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!

Another offer

No thanks, I already have the Tuba Prince and the Snare Prince!

Tuba taxi

If needed, up to three fully assembled sousaphones can ride comfortably in my car!

Teenage love

My son likes a girl at school. I am thrilled about this because he has always been the shy one, too self-conscious to even talk to girls. It is nice to see him finally coming out of his shell at sixteen. The problem is that this girl is popular and all the guys like her. She hangs around mostly with just three guys, my son included. In this group, my son is the only one that drives and has his own car. They are all in the band, and seem happy just hanging out together. My son confided in me that he likes her more than a friend, but that she does not feel the same. He says that he will just have to be satisfied being friends with her. That is better than nothing. Last Saturday at the band competition I saw the girl with one of the other boys (my son's best friend). They were walking together and he had his arm around her. They were looking like more than "just friends". I hesitated to mention this to my son, even though I wanted to. When we got home that night, he brought it up to me. (I am thrilled that he talks to me about this stuff) He told me that the girl and his best friend had feelings for each other, and that he guessed that they are now "going together". His heart was clearly broken. I told him not to be sad, and that maybe it was better, now he could hang around with more people, not just that little group. I told him that he should not just be their chauffeur, and he agreed with me, that he did not want to be. Sunday the girl called. She wanted to hang out with just Preston that day. Of course, he went right over there. He told me later that she felt bad about breaking up the group by dating just one guy and that she did not want to lose Preston's friendship.
My problem: Is she sincere; or a smooth operator that just doesn't want to lose her taxi?
My advice to him: Be sure to keep the lines of communication open with your best friend. She might be selling you a line of bull!
Of course he thinks that I am just a cynical old lady. He believes that she is a wonderful girl and can do no wrong.
I personally would like to get her alone in a small room and interrogate her - but that is not an option!
Raising teenagers is truly like "nailing jello to a tree"!!!!

How do you sleep?

I guess everyone has a unique way of sleeping. I usually sleep on my side. I have four pillows, two regular size, a bolster type, and a small travel pillow. I keep a heating pad under the pillows, just in case my back hurts. My sleeping style was developed from my snoring and having carpel tunnel syndrome. I wore wrist braces for five years while sleeping, until I had carpel tunnel release surgery on one wrist in 1996. After that I was no longer bothered by it, because I learned to keep my wrists straight while I type and while I sleep. I have my head on one pillow, I hug the other one, I keep my wrists straight on the bolster pillow, and the travel pillow stays tucked under my chin to keep my mouth closed! I have found that the best to prevent snoring is to breathe through your nose, and that little pillow has worked wonders for me. I have also discovered that I have less sinus problems, because my nose stays clear. My bedroom is my inner sanctum. I keep it cool and dark. I can close up my bedroom even on the sunniest day and make it as dark as night in there. This works great if I take a nap in the daytime. I never slept enough when I was working. Now that I am retired, I always make sure that I sleep eight hours a night. If I feel a little fatigued in the day, I take a short nap, then I am refreshed. Ahhh! I am so lucky, I love my life!

Busy with the Band

On the past two Saturdays we have been attending the band competitions. In the Largo competition the band won First Place in Class 1-A, Best Drum Major, and Best Auxiliary. The next weekend in the Tampa competition, the band won First Place in Class 1-A, Best Music caption, Best General Effect caption, Best Visual caption, Best Percussion caption.

The PHS band is a small band, with only 60 total members (that includes auxiliary flags & dancers). There was a record high in Tampa last Saturday, and when they took the field at 3:30 PM, the temp gauge read 99 degrees. They went out there like troopers in those hot polyester uniforms and gave it their all, putting on an awesome show. All the parents were screaming them on to victory.
Next weekend we start over again at another competition.

Deck

Over the past weekend we painted the deck and we were not pleased with the color. I got some more Behr deck paint yesterday, and spent all day on the re-paint. I am still not happy with the color.
I was looking for dark brown, but the chips on the chart just don't match the real color, it's sort of a reddish-brown, even though the color was named "chocolate" (I was thinking dark chocolate not milk chocolate!) Anyway, I guess I will get used to it.

I wore my "CROCS" while painting with a big roller. I didn't notice until several hours later that I had ruined my shoes with paint spatter all over them! I was so disapointed, 'cause I love those shoes, so I tried to clean them. Dish soap and one of those potscrubbers did the trick! All the paint came off, then I polished them with some Pledge.



These are some cool, comfortable shoes!

