Orlandel Creations

Listening

2011-07-21T16:50:00.000-04:00

My husband and I have a great relationship. I vent and he lets me. I know he doesn't listen to everything I'm venting about, but he gets the highlights and offers sane solutions - most of the time.

Recently we have been participating in a marriage Bible study at church and while we don't love the one we are doing, it has its good points. Last night, while our pastor is on vacation, a church member filled in for him. Rather than follow the one we are in the middle of, he decided to do a "lesson" from another study, rather than try to follow something he wasn't as familiar with.

The study last night was really geared toward men and was about how to listen to your wife. One of the things we discussed was how women answer a question/approach a problem with 4 types of responses, beginning with emotional. It went on to say how men should learn to patiently listen through all 4 responses before deciding what their wife's response is. My husband was one of the men who thought they listened well - since he has so much practice with me venting.

As we left the church, he asked me how I thought this study compared to the other one we are doing. I replied, "Well, I think this is a good one too, but ....." at that point he pulled out his phone and started listening to his voice mail. I stopped talking for about 5 minutes before he realized I had stopped. He dropped the phone, looked and me and said, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

One Year Later

2011-05-09T15:13:00.001-04:00

One year ago today we lost our friend, Diesel. The pain is easing, mostly being replaced with memories and tributes. There was a car show held in his honor last summer. He would have grinned so big his face would still be hurting. At the end the boys lined up their diesel trucks and “smoked for Diesel.” There was a lot of snow this winter and we all thought about how much Diesel would have loved sliding around in all that frozen stuff. But most of all, we just missed him. We love you, Diesel!

Tile Battles

2011-05-04T10:15:00.007-04:00

Well, it's been a long 'battle' with an uncertain outcome, but we finally agreed on bathroom floor tile! Yeah!!!!

Jerry wanted small tiles and found this "weave" pattern. He loved it.
I hated it

I wanted marble - in 16-inch squares.

His point was he wanted to create something interesting - a work of art - with the tiles and this could only be done with the smaller tiles. My point was that it is a fairly small bathroom, with not a lot of open floor space and the little tiles would be too "busy." He keeps telling me that I get one shot - he's not going to redo this house in 5 or 10 or 20 years, so I don't want anything that I can't change. Tile is not something that I am willing to tackle by myself. So my vision was a timeless, classic look of large tiles in a material/pattern that wouldn't get old - marble. I also want to be able to add rugs; something you can't do if the floor has a focal point (unless you add them around the focal point, which we can't do because the floor is too small).

We went to some home improvement stores and looked at what they had for sale even though we both knew we weren't going to find anything we liked, much less that we could agree on. We were right. And we apologize to the couple who were laying their tile pattern out on the floor while we argued over large vs. small. It was only after we were leaving that we noticed that you were using both of the tiles we were bashing. I'm sure they will look very nice in your house!

Finally we were able to find a time to go to a real tile store. We walked in and the first thing we saw was the little stuff. Glass mosaics, ceramic mosaics, tiny mosaics, and the dreaded basket-weave mosaic. The back of the store had the larger tiles for me, but it was a long walk. We came across this - which made me cry.
However, he did agree that this would be a little "busy" in our bathroom. (I told you so!)

Just as we were about to give up, we found this.

Yes, I know it's on the wall here, but ours will be on the floor. We both love the color, the pattern, it has both the small tile for him and the larger tile for me, and it also comes in other sizes that we plan to use on the shower walls. But most importantly we both agreed instantly. No arguing, no convincing, as soon as we saw it we knew that was the one.

It was a beautiful moment.

How to Remodel a House - Without Getting a Divorce - Part 1

2011-01-31T20:41:00.000-05:00

My husband was 20 when we got married. Our first house was a "fixer-upper" starter home. He didn't care what color the walls were - as long as they didn't have wallpaper on them, he didn't care if the kitchen cabinets matched or not, he didn't care if we had curtains or not.

We are now remodeling another house. I had this house decorated/redone within 5 minutes of finding it. I have spent many years cutting out pictures, searching out products, and creating my lovely vision. Now I find out he cares. He.cares.a.lot. He cares about everything.

We are currently working on the bathroom (because with a working bathroom we can recruit more volunteers to help!). My dream is all white, very spa-like, with a walk-in shower, and a jetted tub. Yesterday my husband (or the person who is impersonating him) was looking through one of my decorating books and found "his" dream bathroom. Yes, white and spa-like. Good, we agree, right? Nope! He wants little octagonal floor tiles; I want big, oversized, stone-looking tiles. He wants tile on the walls, I don't.

