This is Preston losing his "snowginity" in the Alps in Switzerland. He was born and has lived all of his life in Florida. He had never even seen snow before, much less handled it and made snow balls! I asked him how he liked it - he said, "IT'S REALLY COLD!"

World traveler returns home!

. . . . . to a brand new bedroom!

Preston's plane was delayed and he finally landed after midnight last night. We came home and he was excited to show me the 800+ photos that he took on the trip. We were up until 3:30 AM laughing & talking - it was great to have my baby-boy back home.

Here are some before and after photos of the room re-model.

Preston really likes the room, and it kept me busy while he was gone.

Where's Waldo?

Remember the game, Where's Waldo? I am busy playing that with Preston (he looks a bit like Waldo). He hasn't called me yet and I don't hold out much hope for that, they keep them pretty busy.





I know that yesterday he toured Neuweinstein Castle in Germany.











(I think I see Preston in one of those towers)




Tomorrow he will be headed to the coast of Italy; then on to visit Venice. I hope he is taking lots of photos. I love him and miss him. I am working on his bedroom. It is about half-way painted and I am waiting on the new carpeting to arrive on Tuesday. Then I have to put together his new desk and entertainment center. I also have to buy a bookcase unit or build shelves to attach to the walls to hold his many books, DVD's, CD's, etc. I hope I have all this done by Friday - but as you know I work best under pressure! After all, I do have to take time to catch up on your blogs!

Google flying!

This wonderful internet that has linked me to people all over the world has now allowed me to "travel" without leaving my seat! I love "Google Earth" because I can follow my son's trip. I have the sites of the hotels where the group is staying, and it is fun to see where he is. Tonight they will be staying in a guest house in Gebsattel, Germany. Tomorrow they will be traveling to Munich, and the next day to Italy. I took a quick "google flight" to these places and discovered that he will be staying 2 days in a hotel right on the water close to Venice. When you google Venice, Itay you see that it really is a city of canals, you can't see a convential street anywhere! What an adventure! They are 6 hours ahead of me in Europe. (I have trouble with the concept of date & time - I still can't wrap my mind around Jelly already enjoying "tomorrow" when it is still "today" here!!!) I guess it is true when people say the the world is getting smaller -thanks to the internet. In the real world -I have to go now and take a bike ride. I continue to be successful with my weight loss program, and my knee is almost completely back to 100%! I figure if I can live another 100 years - I will reach my goal weight!

Somewhere over the Atlantic. . . .

As I write this I am thinking about Preston jetting over the Atlantic ocean in the "big" plane! I told him to take lots of photos of everything, even inside the plane! He will be arriving in Frankfurt at 9:25 AM tomorrow morning. There are 27 people in his tour group, and only a few of them are adults. (Pray for those poor folks) I got a hug & a kiss at the airport. When he was boarding the tram to go to the air side, he looked back at me - I hope he couldn't see the tear running down my cheek. (I kept thinking, "stop it - stop it!" - It's a damn trip, not a death in the family!!!) I have never been a cry baby - except when it comes to him. I was melancholy on the drive home from the airport. Of course when the Tuff gets sad, the Tuff goes shopping!!! - so I did! I am remodeling Preston's room while he is away, so I ordered some new carpeting and bought some cardboard boxes. Tomorrow I will start emptying his room. I am going to paint and buy him a new desk and eventually buy him a "murphy bed". I have plenty to do while Preston is gone. I will be keeping busy and trying not to worry. Thanks to you - all my blog buddies - for your kind comments!

European trip

I have been busy getting Preston packed and ready to leave for Europe on Wednesday. The teacher who is in charge of the trip wants us to meet at 5:30 AM. The plane doesn't take off until 11:05 AM from Tampa, which is about a 40 minute drive from here. She and her husband are taking 25 high school kids, and she has done this many times before (but why so early???) I guess she will be allowing for any last minute problems. I have volunteered to drive to the airport because I can fit six kids in my car. Preston has his passport and some Euros & Swiss Francs, so he should be OK if he wants to spend some money. Since he is on a tour, most of his activities are planned, and he will visit Germany, Italy & Switzerland before returning in 10 days. I just hope that he has a good time, because I think it is a trip that he will remember the rest of his life. Many people have asked me why I did not go with him. The truth is that not only can I NOT afford it, but I have never had the desire to visit Europe. My dream trip would be "down under", and I will do that before I die! I hope I can keep his luggage under the weight of 50 pounds! I have packed snacks for him in his checked bag and also his carry on! (I don't want my baby boy to be hungry!) Anyway it will be a quick ten fun filled days for him - and what seems like an eternity for me! He will return home to his new job at the GAP store, where I hope he will work a lot of hours this summer.

So true!

The "other mom" around here, who hardly EVER goes in the kitchen was baking cookies the other night. She was searching for the 1/4 measuring cup and I found it for her. I said, "just ask me, I know where everything in this kitchen is." She replied, "Except the countertop." I thought it was a witty remark, but I couldn't really argue with it!

I love my Mama. She is the greatest. At 88 she is slowing down, she can't hear, she pees in her pants because she can't get to the bathroom fast enough. She reluctantly wears adult diapers. (I tell her - "it's OK, even crazy astronauts wear them!") I went for a quick five day visit last week. While in Virginia, I got some things done for her. I took her to the bank and to the podiatrist. I bought her some bright yellow "croc" shoes the previous time I was there. She did not wear them at first, but on this visit she was wearing them all the time and she loves them!





