Random thoughts, spins on things, and strings of life’s ongoing “happenings” creating our own cobwebs of life wherever we may be.

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On May 23, we had a happy occasion to celebrate as our grandson, Justin, 27, took as his bride, Cathy, 25, in St. Louis. His sister, Amber, was a bridesmaid, another sister, Alacia, 2, was the flower girl, and little brother, Kyran, 6, was the ring bearer. We were the proud grandparents watching all this take place. The ring bearer and the flower girl walked down the very long aisle hand in hand until the second row when the flower girl spotted mommy and made a beeline for her, as brother joined her. Everything went off without a hitch though someone else stepped in for the rings when the time came and there was not a step missed in the beautiful wedding. At the wedding dinner, the food was so good (which is so unusual on a buffet) that people were trying to get recipes for the coconut chicken and a potato dish served. The wedding cake was actually various kinds of gourmet cheesecakes which were used for dessert for guests after the dinner!

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For the first time in two years, my iris bloomed despite the changing weather and the late frosts. It is such a short time, but they were all there for about two weeks — the royal purple, the yellow, the peach, the white and the lavendar — so elegant as they stand above all the other flowers! Heavy rains shortened their life a bit, but they were a joy while they lasted. Also, the peonies were nice — full and fragrant this year.

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My 6-year-old grandson has graduated from kindergarten and is proud that he has read his first book, “I Hate Bugs,” and progressed to the guppy level of swimming lessons at the YMCA, all in the last few weeks! There is so much to learn and it seems hard until all of a sudden, there is a readiness to learn and it seems easy. The cutest thing was to see him reading the book to his little sister, who just turned 2 years old. That gives a purpose to the learning to read! We adults must be ready to help when the child is ready to read and not let that time pass by so the child becomes frustrated. Summer is a time to keep the learning up so the child can keep progressing next year when school begins again. It is very rewarding to help any child learn as they are so in awe with all things new! Maybe just taking them for a walk in the park as you point out different trees, flowers or birds would be fun. It isn’t the money you spend, but the time you spend with the child that matters most. We spend a lot of our time reading books, playing games or going to the park.

It doesn’t seem possible that we are halfway through another year already and will be ready for fall when we meet again. Have a nice summer ... try to explore the region near your home, like Van Buren County, Cantril, the county fairs and the events at Indian Hills, the Beach, the library, Hotel Ottumwa and Bridge View. Soon there will be the sand sculptures and other open events in Ottumwa. Also, watch for things in Hedrick, Fremont, Eldon, Eddyville, Drakesville, Agency, Oskaloosa, Fairfield and Albia. You might be surprised how your summer will fill up and you will not have to fill up your gas tank so much, either. Have a picnic with your friends and play cards or games. Join the church potlucks. Maybe the simple life is not all that bad and we could get by without using so much gas after all!

Joan Thompson lives in Ottumwa and can be reached at joant684@mchsi.com.