Giving up on the tile, we start to talk about the layout (because until you can get the plumbing in, the tile doesn't matter). We both agree on the walk-in shower. He want's it to have a curved wall with 7' columns on the ends. With this design, we can have a room with a shower. Nothing else will fit. No problem, he's found me a claw foot, slipper tub that's small enough to fit. Jets? Nooo, it doesn't have jets, but you know most people who get jetted tubs never use them. I.will. I want a tub and a shower. No problem, he says, we'll move the door. (When I want to move a door, it's impossible.) However, this time, if we move this door it will affect the way the hall looks, since it will be moved to a corner where another, angled, wall is. No problem, we'll build a shelf over the door to create a larger angled wall - but just over the door. The door will still fit in the corner. While this is a good idea and would look really good in a contemporary house, ours is 1800's, slightly Victorian. After several ~~days~~ hours of 'discussion', we decide to move on to the living room ceiling.

I guess eventually we will have to get back to the bathroom, but by then I'm sure there will be tons of other issues in the remaining rooms that we are avoiding discussing too.

But we'll still be married.

How to Remodel a House - Without Getting a Divorce - Preface

2011-01-28T15:35:00.000-05:00

We set out a few (6) years ago to remodel a house. It didn't progress too fast. We are still in the "getting started" phase.

Our house is an old, two-room schoolhouse that was sold and converted into a private home in the 1940's - and hasn't been touched again, until now. It has a lot of charm, a tiny bit of modern conveniences - like electricity and plumbing - and it needs a lot of love. When we started, each room was filled with "stuff" - books, clothes, magazines, dishes, you name it. Each room also has one electrical outlet. Yes, one. We have replaced the electric service and cleaned out/cleaned up the house.

Anyway, things seem to be (finally) moving forward - we now have a septic system!- and work is commencing. I hope. I have five years of decorating magazines, accumulated treasures, and plans so I'm ready. My dear husband, who has heard all of the ideas, but has no interest in the magazines, (and must never know where I have all my treasures stashed!!) now suddenly has ideas of his own. Granted, some of them are based in ideas I've shared, but some are just so outrageous they must be his alone.

We are both artist at heart, but we don't like the same styles. We will have disagreements on what to do, how to do it, what to keep, and what to change. But in the end we both want the same thing...to turn this old, empty house, into our beautiful home. Stay tuned.

Christmas Food

2010-12-22T15:02:00.000-05:00

Cooking is not one of my strong points. Well, my cooking is ok, I just don't do it. I really like to cook - if someone else will please plan the meal, go to the grocery, and clean up the kitchen. I am all in for the cooking.

However, since I don't cook often, when I do have to bring something to a potluck or family dinner, then I have to find something that is simple, fool-proof, and yet make everyone think I spent hours in the kitchen. An easy solution to that is my new, favorite websites...The Pioneer Woman and her Tasty Kitchen (http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/) site.

On the Pioneer Woman (http://thepioneerwoman.com/) site, Ree blogs about life on the farm (really, big farm), photography, home, homeschooling and food. Her recipes have the best step by step directions and photos of each step, which makes it so easy to see if I can do this - and if I'm doing it right! Right now - Hurry!- she is giving away a wonder HP printer, so you can print the recipes and the step by steps. Just follow this link to see how to enter. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/special-offers/2010/11/name-your-favorite-holiday-recipes-and-enter-to-win-a-printer/

The Tasty Kitchen site is interactive. You can post your recipes there too. This means that because someone put their name on it and put in on the internet, it must be a good recipe. So I go there frequently to find something new and unusual. You can also comment on the recipes so sometimes you can find alternatives to the method in the original recipe. There is a way to save recipes in your "box" so you have them when you want to come back.

Check out these sites - there are several (like 3) giveaways going on right now. I'm entering one just by posting this on my blog, but I really, really think you would like these sites. So, go check them out!

December 7

2010-12-07T08:00:00.145-05:00

Sixty-nine years ago today, a sleeping giant was ripped from a peace-time slumber amid bombs, fire, and death. Much has been written about "...a date which will live in infamy..." About how it started World War II, how the governments responded, how many ships were destroyed, and about the changes it made to military strategy. It may important for historians to look at the military impact, but I think about another side.

