MAGIC BUBBLES

This is another Ger story so you can just hit the delete button now . . .

WE stayed home today because we were having a mattress delivered. I bought it on OVERSTOCK.COM for a ridiculously low price. Because it came from this Web site it was being delivered by UPS. I have been trying to get H to let me buy a new mattress for months and have gotten no where.  I finally gave up and went on the hunt on line.  I'll let you know how good a deal I got tomorrow morning.  Our old mattress was well over 10 years old and needed replacing. I can't tell you what I was dealing with this  morning from H. We went through a list of "WHAT IF'S" a mile long. I fielded all his questions with a smile and the whole delivery and set up went off without a hitch. I did cost us $20 for the 2 guys who were power washing our roof to drag the old mattress out to the curb where the garbage men will pick it up tomorrow.

In the midst of all H's worries about the mattress delivery and removal we were waiting for the power washers to arrive. The morning was passing and we had not heard from David, the chief player in this power washing plan. (David is also our "pool boy" so I had reservations about this actually happening but I at least kept my thoughts to my self.)

Just after noon the phone rang and as usual H was in his recliner in "his office". I was in the kitchen putting together some lunch so I pretty much ignored the ringing phone.  I glanced into the TV room when H dropped the phone for the second time but he seemed to have the call under control. A few minutes later H hung up the phone and yelled something into the kitchen. I turned off the water and asked what he had said. The response I got was MAGIC BUBBLES. This made little or no sense to me so I repeated my inquiry. Once again I was answered with MAGIC BUBBLES in a louder and more irritated voice. Being a glutton for stupidity I asked a THIRD time "What did you say?" rather than saying "What the F--- is Magic Bubbles and why are you yelling that at me?" By now H is nearly epileptic because I am not getting what ever Magic Bubbles means. I on the other hand am on the verge of peeing my pants from the ridiculousness of this "conversation". Thinking the entire time, "just another day in the crazy house."

Bottom line . . . . Magic Bubbles is the name of the power washing company that is coming to clean our roof and drive way and they were at the gate of our community and needing permission to come in.

House looks great, drive way looks great and hopefully my new mattress will be comfortable.

BEST "BIRD DAY" EVER !

But then,  when you have only had 2 "Bird days" in your sweet little life I guess each one just gets better and better.

Smith turned 2 on Friday, 7-27  and had his family and friends party on Saturday.    



As you can see from the photo to the right, THERE WAS CAKE!  (Abby could barely talk when she was 2 but asked if there would be cake at a party she was attending. So we must always clarify whether there was cake or not.  In this case the cake was a "cup cake pull apart" cake. And it was DELICIOUS.  Smith had to sample both the white ones and the black ones and decided he liked both vanilla AND chocolate.)
The theme of this years party was trains . . .
   CHOO CHOO  SMITH IS TWO

                               

Like last year the party was held at Kristen's place of work so it was a pool party with lots of water playing.  Unlike last year Smith had 3 of his "lady" friends come to the party and the 4 of them had a great time till one threw up in the garden and had to go home because she was feeling a bit "green". (We think she had too much juice and pool water sloshing around in her tummy. )  But that didn't slow the festivities down any. There was a lot of dancing between swims and Smith and the girls showed off their fancy two year old foot work. (I think he has been taking lessons from mom and dad!)

 But the highlight of the party was the train that arrived to take Smith and all his friends for a ride around the parking lot.

EVERYONE had a great time including the grown ups!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MAN.   I can't wait to see what mom comes up with for next year.

