only child. However, there were also times when all we could do was to get through one day at a time; when it seemed as if the task of parenthood was long and difficult. Then suddenly, we see that he is ready to begin his adult life.

Was it really as long a time as it seemed durng the battles over food? Or chores? Or bedtime?
Once he went off to college, the parental tension fell away like a heavy backback of schoolbooks. That was a an unexpected development, and a good feeling.

We are thrilled to see him committing to his bride, and his dad and I are tickled to embrace her as a daughter. (Our first daughter.)

We listed some of the items that we picked up at the Amish auction we mentioned in an earlier post. Click here to see them.
"QUIRKY - ECLECTIC "99 Cents" ESTATE SALE ON EBAY"

Auction Day!

We are back from the Amish country estate auction.
Driving to it was food for the soul, even though we had to get up at an hour is normally the middle of the night for us. It was a day of coffee and energy drinks!

The country roads curve up and down and sideways, with well kept yards lined with flowers. You could catch glimpses of family members at work, either in the fields or the barns and yards. Each home seemed to have well laid out kitchen gardens without a weed in sight. There are many closelines stretching from a porch to a post or out building, fluttering with clothes put out to dry. Many driveways had small signs indicating the specialty of the house. Vinyl window wells. Home made root beer. Plants and baked goods. Quilts and Crafts. I wished I could stop at each one.

The location was a home at the top of a hill, with a tent staked outside on the paved courtyard. We parked and walked past many things laid outside to be sold later. A wringer washing machine, old fashioned plows, a bread box, boxes of glass jars and bottles. Furniture and plants.

A thunderstorm rolled in from the north. It was amazing to watch the men working as a team to first cover and then move the furniture, locate a hose to divert the runoff from the rain gutter, place buckets around the perimeter of the tent, and move the stand where the auctioneer and clerk were trying to carry on while rain landed on their backs. No one had to give orders, it all played out as a well trained team did what they saw needed to be done.

We came home with two quilts, three old street lamps, a cuckoo clock, a small box of golfballs, for the boys, and some old Viewmaster items and a number of vintage and old John Deere toys, among other things..

They will be going up on ebay this week. You can see what is there now with this link, and watch as the week goes on as our treasures show up there.

"QUIRKY - ECLECTIC "99 Cents" ESTATE SALE ON EBAY"