Month: January 2014
Kittyville 2014
James got a surprised this Christmas when he received a new pet from the Humane Society. These kittens were rescue kittens and have really become a part of the household (especially with the cold winter we are having where everybody is inside most of the day).
Currently these kittens are on a kitty chow diet and I don’t know what they put in that stuff but the kitty litter used in the house has gone up a lot more than you would expect. We also keep the kittens out of the basement because we don’t want them messing around with some of the nooks and crannies you can find in a basement (or with the decorations stored down there). Once it warms up we should be able to put the Holiday decorations in the garage and the kittens will be much bigger and not able to crawl into small places.
All in all, everyone is enjoying the new additions and watching them grow.
Dinosaur World Kentucky 2014
After Granpa Landis funeral we had a long drive back to Michigan, but we felt James needed an emotional break so we took him to one of his favorite places on earth, Dinosaur World in Kentucky.
James was very unselfish this trip and spent his money buying souvenirs for his classmates back in Michigan. The gift shop specializes in educational material for kids, including dinosaur books, models, toys, fossils, games, postcards, and dinosaur movies. All these things help children learn about the prehistoric past that we all share. Dinosaurs must be the most fascinating animals that ever walked the earth and you can certainly understand why kids gravitate to them so. James made sure each of his classmates got at least one souvenir from Dinosaur World.
All things considered James held up pretty well, but he was much more quiet with his enthusiasm on this visit than past ones, and who could blame him.
Nashville by Air 2014
This year our trip to Nashville was not as joyous as ones in the past had been. Mom had to fly out to Nashville under difficult circumstances – Grandpa Landis had passed away.
Mom took these pictures on the flight down where she met Uncle Bill to help with the funeral arrangements. James, Grandma, and Dad drove down one day later in what could best be described as an incredibly wet drive with nothing but rain from Cincy to Nashville.
The funeral service was very nice with military honors and the weather remained calm long enough as well. On the drive home the rain began again, but it was nothing compared to what we went through the night before.
Remembering Howard Landis 1928 – 2014
Howard Landis is the father to Bill and Mary, Husband to Judith, and Grandfather to James.
Howard spent several years in the military (Navy) during the Korean War and was an honorably discharged Veteran. Howard was very good mechanically and used to repair televisions for a living. He was a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and worked for RCA Victor in sales for over 25 years.
He also enjoyed working with cars and likes the Detroit auto industry, unlike certain politicians. Mom said he was thrilled to hear she had married someone from Detroit (even though the person she married knew nothing about cars).
He loved the Three Stooges and Felix the Cat was his favorite cartoon. He loved seafood and his favorite vacation spot was Sarasota Florida. He exercised his choice to vote every election, even while living at West Meade.
Howard past away peacefully at West Meade (which is a nursing home in Tennessee).
New Years 2014
James brought in the New Year several different ways this year. First he had a countdown on the living room wall during the Holiday season. Next, he had a countdown on his Ipad. Simultaneously he had the countdown on the television going along with his Ipad countdown. Finally, he had fireworks saved from the 4th of July that we lit in the back yard.
We stayed up late listening the the music and the bands on the television station while watching the firework show outside. James got to bed around 1am and slept well into the Rose Bowl parade the next day. Watching the Rosebowl game we were glad to see a team from Michigan (MSU Spartans) win the game over Stanford with their great defense.
All in all, a great start to 2014