MEET SYDNEY

This is Sydney . . . .  she is an adorable 14 month old girl from Maine who is staying in Florida with either her mom or dad depending on the week.  Sydney came to Florida in May so that she could have reconstructive surgery on her deformed leg. When Sydney was born into her family of an older sister and brother she arrived with a leg that was twisted at the knee and ankle. No way would Sydney have ever been able to walk and when her mom and dad started inquiries about "fixing" Sydney's leg they were told by doctor after doctor. "AMPUTATE".
As a parent I know that would have been the last thing I would ever choose for my child. So Sydney's parents continued their search until by chance they were given the name of a doctor in West Palm Beach, Florida who has performed one of a kind surgeries on children with similar problems. Doctor Paley and his team have been working on this innovative surgery for years, starting their practice in Baltimore, MD. For what ever reasons the good doctor and most of his staff relocated to West Palm and are working out of St. Mary's hospital, just down the road from where we live. After visiting with Dr. Paley and his team Sydney's parents were told by the doctor that they would take on Sydney as a patient, possibly for as many as the next 15 years.
Now came the questions of how Sydney's family would manage living in Florida for at least 4 months while Sydney went through the initial surgery and rehab. A commute from Maine to Florida just doesn't work on a daily basis. Then there is the fact that mom and dad both work and there are 2 other children who attend school. But when it involves your child it is amazing what parents will manage.
This is about the time that Ger and I were brought into the picture. Our dear friends Gloria and John knew about Sydney because their oldest son is friends with Sydney's dad. Once Glo heard about what was going on she contacted us to see if we knew of some place where Sydney and her parents could stay for 4 months in our area in Florida. The prospect of paying $150 a night at local hotels was out of the question. Ger and I immediately thought of our sons condo just down the road from us and only 20 minutes from St. Mary's hospital. Glo sent our email address to Sydney's parents and we were off and running. Turns out our son's condo wasn't a good fit because it is on the third floor with no elevator. After her surgery Sydney would be in a "halo fixator" that is a sort of wire contraption with wires inserted into her leg bones. Carrying her and her stroller up and down 3 flights of stairs would just not work. Sooooooooooo  the next thought we had was my cousin in NY who owns a beach front condo that is usually vacant. I called my cousin, she called Sydney's dad and we had a match! My cousin even put off her vacation for a month just so Sydney's family wouldn't have to move out in the  middle of Sydney's recovery.

At this point Sydney has survived the first surgery that is straightening her knee and ankle. He leg looks almost straight which is a miracle if you had seen her before all this began. The first month was rough for all of her family.  Mom and dad were both down here at first with grand parents and extended family helping out in Maine trying to keep things normal for Sydney's siblings. Sydney was in the hospital for a while and in a lot of pain. The pain meds turned her off food so she wasn't eating and since she was just learning to eat "people" food this was a real rough time for her. Mom had to return to work, dad stayed here. Then mom came down with her dad so mom could work from Florida while grandpa took care of Sydney. Then dad came back . . .   you get the picture.
A few weeks ago the whole family was able to be in Florida together and the "big kids" (who are only 3 & 5) got to go to Disney and Kennedy Space Center. (Sydney stayed at the condo with grandpa.)

I think I would have lost my mind long before this but this family has such wonderful support from everyone they meet. Sydney's dad was telling us tonight that his good friends from college have donated all their "frequent flier miles" to him and his wife so they can afford to fly back and forth to Maine. Dad also told me about the manager at Gold's gym who got to know Dad and Sydney for the month when dad was here alone with Sydney. When Sydney's dad returned to the gym this past week with Sydney he was told that he can work out for free any time he is down here. The manager was so moved by Sydney and her family he wanted to do something to help.

And as for Sydney, she is just the tinyest little thing with HUGE blue eyes who is so easy going. Tonight we went to dinner with her and her dad and she charmed everyone around us. Like all one year olds she is pulling herself up and attempting to walk even though she has something akin to and upside down Eiffel Tower attached to her leg. Oh, and her appetite is back full time. Tonight she had baby food chicken mix, peaches, hummus and some sort of baby cheerios and she still wanted what we were having.

WAY TO GO SYDNEY !

WEEKEND FUN

We had the BEST weekend with Smith. K&K moved to a new town house this weekend and thought the move might go easier without a two year old helping them. YOU THINK? Grandma and Grandpa were more than delighted to take Smith up to our house for Friday and Saturday and we had some good times and lots of laughs.
TWO YEAR OLDS ARE FUNNY LITTLE PEOPLE !  In case you didn't know. Once kids get going to school full time they become jaded and learn to watch what they say. (Or at least they are supposed to.) Two year olds just let it fly . . .   And they think in such interesting ways.