I think about the lost opportunities. There were 1,511 men aboard the USS Arizona and 1,177 were killed. Only 107 were positively identified. That leaves 1,070 men who were never found or were impossible to identify. The average age of the men aboard the USS Arizona was 19. Boys who never had a chance to be men. Never had a chance to raise a family - never have wives and children of their own. Careers that would never happen. Memories that ended way too soon. Men who would never have a chance to live their life.

Elmo Howard (right)
1923-1941

I think about the mothers. My grandmother had two sons at Pearl Harbor. One she knew was on the USS Arizona. She also knew the other was trying to be transferred to that ship. Can you imagine the hell that was her life for the next few weeks? Had she lost one? Both? By some miracle had they both survived? There were no cell phones; there wasn't even a telephone at all in her rural county home. There was no Internet that she could turn to for the latest information and no television reporter embedded with the latest video reports. All she had was general radio and newspaper reports. Until she saw the telegraph man riding his bicycle toward her house. In what had to be the longest wait ever, she watched him pedal down the road, around the curve, and up the driveway. She knew he was coming to her house long before he got there and she knew that it wasn't good news he was bringing. As a mother myself I don't know how she held it together. I don't know how she was able to send her last four sons off to the military in the following years.

I think about the brothers. The USS Arizona alone had 38 sets of brothers (4 sets were 3 brothers; the rest were 2 brothers) and one father/son pair aboard. Twenty-three sets of these brothers lost at least one brother. The father and son pair were both killed. One mother lost both sons. One set of brothers were twins; one of these survived, the other did not. One got to go home; the other never will. I can't imagine the heart grabbing pain of looking at a burning hulk of metal knowing that part of your family was there. The undying hope that your brother was one of the survivors. The guilt that you weren't there beside him to help. The guilt that you survived when so many others didn't. The eternal hope of looking everywhere, hoping there had really been some sort of horrible mistake. (My surviving uncle spent the rest of the war looking for his brother at every naval hospital he was near.)

Today we need to remember the sacrifices of the men and also the women, the families, and the friends of those who were there. We need to remember the survivors, but we most of all we need to remember the ones who didn't survive. The ones who never had children to remember them. The ones whose only mark on history is that day. We need to remember the pain of their families. We need to remember the total surprise at the violence that ripped the peace of that Sunday morning. The anguish of the following four years. And the emptiness left by those who never came home.

5 Things I'm Grateful For

2010-11-19T15:33:00.001-05:00

Jessi from "Notes From a Scattered Mind" posted today about un-ordinary things that she is grateful for. So besides my husband, children, health, etc. here is my list:
1. Cell phones. I have gone from not seeing why I would ever need one to never being without one. Without them I would be lost when I have a sudden need to talk to my son in the middle of the day. I wouldn't be able to call my daughter who just left my house and ask if the fire truck/ambulance/police are that is headed in her direction is coming for her. I wouldn't be able to just let my husband know that I love him when he's knee-deep in some messy, dirty job that's he's doing because he has to.

2. DVR's. At last I can watch my craft shows, my HGTV, and my guilty pleasures when I want to. That may happen at 3 am or at any other time of the day that I am lucky enough to be home alone and can wrap myself up in their goodness.

3. My grandchildren. I love both of my children, but let me tell you about my grandchildren....They are such a wonderment of life. They will keep my young (unless I have to chase them very far or for very long) and I can't wait until their next visit (which, thankfully, is almost every day).

4. The internet. I love to sew, I love to paint, and I love most crafts. What I hate is that no one in my local shopping area seems to share those interests. While buying fabric on the internet is not my favorite way to shop, it's good to know that I still can. I can also find items that my grandmother taught me to use but are no longer made because someone out there thinks, "I can sell this on e-bay!" Thank you!

5.Daylight Savings Time. It's gone now. I miss it very much. It gets very dark, very early. I need some more sunlight.

Heroes

2010-11-11T14:19:00.002-05:00

"Real heroes are men who fall and fail and are flawed, but win out in the end because they've stayed true to their ideals and beliefs and commitments." - Kevin Costner

In 1775 some ordinary men stayed true to their ideals and beliefs and opened the door for thousands of other heroes who would follow them. They all did it so that a better way of life, our freedoms, would be won and protected. Today we need to remember all of these heroes. Not the ones who fell in battle, but all who stayed true to their beliefs and gave us the right to celebrate today.

