New Year on the horizon

Although it's only the last day of November, and a whole month away from New Years, I'm already thinking about what kind of resolutions I'm going to make. I remember reading that 100 million people in the United States make New Year's resolutions.

In addition to the "standard" resolutions of "lose weight" and "save money" and "exercise", one thing I want to do is start a "gratitude journal". And actually write in a journal, not type, like I'm doing now. Pen and paper for a change. I need to take stock each day of things I'm grateful for. I get bogged down with all the tedious things in life, and then get bummed out. Time to really look for the good things. It's all just a frame of mind, and I need to get into that frame more.

I'd like to see family members more, but everyone is in the same boat. Too much work, and too little time and energy. I have to think about that one, and what might be done......

I need to make sure I'm doing what I can environmentally. I passed a church that had something on it's sign out front about "this planet being God's creation; what are you doing to honor it?" I worry about the world my grandkids will be living in when they are adults.

And of course, we need to weed out all the junk we've accumulated AGAIN, and simplify.

I'd like to experiment with baking more, but again......gotta find the time. Marco's our cook, so I should be able to find time to do some baking.

So....I still have 4 weeks to think about resolutions and how to implement them and keep them. I've never really made any before, but this year I'm going to try. Maybe in 4 weeks I'll have mine done....

You stay warm Columbus.

I love: pay day

Farewell Thanksgiving

Ugh, I am probably the only one in the whole U.S. of A. who hates Thanksgiving, but so be it. Exhausting buying and fixing and taking stuff. The kitchen is a hundred degrees even with the window open. My knee is killing me..... well, I won't dwell on it. Christmas is a bit of a hassle with all the food and stuff, but somehow it's pretty much okay. Anyhow, I'm so glad Thanksgiving is OVER.

We had friends who camped outside of Best Buy for a couple of days in order to get all the specials, and Marco had them pick me up a Sony Vaio laptop, which of course was the best part of the Thanksgiving weekend. I'm so proud of it, I had to post it. Now I can take it in to Panera, and "be like everyone else". I swear, everyone who comes in to Panera has a laptop. And speaking of Panera, mmmmmm, it's my favorite place to hang out in the mornings and keep filling up the coffee mug with delicious coffee. While eating a fabulous pastry. Mom loves it too, and we go there a couple of times a month together. Once in a while, I get to go there by myself, and just chill out. But not very often.

Finally got rested up from the trip to Raleigh. Very nice town, by the way. But very glad to be home. I need a few things at the store, so I think I'll venture out today. You couldn't have budged me out of the house yesterday. Marco went out and said traffic was horrible. I'm getting spoiled, which is okay, after 35 years of having to go out and deal with the world every day out of necessity. Ahhhh......

Okay Columbus, you'd better start decorating your outdoor stuff while the weather is nice and warm!

I love: my own laptop to carry around. :-)))

Here's a better pic

Here's a pic of sweet little Ava. We got down to Raleigh to see her by the time she was 3 days old, so that's not too bad. She slept most of the time we were there. I must say, she looks mostly like her dad, altho I think she looks a little bit like Margaret, Aubrey's mother. I know it's crazy to look at a 3 day old baby and "see" the likeness to other family members, but I think a lot of people do it. Silly grandma's and grandpa's. But of course, she smells wonderful.....just like a baby, and I just couldn't cuddle her enough. Aubrey is feeling just "okay"; she had a lot of stitches, but really looked good. Todd and Aubrey are both happy that everything went well this time, and the rest of the family is too.

We had wonderful connections at the airport, and this was the first time we flew U.S. Air, and it was great. Then I read a story in today's paper about U.S. Air having the worst performance and quality of service in all the airlines. I'm glad I didn't read that story before we left. I would have been awfully nervous. Also taught Marco to play Sudoku, and he caught on just fine.

So...gotta get cracking on some cooking and baking...so I'm outta here.

Have a great THANKSGIVING everyone.

Add One More!!!