She is not remembering what day it is, so I bought a clock with GREAT BIG numbers and the day, date, and temperature displayed. I put her daily meds in small zip lock bags with the corresponding day of the week printed on them. I told her to take them on the day that she sees on the clock. Both my brothers try to look in on Mom at least once a day, but she really needs someone to look after her full time. We hired a companion to come and take her to the store or hairdresser - whatever she wants. Mom said that the girl came a couple of times but then she called and cancelled her. She didn't like having a stranger in the house. It is clear to us (her kids) that soon she will not be able to live alone. I live in a small house; three bedrooms - four people. I am getting estimates to remodel my attached garage into a room. Then I will bring Mom down to Florida for a while. It may be a permanent arrangement - time will tell. I have told the rest of my family. My roommate, her son, & my son are all on board with it. They are supportive and I know they will help me as much as they can. It must be very scary for my Mom to have to rely on others when she has been so independent for so long.

Florida is on fire

When I went for my bike ride today it was very smokey. The wild fire smoke is carried by the wind all over the state. Usually I can see for a mile; today although the sun was out, it looked like a cloudy day.
This was a red-winged black bird, waiting for clearance to take flight. This is very sad to me and I wonder if this is our future. No rain in the forcast, the only thing that will save us. My thoughts go out to all who are caught in the fires. My clothes smell like a campfire. The smell is starting to creep into my house.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY EVERYONE Mother or Not - MAY 13TH, 2007

WHY GOD MADE MOMS
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
-They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.
-She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
-Mostly to clean the house.
-To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers?
-He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
-Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
-God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.
What ingredients are mothers made of ?
-God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
-We're related.
-God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.
What kind of little girl was your mom?
-My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
-I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
-They say she used to be nice.
What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
-His last name.
-She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer? Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
Why did your mom marry your dad?
-My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
-She got too old to do anything else with him.
-My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.
Who's the boss at your house?
-Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
-Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
-I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.
What's the difference between moms & dads?
-Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
-Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
-Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
-Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.
What does your mom do in her spare time?
-Mothers don't do spare time.
-To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
What would it take to make your mom perfect?
-On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
-Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
-She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
-I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
-I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

My Bike

I haven't been blogging lately (I hope you noticed). I have been on a health kick, walking & biking a lot. I have lost 15 pounds, and that makes me happy. I feel a whole lot better and my knee problem is improving. I limped into the doctor's office last week with a sore knee that had been giving me a problem for four weeks. He x-rayed it, then told me that it looked good, maybe my knee cap was "out of it's channel". He told me that if it doesn't improve that I will have to come back for an MRI. I suspected that it was arthritis, but the doctor says my joint looked good on the x-ray, so I am relieved about that. In the meantime, the knee caused me to get real about my health, and start getting in good shape, hence the biking & walking. Saturday I leave for Virginia for a short visit with my mother. I will be back on Wednesday. I hope everyone has a nice Mother's Day.

Hawk attack

Now who would believe this! Yesterday morning I was in my backyard feeding the pigeons and I decided to let them go for a fly. I opened the large cage door and they all flew free. I didn't see (forgot to look) the hawk up in the tree. The 800 acres behind my subdivision is being developed and the hawks are losing their habitat. They "hunt" now in my yard looking for big fat pigeons. I was walking back up to the house after letting the birds out and all of a sudden something hit me hard on the head. It felt like it grabbed my hair, and it almost knocked me down. I looked up to see a hawk flying away. He had swooped down on me (maybe thinking that I was a pigeon!) and flew away so fast that it was amazing. If not for the scratches on my scalp no one would have believed me. Later on in the morning, a small branch fell out of the oak tree on to my head. I grabbed my head thinking that the bird had returned! I think tomorrow when I go in the backyard I will wear a construction hardhat!

