Nosy neighbors.

I really don't have bad neighbors...we live on an acre and we can be as friendly as we want to be or they want to be...
However......I am not a mean person...pretty friendly..outside a lot(we have a puppy remember) it is not like I am unavailable.....no school... I am at home mostly.
So.
When I got a call from the Home Owners Association president (who lives next door and is a GOOD friend and we are NOT members of the HOA(not required...it is a long story...suffice it to say that we will NEVER be a member)....she was calling in her official capacity and said that a neighbor wanted to know what we were doing in our back yard I was a little taken aback.....ok for those of you that know me...you know I was ALOT taken aback.....
Apparently our Bocce Ball court can be seen from a neighbors house and they wanted to know what we planned to do with it...Did we get a building permit, was it going to stay up what exactly were our plans????
Here was my response.....
Listen up a neighbor and listen closely--

This is NOT your problem...
it is NOT a permanent structure
It does NOT require a building permit
It is NOT your business to police me and the day you (THE HOA) feel the need to do that.....make sure you have a legal document or you will be thrown off my property so fast your head will swim.

In case you wondered.....the Bocce ball court (which is made out of plumbing PVC)..will be a Permanent structure in my back yard until the snow flies and maybe even longer and I will make darn sure you can see it from your house....even if I have to move it everyday......

What kind of soul are you?

OK everytime I do this I get a different profile....who's the real me?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofsoulareyouquiz/

You Are a Peacemaker Soul

You strive to please others and compromise anyway you can. War or conflict bothers you, and you would do anything to keep the peace. You are a good mediator and a true negotiator. Sometimes you do too much, trying so hard to make people happy. While you keep the peace, you tend to be secretly judgmental. You lose respect for people who don't like to both give and take. On the flip side, you've got a graet sense of humor and wit. You're always dimplomatic and able to give good advice. Souls you are most compatible with: Warrior Soul, Hunter Soul and Visionary Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

You Are a Warrior Soul

You're a strong person and sometimes seen as intimidating. You don't give up. You're committed and brave. Truly adventuresome, you are not afraid of going to battle. Extremely protective of loved ones, you root for the underdog. You are picky about details and rigorous in your methods. You also value honesty and fairness a great deal. You can be outspoken, intimidating, headstrong, and demanding. You're a hardliner who demands the best from themselves and others. Souls you are most compatible with: Old Soul and Peacemaker Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

The dog park

Last weekend I took Clancy to the dog water park. He is a water dog after all and I thought he might enjoy the water.....
Well, his ancestors were probably rolling over in their graves as he WOULD NOT go deeper than his knees....I was a bit embarrassed, to tell the truth...
So, we decided to go back this weekend on the off chance he might just like it this time...
My friend and I finally pushed him in over his head and VOILA! he is a Labrador after all!!!!! I was so proud of him.....I really need to get a life!!He fetched, the ball, sticks, other dogs....he was nondiscriminatory about what he was fetching....he had a BLAST!

After they swim, we take a walk around the dog park so they can dry off a little. All the dogs there sorta run in a pack and hang out....well....Clancy kinda likes to be top dog....we had a few times we had to remind him of his manners...but we left the dog park in disgrace anyway.....

He managed to run full tilt into a lady that appeared to be recovering from a stroke or something. Her big 90 lb German Shepard mix was chasing Clancy and Clancy ran right through her legs and down she went....not once but twice before I could catch him...thankfully I still had his leash on him but I couldn't believe he wouldn't stop---well, I can believe it I just don't want too!

Talk about embarrassing!!! Well, it will be a few more obedience lessons off leash before I will want to try that again.......and, yet....he had sooooo much fun.

The story of trying to be a responsible dog owner. I shudder to think what he would be like with someone less forceful than I!!

Bad owner?

I became just like some of the parents I know and love.....
Clancy graduated from Beginner Obedience 1....got a diploma and everything... and then they suggested that he might need to take Beginner 1 again....
I thought about that for all of 2 seconds....heck no I said.. you passed him and I don't recall reading anything about "no dog left behind" so you MUST think he can do beginner obedience 2.....so that's what we'll do thankyouverymuch.

We will see if I come out of this smelling like a rose or like the overachieving dog owner I want to be!!!

Chinchilla escape

You will remember I am watching Chin the chinchilla for the daughter while she is at camp. Yesterday I cleaned out his condo cage. This involves me getting him into a different facility..like a big ball or his travel cage....all this is done without me actually touching him....he is after all a RODENT.......To be fair...I do let him walk up my arm..I can handle that but actually picking him up...not so much....he likes to be touched but not held....go figure....well....
I cleaned everything up, rearranged his levels so he gets more exercise and retrieved him from his ball and put him back in his condo and left to take Clancy to his graduation class.
Imagine my HORROR, while driving, when I remembered that I had opened the top of his condo and had not closed it..If I could have turned around I would've but I was almost to class.....4 frantic phone calls to neighbors later, I get the neighbor who is TERRIFIED of the Akita that I am babysitting....I BEGGED her to please go and at least close the bedroom door so Chin wasn't roaming throughout the upstairs......
A bottle of wine seems cheap at that price!! so, over she went and I get a phone call from her saying she got to the daughter's bedroom and as she started to walk into the room, here is this little furry thing looking at her...she screams and Chin takes off for under the bed...she slams the bedroom door shut and calls and leaves.....

I am sure all of you will sleep better tonight knowing that I was able to corner him into his cage when I got home.......I know I will be able to sleep better....

Puppy Graduation

Today is Clancy's graduation class for Beginner Obedience....

While we were driving I kept telling him that not all dogs get a diploma and not to be upset if/when they denied him a diploma....he seemed ok with that.....
and YET....
he came in 6 out of 6 dogs and they gave him a "CLANCY THE LABRADOR" has graduated to Beginner Obedience 2...

Well, just let me tell you how proud I am of THAT!!!!

School's out!!!

Just keep humming the 60's song....school's out for the summer....and you will know what I am doing!!!!!

AKKKKKKK!!!

This is what we all felt like when we heard that Dan had a run in with an aluminum folding chair at school....We are thrilled he is ok but sorry about the loss of his little finger tip....never good to lose a body part.....

Good luck and whew.....what a week....new baby and a lost body part....wow....not everyone can say that!

A new baby!!!

I am a great Aunt again!!!!......yeah for Teddy born May 30, 2007....
Congratulations to the new mommy and daddy....hope you get some good sleep!!
Here is where you go to see the newest addition to our family.
http://thisismyquestion.blogspot.com/
http://gr8umps3.blogspot.com/

Memorial Day Bocce Ball

We learned how to play bocce ball at Camp Michigania. Or at least the version they taught us! My sisterinlaw got a very nice bocce ball set and brought it over and my hubby "made" a court....this involved buying PVC pipes and mowing the lawn an inch and 1-2 shorter than the rest of the yard. The court is 60 feet by 12 feet. Here is a picture.......


and then we proceeded to spend the afternoon playing.
When we played in the morning to try out the court....it was hard to play with Clancy(black lab 7 month old puppy) retrieving all the balls.
He did not understand that these balls were not for him. When the real Bocce ball set arrived, the balls were so heavy he could not get them in his mouth....that was a good thing.
Hope your Memorial Day was as fun as ours!


Hubby,Kathleen behind hubby, son#2, Tessie(chocolate lab) Clancy (black lab) Bailey (golden retriever) enjoying the beautiful afternoon.

Perennial Garden

You would think that after the corneal abrasion I would stop weeding ....
but I decided to weed where I could see the results....
I am only sorry that I did not take a before picture.
Here is a picture of our perennial garden that I spent 8 hours weeding!

Outside work

Over the years we have defined different jobs as inside or outside.
You'd think this would be an obvious decision...Inside stuff..mine outside stuff...his
....but there are many jobs inside that fall to husband as well(things like painting the walls, fixing the toilet, sinks, faucet drips, you know...husband jobs)
and there are many jobs outside that I like to do even though they are husband jobs (mowing the lawn, planting flowers, weeding, blowing the leaves).

Well, after my experience yesterday with weeding, he can have that job back.