Ava arrived just 3 days before her due date. She weighed 7 lb. 3 oz, bigger than we thought she was going to be. And Aubrey was in labor during the OSU~Michigan game, which they got to watch from their TV in the birthing room. All of the grandkids have been born in "birthing rooms", with the exception of the twins. They were born in the operating room, "just in case". They were full term twins, and since they each weighed almost 7 pounds, the doctor wanted to be in a sterile room in case a c-section had to be performed. Luckily, it didn't. But I digress...... I still can't get over having a baby in a room that looks like a nice hotel suite. Couch & chairs. Refrigerator. Television. Good grief.

Aubreys mom flew down and made it in time for the delivery. Everything went smoothly, and the pics of Ava show her to be very alert. Todd said she had her eyes open for a long time before she dozed back off. We weren't sure that Todd would ever arrive at this place, as he was quite the playboy for a lot of years. Also, Aubrey is the last of her sisters to have a baby.

We are attempting to get airline tickets for just an overnight stay, but this week being a holiday week, it may be impossible. The drive is miserable thru the mountains. That part that goes thru the panhandle of Virginia is a nightmare. Anyhow, grandpa is on his computer seeing what if anything we can get.

I'm happy to report that I won $500 in one of the football pools yesterday. Nancy and I got a few squares in a couple of the games, and we split our winnings. If I had played alone, I would have won $1,000!! But I'm happy with half that. Nancy is too.

That's it for now...more pics of the baby as we get them. Shutterfly doesn't let us enlarge them, so we have had to settle for teeny pics.

You stay warm, Columbus.

Before the Rush

I've been having so much trouble with Blogger that I stopped messing around with it as it was taking too much time and nothing was working. I'll try to post jut a little bit today, but everything keeps freezing up and I have to do a "Ctrl, Alt, Delete" and I get booted off and it's all just too much of a hassle. Plus, no pictures will upload.

Actually, I don't know why I'm even blogging. Today is beautiful, in the 60's and mild, and I don't have much scheduled. Then, starting tomorrow, I have all kinds of stuff, starting with haircut and weave, and then several dental appointments, car maintenance, along with Christmas shopping. Luckily, the kids mainly want one big item or gift cards, which makes things a lot more simple.

I am still limping along. I just don't want to confront what needs to be done with my knee at this time of year. Hopefully, after New Years, I'll check into it. I haven't had a haircut in almost 7 months, and I know my stylist thinks I went to someone else in that time period. Just wait till she see how long my hair has gotten. Much too long for this old granny.

The presidential crap goes on. Now we are less than a year from the next election. Let's just all hope and pray that this time we get an accurate count. Also the oil spill in San Francisco infuriates me, so badly I can't even talk about it. The world seems full of unaccountable idiots. My koi don't know what to do with all this warm weather. They are loving it. They'vd had warm weather for over 7 months now, which altho' is good for fish may not be good for us humans. I love that "stop global warming" commercial with the train coming - the man (who's probably my age) saying it's not going to effect him, and he steps out of the way, and then there is a little girl, about Logan's age, standing in it's path. Very effective, but I doubt if it changes anyone's point of view.

On the home front, Marco and I, the birds, the dogs and of course, the fish, are all doing pretty good. Todd and Aubrey are 1 week away from the due date of our newest grandchild, Ava. Aubrey is pretty miserable, but who isn't at that point. Can't wait to see the new baby, as the 3-D ultrasound shows her to look more like her daddy than her mommy. A little female Todd. Oh, also, today is Amy's birthday. Happy 38 sweetie. The next birthday is mine, however, I'm skipping it this year and for the rest of my life. Just too dang old.

Okay, I'm going to try to publish this, and hope it works instead of freezing up. Hope everyone in Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina and Missouri are doing well.

Be awesome!
I love: mild November days

Manual Labor

Halloween is sneaking up on us, but it's looking like it's going to rain for the next 4 or 5 days. I think it rained the last week of October last year, too.