I remember

In April, 1992, 15 years ago, I investigated a traffic accident. A 17 year old boy and three of his friends rode out to the beach after school. They cruised out in the boys truck, a small Dodge Dakota, the four of them on the bench seat of the truck. It was a stick shift, so there really wasn't room for all of them, but they huddled close together, no one wore a seat belt. They stopped at a small store where they knew that id's would not be checked, and bought some beer. They drank the beer, laughed and enjoyed each other's company as they drove towards the beach on that spring day. Two of the girls were 15, the other was 16 years old. The road narrows to one lane in each direction onto the bridge over the intercoastal waterway, then continues to be narrow and ends at the Gulf of Mexico at the public beach area. Between the bridge and the end of the road there is a boat ramp, and the area is very sandy where the boat trailers park. Sometimes this area is congested if a lot of tourists are headed to the beach. I think the cars in front of him may have stopped short and the boy braked hard and lost control of the truck. Pick-up trucks are notoriously light in the rear end, and it skidded sideways and headed into the oncoming lane. A car hit the truck and sent it spinning and rolling. It ended upside down, facing the roadway. The two fifteen year old girls were partially ejected out the passenger window, and lay dead face down in the sand -their arms entwined and their shoulder length hair disheveled. The boy was conscious, and being loaded in an ambulance. I think he had a broken leg. The girl that had been sitting next to him had been impaled with the floor gear shift knob. She survived with a broken pelvis, two broken femurs and a pierced bladder. The driver in the oncoming car was not seriously injured. Backpacks belonging to the kids were strewn all over the shoulder of the road, and none of the kids had identification on them. I collected the student id's from the backpacks and took them to the hospital. I instructed the dispatcher to notify all the parents and have them respond to the hospital. The three girls looked a lot alike, and I had no idea which of them was critically injured and which two were dead. As the first mother arrived, a helicopter was standing by to take the critically injured girl to a larger hospital. I asked the first mother if she knew her daughter's friends as I took her in to see the injured girl. (I remember thinking, "will she be the lucky one?") She recognized the girl as one of her daughter's best friends. She then began to ask where her daughter was. I took her up the hallway to the quiet room (I don't know why they call it that), where I broke the tragic news to her that changed her life forever. Giving someone that "regret to inform you" news is just like punching them in the stomach. They double over and make the sounds of a fatally injured animal. Just then, the father walked in and I had to repeat the punch. Another set of parents arrived and I had to give them the bad news. I have thought about this case a lot lately. I told it in detail to my son. I explained to him how a mistake involving alcohol can affect the rest of your life, and the life of your loved ones. I don't know who is better off, the kids that survived or the kids that died. The surviving girl is still in a wheel chair and can probably never have children. The boy is still on felony probation for being the responsible driver in the accident. The incident also impacted me forever; that is why I am so fearful for my son.

The Devil goes to church!

People were in their pews talking at church. Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church. Everyone started screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away from evil incarnate. Soon everyone had exited the church except for one elderly gentleman who sat calmly in his pew without moving, seeming oblivious to the fact that God's ultimate enemy was in his presence. So Satan walked up to the old man and said. "Don't you know who I am?" The man replied, "Yep, sure do." "Aren't you afraid of me?" Satan asked. "Nope, sure ain't." said the man. "Don't you realize I can kill you with a word?"asked Satan. "Don't doubt it for a minute," returned the old man, in an even tone. "Did you know that I could cause you profound horrifying agony for all eternity?"persisted Satan. "Yep," was the calm reply. "And you're still not afraid?" asked Satan. "Nope," said the old man. More than a little perturbed, Satan asked,"Well, why aren't you afraid of me?" The man calmly replied, "Been married to your sister for 48 years."

Calming down

I was crazy for a while until I read some of your supportive comments and emails. I thank you all so much for taking the time to comment on my "crisis". My son is in the teenage independence years, and it is difficult for me to let him go. Sometimes I watch my life from the sidelines. I think it is because of the time I have spent lately with my elderly Mom. I picture myself in a few more decades right there where she is. At the same time my son is breaking away (as he should at age 17). I have always been sort of resistant to change; even though I know that is what life is all about. I miss my little boy who used to like "me" the best! Now he likes his friends better, trusts them more, confides in them. I have come to terms with this the past week, and I am not so upset about it anymore. I will let him go to Europe. I will trust him to learn by his mistakes. I will pray and keep my fingers crossed that he will do the right thing. I will be there for him when he needs me. It is all I can do because I really don't have a choice!

My broken heart

I am tuffenuff. There is not too much that life can throw at me that I haven't seen before. After all, I had a job for 25 years that showed me the ugly underbelly of society. Last Tuesday I got the shock of my life when the school called and said, "We have your son here in the clinic and he is drunk." I made them repeat it because I couldn't believe what they were saying. I said, "I'll be right there". Time slowed down, my mouth dried out. The 15 minute ride to the school took forever. The ambulance was out front of the office as I entered. My son was on the nurse's cot crying. He had a bloodied nose and lip from struggling with the police. Everyone gave me "the look". You know - poor you - your son has bad, bad problems look. I was numb. Preston was drunk out of his mind. I worried about the amount of alcohol that he had consumed. I have seen kids poison themselves to death this way. I have had to break the news to parents of teenagers who have done similar things. I had the ambulance transport Preston to the hospital. We spend the rest of the day in the ER, then went from there to the mental health hospital and spent most of the evening there. We finally arrived home at midnight. In retrospect it could have been much worse. My heart is broken. Preston has always been a good kid, always followed the rules and been respectful. He and his friend had decided the night before the incident that it would be fun to get a "little drunk" and go to school. They conspired to steal liquor from their respective homes and carry it to school in water bottles. Preston brought straight vodka in a water bottle; the other boy brought a mixture of whiskey and tequila. I guess the other boy only pretended to drink, while Preston "chugged" down the deadly stuff. I estimate that he drank 8 to 10 ounces. Having never been around alcohol before, he had no idea how much to drink. He starting getting sick almost immediately, and was taken to the clinic from his first class. He was talking crazy and doesn't remember most of the day. He was still puking at 10:30PM. The counsellors and psych doctor decided after talking to Preston, that he was not trying to deliberately harm himself, but rather made a really stupid teenage choice. He is suspended from school for 5 days, and we are participating in a drug & alcohol awareness class for the next six weeks. He will also be going to counseling. I am scared to death. All of his life I have been an overprotective mom; now I am just plain nuts. I am frightened to let him out of my sight. Needless to say he is restricted from everything. He just turned 17. I know teenagers want to spread their wings and try new things. I just feel like our trust is broken, and I don't know how to get it back. I tell you this story because I am looking for some advice from my blog friends. This summer Preston is scheduled to go to Europe for 10 days on a school trip. It will be chaperoned, but I wonder if I will be a fool to let him go. This is a chance of a lifetime. He says that he has learned his lesson the hard way, and vows to never go near alcohol again. What happens if another temptation presents itself? Will he be strong enough to resist? I have never been so distressed in my lifetime.

