25
Sep 24
by Maryclaire Mayes

Great Great Aunt and Great Great Uncle

This is Marilyn and Stan. Great Aunt and Uncle to our grandkids. I think Marilyn was a good big sister to Dean as big sisters go, with the typical older sibling teasing. She and Stan are 7 years older than Dean and by the time I came in the picture they both were good friends. When we had children, Marilyn became like a fairy godmother to them. Stan became the ever so kind and amusing Uncle, with silly poems, duck and other secret languages. When Marilyn was speaking at a conference at Disney World, she and her ever so patient Stan, took our then 5 year old daughter with them. All through our kids growing up, Marilyn and Stan took them on all kinds of amazing trips. They frequented New York City’s, broadway plays, operas, museums and fine restaurants. They brought them on many vacations on a tiny Connecticut Island and Mohonk Mountain House. The list goes on and on.

In Marilyn’s spare time she is an author. Marilyn and her 2 younger siblings, Brian and Dean, had a very interesting childhood. Marilyn shared about it in her book, “An Unconventional Childhood”. Her book is a humorous look at their growing up in the Catskill Mountains in New York State. Purchase from Amazon or from us here at Alabu. Buy: An Unconventional Childhood.

Now that our kids have kids, Marilyn has stepped up her game to take their great nieces and nephews on memorable trips too. Their latest adventure was taking the twins, (Mr. Number Three and Miss Number Four) who are 11 years old, to Yellowstone National Park, Grand Tetons, and Jackson WY. She takes Dean along as Stan isn’t always up to extended travel. They even got a chance to catch up with cousins who retired to Wyoming which just added to the fun.

I’m sure our kids and grandkids will always remember all the great adventures with them. Thank you Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Stan for always being a “Great” aunt and uncle, we have all been blessed by your kindness and generosity.


27
May 24
by Maryclaire Mayes

Happy Birthday Miss Number One

It’s hard to believe our Miss Number One is turning 15 years old. She is so excited to be a teenager. She has overcome many challenges and has faced them with courage and strength. She has a sweet spirit and a kind heart and we are so proud her.


09
Apr 24
by Maryclaire Mayes

The Little Winters of Tennessee

Tennessee winters are a little unpredictable. It is more moderate than upstate NY, but we still get cold temperatures and usually at least a little bit of snow.

March may start with some warm days and daffodils popping up here and there. Then suddenly it seems like we are back in mid winter. Then you may get a week or two of warm sunny days, but more cold, rainy and maybe even snowy days will follow! For centuries, farmers have observed and journaled signs that helped them decide when to plant their crops and when to wait. Here in East Tennessee, this seasonal predictions are still used today and passed down from generation to generation. These predictable cold snaps, called “little winters” happen around the same time each spring and each were given a name corresponding to what is blooming.

  • Redbud Winter – Mid-March to early April, when the redbud trees bloom.
  • Locust Winter- Early April when leaves start to appear on locust trees.
  • Dogwood Winter – Mid- to late April, when the dogwood trees bloom. Still a chance of heavy frost.
  • Blackberry Winter – Early to mid-May, when blackberries are in full bloom. In the Tennessee mountains, this often coincides with the last frost of spring, which can kill new plantings.
  • Whippoorwill Winter –Mid- to late May, when the whippoorwills can first be heard.
  • Cotton Britches Winter – Late May- early June, when farmers changed to light cotton clothes.

Interesting that down here they say the same thing they did in Upstate NY: “if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.”


28
Aug 23
by Maryclaire Mayes

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Ok so we don’t have lions and tigers here (although there are some mountain lions). We do have lots of big spiders, all kinds of snakes, including rattlers and copperheads and black bears. But so far our biggest problem is fighting with spider webs everywhere we walk outside. We have seen lots of harmless black snakes, but no poisonous snakes. One thing we are really not used to is seeing bears. We have seen them several times on our hikes and recently one even walking through our backyard. But everything we know about black bears is they usually mind their own business and as long as they don’t think you have food they pretty much run the other way. It is always exciting when we spot one, but I have to admit it is still a little bit scary!


29
Jul 23
by Maryclaire Mayes

Cousins

We made a quick trip to to New York for Dean’s family reunion. His side of the family has one every two years and folks come from all over the country. The original plan was to host this years reunion at our little upstate farm. Fortunately Dean’s brother, ( thank you Brian & Nanette) who owns a christmas tree farm agreed to host this year for us. It was fun catching up with extended family and so much fun to see the all nine grandkids together again. Little Mr. Number Seven and Miss Number Eight have always had a special bond, I was happy to see they still wanted to be buddies. We made a long weekend of of, but the cousins were able to hang out for the whole week. It is true that family is where love grows.

← Older Entries