Doug and I spent Saturday in Ellsworth, Kansas. The aunts (including me) hosted a wedding shower for a nephew and his bride-to-be. We met the bride's family and they are very nice, charming people. They are originally from Larned, Kansas, but most of them live in Lawrence now. Both the bride and groom are KU graduates; although the bride went to Fort Hays State her freshman year.
The bride is pretty. She also has a good head on her shoulders. She is not allowing the wedding plans to get out of hand. The wedding will be small and within budget. I admire people who can be realistic about their plans.
We had lots of good food. An uncle cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. We ate watermelon, fruit salads, vegetable salads, cookies, candies and cake. Everyone was in a convivial mood. The day was sunny. The conversation was good. Several married cousins are pregnant, so we talked about a wedding in August and the number of babies who will be born.
Grandma Betty (Bestamore) is clearly enjoying the growth of the family. She said she is crocheting baby quilts as fast as she can.
We also talked about travel plans. One couple will fly to Mexico in early July. Another couple is going on an Alaskan cruise in August. Doug and I talked about spending time with family in Kansas City.
The couple received some nice gifts, including homemade ones. They appeared delighted with their presents. One that caught my eye was a grilling basket used to grill vegetables or shrimp. One grandmother gave a beautiful crocheted blanket and some embroidered dish towels. Betty gave a crocheted doily. The skill and workmanship involved with those items was obvious. Clearly, this couple is deeply loved.
Doug and I visited with our son Thomas. He was in Ellsworth to attend both a class reunion and a wedding shower. It was good to see him. Saturday was a beautiful day for a get together. But there was a shadow hanging over the party.
At 3:00 am, on Saturday morning, Terry's Pharmacy was robbed. The thieves threw a rock through a window and entered the store; even though an alarm sounded. The thieves stole about five hundred dollars worth of prescription drugs before they fled. The drugs are worth much more than that on the street. Two men were seen running to a car parked in a Dollar General parking lot. Dollar General is about a block east of Seitz Drug, Terry's pharmacy. Agnes told me that other small town pharmacies in the area have also recently been robbed. So the Ellsworth robbery is part of a crime spree.
To compound the matter, a few weeks ago someone broke into the Terry Kepka home and burgled it while he and Agnes were out of town. The police think the items taken were to be sold to buy drugs.
Terry and Agnes are feeling much more vulnerable these days. I think it is safe to say they feel violated in some way. The nice thing is, that even though their day was marred by an early morning robbery, they still graciously hosted the shower at their home. The police called Terry and Agnes a little after 3:00 am, and that is what time their day began. Still, they smiled and joked with all the guests and gave them a warm welcome.
The party began about noon and ended about five o'clock. But the festivities did not end then. Some of us went to 5:30 Mass and then returned to Terry and Ag's to eat Mexican food. Doug and I left Ellsworth at around 7:30. Saturday was a long day, especially for Terry and Agnes.
We said good bye to Thomas, who was planning on staying with Terry and Ag another night. He arrived in Ellsworth on Friday so that he could get together with some of his high school friends. Tom is heading home some time today (Sunday).
We are looking forward to our trip to Kansas City and to our reunion with our cousins. Isn't it great to belong to a family. No matter what happens, good or bad, family is there to support and encourage one another. God bless the Kepkas. God bless all my Fiddler Kin.
Getting physical
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Training sessions have been going really well these past few weeks. I
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4 comments:
The Kepka family knows how to party---good for them. I am sorry to hear about Terry's pharmacy being robbed and home. The good thing is that the pharmacy was closed and no one hurt. The scariest is having your home robbed. I saw a news story once about a family that was robbed and as it turned out it was one of their facebook followers. They had talked about going to a party that evening and how they were looking forward to it on facebook and this "fan" took advantage, so you have to be careful what information you give, including purchases, because this person that broke into her home was someone she knew from high school and had just reconnected with via facebook. Anyway I am sure that your feeling of vulnerability increases dramatically under these circumstances. You like to believe that rural america and small town america affords you some respite from these activities, but alas it does not. It is good that Betty no longer lives alone in her home. The nice thing for Terry and Aggie is that they are surrounded by a lot of supportive family and friends and that will help them regain a sense of security and well being-----they need to say "screw you low life crooks; we are the Kepkas and we will party on!" Enjoy the rest of the weekend. I am hoping to finally plant these little impatients John bought a few weeks ago, but the ground has been to wet. I sent him to Westlake when they were on sale a flat of 50 plants for $10.00, with instructions to get a deep purple or red or cranberry color, but try to stay away from pink and orange. Anyway it was late and dark when I got home so I didn't see the flat until morning, but I asked and he said he got a purplish/red color, well I don't know what color chart he goes by, but I took one look at that flat and said "You bought hot pink". He does not think they look pink. How can we each see such a different color> They are fine, but pink tends to fade out as the summer progresses, even shade plants, plus I am not a pink fan, not really an orange fan, but at least we will have color in the front yard. I am about to sacrifice the hanging ferns. This is the 6th year they have been hanging on the front porch. We winter them in the atrium and bring them out in the spring, but they are starting to show their age, so I told John perhaps we should put them out of their misery and put up some hanging impatient baskets and be done. I think deep down I am tired of wintering the ferns, but don't have the heart not to bring them in when fall arrives. That is why in the winter I have about 40 indoor plants to water. It is nice to have greenery, but once February comes, the watering starts to wear thin and become more sporadic. I am not yet committing planticide. So on that note, enjoy your yard work one and all.
Thanks for this detailed narrative of your time in Ellsworth. Lots of happy news with all the weddings and babies. :-)
I'm so sorry to hear about Terry and Agnes's troubles with burglaries. I'm sure they do feel violated ... what a terrible feeling! I'm impressed that they carried on with the festivities in spite of the robbery. It sounds like they are able to gracefully handle the challenges that arise. Good for them!
I hope you're enjoying the start to your summer, Honor!
You sound like a country girl at heart, Fiddler. I have given few plants the kind of care you give yours. Those ferns would have been history a long time ago. I like the color pink, but I like most colors, including orange. I guess I like a bouquet or landscape with a variety of colors. Some people cannot keep impatients going all summer. They do not plant them where they get enough shade, I guess. I do not have yard work to do. Sometimes I miss it, but most of the time I don't. The grounds at CT always look nice. Party on horticulturists.
Katie, the summer is off to a fine start. I think I am going to enjoy summer 2010 because people seem to be in a mellow mood. We will see what transpires when the temperature climbs above 90 for days on end. Right now, everything is cool.
Terry and Agnes seem to be doing fine. I went to see them today. (Memorial Day) They appreciate everyone's good wishes and concern. They sent leftovers from the shower home with me. Party on!
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