THE BEATINGS HAVE TO STOP !

That would be the self inflicted mental beatings that I punish myself with each and every evening.  I seem to be fine during the day but once night falls I start whupping myself up side my haid with all the garbage I have eaten through out the day and how disgusting I feel, look, AM. Mental brutality is the worst kind and I am quite a pro at it.
Part of the problem is I don't see myself as FAT. I look in the mirror and my eyes see the 20 year old from Oh Soooooooo long ago, with a few more pounds than I would like. I am not seeing the actual 65 year old OBEASE WOMAN. Nothing wrong with my mirror or my eyes, it is the brain that is malfunctioning.
A good example of this was my cousin showing me a picture today. It was a photo of her and her second husband, taken when they were just married and in their late 30's. They were both very attractive people with full dark hair and not an extra ounce of fat on them. Cousin "L" told me she hasn't changed all that much in these past 40 years, maybe a different hair color but other than that she looked the same. I stared at the photo to make sure I was looking at the same picture as she. Then I looked at the white haired 80 year old woman across the table from me and wondered how she could possibly think she still looked like the person in the photo.  But isn't that what I am doing every time I look in the mirror?

I don't know how to break this chain of over eating and then being miserable and then eating because I am upset with myself.  I have fought this for 50 years and still haven't figured it out. Any suggestions ?

CRASHED AND BURNING !

For all "UPS" there has to be a "DOWN" and today is my day.  I am still joyous of the wonderful Christmas we have had but my mental capacity to be kind and generous and just down right NICE is at an all time low.  I need to bash my head against the wall while screaming "GET THE F... OUT OF MY FACE!" to any and all that come within a 20 mile radius of me.
I like to think I am a "GOOD" person and am kind to all. That Catholic up-bringing haunts me daily into trying to be a living model of Jesus. But some times I just have the need to let the devil in and just say and do what ever the hell I am feeling in the moment. I will always have boundaries no matter how nasty I want to be but it still feels good to take down all the filters and flick the Jiminy Cricket off my shoulder and into a pile of shit so he can't be my conscience for a while. That freaking cricket is always in my ear telling me what to say and what to keep inside. The filters that most of relatives don't have are thick as a mattress on me because my mother was famous for just opening her mouth and saying what ever came to mind. Things like, "You're not as fat as you used to be" or "With those hips are you sure you want to wear that?".  Subtlety is not a Helfrich trait and I am half Helfrich, thank you Mom. All those things that I would see and hear growing up stuck in my head and made me swear I would NEVER do or say "THAT". And so I am wound tight as a clock on a day to day basis but every now and then when things have been busy busy busy my spring snaps and I loose it.
Today being that day, in spite of the extra happy pills, I am finding just the breathing of Husband to be nails on a chalk board. Forget breakfast this morning. I though I would leap across the table and slam him with my cup of hot chocolate because of the way he was chewing. If I ever did I probably wouldn't stop till he was dead. That is how bad today is. My kids, especially the youngest, mention things about their dad that "bother" them and I usually tell them to get over it, we are who we are and you can just ignore the annoying things. Today their list is running through my head and I am going to explode rather than ignore. It is like all the worst traits and habits are high-lighted just to make sure I see and hear them.
It would be best for all if I could take a couple of drinks, crawl under the covers and watch a few hundred movies until this mood passes. But even then I know that Husband would be in and out of the bedroom to use the bathroom, get a pair of socks, ask if I wanted anything etc. etc. etc. Even when I tell him that I need SPACE he doesn't hear what I am saying. I guess he has a death wish and today that wish just may come true.
As the plaque on my wall says:

"DEAR LORD: I PRAY FOR THE WISDOM TO UNDERSTAND MY MAN; LOVE TO FORGIVE HIM- PATIENCE FOR HIS MOODS-
BECAUSE, LORD,  IF I PRAYED FOR STRENGTH,  I'D BEAT HIM TO DEATH !"

I sure hope Husband is saying the same prayer cause I just might get beat to death if this mood doesn't pass quickly!

CHRISTMAS GIFTS AND A LUMP OF COAL

Christmas comes in all sorts of ways. Today we received the very best gift of all . . .  a phone call from a long lost friend. This person is so special to our family but he has been lost for a while now. But today we heard from him and it was like the years had fallen away and all the nightmares of the past several years were finally over. This wonderful person has been to hell and back and is now reaching out to us once again. I sat and cried as Ger talked with him on the phone this morning and all the prayers that have been said for him were finally answered. There is not a gift in this world that could have been as precious as that one phone call. There really are Christmas miracles.
But on the flip side, the next phone call was to tell me that one of my NY cousins was in a car/bus accident yesterday and is in the hospital with a broken pelvis and ankle. I had called her yesterday to wish her and her husband a very Merry Christmas. Dutch told me that Barbara had just gone out to get him some medicine for the cough he has and she would call me back when she got home. This morning Dutch called to say that Barbara had not called back because she didn't come home ! She seems to have pulled out in front of a bus that hit her broadside on the drivers side. It totalled her brand new Yaris which saved her life with all it's air bags. She will be spending Christmas in the hospital and New Years in rehab but at least she is alive and well enough to talk on the phone. Christmas miracle #2 !
And our last gift of the day . . . a phone call from Long Island from a friend and her three kids and grandma Josie. Old friends who we have had the joy of watching from birth to adulthood. Each one got on the phone and talked and talked. It was like being with them and sharing their family joy. We got off the phone an hour later feeling like we had just visited with them here in our home.

It is a great time for miracles and gifts this year. Tomorrow Kent, Kristen and Smith will come to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us and I know that will be the icing on a wonderful Christmas cake!

2 DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS

I am starting to get very worried !  I am relaxed and don't have a thousand things to do. In fact Ger and I are looking for things to do.  (Almost passing out at the blood bank today does not count!  I went to give platelets again today and for what ever reason got 10 minutes from the end and got all woozy and felt awful. Thank goodness Ger was there to meet me for lunch so I had him to watch out for me. Feeling much better tonight!)
Because Keri and Kyle won't be here for Christmas this year there is no running to the airport, baking and cooking for days and cleaning like a crazy woman. This year it is just the little man, Smith, with his mom and dad and I am actually enjoying the holidays quite a bit more. I LOVE having the whole family here but this is kind of nice too. Smith's gifts are all under the tree and we are ready for our little angel to make his appearance. Last I heard they were coming on Christmas Eve but that could change.
I hope you are all having as enjoyable a preamble to Christmas as we are.  We'll be running again before we know it but for now it is nice and calm.
Merry Christmas every one!

MIDNIGHT MASS

WE went to Midnight mass today at 11 AM.  As usual the bishop said a beautiful mass and gave an inspiring homily. The mass is one that is videoed for all the people who are shut-in and cannot attend mass on Christmas. Each year the parish asks the parishioners to dress up in their Sunday best and come celebrate "Midnight Mass" on a Monday morning. The cathedral is all decorated for the holiday and all the people are filled with the joy of Christmas, . . . a week early.
Yesterday Ger and I spent the day baking Christmas goodies. We experimented with some new things and managed to produce some really good treats. (There goes the diet!) I made 2 different quiches for Christmas weekend so Kent and Kristen won't starve to death while waiting for dinner.  It will only be the 5 of us but like Thanksgiving there will be more food than necessary.
In the middle of the baking extravaganza yesterday Kent, Kristen and Smith arrived.  They had been away for the weekend and had left Mookie the dog here with us. They were on their way home and stopped to get the dog. Smith had napped for the 3 hour drive so he was wide awake and ready to spend some fun time with grandma and grandpa. We rolled around on the floor for a while and chewed on all the Christmas stuffed animals that I have around the living room. Smith is now making more noises and always has a great big smile for his grandparents. I had crocheted a little hat and scarf for Smith, more as a joke because living in South Florida there really isn't much need for hats and scarves. Lucky for Smith it has been COLD here and he was very happy to have a nice warm hat to wear home.
And so the count down to the REAL Christmas continues. I feel like Kaelin . . .

                                      I SOOOOO  ESSCITED !

CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS

We just celebrated our second Christmas of this season and it isn't even December 20th yet !
Our first Christmas was last week with Kaelin up in Maryland.  That was fantastic and I didn't think it could get much better than that.  Then today we got a Skype call from England and we celebrated all over again with Kyle and his family. Because the kids are off for 2 weeks over there the English Lawlor's will be celebrating Christmas day (week) in the French Alps, at/on Mt. Blanc*, skiing. Since they will not be at home in Windsor on the 25th of December they celebrated Christmas today, complete with a foot of snow on the ground. Kyle said the kids were super excited and were up at dawn. Then when they realized it was starting to snow the day became even better.  Abby and Roman exchanged gifts and  spend the morning playing. (Kyle and Bridget's gift from us was a new set of luggage for all their European travels so they spent the morning packing.)  By noon Kyle said there was a foot of snow on the ground so the afternoon was spent playing in the snow.  Who knew they could have stayed in Windsor for skiing?
The family called us around 3 this afternoon US time. It was nearly 8 there and they were winding down for the day. It had been a wonderful Christmas for them and we had just as great a time hearing all about it. The Play Dough Fun Factory was a HUGE hit with Abby and the Ninja Zhu Zhu Hamster and armor was just what Roman wanted. When Abby and Roman exchanged gifts and she got a Zhu Zhu Hamster Boat and Roman got a Radio Controlled Car so they had a great time with "hamsters" flying and floating all over the place.
Aunt Kristen and Uncle Kent did a great job sending the kids crafts. We got to see the finished products of Abby's "Make a Doll" and Roman's Plaster Buzz Light Year that he had to create and then paint.  Both crafts were awesome and the kids were very proud of their accomplishments.
By now they are sound asleep and dreaming of their first Christmas as a family. Kyle said Roman was so excited he was shaking! Last year at this time he was just getting to meet the family for the first time when he came to the USA as a visitor. And now he is part of a most wonderfully amazing family.
GOD BLESS US EVERYONE !

*When Ger and I got married we traveled through Europe for 6 weeks and one of our most memorable stops was Mt. Blanc. We never thought then that our grandchildren would be skiing there.

WANT TO SEE A CUTE KID ?

I promised a picture of Kaelin and her new hat !  It's a toss up as to which one she will wear the most.  Hat #1 was crocheted by grandma.  Hat #2 was brought to Kaelin from New Orleans by her daddy. I think she likes his the best!  What a silly girl.  I was lucky to get the picture of the hat I made her because we were heading out to kid fit and she was ready to GO !  No time for pictures, silly grandma, let's get going.  As for the cheesy picture in daddy's hat, Kaelin thought she was looking just fine so she was ready to pose for the rest of the night.

As you can see we had lots of things going on while in Maryland. Tree trimming, family photos at
Kaelin's church, and most important of all . . .
BAKING COOKIES !  Cookie baking can't get
any easier than these cookies. We just opened the
box, took out the frozen cookies and baked them.

Trimming the Tree

Kaelin did add some sprinkles of her own but it really wasn't necessary.  We had a great time and Kaelin loved eating them as much as she loved making them.

 

MARYLAND SLEEPING SICKNESS

This is a  medical alert for residents and travelers in the state of Maryland. I fear that grandpa has brought the Florida sleeping sickness to the state of Maryland and I need to warn all the wives and mothers out there. This is a horrific disease that only effects men. The older they are the worse the disease seems to effect them. Ger contracted  this illness ten years ago when he retired. It usually attacks around mid day and can last for hours at a time. On some occasions it will fell its victim right after they get up for the day and does not subside until bed time. It seems that the cold and rain in Maryland has accelerated the virus because Ger has been doing nothing but sitting on the couch sleeping. Kaelin attempts to wake him and engage him in play but he finds it impossible to rouse from the stupor. Beware because with the Christmas season just a few weeks away I imaging many more dads and grandpas will fall prey to this dreaded malady.

Do you need to know any more about our Christmas trip to Maryland?  I have been having a great time with Kaelin.  We are getting into just about every toy in the entire house and having great fun making huge  messes. Steve has been away in New Orleans for the past 4 days at a meeting so we have had full run of the house. We have baked Christmas cookies and we have eaten Christmas cookies. We have wrapped gifts and we have opened gifts. We have read a bunch of books and watched every Christmas special that has been on for the past month. (Thanks to the DVR) Rudolph happens to be the favorite !
Kaelin is growing up even more than the last time we saw her in October. She talks non stop and has discovered the words "NO" and "I Don't Want To".  But she does not throw a fit when she looses the NO battle. She will argue the point for a bit but if we stick to our plan she gives in.  It has been cold here so grandma crocheted her a hat. (pictures to follow once I get home.) and a scarf. Kaelin wore the hat once but it kept falling over her eyes so that was the end of that. I have since fixed that problem but she just won't put it back on her head. The scarf she loves because it matches her new coat. (So does the hat but that doesn't matter.) On Friday Kaelin, grandpa and I went to kid fit for some exercise and then home for lunch and a nap. Come nap time Kaelin insisted she wasn't tired and grandma gave in and let her stay up. Grandpa was already back to sleep on the couch. Kaelin and I played kitchen in her room where she has the best play kitchen in the world along with some really fun play foods. At one point Kaelin decided to bring Grandpa a "potato chip". It really does look like a chip but it is plastic. Unfortunately Grandpa was half asleep and thought the chip was real. Grandpa will be visiting the dentist next week to fix his broken tooth. Grandma had to do a wash after peeing my pants from laughing.

Speaking of peeing,  that is the other big event in Kaelin's life. Potty training is under way and will come to a grand push over Christmas vacation when Keri and Steve can both focus on it. Kaelin has the idea and does go on the potty some times but it isn't a done deal yet. Grandpa had a hard time getting into the thrill of clapping hands when ever Kaelin successfully peed on the potty. I had hoped he would take some lessons along with her and learn how to pee IN the potty and not near or on it. 41 years of marriage and I haven't been able to accomplish that. Good luck to Keri and Steve.

GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS WITH HUSBAND

GER: Should we decorate for Christmas?
CATH: Sure.
Ger:  Where are the decorations ?
C:  In the garage.
Ger:  Where in the garage?
C:  In the boxes.
Ger:  Which boxes?
C: The ones that say "Christmas" on them.
Ger finds the boxes and brings in just one after I ask him NOT to bring them all in at once. He opens the first box, takes something out and says, "Where does this go?"

Three days later I have taken numerous "Happy Pills" and managed not to kill him.  He does not understand why I am "In A Mood".  But all is out and that is done.  Now we can move on to wrapping gifts.

GER: Do you want me to wrap some gifts?
Cath: Sure.
Ger: Which gifts?
I give him a pile of gifts.
Ger: What paper should I use?
I give him the paper.
Ger:  Where are the scissors?
I give him the scissors.
Ger: Where is the .........................................

DOES ANYONE HAVE SOME EGG NOG TO WASH THESE HAPPY PILLS DOWN ?

RELAX !

Husband just walked out the door and the word "RELAX" was his parting word to me. ( This was said to me as I had been running around collecting all the things that he needed to take with him on his trip to the dentist and post office.) As the door shut my BP dropped 20 points, my shoulders relaxed and the tension in my neck fell away. Not because he told me to relax but because he went out the door for hopefully 2 hours.
Husband and I have been doing very well. I have been trying very hard to change my behavior and attitudes toward the man I have been married to for 41 years. And it is working ! We are laughing a lot more and doing more things together but every so often it is healing to have some alone time IN THE HOUSE. That seems to be the major complaint of most women. "I just want some time to myself AT HOME to do what I want to do." This is not a criticism of husband, it is just a need that we women have to putter, sing, sit, and think without the TV on in the back ground. We need some uninterrupted time where we don't have to stop what we are doing to find husband's glasses, make husband's lunch or "Come see THIS!" on the TV.
THE QUIET !  I love the quiet ! I can THINK ! I can hear the washer running, the pool pump is soothing, the hum of the air filter. AHHHHHHHHH !  It is so soothing I want to just lie down and enjoy the peace and quiet but it is also such treasured time that I can get so much done. So my blood pressure will rise and my neck and shoulders will tense and I will be a lunatic by the time husband comes home because I didn't get anything done.
Poor Husband, He just can't win !

TOWELS

Since when did towels become decorations ?  I always thought you bought towels to dry things with. Bath towels for your body, hand towels for your hands, dish towels for the dishes. But all that is changing.
Tonight I was hanging up the BEAUTIFUL Christmas towels that my sister-in-law, Joan, gave me last year as a Christmas gift. These towels are the nicest towels I have ever owned and I would smack anyone who dared use them on their grimy bodies. I mean, we are talking works of art ! (The towels, not the bodies.) I had forgotten about the towels until we started emptying the boxes full of Christmas decorations. Right there it shows you that I consider these towels decorations and not utilitarian items. If I had planned on keeping them out to USE they would be stuffed in the hall closet along with the other thread bare pieces of cloth that we use for drying. Maybe that is part of the problem. These towels are NEW, where as all my other towels are at least 30 years old. Who goes out and buys new towels (or sheets) when you have a closet full of perfectly serviceable* ones.  (*anything that has less than 3 rips or 5 holes)
Anyway, I folded the new Christmas towels, hung them on the towel bar in the guest bathroom and they look wonderful. But if we have guests I will put folded towels on the bed for them to use because the ones in the bathroom are just for decoration. HOW SILLY !  At least we have hangers in back of the bathroom door for our guests to hang their wet towels. The first time I stayed over night at my other sister-in-law's house on Long Island I had no idea what to do with my wet towel. Ann Marie's bathroom is FILLED with beautiful towels.  There are pink floral ones on one hanger, green ones on another hanger and hand towels galore on little racks all over the bathroom.  But they are all for decoration! So when you take a shower there is no where to hang your wet towel. I finally settled on hanging it on the closet door in the guest bedroom.
I guess we are pretty silly when it comes to practical and pretty. Pretty wins out more often than not so that when people come to our homes they see an illusion. As long as they are looking at the illusion instead of the dust that's fine with me.  

