My friend "Phyllis"

I worked with Lois before I retired. She was a "crotchity bitch" when she worked at the PD as a dispatcher, and it was a good thing that it was her job to tell you where to go - because she wouldn't hesitate "to tell you where to go or where to stick it". Sometimes I like that in a person! She had every reason to be cranky, because of all the "unfairness" that went on. She often was on the administration's "shit list" and we had many good laughs about her attitude. "Phyllis" is her nick-name because the mayor never could remember her real name and often called her Phyllis (how insulting, your boss doesn't even know your name). Lois finally came to her senses and quit that job and moved out west. She is an avid dog lover and raises those dogs that look like little black pigs -"Skipper-kees" (that's not how you spell it but that's how you say it!) Anyway, Lois is a "good egg"; visit her new blog at: www.movedtothemountains.blogspot.com

Computer empty

I am not very computer literate. When the machine would no longer connect to the internet, I took it right down to the professionals. They told me to do a re-boot on the whole system. That's when my troubles began. I have had an empty computer! I couldn't even connect to the internet for DAYS until a couple of hours ago when I figured out that I should re-load the ISP software. In the meantime I have been spending quality time doing the laundry in my newly designed laundy room! All my documents (I did back up photos and some docs on my remote drive) and other computer things that I took for granted have to all be re-installed. Quite shocking - it is like my computer doesn't even know me!! Even my cute little fish tank screen saver is gone. I have to locate all this software and re-load everything. I don't have sound now either, I haven't quite figured out how to fix that! I have missed reading your blogs for a week. One can only stare at the laundry going round & round for so long until it gets boring! Tomorrow I will catch up on all your blogs! I hope everyone is well!

The old MG

Not many people can say that they still have their first car. Me neither, since last Sunday, when I finally let it go. I originally bought it from a guy that had to sell it because he got drafted and had to go to Vietnam! I owned it for 35 years! I always joked that I would be buried in it. My Dad & I were fans of British sports cars and we both had MG's; at one point my brother had one too. This particular model is rare and worth a lot if restored. I had planned to do that some day, but never got around to it. I had it for sale on some obscure web site since 2004 and the other day some young guy called me all excited about it. I told him that he could take it if he promised to send me a photo when it was restored. He expected to pay the $750. that I was asking for it. He was so excited and enthusiastic that I gave it to him for nothing. After all, it served me well, I drove it over 100,000 miles. I was happy to see the old MG go to a good home. I expected to be melancholy as I mowed the grass around it for the last time. As it turned out, I was OK, but my roomate started crying! (I thought she hated that old car!)

Doggie doctoring

My Airedale dog, Ransome, has scratched himself a raw spot on his neck. The wound is at his jawline on the side of his face, adjacent to his eye. This is an impossible place to bandage. I put some antibiotic on it and bandaged it with some vet wrap in front and behind his ears. It didn't take five minutes for him to scratch at the area with his back paw and rip the bandage. I will have to watch him closely today to keep the medicine intact. He wouldn't even look at me to have his picture taken. He seems embarrrased about the orange bandage. (maybe the other dogs are laughing!)


We are still working on the new room that we are building in the garage. We will have a new laundry room and craft room instead of the one-car attached garage that we never used. It is a lot of work, but it will be nice when it is done. I have a new high tech washer & dryer being delivered on Monday. I can't wait to do laundry (did I just say that?) Well, when you are retired - housework is your life!!!












new lights, new wall









new floor in laundry

Stubborn old people!

I just got back from a trip to Virginia to see my Mom. I think I mentioned that I wanted her to come down here to visit for a while and if she likes it, maybe stay. We have been remodeling our one car garage into a room for her. I built some ramps, installed some grab bars in the shower and tried to think of other things that would make her comfortable and able to get around safely. I bought her a ticket on my return non-stop flight yesterday; but she refused to come with me. She wants to stay in her house! She is alone there except for my brother visiting once a day. She is alone at night. I am scared that one night she will fall and not be able to get help. I bought her one of those life alert pendants to call for help; she won't wear it and keeps it on the headboard of her bed. Other than forcing her to go against her will, I don't know what else to do. I hate to say it, but it will probably take a catastrophic incident for her to agree to come. I know I could probably get a court order, but I hope it will not come to that because I don't think my younger brother will be on board with it, for some reason he is in agreement with Mom. My older brother and I have done everything that we can think of to help Mom. Now I am sort of at a dead end until something happens. It is scary to get old. I hope that I will do what my family wants me to do when I get to that point, but you never know how you are going to act until a situation happens to you.

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!