He's ALMOST never bit anyone!

My good friend (the Wolfman) is still an officer at the PD that I retired from. His recent "anonymous" comment on my blog begs me to tell this story. I wanted my dog, Ransome to like my friend. Ransome is a guard dog, and really doesn't like to let strangers come in. (and they don't get any "stranger" than Wolfman.) Several years ago we decided to have the Wolf and the wolffie dog Ransome make friends. Big mistake. They strongly dislike each other. I told the Wolfman not to stare at Ransome, but I suspect that he did anyway! Ransome jumped on him and bit him in the stomach! Big deal, it didn't break the skin - it was just a warning from Ransome. Let's face it, if he had wanted to kill him he would have gone for the throat! After that, I still wanted them to be friends. I had them sit in the living room and basically ignore each other. It seemed to be going good, so I invited the Wolfman to take Ransome for a walk around the block. All went unexpectedly good, the Wolf holding the leash and Ransome ignoring him and marking all the bushes and mailboxes as we circled the block. When we got back in the house I was just saying how all went well - when Ransome gave the Wolf another little bite on the hand - just to let him know that he still didn't like him. Ever since then the Wolfman has been threatening to take my poor dog Ransome for a walk in traffic.

Ransome says, "Bring it on - I will bite your ass off!!!"

Familiar face

My son Preston is 17 today. He was born on the First Day of Spring and he is my proudest acomplishment and the joy of my life. I went up to the store to get him an ice cream cake. I waited until the last minute because Preston really doesn't care that much for cake, but I found out that some friends were stopping over. People aways expect cake and ice cream for a birthday celebration. So, it's 5:45 PM and I go over to the local grocery store. I am scooting around the store when I see a familiar face. A lady is coming towards me with her cart. She looks at me and smiles - I grin back. OK, I never forget a face - but who the hell is that? I have met so many people in my life. Often times even people that I have arrested come up to me years later and speak. "hey, remember me??? You arrested me in '97! remember?" (no, I have no idea who you are or what offense you committed) I never forget a face, but that is as far as it goes! It took about an hour for the light bulb to go on in my head. One of my bloggie friends has this lady's photo posted on her blog! It is her sister and she lives in my small town. Funny that I should recognize her. Had I realized it while I was in the store, it would have been akward to explain who I was.

"Hi, I'm Tuffenuf". "Oh yeah? well, you don't look so tough to me!" No, I mean my name is Tuffenuf- or, oh well, it's not really my name.

Small world, even in blogland!

Danger!

I hope everyone with pets has heard about the dog/cat food recall. Canned and packaged wet food seems to be the problem so far. I told my brother about the problem, and he said, "We are OK, we don't feed our dogs the cheap stuff." I had to explain to him that not just the inexpensive foods are tainted. The manufacturer makes foods for some of the expensive brands like Eukanuba and Iams. Check out your pet food at www.menufoods.com/recall Be sure to click on the brands to see any sub-brands. Also, the symptoms if your pet has been contaminated are: throwing up, thirst, (but refusal to drink), loss of appetite. Watch you pets for any kind of change. This "poisoning" causes kidney failure. Buddy & Hemi say, "Be careful what you feed your pets!"
Ransome says, "HUH?, I will eat ANYTHING!

Early flight

I have no idea what I am doing up this late, reading your blogs! I have an early flight to Virginia to check on my Mom. I try to go up about once a month but it is hard to leave Florida. I am worried that I will have to put my Mom in assisted living. She gets more helpless every time I see her. She wants to stay in her own house; it is difficult to explain to her that she is not very safe doing that. Tomorrow I will take her to the doctor, she is seeing a rhumatologist, for the tingling and weakness in her hands. She really needs someone to come to her house a couple of hours a day to assist her. My brothers and I will be interviewing an agency for this on Thursday. I can at least visit her for a while (I will be coming home on Monday) and clean her house and do her laundry. I worry about my Mom all the time. I wish we lived closer, but she will not consider coming to Florida. She doesn't want to leave "the boys" (my grown brothers!) I hope we can keep her in her home for a few more years, but I honestly think that she would be so much happier in a group home with her peers. I guess this is what we all must face as we get older. Enough of my tale of woe, I better finish packing and charging up my ipod. E-see you when I get back. Oh, hell, where is that coat?

