Just when you think you have him trained......

 
How much fun do you think Clancy had with this Stryofoam while someone was in the shower?

Nowhere NEAR as much fun as I did when I cleaned it up I can assure you (sarcasm added)......

My 3 children

 

24, 21 and 26....these are the ages of my kids...and in that order...and here is what they looked like the morning AFTER the wedding.....
 

An aunt and her nieces...some of them!

 
These are some of my nieces we were with over the weekend. Don't you just love their smiles???? I do!

A girl and her grandma

 
This is my husband's great niece and my Sister in Law(mother of the groom). The little one was having no part of standing still...isn't she cute?!

puppy treat!

 
I said "puppy treat" and this is what they all did.....came running and were stopped by the screen.

Family news

For those of you that are stopping by and are family...new news...Erin is pregnant and due in March....It will be the 3rd great grandchild for my MIL. Other news.....Laura and Alexi will be getting married next July 4th in Montreal....save the date....Laura is staying with Grandma until after the current wedding and then she and Alexi will be moving into their new place in Hyde Park...or that's what I've been told. Get those passports up to date! We are off to my nephew's wedding in Madison.....it is on Saturday...should be alot of fun what with the Taste of Madison and the first home football game for the University...look for pictures later next week! Greg is home from Beijing for the wedding, Andrew is in from the Navy, Mike and Olivia are in from Hong Kong with Mikey who spent the summer in Germany, all the sibs are in from California, Baltimore, Dallas, Singapore, and Iowa. That's all the news I have or have heard, been told or flat out made up! Have a great weekend.

Clancy and Gryffindor

This post is especially for my blogger friend JoAnn. This is the Bernese Mountain Dog, Gryffindor, that lives across the street from me and, of course, Clancy. They are both having a fabulous time. Gryff is about 5 and he wore out pretty fast after this picture!

A girl and her baby.....and dog!

This is my great nephew, Teddy and his dog, Maddy. I love how they are both asleep on the "Great" aunt. Are you practing "great aunt nene" with Teddy? You know he can only call me "great" if he says I'm his favorite!lol

Simpsonized!

One of the girls I work with is totally into the Simpsons and insisted I do this.....Can't say I was ever a big fan but.........Who knew that even I could be Simpsonized? Go here to have a go at it!

Happy Birthday, Vicki!

<
Hope you have a wonderful day, Vicki!

Tim Hortons Coffee

 



















I posted a coffee shop on my other blog not too long ago and mentioned that I wasn't a big fan of Starbucks.....WAY too bitter for me...I don't care how rich the guy is he doesn't appeal to my tastes. One of my fellow Daily Photo bloggers mentioned that he prefers Tim Hortons that is like Starbucks in Canada. For the fun of it, I looked to see if they sold Tim Hortons in the USA. Well, imagine my surprise that not only do they sell it, there is a Tim Hortons in my hometown of St. Albans, West Virginia. Of all places. Not one in Illinois...or anywhere close...but there are quite a few in Michigan. If I had only known I could've picked some coffee up in Michigan instead of having my mom send me a can from St. Albans. It has arrived and I'll be the first to tell you that this is GOOD coffee. Thanks North Bay Daily Photo. I appreciate the tip...and thanks mom for finding it, buying it and sending it! I'll share if anyone wants a cup!

Girl Club!!!!

The last night of camp 3 of my nieces came to our cabin for a sleepover/girl club. This was instigated by the 2 younger nieces who wanted to spend time with the 2 older girl cousins....Why not at my place? I had 4 empty beds. We spent a lot of that day playing beauty shop (I braided their hair) and I did manicures and pedicures on them so the evening they came over we were going to giggle and laugh and play cards. Well, some how we started with the younger ones giving the older ones a back rub. The older girl in pink shorts fell asleep pretty quickly and the rest of us chatted until the wee hours....We had a lot of fun! Can't wait to do it again next year! And, yes, we all ended up with either pink or orange toenails. Fun, fun fun.

Johannes and Mina

Mom and I went on the canoe float with Shannon and Johannes was out with Mina. He very kindly offered to take our picture but we were too far out. I love the way this looks.(Click on the photo to make it bigger.)

