Lord Levi returns to his fiefdom

I have been back in Glasgow for about 3 weeks and it's been good. Going into the hardest year of high school isn't exactly the most comforting thing, but 10th grade in Scotland is a big testing year that they use for college. 

It took around 3 hours to drive from GR to Chicago, in the car I just sat and slept or watched shows. Once we got to the airport we somehow got like 5 luggages to our check-in place and checked in 3 of them. Then it was easy to move because we had just 2 bags left. We got to our gate, waited, and eventually boarded. I slept on the plane mostly and just hung out for 8 hours. After the long plane, the last and shorter one was just 30 minutes.  Overall the trip was pretty easy.

After all the hustle and lugging around 5 bags after the flights, we got to our house and just unpacked  until I went back to school. Which started on the 19th. Actually to my surprise, nothing changed in the school except for my class schedule which means I just have classes at different times than last year. And after all that, now I'm here.

  Not much has been going on these past days, just settling into school again and petting all the random cats around the city on my walks. They're everywhere, I have seen like 5, it is pretty cool. Other than the cats, I have my den set up in the "mudroom" of the house where I work, it has a nice skylight and a door to the outside. It's a very cool room, I even have a strip of LED lights that light it up at night, a cool fan, and a gorilla lamp.

daytime

nighttime

I have also taken up fencing and I have only done one lesson. The place I go is in a warehouse in a shady part of the city, a place where you would expect to be stabbed and looted out of nowhere. But the place is cool, they have a huge dog that looks like a bear that just hangs out there. When I started my first lesson last Tuesday they just gave me a helmet and a sword and threw me in. They didn't pull me to the side for beginner exercises or anything, they just expected me to follow along to the 3 weeks of info they taught to the other kids already but not me. The majority of kids there were younger and didn't seem to take it seriously but I know what fencing is so all it was, was practicing footwork and how to defend and hold your weapon. I played 2 matches against 2 of the other kids. 

I won both matches, one of them being 5-0. So, I think I am grasping the concept decently. 

Overall, it's going well and I (or Mama) will keep you guys updated.

-Levi

Kitty Crocker's Kid

What Levi failed to tell you is that he (yup HE), cooked dinner tonight!  What?!?!  We were at TKMaxx the other day and Levi found a Japanese knife that he wanted.  He started negotiating and promising to make dinner once a week if I bought it for him.  15 bucks goes far with this kid.  Do you want 5 of them?  

So, of course, I bought it without a second glance and held him to his offer today.  His first meal was white chicken chili, made with the bone broth I made last week.  

It was fabulous!  And it only took 1.5 hours and a very messy kitchen.  LOL!  I added some quick corn bread muffins, direct from the factory in Chelsea, Michigan, and we had a feast!

 

My work here is done.  

But I do wonder what I can buy him to do the laundry? ?

 😆

conniving Kitty

Goodbye GR........

 Well, we are back and it was an AMAZING summer.  Lots of friends, family, celebrations, and good times.  

jaxhoffman.com

But it is never long enough!  

Levi started 10th grade here in Glasgow, while Jackson decided to stay home in GR and pursue college and work there.  

Life goes on.

I guess you just have to enjoy the ride!

One of the areas I will miss the most, is our GR home, neighborhood and all our friends and family.  

As if to test my resolve, there was a major storm before we left, complete with tree limbs down and windows blown completely off the 2nd floor and smashed to bits on top of the solarium.  

I slept thru the entire event!  

It certainly was NOT what I wanted to do the day before flying, but here we were.  By the grace of the goddess, I had handyman Shaun stopping by to look at other areas in the house to fix.  In fact, he is the one who showed me the storm window debacle.   Arggggg.

So here we were up on the roof cleaning up glass shards, and figured while we were at it, that we might as well clean out gutters.  Oh, and why not clip all of the tree branches touching the roof.  Does it ever end??    (no is the answer, if you were looking for one!)

My neighbor, North Scott (for I have a South Scott too), had borrowed Reid's truck from across the street and was filling the bed with all the branches.  He asked if we wanted to add to the pile. YESSSSS!  So for the next hour, we cut, pruned, and packed the truck with branches.  Levi helping, begrudgingly.  Then Scott took it all to the yard waste dump.  But before that, as Scott and I discussed our mutual loathing of the Rose of Sharon trees, Scott whipped out a chain saw and got rid of the last of those menaces now bound for the dump.  

I love my neighbors and this neighborhood!  While it wasn't what I was planning to do, it sure made it easy with all of the help.  

With Chef Tommy down the street, great friends like Randy on our cool corner of the Hill, and Tim a block away,.... it's a pretty special place.  

We will miss you GR - but we will be back soon.

And as for all of the friends and family, here is just a smattering of the fun we had.  I don't think I had a full 24 hours free.  It was jam packed and I loved every minute of it!  If we measure life by how great our tribe is, I've already won.

Chef Tommy and Little Red

My BFF Beth who I've known since birth.  Thx for stopping by from Alaska.

Verlinden Little Reds - 

Beth, Terri, Becky and me

We go 
WAYYYYYYY back!

So great to see you Amy!

Oma is shrinking....

Walking the Hill - J's favorite house

8 of the 12 siblings of Oma's + Oma's mom - Grandma Candy

Thanks for letting me crash the party!

A smattering of those left at the book club- I forgot to take a picture earlier.  

Me and Mary T!

Game night - Cairns Clan!

Greywing perched in his favorite spot on my lap!

Deb - that meal was fab!  Zivio!

Aiden - the BFF of Levi 

Lots and Lots and Lots of pool time!

Supper club - direct from Chef Tommy

Little Red contemplating life

Tara and I - having some fun!

New restaurant - Linear - with downtown GR as a backdrop.

If you like Indian - go to Pind!  That was fantastic!

