I have been busy on Facebook getting in touch with all my old friends. I haven't forgotten about the blog though. Here is all the news:

The recent trip to NYC was fun & very exciting for the boys. Matt, who is going in the Navy soon, was excited to be on a real aircraft carrier. We went aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid that is permanently moored as a museum. Matt & his mom did the "flight simulator". Matt flew the plane quite well, only turning his mom upside down once or twice! We enjoyed seeing all the neat stuff aboard a ship that size.

While in New York we visited Central Park and the boys climbed all over the rocks. (fun for them because we live in Florida - flat land!)

We visited Rockefeller Center, the American Museum of Natural History, Hayden Planetarium, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We walked around the city a lot and took cabs & the subway for transportation. We took the Grey Line bus tour (again) for the boys sake. They got to see a lot more of the city that way. There is so much to see/do in NYC. Both boys want to know when we can go back!

Tec-knowledge-GEE

The other night I was cleaning up the kitchen, wiping down the new stove. Somehow, I locked myself out of the oven. A big orange LOCKED was on the control panel and the oven door & storage drawer would not open. I had to consult the owner's manual to figure out how to get it unlocked! Nice. The oven also has a "Sabbath" mode, so don't even try to turn on the oven on the weekend! If you do turn it on, you can't turn it off because it locks the controls! I like all the new technology but there is so much stuff to know. The ipod, the computer, the fancy HE washer & dryer, the home theater, the dvd player, the camera. Then you must sync one gadget with another, update and upgrade. I think it might be a good idea to take a vacation from the gadgets. On the other hand, I might just be OLD and tired of all this crap!!!

We are leaving in the morning for yet another trip to NYC. Do I know how to spend money or what? This will be the last trip together for the four of us, so we are going to make it a good time. We will do a lot of site-seeing, the boys (men, I mean) will love it because they have never been to a big city. Yes, I know, the "men" would probably rather go to strip bars than hang with the moms - but you know that is not gonna happen!

Sad news

Doctor B., who has been my doctor for twenty years, came home to find his wife murdered in their home last night. It is bad enough that your loved one is the victim of a violent crime, but worse when you have to be the one to discover the tragedy. It is a sad day when anyone dies, but so much worse when it is so sudden & violent. I know from experience that victim's and families of victims always find a way to blame themselves when going through this kind of grief. "If I had just done this. . . or that," they usually say. Many of us will be victims or have close friends or relatives that will be victims of crimes. We must find the inner strength to deal with whatever life brings us. I am sure Dr. B is familiar with the seven stages of grief. He has counselled others facing death. My heart goes out to him in his hour of need.

I have been hanging out on Facebook. . . .

. . .and wasting away my computer time over there. I haven't forgot that I need to keep up with my blog, there's just not enough time in the day! Well, since I have been away - it has been raining everyday here in the sunshine state. Have no fear, it rains for an hour or so - usually in the afternoon - then clears up and the sun shines again. I have to mow the grass about every five days, but that's OK, I have a ride-on mower and a I-POD, so it is not like real work! I am growing cherry tomatoes this summer in my "earth box" even though I was advised by the experts that it is too hot. I am out there everyday spraying the plants for bugs and picking off caterpillars. That part is not much fun. So the other day I see this thing perched on my fence. I mistook it for a leaf until I looked a little closer. The leaf even moved with the wind. I was amazed at this bug. I had never seen one of these, and it let me get really close before it began to move slowly away. I think it is called a "Katydid" but I would have to consult with "Florida Cracker" to be sure. I was really impressed with nature upon seeing this cool bug! How do you suppose he finds Mrs. Katydid? I bet he has to look through a lot of leaves!

Great time in NYC

We spent four days in New York City. My brother & sister-in-law were up there visiting their grown daughter & her husband who live there. We stayed in mid-Manhattan, while my brother was dog sitting on the upper east side, and my niece lives in the village. It was fun getting together everyday via subway, bus, or taxi or just plain "walking your ass off". So many things have changed since I was last in the city. The most noticeable difference was that the honk honk honk honk of cars was gone! I remember everyone always honking. I found out the they finally passed a law to stop the honking - $350. fine! I still heard honking, but not near like it used to be. The taxi drivers are still the wildest drivers I have EVER seen, and I admire their skill as they weave through traffic at a high rate of speed. There are 13,000 cabs in NYC and I love traveling in them! We also honed our subway skills and went uptown, downtown & all around on them. The most difficult thing about that is finding the station entrances, so we finally got a map. We also got a three day pass for the Grey Line tour bus. It makes you seem like a real tourist; even though I was born there - I am a tourist after this long. The good thing about the bus is that you can get on & off as many times as you like, so we used that a lot to get around & go shopping.

