Birthday Bubble

My guy should be walking around in a special bubble today, since it is his birthday. I snapped his photo while we were out for a morning stroll. Then I put him in "the bubble" when I got around to doing my darkroom magic.

Ed sends out birthday cards to dozens of people every year. It is one of those pleasant things that he does for so many people.

He's not a Facebook guy, so you might leave a birthday greeting in the comments section of Willow Blog today. I know that Ed would appreciate that a lot. And, if you comment as "anonymous," give a clue as to who is wishing good things for a really good guy.

Happy birthday, dear!

Turning Nine

Max turned nine years old today. He is a Thanksgiving baby and so we shall celebrate with him on Thanksgiving Day this week. That means that we will get to eat both pumpkin pie and birthday cake.

Here he is, during the 2010 Christmas season, with his cousin Hannah. I love the sweet look in their faces. Photographers would not argue with the natural light effect in this photo either.

Happy birthday, Max!

Birthday Batch

At Grandma Pauline's -- Christmas 2010

The fall birthday batch is in full swing. Clay's birthday is today, but he is in Taiwan, so his birthday was really yesterday. (If you can figure that statement out, you have traveled across the International Date Line at least once.)

Wendy (far left) and Pete (far right) are October babies; Hannah (the little one) joins Finn who is not in this photo as a September baby, and Will (second from left) joins Clay (second from right) as a November kid.

Whew! That's a whole big batch of birthdays, all in a row, and it doesn't even count the myriads of friend birthdays that pop up on the fall calendar, too.

Eat cake! Be happy!

Big 4-0

Hard to believe, isn't it, when one of your kids turns a certain age? Whether that milestone is 1, or 10, or like today's child, the big 4-0, your children always shine in your heart, no matter what.

Today's is Will's fortieth birthday and he is working with the crew of Chicago PD, the next Dick Wolf drama that NBC is premiering on January 8th. Will's job as a steadicam operator and photographer puts him plop in the middle of some fascinating situations.

The situation pictured above is of Will when he was almost two, plopped between his parents during the fall of 1975. I was expecting Liesl in February and Ed, like Will, was working away from Michigan in Tennessee that fall. So this photo was taken, we think, in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, or maybe somewhere along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Happy birthday, Will!

Last year's birthday post

Fashion note: Yes, I did knit Will's pullover (knit out of Coats and Clark Clansman yarn) and my poncho. A poncho! Good Lord, remember those! And check out the deep hems on Will's homemade pants. I certainly expected that child to grow! And then those navy and tan saddle shoes on a two year old -- stylish!

Boys Who Draw

Somewhere along the way in my art education I learned how to take the word "boy," print it in big block lower case letters, and turn it into a cartoon sketch that resembles a boy. I like showing this simple connect-the-lines process to kids. Their brains figure out the hairline and the chin that emerge from the "Y" and then they add the nose and mouth. The cartoon boy soon emerges from the printed word.

At Uncle Peter's birthday party on Friday night, the tables were topped with big sheets of white paper, just perfect for drawing. Quinn and Finn watched me demonstrate the cartoon boy and then Quinn put his head down and was in the creative zone as he drew three boys with great concentration.

Peter, Quinn, Finn, Clay

His cartoon boys are superb. Well done, Quinn. If you were in Mr. Harmon's fourth grade class, we might be giving you a new last name, like "Quinn Whistler" or "Quinn Picasso" or "Quinn Pollack." I know that Uncle Clay and Uncle Peter are very, very proud of you and Finn.

Pete's Birthday

Peter has a birthday today and I trolled through the photos on my hard drive, looking for something that would ring his chimes. I found this photo from December of 2006. Ed and I drove down to East Lansing with two sergers and some sewing supplies. Peter pulled together a sewing day at Dem Hall for the State of Art Winterguard unit that he and Orlando Suttles were directing.

There were lots of happy faces as those flags got finished that day. As I remember, the project went on and on through the holidays and finally came back to my studio in Pigeon where Danielle Damen finished them.

But here we all are, happy as clams in cold Dem Hall in December, getting ready for another performing season. I'm in the back row on the left. Then comes Peter, then Orlando. I'm not sure who is between Orlando and Ed, who is on the far right. The fifteen guard members in the front were the big workers that day as they learned how to rotary cut slippery flag fabric and run sergers.

What is serendipitous about this photo is that it is before Clay and Peter met (I think), and, with Orlando's untimely death this past summer, it reminds us of how the little moments in life make for really good times. 