OH THE HORROR

The world has come to an end for Ger !  We got a new remote control for the TV and it is beyond Husband's ability to figure out. To tell you the man is technologically challenged is not even coming close to describing him. He has difficulty turning on a light switch, never mind working this new clicker.
The cable company in our area is going High Def or something and it will require all of us dinosaurs to get a new cable box. That alone set Ger into spasms ! He read the letter and promptly handed it to me and told me I "need to take care of this!". No biggie, I deal with issues like this a hundred times a day. I read the letter, went on line and ordered the necessary boxes. Being very smug while patting myself on the back I figured I had this covered. Several days latter the carton arrived bearing 3 smaller packages containing new cable boxes. Thinking it would just be a matter of plugging the damn things in I didn't even bother to look at them. (The cable company made it sound like a blind monkey could hook these things up while playing a fiddle and eating a banana.) Then Thanksgiving was coming and I was busy with cleaning and cooking so when our youngest child arrived with his family to stay for a couple of days I figured I'd get Kent to hook these boxes up and we'd be good to go. TWO DAYS LATER AND AT LEAST FIVE CALLS TO COMCAST Kent was ready to kill his mother and toss the cable boxes out the window. God Bless the boy, he stuck with it and did indeed get the @%$#%*$ things hooked up and working.
That was the easy part . . . now we have to give Husband the NEW clicker and teach him how to use it without screwing up all the work that Kent has done. On a good day Husband has trouble with the regular clicker that has an  ON/OFF button, a second button for the sound and a third button for changing the channel. If I ask him to turn the sound up or down ONE CLICK he pounces on the clicker like a rat on cheese and smashes at the button until the sound is totally blasting or completely off. (This is how Husband handles EVERYTHING in his life . . . all  or nothing,  black or white.)
So now we have a new clicker that has LOTS AND LOTS of buttons. I could see the sweat starting to form on his fore head. At first he wouldn't even look at the clicker. He told Kent to give it to me and I could figure it out. (OH JOY, I FINALLY get a chance to make the TV decisions!) But then Husband thought about that and decided he really could not sit in front of the TV without the clicker in his possession. It was like taking a pacifier from a baby. Kent very patiently tried to show Ger how to use this new remote but I could see by the blank look on Ger's face that this was not going well. Husband finally gave his son the old standard "Yeh, yeh,  I'll figure it out later" speech and that was that. Two days later Husband has still not gotten it figured out nor will he let go of the remote so we are watching what ever happens to be on channel 9.
Thank God the clicker wasn't left on the Fox News station !

GOBBLE-BURP-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz

And how was your Thanksgiving ?  This title of todays blog pretty much sums up how our day went!   It was wonderful and relaxing and just plain Nice !  We had way too much food, what's new? We had lots of time to relax and even take a swim in the community pool. Smith thought that was pretty great and he really enjoyed  the water. The turkey was delicious, the mashed potatoes were creamy and Kristen's 7 Layer Bars for dessert were as sinful as anything but sooooooo delicious. We can diet tomorrow.
Last night we all fell into bed at 9, Smith at 8 and slept like we were dead. Smith was up for his 2 evening bottles but I never heard a thing. This morning the little man came in to wake me at 8:30 and it is the best wake up call ever.  Abby and Kaelin have perfected the art of waking up grandma and now Smith is in training to join their ranks. We all just ate our way through the morning and then went out for lunch around 12:30 with hopes of going to a wild life preserve after that. The weather was warm but very cloudy for the day and we were taking bets that it would rain but it never did. Lunch was a success at the Dune Dog, a shack of a place that has great food and you get to eat outside on picnic benches. The place was mobbed but we finally got a spot after a short wait. Smith didn't mind the wait at all because there was so much to watch. He, like Kaelin, is a true Lawlor when it comes to being nosey and watching people. The little guy just had a ball looking all around. And if that wasn't enough we continued on to the Busch Wildlife Preserve in Jupiter to check out all the animals. Little man had not napped for at least two hours and we really thought he would nod off while walking through the park. Smith had other plans. As nosey as he was at lunch he was twice as nosey looking at the trees, animals and people at the preserve. We saw lots of birds, an alligator, a beautiful Florida panther and the newest addition, 2 Florida Black Bears. I don't know how many of these Smith got to see from his stroller but he had a great time. Kent and Kristen had just as good a time if not better. They kept saying how much they liked the place so I'm sure we'll be going again.
After such a great day out side we decided to treat ourselves to Maine lobsters for dinner. (Does it get any better than this?) We ordered them from a market close by and had them cooked and cracked. Ger picked them up and we all stuffed our selves as badly as we had the day before.

And now comes the winding down part. Smith is asleep for the night, we hope. He was exhausted. I think we will all follow close behind and be ready for a new day tomorrow. The kids will probably hit the road before noon so they can get home and get some things done before their 4 day weekend is totally shot and their waist lines explode. Kent is already swearing that he is not eating another thing for the rest of the year. Kristen was so happy that she had finally gotten into her pre-pregnant jeans but now that is pretty much a thing of the past. But that's what holidays are for.  Family, food and fun and we had all three so I'd say we had the perfect Thanksgiving this year. Relaxed and Restful with lots of LOVE !

GOBBLE GOBBLE

It's the day before Thanksgiving and all through my kitchen
Things are a mess and I am just bitchin'.
The potatoes won't cook and the jello is sticky,
The turnips are burned and the corn is just icky.

The cook started drinking about quarter to one
With hopes that Mojito's would make all this fun.
But its all worth the fuss and the mess and the grievin'
Cause this is the start of the holiday season.

And tomorrow when family arrives at our door,
(Even though legs and back are aching and sore),
We'll thank God for our blessings of family and friend
And wish that these days never come to an end.


YEP, it's Thanksgiving already and I am ready !  Ger and I spent the morning getting set for tomorrow so we can spend the time with Smith when he arrives. This is the little man's first family holiday and we want to make it special.  The fact that he is 4 months old does not factor in to this. It is still exciting. HOlidays are for kids! NO matter what age they are.  The "kids" are staying over night so we will have lots of time to pig out on turkey left overs. (I bought a 20 pound turkey just for that reason.) It's as easy to cook a 20 pound turkey as it is to cook a 10  pound one so what the hey. Kristen will come up and help me make the finishing touches to dinner. She is a HUGE help in the kitchen and we get to drink and gossip at the same time. We'll all be thinking of Kaelin, Keri and Steve in Maryland having a TRUDUCKEN for dinner with Steve's family. Last year they had a deep fried turkey. This year they are having a turkey stuffed with a duck that is stuffed with a chicken. Sounds delicious !  We will just have plain old turkey here.  Then there are the English Lawlor's who won't even have turkey. Not that the English celebrate Thanksgiving any way but when Bridget checked out the prices of turkeys they decided to have something else. English turkeys apparently are a rare breed and cost a small fortune. Hot dogs work fine!
Speaking of the English Lawlor's . . . we got a Christmas card from them because Abby wanted to send Grandma and Grandpa their card early to make sure we got it. She bought a card especially for us and it is a keeper that we will treasure. There is a school picture of Roman enclosed in the card but none of Abby. It seems that school pictures were taken when Abby had Shingles so she missed out on that. Roman's picture is wonderful! He is one great looking kid who is looking really really happy.

Enough loafing around, (I need a refill on the mojito).    HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!
 Don't forget to thank God for all the blessings we have. We couldn't do it without Him. (HER)

EATING BY EAR

I'm sure you have heard of people who can play a musical instrument "by ear". Husband chooses his food "by ear". It's quite an amazing art to behold. Just ask him if he would like some squash and his answer is ALWAYS "NO". It could be any sort of squash and his answer will always be the same. Ask "why" he doesn't eat squash and he will tell you it is because it "sounds funny". Has Husband ever eaten squash? NO!  Has Husband ever tasted squash? NO! And the reason is because the name "squash" SOUNDS funny. What ever you do don't ask Husband if he wants some Egg Plant. This is a vegetable that Husband will not try now or ever because; "It sounds like something that will grow in your stomach". How a vegetable name that is made up of two simple words, "egg" & "plant"comes off sounding like something that will grow in your stomach is beyond me but that is what he says.  I'm not sure what it is about asparagus that "sounds" funny to him but he won't go near those either. Brussels Sprouts are also a "No No" because Husband doesn't like the sound of the word "SPROUTS". That also goes for alfalfa sprouts and bean sprouts. The man could be starving to death and he will still not eat these foods because of the way their names sound. How Weird is That ?