Criminal minds

This time of year folks are turning off their air conditioners and enjoying the wonderful fall weather. Watch out. Don't leave the house with the windows wide open, or you might get an unwanted visitor. I have arrested a lot of burglars. Most people think that these guys sneak in during the night. Not true. They are lazy; they like to work between 10 AM and 3 PM - when you are not home. They knock on your door. If you don't answer and a dog doesn't bark, an open window is an invitation for them to enter and steal your stuff. They like to take small stuff like money and jewelry. They forgot to bring a bag, so they usually take a pillowcase off your bed to carry the loot. They can be in and out of your house in minutes. It just doesn't take that long to ransack the place. Sometimes burglars will do several houses in the same neighborhood. Once outside they find a big shrub or hedge to hide the pillowcase. They will come back later to collect the stuff. (that way, even if they are caught right after the crime - you can't prove that it was them) If you really must leave your windows open, get those inexpensive screw on locks that only allow the window to open four inches. Yeah, they could break the window, but they won't - I told you, they are lazy. They will skip your house and go to your neighbors. I never answer the door if I am not expecting you (so call me first - maybe I will answer the phone!) A lot of people knock on my door in the day. I wish I could keep that damn pack of dogs quiet! I sure would have a suprise for the burglar!

photostamps.com

You can order specialty stamps with any photograph on them. They cost quite a bit, but I like to put them on our Christmas cards. You have to take them to the post office and ask that they hand stamp them, so that the postmark doesn't cover the photo. I make the boys dress up in suits. (it is just about the only time that I can get them to dress up) I let them pose anyway they want. What a difference a year makes!

We had to buy them new (bigger) suits this year. They have to shop at the mens store now.

They are still posing the same way.

New graphic

The band trailer finally got the photo-graphics on last week. They used all photos taken by me! The band director designed a collage with some of the kids photos and the tiger mascot. It really gets a lot of looks when I am going down the road. It is also a lot easier for me to get through the stadium gates now; they just wave me through now that they know who I am. This Saturday starts our month of competitions. It is an exciting time for all the band members. It is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun for the kids and the parents. We have had our first taste of fall weather here, it got below 70 degrees this morning! I hope it stays that way the rest of the month.

postscript: Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you - when I took the trailer to the graphics place they asked me to BACK it into their garage. I had about a two inch clearance on each side. I was quite nervous but kept saying to myself, "what one person can do - another can do!" Practice makes perfect when backing a trailer, I just go really slow and they think I'm a pro.

>>>> ???? <<<<<<

I went to the doctor this morning and all my tests are negative, my vitals are good, all my blood work was normal. ("whew!") The doctor said that the pain could have been caused by a gall stone, or maybe a soft stone that passed. He said these things can happen even after a gall bladder is removed (great). Anyway, I am not in pain anymore, and after a flu shot and a pneumonia shot - I "skipped" out of the doctors office feeling like a person with a death sentence reprieve. I have vowed to lose some weight and keep my blood sugar under control. I would rather take a "poke in the eye with a sharp stick" than go to the doctor. I don't know why I am like that. My mother loves to go to the doctor, even though she can't hear a word he says! Maybe I should go more often, and not just when I think I am deathly ill! Perhaps I should go just for a check-up once in a while! Well, no, I probably won't do that. Anyway, thanks to all of you for your concern.

I have called out sick

I have been neglecting my blogging lately due to illness. I fell ill last week with bad pain in my upper back. It felt exactly like a gall bladder attack; only I don't have a gall bladder - it was removed in 1980. I went to the doctor and they ordered the usual battery of tests. CBC, labs, x-ray, abdominal ultra sound. My heart was enlarged on the x-ray, so they threw in an echo cardiogram. I took myself off my cholesterol meds (pravastatin) and the PA told me to stay off of them until the test results are in. My regular doctor is on vacation, and I see him first thing next Monday when he returns. In the meantime, the pain is now at a manageable level, I am feeling better everyday. I suspect that I could have formed some more "stones" in the common bile duct. This happens in about one percent of the gall bladder cases. (so I am told) Anyway, I hope that it is not something more serious. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I plan to catch up on my blog reading tomorrow!

Neighborhood Dispute

Aren't adults wonderful??
THIS IS CLASSIC!

Here's the story. A city councilman, Mark Easton, lives in this neighborhood. He had a beautiful view of the east mountains, until a new neighbor purchased the lot below his house and built.

Apparently, the new home was 18 inches higher than the ordinances would allow, so Mark Easton, mad about his lost view, went to the city to make sure they enforced the lower roof line ordinance. Mark and his new neighbor had some great arguments about this as you can imagine great feelings. The new neighbor had to drop the roof line - no doubt at great expense.

Recently, Mark Easton called the city and informed them that his new neighbor had installed some vents on the side of his home. Mark didn't like the look of these vents and asked the city to investigate. When they went to Mark's home to see the vent view, this is what they found...
(see following pictures).