One of the joys of getting older is seeing your children become adults. In my case, I can say that my kids turned into wonderful adults. I say that with all humility since there are so many corners that get turned as you raise a family. We made it through many of those difficult times, thanks to luck and blessing.

Happy birthday, Peter. I'm proud to be your MOM.

Wendy's Birthday

It's Wendy's birthday today and I want to applaud her and the many other strong and beautiful women whose hours and days are gathered around mothering their little ones.

Being a mother is not an easy task. Will and Wendy's two little girls are blessed with her mothering that often pits the strong will of tiny human beings against the adult psyche. I never felt like I did a good job of being a mother when my kids were little. I'm not a patient person and I'm sure my children can tell stories galore about that.

So, happy birthday, Wendy. These two are growing up way too fast and times like the one pictured above, a tumble of girls on their mom's lap at our summertime family outing to the Grand Hotel, are times to treasure.

Here's wishing you many more grand times in the year ahead!

Birthday Footnote

Wavy birthday candles just begged to be turned into an asterisk, sort of a footnote to all of the fun that we had celebrating September birthdays in the last few weeks. The uncles outdid themselves with a cake extravaganza, the children had a shared party, and the memories are buttercreamedly precious. (How's that for a new made-up word!)

These candles came from the birthday fixings in the baking and cereal aisle at the Pigeon IGA. Flat and funky, they were a big hit at blow out time.

Now they are the footnote to two wonderful birthdays for two sweet grandkids.

Ah, the years roll by.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Birthday Cousins

The birthday cake, a three tiered masterpiece with bluffs made out of rolled cookies, a candy bar bridge, a Disney princess and Crusher from the Skylanders video game, brought together lots of themes for two cousins celebrating birthdays in September.

Hannah is interested in princesses while Finn likes apps and games. Once the birthday candles were lit, the two cousins added their smiles to the occasion of a family birthday celebration on Labor Day weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

And the fluffy, yummy sheep? Well, we adults were told that the sheep are a part of the Skylanders game. The sheep were made of red velvet cake and buttercream frosty. Yummy!

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Happy 92nd Birthday, Dad

Happy 92nd birthday to my Dad, Stan Hayes! Ed and I will be in Wisconsin this weekend for Dad's birthday party which he is sharing with our youngest grandchild, Vallanee Rose Eichler, who is named for my mother. We have a big shindig planned for Grandpa Stan and Baby Val on Sunday afternoon.

Here is a photo from Dad's birthday celebration six years ago. We had a spaghetti dinner at the farm and enjoyed the company of Kelsey Olson Berg, Ed and Wanda, MB and Pat, and, of course, Stan, the Birthday Boy!

I don't want to forget my Great Aunt Nieta who also has a birthday today, so I will write about Nieta in tomorrow's blog.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Yep, Another Birthday

Oh my, it's the big 6-5. Another birthday is here. But, I totally cannot complain.

Food tastes great. I like to golf and golf is getting to like me, considering the times that I actually par holes now. I enjoy travel, but I love being at home even more. Good health is a blessing beyond measure and a daily gift to be nurtured with exercise and cooking.

My family is wonderful -- kids, grandkids, sibs and subs and all. My Dad will be 92 on his next birthday, so what is there to talk about when one turns 65? And friends, I am blessed with friends old and new.

So, here is a photo of me, taken by Ed, my sweetheart, last week while we were at Disney for a business convention. I had been knitting on the scarf that I'm wearing for upwards of six years. I finished the knitting on that afternoon of this photo. So my big smile shows my satisfaction at finishing a project and being able to enjoy the warmth of the scarf, all in one day.

The scarf is a sign of one more blessing that life brings to me -- that of making things by hand. I enjoy knitting and drawing and painting and photography -- all endeavors that train the eye and calm the hands.

Life is a blessing. That I can affirm today. And tomorrow. And always.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Marching Band Kid

Peter, whose birthday is today, will love being reminded of how proud his family has always been of his talent for the performance arts. Here he is, smiling with his Grandma Val and Grandpa Stan, on some long ago Friday night at the Laker High School football field. Mellophone in hand and decked out in Laker green and white, Pete is the epitome of a marching band kid.

Years later (and we won't count) Peter is on staff with the Spartan Marching Band at Michigan State University and with State of Art, MSU's award winning winterguard unit. All of this ensemble experience -- bands, winterguards, colorguards, drum corps -- gives him skills that he takes into his day job. He knows organization. He helps people pull together and perform well.

