In recent months here in South Florida I have made a huge scientific discovery concerning gravity. Like Sir Isaac Newton and his famed apple, I too have almost literally "fallen upon" the fact that Florida gravity is much stronger than Long Island, New York Gravity. Well, That really is not true as I did not so much fall DOWN as not being able to jump UP. But let me explain . . .
Back in 1970 when I was 25 years old and weighing about 135 pounds and living on Long Island New York I was teaching Kindergarten. As a kindergarten teacher I was very active and involved with my little people and participated in all of our activities including jumping rope, skipping, hopping, dancing, crawling and pretty much any thing else you can picture a 4-5 year old doing. (With the exception of picking their nose and scratching their butts. I drew the line at those 2 activities.) Suffice to say I could keep up with the best of them.
Now in 2016 it is 46 years later, I am about 46 pounds heavier and having moved to Florida the gravity seems to have increased accordingly. For some reason I CAN NOT get my body off the ground !( You should see me trying to get up from sitting on the ground. That one is worth a fortune on America's Funniest Home Videos!) I can NOT jump to save my soul ! It is like I am super glued to the floor. My brain just refuses to even consider the mechanics of a jump. I stand here swinging my arms and butt psyching myself up getting my mo jo running and nothing happens. I just can't get my feet to come UP off the floor. I KNOW what I have to do but I can't do it! Same thing for SKIPPING. I CAN'T SKIP ! I used to skip all the time ! All over the place. I skipped instead of walking! I LOVED to skip. Now I can't skip to save my soul ! My skipping part of my brain has shut down and sealed itself up tight......
OR
THE GRAVITY IN SOUTH FLORIDA IS MUCH STRONGER THAN THE GRAVITY ON LONG ISLAND NEW YORK !!! And I am going to win the Nobel Prize in Physics for making this discovery !! It's the only possible explanation I can come up with that makes any sense.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Thursday, January 14, 2016
THE RETURN OF MR. PAPERCLIP (AKA "HUSBAND")
We are coming down on one month from Husband's one year anniversary of his demise. Gerry passed away last February 13th some time in the afternoon. (I'm usually one for noting the exact time of this sort of thing but for some reason I have not wanted to keep the EXACT moment in my mind. Maybe because I really don't know the exact second. We were both here in the bedroom together, me sitting on my side of the bed chattering away and Ger just lying there on his side being as quiet as he always was for most of the past month, except when he wanted me to stop touching his feet. It wasn't until I got up to get something from the kitchen and I stopped to give him a kiss that I realized he was no longer with me. He could have died a second ago or a half hour ago. Be that as it may, he was gone.
And so it has been almost a year.
Ger did visit that first week after he died to let me know he was okay when 2 nights after his passing I was woken up in the middle of the night by my bedroom TV going on some where around 3 AM. (Gerry had died some time around 3 in the afternoon). As I mentioned in my blog about this event when it happened we did not have a remote that turned this TVon and off so you can rule out the rolling onto the remote to explain the set going on by itself. As for a power serge, nothing else in the house was effected and even if you could explain it that way I would like you to explain how the TV was turned to Fox News because I NEVER watch Fox News so I know the TV was not on THAT channel ! I have spent almost a year pondering that question and have yet to come up with an answer to how the TV turned itself on in the middle of the night. The only answer I can come up with is that Ger wanted me to know that he is okay and I need not worry about him. Which if he knew me at all he would know I was not the least bit worried but I really did appreciate the reassurance. I am totally confident that he is in Heaven having a WONDERFUL time with everyone up there and I look forward to joining him BUT NOT TOO SOON, PLEASE !
Which all leads us back to Mr. Paperclip. As we approach the one year anniversary of Ger leaving us I know he is making sure I am aware of the anniversary and expecting me to plan a BIG event to mark it's passing. I do have a few things in mind but I have not acted upon anything yet so when I was making my bed this morning and found Mr. Paperclip IN MY BED I knew I better get on the ball. Apparently at some point during the night Mr. Paperclip had snuck into my bed to invade my sleep space. If you remember a past post regarding husband and family traveling to Washington DC and bringing Mr. Paperclip along for the journey you will remember what an important part of our history this silly office item has become. I laughed myself silly when I saw it in my bed this morning immediately thought of Ger. The first thing I did was check the date and sure enough, it's one month to the day of his death from yesterday. I better get planning !
And so it has been almost a year.
Ger did visit that first week after he died to let me know he was okay when 2 nights after his passing I was woken up in the middle of the night by my bedroom TV going on some where around 3 AM. (Gerry had died some time around 3 in the afternoon). As I mentioned in my blog about this event when it happened we did not have a remote that turned this TVon and off so you can rule out the rolling onto the remote to explain the set going on by itself. As for a power serge, nothing else in the house was effected and even if you could explain it that way I would like you to explain how the TV was turned to Fox News because I NEVER watch Fox News so I know the TV was not on THAT channel ! I have spent almost a year pondering that question and have yet to come up with an answer to how the TV turned itself on in the middle of the night. The only answer I can come up with is that Ger wanted me to know that he is okay and I need not worry about him. Which if he knew me at all he would know I was not the least bit worried but I really did appreciate the reassurance. I am totally confident that he is in Heaven having a WONDERFUL time with everyone up there and I look forward to joining him BUT NOT TOO SOON, PLEASE !