We picked Smith up at his day care center in Fort Lauderdale on Friday morning just before his lunch and nap time. Our plan was to get him, go to lunch at Mac Donalds to fill his tummy and then he would sleep in the car on the hour ride back to our house.  HA  HA  HA  HA ! To think we could plan anything is a joke!  We got to "school" just in time for Smith and his class to be coming in from the play ground.  All 7 or 8 kids were walking along holding on to the rope but there was no Smith. Then we saw him at the back of the line riding in the big red wagon with all the play ground toys surrounding him. He looked like the emperor following his loyal subjects.  Was he riding because he WOULDN'T walk? Was he riding so the teacher could keep a better eye on him? Or was he riding because he is getting a special treat for being such a good boy? WE will never know!
When Smith saw us his eyes lit up and he gave his grand pa squeal and tried to climb out of the wagon. Being under a ton of stuff gave him some trouble so grandpa went and got him out. WE gathered his things, signed him out and off we went to start our adventures. SMITH TALKED THE ENTIRE TIME WE WERE WITH HIM FOR THE TWO DAYS! He sure has a lot to say for a little guy. He started by telling us "GRANDMA'S HOUSE". We agreed that we were indeed heading for grandma's but we would stop at "Donalds" first for some lunch. We were promptly told, "NO!  NO DONALDS! GRANDMA'S HOUSE!" As we  explained that WE were hungry it made no difference to Smith. When we parked in "Donald's" parking lot Smith refused to budge from his car seat, all the while firmly insisting no donalds. grandma house!  We settled on grandpa getting some food for us, grandma sitting in the back seat with Smith and sharing my lunch while grandpa drove. Son of a gun little guy did NOT eat ! He just wanted to go to grandma's house.
Once we arrived at grandma's Smith settled in to playing with EVERYTHING, eating EVERYTHING and talking about EVERYTHING.  He kept telling us about his NEW HOUSE!  This kid has some memory!

We spent an awesome weekend together. Swam in our pool all afternoon, ate all his dinner and slept from 7:30 PM to 7 AM. WE made pancakes together for breakfast, rode over to the wildlife preserve near by and spent the entire time talking and looking at ALL the animals.

Smith checking out the turtles

Crocodile !  "BITE"

Little Red fox

Birds

SNAKES !

THEY'RE BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK

Here we go again . . . THEY are back!  No, not the Florida snow birds, it's still too early for them.  THEY are the B-A-T-S bats!

Remember THEM?  They were here, what, a year ago? Or was it two years ago? Maybe it was three?  I don't remember just when they were here last but I do remember they made my life miserable. Oh, the bats really didn't bother me in the least but what they turned H into was another story.  He becomes sort of like BATMAN without the cloak and neat car. Our bats turn H into a raving lunatic that is obsessed with these little creatures. Each night at dusk H actually LEAVES the TV to go sit in the back yard to watch for the B-A-T-S. He has been leaving on all the lights with the hopes that the bats won't want to return because it is too bright.  But let me back up a little to the beginning of our latest adventure
I told you the story of H sitting on the lanai the other day when a bat walked across the floor. Odd as that was we decided the little guy had come in on some chair cushions that had been left outside for quite some time. (Nothing odd about that, H leaves all sorts of things laying around for days, weeks,  months. But you already know that.)
We just figured it was a one time deal and I thought nothing of it. H, on the other hand, started obsessing about the B-A-T.  He talked about this bat for days until he decided to go out back at dusk and watch to see if there were any bats flying off our house when it got dark. I thought this was a wonderful idea because it gave me a full half hour to myself! Only trouble was the man was RIGHT for once in his life. (He isn't right often but I will give him credit when credit is due.)
Sure enough . . .  we have bats! AGAIN! 
There are no where near as many as last time but enough that something needs to be done. H has been plotting devious ways of ridding us of these pests without spending a fortune on the exterminator. Mostly because right now is "nesting" season for the little darlings and they are protected by law until the middle of August. At least they are protected from professional extermination, not from H.
And so the battle begins. 
I was sent to stand on the  side of the house to see if any were nesting over there. Do you know how freaking fast these little suckers fly? One minute there is nothing and the next second there are 4 bats flying over your head. You can imagine how thrilled I was to be on bat patrol.  But as far as I could tell the majority are nesting in the roof of the lanai. Problem is you have to go up on the roof and lean over to get at the spaces where they are. And you have to do that after dark when they have all left their nest. H has a plan to get wood and nail screening on it and hang it over the nest so the bats can get out but can't get back in. Sounds like a plan but the man is up muttering about bats all day and half the night. (which doesn't explain why I am wide awake at 3AM)
H is headed for Home Depot in the morning to gather supplies. He has forgotten that we are having the roof power washed in a week or two so all his nets will have to come down for that.
I think I'll just let him go for it. It will be interesting to see who gets the better of whom. And I have the hospital and the exterminator both on speed dial.