We took some time off

We stopped the never-ending re-modeling & chores this weekend and went to the theatre on Sunday. We saw the Broadway show "Wicked" at Tampa Bay Performing Arts and it was great! We had box seats, and a great view of everything. It never ceases to amaze me the work that it takes to put on a show like that. I could see right down into the orchestra pit. One conductor has his head just high enough to see the actors on stage, so he could take his cues from them, while another conductor watched the first conductor, so he could lead the other half of the orchestra. Intricate mechanisms and hatches on the stage floor controlled large set pieces and smoke and wind coming up from the floor. I am just as much fascinated with the behind the scenes workings as I am with the play itself. What a wonderful job it must be to be involved in live theatre. I always worried that the actors could fall into the orchestra pit from the stage. I went up for a closer look during intermission and discovered that there is a large (mostly invisible) net over the orchestra pit. It was pulled tight and looked sturdy enough to catch even the heftiest of the actors!

I thought about you today!

This blogging thing still has me fascinated. Maybe I have too much time on my hands. I think about all of you a lot. I try to keep up with reading my favorite blogs, but like so many of you (Kerri), I discover new blogs all the time. Today I was out painting the fence. When you are immersed in such a boring project your mind wanders. I starting wondering how much snow Kerri was buried in, and how cold it must be. Others around the states probably still have snow on the ground. I thought of you today Motherkitty, I am glad that you seem to be back up to speed with your blog, and I am hoping it is because your health is good. Jelly, I thought of you and again of that scary dingo story with your naked Mum hero! T2T, I wondered if your weather was nice enough for you to go out and take some photos with your new camera. Terri, I am glad that you are having some time to enjoy blogging, your new blog has a great looking format and the name definitely fits you! Susan, I am wondering how your weather is there, and if snow would just slide right off that new, steep, red roof and I wish I would take the time to travel around as much as you do. Sandy, I see a lot of three-wheelers lately, and I wonder if one day I will see you roll up on your big red one! I hope my favorite taxi drivers (Bob, Joann, & Wil) are staying safe - I think about you driving around, lonely sometimes, very much like being a beat cop on patrol. There, I got another fence panel white-washed. Thanks to my thoughts of all of you - it seems like time flew by!

Crime update

Reference my previous post: this was a kidnapping for ransom, a rare occurrence. I can't remember one happening in this area during my entire police career. The suspect is on the run, probably left the state by now. I am happy to report that the victim was not sexually molested as I previously thought, and he is doing fine and back in the arms of his family. The search continues for the suspect (who has been identified) and this will probably become an international manhunt if he flees to his former home in Mexico.

Can't stop detecting!

This morning in our small little town, a 13 year old boy was abducted at gunpoint from his school bus stop. The other children looked on as a man forced the boy into his truck. The kids got a good description of the suspect vehicle. My cop friends called me to join in the search. Everyone was called out to search for a small burgandy colored truck with a king cab. You would be suprised how many red trucks you see when you are looking for one. I started searching the rural roads close to the county line with Tampa. I spent several hours driving up and down dirt roads and driveways, looking for any clues. A search like this is so massive that it almost feels hopeless from the start. Several area agencies helicopters joined in. About 1 PM the abducted boy called his mother from a cell phone that he had borrowed from a farm worker. It seems that the bad guy dropped the kid off about 20 miles from the scene, leaving him in a rural farm area. We were all so relieved that the child was alive. I don't know the details yet, but he was most likely sexually molested. The search continues for the suspect. How desperate and brazen must a pedophile be to grab a kid in broad daylight with witnesses present? I hope we catch him before he strikes again.

Don't stop reading my blog - I am still here!

I have been blog absent for so long now. I am so busy with projects that I haven't even turned on the computer for a long while. The weather is so beautiful this time of year. It is a good time to get outside projects done when it is 70 degrees instead of the usual 90 degrees! I have been working on the new building. It wasn't large enough to store all the stuff from the attached garage (we are turning that into a room) so I bought another smaller shed (8x10) to store the lawn & garden stuff. I bought one of those $250. sheds from Lowes, goes together like an Erector set (remember those from the 1960's?) We put up a short vinyl fence to divide the back yard. I wanted to replace my 10 year old six foot wooden fence around the whole property with vinyl fencing. It would be $3000. if I did it myself and much more if I had it done. We decided to whitewash the existing fence instead. What a job, this will keep the whole family busy for weeks. I am catching up on your blogs today. I hope my northern blog buddies are keeping warm with the terrible snow storms that you have had. Thanks to all of you that have e-mailed me wondering where I am! I will be back full time soon!

New out building

They delivered the new shed to the backyard on Thursday (just in time for the storm on Friday night) It can withstand winds up to 150 mph. Big deal. The houses that were destroyed by the freak tornados were about 100 miles north of here. Even newer houses were reduced to shreds of lumber by the high storm winds. Living in Florida is a crap shoot. I guess that is true of anywhere, as we are no match for Mother Nature! Ninteen people were killed in the storm - all in a matter of minutes. I can't help thinking -"there but for the grace of God go I". We were lucky in this area, no damage, just some wind & rain. I am thankful and happy for everyday on this earth! I have been busy building work benches inside the new building (in case I ever need a work bench) and putting all the stuff back in. I will take some photos tomorrow. Peace.