Certainly no stranger than me writing a blog about it.

Just How I Am Feeling

I LOVE THIS CARTOON !   It is my motto now and forever.  Just when I think I have it all straight in my head the ship sails without me.

Actually life is GREAT these days, even if I miss the boat every so often. We have had a busy week, a good week and the weather has now cooled down again, now that the AC is FINALLY fixed. The 4 hottest days of the season happened this week while our NEW air conditioner still wasn't working. Guy came on Friday and the temps dropped. The down side of the cooler temperatures is that the pool is cool. We have a pool that is not heated. (We only have to walk 100 yards to the community pool that IS heated), but I prefer to brave the chilly 72 degree water in the back yard to do my aerobics. It is a great incentive to move a lot faster !
Tuesday afternoon was the first yoga class and it was all that I had hoped it would be. It is rather odd that the "Queen of Sleep" is studying relaxation but it really is quite wonderful. Stretching and relaxing all in one wonderful hour. I can't wait for this next weeks session. When I booked our quickie trip to Maryland to see Kaelin in early December I booked it to leave on a Wednesday and return on a Monday so I don't miss any sessions. The trip to England in January will cause me to miss a couple of classes but Abby is worth it !
Yep, we're on the road again . . . a pre Christmas trip to Kaelin because she and her family will stay home this year. I think it is great for them (and me too, actually) but I will miss them. Ger made the mistake of saying we could take a trip to see Kaelin before Christmas if we wanted. (He had forgotten we were just there in late October. His lousy memory works in my favor every so often.) That was all it took and I was on line checking out flights.
Then there was the email from England mentioning that Abby had asked K & B if Ger and I could come for her birthday in January. The flight is booked and the suitcase will be packed as soon as it is emptied of the Maryland stuff.
As for Thanksgiving we will have our little man Smith here with his parents, who hopefully are fully recovered from their food poisoning (?) /virus (?) of early this week. They have both been back to work for the latter part of the week and Kristen is talking about making her famous 7 LAYER BARS for Thanksgiving so I guess they are feeling better.
Now I just have to get the menu set in my head for turkey day, go shopping, start cooking and baking and we'll be all set.
I sure do wish I had caught that boat before it sailed without me.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH

I have just wasted the past hour and a half fighting the computers. Not just one computer but TWO computers. (That's what I get for having 2 computers. I get no sympathy there.) I can't even tell you how the day got away from me. It started off pretty good and all of a sudden it is 3 in the afternoon and I haven't gotten a single thing done except raise my blood pressure and undo all the good that yoga did me yesterday afternoon.  I am one Valium away from smashing my head into the nearest wall. And so I will blog! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  feeling better already.
It's been an interesting couple of days. On Sunday afternoon we went to a great Mexican restaurant in Boca called Uncle Julio's. Food was fantastic and the atmosphere was wonderful. It was a balmy Florida evening, Smith was a real Happy Guy who fell asleep just as dinner arrived and we had a lovely time. WE were celebrating Kristen's birthday on Monday and we were all in a festive mood.
Monday morning the shit hit the fan . . . literally for Kent and Kristen. We got a phone call from the "K's" asking how we were feeling because both Kent and Kristen had been up ALL night spewing from both ends. SICK AS DOGS was the term used by them. I offered to come down to take care of Smith for the day because Ger and I were fine. We had all eaten the same foods so we don't know if it was food poisoning or a "BUG" but what ever it was it had done them in. By noon Smith and I were wiping down his house with Lysol and Purel"ing" ourselves to try to ward off what ever this was. We spent a good part of the day outside with Mookie the dog, who seems to think that I come to visit just to play ball with her. I stayed over night and Smith got in some good grandma time. He was a SUPER good boy and when I left on Tuesday everyone was doing better.
It was a toss up to stay in the house of vomit or return to my house of heat. Our NEW AC is still not working and the temperatures in South Florida are rising. The house is a wonderfully clammy 89 degrees this afternoon so when the computer started fighting me I was in no mood to put up with it's crap. These damn machines are just that, machines. When I am typing on the Apple and it is correcting my spelling as I go along I forget that it doesn't have a brain. But then when I want to find or do something and don't know exactly how to get to where I want to go and the computer just sits there blinking it little cursor at me I want to scream.
But now that I am venting all is falling into place. The phone (that was out for 4 days but is now fixed) rang and it was the AC guys saying they should have the part for the NEW AC by tomorrow morning so we should have cool air by tomorrow afternoon.
See, patience is a virtue ! My mother always told me to learn the art of patience and all would be well. The wall AC unit in the garage is working fine, I'll get straightening up this mess out here so I can then bring the mess from inside into this space and there will a nice neat house, clean clothes in the washer and maybe even dinner on the table. Or maybe I'll just have a drink ! I have a bucket of Mojitos in the freezer left from when Jeanne and Lynne were here last week. Maybe I should just call it quits and relax for the rest of the day.

FREEZING !

I know, I know,  72 degrees is NOT freezing. But I am sitting here with the wind blowing through the bedroom and it is chilly ! Especially since I am sitting here in a wet bathing suit. (Now you REALLY feel bad for me don't you?) Today was water aerobics at 10 AM and the pool was cool. Only 82 degrees! But after 5 minutes we had warmed ourselves up and had a good hour of wonderful exercise under clear blue skies.
It's a good thing it is cool in Florida because we are having AC problems. It has been wonderfully cool for the past week so all the windows are open and the balmy breezes are blowing through. (It is also a great way to dust. The wind just blows the dust off everything!) Because the temperature has been dropping from our summer highs of 90 degrees and 300% humidity we thought it would be a good time to replace the air handler up in our attic. It is 30 years old and the AC company that services it every couple of months has been mentioning that it is on it's way out. That and the ducts really needed replacing. (Remember the other twelve thousand things that we have been replacing in this house? Just add the AC to the list.)  SO, Friday was AC work day. Ger and I both had our fingers crossed after our debacles with the windows and the bathroom shower. The guys arrived early, got right to work and left in the mid afternoon. All seemed to be doing great, UNTIL . . .  just as the installer was leaving he mentioned that they had run into a small problem. The "tech" guy would be arriving shortly to fix it  and then all would be set. HA  HA HA  !  "Tony the tech" arrived around 5 PM, climbed around the attic for a while and announced that all was fixed but that he ran out of freon so that 2 guys would be arriving in the morning with more freon.      HUM . . .
Here we go again?  Is this another "window" job ?
 Let me also stop here to mention that while the installers were working in the attic in the afternoon there was a loud "POP" and all the electric in the house went off for a split second. The computer, TV, clocks and what ever.  We didn't think anything of this until Tony had left for the evening and we realized our house phone did not work. (3 calls to AT&T and their tech guy is coming on Monday morning to fix the phones. Maybe!)
Sure enough, the 2 fellows arrived this morning, closer to noon, and up they went into the attic. An hour later they informed us they had to order a part and would be back on Monday. As Ger pointed out, "Isn't this a NEW unit?" Yep, it is, but you know how every one in a hundred has a problem and we just happened to get THAT unit. Not only is this just plain silly but the one worker today spent at least 15 minutes sharing his health problems with me. I got way too much information about his stomach and bowels and way too little help in fixing the AC.
BOTTOM LINE . . .   I sure am glad I am freezing. Cause if it was Hot and Humid I would be one really pissed off Floridian.

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION

Now that Command Central has to the bedroom I am not getting as many evenings to write. I moved the new Apple in here because I didn't want it in the garage where the temperature and humidity can get pretty bad. I thought I would baby this new piece of technology and bring it into the air conditioned comfort of the house. The kitchen wasn't private enough, as was the living room and den. The guest bed room wouldn't work because there are usually guests in there. So the master bed room became its home. Trouble is, Husband also resides in this room and he doesn't like computers. Not only does he not like computers, he HATES blogs. I could spend an hour listing the adjectives he has used in describing blogs but that would take too much of my precious time. At the moment he is in the shower so I have just so long to write before my most severe critic arrives. And if you think he hates blogs in general, don't get him started on the blogs of other family members!

I thought that I would get up in the mornings and sit at the computer for an hour to write, pay bills and check out mail but I know that if I sit down I will be here most of the day and there are just too many things to do. Sharon often wonders how I find so much to do but I am never in fear of being bored. There is always a closet to straighten out or a room to rearrange. Today I found out that you can't have blood taken for tests the day after you donate platelets. So that means that on Monday I have to go out again to the lab. Never a dull moment in my life.

Princess Jeanne has been in FL for the past 10 days and I have had the great joy of spending time with her. It's not the same as when Sharon joins us for a "Girls" time out but it is just great being in her company.

Then we had Lynne from NY come down this past weekend to spend some time with us looking for a condo. She started looking in the Jacksonville area only to realize that South Florida is much more tropical. And that's where I live so she would have the best of all worlds. She hasn't decided on anything but she is getting closer to making a decision. There sure is a lot to choose from these days. Prices are at an all time low and the properties are ripe for the picking.

