John Farrell's blog

With this update, I have added links to photos of the Washington DC Cherry Blossoms and Goober’s habitat from January to today for this year. Enjoy!

Eden November Farrell was born November 27 to Sarah and Mike Farrell. She was 28 days early so there are some premature issues to deal with but all indications are she is otherwise healthy and will be fine. Sarah and Mike are doing good, as well, and are great parents – so caring and loving of their new daughter and each other. They keep talking about how each other will be great parents when, in fact, they already are! They’ve made the change from a couple to a family in great order. We’re proud of them, and thankful everything has worked out so well. We met Eden in person for the 1st time on Monday, December 6. She is so tiny but beautiful and so content.

Here is a picture to prove we were in Alaska – actually, the only one of us together. Behind the clouds in the distance is Mt. McKinley, also called Mt. Denali by Alaskans. We had a great time. It was hard to come home but Winter is fast approaching and we didn’t want that experience. The complete story of our trip can be read about and viewed by clicking here.

Enjoy!

Rachel was born September 8 to Kate and Brad Stokley – Brad is our nephew. She is the first of her generation in the extended family. Her middle name is my mother/Brad’s grandmother’s name – very special! The second will be Eden November Farrell, expected on December 25 by Sarah and Michael Farrell – Mike is our youngest son. Rachel gave us a smile when we visited her on September 9 – happy to meet her Grand Aunt and Uncle, for sure. She is a beautiful child! Welcome to the family Rachel. Come on, Eden! We can hardly wait until you arrive, too!

We are visiting Alaska August 31 through September 8. The first area we will visit will be Denali National Park. If the weather cooperates, we will see the above in person the middle of the week. The Weather Channel forecast yesterday for this area is for sunshine one day and rain the next. It will be what it will be. We’re ready for either. We’re hoping for a clear view of the mountain – called Mt. McKinley in the lower U.S. but known as Mt. Denali in Alaska. Denali is the native word for the Great One. The National Park Service has good information and some great pictures, as above, provided on Twitter @DenaliNPS.

The second area we will spend time is the south-central region to take day boat trips to see glaciers and wildlife. We’ll have lots of pictures and stories after this trip, for sure.

Look out Alaska, here we come!

It’s been a couple seasons since we had a Monarch butterfly in our gardens. Last year we saw one on one day and then it was gone. This year, this male Monarch has been hanging out for a least four days now. It’s been very difficult to get a quality picture. This one isn’t very good but the best I’ve gotten so far. Hope you enjoy this rare (around here anyway) beauty.

After a couple weeks, the Monarch was gone. A good article on their migration can be found in the Birds & Blooms magazine. Enjoy!

The big news this week is that our grandchild is healthy and is a girl. Her due date is now December 20. She will be named Eden November. The middle name November is from a song written and sung by the babies Uncle Jake. We’re all excited and happy beyond our ability to express ourselves.

The parents found out about the babies health and sex on Monday, and revealed it all to the family that night at a party with a cake that was either blue or pink – very cute!

Our swimming pool has been wonderful during the recent high temperatures. Yesterday afternoon it was 102 in the shade under the deck beside the pool. To our complete surprise and joy, Donna’s Dad, a.k.a. Pappy Spangler, came out of the air conditioned house in his swim suit to join the crew in the pool.

He went into the pool in his clothes a couple months ago so Donna bought him a swim suit, which he used for the first time yesterday. His usual practice is to start the day in a tee shirt and shorts to walk his dog and check out his flowers in the gardens. He must have had fun yesterday because this morning he came down wearing his swim suit so he would be ready when it was time. At 89, he still has a sense of adventure and a great sense of humor.

Six weeks ago today, I underwent surgery on my right knee – the 4th operation in the last 5 years. I was frustrated and angry that this operation had to happen but the results have been quite remarkable. The doctor cleaned out debris from pieces of cement that had broken loose, and he exchanged the plastic pad for a thicker one – 2 mm thicker. Consider that 2mm is 5/64 inch, slightly more than 1/16 inch. It’s not much but it made a world of difference. The doctor told me that he is finding the joints loosening after replacement. In my case, tightening the joint this small amount has made a remarkable difference to reduce the pain and increase the physical functions of the joint.

Now, the joint is not completely healed so there is still pain and swelling but the rate of improvement is encouraging and my expectations for recovery are greater than they have been for more than 5 years. I can comfortably walk 3 miles and perform exercises not done in a long time. For all this, I am very thankful…

We have two house cats – Ava and Niki. Ava is affectionate but low energy. Niki has more than enough energy and curiosity for them both. Last Friday evening, we realized Niki was missing. She couldn’t be found in the house in any of her usual hiding places but we waited until Saturday to be sure. We searched inside and outside the house to no avail. We didn’t see her in the woods near the house nor across the street in the barn with the other neighborhood cats. With the wildlife in this area (raccoons, foxes, hawks, buzzards and outside cats), we were concerned because she has lived her life within the protection of the house and is unlearned in the ways of the wild.

By Sunday evening, our hopes were taking some hits when continued searches and food left outside were not attracting her. We were having dinner at the picnic table in the back yard when we saw her come out of a bush at the back of the house. She panicked when we came toward her and ran back into the bush. Mike successfully extracted her from the bush and brought her back into the house – scared and hungry after more than 48 hours in the wild.

Perhaps her curiosity about life outside the house is satisfied? The backyard is a favorite meeting place for raccoons during the night, and we’ve seen foxes passing through the yard on numerous occasions. At least she found a good hiding place in the bush, which is dense and close to the house.

Finally, the reception she got from her sister, Ava, was unexpected – not friendly at all. Perhaps Ava is jealous that she missed out on the great adventure or the attention Niki got when she returned? They are getting along better as time passes by.

This story has lots of the elements of the Biblical story – interesting…