The big man

Last night we had to go to the airport to pick some people up. We had some time to kill before the flight arrived, so we ate at TGIFridays in the airport. The windows of the restaurant look out onto one of the long wide concourse hallways, and you can watch the people walking by. People watching is one of my favorite pastimes. I saw a man exit the restaurant adjacent to us. This guy had to be in excess of 400 pounds. He was pulling one of those popular suitcases on wheels. He was so big that the suitcase just swung along behind him, not able to stay in a straight enough line to keep rolling on it's wheels. I felt bad for this man. He was alone. I thought about how tough life must be for him. Everything must take an extra effort. He struggled just to walk. Did he have to buy three seats on the plane? He would have had trouble even walking down the middle aisles of most planes that I have been on. I am sure that people would turn away from him, rather than consider him disabled and help him. How about going to the bathroom? It would be difficult for him even to fit through the door of the handicapped toliet, much less keep himself clean. I am sad for the people who are the outcasts of our society. They just want to be treated like everyone else. They must think, "Who will love me?" They must be so embassassed when people point, whisper, stare and laugh.

I don't "really know Mickey Mouse either.

This past weekend the moms & the boys went to Disney World. The working mom had a conference to go to there during the week, so we took advantage of time to have a weekend together. We stayed at the Contemporary Resort on the Disney property. Most of the resorts on the property are connected to each other and to the theme parks with a system of boats, trains and the monorail. You don't necessarily have to go to the amusement parks to have fun, there is plenty to do at the individual resort hotels. The Contemporary Resort was one of the first hotels built at Disney (in the 1970's). It is a large A-frame hotel, with a monorail that goes right through the building. You can catch the monorail in the fourth floor lobby and travel to most anywhere in Disney. On Saturday night the boys ran off to explore the hotel game room, and the moms had some alone time. We strolled out by the pool and talked about various subjects. I talked about all of you and blogging in general. Matt's mom was amused that I knew so much about the lives of strangers. That's when I knew that you cannot explain blogging to a non-blogger! I could not really convey that I consider you my friends even though I don't know your real identities. Most of us could pass on the street and not even know it, yet I know more about you than I do most of my "real" friends. Anyway, I am telling you, DON'T try to explain this to a non-blogger or you might get some funny looks (like I did)!

CRIKEY!

Thanks, Susan! I went to another blogger's site who experienced the same beta blogger mess that I am in. Apparently if you want me to comment on your blog, you must make your settings to include "anybody" or I cannot comment. Eventually, everyone will be switched to beta blogger, but in the meantime, only beta bloggers can comment on other beta bloggers - and not on regular blogs. How screwed up it that? Well, anyway I did figure out why they named it BETA -
it is because you are like a Beta fighting fish - all alone in your tank with no one to play with! (I will still comment on your blogs under "other", so please change your settings to include all.)

beta blogger

I made the switch to blogger in beta - but now I cannot comment on any of your blogs, blogger won't let me, says that I am not signed in. If any one knows a solution to this, please let me know. As I have told you before, I am quite computer stupid. Let me just say this about blogger in beta - ^ &%$#f.u!7$&(?@ m.f.%4#@!!! I am still reading & enjoying your blog posts!

In case you haven't heard, DON'T EAT SPINACH! Oh, thanks, I already ate some last Wednesday night!!!! If you don't hear from me you will know why! (I had frozen spinach, so I hope that doesn't count)

Pretty funny

(I got this via e-mail, so you may have already read it)
If you are 30 or older : When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning ... uphill BOTH ways ... through year 'round blizzards. Carrying their younger siblings on their backs ... to their one-room schoolhouse, where they maintained a Straight-A average, despite their full- time, after-school job at the local textile mill ... where they worked for 35 cents an hour just to help keep their family from starving to death! I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it! But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia! I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it! I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!! There was no email! We had to actually write somebody a letter with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there! There were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up! And talk of about hardship? You couldn't just download porn! You had to steal it from your brother or bribe some homeless dude to buy you a copy of "Hustler" at the 7-11! Those were your options! We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it! And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister! We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like "Space Invaders" and "Asteroids" and the graphics sucked a$$! Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! ... Just like LIFE! When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were just screwed! Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no onscreen menu and no remote control! You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your a$$ and walk over to the TV to change the channel and there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little brats! We didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up ... we had to use the stove or go build a frigging fire ... imagine that! If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid JiffyPop thing and shake it over the stove forever like an idiot. That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980.

Ransome the Airedale

"I thought that you knew what I look like"

Ransome's dog

You all know my Airedale, Ransome. What you may not know is that I have three dogs. That seems like a lot to me, too. Let me explain. First, in 1997, I got Ransome. When I went to work, Ransome was SO lonely. I had to get him a dog of his own. I got Buddy, he is a Jack Russell terrier. Buddy was about a year old when I got him in 1998. He was already trained and a wonderful dog. His owner was gone all day, and couldn't care for Buddy, so I took him. He was so excited to have a big yard to play in; sometimes he still stays outside all day. Now Ransome is happy; he has his own dog. Then came Hemi, my third dog, a Miniature Schnauzer. I had no intention of buying this dog. I made the mistake of picking him up; then he owned me. How could I resist?