We visited the site of the World Trade Center disaster and St. Paul's Church memorial. It was shocking to see a construction site in place of the tallest building that we used to stand on top of. The church is an old historical site itself, that now has many pictures and mementos of September 11.

We went to Rockefeller Center and went to the "top of the rock". It is cheaper that going to the Empire State Building (I have done that plenty of times) and it is much less crowded. You can see all of New York (including the Empire State Building) from 70 floors up and it was great. On Sunday we went to beautiful Central Park and saw the dance skaters. This is a club that meets every weekend to skate in the park. It is a real collection of characters just getting their grove on and doing their own thing - It was great.

The weather was in the mid 70's when we were there. We had a great time and plan to visit again SOON. Next time we will take the boys with us.

NYC is truly one of the greatest cities in the world!

Vacation!

We are headed to New York City for the 4th of July! I can't wait, I haven't been there in 20 years. I will post lots of pics when I get back. Be careful with those fireworks!

Schnauzer-town

If you have dogs, and you are thinking of maybe adding another dog, do this first: Borrow some dogs and care for them for a week or so. I am baby-sitting a couple of Schnauzers for some friends on vacation. With my two dogs - THAT MAKES A PACK! I usually leave dry food down for my dogs and (much like me) they "graze" all day. They eat when they are hungry, and don't overeat. One of the dogs I am watching is a little Schnauzer named Bella - about a year old. She cannot be trusted to eat only when she needs too, and will stay at the bowl until it is empty (much like me). It is SO much fun to get them all fed. They are such cute dogs but a lot of work. I let them out but have to monitor them in the yard. They are not used to such a big yard at home and they want to explore the whole place. I always have to be in their sight, or they run around looking for me. I guess they must think that they are orphan dogs now that there parents have left them. On the last trip out in the yard before bed, I always lose Bella. She is so black that I can't see her at night. She doesn't come when called, she prefers (much like me) to stay out as late and as long as she wants!






My old Jack Russell, Buddy, keeps looking at me as if to say, "who the hell are these dogs & when are they going home?'

Antiques of our life

My 19 year old son yelled for me to come into his room to see something "really neat". He had a friends turntable and was playing a record on it. "Isn't this the great?", he said. It was hard to believe that he had never seen a turntable. He really liked it and collected a few "vinyls" to play on it. I told him that back in the day we just called them records, or albums. I told him about the other speeds like 45 rpm - you had to have an adapter for those records to fit on the spindle. He wasn't sure how to "change tracks" and I showed him how to lift the needle and move it to the next song. It was strange to see him so excited over something that I had considered just an everyday thing when I was a kid. We listened to the first album my parents ever let me have, "Meet the Beetles".



We still say, "dial the telephone", but we haven't done that in years. I think I will find a dial phone and see what he thinks of that!

The fun never stops!

I am summoned for Federal Jury duty on Monday. I thought I would not hear anything else from them after I returned my questionnaire stating that I was retired law enforcement. Er, I guess I am still eligible. I don't really want to get out of it, I think it is every one's duty to serve. I think I will be disqualified on the first day after the attorneys question me. The only thing I really hate is that the court is 40 miles from my house, and I must be there by 0730! (retired people don't usually get up that early). . . .and according to my summons, I must dress appropriately. I believe that my retirement attire (shorts, a tee shirt & tennis shoes) is appropriate. I imagine if I show up dressed like that, there will be some sort of consequence. I always enjoyed going to court when I was a detective; if only to laugh at the defendants who thought that the judge wasn't GOD in that room! So many times I would hear, "he can't do that!" If you ever have to go to court for any reason, please remember: The judge CAN do ANYTHING he wants! . . . and because of that I will search in the back of my closet and find some of my old detective clothes, so that I don't have to spend the night in jail wearing shorts & a tee shirt!!!

OK - admit it - you have all gone over to FACEBOOK!

Nobody is blogging like they used to. I check some of my favorite blogs and I see you absent for weeks, sometimes months!!! I know you have all made the switch to Facebook! OK, I have to admit, that I finally went there. I became a "facie" last week. I will still have time for blogging, though, and you should too! This is my fifth year blogging, and it is a good place to keep all the stuff that you want to look back on, especially if you are getting senile like me! Speaking of old age, I recently discovered that I am skipping or changing friend's birthdays. For the last (at least) two years I have changed Dan's birthday from May 4 to May 14. He must think I am crazy sending a card TEN days late that says "have a great day". Steve is the real owner of the May 14th birthday, and I have totally skipped him, changing his birthday to October 17. I just discovered thru Facebook that 10-17 is Enita's birthday. The one birthday that I would like to forget is MINE! So, sorry everyone, hope you had a good birthday!

