Hello. It is finally starting to feel like spring. I think all of us have been chanting “snow, snow and cold weather go away!”  They did have a good day for the Easter egg hunts that were held the day before Easter. The adage that if it rains on Easter Sunday that it will rain seven Sundays in a row has a good start but maybe it won’t  continue. Fingers are crossed.

Our little great-grandson is growing so fast. Can’t wait to see him again. Chante` sends pictures and a few weeks ago she sent a photo of Kayden's first smiles (for real, not gas). She told me last week he is now smiling and laughing. It is so much fun to watch them grow. Wish we were closer so we could see him more often.

Happy Anniversary to my sister Susie and husband Tony!  They are celebrating their 44th anniversary April 11. And, believe it or not, Chante` and Daniel will be celebrating their first anniversary on April 21. We love you all! (Watch next week’s Beacon for our anniversary congratulations to Chante` and Daniel. Didn’t get their wedding picture in when they were married last year because it took so long to get the photos from the photographer so what better way to show them off than a first anniversary congrats with a wedding picture? – It’s a surprise for them.)

I want to extend my sympathy to the Maienknecht family. Eileen was a very nice lady. I had occasion to meet her through the Beacon when I did articles on the Sardis home tours. Eileen was dedicated to making Sardis a great place to live. I know she is truly missed.

We had a nice Easter with my mom, Fred and his family and brother-in-law Tony. My sister Susie was down with what so many people have been experiencing this winter. Bronchitis, sinus and ear infections.  I know I have been fighting this cough and sinus stuff for weeks as have several others I have talked with. Come on warm weather!

Fred and I enjoyed taking in the Kiwanis basket bingo last Saturday evening. We saw a lot of people we haven’t seen in a while and I enjoyed a taco in a bag, which I haven’t had in a long time. Chris and Nikki, you did a great job in the kitchen. Woodsfield Kiwanis is the organization that sponsors a lot of worthwhile projects in our county – Thanksgiving dinners for shut-ins, the scholarship banquet, talent show and more.

Good day to all! Spring is on its way. On Feb. 22, I saw the first robin in our backyard. Yea! I think the winter weather is making up for last year, which was a breeze. I have decided to write this column a little at a time because if I wait, I forget most of what I want to write about.

Haven’t the cardinals been beautiful against the white snow? The other day I looked out and counted almost 20 in the ornamental crab and on the bird feeders. What a sight!

As you know if you read last month’s column (which was written-boring-when I was a little under the weather, away from home and on my laptop), we’ve been traveling a lot.  Now we are home and things are getting partially back to normal. Fred is back painting and I spent several days getting pictures on the computer and making a DVD of our trip for our Hawaiian grandkids. I really need a class on making DVDs. Anyway, it’s done. I have been pretty much in the house for the last couple of weeks because of another bout with an upper respiratory thing but finally after a shot, antibiotics, Mucinex and probiotics, I’m feeling like there is hope after all.

Despite being sick a lot of the time we were in Hawaii, we had a nice visit with the kids. Doug and Kristyn’s Christmas gift to us was a whale watching breakfast cruise. We very much enjoyed it and did see several whales, but poor little Luke lost his favorite cap, which ended up in the Pacific Ocean. Kristyn was holding him up to see the whale come up and the wind took his cap. Luke was not a very happy camper. So if you see a fish wearing a baseball cap, it’s Luke’s.

As you probably know from reading this, I love flowers. One of my favorite things to do during our visit was the Waimea Valley Botanical Gardens. Beautiful flowers and a great waterfall. I got some great pictures there. We also enjoyed a luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center. More good pictures there and I  have  my Shutterfly memory book of the trip done.

A post made by “son” Curt (director of education for Maverick Trucking) on Facebook reminded me of this bit of info I wanted to share: while we were traveling those winding roads to and from Arkansas, it was quite obvious that this country moves via big trucks. I’m sure there were thousands on the various interstates. The trucking industry is truly the backbone of this country. There was one interstate we traveled where we and just a few other vehicles were passenger vehicles, the rest were truckers. My dad was a trucker for many years and had to be away from home so much when we were little. I have a high regard for those men and women who choose the profession.