Which all leads us back to Mr. Paperclip. As we approach the one year anniversary of Ger leaving us I know he is making sure I am aware of the anniversary and expecting me to plan a BIG event to mark it's passing. I do have a few things in mind but I have not acted upon anything yet so when I was making my bed this morning and found Mr. Paperclip IN MY BED I knew I better get on the ball. Apparently at some point during the night Mr. Paperclip had snuck into my bed to invade my sleep space. If you remember a past post regarding husband and family traveling to Washington DC and bringing Mr. Paperclip along for the journey you will remember what an important part of our history this silly office item has become. I laughed myself silly when I saw it in my bed this morning immediately thought of Ger. The first thing I did was check the date and sure enough, it's one month to the day of his death from yesterday. I better get planning !
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
"I HAD THE BEST NIGHT'S SLEEP EVER"
A quote from my Grand daughter Kaelin this morning to her mother when Keri came to pick Kaelin and Finn up after they spent the night with grand ma.
The kids came over yesterday around 4 and we had a lovely afternoon playing and hanging out so mom and dad could have a date night. I'm not sure what date night is these days. When Ger and I were married date night used to be a night to go to one of his Town of Brookhaven dances with a hundred and fifty handicapped young adults. For this I got a baby sitter ? I think date night lost something in the translation. But be that as it may, I'm all for my kids having a date night because date night means I get the grand kids !!!!! And that means FUN NIGHT for grand ma ! Trouble is, as they get older they like to do their own thing. Kaelin was interested in watching "Worlds Worst Chef" or something like that on the iPad. Finn is still small enough that we played but when he gets tired he just wants to crash and watch cartoons on the computer. I can deal with that ! We had dinner around 6 and Finn as usual didn't eat much so I was prepared for an early morning but I was NOT expecting 5:30 AM !
Last night we all camped out together in grand ma's room. KK and I were sharing my bed. Since I have the 2 twin beds pushed together we both could snuggle but have our own space. Finn, who at 4 still has a tendency to roll on to the floor, was sleeping on a twin size mattress on the floor next to our bed. We all snuggled down at 8. Finn fell right to sleep while Kaelin was watching something on the iPad and I was checking mail and facebook on my phone. By 8:30 Kaelin and I were done and ready to sleep. I don't think ANY of us moved for the night. I know I never heard a thing or moved the entire night which is totally rare for me. I always wake up at least once. The first thing I heard was Finn making noise at 5:30 in the morning. Kaelin had not moved, I had not moved and Finn had not moved an inch but was moaning in his sleep. It was as if we had all been drugged. I drifted off for about 15 more minutes to wake up to Finn sitting up calling "Grand Ma, I'm hungry". Do you know how dark it is at 5:45 in the morning? I did have to laugh though because I knew this was going to happen. I told Finn to whisper, that I would get up and we would go have breakfast but he must not wake up KK. Up we got and 2 bowls of cereal later he was asking why it was so dark outside. I told him it was the middle of the night but we could stay up any way and play in the garage with the toys.
2 hours later when Kaelin got up she looked like she could still sleep another 4 hours but the first words out of her mouth were, "THAT WAS THE BEST NIGHT'S SLEEP EVER". And I have to agree with her. It really was !
The kids came over yesterday around 4 and we had a lovely afternoon playing and hanging out so mom and dad could have a date night. I'm not sure what date night is these days. When Ger and I were married date night used to be a night to go to one of his Town of Brookhaven dances with a hundred and fifty handicapped young adults. For this I got a baby sitter ? I think date night lost something in the translation. But be that as it may, I'm all for my kids having a date night because date night means I get the grand kids !!!!! And that means FUN NIGHT for grand ma ! Trouble is, as they get older they like to do their own thing. Kaelin was interested in watching "Worlds Worst Chef" or something like that on the iPad. Finn is still small enough that we played but when he gets tired he just wants to crash and watch cartoons on the computer. I can deal with that ! We had dinner around 6 and Finn as usual didn't eat much so I was prepared for an early morning but I was NOT expecting 5:30 AM !
Last night we all camped out together in grand ma's room. KK and I were sharing my bed. Since I have the 2 twin beds pushed together we both could snuggle but have our own space. Finn, who at 4 still has a tendency to roll on to the floor, was sleeping on a twin size mattress on the floor next to our bed. We all snuggled down at 8. Finn fell right to sleep while Kaelin was watching something on the iPad and I was checking mail and facebook on my phone. By 8:30 Kaelin and I were done and ready to sleep. I don't think ANY of us moved for the night. I know I never heard a thing or moved the entire night which is totally rare for me. I always wake up at least once. The first thing I heard was Finn making noise at 5:30 in the morning. Kaelin had not moved, I had not moved and Finn had not moved an inch but was moaning in his sleep. It was as if we had all been drugged. I drifted off for about 15 more minutes to wake up to Finn sitting up calling "Grand Ma, I'm hungry". Do you know how dark it is at 5:45 in the morning? I did have to laugh though because I knew this was going to happen. I told Finn to whisper, that I would get up and we would go have breakfast but he must not wake up KK. Up we got and 2 bowls of cereal later he was asking why it was so dark outside. I told him it was the middle of the night but we could stay up any way and play in the garage with the toys.