I haven't blogged in a while and I am sorry 'bout that, but these should make you smile:

Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked,
'How old was your husband?'
'98,' she replied, 'Two years older than me'
'So you're 96,' the undertaker commented.
She responded , 'Hardly worth going home, is it?

Reporter interviewing a 104-year-old woman:
'And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?' the reporter asked.
She simply replied, 'No peer pressure.'

The nice thing about being senile is You can hide your own Easter eggs.

I've sure gotten old! I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement,
New knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes
I'm half blind,
Can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine,
Take 40 different medications that
Make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts.
Have bouts with dementia ..
Have poor circulation;
Hardly feel my hands and feet anymore.
Can't remember if I'm 89 or 98.
Have lost all my friends. But, thank God,
I still have my driver's license.

I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape,
So I got my doctor's permission to
Join a fitness club and start exercising.
I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors.
I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But,
By the time I got my leotards on, The class was over.

My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.

It's scary when you start making the same noises As your coffee maker.

These days about half the stuff in my shopping cart says, ' For fast relief.'

THE SENILITY PRAYER : Grant me the senility to forget the people
I never liked anyway,
The good fortune to run into the ones I do, and
The eyesight to tell the difference.

Always Remember This:
You don't stop laughing because you grow old, You grow old because you stop laughing!

I will catch up on all the news soon! Love ya- Tuff

Update the date!

Matt's new deployment date is December 30, 2009. He has been accepted in to the Nuclear Program, which means he will have a year of difficult studies to learn all about maintaining a nuclear power plant aboard a Navy ship. Both aircraft carriers & submarines are nuclear powered. Sailors get extra pay incentive to be on a submarine but Matt would rather be on a carrier. He is excited about going, and we are excited for him. We will just have to wait a while longer. We have been reading "Navy Moms", a web site all about the Navy. You can find out anything, they even have videos about boot camp. Other Navy moms blog about their young sailors. (I love the internet!)

New chairs

My friend Marion is building Adirondack chairs. I bought four of them for my deck. I got rid of the table because we never seem to use it for dining out there. The new chairs have very wide thick arms, nice to set a drink on. Marion really beefed up the construction, using thicker wood that most Adirondack type chairs. I really like them. They will last forever! If any of you live in Florida and would like to get some of these "wonderful" chairs, e-mail me, and I will put you in touch with that little powerhouse builder!
I am finished re-modeling the house for a while, I just want to take it easy this summer. I am considering planting a few vegetables in my flower pot garden. The drought is so bad in Florida this year, we have only had one day of rain in the last month, maybe even the last six weeks. The grass & weeds that I call my lawn are dead, nothing but sandy soil left. I water all my flower pots by hand to conserve water.
Hopefully the drought will be over soon, then I will be complaining about having to cut the grass so often. I still don't see how some people are bored in their retirement; I always have plenty to do!

News from the home front

Well, Matt is in the Navy now!!! He seems really happy about it and his mom is happy for him. He is on the delayed entry program, he graduates from high school in May, then off to boot camp in October. It was a big decision for him to commit for the next four to six years, but he did it and I think it will be good for him.

We finally finished the kitchen remodeling project. We got granite countertops, installed a backsplash, and replaced all the white appliances with stainless steel. I spend more time polishing my new range than cooking on it!

We also put granite on the dining room bookcase, and replaced the solid shelves with glass shelves. While we had the bookcase disassembled, I installed under cabinet lights in the top. It looks very different and a nice change. The granite did not cost as much as I thought, it was less than $2800. for the whole job.

I took my dog Hemi to the groomer yesterday. He hasn't had a haircut in six months, what a difference!

In the NAVY

Our youngest boy has wanted to be in the Navy since he was about five years old. We were at the recruiter's office the other day, negotiating for the best deal. The recruiter asked Matt what he wanted to do in the Navy - I piped up and said - "he has always wanted to be an Admiral!" The Navy is still a good way to get an education and have it paid for, and have a job when you get through it. Matt qualified in the top 1% on his test, so he can choose any job in the Navy. (how about Admiral?) He wanted to be a Navy Seal, but realized that the competition for that is very intense. He is thinking about Nuclear technician. Everyone in the family, grandparents, uncles, etc., tell Matt to not sign anything until he talks to them. He is patiently listening to all of them, but you can see in the eyes of an 18 year old, that he knows more than most of them. His mother is excited that he has chosen something to do after high school, but I imagine it will hit her after the actual "signing" occurs. She says that she is looking forward to re-modeling his room when he moves out. I am betting she will turn into a cry-baby soon; or maybe that will just be me!