This is going to be super short, as Marco and I are painting the condo that we bought originally for mom and dad. We have had renters the past year, and they have bought a place of their own, and we were lucky to get new tenants. However, we have to paint and clean the place, including the carpets this week. And I'm doing the trim, and it's amazing how much trim there is in a place with only about 1,000 sq. ft. Plus removing and cleaning and putting the switch plates back on. People with arthritis should not do manual labor. Wish someone would tell my family. I could hardly get out of bed this morning, and the more Advil I take the more my head and ears buzz, so I think I'll cut back on it today.

The fires out in California are so terrible that it makes me sick just thinking about it. Hope everyone is remembering to pray for all those who are in harm's way. And of course, all our rain could be diverted to Georgia for good purpose. That drought is really bad. I don't think there's much happy medium on weather anymore.

Okay ya'll, I'm off to paint.

I love: Ice packs on sore knees.

Stay safe, Columbus.

Perfectly October

Wow, this is a day to really enjoy ~ a perfect October day. We need to enjoy it, as tomorrow supposedly ushers in the rain, and it's supposed to rain most of the week. But at least it has cooled off. The summer kicked my butt. They say global warming is happening 10 years before it was expected. But our wonderful president says there is no such thing as global warming. 'Tis a dilemma. (Yeah, right!)

Above is a pic of grandson Jared at one of his soccer games. Jared has grown up a bunch since last year. Now he's "the man" . . . it's fun to hear the adults on the sideline cheering for him. He did okay last year, but was a bit tentative. This year he is an aggressive player. And he's getting taller. Not as tall as his twin sister Jessica though. It will be interesting to see if he ever catches up with her. He was born first, but he takes after his dad's side of the family in height. Other than that, he takes after mom's side of the family with those huge brown eyes and the best set of eyelashes in Columbus.

This week we have 2 birthdays ~ Travis will be 3 and Kelcie will be 14. Those are the only 2 in October. The next 2 months will bring a few more family birthdays, including my brothers birthday and mine. Jeff thinks he's cool because he's younger than me, but I think I can still whip his butt. At least when it comes to sock fighting. Wonder if he remembers that?

Well, it's too nice to be in here blogging, so I'm going to go get the dogs and sit outside. Papaw is at the Legion doing a little bartending, so I'm blissfully alone. Wonder what kind of people are inside drinking on a glorious night like this? (Although I may just take a Bartles & James Original out with me on the deck.)

By the way, as you may recall I am a supporter of Operation Migration. I'm happy to report that it is underway, and the cranes were successful in their first flight on day #1. Day #2 was rainy and windy, so they stayed at stopover #1. It's a long trip with the ultralights, but they will make it, I know they will.

You stay cool, Columbus.

I Love: Origami

My Anniversary

I actually missed my anniversary as a blogger....... it was yesterday. So, I'll wish myself a Happy Anniversary. I know I missed quite a bit of time for various reasons, but this 2nd year I'm going to try to do at least 2 a week. That way, by setting the bar fairly low, maybe I'll be able to keep up. Hopefully, everyone will stay well, and therefore, I'll have some free time to do things I enjoy.

Today, October 4th, it's in the upper 80's outside and the airconditioner is running. I still simply cannot get over the heat we've had here in central Ohio this summer. I have "run it into the ground" as they say, but it has just worn me out. I spent the last couple of hours just messing around on the computer, which I really don't do. Maybe 15 or 20 minutes, but today was way too much.....my eyes are hurting, and I don't even feel like thinking up anything to blog about.

One thing I did run into was t.v. commercials, and one that I thought was cute was this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmmsr7PAhWU

Remember that one? So cute.

There are a couple of books that are out of print that I wanted to read again, so I'm heading down to the Half Price Books store to see if they might have them. One of them is by Lawrence Saunders (or is it Sanders??) ~ The Third Deadly Sin. He did a series of those "Deadly Sin" mystery books but I forget where he stopped. I think the one I'm looking for was published in 1980 or 1981. He didn't do near as many as Sue Grafton, with her "Alphabet Series" of books, starting with A is for Alibi, B is for Burgler, C is for Corpse, and so on. I think she is up to "S" now, and her "T" book is due out before Christmas. I've read alot of them but in random order. It kinda depends of what Meijer has on their shelf.