GER'S OFFICE

I was exchanging emails with friend Kathy today and she mentioned her husband's office. She said that if Ger's office was anything like her husbands . . .
After I stopped laughing at the thought of Ger having an "office" I told her I had the makings of today's blog.
For as long as I have know H the man has NEVER had an office in our house. Never had an office at his school where he taught for 36 years but did have an office at the Town of Brookhaven where he ran a recreation program for about 2 thousand handicapped individuals. I very seldom visited his TOB office but any time I was there all I could see was a huge mess. Two or three desks with mountains of paper on them, a telephone that he was ALWAYS talking on and clutter all over and under every thing.
Now that H is retired and living in Florida he has no need of an office. He has a recliner in the TV room.  Next to the recliner is the phone, a light, 2 "organizer" boxes with all sorts of papers, pencils and pens. The BIG IMPORTANT part of H's "office" is his personal planner.
About 2 years ago one of the charities who continually send us crap sent a small planner/calendar. H liked it and that was the start of "his office".  EVERY THING gets written in the planner, or his Sudoku calendar or any of the numerous scraps of paper that are over flowing the organizer boxes. H is forever "taking notes" on things and writing things down some place in that corner of the den. Because we also will eat dinner on snack trays in front of the TV there are also numerous bits of unidentifiable food items mixing in with the "office".  ( I have cleaning ladies who dread going into that corner of the room. I pay them extra just to clean the office!)



This all is actually a step up from the mobile office that is parked in our drive way. Because we have a "HIS & HERS" car H keeps much of his clutter in his car. Today as we went out I had to get a garbage bag for the passenger side of his car. Coupons are a BIG part of the "files" in the mobile office. I gave the man a manila file folder the size of Rhode Island so he could keep his coupons all in one place but some how that just doesn't happen. I'm thinking that I should get some double sided tape and when he leaves these coupons around I can just tape them to his body.
And leave them around HE Does!  A favorite resting place for the coupons is on the antique trunk inside the front door.  H clips coupons in his "office". They kick around his "office" for a few days until I ask if they are coming or going so he moves them to the trunk.  It takes an average of a week for the coupon to move from the trunk to the front seat of the car. There they stay until I get to ride in his car. By the time I pick them up off the floor of the car they have expired . . .

Every one needs an office!  I  happen to have 2.

OF BRUSHES AND BATS

That would be   B-A-T-S  BATS !  Or in this case, B-A-T  as in one bat.

H is a well of stories for you and today he gave me 2 good giggles to share.

I was in the pool cooling off after a hard day of doing nothing when I decided to clean the tile at the top of the water line. There was some algae growing on the grout and I thought I would clean it since the "pool boy", to whom we pay a small fortune each week, never seems to get it cleaned off.  H was sitting on the lanai so I called in to him to ask him to go into the kitchen, go in the cabinet under the kitchen sink and get me the small white scrub brush that was in a basket on the right side of the cabinet.
I realize this was WAY too much to ask of the man but I thought if I spoke slowly and gave very specific directions he might be able to handle this.  NOT !
He got as far as the sliding door into the kitchen and called out,"What do you want?"  I went through the directions again stressing the "WHITE BRUSH" in the kitchen cabinet UNDER THE SINK".  It was quiet for a moment and he asked "WHICH CABINET?"  At this point I am about to drown myself in 3 feet of water. I repeated which cabinet and what I wanted.  A minute later he came out and tossed me an ORANGE BOTTLE BRUSH !   Seriously folks, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

Story two is about THE BAT!  Once I got the orange brush I gave up on cleaning the pool and decided to just float around and mutter to myself. Just as I was relaxing H yells from the lanai, "THERE'S A BAT IN HERE!" (Much to my surprise H did not scream like a girl. He was actually quite composed.) I know better than to get out of the  pool and get in his way so from the pool I asked what was going on. H had been sitting reading when he saw a bat WALK across the floor. I'm thinking that's really not a good thing at 3:30 in the afternoon of a bright sunny day but who knows. The bat by now is sitting in the garden on the lanai just chilling. H is now yelling, "WHAT SHOULD I DO?'  I'm damned if I am getting out of the pool so I suggested H get one of the small butterfly nets that we keep on hand for skimming the top of the pool. I thought to put the net over the bat, slide a hard place mat under it and toss the poor little thing into the shrubs outside. H tossed the net over the bat and then wanted to STOMP on it!  I told him WE do NOT STOMP creatures of any sort so I insisted he carry it outside where he THREW the net AND place mat into the bushes. At this point I think the bat realized it REALLY DID NOT want to live any where near us crazy people so it limped off into the huge white Bird of Paradise that grows out back. It probably still has a headache but at least it still has it's life.

I have been wanting to put up a Bat House out near the edge of our lake but H is not a fan. I think I can use this adventure to convince him that if there were a house for the bats they would not be looking to live in our house.