OhOh . . . shower's over, I'll try to get myself back to writing more often. I think there are only 2 of you out there who actually check on this blog but I am feeling guilty for leaving you with nothing to read. But then again, that is probably a blessing in disguise.

NEW BLOG

Don't faint, it's really me! Once again we have been traveling and so the blog has been put on hold. This time it was a road trip to Maryland to see two and a half year old Kaelin. That was the focus of the trip but we had a few side trips tied in. We hadn't seen Kaelin in 2 months and even though we have baby Smith living just 45 minutes away I still need my little girl fix.

Ger and I left here on a Monday and drove to MD with one overnight stop in Georgia some place right off Route 95. We had left later in the day on Monday so we stopped early with plans to take 2 nights to get to our daughters. For two old goats we do enjoy driving and the ride is quite pleasant when there isn't too much traffic. The ride was so easy this trip we arrived in MD in time for dinner on Tuesday.

The best part of these trips to Maryland is the WELCOMING COMMITTEE. As we pulled in Keri's driveway and tooted the horn the front door flew open and a whirl wind with curly blond hair, that can only be compared to our daughter when she was little, came flying out the door yelling at the top of her lungs "GRANDMA ! GRANDMA! GRANDMA!" I think Kaelin was happy to see us. She jumped into my arms and I got the biggest, bestest HUG that lasted all of 5 minutes. Boy can that little girl make my day!

For the next 6 days we spent every waking minute together. We went to "Kid Fit", the library and art. Granny is the official library goer with Kaelin but this week they invited grandpa and I to join them. There was one mom there with a 5 year old, a 3 year old and 9 month old twins. Granny, grandpa and I were all there for one little girl and this poor woman was managing 4 kids. We did end up giving her some help holding one of the twins and then carrying the child out to her car when story hour was over.

We had a great time and we gave Steve the opportunity to get a lot done while we took care of Kaelin. Have I mentioned what a great "Stay At Home" Dad he is? Keri and Steve even got an opportunity to go out for dinner to celebrate Keri's birthday. While they were out Kaelin, grandpa and I got busy making a birthday cake for mommy. Kaelin has a cake decorating book for kids that she carries around with her in the hopes that someone will suggest they bake. Kaelin had decided that Mommy needed a RACE TRACK cake. It was a bit of a stretch for us but we gave it a good try. Mommy was impressed and that's what counts. And what it lacked in looks it made up for in taste.

When we left MD on Tuesday of the following week I managed not to cry but I think Kaelin was on the verge of tears. The girls in this family all take after me and cry EVERY TIME we say, "good-bye". It's always harder when we aren't sure when we will see each other again. This Christmas Kaelin is staying in MD to start her own traditions and Abby and Roman will be skiing in the French Alps. We are very happy for all of them but it will be strange for us.

Did I mention that Abby and Roman and their family left England last week and went spent the week long school holiday in Paris at Euro Disney? They even got to wear their Halloween costumes to the park!

Anyway, from MD we traveled south with a drop down to visit friends in Wilmington, NC. What a great time we had for 2 1/2 days with Jerry and Nancy. We toured the area with a special stop at a NC aquarium right on the coast. The aquarium was also celebrating Halloween with some special exhibits as you can see from the photo. We took a pass on the Bobbing for Apples.

After leaving Wilmington we made one more stop at the Kennedy Space Center which was a delightful surprise! We had been there almost 30 years ago and things have changed quite a bit. We had a great time for over 6 hours there before we had to move on for the last leg of our journey home. After all, Smith was waiting for us and when we got to see him yesterday he had GROWN even more in the 2 weeks we were away. Not only that but he has learned to smile and has the beginnings of a great laugh! He is just the cutest 3 month old if I do say so myself.

And now that we are back . . . ? It's business as usual except for Jeanne having arrived from NY

for 2 weeks at her condo and Lynne arriving on Friday for a long weekend of condo hunting. We are slowly bringing all our Northern friends to the South. It just gets better and better.

In closing, words from our priest on Sunday . . . GO OUT AND ADD TO THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD ! I couldn't have said it better myself.

YAWN

Grandma is tired ! But it is the good kind of tired. The kind of tired that you get from playing with a two and a half year old for a week.
We are in Maryland playing with Kaelin, spoiling her and messing up her schedule just enough so that it will take mom and dad a week to get her back to normal. We are having a GREAT time ! We got to go to Kid Fit on Friday, shopping on Thursday, and tomorrow is Art! This little person has a better social life than I do. I am missing out on water aerobics and pilates back in Florida but am getting as much, if not more, activity and exercise playing with Kaelin. We are up and down off the floor 100 times a day. Yesterday we ran around the yard kicking soccer balls and chasing leaves. Today I even got to spend time with Kaelin's mommy and go shopping with my daughter who I don't get to see all that often. What a joy it is to see this amazing young woman raising such a fantastic little girl. Keri and Steve are incredible parents and we are so proud of them.
But our stay comes to an end on Tuesday when we will start the drive back to Florida by way of North Carolina. Husband has friends living in Wilmington so we will stop there and visit for a day or two. It is always hard to leave Kaelin and her parents but we will be back to visit again before too long if can't talk them into coming to Florida. It is going to be a strange holiday season this year. Kyle and his family will be in England for Christmas and Thanksgiving. Keri and her family are staying in Maryland for both holidays so I guess I will just have to focus on our newest little man, Smith and spoil him to pieces for the holidays. Too bad he is only 3 months old and won't know what the heck is going on.

AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

Thank you Father Tom for this great thought. At mass today the homily was about being thankful for all we have. Even when it seems like we have nothing there is always something to be thankful for. Not feeling well today? At least you are alive! Bad hair day, at least you have hair. Kids driving you nuts, be thankful for them. They are a most precious gift.

And speaking of precious gifts . . . Ger and I were blessed with being able to take care of Baby Smith for 24 hours while his mom and dad got some much needed R&R. Ger and I drove down to Smith's house yesterday afternoon and sent K&K off for a night out in an ocean front room at a local hotel. And Smith and Grandma and Grandpa got to do some serious bonding. The little man is an angel and we had a fantastic time. We took Mookie the dog for 2 long walks around the neighborhood. Smith was very nosey on the first walk. The second walk put him right to sleep for a marathon 2 hour nap. Ger and I got to do some gardening while Smith snoozed in his stroller and we all slept like babies last night. Smith actually slept for 5 hours for one stretch so grandma got her beauty sleep also.

Smith is now 3 months old and is developing a personality along with an awareness of everything around him. He is fascinated with the mobile on his swing and thought his grandpa was the funniest thing he had seen in a long time. He spent a lot of time staring at me and smiling. Probably laughing at the "shot at and hit" look that I usually wear when babysitting. But what ever it was that caught his fancy, he liked it a lot and was a joy to be with.

As for mom and dad . . . they had trouble sleeping. I guess they just missed their little man too much. I think they should give it another try some time real soon!

Getting back to Father Tom and his sermon . . . THANK YOU GOD FOR THIS AMAZING GIFT OF FAMILY . . . ESPECIALLY GRAND KIDS !

Bats and Bathrooms Take Time

Our house is out to get us! I love my house, as I have said before, B U T . . . this is getting just plain silly. Just when we think we are done with "problems"/repairs along comes another surprise. Now, granted, if we would just leave well enough alone we would be OK but who can do that? Half the joy of having your own home is making it yours by adding your own touches.

The BATS did not add anything to our house except guano. But then, they came with the house so we really can't blame them on anything we did. The whole bat episode occurred about a year after we moved in. We were as surprised as anyone that we had bats in the eves of the house. Not only did we have bats (we are talking BATS . . . over a hundred of the little guys had taken up residence) but the bats had bats. Baby bats that is. And you cannot get rid of big bats until after August 15th (or some day in August) because baby bats are born in the summer and have to be given time to mature enough to fly away in the night before the house is sealed up. Heaven forbid we seal up some bats in our attic because they would then DIE and ROT and SMELL ! Bottom line, the bat project took us well over 3 months to complete.

Next, we move on to the WINDOW PROJECT. We decided to replace all the windows in our house. How long should replacing 17 windows take? A week? Two weeks? A month? How about 6 months! Let's just say that Bella Window company is the world's WORST window company! The owner took the measurements and measured 6 windows wrong. He ordered frosted windows for the garage and clear windows for the bathroom, just the opposite of what we wanted. He never got a building permit and work had to be stopped until he applied for one. The contractors he had doing the job were not listed in the contract and had to stop mid job to change contractors. It was a nightmare of blue tarps and plywood that just went on and on.

So you would think we would learn! Oh No, not us! What can we possible screw up next? (If Ger was doing the work, perish the thought, it would be expected to have all these problems. But these are "reputable" companies. Or so we thought.)