These dogs are great and they live like kings. Now that I am retired, they consider me "part of the pack". I have to remind them daily that I am the pack leader. Just like the kids, they know I am a push-over. I love my dogs even though they are a lot of work to take care of. They are worth it. They are my "fur kids"!

Space shuttle blast off

center of the photo - the little white scratch above the clouds!
This is what the blast off looks like from my house, 152 miles southwest of the Kennedy Space Center.

My owner doesn't know that he is risking my life!

Guess who's in Florida?

where do you think I emailed from?
I woke up this morning to the sound of the dogs barking at something. I discovered a travel weary bird with big hair in the living room. Buddy dog says, "Where did you come from, little bird?"






















P.S. Cucoo likes to sleep in the drumstick sleeping bag!

PHS DRUMLINE

Friday night lights
the director scrutinizes the drumline at our away game in Sebring, Florida - September 1, 2006. (that's our boy Matt fourth from the right)

Steve Irwin

The Crocodile Hunter was a big influence in our lives. Steve Irwin taught my children that all animals, no matter how unpopular or predatory, live in this world with us, and deserve to be respected and protected. Irwin entertained us while teaching us conservation. Additionally, he taught us about being enthusiastic and passionate about life; and the importance of family. We will miss you Steve, rest in peace.

My Dad

My Dad's birthday was September 2nd. He died in the 70's; a long time ago. I still miss him. He died quite young (58) of heart disease; a condition that began when he had his first heart attack at 48 years old. Back then, if your arteries were clogged, you were just out of luck. In 2001, when I began suffering from similar symptoms, I was hospitalized and angioplasty was performed, unblocking some of my arteries. My Mother, who also has coronary artery disease, had bypass surgery in 1999. She is still with us, and will turn 87 years old next month. We think she will outlive all of us. My Father was one of 13 brothers and sisters, the son of a poor Georgia share cropper. He only went to the seventh grade, but he was the smartest man that I have ever known. My Dad taught me some valuable lessons. Some of this knowledge came from his awareness that his life might be short. The most important lesson he taught me was to be kind to people, especially people less fortuate. He would tell me that it was the responsibility of the strong to take care of the weak. He would tell me to "pass along some kindness to everyone you meet." Dad would say, "If you love someone, tell them, they have a right to know - and furthermore they would love to hear it!" So many things that he told me, so many years ago, have guided my life so far. Now I understand, more than ever, the urgency he felt to pass on these life messages as I in turn pass them on to his namesake, Preston - my son!

I don't "really" know Mickey Mouse either!

Over the past weekend the moms & boys went over to Walt Disney World. The working mom had a conference over there this week, so we decided to go a day early, and spend some time in the nice hotel. We stayed at the Contemporary Resort at Disney. Disney has several hotels right on the property. Many of the hotels and resort attractions are connected together with the monorail, boats, and trains. The Disney property is a nice place, real clean and I feel like it is really safe there. The boys went to explore the game room, so the moms had some alone time. We went down and sat by the beautiful lake, with the man-made beach and pool. It was quite picturesque there, and actually cool enough to sit outside comfortably. We talked and I began to explain to Matt's mom about my blog friends. As I talked about all of you and your blogs, she was quite amused about how much I knew about you strangers! (I guess you have to be a blogger to understand about blogging!) Even though I don't even know most of your real identities, I still think of you as "friends". I would not recognize you if we passed on the street, but I know more about you than I know about most of my "real" friends. Since I retired and I don't get out much to meet people, blogging has been a real enjoyment for me. I just wanted to let you know that you might get some funny looks (like I did) when you try to explain blogging!

What a week!

I took my computer to the Geek Squad to see if they could recover a deleted file for me. When I got there, my computer wouldn't power up. I had just unplugged it an hour before I got there, so I couldn't believe it. The techie guy told me that it was probably the motherboard, and I would spend less to buy a whole new computer. This all sounded real crazy to me, so I went home to think about it. I was looking through my paperwork and discovered that I had purchased the 3 year service plan. Since the computer was purchased in '04, I rushed up to the nearest Best Buy and put her in the hospital. Today they called, and my computer had a bad power supply. They replaced it for free under the warranty, so I was relieved. Sometimes it helps to get a second opinion! So now I STILL haven't recovered the deleted file and I don't have much hope that I will. I bought some "Search and Recover" software, and it is running as I am writing this - it takes hours! Then I will have to sift through the recovered files and see if I can find the missing one! Maybe I will get lucky.

I took Jelly's advice. I got some chocolate. I ate it. I ate some more. I am addicted, but I feel much better! Fatter, but better! I discovered this lovely brand if you love coffee and chocolate - it has both! In my recent chocolate binge - I have decided that I like DOVE the best. It is the smoothest, and it just melts in your mouth. If someone doesn't stop me, I will eat the whole bag! I have to ask my roomate to hide the bag of chocolate and only dole it out to me a few pieces at a time. Pitiful, aren't I?