It had rained and the ground was perfect for weeding...a job that is very gratifying...if there wasn't so much to do!!!!While pulling weeds under the Austrian pines.....a branch went into my eye..I now have a corneal abrasion....not a big deal..I hope...but it does not feel so grand.
Yes, I had glasses on.
Yes, I was being careful or so I thought.
Yes, I went to the doctor ASAP.
and yes I will weed again...
but I am checking that marriage contract and making sure that is says it is an outside HUSBAND job and get the compensation I deserve!!!

Puppies

Don't get me wrong....I love my dogs...but my girlfriend-that I work with- and I, have decided that this is the last puppy either one of us will have.

We have lots in common, my friend and I.....we have a secrets we will take to the grave with us...we are joined at the hip....
we cover each others backs....
we proof read each others in house emails (in case one of us is being just a little bit b**** uh,,,I mean unprofessional(there is a typical example!!) She is a wonderful person, articulate, intelligent and so many adjectives I can't write them all down.
Considering how different we are on one hand....we are very alike on another.

We have a few things we wish we didn't have in common. One of them is the untimely passing of our 7 year old dogs. My 7 year old lab died in Oct and her 7 year old St. Bernard needed to go 6 months later. She has an 11 year old golden retriever and I have an 11 year old chocolate lab. We are also the proud of owners of puppies.

To be fair.....I did warn her that they are a lot more work than I remembered since I got Clancy first....
but......she is now the proud owner of Charlie ,
(no ..it has NOTHING to do with my husband!!) the labradoodle
isn't he cute??


She also is taking him to puppy kindergarten class...ok...her HUSBAND is taking him...

and we are both just waiting until they aren't puppies any more.

It can't happen fast enough.....
so be warned....
puppies are a LOT more work than us over 50 crowd remember.......11 years ago it didn't seem like soooo much work.

Babies and puppies....truly for the younger crowd.

Dwarf Korean Lilacs

.....if these are DWARF what do the regular ones look like cause these are AWESOME!!!
The smell is incredible....

and they are in my front yard!

Clancy's friend Bailey

It turns out that the dog that lives next door LOVES Clancy. The feeling is mutual. They play and play and play and they wear each other out....or that is the hope.


Tessie, on the other hand....is quite happy to lay on the couch and be a couch potato.

Happy 26th Birthday, Gregory!

For you , I found the superman picture!!

Hope your birthday was wonderful.

Love, Mom

Motocross ----who knew????

I am embarrassed to tell you that I went and looked this up as I could not believe my husband was correct on this. So here you are.......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motocross

who knew this was for real????? I had no idea....ok, honey, you are/were right.

Does that make you happy!!??

So for all of you contemplating taking this up as an amateur sport in W. Va. ....be assured that ALL the medical staff will be available to you...no exceptions made!!

Happy Mother's Day

To all the mothers in my family and circle of friends both near and far......Hope you have a great day!

and for those of you who thought the West Virginia story was a typical redneck tale, here is this tid bit of information!

The driving force behind Mother's Day was Anna Jarvis, who organized observances in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia on May 10, 1908. While the annual celebration spread around the country, Jarvis began lobbying politicians to set aside a day to honor mothers. She finally succeeded in 1914, when Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.


So put that in your pipe and smoke it!

A West Virginia story

My husband was at a medical meeting today. When he came home he told me 2 things I had never heard before about West Virginia that the presenter had told them since he had worked in W.Va. for a few years.

Apparently, there are 2 days in the year that ALL hospital staff report to duty...no exceptions period.

Husband: Any idea what they would be.
ME: New Year's Eve(we do like our liquor--some of it even homemade!).
Husband: Nope, that would not be one of them, he said. Care to take another guess?
Me: Uh not really.
Husband: Ok, here they are........West Virginia Rattlesnake CatchingDay.
Me: you're joking
Husband: no I am not and the next one? Amateur Moto Cross Day.
Me: What is that?
Husband: You know. where amateurs ride moto crosses.

I would like to think that he is pulling my leg...but I have a feeling that if I make a big deal about this-( I mean--really--I lived in the state for 22 years and never heard of either one of these)he will prove it to me via the Internet or something.

He said that the hospitals have to send for anti-venom from the east coast so they have enough....Ok this I believe but moto crosses..aww come on....pull the other leg.

Chin the chinchilla

One of the results of the daughter's bike accident is I am now in charge of her chinchilla......



To be fair, she is watching it for a friend who is out of the country for a semester abroad. She knows Chin from camp. He has been in her care for the past 2 summers.
I, on the other hand, am like a "girl" when it comes to rodents...which is what this is part of. It is pretty to look at but it does not like to be held and looks for ways to escape.

I spent some time reading about chinchillas. Here is what I learned.....

They are from the Andes Mountains....
They live in large colonies but can live alone......
Their life span is about 15 years.....
They need a lot of space to roam (hence the chinchilla castle/ 3 story condo that is set up in the bedroom)....
They pee in the same place but poo everywhere...they look like black pieces of rice...hard as a rock....
They can spray you(with urine) if they don't like your smell..
They test you with their teeth to see if they like your smell(translate that to bite---fortunately they don't bite hard)....
They need to have lava stones to bite on as their teeth continue to grow...
They don't take water baths, they take dust bath--special sand that is found in the mountains in lieu of water.....
They can be trained but don't like to be held....(this makes no sense to me)...
They need to have their cages cleaned once a week....
AND they don't do heat very well at all....hence the fan on 24 hrs a day.

My daughter's piece of advice before she left was that Chin likes to escape his cage, so be careful when you feed him.

Well,
how fast can someone come and take this little rodent back to Michigan so I don't have to try and make friends with it so it doesn't spray me and doesn't get lost in her bedroom after he escapes his cage?

NOT FAST ENOUGH!

Bike Accident

We have had a very stressful few days. The daughter wrecked her bike at college and ended up in the ER with a possible broken jaw*. I went down to school to get her to bring her home to consult with our doctors and felt I was handling the situation with perfect equanimity, under control, what will be will be and all that attitude, thankful it wasn't anything worse.
Before we left campus I needed gas so pulled into a gas station, pulled out the credit card and proceeded to try and fill up. After numerous attempts to slide the card in the proper slot and hearing "See attendant" I finally went inside--with the credit card-- and moseyed up to the counter with a few other items we thought we might need for the trip home.
Waited in line, finally handed her my card and other purchases.

The attendant was by this point pretty exasperated with me as she had been telling me to come see her so she grabbed my card, slid it through the machine and then looked at me, at the card and said:
"We don't take Mobile credit cards at this Marathon gas station."

Did I feel like a fool or what?

*final note, the jaw is not broken and the cracked tooth did not need a root canal and she has 10 stitches in her chin...for something that started out pretty scary, she was very lucky. She always wears her helmet, but her dad has now revoked her bike license.


And many thanks to Dennis for going to the ER to see how she really was until I could get there...You're the best nephew ever!!

Happy Birthday, Dennis!

If I had a picture of you and Greg and Eric and Dan in your camouflage outfits I would post it! Or, more embarrassing, your superman outfit!
I hope you have a wonderful birthday....
Love Aunt Neva

The Dog Whisperer

After spending an entire morning watching a DVD of The Dog Whisperer,
here is what I have learned:

1) Exercise, discipline, then attention...(this is what the dog whisperer lives by)

2)There are no bad dogs, just bad dog owners

3) My dog/puppy needs him. Do you think my husband will let me fly him in from CA?

"Great" Aunt

I have decided this:

if Clara and Teddy want to call me "Great Aunt"

it Has to be preceded by

"MY FAVORITE",

and then I'm cool with that particular moniker!

Alarm-ING

Be glad that you do NOT live next door to me.
After 20 years in our house, at 3:00 am this morning,
our alarm system decided to go haywire.

No, we did not turn the alarm on*....

No, we had no idea how to get the alarm to stop.....
keep in mind that the outside horn alarm is going off as well and it is as loud as the air raid drill siren. After 30 minutes of trying the code, pushing every button we could think of,we finally went into the basement and --wonder of wonders--there was an off switch.

Why we didn't think of THAT 20 minutes into the earsplitting alarm is a mystery to both of us. Probably because we are both OLD and we were woken out of a sound sleep.