On to the bathroom shower project. Our bathroom is a mix of white and chocolate brown tile. (House was built in the 70's. That explains a lot.) It is actually not bad looking and the brown floor does hide all sorts of nasty dirt. BUT the brown shower stall is claustrophobic! Brown walls, floor and ceiling make for a nasty nasty shower space. And let me tell you how soap scum shows up on brown tiles . . . UGH ! So there we were walking through Home Depot a month ago when a nice young man says, "Are you thinking of refinishing your kitchen or bath?". Ger wanted to keep walking but I saw this as an opportunity from Heaven to rid myself of the brown shower. Bottom line, the salesmen came to the house, measured and ordered. Ta Da ! Piece of cake! Shower pieces will be in in about 4 weeks and then it is a ONE DAY installation. Let me repeat that, ONE DAY ! On Tuesday 3 of the 4 walls arrived. "OOPS!" says Home Depot, "They must have gotten the order wrong". (When, I must ask, was the last time you saw a 3 walled shower?) "BUT", says Home Depot, "we'll do the plumbing, have the inspector in and then you can use the shower till the 4th wall arrives, maybe by overnight." NOT ! The drain didn't pass the inspection and it will be another 4 weeks before the "OVERNIGHTED" wall arrives. Soooooooooooooooooooo, for the next month we will shower in the guest bathroom. (Thank goodness for that bathroom cause I think our neighbors would object to us bathing in the pool!)

And I'm not even going to tell you about the week long installation of my new dish washer.

My Core Is In Pain

There is no way a fat, old woman should be doing Pilates ! That is just common sense for most people but I am not most people. I am a wishy washy idiot who can't say "NO" to my neighbor.
We have "new" neighbors. Well, not that new. They moved in about 2 years ago but it has taken us that long to become friendly. The first year and a half were fine with the "Hi! How are you doing?" But we have advanced to dinner out together every so often, (usually at the free buffet at happy hour at one of the local spots) or the occasional watching their dog for a long weekend. But now it seems that neighbor Esther is making me her pet project. Her husband discovered "Healthy Living" several years ago and is now a marathon runner and triathlon competitor. He is 69 years old! Esther is a bit of a health nut and plays tennis, works out in the gym and does water aerobics. So it wasn't too long ago that she started working on me to join her at water aerobics. I figured "WHAT THE HELL". Pool, water, sunny Florida and activity . . . this is a win win. And so I agreed. Did I mention that water aerobics was at 8:30 in the MORNING! I don't do mornings ! But I figured once a week wouldn't kill me. And it didn't! It was actually fun and great exercise. Now that "The Season" (Snow Bird time) has begun water aerobics is on Saturdays at 10 AM. A much better time for sleepy old me.

Oh, but that was only the beginning. Esther had sucked me in for one activity so now she started laying the ground work for step two of her evil plan. YOGA she said . . . it's fun and good for the body and soul and it is being given at the local high school as part of the adult education program. It doesn't cost much and "IT WILL BE SO MUCH FUN". Yea, yea, it sounds like something I could/should do. I have always thought yoga would be something I would like to try. In a weak moment I agreed and off we went to register. Unfortunately all the yoga classes were filled so, "Let's do PILATES" said Esther. It's just like yoga but you work on your core more.

Dear God in Heaven what was I thinking when I agreed to do pilates. There are 6 people in the class, counting me and Esther. Tonight was class one and my core is sore ! How stretching can cause so much pain and produce so much sweat is beyond me. I am the oldest and fattest in the class, not to mention the least coordinated. But I went, I did and I am alive to write about it.

Did I mention that I am writing on my lap top in a prone position on the bed and will not move till morning. I HOPE !

I'M GOING NUTS . . . WALNUTS THAT IS

How do you lose a bag of walnuts? I am in the middle of baking banana bread and can not, for the life of me, find the bag of walnuts that I KNOW I have. They could be any where but it is driving me NUTS that I can not find them. But then this is the woman who, when in college and living in off campus housing, put a bowl of mashed potatoes in the cabinet when they should have gone in the fridge. My room mates remember that to this day and don't let me forget it! So the walnuts could be any where from the kitchen to the car. I solved the dilemma by using pecans. Not as good but they will do.

Thankfully I have gotten out of my funk over the walnuts with a Skype call to England to see and talk with Abby and Roman and their parents. Abby and Roman have skate boards that they bought for themselves with their allowance money. At one point they were laying in the street with the skate boards on their bellies. (It is actually the parking area in front of their house.) The 2 kids are following in the footsteps of their parents, they bring out the best in each other. Roman is just a happy, happy young boy and Abby is following his lead and coming out of her shy shell. The two of them seem to adore each other and it is wonderful to see this family so happy and relaxed. The family has found their niche in life and are loving being in England. They have so much more time to spend as a family and are taking full advantage of it. Today they were at Windsor Castle taking the tour once again. Abby never seems to tire of it and Roman was able to listen to the tour in Russian, much to his delight. (He had not been to the castle yet and had been asking about it.) His English is growing each day but this was a treat to hear all about this marvelous place in his native tongue.

Next weekend the family is off to Milan. Part work for Kyle and the rest will be a new adventure for all.

Suddenly a bag of walnuts seems pretty unimportant.

TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND OTHER BITS OF NEWS

Living in south Florida is truly living in Paradise. But like the Garden of Eden it comes with it's "Serpents". There are the actual serpents, lizards and alligators and then there are the metaphorical serpents. One group being hurricanes, tropical storms and tropical depressions. We moved here 6 years ago and experienced our first category 3 hurricane 4 days after we moved in. The following year we were hit with 2 category 2&3 hurricanes. We quickly found out that our house is quite solid and not built in a flood zone. (But we have flood insurance just in case.) It's been quiet for the last 3 years but now we are told that a tropical depression is headed our way with the good possibility it will be up graded to a "NAMED" tropical storm. OOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooo

That is supposed to strike fear into the hearts of all once a storm gets a name. Names like "Patsy, Lulu, and Frank". (Some how those names just don't do it for me like "Thor or Dante" might but that is not my call.) So now we have a storm that may possibly get a name and ALL the TV stations are in a tizzy. Tonight there are poor weathermen standing on street corners all up and down the East coast of Florida, getting soaked to the skin, reporting on the storm conditions. WET is the word and that is about it. (What some people will do for a salary.) There is nothing going on out there that we haven't seen before and won't see again but it is BIG NEWS. Which brings us to the MOST dangerous thing about storms in Florida . . . The senior citizens are now in a frenzy. The media has whipped them all up to a state of total panic so they are all rushing out in their cars to the grocery store to stock up on water, milk and bread. (Probably cat food also.) The roads have now become something like the Indy 500 on the last 5 laps. People who should not be driving on a good day in broad daylight are racing down the roads to get the last bag of Publix breakfast bread so they won't starve to death in the next 24 hours. I would sit in the middle of the golf course waving a nine iron above my head in a lightening storm before I will go out in my car when there is any news of a tropical storm or hurricane within 100 miles of Florida. Licking a light socket is probably safer!

I plan on spending the day tomorrow catching up on all sorts of stuff that I have been putting off for weeks. Pictures need to go into frames and albums and bills need to be paid. I do love a good rainy day.

I will be sending a card to poor 5 year old Abby over in England. Her mom Skyped us today to tell us that Abby has Shingles! Yes, kids can get shingles! It is not common but it is possible. Abby has had the chicken pox vaccine but that does not protect her from this form of the virus. So far she has the rash up one side of her body but she is not in any pain. We hope that will be the case for the next week or so till the virus leaves her body. Roman has been tested for immunities and he has a very strong immunity to the chicken pox virus so he should be fine.

Baby Smith has a sniffle but he was feeling much better today and so were his mom and dad. He went for his 2 month check yesterday and is in the 70th percentile for his weight and length. I think his mom and dad must be doing something right!

And my little Kaelin is doing great after her scare on Saturday night. Kaelin is her mom's daughter and is filled with allergies. She has been tested for several, one being peanuts, and has shown a severe allergy them. So far she hasn't had any contact with peanuts, until Saturday night. She was at Granny's house when she ate something that had been processed in peanut oil.

(Granny Linda and Papa Fred are her dad's parents who live about 2 miles from Kaelin.) Granny and Papa Fred were babysitting and as soon as Kaelin started to break out in hives and start to swell they called Keri and Steve. Kaelin ended up in the ER where she spent the next 4 hours making sure the allergic reaction was stopped and she was recovering. She handled it like a trouper but Granny and Papa were a mess! God Bless them for reacting as quickly as they did.

All is well now but Kaelin will be going for more intense allergy testing.

It has been an interesting couple of days so I think tomorrow's storm is just what the doctor ordered for me. A rainy day, a good book and probably a nap ! And definitely not a ride to the grocery store.