2 hours later when Kaelin got up she looked like she could still sleep another 4 hours but the first words out of her mouth were, "THAT WAS THE BEST NIGHT'S SLEEP EVER". And I have to agree with her. It really was !
Saturday, January 2, 2016
MUSICAL BEDS
Husband used to joke about never knowing who's bed he would find me in each morning. Meaning that at some point of the night I would wander from our bed into one of the kids rooms or into the living room or den. Most times it was out of necessity when one of the kids "needed" something that required a parent to spend time with them at some unGodly hour of the morning and since Husband never ever got up for anything or anyone during the night it was always me who was the wander. (Husband's excuses ranged from, "I have to get up for work" to "They really want their mother" and "I don't know what they want and you do it so much better". Many I night I spent on the floor next to a child's bed waking every time they moaned only to pat their back and encourage them to go back to sleep. But there were those nights that I just needed some space and would escape to the couch for some alone time.
Now a days I play musical beds with my grand kids ! For the past 2 weeks I have been blessed to spend time with ALL the grand kids. First with a 5 day cruise with Abby and Roman and their parents, then Christmas with Abby, Roman and their cousins Smith, Wynn and Grey and all the parents. Between naps and quiet time Abby and I snuggled and shared a room, Smith,Wynn and Grey have used my room for TV movie watching and naps and quiet time on the iPad. Then Kaelin and Finn arrived from Maryland when Abby and Roman went home and grand ma's bed continued to be the gathering place of the cousins. Whenever some one went missing we would check grand ma's bed first and sure enough there would be 2 or 3 kids, under the covers watching a movie or playing games on their iPads. The twins only used the bed room for naps and that was in the pack and plays that were set up at the end of my bed.
I love that my room is so welcoming and comfortable but I did have to change the sheets tonight after everyone went home to rid myself of the pop corn, Pirates Booty (A kid snack for all you old folks who don't know about these things and might be thinking I meant something else.), cereal and at least forty two tissues from Kaelin who has allergies that cause her nose to run constantly. There were also a couple of wet bathing suits, a wet diaper, a bunch of drinking glasses that were mostly empty and a pair of Wynn or Grey's shorts. And that was only in my bed ! Can you imagine what the rest of the house looks like ??????
And so here I am at nearly 3 AM still awake in spite of being up at 7AM the past couple of morning because I was sharing a bed with early bird Kaelin. (She complained of my snoring but she moans in her sleep!) I think I'm still awake because there is no one here for the first time in 2 weeks and the house is quiet and I know I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn because tomorrow is a "day off". Aside from the 14 loads of wash, cleaning every room in the house, putting all the Christmas decorations away and catching up on bills I have nothing to do ! My life is so dull ! But at least tonight I will sleep in my own bed and not have to listen for anyone calling my name.
Now a days I play musical beds with my grand kids ! For the past 2 weeks I have been blessed to spend time with ALL the grand kids. First with a 5 day cruise with Abby and Roman and their parents, then Christmas with Abby, Roman and their cousins Smith, Wynn and Grey and all the parents. Between naps and quiet time Abby and I snuggled and shared a room, Smith,Wynn and Grey have used my room for TV movie watching and naps and quiet time on the iPad. Then Kaelin and Finn arrived from Maryland when Abby and Roman went home and grand ma's bed continued to be the gathering place of the cousins. Whenever some one went missing we would check grand ma's bed first and sure enough there would be 2 or 3 kids, under the covers watching a movie or playing games on their iPads. The twins only used the bed room for naps and that was in the pack and plays that were set up at the end of my bed.
I love that my room is so welcoming and comfortable but I did have to change the sheets tonight after everyone went home to rid myself of the pop corn, Pirates Booty (A kid snack for all you old folks who don't know about these things and might be thinking I meant something else.), cereal and at least forty two tissues from Kaelin who has allergies that cause her nose to run constantly. There were also a couple of wet bathing suits, a wet diaper, a bunch of drinking glasses that were mostly empty and a pair of Wynn or Grey's shorts. And that was only in my bed ! Can you imagine what the rest of the house looks like ??????
And so here I am at nearly 3 AM still awake in spite of being up at 7AM the past couple of morning because I was sharing a bed with early bird Kaelin. (She complained of my snoring but she moans in her sleep!) I think I'm still awake because there is no one here for the first time in 2 weeks and the house is quiet and I know I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn because tomorrow is a "day off". Aside from the 14 loads of wash, cleaning every room in the house, putting all the Christmas decorations away and catching up on bills I have nothing to do ! My life is so dull ! But at least tonight I will sleep in my own bed and not have to listen for anyone calling my name.
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