When we were finally back in bed, husband says:
"Do you think it odd that we didn't even CONSIDER it might be a real alarm?"
ME: That would be hard to do considering we haven't alarmed the alarm for over 15 years."
Husband: "OH"



*we have not used our alarm because we have forgotten the code. When it was first put in, it was right at eye level for our 5 year old and everytime he walked by, he would push the fire alarm button. We never had it attached to the fire house just for that reason. Eventually, when we could use it, we figured we didn't really need to. So we decided to just ignore it. If we ever sell the house, I guess we will update it but for now, it is off and will remain off. My heart can not take that much excitement at 3:00 am!!!!

Dinner

Would you expect that when you go to a fund raiser
-where the tickets were $250 per person-

that you would:

1) be served that meal at 10:00pm and
2) it would be cold?

I think not, too.......

One TV show I really like

Although my husband will tell you differently, I do not watch much TV...True, I have it on alot but that is because I like the noise in the background. But one show I really like and would recommend is this:
Sunday Morning

Thanks to my baby sister, I have become hooked on this show. It is so informative and has so many things on it, I love to watch and see what they will cover each week.
I have learned alot from this show.

As much as I enjoy these 2 shows
House
and
Monk
I don't turn them on every week because I forget when they are on....if I see them, then I am glued to the TV.
I also love to watch HGTV and Animal planet but I don't go out of my way to see anything particular on these stations.

So, if you are free on Sunday morning before your day gets started, give it a try. It is on CBS and I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do.

Another dog story

I know I know.....unless you have or had a puppy recently this is probably becoming tiresome reading about the puppy but this was funny even to me....

I went to Obedience class --with the puppy!- and as we were working, I couldn't get him to sit without backing up...tried and tried and finally the trainer came over "to show me how".

You would think I had never taken a dog to obedience before....she marched Clancy around the ring and he sat EVERY SINGLE time for her in the correct position. As she gave him back to me she commented that maybe I should be a "little more forceful and show him who is boss."

Well, I told this to the next door neighbor who is 26 and has lived next to me for 20 years and his comment was:

K: Gee, Mrs. O. I bet you wish you had a nickel for everytime someone has said that to you.
Me: Well K......it was pretty interesting
K: you'd probably have...what? a nickel?
Me: ummmm.....probably!

This is only funny if you can picture ANYONE telling ME I need to be more forceful about anything!

Let's take a moment.....

My heart is sad for all the parents that woke up this morning and their lives are irrevocably changed forever by a young man with a gun.



My thoughts and prayers are with all of those whose lives were changed today.

Happy 87th Birthday, Motherinlaw!

>


Hope you have many more to come!!!

Can your dog do this?

I heard a funny noise and couldn't figure out what it was.....so I looked in the laundry room and saw this:



The funnier part was trying to get him out.....

Something I found funny

I wish I was more computer savy....there is probably an easier way to do this but I did find these very funny. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.jibjab.com/what_we_call_the_news

http://www.jibjab.com/nuckin_futs

A funny thing happened on the way to Honduras...

The beautiful thing about family is you get to know them REALLY well over the years.
They get to learn about you and you get to learn about them....good and bad...
whether they are eccentric or funny or nuts or whatever.

I have vacationed a lot with my inlaws....most notably at Camp

I have my own eccentricities....my inlaws will tell you I am a neat freak at camp among other less favorable characteristics!!!but I am accepted....at least by some of the family members that we vacation with...others....not so much ---
~~
While in Arizona, my 86 y/o motherinlaw was with us.. she is an awesome lady. She drives herself all over the country...and does it very well...just recently she flew from Mexico to Santa Barbara, rented a car and drove to San Diego and then drove from San Diego to Tuscon, Arizona. Once she got to her destination in Arizona, one of her sons wanted her to come on vacation with them down in Honduras.

Now, for most of us, we would have been EXHAUSTED, but not her.
She jumped(ok-- fast walked) in her rent a car and drove to the airport to make the proper arrangements.....but she had forgotten that she had picked up a mattress (the size of a chaise lounge but lots thicker) in Santa Barbara that had belonged to her younger brother(who has been dead almost 10 years and had been stored in her daughter's garage all this time.) This mattress was in the back of her rental car when she got to the airport.
She was bringing it to Arizona to decide what to do with it.

(I know, I know....most of us would have pitched it.....10 years ago!)

So, here she is at the rental car place when she realizes she still has this mattress with her.
MIL: "Can you store this for me until I get back at the end of the week?"
RENTAL CAR PERSON: "Ma'am, we don't do that sort of thing."
MIL" " well, you used to."
RCP: "yes, ma'am, we used to but not now."
MIL: "Can I leave it here anyway?"
RCP: " No Ma'am, that won't be possible."
MIL: "I don't have time to take it back home. "
RCP: "Well, ma'am you can take it as luggage to your destination."
MIL: "Really?"
RCP: " Yes, it doesn't cost anything."

...so they tied it up, put a name tag on it and she took it to Honduras with her--as LUGGAGE-- with the thought that someone in Honduras would want it.

If I tell you she came home to AZ with it would you be surprised?

Apparently, the people of Honduras know a bad deal when they see one!!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all!


I am having Easter-cooking for 12.

My sisterinlaw and I switch Easter and Thanksgiving and it is my turn this year.

When our kids were little, we decided that they needed to have their own holidays at their own house. Since we always spend Christmas at grandma's(because she has all the tableware and space for 22-or 32- or 42!), we do the other 2 biggies. Usually we do every other which means in one year we each do the holiday. It has worked out really well for us. We switch when we need to and now that our kids are grown we rotate with another sisterinlaw.

This all leads up to this.....

You have to remember to tell all parties involved when plans change.

On Thanksgiving (06), I was having it. It was going to be a smallish group-6 to 8-so no sweat. The other sisterinlaw we rotate with decided it would be a good idea to combine her group and have a larger celebration.
No problem...I would just transport the stuff (not the turkey) and it would all be good.
While doing the Turkey Trot the morning of Thanksgiving with a bunch of relatives coming for dinner, one nephew happened to overhear this:
"I'll see you later back here."
D: "What?"
T: "I'll see you later here(his house)."
D: "What? Isn't Aunt N*** having it? That's where I was invited."
T: " Well, we switched and we're having it."
D: " Must've missed that memo."

so, had he shown up at the house, he would have thought something bad had happened. I had cooked a small turkey (for leftovers for us)and it was on top of the stove, made a vegetable dish for the vegetarians in the family (the daughter and the niece in law to be:))and left some home, 2 pies were on the counter (I made 6 so I left some for us) and the table was partially set.
I am sure he would've freaked if he had actually shown up and seen the mess I left.

Sorry about leaving you out of the loop, D. Won't happen again! and yes,

Easter IS at the house---really.

See you later.

The West Girls

I should probably let my younger sister write this as she is quite the writer and has a better way with words.
but......

There are 3 of us girls....

I am the middle and V is 17 months older than me and T is 17 months younger than me.

We were all towheaded little blonde girls...stair steps if you will...
(don't you love the hair?? Mom, whatever were you thinking?)





and we are probably best described as indescribable.

In many ways we are very much alike.
We are bossy
We are bitchy
We are always right
We are outspoken
We always like to have the last word
We love to tell people what to do
We like things done OUR way
We are blunt
We are friendly and outgoing
We are from West Virginia (although, none of us live there currently)
We are all, interestingly, in the medical field (nurse anesthetist, xray tech, nurse)

Many have said we are a force to be reckoned with.

Certainly our husbands have a club of their own and I don't think I want to be around when they are talking about living with a West girl!--and they can write their own damn blog about us!!!

Our dad was a state policeman and that sets the tone for how we were raised.
A very blunt, smart, likable fellow unless you were a boy wanting to date one of his daughters

There is nothing like the memory of Dad meeting our dates at the door in his underwear (tidy whities) and requesting the time they would be bringing his daughter home. Let me tell you, it is a wonder we ever went out at all....and forget that sneaking around stuff.....that would be like not happening--at least I wasn't willing to attempt it....the sisters will have to fess up themselves if that is in their background.

I guess you could say that we have alot of similar characteristics....
We are (according to some) bright, blonde, fit(ok I am stretching that a bit for me.....) we have integrity, we are organized..sometimes to the point of obsession, we are good mothers, wives, daughters, friends, sisters, aunts, inlaws, and we are usually law abiding(comes from living with a policeman).