TIME PASSING

I am guilty of not enjoying the moment I am in. This occurred to me yesterday when I was with my little grandson. Holding him in my arms I was envisioning him 3 months from now when his personality would start showing, 6 months from now when he was learning to sit up on his own, a year from now when he would be walking and starting to talk. I was enjoying him in my arms but I wasn't content with the moment without looking forward to things to come. I did the same thing with my own children, always looking toward something in the future. I do it with my other grand children, picturing them growing older and becoming some thing other than who they are now.

How foolish I am! I am making a vow to appreciate everything for what it is right here and right now.

Little grandson Smith will grow up way too fast and I will have missed so much. Here he is at 2 months old and I don't even know where those months have gone. It was just yesterday that his mom and dad told us he would be joining the family in 8 months. Now he is here and all I can see is what he WILL be rather than enjoying what he IS.

I guess the link to the blog about little Ewan brought a lot of this to my mind. (www.team-ewan.com) Here is a baby who is just days old and his parents don't know if he will survive the many complications that he was born with. They are forced to live in the NOW because there may not be a tomorrow for their child. How very stupid of me to not realize that we all should approach life as if there is no tomorrow. Forget about the "I can't wait for . . ." moments and live in the here and now. Enjoy the moments you spend with your child, even if it is at 3 AM when you would rather be sleeping. As my mother used to tell me, "We can sleep when we are dead".

Smith is 9 weeks old, he doesn't sit, stand, talk, or walk. He just eats and sleeps and that is just WONDERFUL ! He can barely hold up his head and that is fine. He sort of smiles when he has gas and that is great. He kicks his little legs and waves his little arms and that is awesome to behold. Before any of us know it the little man will be in college and we will wonder why we rushed through his childhood. The best advice I can give my son and his wife is to stop rushing forward and enjoy the now. It's too late for me and my kids but I hope this new generation of moms and dads stop and enjoy today with all that it brings because we really don't know if we will ever get to tomorrow.

I'M NOT HERE

My body is back in Florida but my spirit is still in NY with my buddies. I just can't seem to pull myself up and get back to "Normal". I am dragging my butt through the days trying to think and do but I just don't want to let go of the buzz. It was so very wonderful to not have to think. That's what being with friends does. It soothes the body and the soul. Well, I guess the tequila and the rum had a lot to do with soothing but the company sure did help a lot.

But now I am home and have to get back to thinking, planning, scheduling, cooking, cleaning and what ever else there is to be done. I have had my play time and now I have to return to the REAL world. UGH ! The real world didn't get started on Tuesday till around noon. I had a lot of sleep to catch up on thanks to early bird Sharon and earlier bird Jeanne. But when I was with the girls I didn't want to waste a moment so getting up early was fine. On Tuesday I tried to get going right away but that just wasn't happening. Wednesday didn't give me a choice because both Ger and I had dermatologists appointments at 10AM. Ger, who is a sun god and sits in the sun 24/7, if he can, never putting on sun block, has no skin problems at all. He has all sorts of ugly spots on him but none of them are of concern. I, on the other hand, who wears a big hat and smears on lotion has had numerous "things" burned off my face over the years and now something suspicious scraped off my head! It's just not fair. But no fear, I am on top of it and go to the doctor every 6 months to make sure nothing gets out of control. The doctor's appointment did get me up and moving yesterday but some how I still got nothing done. The day ended and I was still looking at a pile of pictures that need filing, phone calls to be made and clothes to be ironed. Today wasn't any better except that I did get to Curves and the grocery store. All the calories I burned off at Curves got put back on with tonight's roast beef dinner that I must say was delicious.

I just can't get ahead so I might as well just relax and let tomorrow bring what it will. But I will try to write more often as I get more and more used to being home.

At the moment Ger is in bed "huffing" because I am sitting here at the computer rather than keeping him company. This I did NOT miss when I was away!

RETURNING TO REALITY - - KICKING AND SCREAMING ALL THE WAY

It's nearly 1 AM and I am writing this now because once I return home I will probably not have a moment alone for at least 3 weeks. Husband has been on his own for 10 days and I will pay the price. He is his mother's son and has learned well the art of guilt from the Queen of Guilt. Rita should have been Jewish but was a Brooklyn Irish Catholic, which is the next best thing in the art of guilt. Husband will have subtle ways of letting me know that he did not appreciate being "abandoned" for the week. The mail will all be stacked on the table waiting my return. The dishes and laundry will likewise be waiting as will the messages on the answering machine. I don't even want to think about what the kitchen and the bathroom will look like.

I will return home tomorrow to endless stories from the news broadcasts of the past 10 days and updates of the various storms brewing in the Atlantic. I will get blow by blow accounts of what husband has done for 10 days, what he has eaten and who he has talked to. There will be a 30 second period of him asking how my visit was only to be cut short by another tale of something that happened while I was away. Things as important as the shrubs getting trimmed, the exterminator spraying the house or a neighbor stopping by to chat. All these things are of great importance for husband to share because I WAS GONE and left him alone to deal with life.

I have had a fantastic time with my friends. It has been cathartic in so many ways and my heart, soul and mind are refreshed. I have been validated in my thinking and actions. I am relaxed and open, all guards dropped and all anxieties removed. The only thing better than a friend is TWO friends. We have talked and talked and talked and could go on like this for months more but reality calls in the form of one simple phone call to husband this evening. "HI Ger, it's me." To which husband responded "Oh, I thought you forgot to call". I was calling because I wanted to talk to husband, NOT because I was supposed to call. I was immediately transported back to where I was 10 days ago when I left FL. My hands and teeth are clenched, I'm starting to get a headache and my stomach hurts.

WELCOME HOME !

RUNNING A-MUCK IN MONTAUK

Several years ago my NY friends and I spent our first "Girl's Gathering" at Montauk, NY. After one day we knew we had hit upon something! We ran a-muck, blowing our diets, talking about anything and EVERYTHING and laughing till our sides hurt. Since then we try to get together when ever we can for as long as we can. We have run a-muck in NY, Florida, Atlanta and Maryland and we are proud to say we will continue to run a-muck for as long as we are breathing.

This years get together included the almost visit to a goat farm but unfortunately the goats are on holiday on Tuesdays. We will put that on the list of things to do another time. (Why would we visit a goat farm? Because it is there. And who doesn't love a cute little goat? Sharon actually hates goats almost as much as she hates chickens but that is a blog for another time.) So with the goat farm closed on Tuesday our back up plan was a visit to a potato chip factory. (Jeanne was our tour guide. She had gone on the computer and found the most obscure things on Long Island and put them into our itinerary.) The potato chip factory did take some searching but we eventually found it tucked away amid the wineries and potato fields.

(FYI for any of you not familiar with this beautiful and diverse island that extends east of NYC . . . the east end of LI is split like the tail of a fish, divided into the North and South Forks. The North Fork is, or has been, mostly potato farms. The South Fork is and always will be where the rich and famous reside in the summer. Both forks of the island have become home to numerous wineries. It seems that the sandy soil that sustained the potatoes all these years is perfect for growing grapes.)

But I digress . . . we finally found the North Fork Potato Chip Company housed in a large warehouse building and taking up a space the size of my living room. There was one machine pealing and cutting the tatters, a cooker and a bagger. Not much of an operation but it has been there 7 years and we were surprised to find the chips on sale in several places. We bought a case of chips to sample over the next 3 days. (Yep, I said A CASE!) 15 bags of 5 different flavored chips. With our car now totally filled to the roof we set off once again for Montauk. We did need a stop at the grocery store for milk, bread, cold cuts and ice cream and then we were ready to let the rumpus begin.

We arrived at our ocean front hotel around 3:30 PM on Tuesday and did not move the car again until we left this morning at 11. We had such a great time doing what we do best . . . NOTHING.

Our husbands have thought we have done nothing for years but this is REALLY doing nothing. It is a fine art that we 3 have perfected. It involves eating what ever you want when ever you want. No such thing as "A MEAL". Breakfast one morning was ice cream and dinner was a margarita and a bag of chips. (And we still came home with chips to spare.) We sat on the beach, sat on the porch, watched HBO movies and the Weather Channel. We talked and talked and talked and we relaxed in the safe and healing surroundings of friends.

As we drove further and further East we could feel the tensions draining from our souls and bodies. A hour in the car with these 2 amazing women does more good for me than all the pills, therapists and massages could do in a life time. I pray that God will grant us many, many more years of running a-muck together but I think I will have to invest in some depends because now when I laugh that hard I need some extra protection.

COUPON ELF

For as much as I pick on Husband I have to tell you the other side of this very good man. Take into consideration that 90 % of what I tell you is just me being a bitch so fair is fair that I tell you about what a great guy he is when he is not pissing me off. (Also consider that I am leaving in 2 hours for 10 days with my friends up in NY so I am feeling very kindly toward poor Ger.)

Ger has become "King of Coupons" in our house. Our son Kyle is "Emperor of Coupons", Keri is "Princess of Coupons" and forget about Cousin Ann who is the world champion of all coupons and bargains. So you see Ger has a lot of competition in this field but he has developed his own special style of coupon cutting and use.