*When I was up in Virginia, it snowed. It didn't stick, hardly ever does that close to the Chesapeake Bay. I ran outside, only for a minute, just to switch the cars around. I had forgotten - you just can't do that! I nearly shivered to death before I ran back in the house to get a coat, hat, scarf & gloves (clothing that I hardly ever use/need in Florida)

No place like home

I was only gone for eight days, but it seemed like a month. I am so glad that I went to Virginia when I did - my mother was so sick. Her hands looked like boxing gloves and she could not do ANYTHING for herself. Her GP did not know the cause of this hand swelling and said that it "would go away in time". My brother had taken her to the doctor three times and told me that there was nothing that they could do. I took her right over to the doctor. I knew that they had to do something- or I would be changing doctors. The doctor suspects rheumatoid arthritis; he recommended a specialist. He gave her prednisone, which took the swelling down almost immediately, it was gone in 48 hours. She has an appointment with the arthritis specialist next Monday. Mom is also incontinent and up until my visit refused to wear adult diapers. I finally convinced her that the diapers were comfortable and certainly better than peeing in your pants! Elderly parents are very much like toddlers. You have to bathe, dress and feed them. When you take them out you must seatbelt them into the car, help them get in and out. It is really a lot of work, but also a labor of love. My mom is so independant and wants to continue to live in her house. I don't know how much longer that she will be able to do this. I will try to help by visiting once a month or so.

Gone!

They took the old building out of the yard. It is still in good enough shape to be used, so I gave it away to a friend. My new building has an all steel frame and sides and will be much more manageable to maintain. It will be delivered next week. I will be glad to get my "stuff" into the new building. Everything is in such shambles now, strewn all over the yard!


Here is a photo of Matt at his first job at the local grocery store. He seems happy to be working and making some money.

I am leaving tomorrow morning to fly up to Virginia to see my mother for a week. I want to help her out with some chores, and take her to the store to buy a new mattress.

(note: reference my last post - the bones turned out to be animal when forensics techs collected them.)

Detecting again!

Today a detective friend of mine asked me to go with her on a cold case that she is working on. Approximately five years ago some jerk was digging a ditch in a rural area of the county with a large backhoe. He came across a skeleton of what he believed to be a female. He decided that he did not want to get involved, so he buried the bones and didn't tell anyone. Five years later his drunken mouth overloaded his drunken ass and he told his beer buddies about the find. This was overheard by the bar maid - who called police. A couple of months ago, cadaver dogs searched the ditch and scented on an area. It was the rainy season and too wet to dig in the ditch; so it was marked and left for later. Today we went to see if the area was dry enough to excavate. We had to climb a gate, then walk about a mile in to the site. We found the area to be much more dry. The green grass was dead now and brown, revealing a bone in the grass. This is possibly an animal bone, (or maybe human) and it was over a hog wire fence where we could not access it. I photograped it with my camera phone, but had no measurment reference with me. We marked the area of the bone before we left so forensics can go back tomorrow and collect it. While I was out there I saw several animal tracks. Racoons, wild pigs, deer, and this photo of a large paw. Again, I didn't have a reference with me but it was about four inches in diameter. It looked like a large cat paw, maybe a bobcat. I wish I had taken my pocket camera, but I didn't know that I would see so much! Maybe I will go out next time. Sometimes I miss working!

blog-absent

Sorry that I have not posted in a while. I have been quite busy with other projects. We have demolished the pigeon coup, cut the wood into small pieces and put it out for the trash. We are having the 12x20 shed in the back yard taken out and we are replacing it with a new steel building. I gave the old building to a friend, and they will be moving it on Friday. We have loaded all the contents of the old building into a borrowed horse trailer and containers in the back yard. I moved the travel trailer out of the way so the old building can go out the back gate. I ordered a new steel building that will be delivered and put in the same place. An electrician unhooked the old building and will return to electrify the new one. The old building had brick and concrete steps up to it, and I supervised as my roomate broke them up with a sledge hammer! We will put the pieces out in the garbage at little at a time. This is a major project and only the first of many things that I need to get done around the house. Everyone in the household in pitching in and that makes it a lot easier. Also, it is nice to have everyone working together on a project.

Rock stars!

There is a new game for Playstation called "Rock Star". The boys love video games, and love to play this one. The game plays the greatest rock hits, while you follow along on your guitar (guitar included with the game). It is a great game for eye-hand coordination. Young kids, teenagers and adults all love this game, and I gotta tell ya, it's not easy! It is great to be a kid these days, so much to do. Cell phones, laptops- hardly enough time anymore to "go out and play" like I did when I was a kid. Times have changed, but what a great time to be alive!

Double O seven!

James. . . . .James Bond. . . . Wow! It's 007! In years to come we will be saying, "Remember double-o-seven?" Wise crackers will reply -"Ian Flemming?" Just good fun! I love the "00" numbers. They only come once a century, so enjoy them while they last!!!! I hope everyone had a happy new year celebration. I have been working on my "tearing down the pigeon coup project", but the rain slowed me down a bit. Let's hope we can all keep our new years resolutions! I am not writing much these days, but I am keeping up on my blog reading. More soon.

Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays to all my blogger friends all over the world. Here's one boy that is glad that Christmas is finally here. Several eight hour and twelve hour days loading & moving trees, taking down the tent sides - then putting them back up at night. He made lots of money and came home "sappy" every night! I have hopes and dreams that all of us blog pals and our families stay safe and healthy this year. Take care all of you and be careful during the holiday season!
Best wishes from Florida - where we are Christmas shopping in our t-shirts & shorts!