I need the GEEK SQUAD!

Talk about stupid. I was deleting some unwanted files because I thought they were making my computer go. . . so. . . slow - and I must have deleted some files by mistake. My roomate tried to go to "her" files - and they were missing. Completely gone - not even as much as a mention of them in the recycle bin. Now, I admit to being computer illiterate, but I don't think I intentionally deleted a file. My roomate insinuated that somehow my actions were deliberate, because only "her" files and "her son's" files were deleted. (She actually said that she thought it was "ODD", but I took that as accusatory.) I understand her frustration because she had some important documents in there. However, I wasn't the one that didn't back up my files! All my important stuff (photos) are backed up on an external drive. We usually get along quite well. This paranoid inferred accusation begs the question, "Does mama have to slap a bitch?" Of course I am only kidding, I love her to death. I will slink down to the Geek Squad precinct tomorrow and spend hundreds of dollars to try to recover the files. Maybe if I have any money left over, I will buy her an external drive of her own!

My life in a nutshell

Sometimes I have writer's block, or actually - it's thinker's block. Then again, maybe it is "thinker's attitude". My son got his driver's license last Friday. Seeing him drive away from the house on his own is that same feeling all over again from when I dropped him off at school for the first time. Kind of empty, scared, am I doing the right thing feeling. You know, throwing him out of the nest - but wanting to grab him back. I have admitted it before, I am an "OPM" (overprotective mom). Now it is time to let him go off with his friends, and hope that he is a good boy. I have never had a bit of trouble with him, I have nothing to complain about. I guess I am just afraid he will be influenced by peer pressure. Now I will be working on the second driver, my roomate's son, helping him get his learner's permit, teaching him to drive. Ah, such is the life of a stay at home mom.
My life has changed so much in the last two years since my disability retirement. Other friends my age are still working, so I really have nothing in common with them. I mostly stay at home doing laundry, cutting the grass, cooking dinner, doing the dishes and all that other domestic crap. Even the dogs are bored with me and have stopped following me around the house. When my roomate and the boys come home, they all begin doing their personal little projects; there is little conversation. I know that I am depressed about all this. I plan to start thinking about me for a change; next week will be all about ME! Do you think they will notice? Maybe when the laundry starts to pile up and there is no dinner on the table!

I am still here!

I know I haven't blogged in a while, but I am still reading your blogs. I will post all the news tomorow. I miss you too!

Your rights

You have the right to remain silent.

If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney and to have an attorney present during questioning.

If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you at no cost.

During any questioning, you may decide at any time to exercise these rights, not answer any questions, or make any statements.

Let's go over this again. After the first sentence, it should be clear what you should do. Please, just remain silent! Stop trying to be cooperative. If the police have gone this far and they are giving you this warning - it is because they suspect you of something and they want you to make statements that will incriminate you or in some way tie you to the crime that is being investigated. Now if you STILL feel like you might want to make some kind of a statement, why not call an attorney? An attorney is a person that knows about the law and you want him there for you. Why? because they just told you that "anything you say can and will be used against you in court." What? you don't know an attorney? You are scared that it might cost too much money? It is free. They have to provide an attorney, at no cost to you. If the nice officer (who just wants to help you) gets you to start talking - remember - at any time you can just STOP TALKING!

In my 25 years as a law enforcement officer, most of those years as a detective, questioning hundreds of suspects, how many times do you think someone requested an attorney? . . . 3 times, yup, that's all, 3 times! Why? because I was SO nice, SO caring, SO compassionate.

Please don't be fooled by the nice cop. Exercise your right to remain silent. shhhhhhhhh!!!

Humidity sale

At the local K-Mart this weekend some dealership is having a car sale. They have a large tent set up in the parking lot. The cars are 2006 closeouts. I don't know about you, but who in their right mind would want to sit outside in 90 degree heat and high humidity in a tent negotiating a car deal? Maybe if the salesman passes out you get the deal!

How we spend our Friday nights

Here we are again for another year. Us moms in the stands watching our band boys practice, practice and more practice. They are in the stadium from 6 to 10 PM, working on their drills. This years show looks like it will be one of the best that I have seen. That is Matt (10th grade) on the snare drum on the left, and Preston (11th grade) on the tuba. This band is undefeated in it's class in this area.

Both boys work very hard and they really like being in the band. Us moms are happy about this, glad our babies are not running the streets and hanging with drug addicts! There is so much bad stuff for teenagers to get into, we are glad they have this activity to keep them busy. Tonight we dropped them off at 6, then we went out to a nice "moms only" quiet dinner. We will be doing this every weekend now through November. Some weekends there is a Friday night game, and then a Saturday competition the next day. This keeps the whole family busy. All the band parents must help out in some way.

