This morning, we got Pente dressed up to get some photos of her. She, as always, was very cooperative.
In fact, she took us on a tour of her favorite places in the house.
Perhaps her favorite spot is in a US Postal box. I brought this home one day because I was carrying a thousand post cards. I tossed it to the ground by the door to remind myself to return it. Instantly Pente jumped in. And that was that. I think she believes she is invisible in this box. She'll run and jump in in the midst of play. Pretty funny stuff!
Another favorite place in the house is a scratching post set up specifically for her. Our home has rough cedar vertical beams in it, and Pente has long believed these were put there just for her clawing pleasure. We ended up attaching a rug to her favorite beam so she can claw without trashing the beam. She loves it. She'll run over and claw while looking back waiting to her was a talented and special cat she is. She is an attention hog for sure!
Pente also loves to roll around on the stairs. It's actually an excellent behavior in that it keeps them dusted a fair amount of the time.
And finally, the bar stools. She loves the new material (they were recovered in December. I wonder if they retain heat better. I'm not really sure why, but she does love them.
Pente is really adorable in all the dresses. I still can't figure out which is my favorite.
The garage renovation is almost complete. Aside from moving a few building materials out and a bit of paint here and there, it is done! Thought we would show some of the before and after photos. It's quite a remarkable improvement. Take note of the new insulation (invisible) and sheet rock throughout. Plus, there is 8x more lighting, and two attic access doors. Lots of fun new features!
The first two photos show the back wall. (Photo 1 is after, photo 2 is before). Huge difference going from a spider-laden dimly lit cave to a room that with carpet could be a den!
The second two photos show the left wall. Before is first, after is second. I think the improvements are obvious.
Up next is a view of the right hand wall. Again, before is first, after is second. Maybe this is where the greatest improvements are. It's really hard to decide though because it's all so good.
Inside the cabinets are organized bins with labels. And there is a lot of open space in the cabinets. It will be much easier to find items because we can (a) see in the garage and (b) it is so well organized!
Tomorrow Guy starts on the back deck/yard area. And boy does it need some help. First is demo of some very rotten decking at the ground level, and the replacement of the upper decking and new railings. Can't wait to see it done already!
Grandma Rennison passed away on October 4, 2010. She was born in 1918 in Warrensburg, Mo and married Grandpa in 1936. They raised five children during their marriage.
Everyone who was able gathered in the Braymer, Mo and Kansas City, MO area to celebrate her life on the weekend of Oct 9-12.
While it was no doubt a very sad event, it was also really nice seeing so many family members. And as is usual for these events, we got to see many photos and hear stories never seen/heard before.
The night before the funeral, we all gathered at Ralph and Wilma's home to eat and be together.
We also made a trip to the funeral home for a private family viewing this evening. We were happy to have this opportunity. Grandma looked really great.
We returned to Ralph & Wilma's home to spend time together. We celebrated Grandma's birthday - she would have been 92 on the 20th of October. Some moonshine showed up which made for a pretty funny evening as a few folks (to remain unnamed) over-indulged. And we all admired Ralph's new tattoo! Men gone wild - turn 74 and get a tattoo! It was a good time.
The next day was the service. It was the first day of the weekend that the weather was cold, rainy and sad. We attended the funeral in Braymer, then made the drive to Mt. Moriah cemetary in KCMO for the grave-site service. Grandma is buried next to Grandma and surrounded by many family members including her mom - Callie Merle Carson Foster (my namesake). It's always been a great source of pride in the family that we are related to Kit Carson. Callie Carson was his niece.
As I left the cemetery to head back to my hotel, I got to watch the most beautiful sunset in the rear-view mirror.
Anyway, I won't chatter any longer. Enjoy and celebrate a really lovely woman known to many as mom, grandma, great-grandma and even great-great-grandma.
This morning, we got Pente dressed up to get some photos of her. She, as always, was very cooperative.
In fact, she took us on a tour of her favorite places in the house.
Perhaps her favorite spot is in a US Postal box. I brought this home one day because I was carrying a thousand post cards. I tossed it to the ground by the door to remind myself to return it. Instantly Pente jumped in. And that was that. I think she believes she is invisible in this box. She'll run and jump in in the midst of play. Pretty funny stuff!
Another favorite place in the house is a scratching post set up specifically for her. Our home has rough cedar vertical beams in it, and Pente has long believed these were put there just for her clawing pleasure. We ended up attaching a rug to her favorite beam so she can claw without trashing the beam. She loves it. She'll run over and claw while looking back waiting to her was a talented and special cat she is. She is an attention hog for sure!
Pente also loves to roll around on the stairs. It's actually an excellent behavior in that it keeps them dusted a fair amount of the time.
And finally, the bar stools. She loves the new material (they were recovered in December. I wonder if they retain heat better. I'm not really sure why, but she does love them. 
Pente is really adorable in all the dresses. I still can't figure out which is my favorite.