Seriously - I think I saw Chef Tommy twice a week!  

We ate a lot!

Though somehow, I didn't cook much at all!  

So good to see you Mason (and Rachel)!

One of my dearest soul friends - Chris!

The Arcadia crew!

Lake Michigan - words can't even describe how much I love it here!  And being there with Stacy and Heidi - it just doesn't get much better than that!

The best weekend in Arcadia with this motley crew!

(gotta love the driver - he fit right in!)

Melanie and Max - I just love you guys!

Greywing in his glory

Darcy and Juli - Please come and visit me in Glasgow.  You're the best!

We even got to see RuthAnn (my sister) and Laura (my niece)

A boy and his cat....

And to Chelsea, the Guardian of the Greywing, (and the house) - it was SOOO GREAT to see you!  I miss our long discussions and fun times by the pool.  And Let me take this moment to officially congratulate you on finally winning a game of cribbage against me!  WELL DONE!  Now go give 'em hell at Tyler Creek and show them what you are made of!

I love you all (pictured or not)- 

Kitty

Invincibility 💪

 So I just did a thing and I'm feeling like a rock star!

This sink has been dripping for over a year now!  Yup, you read that right, and if I'm honest, it's probably been 2.  

ARGGGGGGG!

I have acted like I don't have the time to dig up the info, but Tim found it in seconds of asking. 

Then I acted like I didn't have the time to call the place to get replacement parts.  

But that was also a bit of a fallacy.

But I also knew that once I dug into it, it was going to take longer than expected.  This isn't my first rodeo in an old house.  In fact it isn't even my second or third rodeo.  I have been riding this bucking bronco for almost 30 years, and I haven't won a blue ribbon yet!

But I obviously must like the torture, as I can't seem to give up the 'ever present' challenge.

It took me weeks to work with the manufacturer to attain the right parts.  After a huge run around for receipts and proof of purchase, I found out it was all for naught and it ended up that they wouldn't replace the parts for free as the warranty was not in place when we purchased it.  

Whatever!

But of course, after producing a credit card and paying an exorbitant amount, the cartridge to fix the leak, was on its way.  

SO

After two googling attempts and Levi as a wingman

I ACTUALLY FIXED IT!

WHAT?!?!?

And in the end, it wasn't that hard.  I am now going to all faucets in the house to see what else I can fix!  

Cause now I feel like I can CONQUER the world!

I know that Opa is smiling down on me, feeling like he empowered his third born girl, the one who he called Little Jo all of his life.  The one that he had up on a roof before she could barely do a cartwheel.  The one he listened to endlessly up on those roofs, when he wasn't sending me down for more shingles (maybe to shut me up!?).  The one who could never carry up a full bundle of shingles, but learned that if you just carry up as much as you can at a time, you will get there.  The one who, since her roofing days, has refinished many a floor, painted many a ceiling and who has replaced dishwashers and has never been afraid of heights.  But now also the one who hires great handymen, and knows how to find ones who work with honesty, grit and integrity.  And now the one who tips extremely well, for she learned that when you hire those that were like her dad, they never do charge enough.    

Thanks Opa - I'm proud that I can do so many things that I've learned from you.  Not to mention roof a house.  You helped me to become a strong, resilient, determined, hard working and generous person (who has lots of grit!)  

I miss you and love you dad, but I know you are here with me every step of the way!

Now if you can just help me with the bubbling wall next to the kitchen sink, I'd be ever so grateful!

💙💙

Little Jo

handy(wo)man extraordinaire

Life is Good!

It has been so great being back in Michigan.  I have never been gone as long as I have this time around.  11 months, in a foreign country, that we had newly moved to, during a pandemic and lengthy lockdowns, does not make for easy living.  So being home has been the grounding and sustenance that I have so badly needed.  

The greatest part by far, has been reconnecting with friends & family in person.  The hugs, the communion, the laughter, the celebrations, the strategies of what is to come.  The hopes of visits to Glasgow, and the dreams of walking the West Highland Way.  

My soul has been filled with such joy!  The love ever present from so many!  

I feel revived and ready for another school year for Levi and all of the fun that I know is headed our way.  

Arcadia, Northern Michigan

This past weekend with my soul sisters that I have known for decades, has done my heart good.  The long walks on the beach, finding Petoskey stones, museum visits and even listening to a bagpiper, will be such good memories for years to come.

It was so fantastic that I just didn't want it to end.  And since Stacy's house has 7 bedrooms, I thought I could pull off a stowaway move and she would not even know the difference!  

Here are a few snaps from the soul reviving weekend...

Kitty, Heidi, and Stacy - from Perrigo, to Dublin, to Arcadia...and all that's been in between.  These are some of the best people I've ever met in my life!

Stacy's house was the first one built in Arcadia - 1880!  I knew she would be an old house girl sooner or later.  All the good ones are......

Lake Michigan - oh how I love walking your shores.  It brings back so many great memories from my childhood.

Arcadia is the sweetest little town.  Stacy, you always live in post card villages!  

Teamwork cairn building, on the shores of Lake Michigan, is just about as zen as you can get.

In celebration of an illustrious 32+ year career of Heidi at Perrigo.  Stacy and I concur that she is the smartest person we've ever met.  You did so well Heidi!  We applaud you and all of your amazing contributions to the company and our lives!  We are all better for knowing you!

of course it was!!!

Can you believe they even found a place to watch a bagpiper 'pipering' on the links and shores of Lake Michigan.  

Thanks for hosting us Stacy, you're the best!

and that's a wrap on the best weekend I've had in a very long time!

I have to say, if you measure the joy in your life with who you surround yourself with, I must say, my life is OFF THE CHARTS!  

I'm one extremely lucky and grateful gal!  

kalm 

cairn building

Kitty