So ~ this is going to be all for today. I'm just too lazy and hot.
Catch you soon; you be cool Columbus!
I love: the smell of fresh flowers

Getting into fall

Today I took mom to my favorite park, Chestnut Ridge in Carroll, about 15 minutes from here. We got a lunch at Wendy's (Coke float for me......mmmmmm) and took it to the park and ate it there. I do that a lot....both breakfast and lunch, and sometimes dinner if Marco is golfing or something. (Not all in the same day.) But I can't get anyone to go with me. Now mind you, when Grandma Barb is needed somewhere, Grandma Barb goes. But when Grandma Barb wants company to do something she likes, no one is interested. So I kidnapped Miss Jean, and she found that it wasn't too bad. Our leaves are turning yellow and orange, but we're not seeing much red this year. The trees got stressed, much the same way I got stressed. I simply roasted, and actually, it was like 83 today and windy and humid-ish, so it's not really fall weather. But the world is a-changin' and I think the falls I remember are a thing of the past.

Our poor dog Buddy - the older one - is developing cataracts in both his eyes, so I have to make an appointment for him tomorrow to get the ball rolling for possible surgery. Imagine, cataract surgery for dogs. I'll bet this will cost a pretty penny. Poor Bud is only 7, so we are surprised that he's developing this problem. Dusty, on the other hand, is too ornery to get sick.

I took my African Grey Maggy to the vet yesterday, and got the I.D. band cut off of his foot (ankle?). Since he has heart problems, his feet swell occasionally, and the other day his band looked pretty tight. So he's taken care of, and all the other birds are up to date on their check-ups.

Marco goes to his new cardiologist in 2 weeks, as sadly, Dr. Stock died a couple of weeks ago. Plus, Miss Jean is doing pretty well. This calls for a big "knock on wood", plus a couple of thanksgiving prayers, but I'm hoping we're on a roll of some low-stress times for a little while. Hopefully, thru' Christmas.

Okay, Columbus you be cool ~ that's it for now.

I love: learning new things.

Videos

The kitty cat and the bald eagle don't have anything to do with my topic, which is videos, but someone sent it to me, and I can't resist posting a great picture, since I don't take any great pictures myself. I'm not sure what a bald eagle was doing on someone's deck, but in the original pic, you can see the reflection of the eagles legs and the cats legs in the water on the railing, so I'm thinking possibly it wasn't Photoshopped. Even so, it makes a great pic.

Now, as for videos, I finally got a small video camera. It's an RCA Small Wonder, and it's pocket sized. This is a picture of it:It takes 60 minutes of video on the hard drive, and with a $20 memory card, you get 5 hours of memory. I think it's cool for the price of $129.00. I don't want anything bigger, as all I'll probably film is grandkids and pets. I don't know if a lot of people who have used video cameras over the years sit around and watch old videos or not. I can't imagine doing that very much. I post on YouTube for friends and family to watch, and that's about it.

I'll link to a YouTube video that I've already posted, so you can get an idea of how clear the videos are. Not great, but like I said, I just wanted a cheapie that I can throw in my purse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd4xNCaaGnA

Allrighty then, I guess that's about it for today.....

As Forrest Gump says, that's all I want to say about that!

You stay dry, Columbus.

I love: Origami

September blues

October is just around the corner, altho' you'd never know it by the weather. I've been bitching about the weather for 4 months now, and I thought sure I'd be done by now, but it was 94 fricking degrees outside today, and I had to be out in in. And I'm sick of it. Thus the title today: September blues.