Almost the whole fam Damily

This is our portrait at camp. Many of you know who we are but for those of you who don't.....here goes.The number after some names indicates what number in the line up of 10 children they are. (6 of the 10 kids were at camp)
Back row standing: Johannes, Fred(6), Kevin, Janet(7), Brenda, Matthew
Standing in front of Fred: Kathleen(2),Kieran, Frances, Gean, Douglas
Sitting by herself:Sheila(10)
Sitting on bench: Ellen(9),Motherinlaw with baby Mina,Avis(my mom), Me(neva), Shannon, Charley(1)
on the deck:Kelly, AnnaMay, Colin.
And another break down for those that are curious...Sheila and Johannes, AnnaMay, Frances and Mina; Fred and Gean, Douglas, Kelly; Janet and Kevin, Brenda, Matthew, Colin; Ellen and Kieran; Charley and Neva, Shannon; Kathleen had none of her kids here. Hope this was a reminder for you, mom!Just imagine trying to figure out which kid goes with what parent if you haven't seen the kids before or their parents for 30 years....mom did an amazing job remembering and she for sure has Kevin and Janet's kids in order!!!! It was a great week at camp and if you weren't there....you missed a fun week. Looking forward to next year!

No good deed goes unpunished!

You know I was watching Chin the chinchilla and he went off to Camp with my daughter. We were at camp this past week and the real owner of Chin was so glad I took such good care of him that I got this award.



I thought you would like to see how well Chin is doing. Here is a picture of him in his chin condominium.


I am thrilled he is at camp and having fun. I am sure he will enjoy his new semester at the University of Michigan with his real owner.
By the way....he remembered me and promptly ran up my arm when I went to pet him. I am sure this makes you as happy as it made me!

Visiting Dogs

 

I have 2 visitors....we are having a sleepover with the Akita/Lab mix(Nicki) and an evening visit (doggy play dates...who knew?) with Emma, the springer spaniel......isn't it amazing that they know where I keep the dog treats? And how patient they are! lol

How do you lose a........

I have two items I am missing....How does one lose a 6 ft vacuum cleaner hose that is used every week? I went to vacuum with the hose attachment and wonder of wonders...it is not where it belongs(in the closest with the vacuum cleaner). When I tell you I have torn the house upside down looking for it, it is not much of an exaggeration.....my husband swears I threw it out.....threw it out????? an item I CLEAN with???? not in this lifetime, baby. He swears I just don't remember where I put it....ok, how hard is it to locate a 6 ft hose EVEN if, for some reason, I didn't put it away?...and the last I checked, I didn't have Alzheimer's......or any reason to believe it might be setting in. I can't even begin to tell you how frustrating this is....I even went so far as to ask the 24 y/o son if (and this would qualify as a miracle ) he had used it to clean his car out....the only way it could have come close to the trash can.....he said no....I believe him only because I have seen his car.....
The other item is my battery charger for my digital camera....It is always by the computer and I put the battery in to recharge once a week...sometimes more... sometimes less.....so, yesterday I went to recharge my battery for my camera so I can take some pictures (for my other blog....Inverness, Il (USA) Daily Photo)and IT is nowhere to be found.....again.....something I use a lot and no, I wouldn't "throw it out" (from the husband again!). I will admit to throwing things out that aren't important....some stuff he might have needed or wanted....but, in general, I don't throw that much away.....
I can't even begin to tell you how frustrating this is not being able to find the 2 items I not only use but need.....and , of course, now that I can't find the hose to the vacuum, I can only think of 100 uses for it.......
sigh......how annoying.

the musical aunt....

It may surprise no one more than me that I have used my musical ability...what it is...as an adult. I play the piano..not well, the cello...not well anymore...used to play the clarinet and saxophone (tenor). I sang in high school. I still play the piano but only for my own enjoyment. I can sight read very well....to the point that I won't practice cause I never get much better than the original sight reading.....I used to play the cello with my son and nephew when they were 10 and 11, I played with my niece and other nephew when they were on the violin....I played for my niece at a family wedding reception, I played for my nephew when he got married (that was hard because I was crying). I play at Christmas, I play for my nephew who is studying opera sometimes as accompaniment for the family...I have another nephew getting married in Sept. and I am playing a song for their wedding breakfast....ok--really I won't be playing...but I will be playing before then when we all practice together. Who new that out of all the things I did as a kid that the very thing I was only so so at (both of my sisters played waaaayyy better than me) would turn out to be so special to me?