Interestingly, we are very intimidating to those who don't know us...

When my nephew(Mr. Opera) broke up with one of his girlfriends,
the comment was made that
she didn't think she could have an aunt like me....

hmmmmm .... was that because I gave her the standard 20 questions that I give all of my kids friends, nieces and nephews friends/ significant others, etc.??????


Her loss.


My niece in law(B) had the same feeling but I think I've grown on her after all these years!

I am not sure why they feel this way.

My dad always said you could put us in a room with a bunch of sledgehammers and we would come out with a life history on each one.(Ok this is a WVA reference!)


To be fair....we all probably care about this a bit but not so much that it will curtail our comments to you. I am not hard to read....an open book I am. NO hidden agendas, not manipulative, not mean....just blunt and friendly(my word..nosey..everyone else's).

We are good guests (thanks to mom-- we clean up after ourselves)
We always come with something when invited over
We are thoughtful
We help out even if your blood family won't
We are nondiscriminatory friends
We would give you the shirt off our backs if you need it
We would help you down the slide if the plane goes down
We ask(and mean it) about your kids/family
We are not shy
We talk to strangers....lots of them

So, if you find us all a bit difficult to deal with or be around, I would suggest you think about what your life would be like if you didn't know one of us or someone like us.


I always tell my husband his life would be very boring......




........ he says he would like to try boring just once!

icky puppy story

Is there anything ickier than your puppy who has pooed and now has a sock hangin' out of his rear-end and there is NO WAY to get it out unless someone (guess who that would be???) pulls it?

I need to go wash my hands.......again.

The Grand Canyon

What do you expect to see when you go on vacation to the Grand Canyon?


Let me be the first to tell you the LAST thing we expected was SNOW!!!!!!!!

Here is a picture of us on our first day at the Grand Canyon.


Notice you can't see much of the Grand Canyon due to the snow.


Now, we knew it was going to be cooler when we got to the Canyon....
we even planned for it--I took a very warm, fuzzy warm up suit plus a windbreaker-- as that seemed to be the correct attire.
My sisterinlaw took a wool sweater, cotton sweater, jeans, wind breaker;
my motherinlaw took 2 sweaters-although, she ended up with her daughter's windbreaker as we couldn't find one of the sweaters;
the husband had NO IDEA it would be cold in the Canyon and only had his little yellow sweat shirt
and we all had on socks and shoes---believe me---some people did not..

The first day we were there--

--it was 27 degrees, snowy, WINDY--

something you don't want on the top of the canyon!!!--

When we got up for sunrise--see the picture- -which was @ 6:23



it was 14 degrees......


Were we cold? You betcha.
Did we mind? You betcha.....we HAVE the correct attire--back in our closets at home.
Would we do it again? IN a heartbeat...



cold or not it was an awesome trip.

Happy 60th Birthday, Kathleen!!!

I'm glad we were there to celebrate with you!

Happy Birthday,Eric!

Have a great day!
Love Mom

Doggy friends

I watch my friends dogs when they need someplace to put their dogs for a week or a weekend.....like a kennel. I do this because I love dogs...
There have been times I have had as many as 5 dogs here at the same time. I have had my regulars over the years. Tara(may she rest in peace) was a favorite....she loved to come and play with Chelsea(eventually Tessie but she had to warm up to her)....Tara was a soft coated wheaten and was very smart...she always remembered the boundaries for our electric fence. We didn't even have to put a battery in the electric collar(she had her own when she came for a sleepover)and she stayed in our yard.

My friend Peter, has Dasha who is a yellow lab. Dasha is beautiful and now lives in the Czech Republic... But the first time he came over and commented that Dasha had taken to digging holes in his yard...he was a little(ok a lot!!) taken aback when the husband said that he didn't need to worry that we know how to correct hole digging.....just fill the hole that the dog dug up with water and then stick the dog's nose into it until they almost drown....he was very calm and matterof fact when he said this.....Peter's eye brows flew up to his hairline and I really thought that if there was any other place to put Dasha, he would!! It all worked out very well...Dasha must have heard what happens to dogs that dig in our yard and never once(we had her for a few weeks one summer while Peter was in the Czech Republic visiting)dug a hole.

Other dogs we watch are Nikki-the akita/lab who is VERY scary looking but the biggest cupcake on the face of the earth! The next door neighbors brain-damaged(my word) golden retriever.....I blame this solely on one of their sons' who loves to roughhouse with her and totally screws her up......Skitsy(may she rest in peace)....the border collie who loved to try and "herd" us......by barking and nipping at our heels.......her owners LOVED getting her back after a week since she didn't bark nearly as much or nip hardly at all.....so I ask you.....why was that? Because we (I) have standards for the dogs I watch......Can't be annoyed with me if I train them to what I like.

All of this leads up to .......Clancy.......

Nikki was here for the long weekend and let me tell you......she does NOT think that Clancy is as cute as a button.
More of an annoyance that needs to be dealt with. For being an 11 y/o dog, Nikki did ok with him but it took the first 3 days for her to figure out he wasn't leaving.....

Here is a picture of life with Nikki, Clancy( the puppy) and Tessie.

AS usual,Tessie is ignoring all that is going on around her....and Nikki is trying to tell Clancy that she can bark louder than he can.....ultimately they settled down but Nikki was not relinquishing her spot in the chain of "alpha" dog.

So my standards have had to be revisited. I know, I know....who would've thought???? but you have not met Clancy.....he is actually getting better at his behavior....the choke collar helps....but it takes awhile for his doggy brain to figure out what he is doing or what we want him to do. I still watch my friends dogs....

but now they have to WANT to put up with my puppy!

Spring Cleaning

I went outside to take the puppy for his constitutional. As I was standing waiting for him to go do his thing, I started picking up the debris left over from winter. Then I went and got the pruners, then the rake, then the yard debris bags......needless to say, I was out for quite a while....as fast as I could put the stuff in the bag, Clancy was just as quick trying to get it out!!

I did get my perinnial garden looking much better. I don't clean it out before winter as I think it will be easier to clean in the spring.


I might have to rethink that view.

Scholastic Bowl

I am a coach for Scholastic Bowl. I am now a moderator through the state I live in. This means that I can be asked to moderate an event for schools that want to host a Scholastic Bowl event and need a moderator(reader). You might remember that I am a phenomenal rule follower(see here http://letmebeblunt.blogspot.com/2006/03/coaching.html)
and today I was a moderator for a junior high near me...this is my second time doing this for this tournament. I am really good at moderating.....I know this because many people have told me so .....other coaches, other moderators, my students I coach....trust me...they have had to live through bad readers this season (this is due to the fact that coaches take turns reading the questions during a match in your league play) and we have been in 2 tournaments this year where they hire moderators to read ---my team came in 2nd -lost by 4 points once and 5 points to the same team at TWO different tournaments----ACKKKK!!
A side note here.....my High school team (I coach the Frosh/Soph level)has come in first in our league for the second year in a row :) YEAH!!
Also, and here is the BIGGY, I am a RULE FOLLOWER and I do NOT take kindly to junior high coaches telling me I am wrong(....ok ok...there ARE a FEW differences in junior high....but I KNOW what they are...thanks anyway....)

So, today......I moderated 5 different games.....9 different schools.....and 7 coaches told me what a wonderful job I did.....and one coach had a MAJOR melt down over one of my calls.

Listen up people......don't EVER argue with the moderator because...and here is a news flash...WE have final say....right OR wrong and if you have pissed me off........well, don't count on me reversing my decision.

