I'm playing a little "catch-up" tonight.  Busy weekend and today we were at DHMC for chemo for Fred.  It's been a long day, but all is well and we thoroughly enjoyed the foliage even in the rain early this morning as we cruised down I-91.  We took the "short cut" home this afternoon, through Ryegate, Groton and Peacham.  The foliage has just popped since the rain came!  We kept wishing the sun would come out, even just a little.  It would have been spectacular, I'm sure, but even with rain and some fog, the colors were very nice.
     I found this message from Julie Hendrickson in my Joe's Pond Association mailbox when I checked tonight:

 Pam and Joe Hebert hosted an end of year pot luck for an enthusiastic group of Joe’s Pond Pickleball players. This summer more than 30 people joined the fun and learned the game of Pickleball. We met neighbors, got lots of exercise and had a great time together. Thanks for a great season and see you all next summer! New players welcome.
 
Pot luck Attendees and Pickleball enthusiasts, L-R:
Jack and Sue LaGue, Joe Hebert, Julie Hendrickson, Thierry Guerlain, Jamie Stewart, Pam Collins, MaryAnn Cassani, Jerome and Lauren Keating   

    It's great that Joe's Ponders still enjoy getting together for activities after the curtain comes down on our last meeting of the "season."  We are fast becoming more than just a "summer-time" group.  There are more and more year-round residents at the pond, and although some head to warmer spots temporarily during the coldest months, there's still a hardy group that hangs out to enjoy snowmobiling, skiing, skating and ice fishing - or just to admire the snow and brag about our miserable weather and how cold it is from time to time.
     We had a visit from our younger granddaughter, Tangeni, yesterday.  She came to wish me a happy birthday and brought me a piece of artwork she'd painted.  She and her parents found a tree fungus  on one of their walks last summer.  They brought it home, dried it, and Tangeni's dad helped her smooth the bottom so it would stand up - then she painted a design, an "Angel Heart" on it.  (Can you see the red heart and whispy angel wings on either side?)   It now has a place of honor on the mantle in Grandma and Grandpa's living room.  Grandpa took a picture while we were sharing some reading time.  Tangeni is in first grade and she reads amazingly well.  She's fast and accurate.  She's also learning her multiplication tables.  Her dad says kids get introduced to multiplication in second grade these days.  That's a lot different than I remember, but then, kids seem to grow up faster in lots of ways these days.  She told us she's lost five teeth - mostly in front, of course, so she has a bit of trouble biting into apples, but assured us she can still chew just fine. She's a bit of a character, with a quick mind and lots of questions. We enjoyed the "Happy Birthday visit."
     Unfortunately, I missed my meeting with the West Danville history group today.  This is the second time in a row I've messed up.  Last time I was ready to meet a week ahead of time, but this time I thought it was next week, so missed it altogether.  The worst part is, I had it on my calendar - but I forgot to check.  Life gets complicated the more birthdays one has, I believe.  I'm going to take some time to load all our appointments on my Google calendar.  I've scoffed at doing that, believing my scribbles on a pocket calendar I carry in my wallet will suffice, but obviously, I don't remember to look at it, so need an insistent reminder, preferably a few days ahead.  I'm really sorry I missed the meeting today - I always enjoy our sessions.  As it turned out, I wouldn't have been able to be there anyway - this appointment with Fred's oncologist took precedent, but at least I wouldn't have left the others on the committee wondering where I was.  Apologies made, lesson learned.