In the car we have 'THE ENVELOPE" which contains all the coupons that have been collected. They remain in the envelope in the car so that when we are out and about and feel the need for food we rummage in the bag and come up with someplace where we will get a great BOGO deal. Most of the coupons come from the paper, mailings and other local sources . . . EXCEPT for the mother load of all coupon deals . . . SILVER SLUGGER BASEBALL GAMES ! I've told you about our weekly minor league baseball games but I don't think I ever mentioned the perks. Each week there are coupons for Chick Fil A on the back of the game tickets. No biggie. But in addition to that, on the back of each FREE Game Day Magazine, there are coupons for Moes South West Grill. Normally we would go into the game and take ONE (1) magazine between us. These magazines are available all over the stadium and are left out for the taking. Once we (Husband) realized what a gold mine this was we have been collecting magazines by the dozens. There is only so much Moes we can eat so the extra coupons are put to good use.

Today was a Moes day. Off we went and upon our arrival 3 coupons are taken from the envelope. One for us and two for the COUPON ELF to dispose of as he see fit. There is an art to this madness and I can only tell you it is a joy to watch. I even have to admit I am being sucked in and allowed to be a Coupon Elf in training. As we enter the establishment Ger carefully cases out the joint. Who else is coming in? Who is already on line? Do they look approachable? Do they look deserving? A decision is made and Ger quietly walks up to the lucky couple and as he holds out the coupon to them he asks if they would like a coupon for their meals. It is great fun to watch the expressions of puzzlement, doubt, and "HUH" cross the faces of our targets. They usually shrug and say "Sure", figuring what the hell, what have we got to lose. Even if this guy is a nut case I'll just take the coupon to appease him and maybe then he'll go away. With that we continue on with our order and sit down to eat. Then within a few minutes one of the couple is at our table thanking us profusely for the great coupon. They have gotten to the cash register and found that this is the real deal and they have saved the price of a lunch.

Today's couple thanked us 4 times and Ger just gets the biggest kick out of this. It's only a coupon for for a couple of bucks but Ger feels like "The Millionaire" giving away his coupons. He gets such enjoyment from sharing the wealth that we are going to be lost when December 31 rolls around and all the coupons expire. Meanwhile, Moes will be celebrating that the Coupon Elf is now out of business.

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Not much going on here these days so I haven't been inspired to write. Rather than have you think I had left town or my brain had gone to mush I thought I'd just bring you up to date on the nothings that are going on in our lives.

For starters, I leave on Saturday afternoon for a week on Long Island with 2 of my best friends. September is usually the time when husband and I head for Maine to visit our long time great friends Glo and John but this year we won't make it up there. Hopefully we can talk them into coming to Florida over the winter. After all the goings on this spring and early summer I needed to touch base with the LI Princesses for a good laugh and an attitude adjustment. These women validate me and bring me back to a good place mentally. Recently there was a forward going around the Internet about a study done at Stanford University about the importance of women connecting with their gal pals. It stated all the things that my friends and I have known for years. Women think differently than men and sharing with other women is important to good mental AND physical health. So far be it for me to jeopardize my health my not taking time to spend with "The Girls".

But before I get on that plane we have a busy week ahead of us. Yesterday was exhausting ! Took a long walk in the morning with husband and went to the movies and dinner in the afternoon. (Yeah, this retired life is tough.) We went to see the new George Clooney movie, "The American". Don't bother. The movie was dull and boring but thankfully George is easy on the eyes so I didn't doze off.

Today was a bit more exciting and different for us old folk. Ger and I went to the minor league stadium just down the road and saw 2 of the Jonas Brothers play soft ball with the Road Dogs team. They played to a half filled stadium and in spite of the fact it was a school day every teeny bopper in Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter was at the game. Ger and I took seats in the last row way at the top, in the shade, and did some great people watching. It was a fun game, filled with lots of action and even though the Road Dogs lost by 3 the Jonas Brothers played quite well. The game was promoting DO NOT TEXT WHEN DRIVING ! Isn't it sad that we have to actually start a "movement" to tell people this. It's like telling a blind person not to drive. DUH! Where is your common sense people. But it is a new world where people can't figure complex things like "Look at the Road" when you drive. God help us !

Tomorrow is very exciting, the air conditioner guy is coming for our quarterly service. Living in South Florida you don't mess with the AC.

Thursday is the BEST day of this week because Smith is coming to visit. For some reason Broward County schools are closed on Thursday so Kent and Kristen are driving up with the little mister (as Kristen calls him) for a day at grandma's. The pool is still a comfortable 90 degrees so I am sure there will be some pool time set aside for all.

Friday I better do some packing and then I am outa here !

OOOOOOO . . .. Kaelin is calling on Skype so I've got to go. See Ya !

Anniversary

This morning I had planned on continuing yesterdays blog about music but that will wait till tomorrow.

I have spent the evening puttering . . . a term often used by my good friend Glo up in Maine. Glo is THE QUEEN of puttering. She has shared her art with me and tonight I made her proud. Puttering is basically spending time doing nothing constructive. Tonight my puttering brought me to going through my old blogs. I didn't realize that I have been doing this almost a year! That pretty much blew my mind. How is it possible that I could find this much crap in my brain to share with you and still have a brain full of more crap?

Today's waste of time started out with a very focused goal. Clean up the garage. Ever since the grand kids left the garage has been the resting place of EVERYTHING. When the cleaning lady came this week and we had to clean up so she could clean, all the clutter was dumped into the garage. You know what I am talking about. Everybody has a clutter spot. It may be a room, a closet, or only a drawer but we all have one. Some people have an entire house reserved for clutter, Husband has the trunk of his car which often spills over into the car. It isn't as bad now that he is retired but it still has a tendency to gather garbage. There was a time when his trunk would have forty two refillable soda cups from 7/11 and the gas station. He never remembered to bring the cup into the store so he would have to buy a new one. Why he had to save all forty two of them is beyond me but that is a question for another day.

I started in the garage around noon and made some progress but then had to stop for mass at 4:30. Then there was dinner and a video call from Keri and Kaelin. Everything stops when they call ! Kaelin was telling us about her Rainbow Picnic today at a beach in VA. (She has a book called "Rainbow Picnic" where Minnie and Mickey bring foods of all colors on their picnic.) She had to take a bath and wash her hair tonight because of all the sand in her hair. She looked wonderful and it was so good to see her. Skype is just amazing !

By the time I got back to the garage it was almost 8PM and I immediately got side tracked with my blogs. I'm not sure how that happened but here it is 10 PM and the garage is still a mess.

Tomorrow is another day. Maybe it will rain so I will be motivated to do some more garage cleaning. Or Not . . .

Music Lost

I went to public school in NYC, PS 34 on Springfield Blvd. in Queens Village. Thinking back it was probably a very small school but as a kid it seemed MASSIVE ! A big stone building taking up an entire city block. I remember the floors were made of wood slats that would creek and groan as you walked down the hall or across your classroom. It was 3 stories high and on that top floor was the auditorium. Seats like in a movie theatre, raised stage with big, heavy velvet curtains, and ceiling high windows all across the back wall. And right at the base of the steps up to the stage sat a piano. In those days we weren't taught sex education or career planning or any of the other required courses of study in our schools today. It was basic reading, writing (as in learning how to form letters in script) and arithmetic. We went to gym, had art in the class room and music was in the auditorium with all the other kids from your grade level. We sat in the big seats near the piano and we sang songs. Songs like "Our National Anthem", "Battle Hymn of the Republic", "America The Beautiful", "God Bless America" and all the other patriotic songs that were part of our country's heritage. I still get a chill when I hear any of these songs and I still remember the words to most. I could sing the theme songs for the Marines, Army, Navy and Air Force and loved the natural high we all got from shouting out the words. It was a time when our country was recovering from the losses of WWII and everyone who was an American was proud of it. We sang our country into the next generation.

Our children don't know any of these songs. It isn't politically correct to sing about GOD AND COUNTRY. And just look around you at what our country is turning into.

I think it is time to resurrect the patriotic music of the 40's and 50's. It is time for the radio stations across the country to dust off some of the songs that stirred up a country at war and a country that knew what it meant to be an AMERICAN. Husband tells me that there are country music songs that sing of America but to me there is nothing like the tried and true classics. (And I wouldn't be caught dead listening to country music.)

Just think if you turned on your radio, computer, TV and heard the strains of "GOD BLESS AMERICA . . . LAND THAT I LOVE . . . STAND BESIDE HER, AND GUIDE HER . . ." Wouldn't this give you some goose bumps and a stirring in your bones to want America to be a better place than it is right now?

Music now is all about anger, hate, and self interest. I think it is time to start singing "I'm Proud to be an American" and "America The Beautiful". Start humming those tunes and see if you don't start feeling more patriotic and fired up about living in the greatest nation on Earth.