'nuff said.

family stuff

I married a man who is the oldest of 10 children....6 boys and 4 girls. There is a 24 year age span between my husband and his youngest sister. The order for them is boy, girl, boy, boy, boy, boy, girl, boy, girl, girl (not only do I know their names....I also know when their birthday and YEAR is--not that I remember them to send cards or anything...I just know them!). Between all of them there are 22 grandchildren..11 boys...11 girls and 1 greatgrandchild (girl)..and she is ADORABLE.. & will be 2 soon.)
This means I (we)have a lot of nieces and nephews and last night I got to see the newest edition and youngest of the clan who is in visiting from the John Deere capital of the world (Iowa). Her mommy is the youngest of the siblings and has 2 older girls so theirs is a house of pink. This is also the sister who was 6 when I met her and does not remember a time that I was not in the family(having married her oldest brother 31 years ago....makes me feel old!!)Also, this is the sister I introduced to "creme rinse"---we call that conditioner now!!--and she has always felt that was a life altering experience that hair washing didn't have to mean TANGLES!!
I can relate to this more than one would realize because I am from a family of 3 girls...the middle child...I still marvel that my dad survived our teenage years as we only had ONE bathroom...and all 5 of us had to use it. I timed my alarm clock so I was the first one up in order to shower, brush teeth, etc...cause once your time came and went you either never got back in to the bathroom or..and here is the part that prompted my early rising....you had to go in when dad was in getting ready for work---never a pretty picture.
I looked at the three little girls last night, the mommy (who is looking pretty darn good for having a 2 month old) and the dad(looks like he is on VACATION) and the adorable sisters --who are 10 and 7 and realize how much fun they are going to have in the future....Been there, done that, don't want to do it again!!! but , boy, watching all the activity...

I need to go reassess how busy I thought I was with the 5 month old puppy.......

A visit to the vet

Clancy had his very important visit to the vet today to have his "private parts" altered....or to what I fondly refer to "having his nuts removed". When I went to pick him up, the 3 girls behind the desk breathed a happy sigh that I was there.
ME: "Is he ready to go?"
THEM:'WE'RE ready for him to go"
This could be because he was barking his fool head off....mind you, he does not bark here very much.....he will but not for very long....
I guess he had been barking since he woke up!
Obviously no problem from the anesthesia!
We came home with a long list of instuctions....no running, no playing, no eating a full meal til the next day, no stitches to remove(he has glue on a very tiny incision) but check his incision, and other things.
Now I ask , does this look like a puppy that listened to the directions?

For all of about one nano second.

pre beginner doggie school

Clancy has been promoted to pre beginner doggie school. What is this you might ask?

Just what it says.... a pre beginner class where we go to a class with 6 other dogs and try to teach these little hyper doggie/puppie brains to pay attention long enough to learn something.
When Clancy isn't jumping around like a kangaroo....he actually does ok. Definitely needs to be doing something.

His new thing is getting the newspaper from the front yard.......He is a retriever after all.....one of the things we have to work on for doggie obedience is a "gift" or "special" thing that your little puppy/doggie does. It can be shaking paw, rolling over, sitting up, anything you think others in your class would think was "cute". Personally, do I really care???? nope, but if I want to be part of the class our "cute" little thing that we will work on to show off in 8 weeks is this retrieving of the paper. How hard can this be for a retriever???

Well, only as hard as you think it is for him to actually RETRIEVE it back to us.

Friends

Friends....

You can have them come in and out of your life-

some of them start as family and become the very bestest of your friends-
others start as the very bestest of friends and then fall by the wayside.

I read a great email this week about friends and it just got me thinking about friends.
I have good friends and I think I am a good friend....or at least I try to be.
2 things happened this last week with my friends.
I saw 2 friends of mine that I hadn't seen in over 7 years.
The beauty of this is it was like we just saw each other yesterday and we were up to speed pretty darn quick.
Geographically, we are far apart and we now work, our kids are older and life just happened and years went by. I would say these are not only seasonal friends but lifetimers as well. I was glad we were able to reconnect and had so much to say. I know it meant as much to them as to me. That's why I love these friends.

You know that I lost my cell phone...

This was a disaster for me.

Losing the numbers in my cell phone .....it felt like I lost all my friends.

This really bummed me out.

Then my wonderful sisterinlaw did the sweetest thing....

She sent me phone numbers she thought I might want/need.

Now THAT is a friend......a bestest of friends!!!

I know I can never replace all my numbers and I should write them on paper as a backup but that she did this for me.....well,

it made my day.

Thanks, Kath.

Snow Day!!!!

Ok so on top of losing the cell phone (sad sigh here)
we have a SNOW DAY today....yeah!!!

Of course I am not sure WHY we have a snow day...they should call it a WIND day...
Granted, there is snow in the air(a very little) and snow on the ground(from yesterday) but really ..... not enough for a TRUE snow day.
But I'll bet the students aren't so worried about that.

Cell Phone Bummer

A disaster...


See the picture?

that is where my cell phone has gone...

la la land.....cell phone heaven....

it just
vaporized, it's gone, never to be seen again....

it just disappeared from my car

(more likely, it fell out into the snow)

I needed a new phone anyway but I am so PISSED that I have lost ALL my phone numbers....

my life is flashing before me.....

OMG.....cell phone withdrawal....

(I know there are worse things in the world to be upset over but right now I am focusing on this.....)

AAAGGHHH!!

I have to go lay down....

Ticket Taker

One of things I do is sell tickets for the football and basketball games of the school I work for. Although I do get paid to do it, one has to volunteer to do it ..and then you get paid...a nominal fee I might add.

I have done this off and on over the years...mostly because my good friend used to be in charge and I wanted to be helpful when they couldn't find anyone who wanted to sell tickets because they wanted to either watch the game or stay warm (if it was for football).

One of the nice things about doing this is I get to meet other people I work with but not have had an opportunity to get to know very well....you get to know people pretty well when you sit together for 4 hours every Friday night.

We have decided that we are AMAZED at what people will say to get out of paying to enter the game. Here are some examples( and believe me when I tell you this is just the TIP of the comments):

"You mean it's not free?"

"I paid last week"

"The coach said I could"

"I am on the list"(hard to do as we HAVE no list)

" I paid last week"

"I am working the concession stand"(this is usually said right before halftime and they are all there BEFORE the game)

"I am with the band(which has already played)"

but my favorite is

"I am here to scout"(and the reason you can't tell me which school you are with is?????")

so-if you feel the need to stiff us on the $4,$3,or $2 ticket, go for it....I am not your moral conscious but those little dumplings standing next to you are watching how you do things and THAT is what you are teaching them.


Enjoy the game.

"Hyper Puppy"

I had an interesting experience this week.
Since we have this new puppy (who had doubled his size in 5 wks) and seems to be VERY active we (I) enrolled him in puppy class.
Now, we have done this with the last 2 dogs we have had....no big deal...you go, they play, you watch, you chat, you leave...or so I thought.

Nope, this puppy class needs to meet you and your pupppy and then decide which puppy class is for you.
I spent an hour and a half with the puppy school being "observed" (They call it a consultation .... I called it....well, never mind what I called it!!)
After the first 10 minutes of being observed by no less than 3 trainers.... they looked at me and said"
"meet the definition of hyper" and pointed to my puppy.

This was not a surprise to me in the least...I mean.....why am I at puppy school anyway????

It turns out, this is a puppy that needs something to do....besides the carrying off of the shoes, the puppy mouthing, the harrassing of the 11 y/o dog that also lives here.....

So, off to puppy class on Sat...and the son had to take him as the husband and I were unavailable.

When asked how the puppy class went, the response was "ok". So a more specific question..."how did Clancy do, was he well behaved?"

"Well, they used him as the example of what you don't want your puppy to do(mouthing) and they also used him as the model to run through the cloth tunnels (as he has no fear of things that move)"
"how'd that go for him?"
"Pretty good...but they want to move him to obedience school to keep him busy...."

So is it a good thing to be a puppy school reject?

I'm guessing....no.

Orthopeadic shoes-part II

I know this will surprise almost none of you.....but.....I seem to have LOST my new orthopeadic shoes. NO , I did NOT intentionally lose them...I just can't find them...even cleaned out a few closets and cars looking for them. I thought I took them off and put them up in the closet so Clancy(the new puppy) wouldn't get them but now I can't find them. The husband did finally ask why I wasn't wearing them and I had to tell him that I couldn't find them..

husband "*sigh*...You lost them on purpose."
me--"no, really, I think I'll find them soon. Let me check the closet upstairs"
husband "*sigh*...that is the LAST time I go shoe shopping with you"

Like once every 30 years will kill him to go shopping with me ...for shoes or anything else.