Our job is to tow the band trailer full of musical instruments to competitions and away games. It is like high school re-visited, for us!

Back to walking

This morning I took my first walk in months. I hurt my foot when I was in Washington, D.C. this past summer, and I quit walking after that. I have gained some pounds because of the inactivity, and I need to get them off. I plan to walk a half hour in the morning, and a half hour in the evening. This morning I donned my Rockport walking shoes and got out of the house right at dawn. (After about 8 AM, you can't exercise outside, it is just too hot!) If I can keep it up for about two weeks, then I will start going back to the gym. Those lazy boys don't want to go with me to the gym, so I will go by myself. I hate exercise, I have to force myself to do this!

Ransome says, "where ya going mom in the ugly shoes?"

Back to school

This is the first day back to school for the boys. All last week they had band camp. I am the unofficial photographer for the band. I take lots of snapshots during their activities, then post the photos on a website for all of them to access with a pass word. At the end of the week the band director asked me to take a shot of the whole band in their uniforms, so it could be published in the school brochure. "OK, on the count of three, I am taking the picture, so smile - one, two, three!" "STOP!, STOP!, STOP!", the band director says. We have to do it over, someone in the band decided to raise "a finger" and the band director caught it. "Thanks, Preston, for messing up the picture, now we have to take it over", the director says! (Oh God, you mean it was MY SON that "shot the bird?") I am mortified! After the photo shoot, I couldn't get to tuba boy fast enough. I took him aside and reemed him up one side and down the other. How dare he be so disrespectful? I told him if he EVER did anything like that again, that he would be quitting the band. This is a boy that I have never had any trouble with, I was so embarrassed! He apologised and told me later that it was just a prank and that he was just being a wise guy and didn't mean anything by it. Looking back on it now, it was kinda funny, but I don't think I will tell him that! Look at the tubas, they think it is SO funny, they can hardly keep from laughing out loud.

YOU-YOU two

Abandoned in Pasadena There is no short answer to Sandy’s “you-you”. She is without question one the bravest women that I know. She loves her husband so much, it shows throughout her blog. Sandy is another blogger who has incorporated many family members into her blogging habit. Instead of giving up when she felt like she couldn’t ride motorcycles anymore, she had training wheels put on! Those of you who have ever ridden a motorcycle know that this is no small feat. She had to learn a whole new way to ride. A lot of this had to do with the fact that she wanted to enjoy riding with her beloved Jimmy. Sandy is a great storyteller and I enjoy her stories of her cats and her mascot, Cucco. Cucco is Sandy’s not so imaginary purple haired bird.

Jellyhead is the blog that everyone should read. I have often stated that the Aussies are SO much smarter than the rest of the world, and Jelly’s blog proves it. After all, they are so far ahead, that it is already tomorrow there now. So they have already lived through the day that we are in now. (?) No, I don’t understand how this works, but I am sure that the Aussies do! Jelly’s blog is a delight as she tells the inside story of being a doctor. She tells us how she feels about everything, and that is the best part. I love to hear about Jelly’s travels and family adventures. Jelly tells us about her Mum and the influence her Mum has had on her life. I just love Jelly. Someday I will meet her in person and ask her the secret of being a day ahead, and if she endorses Aussie hair products and the Outback Steak house!

Doubleknot is a blogger that lives in Florida, not far from me. I think that it is strange that I came across her blog while surfing other blogs from all around the world! Doubleknot’s sister, Puffstitch, even lives in my small town. Isn’t it a small world when we blog? Doubleknot tells us about the everyday courage and her roommate, Steve, as they face retirement and doctor’s appointments. She also posts interesting photos of their children, grandchildren, and her garden and plants. Doubleknot and I have emailed each other from time to time, and she is a really nice lady.

Colors of the Garden is the blogchild of Kerri, an Aussie who has transplanted to upstate New York. Kerri has a sweetness about her that permeates throughout her blog. You can tell that she cares about the rest of us, and she has made many blog friends. She is either a wonderful gardener, or she has one! She shares information on gardening and her breathtaking photos of the land and gardens around her farm. Kerri may not know it, but her photographs are of publishing quality. I enjoy her blog.

First installment of YOU-YOU's

(I have to do the "you-you's" in several separate posts because they are so long) -check back tomorrow for more you-you's

I have been blogging about a year now. These are some of the blogs that I read all the time. The following is the impression that I get from you, as you are represented on your blog. Please don’t take offense at anything in this narrative that is not completely correct. This is just a “you-you”, as observed by me, for your entertainment only.