Charley and Mom at Lowe's

 
 

I know I know...you should've felt the earth move the moment I entered Lowe's....I had to take a picture just to prove I was there. We were waiting for Charley to find what he needed in the plywood section....he didn't...we had to go to 84 lumber....another store you won't catch me in normally but I didn't have my camera! Look way in the back....he is the one with the white hat on.

Lipstick

I was out yesterday and ran into someone I see about once a month. We chatted and as I left, her comment was how nice it was to see me looking so nice. ??? was all I could think ( I was not dressed up....just some capris and a t-shirt--what I usually wear) and said as much to her...She said..oh no...she meant because I had on lipstick. Oh, I said....got in my car and immediately checked...yep still had lipstick on.....

cause, people, I NEVER go out without lipstick....NEVER. My one girlfriend (who I went to Paris with) laughs and says that if I were stranded on a desert island, I would never have sunburned lips because I have lipstick in every pocket I ever wear....can't be with out it...guess I will make sure when I see my other friend again that I have on the correct COLOR next time.........

Neva and the dogs...Tessie and Clancy

A good friend of mine does dog pictures on the side. Here is one she took of Tessie and Clancy....Clancy was not that interested and neither was Tessie...they were both trying to pull away---the opposite ways!

Clancy and his pillows

 

I know, I know...you are tired of hearing dog/puppy stories but what can I do? We took the gate down from the family room so Clancy could get used to being in that room.....He has decided that ALL the pillows on the couches are his....no matter how many times I take them away from him...he retrieves them....again....I looked up from doing something on the computer, and here he was with all his pillows surrounding him.....I thought it was pretty funny.

Who's taller?

 
It isn't often that you have to decide who is taller by putting a shoe on top of your head! We had a party for the nephew and his fiance(with the shoe!) yesterday.....I now know why the bride looks like she belongs to our family...her dad(the one with the beard) is as tall as my husband.(the oldest of 10- and the tallest at 6'7"..)It is a photo finish as to who really is taller but my husband swears he is!

Arby's Drive thru

While at Arby's drive-thru I heard a horn beeping. I looked back...no one I knew....but the horn kept beeping..so I put by head out to see who it was. This lady (who was violently waving her hand trying to get my attention) said:
..."Hi Neva!! do you remember me? I met you in a Walmart check out line when I was pregnant 5 years ago and we started talking...I saw your name and LOVED it. I had a little girl and I named her Neva...I am so happy to see you..I see you all over town(my license plate has my name on it). Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.. we love her name!!! Have a nice day".


Believe me when I tell you that even for me that was a strange encounter....and , NO, I don't remember her....I talk to a lot of people I don't know!

A new home

 







This birdhouse was a gift I won at a bridal shower...it has been sitting in a box for a few years...When my Hollyhocks bloomed, I remembered the bird house matches them so I put it out in the garden as decoration.....the wrens(I think) have decided to make a home out of it. I am amazed....(Look very closely as the opening of this birdhouse and you will see a bird going in).

A Lawn Ornament

 

Husband: "Honey?"
me: "yes, dear?"
Husband:"When can I expect the Jockey to arrive?"
me: "*sigh*"

Guess you can tell....he is not a big fan of the lawn ornament!

What's in a name...a DOG name?

I was chatting with my girlfriend about dog names(Hi Liz)and she commented that we hadn't named our dogs doggie names but people names....I thought about that and guess I never gave it any thought before. We have had 5 dogs. Molly, the basset hound, Chelsea, the chocolate lab, Mason , the yellow lab German Shepard mix, Tessie the current Chocolate Lab and Clancy, the black lab puppy...None of those are doggie names...like Rover or Spike or Killer or Fido. I have never met a dog with any of those names. Liz said one of their beagles was named Rover.....seems appropriate for a beagle...rovers that they are! Other dog names I know:
Tara(pronounced TAR.....a not TEAR....a) soft coated wheaton terrier
Lady-sister's beagle(RIP)
Lucy-sister's current beagle
Tasha-mother's dog lab, German Shepard mutt(RIP)
Ginger- current mother's dog WV coon hound... you don't want one of these...really
Viper-friend's French Briard(they name their dogs after sports cars)
Porshe-friend's other French Briard
Gryffindor-neighbor's Bernese Mountain Dog...awesome name for him BTW
Lucky-BIL's mutt in Texas...closest to a dog name on the list!
Baily-neighbor's golden retriever
Emma-neighbor's basset hound
Josie-MIL's lab mix that is no longer with us(RIP)
Casey-other sister's dog
Wrigley-neighbor's beagle(does this come close to a doggie name?)
Houston-neighbor's beagle (RIP)
Princess-neighbor's Cavaliar-a perfect name for this dog
Kava-friend's St. Bernard(RIP)
Charlie=friend's new puppy labrodoodle
Mia-friend's golden retriever
I am sure there are other dog names I am forgetting but you get my drift...
not a Killer or a Fido amongst them...so where did those names come from and why do we not name them those names?
Is it because we don't live in the south where dogs names are:
Blackie
Queenie
Die-doe(pronounced just like it is written BTW)
and Missy- the beagle I grew up with...not really a dog's name either come to think of it....so give me your best dog name if I haven't mentioned it!