The newest member of our family...Clancy

I know you have been wondering when or if I would get another dog after Mason died. It only took a few weeks. Meet Clancy our newest member. Can I just tell you that in the past we have been very lucky in picking a very laid back dog/puppy. Let me be the first to assure you that this time we might have gotten our comeupance! This little guy is a pistol and I will be enrolling him in obedience school as soon as I can catch him!

Shopping with my husband or how I ended up with Orthopeadic shoes-

I will admit that I love to whine.

Sometimes it is just a past time or to see if anyone will listen....but mostly I do it to annoy the husband.....especially if it is about something I know he knows something about.

Truly, I am ok with that.

I have plantar fasciitis..it comes and goes.
He knows something about this....all those years of education I guess!!!
Usually, it is not so bad.
...but I have been wearing some very pretty shoes that aggravate it so after church yesterday we went shoe shopping together(what ??? you thought that crack of lightning was all about the weather??? think again!!)
We went to a place that specializes in
1) Very expensive shoes
2) VERY UGLY SHOES
3) Very comfortable shoes
4) Fits orthotics
Just where you want to go and buy shoes-if you are a retired nun with gnarly feet and need those lovely orthopeadic shoes

Here is a picture of what he thought I might wear:
http://www.drewshoe.com//default.aspx?page=sc_detail&pid=20

we finally compromised on these:

http://www.kumfs.com/foot+care+&+orthotics/orthotic+capable+shoes?cid=566
(Look at the picture--it is called a santorini)

Actually, they are pretty comfortable....considering he dissed over 40 pairs of shoes I am happy I am not wearing the nun shoes..although I have been told "you don't follow directions well"
Duh ---really???
and this is new news????

so, I was quite happy just complaining...

Really.

.....but I will let you know if it helps with my plantar fasciitis

Not my sister---really

Here are the 2 girls who are not related.
(This was taken after Thanksgiving dinner.)
(The "Not my sister "award )
Aren't they adorable?
They really could be sisters but will have
to settle for being cousininlaws!
Not a bad deal.

A thought for Thanksgiving

I am shamelessly stealing this from Derailed.

Thank you.


http://www.inspiringthots.net/movie/life-on-train.php

Anthropomorphizing

So, the new dog did not last after he decided that my husband would be a good lunch/dog chew. Back to where he started.....happiest dog I ever saw when he saw his original owner(who has him BACK on the lab adoption page.. go figure).....still looking for a new dog but guess a puppy will have to be considered.......

some people have NO CLUE as to how to train and raise a safe and happy dog.....

LISTEN UP PEOPLE.....dogs ARE NOT and I repeat NOT -anthropomorphic(capable of having people feelings).......They are dogs that deal better when they know the pack rules....not people rules......

I don't care if you think your dog has people feelings.....
go read a few books about dogs......The Monks of New Skete, The Kohler method of dog training, DOG OBEDIENCE......
and then we will have a conversation.

Sheesh....you'd think I was trying to balance the national budget talking to some people who see NO NEED to take their dog to obedience school.....and then the new baby comes along and a painful lesson is learned and doggy has to go away cause doggy is trying to establish a pack rule.....NOT people rules.

ok...go enjoy your turkey day while I go and let go of dog owners who do not live up to my standards.

It is so hard to be right when no one listens.

Might not keep the dog but THIS is a keeper!!

My little great niece...dressed as a lady bug.....isn't she the cutest thing ever??!!!
SHE is a keeper!!

A new dog --maybe

I am thinking of NOT keeping the dog we have from www.labadoption.org
---Denver--he is not quite what we have in mind.
I will know after his trial period....which is 2 weeks.

NOt that I am trying to replace Mason....but Denver is not a Mason.

Seems to be a little more nervous for a lab than I like.


We will see.

Yoga or what was I thinking?

Yogs....something I have thought about for awhile. I have sisterinlaws that teach it, do it, love it. A Daughter that thinks it is a great way to stay flexible.....for someone that is old and out of shape..she likes it for the strength training. And friends that swear by it.

Okay, the downward dog, plank, cobra....all seems like greek to me still. I am in this class with young women who have taken yoga before so I am like a project for the teacher. She says something and I just look at her.....In reality I am trying to decide if I really want to try that pose or just pretend that I did. My neck is not liking yoga all that much. So I am careful about the positions I put my neck in.
They just think I am being old and can't do it.....while that is sorta true....Really I am just considering whether it is worth it or not to try.

I will say, that the first time I walked into class and there were no overhead lights on and mood music playing...I was a bit taken aback..I have gotten used to it now with the lights on in the corner. I have even gotten used to the teacher talking about finding my center and breathing and all of that...but I guess the bottom line is this....

Type A personality not withstanding....I have a heck of a time relaxing and doing the peaceful thing....
Just not my personality.
I will continue to try it for a while yet. The daughter is sure it will grow on me...

Let's just say......I don't think so.... but I am willing to give it another shot...
but I don't think yoga is my friend.....but I can totally see why yoga/pilates would be a neurosurgeons friend!!

a few special moments

I am blessed with wonderful nieces and nephews. I know most of them pretty well but I know the ones my kids age the best. I have had some very memorable moments with some of them.

To name a few:

DC- Gave me a book mark he made in grade school because he knew I read alot and thought I could use one and I was/am? his favorite aunt...... It is a beautiful pink flower between 2 pieces of contact paper. I still have it in my nightstand all these years later and everytime I see it, I smile.

D- who, in the middle of his parents divorce, wrapped his arms around me and told me he was glad he had an aunt who loved him as much as I did (that made me cry--we were at Michigania for the first time without his dad)

E-who had vacationed with me while recovering from surgery on her knee and was always VERY gracious when everyone took us for mother and daughter...but the most special was being invited to go with her and her mom to find a wedding gown for her.......how fun and fabulous and special.

T- my dad used to bring him and his brothers up to me while he(my dad) would do boy scout camping with one of my sons and his middle brother. This left him here with the younger cousins being the big helper and he HATED my cooking but ate it anyway....knowing that papaw would stop at McDonalds for him as soon as they were on their way home. He and E would also get together and play their violins for me.....Lovely. But the most special is when I played the piano for his wedding and I could see the faces of the bride and groom and when they pronounced them husband and wife, he looked at his bride and told her how much he loved her....I cried and was unable to play the recessional well because of my tears.

M-Has had to put up with looking the most like my oldest son and all the times they were together growing up, being mistaken for mine and having to listen to his aunt rant at him until I realized he really wasn't the kid I needed to be yelling at-not that mine needed that much yelling...... He would just smile and shake his head and go on and hope I wasn't cooking healthy for dinner.

J-My bowling buddy-not!!...but give me a few minutes alone with him to convince him I am really NOT that competitive (I did mention I was on the bowling honor roll at my bowling alley, didn't I )











---and we will then roll a few. He has taken the high road on this due to the advice of his dad......but I remember him with my dad going to the caves(mamouth cave in Kentucky) and him grasping my hand really hard and assuring me he really wasn't afraid to go in....really....

So I am lucky to have had these moments with all of them. Mostly they all agree that if there is information to be gotten, I am the one to do it. Of the 2 that are married.....and the one that is engaged.....I know they had a lot to say about me before I met any of them...

something about me being a bit intimidating...or was that BLUNT??


the "Aunt 20 questions" took me back a bit. ...but I have managed to live with that.

(I guess they really don't realize that if they love 'em, I love 'em; if they hate 'em, I hate 'em.)

Go figure.....I just thought I was being friendly....

A bowling team name?

Most of you know that I bowl.

and I LOVE it.

So much so that I bowl in 2 leagues in the winter and thru the summer.

