The Raw Vegan, Part CXXXVI: Three High Spots and a Low

October 2004 was predictable. First, there would be my granddaughter’s third birthday, then Halloween at the hospital and after that, homecoming at the university. All three were traditions by now and there was no question I would be participating.

The birthday itself fell on Sabbath and for any little celebrant in Sabbath School, it was a landmark occasion. She was dressed in her finest.

Children who could repeat their memory verse had their hands stamped as a reward. Her birthday warranted lots of stamping and she was thrilled.

When all was said and done, she was a little pensive because it was over.

Well, that part was but the next day, we were all set up again in the wind tunnel aka the picnic shelter at the Imagination Station. This year, the theme was “My Little Pony” complete with a cake with my granddaughter’s picture.

Before it was cut, Mom and daughter posed for a picture.

She looked like, “Enough, already!”

My other daughter-in-law and granddaughter were there for the festivities.

After the picnic, cake-slaughtering and present opening, there was the real fun. She was getting old enough that she could run and climb with the best of them.

She was really pleased with herself because she could slide all alone this year.

As for me, it was fortunate that I didn’t care a whole lot for cake. I had enough sinful food favorites to make up for it. I wasn’t one to get up in the middle of the night to snack but watching TV wasn’t watching TV unless I had something to munch on and it showed.

Halloween had rolled around once again and it was time to do the dress up gig. I decided I would show my true self and went as an old hag.

You could see that, while I might have a lot of problems, a lack of appetite wasn’t one of them.

A big deal was the pumpkin carving. Below are a few of the ones done that year. The first one is sort of poking fun at the people who insist on smoking even though they have breathing problems.

I thought this one was particularly creative:

The next big deal was Homecoming. My granddaughter was dressed in a new outfit and was glad to pose so I could take pictures.

What made this Homecoming even more special than usual was the Reunion Concert by all the members of the singing group my son had sung with for several years. The pipe organ was the backdrop.

This is about half of the group that was on the platform. DS1 is wearing a black suit and standing to the left of the podium.

There was a get-together meal afterward with quite a spread of food. As luck would have it, we sat with another of the singers and his wife. It was during the stuffing of my face that I found out she was an old flame’s daughter. She insisted on taking a picture of me to show her father. I wasn’t too happy with that turn of events and glared into the camera. The picture was probably on a par with my Halloween one. There was one thing that was sure—I wouldn’t hear from him as a result.