Sunday morning coffee

 

My sister in law and I came home with this as a souvenir from the Grand Canyon. Sitting out in my gazebo...on my new lawn furniture....I just really liked the way the sun hit this with the reflection on the table. Reminds me of how much fun we had in Arizona....a place I will go again!

Winter vs Summer

 

 

I think these are both pretty pictures but it is easier to enjoy the flowers! Notice the 2 trees down near the street....They are Ash trees and we are fairly confident the Ash borer will make mincemeat of these within the next year. Sad, isn't it?

..how does your garden grow?

 

This is our perinnel garden. The husband plants it and I weed it....a good way to share the outside work....I like the way it looks...the reds are not as obvious as they are in real life but what are you going to do?





I particularly like the bird house with the Holly hocks....the birdhouse is just for show...I don't think a real bird would chose to live there even though the paint job is beautiful...but I liked the way it blends in with the flowers.

"Little Switzerland"

 

West Virginia is a beautiful state...it is called "little Switzerland" as it has the Appalachian Mountains running through the state. The roads and interstates curve...they are NOT straight...it is one of the few places you can get car sick on the interstate because of the curves!

This picture was taken by my aunt. It is across from the graveyard where her parents are buried(my grandparents). She took this out the car window when she was there with my mom. Tallmansville is a very small town in northeast West Virginia.....it is the site of the terrible mine disaster cave-in that killed 12 last year....
When I was a little girl, mom would take us out to visit her grandmother(my great grandmother :o))in the "country". It truly was the country..no indoor plumbing...I have used the outhouse with the Sears and Roebuck catalog as the toilet paper...and with the words ringing in my ears "watch out for copperheads" gag.....snakes I don't do ...especially poisonous ones...so my sister and I would yell all the way to the outhouse hoping to scare any and all snakes, animals and other things away....trust me when I tell you that we REALLY had to go to the bathroom when we did this....at night..if you were unlucky enough to get to spend the night..you had chamber pots under the bed to use....sounds good...until you realize that you are responsible for emptying it in the outhouse the next morning....when it is cool and the snakes are more likely to be resting near the warmth.....for 2 girls who were born in the '50s this was like stepping back into the previous century....we never did figure out why the 2 of us were so lucky and our oldest sister never had the pleasure of an overnight visit ....we think is was she had a louder voice and a cousin closer to her age that she would go and stay with!!
My younger sister and I have a lot of memories of this little town... it was fun to go but more fun to come back to civilization....TV, running water, bikes, telephones not on a party line, cars, town...you get my drift! But when we tell these stories it is hard for people to believe that we experienced what we did.....as even in the '60s, it seemed unusual not to have some of the amenities one gets used to...Looking back now, it was comparable to abject poverty but no one felt that way...we were always welcomed with food and love and as much as we dreaded sleeping over.....we loved to go and visit.

Concert in the park

Saturday we went to a concert in the park.....It is an outdoor area with a covered pavilion and grass for lawn seating...we usually go once a summer and we decided to go with a group I work with..we picked a convenient day...not really paying any attention to who was playing...Everyone that comes is good. We love jazz...and that's what we thought we were going to listen to.....The Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays here in the summer so how bad can it be?
I will pay closer attention next year....I really didn't like
CONGO SQUARE ----it is exactly what you think it is..........
The beating of congo drums and chanting of african somethings....
Opera, ok
classical, ok
rock, ok
jazz, ok
odadahh...not so much....the congo drums gave me quite a headache....
Thank heavens the company was good.

BUNCO!