"A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom." - Bob Dylan

My Heroes:

Revolutionary War – John Bradford
Samuel Arnold
Joshua Arnold

US Civil War - William Batterton

WWI - Orem Redding Lancaster (Millersburg Military Institute, Millersburg, KY)

WWII Elmo Howard – US Navy - USS Arizona

Richard Dale Howard – US Army - Pacific Theatre – Okinawa

John Allen Howard – US Navy - USS Ward
Charles Dana Howard - US Navy
James Breckenridge Howard – US Army

Korean War Joseph Curtis Howard – US Navy – USS Rochester

Vietnam War Jerry Wayne Giles – US Army

Teddy Eugene Giles – US Army Danny Lee Giles - US Army

Today, especially, thank a veteran. Thank someone who risked it all to stand up for what they believed in. A true hero, who stood for us all.

Jukebox Friday - disco edition

2010-07-30T09:01:00.001-04:00

Disco Queens

Gloria Gaynor

Donna Summer

Sister Sledge

Alicia Bridges

Jukebox Friday

2010-07-23T09:29:00.004-04:00

Harry Chapin

Don Mclean

John Denver - an old boyfriend gave me this 45 and he scratched out Annie and wrote Cathie. I still have it. Annie's (Cathie's) Song

The BeeGee's

Life Lists

2010-07-21T13:44:00.002-04:00

I really want to start blogging again, but I just don't have anything to say. So, I stealing this idea from my daughter and posting my own Life List (which sounds so much better than a bucket list!).

1. Go to Pearl Harbor and visit the USS Arizona Memorial and the punchbowl. I can come home after that a happy woman, but if I could see a little more of Hawaii I would be happy too.

2. Learn to tat. I have tried to teach myself, but there is a disconnect somewhere. I can tie a knot, but I can't make it slide. So, I need a teacher. Did I mention that tatting is a dying art form? There are no teachers in my world. I've even had to explain tatting to a few people.

3. Own - and drive - a 1971 Doge Charger. I think my son will eventually fix one up for me, but he'd better hurry! I may not be able to get out of a car like that much longer.

4. Be able to stay at home with my grandchildren all day - every day. I want to teach them to sew, to do decorative painting, crochet, hang drywall, change the oil in their car, and all the other cool stuff I can do.

5. Finish my family tree. This may be impossible. Just this week I took one line back to the 1300's (and found out I was a 2nd cousin 9x removed of George Washington). There always seems to be another branch to follow.

6. Finish my house. Before I die. I'd like to live there before I die too.

7. Create a stained glass window. To go in my house would be nice. But not necessary. I just want to create a window.

8. Drive a semi and a wrecker. Not far - just so I can say I did.

9. Build a pulling truck and a show truck (or car). Just so I can say I did.

10. Make quilts for all my children and grandchildren that they can hand down to their children and grandchildren along with a little family history. I also hope that one of them is interested in family history and the "treasures" we have.

So there, Jessi. Did any of these surprise you?

Jukebox Friday

2010-07-09T10:38:00.004-04:00

Terry Jacks

J. Frank Wilson

Bo Donaldson

ABBA

Willie Nelson and Ray Charles

Jukebox Friday - Faith

2010-07-09T10:12:00.005-04:00

I guess this was the beginning of Christian Rock.

Even nun's got in the spot light...

A very powerful song. Words and music by Johnny Cash.

My favorite of Johnny's gospel songs.

Jukebox Friday - Cher

2010-07-02T08:11:00.002-04:00

No need to say anything else. She has been my favorite since day 1!

Not from the 70's, but oh, so Cher!

Jukebox Friday - Ride, Ride, Ride

2010-06-25T08:00:00.005-04:00

Ever hear of Sailcat? Judging from the lack of videos of this song, not many people have.

The reason my son will never drive a van....

Ride, Ride, Ride....

Rock on....

Top 10 Summer Loves

2010-06-22T08:56:00.007-04:00

I'm stealing this from my friend Tessa. Here are my favorite things about summer - in no particular order.

1. No snow! I really love waking up to a white covered world, but by the time I'm ready to leave the house I want it gone, gone, gone!

2. My pond. I love to get out of the car and be greeted by the sound of babbling water. I love to look into the water and see the different designs and shapes resting on the bottom of my little pool (this is assuming that the water is clear enough to see the bottom). I love the plants around the edge and the way that some of them dip into the water. I love the fact that we have "accidentally" purchased another small pump, so that I can now create a waterfall or maybe another fountain.

3. Daylight. It's so depressing to get home from work and have to turn the light on in the house. Summertime is when I can really save on my electric bill by not turning on lights until it's almost time for bed. Oh, wait! The electric bill is not smaller because it's also time for....

