Graue Mill and Museum

After my birthday lunch on Sunday we were a very short drive away from Graue Mill and Museum and I had never been there so we decided to stop - and admission is free. Andy thinks he was there once on a school field trip but didn't really remember it.

The volunteer overheard me tell Andy that the main floor smelled like a corn crib and told me the corn the mill is usually stored in the wooden bins that lined the wall. It's a unique smell and one I know very well. On the second floor, a woman was giving a demonstration of turning sheeps' wool into yarn.

They also had a weaving loom set up and this volunteer showed us a picture of a 3-by-5-foot American flag they created and gave to a local school. You can see the leftover red, white and blue yarn on the loom.

The third floor was set up as old rooms and buildings. There was a kid's room, a parlor and here's a general store ...

and the kitchen.

The outside with the water wheel (not running). They do mill corn from Kline Creek Farm (by Julie's house) then return it so they can feed the animals there.

The path was flooded because of all of the recent rain.

The creek was high and fast. That bridge is York Road.

An office building.

This building wasn't open to the public. It's the Ben Fuller Farmhouse, circa 1840.

Happy b-day to me

How is it possible in 60 years my aunt has never failed to send me a birthday card?

My day started with winning my online mah jong game. That's a rare occurence.

Andy and I did some shopping for boring things (cat food, shampoo, etc.) and ended up at York Tavern for a late lunch.

We had never been there before and it was really cute. It was built in 1843 and stands in its original location along the Salt River. It is believed to be the oldest continually operated privately owned eating and drinking establishment in DuPage County.

I had a cheeseburger and Andy had the chicken Parmesan.

One of our stops was Nothing Bundt Cakes so I could get my birthday bundlette. Andy insisted on taking my picture with the candles so here's looking at 60.

Slow July Fouth

This sign welcomed me back to the Farmers Market Saturday morning for my second donut shift of the season.

I was the outside coffee server, working 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. and this was my breakfast. It was a holiday so it was a pretty light day. Regardless, I was a bit achy after standing for three hours. Andy was the first donut captain then left to play golf. Needless to say, he gets home, falls asleep and there, again, our day is shot.

Meanwhile in Florida, L sent a video and pictures of the Air Force doing a fly-over at Epcot. They flew over Magic Kingdom too, but she was working in the Members' Lounge at Epcot.

A closer look.

I had planned to grill out Italian sausages for dinner but it was raining with no chance of letting up for two hours. Good thing our local pizza shop was open!

Trellis troubles

A heavy rainstorm blew through yesterday afternoon and once it was over, Andy took some garbage and noticed our trellises by the garage got so heavy with rain they were falling over.

He used some butcher's twine to tie them up and secure them to the garage. It may not be a permanent solution but it might be.

I did notice our milkweed have lots of flowers this year. No Monarch sightings yet ...

but the bees are enjoying the coneflowers.

Happy Fourth of July

I chose this "patriotic puzzle" because the Fourth of July was coming up but once I opened it and saw that it wasn't completely taken apart, I had second thoughts.

It's features Keystone, S.D. and it and it had all of its pieces. That was a good roadtrip with the kids. I had printed out multiple choice trivia questions for the long car ride, having them answer which president on Mount Rushmore was the correct answer. We also ended up with a flat tire, ate a lot of Little Caeser's pizza because there weren't a lot of places in town to eat, and watched the July Fourth Mount Rushmore fireworks from our hotel room.

That trip also gave me one of my favorite photos ever of the kids at the monument. We used a "happier" one from the same photo session for our Christmas card that year, but this one tells a better story of that hot day.

The cats

My cute jungle cat. Should I tell Piper the plant is fake?

Ruby has a knack for looking scared in photos.

Summer in bloom

Our former neighbors planted daisies in their yard years ago and I've been trying to coax them into our yard ever since. They're spreading pretty well and they're blooming.

And the coneflowers have started to bloom.

Hard to miss this chicken and hen that's about to bloom. It looks ... very happy.

Lots of choices

Planning my church lady birthday dinner next week and trying to decide on the table linens. I decided against this white tablecloth and tossed it on the floor. Within a few minutes, Piper was resting on it.

I chose a red tablecloth (have to get those wrinkles out!) and moved onto the glasses ... matching, different? We'll need one for water, right?

This is the plan for dinner - catering from our local Mexican restaurant to serve at our house. This is what E and D ordered for their rehearsal dinner - chicken and beef fajitas, Mexican potatoes, refried beans, rice, and it comes with chips, salsa, sour cream, tortillas, and pickled carrots.

Successful mahjong night

Here's Andy revealing his first of two mahjongs Monday night, We were playing at a table of three with Allison's friend, K. She won one game, as did I, so we were all winners!

An interesting choice for someone to being airplane bottles of Fireball for the treat table. I brought Rice Krispie treats and they were a hit even though I used Christmas red, white and green Krispies (they don't expire until August so it was all good).

My mahjong.

Packing up for the night.

Our three winning mahjong ducks to add to our collection.

Belated b-day dinner

Almost a week late, but B got his birthday dinner yesterday.

He chose an Italian restaurant, Il Porcolino, in the Loop from a google search. B and I had the chicken parmesan, Andy had spaghetti and meatballs and Cindy had the chicken and penne. It was all very good.

The waitress asked us if we were celebrating anything and I blurted out "B's birthday" before I realized he wouldn't want a bunch of singing and dramatics. The waitress said not to worry and after dinner, brought him ice cream with a candle. We all shared it and it was tasty - chocolate and cherries.

Family pic. After dinner we drove B home. THe Pride Parade was in his neighborhood earlier in the day and the people-watching was incredible. Lots of people having a fantastic time.

It was a beautiful night so I suggested we walk and show Cindy the Riverwalk. That's a huge flag hanging on the Wrigley Building.

Eventually we stopped for a beer while Cindy got an iced latte. Andy pointing out nearby buildings for Cindy.

Right in front of a Riverwalk sign.

I think a lot of people will be enjoying this fountain later this week.

At church that morning, we celebrated the 100th birthday of one of our members with a fellowship hour luncheon on the front lawn.

I brought a tray of ham and turkey sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls. We had quite the soread and celebration - and the weather was perfect. Supposed to get close to 100 this week so we're bracing ourselves.