Motherkitty was one of the first blogs that I read when I started blogging. I quickly discovered that MK is related to several other bloggers on her list, and it is a good way for her family to keep in touch. (I wish my family was this computer literate.) Recently, MK went though a serious surgery, and I could tell by the tone of her blog that she was in a lot of pain, and not really in a good mood. It seemed that she was taking a lot longer to go through this than she had expected. Lately MK seems to be feeling better, I can tell by her recent posts. Her quick wit and funny stories have returned after a much missed absence.

Texas to Tennessee is one of those people who have done what some of us only dream of doing. She moved, several hundred miles away from her home, with very few possessions. She took her best dog friend, Mocha, with her. She just picked up and moved out of her comfort zone and away from all of her friends. The move seems to have been an effort to discover herself, and try to be all that she can be. T2T seemed apprehensive at first, but now she has settled in to her new home and is finding a place to reflect on life, write about it, take photographs, exercise, and help others at her retreat. She is now on staff at the retreat. (See, she went from visiting to running the place!) Once, several months ago, I almost visited T2T. I had a friend flying to Nashville on business and I was invited along. I even plotted out the route on mapquest from Nashville to Penuel Ridge. It turned out that I didn’t travel to Nashville, but someday I probably will.

Matthew’s Blog is a blog about a very sick baby, as documented by his father in photographs. The blog is to keep the family informed on Matthews’s progress, but also a journal of his life. Matthew has a serious heart condition, that just ten years ago would have been fatal. With the miracle of modern micro-surgery, and talented physicians, Matthew will now survive to be a healthy boy. It has been touch and go through a lot of his procedures. It is great to see how Matthew’s parents rally around him, even when they are so weary. They never lose their hope and strong faith, even though I know that they are constantly on “the edge of their seats” with worry. Whenever I am feeling low, I check Matthew’s Blog. It gives me hope, and a lot to be thankful for.

Chocolatebox Diary is also one of the first blogs I discovered. Hiromi is a woman in Japan who is eagerly leaning English. She has three beautiful daughters. All of them are busy and involved in school and sports. Hiromi’s blog shows us the wonderful meals that she cooks for her family and all of the activities that she attends with her daughters. She has taken a job recently, and does not have much time to blog. Sometimes she is so involved with her family, that she doesn’t take time for herself. This makes her sad. I remind her to smile. She is as interested in my culture as I am in hers. We have become good friends. We e-mail each other and someday we will meet in person.

Elephant's Memory - Touching story

In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from college. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed so Mbembe approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot, and found a large thorn deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Mbembe worked the thorn out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man and with a rather stern look on its face, stared at him. For several tense moments Mbembe stood frozen,thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned and walked away. Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of that day. Twenty years later he was walking through a zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Mbembe and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe and lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man. Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mbembe couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mbembe summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. Suddenly the elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of the man's legs and swung him wildly back and forth along the railing, killing him. Probably wasn't the same elephant.

. . .and my point is YOU-YOU

One of my favorite jobs when I was a law enforcement officer was that of "hostage negotiator". I would be called upon when someone was barricaded (alone or with a hostage) to negotiate the release. I think I was first picked for this job because I have a soothing voice. It quickly became a passion and I learned everything I could about it. I got a big rush when the world came to a standstill and waited while the hostage taker and I talked on the phone. I got an even bigger high when, through the power of persuasion, I talked the suspect into giving up and coming out. After a long seige that turned out well, it was when I was finally alone in my car on the ride home when I yelled "YES!" "I DID IT!" that was the most satisfing moment. My point in telling you this is to let you know that it was very important to me, in order to save a life, to get to know the suspect as soon as possible. I enjoy doing that. I have now known some of you for about a year. I don't know your names, but I know you. Stay tuned, I am working on a post about some of you. I call it my YOU-YOU. I think you will find it interesting.

Fool me twice, shame on me!

A Texan could think of this .... from Bandera County, where drunk driving is considered a sport, comes this true story. Recently a routine police patrol parked outside a bar in Bandera, Texas. After Last Call the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the parking lot for a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing. After what seemed an eternity and trying his keys on five different vehicles the man managed to find his car which he fell into. He sat there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off. Finally he started the car, switched the wipers on and off (it was a fine, dry summer night), flicked the blinkers on, then off a couple of times, honked the horn and then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few inches, reversed a little and then remained still for a few more minutes as some more of the other patron vehicles left. At last, the parking lot empty, he pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive slowly down the road. The police officer, having patiently waited all this time, now started up the patrol car, put on the flashing lights, and promptly pulled the man over and approached the car carrying a breathalyzer test kit. To his amazement the breathalyzer indicated no evidence of the man having consumed any alcohol at all! Dumbfounded, the officer said, "I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the police station. This breathalyzer equipment must be broken." "I doubt it", said the truly proud Texan, "Tonight I'm the designated decoy."

For all you cat lovers!