Smart?

If you've read my blog for any length of time you probably know that I have a pigeon coup in my backyard. I have about 30 homing pigeons. Pigeon fanciers raise these birds and join clubs to race their pigeons against the clock. I don't participate in such clubs, I just enjoy the birds. I like watching their habits. I sometimes sit out there and just watch them. Other times I load up about ten of them and take them a couple of miles from the house and let them fly home. Most days I just let them out in the morning, they fly around for a while, then return to the loft. Sometimes they have a tragic encounter with an area hawk. Anyway, it is fun for this old bag. I have a lot of projects in the works right now. One of these tasks involves moving the old "shed" (12x20) out of the backyard to make room for the new one. Well, the pigeon house is attached to the old shed, so I will be building a new one. In the meantime, we are tearing down the old coup. I made a temporary home for the pigeons in a smaller "apartment" which is several wire cages attached together. The only problem was that one pair of birds was sitting on new hatchlings. I carefully caught the parent pigeons and put them in their own private cage. I moved the nest with the babies into the cage. The parents were so disoriented that they just ignored the babies, would not feed them, and just began stepping all over them. I finally had to remove the little ones because the parents would not take care of them. The babies are in foster care (but now they think they are people, not pigeons!) and they are thriving. I can't let the flock out of the apartment cage right now or they will home to the area of the old loft! After I get them in the new (yet to be built) cage, I will teach them where home is again. Many studies have been done on homing pigeons, and there are many diverse theories on how they find their way home. They must be very smart - but they sure are stupid about their babies!

Cards came from distant places, but none from close up!

I had a birthday recently and I was suprised at some of my distant friends, that I hardly every hear from, remembered and sent me best wishes. I wish I could return the polite favor, but truthfully, I do not even know what month some of these people were born in, much less the day! I just don't have a memory for that sort of thing! I try to see that my family always knows that I remember them on their special days, and I try to at least make them a cake, or take them out to dinner. On the flip side, some people close to me, that I thought knew when my birthday was, didn't even remember or just didn't even bother to to acknowledge it in any way. This whole thing has given me a strange feeling, happy & sad. Happy for the wishes from distant places, but sad that my family doesn't think much of me. What a cry-baby I have turned out to be! You'd think after having this many birthdays that it wouldn't be such a big deal. Pardon me while I go eat some dark chocolate! I think that I will ditch the housework today and get out and take some photos. It is unseasonably warm here (79 degrees expected high today) Maybe if I get out and do something different I can drop the "whine!"

Lessons learned

While I was in Virginia my son, Preston, had a real scare. He was driving with two friends in his car, deciding what they were going to do for the afternoon. He was back in the new, undeveloped subdivision behind our neighborhood. Truth be told, he was going too fast to take a turn, and ran into a curb. The curb was high enough to hit the cross bar underneath the car, and the airbags deployed! There was no damage to the car, and the boys were not hurt. I guess that teenagers must learn through their mistakes. I think he learned that you must slow down more for that turn! We discussed the consequences of his actions, and what "could" have happened. I told Preston that he must pay for his mistake, that I would not be footing the bill for the repair. In the meantime, the car must be parked until it is fixed. I was happy that he called me right after it happened. Although I was out of town, and couldn't do much about it, I was thrilled that I am the one that he turns to when he is scared or in trouble. He took a job at the local Christmas tree lot to make money for the repair.

Toddlers & airplanes

I got home from Virginia last night. I am so glad to be home. My mother is getting better everyday. I think it helped that I was there to give her a little TLC. However, she is 88 years old, and her age is starting to show. She has arthritis, and she has trouble rising from a seated position. She is slow walking & turning and loses her balance sometimes. She still has weakness in her right hand, but it is getting stronger everyday. I had her walking a lot, and squeezing a ball with her right hand. The worse part is when I told her that the arthritis is a chronic condition, and that although it was managable, it was not curable. She was markedly disapointed. She thought that she would be getting better. Maybe I shouldn't have told her. Taking her out is like taking a toddler. (her petite size of 55 inches is toddler-like) I have to help her into the car, and buckle her seat belt. She complains that she cannot do this herself, and that she must be such a chore for me. I comfort her by telling her that she took good care of me for my whole life when I was a kid, and that it is my pleasure to return the favor. It is sad to see my mom getting so old and helpless. I helped her by buying and wrapping some Christmas presents, and setting up her decorations. She was happy to see me for ten days, and I think I saw her getting stronger while I was there.

I also got to spend an afternoon with my older brother. He took me up in his newly painted, newly renovated Cessna airplane. The interior is not completed yet, but the new leather seats are deluxe! Although it is perfectly safe, it is still a little un-nerving to be in a light plane without the headliner, you look up and see just a sheet of aluminum between you and the sky!

The only reason I would leave sunny Florida...