The pumpkin conveys how I feel tonight; felt that way all day, and Pepcid didn't help. Speaking of pumpkins, we have 5 of them already. Plus a ghost pumpkin, a white one, which is totally cool. I think I'll pick up a couple more of those, and carve at least one. I got one of those pumpkin carving kits that has the tools in it to punch thru' the paper templates with a little punch thingy. Then when you carve, it's much easier to do. Which is what I need, with my hands getting arthritic. But I love Halloween and wish I had more room for decorations, namely, that little Halloween Village that Michaels has. The little buildings are all lit up and have moving parts and little moving people and music or screams.... and each one costs anywhere from $39.00 to $109.00. They're not the cheap ones ~ but they are awesome. I'd have the whole town if I had room. Well, at that price, maybe not the whole town. I guess it's something you'd have to start buying young and adding on to. Which leaves me out. Bummer.

Tonight is the premier of Dancing With The Stars and Heroes and Journeyman, and with overlapping times, I'll have to save Heroes, and possible Journeyman to the DVR. Jane Seymour is going to be one of the celebrity dancers, and she is 56. Wheew. That's a lot of work for someone her age, since I'm not that much older. I sure wouldn't want to be dancing 8 hours a day. Usually the older ones are weeded out fairly early, which I'm sure is okay with them.

So...I'd better clean up the birdies and fold a little laundry and be ready for TV again. It's been a long time.

I love: cotton blankets

Death Pools

I don't remember how I stumbled on this, but there are a whole lot of sites on the internet devoted to "Death Pools". One hub I looked at had over 50 separate sites where you could play, and another had even more. They are actual pools - like a football pool - where you make a list of people that you think will die this year, and put money on it. Some of them are just for fun. Some offer trophies. Some of them have been around for 20 years. Once I overcame my surprise, curiosity took it's place.

One of the sites I looked at gave points according to the age of the people you picked. Say you picked someone who was between 16 and 29 you would get 12 points, while a person between 70 and 79 years would only net you 7 points. You earn 1 extra point for a unique pick ~ if you were the only competitor to pick that person. You get 2 points for a celeb who dies on the 13th of any month. Three points for murder, suicide or other accident, and five points for a celeb who dies on their birthday or Christmas Day. Don't know why that site didn't award 4 points for anything. I imagine most of the sites award points this basic way. Anyhow, you total up your points at the end of the year based on that kind of criteria.

They have great names: "Dying for Dollars", "You Bet Their Life", "Cash for Cadavers", Celebrity Crypt", "Grave Expectations", and on and on. Gotta like the originality.

In no particular order, I made up a list of the celebrities that appear on alot of the lists. Some surprised me, some didn't:

Billy Graham, Jerry Lewis, Osama bin Laden, Fidel Castro, Kirk Douglas, Dolores Hope, Willie Nelson, Nancy Reagan, Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, Mike Wallace, Muhammad Ali, George Bush Sr., Courtney Love, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Nicole Richie. I saw Madonna and Howard Stern's names on a couple of lists.

Recently deceased people were on a lot of lists: Lady Bird, Tammy Faye, Brooke Astor, Luciano Pavarotti....

Merv Griffin and Anna Nicole weren't on many lists.

I don't know whether to think this is a sad commentary on life today, or whether it's just harmless fun. I think I'm leaning to "harmless fun" since I really enjoy being in pools. What do you think ~ would you ever participate in a Death Pool?

I love: Bacon

Chit chat

Absolutely nothing went on today with me. Took mom to the doctor, and went to the bank. That's about it.

I posted the picture of that huge spider web in Texas. I've never seen anything like it, and I'll bet you haven't either. People are quoted as saying that so many mosquitos were trapped in the web, you could actually hear them screaming. Make my hair stand on end..... I love it around my own house on foggy mornings when the sun breaks thru and you can see all the webs that you never knew existed till then. They are truly amazing.

I also read that the oldest person in the world, Tomoji Tanabe, turns 112 today. This is a bit mystifying to me, as there are quite a few sites that list the worlds supercentarians (over 110 years of age), and they still list Edna Parker of Indiana as the world's oldest at 114. I checked 4 web sites, and according to them, she is still around. Maybe we're all wrong. Who cares, right??

Also noted on CNN's site that the Phil Spector jury is deadlocked. Why am I not surprised? I hope I never get called for jury duty. To me, looks are foremost in determining innocent or guilt. :-) Also, can't make myself even mention O.J........

