Friends, Family, and Woodpeckers

Camille stayed with us from Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at midnight, till Thursday, October 17, at 9 a.m.  She was on a blitzkrieg trip to choose a house and make an offer, so the Eberts will have a home to move into when they arrive in SLC the week before Christmas.  Gretta went house-hunting with Camille on Wednesday morning, and then Dave and Michael joined them for dinner that night at the new Indian restaurant in the Avenues, Saffron Valley East India Café.

We love getting together with Michael, either for dinner cooked by me at our home, breakfast cooked by Michael at his home, or together trying out restaurants.  One favorite restaurant we tried with Michael was Aristo's.  My favorite specialty is the chicken cutlet stuffed with spinach, which I try to duplicate with no success.

 

We also love hearing from Jonny and Jenny in North Carolina.  This weekend they drove the Blue Ridge Parkway and emailed photos of the magnificent fall scenery and of their equally magnificent creation, Samuel.  Samuel wears stripes--an endless array of them--and they flatter him.

 

 

On Saturday, October 19, our old college friends, the Wildes, Emmers, and Joneses joined us for dinner.  Two of the four couples are already retired, and the talk was about missions (our own), temple work, grandchildren, and travel.  What a change it was from the days we served each other tuna fish casseroles and talked about college and babies!  We also told stories and laughed.  Old friends are the best!

 

 

 

While the love fests with friends and family continued, Dave waged war on the woodpeckers.  A perserverant bird (or two) has pecked holes in the eaves.  I admit to sympathy for the woodpeckers after asking Michael what bird reminds him most of me.  I assumed he'd say a commanding eagle or a cheery robin.  No.  With my dogged determination, I remind him of a woodpecker.

 

Dave nailed metal covers over the holes, but the woodpeckers have started new holes.  Dave has packed a BB-gun, but thought better of using it after he learned that it is illegal to shoot woodpeckers.  He collected an array of plastic animals that he hoped would scare off the woodpeckers--spiders, crocodiles--and nailed them near the holes.  No luck.  The next offensive is constructing mobiles of tin pie plates, mirrors, and irridescent streamers, which Dave learned online are terrifying to woodpeckers.  The fight goes on.