I will be absent from blogland for a while. I must travel to Virginia tomorrow. My 88 year old mother is ill. She lives alone and a few weeks ago she got dizzy and fell. She went to the emergency room, and they did lots of tests, but couldn't find anything wrong. She still has weakness on her right side, and can't hold anything with her right hand. It sounds to me like she had a TIA (mini-stroke). Both my brothers live in her town, but I think Mom might feel better seeing her only daughter. After all, at her age, I never know how much time she has left in this world. She has always been very independent, even when she had to have by-pass surgery in 1999. Mom has been in good health since then, until now. I got her the "life alert" several months ago. She is supposed to wear a necklace with a panic button on it. If anything happens she can push the button and help will be sent. Although, I don't know that she wears it all the time. I will make a surprise visit because if I tell her that I am coming she will try to clean house and go to the grocery! My mom is always doing for others, and I know she hates to feel helpless. I hope I can go up there and get her set up with some home health care. It is hell to get old. I will miss you, my blog buddies, I will be back in about a week or ten days. I used to drive up, about a 16-18 hour drive, straight through, but that was when I was younger. This time I will fly - takes under three hours.

At least not "dead last"

the boys of the lower brass section

The PHS band participated in the Florida Marching Band state finals this past weekend. We had no hopes of taking home any trophies, but we were happy to have scored high enough to be included in the competition. We placed "seventeenth" but at least not dead last! Although it sounds low, that is a state placement, so if you take all the marching bands in the state, we are 17th ranked, so that's not bad! It is a great feeling when the band takes the field. I have always loved marching bands, but when your own kids are involved it is extra exciting! As they took the field, the crowd was quiet as the band stood at parade rest ready to perform. Overwhelmed with a burst of pride I screamed, "Preston - you are my baby boy!" This was loud enough for the entire stadium to hear and everyone laughed. There was no question who the screamer was, because I stood up on my seat with my red shirt emblazoned on the back with "Preston's Mom". I just can't help myself. Being a mom is my proudest accomplishment.
Band is over for this year, and even with all the work, I hate for it to end!

Behind, in time

I keep a schedule in my head. For example, I must do this or that by a certain time so that I can be here or there by then. Today was no exception until disaster happened. I was tidying up the kitchen, putting away clean pots and dishes, when a glass bottle of evoo (extra virgin olive oil) fell out of the cabinet and shattered on the kitchen floor! I just washed that floor a couple of days ago. I was already showered and dressed to go to the store, come home, load up the car with the boy's band uniforms and head off to the school. I picked the large glass shards out of the oil on the floor. I got out the dustpan & brush and swept up the small glass. It was yucky with oil and made a bigger mess. Then I had to clean the pan and brush. In the middle of this, I stepped in the oil, slipped, did a lot of fancy steps and caught myself, then fell on my ass anyway. Of course then I was covered with oil. I had to change my shoes, change my pants, then mop the floor. I think I got all the oil up. What a mess. The point of this story is a tip for you. Buy evoo in plastic, unbreakable bottles. I will from now on!

Did I really need another camera?

My new camera, Cannon Power Shot SD630. I have two really nice cameras. I did not need another one. I talked myself into buying this one by saying that it is small enough for me to carry with me all the time. My other cameras have long lenses, they are big and bulky. This camera is so sweet! Large 3 inch view on the back, and lots of special features. So we will see - will I take more photos? I hope so.

I love photos! I have about 5,000 pictures in memory, mostly of the boys and the school band! So, I guess I can justify a new camera for my expensive hobby!

Florida - nice place to retire

Lucky for me I already live in Florida. It is a nice place to retire because of the mild weather. Living here, you will live longer. Don't take my word for it - look who I saw in the yard yesterday.

...so close

We are close to the end of the band season, and we have qualified to go to the state championships. Twenty bands will compete in our division. We will have to be in the top five of that twenty in the preliminaries to even participate in the finals.

The band director doesn't think that we have a chance in hell in getting into to top five. I hope he is wrong. The kids are tired and ready for band season to be over. I hope they all give it one last real effort. It is a long shot but "I believe". Here are some photos of them performing last Saturday night; serious Preston & Matt (I hardly ever get them in the same photo.)

I am Hemi - & u "can't touch this!"

Do you believe how cute I am? I am the youngest of my two other dog brothers, but I am the top dog. I can do whatever I want. I can out run and out maneuver the old Airedale, Ransome. I stay out of the way of the grumpy Jack Russell, Buddy. He tries to be stingy with the food, but I can out think him too. The other dogs are so stupid that they run into the garage when mom opens the door. I don't do that - mom is getting ready to answer the front door and I want to see who is there, not run into the garage like a moron. I like to sit on the back of the couch and look out the front window. I can see neighborhood dogs and cats from here, and occasionally a squirrel. I have to tell the people when I want to play, not by barking, but with a little "woo-woo-woo". Somehow they like that and think I am cute, so then they will play. I like to play frisbee. I don't care if they don't like it in the house, I bring it through the doggie-door anyway. (hey people, if you don't want to throw it in the house, get your lazy ass up and come outside). They also think it is so cute when I know the difference of my toys, and they are always saying, "go get the ball" or "go get the squirrel". This seems to entertain them, so I do it. I will suprise them one day and bring a real squirrel in through the doggie-door!!! I like the red head mom the best. She cuddles me and talks baby talk to me. The other mom (old bag) is here with us all the time now, and it is convienent to have someone to wait on me full time. They better not be going off all weekend again with the band. Damn-it if they leave us alone again that long I swear I will chew something up (and blame it on Ransome - that old fool!) Anyway, I better "paws" & get off the computer before the old bag wakes up and catches me!