One last note: the Autobahn is 75 today. CNN has a feature on it. I was hoping it would be filmed from inside a car going about 110, but no such luck. They did mention that even tho' there is no speed limit on it, there aren't any more accidents on it than on any other road. Marco and I were on an amazing freeway system in Montreal, Canada quite a few years ago, and cars were zooming past us and we were doing 70 or 75. There were about 16 lanes, counting east bound and west bound lanes. Compared to that, the Autobahn seemed more like Interstate 70.

Okay, kids, this old lady is heading for her jammies and a coke. You all be cool!!

I love: Being ALONE in my car.

The Kitty and the Truck

Look at this sad little face. This is a baby kitty that ended up in Marco's car, and I'm not sure if I can condense the story enough, but I'll try. . . .

Marco was on his way to the Legion last week. On the way, he was just coming over a hill, and about 25 feet in front of him was this kitty playing with a bug in the middle of the road. He stopped his car, thinking the kitty would run off, but the kitty didn't budge. Marco got out of his car and that's when the kitty ran. Under his car. He thought the kitty ran under his car to get to the corn field next to the road. He proceeded to the Legion, and was there about 3 hours, and then he came home and parked the car in Grandma Jean's garage next door. The next morning, we were sitting on the front porch having our coffee and we thought we heard a cat meowing. Marco said, "Oh no!", and proceeded to tell me the story of Mr. Kitty. We opened the garage door, and sure enough we heard meowing, and it was under the car. We looked everywhere, and Marco even got under the car, but we couldn't see it. Marco put the car into gear and we pushed the car out into the driveway so the cat could get out and run into the corn field across from OUR house. Marco drove the truck to the Legion that day. When he came home that night, the kitty was STILL under the car. We couldn't believe it. I got a bowl of water, and some cat food so it might be lured out of the car better, and then run across to the field or WHERE EVER. The next morning while we were having our coffee on the porch, we heard meowing coming from under the TRUCK. The kitty had eaten the food, drank the water and climbed into the engine of the truck. Marco had to drive the car that day, and when he came home the kitty was still in the truck. I had given it more food, which it ate when I wasn't around. We were tired of Mr. Kitty to say the least. We ate dinner, and Marco went out to the truck to look for the cat, and he opened the hood the the kitty was sitting right there on the radiator. Luckily, Marco made a grab for it and caught it!! Mr. Kitty went right in one of the plastic carriers that we have for the dogs. Also, luckily, the Humane Society was still open, and we were able to take the kitty up there. They said that as young as it was, they would more than likely have someone to foster it, and as cute as it was, it had a good chance of being adopted. Hopefully, if it is tamed and adopted, it won't go back into the engine of it's new owners car! That kitty got the best of us for 2 days. But he sure was a cutie. We wish him the very best!!!

Rain on our parade

Looks like rain is moving in, and we won't be mingling with Woody and the rest of the Buckeye fans this weekend up at tailgating. The new parking arrangements for campers is going to put a crimp in it, as it is. We used to be able to have our guests park next to our motor coach, but this year there will be a separate parking lot for cars. All in all, it will be about 14 hours expended for a 3 hour game.

Plus, this year I am going to have to get an electric scooter like the kids all have if I'm going to be able to get around. Marco and I used to walk all over the place; sometimes down 2 or 3 parking lots to chat with other tailgaters that we know. With the total crash of my left knee, I never know when it's going to be a "bad day". Ha. I'm going to talk to the doctor about getting a brace made especially for me, and my chubby little leg. Plus, I may give in, and get the series of Synvisc shots to cushion the knee joint. But I've hit the floor too many times to try to walk all over the campus, and risk hitting the concrete. Just recently, the knowledge that I'm never really going to be able to walk well again is just sinking in. It's been bad. Never thought I'd be in this situation this early, but there's not much I can do about it. No total replacement is in my near future, with my allergies to all pain meds. Doc won't do it. So...............