My bowling team consists of me , Alice,who has a Masters in computer programing engineering, and my greek friend Joy. (I think they are tied to the Greek mafia but I am only guessing).
We are 3 girls that couldn't be more different if we tried. Alice is quiet, bright, articulate, not married, no kids(in other words.....she is sane), Joy is greek and firey and funny and a grandma and a dutiful daughter and wife and we love her, and then there is me.....I need not elaborate...but I will tell you that the 3 men we bowled against in our summer league had 10 300 rings between them and they changed my name on the bowling board from my name to "Miss ADD". They were pretty fun to bowl with ....especially since we bowled our brains out and beat the heck out of them...they with their 300 rings!!!!!!(and , NO , that is not being competitive, that is just having FUN).
So, we needed a new bowler in our winter mixed league as we are now a 4 person league and not a 3 person league. We could find no one willing to bowl with us(ok....let's be fair....I should say...to bowl with ME!!)
Finally, it occured to me to ask around work if anyone would like to bowl with me and my 2 friends.
Believe it or not, Kurt, a young Spanish teacher.....very quiet, very bright, and wanting to improve his bowling, agreed to come and bowl with us.
So Kurt is added to the team.
We made him our anchor bowler(that was usually my spot but we felt he could pull it off..ie, "Kurt, we need a strike so get one"..would work for him).
But coming up with a name for our team was/is difficult. We were the Ball Busters....doesn't seem fair for Kurt.
We were Jamingo(all our (the girls)first and last initials for a name in the summer and KP wouldn't fit in with that)
We opted for 3 girls and a guy but later.....others(at work) suggested the names of Our Boy Toy or Kurt's Angels.
I personally like the Our Boy Toy but Kurt is young enough to be 2 of our sons and one of us, a grandson, so we think we are settling on Kurt's Angels.....
unless someone else has a better suggestion.
I mean, really, it is all in the name don't you think?
Our first night of bowling was a lot of fun except for the fact that my average was 174 for the evening...Boy does that hurt....cause there is NO WAY I can maintane that average all season.
The other teams will really LOVE bowling with us when I bowl my usual 148-152.
They kept telling me to roll it in the gutter, but I am not a sandbagger....I will take those 6 strikes in row and hope for the best.
So there.Put that in your pipe and smoke it and hope your team bowls mine next week!!!

Oh and any name suggestions will be taken under consideration.

The "Not my sister "award

We vacation in Michigan every summer for the past 19 years at a place called Michigania http://alumni.umich.edu/michigania_camp/schedule.php.
Our kids loved it so back we would go.

Our daughter loved it so much, she has actually worked there for the past 2 summers.
(This summer she was the director of Nature.)

Part of the experince of Michigania for the little ones, is earning awards that you receive on Friday before you leave on Saturday.
Let me assure you that this is a BIG deal for the under 10 crowd. If your kid doesn't receive one, the ride home on Saturday is TORTURE. My kids over the years have received the most interesting/boring/funny awards.

I never knew how much effort it cost the counselors(ie the daughter) to come up with these awards and try and make sure that the little ones all get something from at least one area.

Adults even get awards for funny things. One year, there was a group of campers that sunk a sail boat-a pretty BIG sailboat- and their award was something like.... "The campers least likely to be invited back to the sailing area" award.
So you get my drift on these awards.

This summer, we were at camp with my nepwhew and his fiance. His fiance looks more like a family member than the nephew since she is very tall. When we went looking at colleges, she went with the daughter and I and every where we went, they all thought I had twins entering college....Poor fiance had already graduated from COLLEGE and was not amused that they thought she was a high schooler...but she took it with good grace.
So we are at camp and most of the campers realize that the daughter is the director of Nature and then they see the fiance walking around camp and ask her many questions about the Nature program and what time the Nature activites happen. After the first few times, she started giving them bogus times as is was just easier than saying "umm..... I'm not the director of Nature."
This happened all week, every day.
Friday comes, and the daughter is up giving out all her little awards and finally got to the last one.
(some of her awards are "the best rock polishier" "the best leaf print T-shirt maker" "the best cricket catcher(to feed the snakes with)" "the best bunny holder/ petter/ etc" "the most consistent trail hiker" and so on and so forth.

she started with "I have never given this award before and I probably won't have to ever again.... I am an only daughter, I have 2 brothers, no sisters, you can ask my mom -she is right over there.
"The NOT my sister award" goes to M********, my almost cousin, fiance to my cousin, D*****."

Lots of clapping as she goes to get her award and -no joke here- 4 people turned to me while they were side by side and said
"she's joking right? They really are sisters aren't they?"

some people just don't listen.

"OH, by the way, mom" or how we enable our grown children

I was sitting on the couch(really reclining and taking a snooze at 11:00 pm) when my middle son came in from the classes he takes at the local college and sat down in the chair across from me. This is important to note as most of my kids never voluntarily sit anywhere near me for fear of the dreaded 20 questions game happening (like "what's new?" "How was work?" you know...those really HARD questions to answer).
So I asked "what's up?"
"Well, tomorrow we are having a barbeque at work."
"That's nice."
"Umm.. I need to bring something."
"Like what?"
"I don't know.....food."
"Dessert? Hot Dogs? Salad? It IS 11:00 at night...I don't have a lot of stuff in the house."
"I don't know ...something."
"Brownies? for how many?"
"ummm. .... maybe 15? I need a meat too."
"Oko......I have brats in the freezer, buns...you can take those."
"ok...how about brownies?"
"ok...I will see if I have a mix."

Ok, remember it is 11:00 at NIGHT. Without even thinking about it, I took this on as my own issue. Said child goes off to his room as he has to work the next day and do some homework. I, of course, want to make this easy for him(I am always pleased when the word homework comes out of his mouth...especially if he is doing it!) so I trudge off to the kitchen to see what I have in the way of a brownie mix. (I am thinking 30 minutes, I am out of there and then I can go to bed as well. )
Needless to say, I had no brownie mix or cake mix or much of anything as the daughter had cleaned me out on her way to her house at school/college......Shopping at the parents is soooo much easier than going to the actual grocery store don't you think?

I realize that I needed to make the brownies from scratch...no prob...piece of cake...except, I don't have the right ingredients....After much worrying and improvising, I finally get the brownies from scratch done..used my last 2 eggs, went and put it in the pan, set the timer, went to snooze back on the couch and I was pretty ok.
Well, somehow I managed to not realize that I needed to put the mixture into a square pan and in my daze, I put it in a rectangular pan.
Suffice it to say, that I made the best homemade brownies that were, and I kid you not, paper thin and pretty CRISP... not burned I might add.....CRISP.
Let me assure you that they looked pretty awful.
"enough of this." I said and off to bed I went. "so he takes the brats only and the buns, not a dessert. It will be ok. "

So, being ithe enabler that I am,
I worried about him not having a dessert all night so I got up at 5 in the morning trying to figure out what dessert I could make without any eggs.

Just so you know, 1 cake mix mixed with 10 oz of your favorite soft drink works pretty darn good for a back up. the only cavet I have to tell you, is the soft drink needs to match the batter....in other words.....chocolate cake-use coke or Dr. Pepper or any dark color
for white cake-use sprite or 7-up(for those of you that are on Weight Watchers if you use diet pop, 1 slice(2 inch square) is worth 2 points.)
After much searching, I get the cake mix done and I am waiting for it to be done so I can leave for MY work...
rushing is never good because I ended up hurrying the cooling process and just as I put it on the plate, I leave half of it in the pan.....no worries.....I just dug it out, turned it upside down, sprinkled powdered sugar on it and called it a day. (This was just for a bunch of young men who will eat ANYTHING)
So the boy had a dessert and brats and buns to take....he was happy, I was EXHAUSTED and muttering what the He** was I thinking...he could've stopped at the grocery store and PICKED UP something for dessert.
One of these days I will not be so obsessive or compulsive....maybe soon I hope!

I saw the boy later that night after he was home from his class(again at 11:00 pm) and asked him how it went at the barbeque.
"ok." he said.
"Was there enough food?"
"umm...sorta."
"sorta???"
"well, I forgot to get the brats out of the fridge so we were a little short on meat."

'Nuff said.

*sigh*

Happy Birthday Tina!

Happy Birthday Tina! ....I can't quite figure out what the heck is going on since my birthday is in Janurary and, obviously, we are in summer clothes....I do remember many birthdays like this one....and I DO know when your birthday really is, I just couldn't find this picture. Hope your day was great!

Do I really look like a Flamingo?