Happy, happy birthday, Peter. Here's hoping for lots of smiles today.

Copyright 2012
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Grandpa's Boys

Finn, Ed, Max -- April 15, 2012

It's hard to sit still when you are four, but Griffin Henry managed to sit and smile long enough for a snapshot with big brother Maxwell Ryan and Grandpa Edwin Henry. Both grandsons helped Grandpa Ed celebrate his birthday this weekend.

Copyright 2012

Wanda Hayes Eichler



Four Generations

Happy 65th birthday to my husband, Ed Eichler!

Looking through photos from the past brought this image to my attention today. Here's Ed as a toddler, probably 14 months or so, with his mom, his grandfather and great-grandfather. Ed thinks this photo was taken at the Geiger place down the road from Graywood Farm, across the road from Tinker Bud's. My guess is that this photo was taken in the summer of 1948.

With a new granddaughter born last Wednesday, little Val Eichler, it is fun to look back and think about families. By the way, Ed says he's only another day older, so all of this 65th fussin' around is just that -- fussin' about one day.

Congratulations on your 65th birthday, Ed. Love you much!

Copyright 2012
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Tucson Tamale Company -- Yes!

The tamales at the Tucson Tamale Company have been featured on The Splendid Table, NPR's good food show. I'm a big fan of Splendid Table, so, for my birthday yesterday Ed and I hunted up this shop and tried out the tamales.

 

The tamale fillings -- tasty combinations of meat, corn, cheese, beans, chilis and more -- are wrapped in corn husks, shown in the foreground of this photo of the kitchen. The tamales are steamed (to eat right away) or frozen (they ship anywhere in the U.S.) after being wrapped in husks. Everything is gluten free and lard free. I hadn't thought about the gluten free thing, but of course, a corn based food would be gluten free.

To eat them, you peel away the husk and enjoy the filling. Tucson Tamale Company has vegetarian and vegan fillings, in addition to the traditional meat offerings.  In some ways, tamales remind me of the Upper Peninsula favorite, the Cornish pastie.

Here's Ed in his orange polo shirt, photographed on the orange painted patio, a pleasant spot at the back of the tamale shop. The tin bucket in the lower right of the photo is the "husk" bucket where one places the discarded husks.

We enjoyed our lunch on the back patio at Tucson Tamale Company and will certainly look forward to fixing the frozen tamales that we purchased to have with salads and rice.

Copyright 2012

Wanda Hayes Eichler

When I'm Sixty Four

Hey, Willow Blog readers, thought I would look back at you today. Thanks so much for looking in on me and my world via the blog. So, here's me, looking at you, on my birthday.

I'm thinking, gee, how lucky and blessed can one person get to be?

Children, so dear to me, and such great people. How could I have raised adults like that!?

Grandkids whom I miss daily. How can they wheedle their way into one's heart so completely?

My family who love me. Sisters and sisters-in-law, the ladies of the clan. Brother (just Tim) and brothers-in-law, the great guys.

The nieces, the nephews. Their kids. What a gang we all are together on both sides of the family.

And the uncles and aunts! They are my Facebook buddies and email correspondents.

A husband who is my treasured friend and companion and whom I love dearly.

My Dad who will soon turn 91 and looks forward to these posts every day (and reads them on a tablet, nonetheless! Take that technology buffs.)

My Mom-in-law who is always so glad to see me, even for a short visit.

All the friends, new, old and inbetween, who encourage and cheer and sometimes, admonish me.

Oh, I could go on and on in my sentimental, birthday listing mood. Good food, an incredible country to live in, soft yarn, colorful fabrics, our gardens, my roses, my Chevy Volt (I know I shouldn't love a car, but I sure like this one), my golf game, the lake, the farm, the desert, sunrises, sunsets, books, my Kindles (yep, plural Kindles), writing to do, this blog.

Yep, life is good at sixty four.

Copyright 2012
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Groundhogs All

You put your hands in front of you like you are going to dig a hole. You do something funny with your mouth and your teeth. Presto, Eduardo. Groundhogs all.

Max and Grandpa and Finny, who moved too fast for the camera and had to be photoshopped, demonstrated the fine points of being groundhogs as a part of the festivities for Mom Liesl's birthday party appropriately held on February 2, Groundhog Day. Such fun.

Copyright 2012
Wanda Hayes Eichler