DH and I are going out for a late dinner; think we'll probably just go to bed when we get home, so Columbus.............you be cool.

I love:a good hair day

Waiting for Cool

I'm fresh out of pics from the camera to post. Maybe I'll get a few more at tailgating this weekend. If it doesn't rain. I forget who sent me the pic of the bird and the mouse, but it's cute. Obviously someone posed it and then snapped it quickly, but it works.

I keep hearing on the news that some of the schools are using their 'snow days' as 'heat days' already. I think most of our kids have airconditioned schools, but some of them ride the bus, and I can only imagine how hot that is. Since it's too hot to be out, I bought a variety of books at Barnes & Noble. Some are for our new laptop that has Vista on it, and has new features that we have to learn. We also want to set up our webcam in the great room and aim it where we can see the birds and the dogs. Then we'll set up a home page and that way, as long as we have the wireless laptop with us, we can log onto our home page and see what's going on at home. Nifty.

Also got a new Ann Lamott book. I'm reading non fiction at the moment. I'll read a couple of scary books as fall progresses, and we get closer to Halloween. Anyhow, Ann's book that I'm reading is 'Bird by Bird', one of her earlier books. Before Dubya was president. I like her recent books for the anti-Bush and anti-Cheney stand. Wonderful reading. She kind of echos Dennis Diehls' assertion that our president and his whole family seem to have family ties, intentions, backgrounds, beliefs and motives that are a whole lot less glorious than we poor commoners have been led to believe. Dad would have approved of her books. We're not much of a Bush family. And my view of him is mild. Check out Rick's blog on the sidebar. It's much more informative on the gang in D.C.

Well, until it cools off, I'll just be huddled away in some air conditioning or another. We've got some neat fairs and festivals in the upcoming weeks, so that will be fun, and hopefully cooler. Since Marco is at a general meeting at the Legion (and probably drinking beer on the patio again), I'm going to haul out my DVD player and watch something chick-flicky. So....later, ya'll.

I love: when the cashier rings it up, and it's cheaper than I thought.

You stay cool, Columbus.

A good night's sleep

Here's a great pic of Kayla that papaw Marco took Sunday at the Labor Day picnic. Papaw just saw Kayla chilling out and snapped her and I love it. Miss Kayla is a junior this year. (!!) Amazing. She drove over to the picnic. I still can't get over that. A grandchild driving. Jeff knows how this is also. How did we get so old so fast?? The question now is: who will become a great grandparent first?? It will be interesting.

This is another really hot day, and I think that makes about 400 this year alone. It's 94 outside and humid and hazy. I feel terrible. Oh.....I'll bet you're all thinking: What's the deal with "a good night's sleep"? Well, we got a new mattress and it was delivered today. It's awesome and it was badly needed. I can't wait to hit it tonight. Let's see ~ it's about 7:00 now, and I think bedtime will be about 8:30. We have a king size bed, but not king size pillows. They're standard. Down filled. And I have 6 of them on the bed. Everything is fluffed and clean and waiting on me. Marco is at the Legion working on the books, which is a euphemism for "drinking beer on the patio." Which is probably a good idea. I think I'll have something icy before bed; I think there is cranberry juice and vodka here.

I've been yaking to mom that she ought to have a debit card, even if she doesn't use it. You never know when you'll need access to your money at 2:00 a.m. in the morning. She always refused. Then her bank SENT her one. Yay. It's been activated and she has her PIN. We're gonna get this ole lady into the 21st century yet. Can't wait to see if she actually uses it. :-)

I can't think of anything else exciting today. Guess I'm too excited about my new mattress. In fact, it's calling me now, so I think I'll wind this up.
Let's see.....I love kissing in the rain.
You be cool Columbus.

September!!

Here's another view of Austin. Papaw took it on the staircase, so he was a couple of steps above me, and I really like the picture. I know......regrowth.....I need a weave. Maybe soon. I just love new babies and he makes the cutest little sounds, and as you can see, he's always moving his little hands around. In my humble opinion, he looks just like Travis. But that's just me.