Recently, the daughter and I were out and about.....dropping off her car for a minor repair, running other errands, etc. It was just cool enough for a light weight jacket so I brought my brand new Liz Clairborne got on sale for a fabulous price reversable jacket....perfect for the day coat which happens to be pink on one side and paisley pink and tan on the other. As I get out of the car where she is dropping me off.....her comment--
"you know....you look like a flamingo in that coat don't you?"
"A Flamingo???"
"yeah...it's a pretty pink coat mom"
"but a good price, the right weight .."
"but very PINK"
"A Flamingo?"
"mmn yea...maybe you should wear the black coat...Um you're kinda embarrassing me"
"ME an EMBARASSAMENT? surely you jest"
"umm ....no"

The fashion police are alive and well and apparently living with me....although I always assumed they were watching out for the husband and not me.

Happy Mothers Day Mom!

Happy Mothers Day!
YOU LOOK AWESOME! --- I can only hope I look as good at the same time of life!
There are no words to describe all that you have given me and taught me over the years.
You have been an inspiration to me.........
I wish I had taken better notes, though.
I had no idea the final exam lasts a lifetime!
Have a great day!

tastes like chicken.....not!

I was invited down to Chinatown yesterday to have lunch with my little SeaKyung(my foreign exchange daughter who lived with me for 2 years on and off while she was in high school...hmmm I should blog that story) and her Chinese boyfriend who is from Beijing. They thought it would be nice to have a real authentic meal like Gregory eats and Eric just RAVED about the food in Beijing when he came back from a visit with Greg...so I said, " OK".

All food was orderd by Bean( the boyfriend)
All food looked interesting...
All food was good....

We had soup that tasted like grits.....very good . I would eat it again
rice cooked in leaves...good
shrimp wrapped in rice wrapper....ok
beef wrapped in rice wrapper....better....I think it was the wrap part that was not so good...too wet/sticky
babecued pork in a roll......VERY good would have every day
potatoe puffs....very very good
and something that looked like chicken wings.

Keep in mind that they had NO forks....just chopsticks....
I try to pick up the wings with my chopsticks.
get it halfway at my plate and it falls in to my tea....
finally....after a half a dozen times I get it to my mouth and start to chew.....

Just so you know.

Chicken FEET do not taste like Chicken......
not now.. not yesterday... not EVER!!!!

I guess you can take the girl out of West Virginia but even the West Virginian doesn't do FEET
*ugh*

Me...an Illegal immigrant??????

So I was called an illegal the other day.

Now I consider this a stupid discussion in the first place.
I feel that there are borders for a reason and you live in Canada you are CANADIAN you live in Mexico you are MEXICAN you live in America you are AMERICAN..do you see where I am going with this?
If you want to migrate to America....follow the proper protocol

but I digress..

But to be told that my ancestors were illegal is the height of stupidity.....

1) how do you know that if I don't know who and when and where MY ancestors arrived...I am guessing that there were not laws that were in force then cause I am thinking my ancestors arrived a very LONG time ago...and were LEGAL immigrants

(also, imagine their surprise when I told them...umm, sorry, but I do have Native American Indian in my blood. and go take your freaking Percent rule and put it where the sun don't shine...) so let's see....NATIVE AMERICAN or um, I'm sorry what did you say you were...Italian? Polish? EUROPEAN?????

2) you only care because your grandfather arrived illegaly and now everyone else born here is legal and you don't want grandaddy sent back to Russia... or Afghanistan or wherever the heck you came from
Mind your own damn business....spend the money to become legal.....learn the freaking American language and keep the Spanish America the beautiful in Mexico if you can't freaking sing it in English.

Enough said.
I think my position is clear and I HATE talking politics.

Don't make me do it again.....this is America..... if you don't want to come legally....go back to where you freaking came from.

Idiots.

Bowling with the team

Ok, I admit.....I couldn't resist......Bowling I mean....
16 of the Scholastic Bowl came to bowl for our end of the year party. One of the young men(there are only 2 girls on the team. go figure) who has been my JV captian and is now one of the varsity captains, has taken up bowling and wants me to coach a bowling team for our school.
Now, believe it or not, I am NOT that competitive (although I do think people would disagree with that statement) but this appeals to me on a few levels.
1) I am a pretty good bowler
2) I think I could be a pretty good coach ( I am fond of saying ..."just cause I know how to pick up the spares, doesn't mean I can)
3) I don't care if they win or lose as long as they have fun...or so I say now..

but anyway, a lot of work to start a team of anything at a high school and I am not sure I am up to the challenge but more on that later......

Bowling today with 16 little dumplings.... the chant
Beat Mrs. O
Beat Mrs. O
brought out the worst/Best of me.

I rolled 5 games.....
181
132
165
206
200

Ok so the 132 sucked but no one came close to it...

Man, I loved beating all these boys who thought they could beat me.

Maybe I am more competitive than I thought....
but here is the bad part

I can hardly lift my arm.
Obviously I am not meant to bowl more than 3 at a time.

It doesn't pay to try to be a 16 year old again

I might have the experience to bowl well
but they have the youth.

They are probably out doing something fun now
and I am going to put the heating pad on my bicep.

*sigh*

coaching

I have coached Scholastic Bowl for the past 4 years. Admittedly, not my long suit since I am not a trivia or a math person, however; it turns out I have the good sense to pick the kids that are.
My JV team came in first within our league this year. Quite a proud moment for someone who never dreamed that this was something I could coach. (Really, I am just waiting for that big ole trophy to come so I can display it with pride and , yes, I do mean to gloat just a bit!)

One of things that my kids learn from me is strategy on how to play the game. They have the brains and I have the experience to actually teach them how to improve their game.
I have to admit that the kids on my team don't quite know how to take me. What with the accent that shows up from time to time and my "Let me be blunt" personality, I think they sometimes don't remember that it is an HONOR to be on my team!!!

They actually believe that since I was born in West Viriginia that I have a gun and a gun rack on my truck and know how to use it. So much for the stereo typical WestViriginian......at least they know I wear shoes.

My kids have the advantage of having someone like me ( and most of you know what that means) to coach them and the positive thing about it is that no other coach in the league intimidates them. I don't think the same can be said for the other schools about me. Trust me when I tell you that my kids love to see me take on a coach that think they know the rules or how to read the questions or don't like how something is done and I know how it is done.

(I did mention that this was not my long suit but I DO know ALL the rules just in case I need to look smart. NO ONE tells my kids they are wrong because...they're not(at least about the rules). just stating the facts. It is the only thing I could be sure about....because really...do you know all the capitals of the African provinces off the top of your head and without looking? Or which general led which battle during some obscure war? I think not. So I went with knowing the rules....being the rule follower I am.)

It has been a beautiful thing.

IBM

For those of you that know me, you know I married an Irishman. Not only was it the happiest day of my life but it gave me an ethnicity that I did not have before and that has been a great thing.

When I first moved to Detriot all those years ago, one of the best parts, beside the husband, was learning all about the ethnic people who lived there. They had festivals every weekend downtown and we would go and try the food and have an absolutley fabulous time.

Where I grew up you were either black or white and believe me when I tell you that you wanted to be white.....so here I am in Detroit where not only do you have your black and white but you have your ethnic....Italian, Irish, Polish, Indian(not American), Jewish, etc. Loved it loved it loved it......until.....EVERYONE kept asking about my ethnicity(telling them I was West Virginian didn't seem to appease them) I would be badgered and badgered with

Them: "Who are your people?
Me: "my mom and dad???"
Them : "NONONO..where are you from?"
ME: West Virginia?
Them:" NONONO. What is your background?"
Me: "American?"
Them:" NONONO. What are you?"
Me: "A girl?"
Them:" What is your background?"
ME:"Well, I went to college at...."
Them: "NO!!!! What is your ethnic background? What part of Europe did you hail from? What are your traditions? What is your food?'
Me: "Heinz 57, Don't know, don't care cause we've been here for a coon's age, most protestant religious traditions and beans and cornbread. And by the way, you people are crazy!!!!

I pesonally thought they were going to slap me. So --What are you or what's your background--is a question I have hated forever.--at least once I moved North.....back in West Virigina, they still don't care and that is a good thing in my mind.

But the good news is, once I married the Irishman, I took his last name and from that day forward I have been .........

...IBM.....Irish By Marriage....

It has been a beautiful thing......shuts people right up when they query the question.

But having been IBM for close to 30 years, how do you manage to NOT remember to wear green on St. Patrick's Day?

Must be getting old!!