It has been a few years since I was in a Bunco group....I had never heard of this game until I was asked to join..it really is a fun, easy, relaxing game(especially if there is alcohol involved!). After the kids were out of junior high, the bunco group I was in dispersed. I didn't miss it that much as I also bowl and I was in 2 bridge groups.
Imagine my surprise when the bridge group I am currently in wanted to switch to BUNCO! for the summer instead of bridge...too much thinking in the heat???? not sure why..
Let me just tell you...there are no hard and fast rules in Bunco....not like bowling or bridge where it is pretty hard core and you need some talent or practice...not so in bunco...if you can roll the die you can play bunco and even if you can't...no big deal.
The problem, or at least the problem at tonight's bunco, was which rules do we follow? Because if there is one thing that I can tell you....there are numerous ways to play ...some examples...with 3 or 4 die....keeping track of any of the combinations of wins, loses, high points, low points, BUNCOS!, baby buncos or how many times you are at the Head Table.
I had fun regardless of how we decided to play...my only suggestion was which ever way we decide to play, let's WRITE them down so we remember what we did the NEXT time we play!!!

Black dogs and amusement parks

I am NOT an Amusement Park girl...I get sea sick just thinking of the teacups--forget watching them....but I also have fear of physcis failing as you flip upside down and then the ride breaks and you are UPSIDE down...does not the law of gravity take over?? I am not willing to find out...even if I didn't get seasick watching rides...but when you hear this on the radio
"and in Kentucky, a 13 y/o girl had both her feet sliced off while on the Superman ride.....and they have closed this ride down at 4 other amusement parks....."
Ok....close them ALL down.....and gives me another reason to remember this blog "I knew someone who died that way".
This is one thing my sister and I have in common...the worry factor and the reminders of being careful...I mean...really...we lived with a policeman (dad) while growing up and then all 3 of us went into medicine at some level and you see SO many things that could happen...and do....I remind people that I live off the misfortune of others....husband being a doctor and all ... and there are ALOT of misfortunate people....sheesh...so some safety tips just come naturally...but if this ever happens to me and our
black lab and you read about me on the news...the rest of that story is
"...and the last you saw Clancy was as his owner chased him down the street....."

Blogging world

I started blogging after my little sister convinced me it would be fun.....I wasn't so sure....seemed like a lot of effort for no good reason...
Imagine my surprise to find out that I really enjoyed it! It's nice to know that my family can catch up --or not---on what is happening here...very helpful to the son in Beijing who then remembers WHY he moved to the other side of the world!!!
But really, the same sister has not been blogging for half a year now....she read all my blogs she had missed and was amazed I hadn't mentioned some of the things to her when I had talked to her via the phone....well....that IS why I blog....don't want to repeat or anything!
She has been really busy with many things...not the least she has become a new grandmother, but she was amazed that so many people read my blog....ok, people, to be fair.....not that many!! some people have thousands!! I don't but she was surprised to see so many from around the world.....
I thought that was what blogging was about...go and read and see what's out there, make a comment or 2, they come and read yours and the circle goes on...
I have "met" some wonderful friends thru blogging...blog gal pals, photo bloggers...it has been very fun for me......and I will continue to do so.
I wish I was as witty as some I read and could take pictures like others....
Even though she has given up blogging...and she is very witty with her writing....I will continue to do what I enjoy and hopefully....
I will meet up with some of my gal pals in real life....

One last Chin story.....

When Chin's owner came to see Chin once he was back at camp the first words out of his mouth were:
"OMG Chin is so FAT!"

Hmmmmm and I thought that is what they were supposed to look like.....
Could it be that I wouldn't let him out to run?
Maybe
could it be that Chin became a man chin instead of a baby chin?
Maybe
Could it be that I really don't care?
Darn right.


He is lucky Chin is alive and well....

and I miss the chin just a little bit...how sad is that???

A happy camper

Chin is back at camp with his owner--even though the daughter will still be in charge of him during the summer---
his condo will be gracing his owner's dorm/apartment come the fall......
I am sure the chin is a happy little camper but even if he isn't, I am a happy little camper.
It was worth the 700 miles I drove to give Chin ROOMMATES..He is now sharing his space at camp with:
A gerbil, 2 rats, a hamster and 2 mice who just had 2 babies........
He is the biggest and the NICEST of these and they can all spin their wheels at night and have at it....

Go Chin.