A cat died and went to Heaven. God met him at the pearly gates and said, "You have been a good cat all these years. Anything you want is yours for the asking. The cat thought for a minute and then said, "All my life I lived on a farm and slept on hard wooden floors. I would like a real fluffy pillow to sleep on." God said, "Say no more." Instantly the cat had a huge fluffy pillow. A few days later, six mice were killed in an accident and they all went to Heaven together. God met the mice at the pearly gates with the same offer that He made to the cat. The mice said, "Well, we have had to run all of our lives: from cats, dogs, and even people with brooms! If we could just have some little roller skates, we would not have to run again." God answered, "It is done." All the mice had beautiful little roller skates. About a week later, God decided to check on the cat. He found him sound asleep on his fluffy pillow. God gently awakened the cat and asked, "Is everything okay? How have you been doing? Are you happy?" The cat replied, "Oh, it is WONDERFUL. I have never been so happy in my life. The pillow is so fluffy, and those little Meals on Wheels you have been sending over are delicious!"

Product endorsement

I hate mint! For years I had to brush my teeth with the "refreshing taste of mint". This would be OK if I liked mint, but I can't stand it - YUK!
Finally Crest came out with a product for us non mint lovers. Whitening Expressions tooth paste comes in Lemon Ice and Vanilla Mint. The lemon kind tastes just like those lemon lolipops, and the vanilla just has a slight (tolerable) hint of mint. I also like natural citrus Listerine, tastes kind of orange instead of that nasty regular mouthwash. Just thought I would pass this along to any of you fellow mint haters!

What next?

Sometimes this baby boomer can't sleep. I don't want to turn on the television, for fear it will keep me awake longer. I have noticed that I have a kind of "ipod" in my brain. I can recall tunes and play them for my amusment. Last night I was listening to some Copland from my brain, and I started thinking about how far technology has come in my lifetime. In the early 80's, when I was first a detective, we had to share a pager. The detective on call would keep the pager for that week. It was the size of a cigarette pack (one more thing to carry) and it would beep, signaling you to call the dispatcher. Of course you would have to find a pay phone - there were no cell phones back then. Before I retired, all the detectives had their own cell phones, and even the kind with that annoying two-way walkie-talkie. We got GPS's to follow the bad guys, and sometimes even to follow our own officers. We had body bugs and pin-hole cameras for undercover operations. We got in car cameras to record every traffic stop. Now there is a computer in every police car. This makes me wonder what will be invented in the next twenty years. I can only imagine that it will be something "in body", like my brain ipod. Maybe a forehead camera for police officers?

Trouble in paradise

On Thursday last my teenage son emerged from his room and announced that something was wrong with his laptop. My first thought was, "Who are you?", because I haven't seen him in the daytime for so long! He couldn't get his machine to connect to the internet. I know very little about computers, and we discussed what he should do to try to fix it. He told me that he had downloaded a trial game, and that when he deleted it the trouble started. He suggested doing a "system recovery". I told him to try that, and if it didn't work we would need to get professional help. He returned a few minutes later, frustrated that the fix didn't work, that now it would not even load his profile. I told him that if he "got up during the daylight hours" the next day, that we would take it to the Geek Squad to be fixed. The Geek Squad is at the Best Buy store and I have had good luck with them before. We had to drive 25 miles to the closest store. There was a bad rain storm on the way down there, and the traffic slowed to a dangerous 40 mph. I took the time to lecture my son about the perils of driving in such conditions. (I love it when he is a captive audience.) We finally got there and walked up to the counter where I told Preston to explain to the man what had happened to the computer. As he explained the man turned on the machine. It worked perfectly. ? As I told you, I am computer stupid, but I do know a few little things. I turned to my son and said, "You did re-start it after you did the system recovery, didn't you?" AH-NO, HE DIDN'T!!! Embarased, we slinked out of the Geek Squad area. At least they didn't charge us for being computer idiots! I was relieved that it only cost me the gas to drive there!

AH! Summertime!

I don't have a clue why - but the teenage boys in this house want to stay up all night and sleep all day! They like to play video games, and communicate with their friends on "My Space". I have tried to reason with them. Why don't they just go to bed at midnight or so, then get up early and play their games? Nope - for some reason they want to stay up until 0430 or 0530, then go to bed and sleep until the afternoon. I don't get it, when they stay up all night, they have to be quiet, to not wake up the moms. Last night I admonished them about the laughing and the noise. They are both good boys, and I have nothing to complain about. I try not to nag the hell out of them, but at the same time, I feel like it is my job to keep them on the straight and narrow path. I try to remember that next year they will be working in the summer, and that they should enjoy their childhood as long as possible. Maybe I am too easy on them, but I know that they will only be young for a short time. I also have allowed my son to grow his hair long for the first time this year. He is sixteen, and I am trying to let him make his own decisions about these things. Soon he will be getting his driver's license, another scary event! This mom thing is a lot more worrisome than I originally thought it would be!