Gary's Gear for Football Games

 

My husband, Gary, and my bonus-daughter, Krista, are loyal James Madison University football fans.  The fall temperatures here and in other places they go to watch games can have very, very cold weather.

It is quite a show to watch Gary get ready or to watch him remove layers after a game.  This was after the JMU vs Marshall University game that went into overtime.  (We lost - Marshall 35 vs JMU 33.) He didn't get home till midnight.

Here's the fully dressed version.  Layer 1
I have a double-fleeced stocking cap on my head and
a black fleece windbreaker over my face. 
My red scarf is one I got in Moscow (can't find my JMU one). 

My black gloves are battery-powered and stays warm for 8 hours.

I am holding my hot seat cushion, which I sit on.  It is filled with starofoam and keeps me warm from the cold, plastic chairs of the stadium. 

 

Layer 2  Notice the large, magenta polar-level down-filled thick coat over my arm.

Layer 3  This is under the fleece stocking cap that protects my face from the wind. 

 

 

 

 

Layer 4 is my battery-powered heated black vest.

 

Layer 5 features the JMU fleece sweatshirt.

Layer 6 is flannel-lined Docker pants.

  

Layer 7 is thermal underwear black tights.

 Layer 8 is heat-holder socks.

 

Layer 9 is insulated boots with toe warmers.  You shake them and they stay warm for 6 hours.

Such is the life of a dedicated and loyal
JMU football fan, Gary Lee Suter!

Gary says, "Thanks to my faithful cohorts, Winston Weaver and Krista Lee Suter, who join me each Saturday during football season."

p.s. Last year one game in Harrisonburg was 17 degrees during the whole game. We stayed till the final minute!

Bowman Reunion 2023

The Bowman Reunion was held at Shady Oaks, which is part of Weaver's Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, Virginia on the third Sunday in July.  I always look forward to going to reconnect with my many cousins.  My paternal grandmother was Ruth Bowman May, which lets me be with this fine group of people.

Uncle Luther Bowman has 29 grandchildren.  I can't name all of them but here is a good representation on that group.

  I remember going to visit Uncle Luther sometimes on Sunday afternoon when I was little.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Philip and Maribeth May, MaryMay and Gary Suter,
Becky and Bill May

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grandmother Ruth Bowman May had six grandchildren.  Above are 3 of them with their spouses.

Visiting with my kinfolk and eating the lucious home-cooking is always fun but the highlight this year was singing hymns together.  The acappella singing and the harmony was simply beautiful.

 Until next year, dear Bowman cousins!

A May Day Kind of Picnic 2023

Gathering with friends and family is always a delightful experience for me.  It makes me feel my roots and that I am connected. 

In this day and age, people move around so much, it's not always easy to get people together.

Click any photo for a larger view.

This group was in the old elementary school house in Singers Glen, Virginia.  Clarence May and Walker May were brothers.  These are cousins and kinfolk from the family of Franklin and Emma Swank May. 

Franklin  Henry May and Emma Swank May.  
(I always wonder why people didn't smile for photos in the "olden days?"

The house burned down and today there is a LONG chicken house built in that area.

Below is my favorite picture of Uncle Clarence and Granddaddy Walker May.  This was following a VERY successful day of gigging.

(Click the pic for a larger view!)

Maybe living away for 30 years has made me treasure my family roots more than some people.

My Blue-eyed Blanche Was a Blessing

 

My blue-eyed Blanche brought bundles of blessings to all.   

She crossed the rainbow bridge and is now in heaven getting to know lots of kitties and looking for a man's lap. 
(Click on any pic for an enlargement.)

This week is a sad time in the Suter household.  I had to part with my Blanche who was such a special little "person" in my family. She was over 17 years old and I had her for about 12 years.   

Blanche was a show cat so she was handled a lot when she was young.  That made my life easier because I could sit her on my lap to trim her claws and she rode in the car with no car-sickness.  She just slept on my lap for the whole trip to and from Florida.

She stopped eating over a week ago.  I took her to the vet last week and her blood tests looked good.   I had discovered that Blanche had lost one of her 2 remaining teeth so we thought the not eating might be related to that.  I tried soft food, wetting her food, and the vet even gave me a tiny jar of baby food.  She sniffed it and - NO -  she wasn't having any part of that!  The vet gave her a shot of antibiotics and an appetite stimulant. 

Meanwhile, she was going about her usual schedule, coming out talking in the morning when we let her out of the office.  She took her usual naps, some in the "doghouse" bed in the living room and some in her bed in the office.  Whenever I laid down for a nap, she came and slept on me or between my legs.

I had another vet appointment on Wednesday and knew what needed to be done.  She was down from 5.3 pounds to 3 pounds.  I had taken a nice box for her.  Gary had kidney stone surgery the day before and I was NOT letting him dig!  The ground was soft due to recent rain so I dug the hole and buried her in the back yard of Gary’s house beside a couple of his pet dogs.  

She was such a vocal little being!  We are in a Zoom Bible Study group with my church in Florida.  They got used to seeing and hearing Blanche.  Here's a pic of the group.  Notice that Blanche is sitting on the back of the sofa - once she had us organized and set up, she paused for a bath.

 

  We got her because our Cornish Rex kitty, Pepper, seemed lonely.

 

 For a while, it was touch and go,
but finally they became good friends. 

Some of these photos make me think of the yin and yang symbol.

When we drove to and from Florida, we had a carrier available but they rode most of the way on my lap.  I bought an SUV style car so we could put a litter box in the back that they could access. 

 Here are some things I learned from Blanche:

If you've been naughty, put yourself into Time Out!

   

If there's sun and a soft blanket, take advantage of it!

 

  If you see a soft place, claim it!

 

   If a friend gives you a scratcher, you can hide in the "valley" area to feel safe.

  Or, you can sit on it and be King (Queen) of the Hill!

 

  If you want to see what's in the cabinet, go look.

 

 

 

 
If you want to get warm, find a warm spot and enjoy it.

 

If you want to play on the cat tree, do it but be sure to get the upper hand.

 

 

 

If you're not sure about something, study it carefully.

 Do you know why we have placemats?
  So you can know where your place is!

 

If friends come over, snuggle with them.

 

 

 

If friends don't respond,then DEMAND their attention!

Blanche's name on her birth certificate was Blanche Devereaux after the character on the Golden Girls TV show.  Blanche really lived up to her name and was a flirt with men!

She adopted Gary, for sure!

  My beautiful, blue-eyed Blanche brought bliss and bushels of blessings to my abode.  I will miss her forever and ever. 

This is her portrait from when she was a show cat.
Blanche won championships because of her soft wavy coat, her big blue eyes, her big ears, her seal-point coat pattern, and her charming, alert disposition.

Rest in peace, my lovey-dovey kitty cat.

October 21, 2022
Note:  It's been over two weeks without my sweet Blanche.  It almost gets harder because our apartment is so quiet.  I didn't realize how much she talked!  She always greeted us when we came in, meowed if she wanted on our laps, meowed to let her our of "her room" (the office) in the morning, and often she just meowed for no reason at all, except to chat.  Sometimes I think I hear her.  That will fade with time but I will always treasure memories of my beautiful, blue-eyed Blanche.