I haven't blogged for a couple of days as I haven't even been close to my computer. On the road making personal appearances. In fact, we just got back from a very fun party at Debbie & Ernies. We played horseshoes, and it was actually fun, bad knee and all. Scott and I won our game, and we played Marco and Jackie! Surprise. We showed 'em, didn't we sweetie??

Today would have been daddy's 86th birthday. His was always the hardest to remember, as his was right there when you flipped the calendar from August to September. We have a couple during the first week of a month....Jackie, Kayla, Trent, and Amie, but at least there would be time to get a card and send it to them, along with their birthday check. One time I forgot dad's and when I turned the calendar, I was in tears. I forget what I did....I could swear I did something like Western Union but........it was at least 10 years ago, and my mind isn't quite what it used to be. Ha.

Anyhow, family and friends, I'm tired from a day in the sun, so I'm heading for my nightgown and bed. And speaking of BED, we finally got a new mattress and box springs that will be delivered Wednesday, thank goodness!! We got a Serta and they gave us one of those little sheep that are on their commercial. We looking forward to better quality sleep on the new one, needless to say.

I love: babies, needless to say!

Okay, Columbus, you keep cool and enjoy the holiday tomorrow.

Austin's Here

The past couple of days have been kinda bad....I'm not going to whine about them, as they're over, and we've had some really GOOD things happen to us in the past few days also, so as Tony Soprano says, "Let's focus on the good times."

First of all, and this is really GOOD news ~ here's Austin, being held by big sis Jamie, who has a birthday of her own tomorrow. She is going to be 5 years old. Nice birthday present. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 12 ounces. Here's another picture of him; he looks a little bigger without being all wrapped up.

Very nice family, and Amy is feeling really good, and gets to go home tomorrow.

Also found out that cousin Chris and his wife Lee Ann are expecting. We certainly wish them the best. Jeffy has 3 grandsons, so I imagine, even this early in the game, that they are "thinking pink". Wasn't it Jerry Lewis that was always thinking pink, and ended up having like 7 boys? Well, we have 5 boys and 4 girls, but when Ava joins the group in November, we'll be even again.

May I still *itch about the weather and say it's 97 outside. I had to take Baby bird, the Blue Front Amazon for an annual physical today, and it's HOT. Hmmmm, how long has it been unbearably hot now???? I think it's been like 8 months or something.

I'm adding a site to my sidebar, check it out. It's just a little site regarding wild bird rehabilitation, and a very nice lady that works very hard taking care of orphans. I admire people like her, and enjoy her site.

Alrighty then . . . I'm going to go feed my critters so Marco and I will be free to venture out again in this heat, and probably run up to the hospital. More later.....

I love my mommy.

You keep cool, Columbus!!

Tomatoes and Tailgates

Even though the heat index outside is 110 today (will it ever end??), we are thinking about the beginning of tailgating season. The first home game is Saturday, September 1st. Three of the five September games are at home: 9/1 (Youngstown), 9/8 (Univ. of Akron) and 9/22 (Northwestern). Papaw went out to the lake and cleaned all the awnings on the motor coach, and we need to vacuum (is that spelled right??) and dust, but other than that we'll be ready to go. GO BUCKS!!

As for tomatoes, zowie, this time of year we have a ton of them. They're a bit smaller this year - not just ours but everyone's that we've talked to. Anyhow, I've eaten so many that my mouth is sore. The acid in the tomatoes makes it burn, but I can't help myself. They are so good; too bad tomato season only lasts about a month or so here. And after a horrible summer of unrelenting heat, who knows how this will affect midwestern crops.

I'm getting close to doing my post on remembering cousin John, who died on 8/25/06. In the memory book that the New York Times published, there is a list of things that John loved. I think I'm going to snag that idea and try to end my post each day with an item that I love. I know I published 50 of the "100 things about me" early in my blog many months ago, but that took some real thinking, and I only got halfway there. I'll just stick one thing in a day, starting with the obvious:

I love Marco.