I am just amazed!

With the economy in such dire straits, why are we so obsessed with a cheater in professional baseball, a single mom with eight new babies, and Joaquin Phoneix (who named him?) acting strange and threatening to give up his acting career? We seem to worry about the wrong stuff. Shouldn't we be figuring out how to help each other, and help our neighbors who are losing their jobs and dealing with home forclosure? Instead of trying to help the woman with the babies, why has everyone turned against her? Why are they so angry with her. There are plenty of abusive parents, and we are not outraged about that. The internet is flooded with fodder on these stories. Why aren't we outraged with the corporate executives and bank presidents? Shouldn't their photos be on the internet and tv news everyday? Why don't we make them pay back the money they have stolen before they get a bail-out? I just don't understand.

What law?

I took this photo at the car wash yesterday on my cell phone camera. I have been retired from law enforcement for almost five years now, so maybe there are some new laws. The sign says that anyone washing a muddy truck will be charged to the "fullest extent of the law." Why wouldn't the car wash want to wash the muddy trucks? Aren't they in the business to wash dirty vehicles? Maybe they don't want the mud in their drains, I don't know. I checked my SUV, which is essentially a truck, to see that I had a little road mud on it. I went in anyway. I hoped that a cop wouldn't come by and give me a "mud washing ticket"! I can just imagine the call to the police dispatcher. SOMEONE IS IN THE CAR WASH WITH A MUDDY TRUCK, SEND A SQUAD CAR OVER AND ARREST THEM! I think the dispatcher might just hang up, thinking it was a prank call. Anyway, I am just not sure where you should take a muddy truck if not to the car wash. What about a muddy car - is that OK? Too weird.

Yeah, I'm still here. . .

I cannot believe how time goes by, especially when you are retired! You know how it is, when you have a day off from work and it goes by so quickly- well, that is how everyday is when you are retired! My life is flying by!

In a few days we will have a new president. I have been impressed so far that the president elect has used the internet to inform citizens. This is the first time that technology has been used this way, and I think it is a good idea. I hope that we can all come together in 2009, stop all the greed and help each other make a better world.

Christmas was great. We did not exchange presents, and the boys did not seem to mind. After all, we give them or help them get anything they need or want. Both boys are working part-time and going to school. They are busy all the time & that is good.

Preston had some friends over and celebrated the New Year roasting marshmallows over a fire in the back yard. I was glad that he was home on that night.

We have finished the bathroom re-model (finally!) and it is on to the kitchen. They are coming on Monday to measure for granite countertops. The advantage of living in a small house is that these things don't cost as much as you think they would. I think granite countertops even in my small kitchen will look great.

I hope everyone has a safe and healthy New Year!

I have been out to the store for various things & observed the influx of cheap gifts in the stores. When will it ever stop? This year we decided not to exchange gifts, rather spend time with each other and do things like go out to dinner together. The gift buying pressure is OFF and it feels really good. There is SO much STUFF in the stores, do we really need all these things? It is no wonder that the economy is collapsing. Anyway, I will pass along this video that I found quite funny. It is called "Cheap car made in China".

I had some friends over this past weekend. I rarely do this. I sometimes "get together" with friends, but usually not at my house. As I have told you before, I live in a little "cracker box" of a house, and I never feel like it is big enough to entertain. Over the past few weeks the bathroom remodel has been going on. I expected that it would be completed before the company came over. You know what they say about the best laid plans - anyway, the tile people were STILL working in the bathroom on Sunday when my company was here. Finally, tomorrow, the toilet is scheduled to go in. (I will believe it when I see it) In the meantime, four of us have been sharing a small bathroom and shower. In the remodel we took out the bathtub and made it into a shower. Most people are worried about the re-sale of the house when you do that. I think that if I ever sell this house that it would only cost a couple of hundred dollars to drop a bathtub back in there. We have never used the tub, because we all take showers. The new tile is bigger than the small little 4x4 tiles that came in the house. It will be nice if it ever gets done. We had a "cubby hole" built into the wall to store shampoos and soaps. I hope the boys like their new bathroom because that is all they are getting for Christmas!