4. Air Conditioning! Let me just say that personally summer should not be allowed to start without air conditioning being in place. I love, love, love my air conditioning!!!

5. Flowers. It's so nice to see color in the yards and along the road. Someday I will be able to grow my own flower gardens, but for now I just enjoy looking at everyone else's. (Who are we kidding?!?!? My green thumb never grew up and I will never be able to keep a plant alive, let alone make it flourish. I am doomed to have only weeds and mint (which no one can kill as it slowly takes over).

6. Cookouts. First of all it means that someone else (Jerry) does the cooking. There is also very little clean-up. I'm all about the cookout - of course it would be even better if there was air conditioning outside.

7. No school. This used to mean that I didn't have to get up to make sure my children got to school. Now it means the grandchildren can stay all night whenever they want to.

8. Holidays. Maybe it's just my imagination, but there seems to be more holidays in the summer. Days I don't have to go to work and can sleep in, spend the day doing what I want-when I want.

9. Lightening bugs. Nothing makes me feel as safe and happy as lightening bugs. They are a part of my childhood summers, my teen age pranks, and my children's summers. Now I can show my grandchildren the "magic" bugs. They are also the only 'bug' I will touch!

10. Ice cream. Yes, I know we can have ice cream in the winter, but nothing is as good as ice cream on a hot summer day.

Enjoy your summer!

Jukebox Friday - My Hippie Songs

2010-06-18T08:00:00.006-04:00

One Toke Over the Line - I didn't understand what this meant until I after I had worn out the record.

Sweet Mary - For some reason I always think of this song when I hear One Toke Over the Line....

Popcorn, by Hot Butter - something you just have to experience

Jukebox Friday - For Dale

2010-06-11T08:00:00.003-04:00

If you know Dale, you know this song!

Cover of the Rolling Stone - Dr. Hook

And of course

Swamp Witch - Jim Stafford
(Yes, that seems to be Harry Potter, but listen to Jim sing.)

This song was very much Dale. It's also one of my son's favorites too.
Hot Rod Lincoln - Commander Cody

This was NOT one his favorites, but it was in his truck's tape player for months and he took a lot of ribbing about it. However, he kept it there for his daughter.

Jukebox Friday - Obscure Songs of My Life

2010-06-04T11:02:00.005-04:00

Does anyone remember these? (or have ever heard of these?)

Ok, to understand this video you have to see the movie "Billy Jack", but this is the only video I could find with the band Coven and this song.

Peace!

Juke Box Friday - Be Still My Heart

2010-05-28T23:49:00.003-04:00

Ah young love....Major crushes....Tiger Beat Magazine posters....Those were the years.

Donnie Osmond - the cutest boy EVER

The DeFranco Family - more family cuteness

And of course, the one and only made for TV family - No, Hannah Montanna is not original!

Jukebox Friday

2010-05-21T11:31:00.003-04:00

Wow! What a short week!!

This was my very first 45. Enjoy....

Life

2010-05-18T16:34:00.002-04:00

I'm not ignoring this blog - there is just too much on my heart and mind to write about any one thing clearly. After losing Diesel last week, I didn't think anything worse could happen. But life always has a way of showing you just how wrong you can be. So, while I deal with grieving for a child gone too early and other things happening to my family, please say a prayer for us.

God really needs to show me that green line to follow NOW!

Juke Box Friday - For Diesel

2010-05-14T14:55:00.004-04:00

It's Friday - the end of a long hard week.

Today's song isn't old. It really isn't popular. He's not in it, but he would have wanted to be there. It's for Diesel.

No music - but this is our Diesel and his beloved truck.

My son and Diesel - doing what they did best....

Grief

2010-05-11T10:15:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I told you about my friend, Diesel. Today I want to tell you about Diesel's friends. I am totally amazed and blown away by these kids. For the most part Diesel hung out with 18-21 year olds. Kids who have never had to experience anything like this before. I heard someone say yesterday that these children don't know how to grieve so that's why they are doing "strange" things. I say, adults needs to step back and learn from what these "children" are doing.

Car window paint is the rage of the day. Messages to Diesel adorn every window. They tell the world they are proud to be Diesel's friend, they love him and they miss him. The colors are loud - they are shouting their loss to the world - but the paint is temporary, and so is their pain. They know that as the rain washes the paint away, their pain will diminish also.

They also are getting stickers made - In Loving Memory - that will be more permanent; a lasting tribute to their friend, Diesel. Because he will always be in their hearts and minds. The pall bearers and friends will wear t-shirts to the funeral with a photo of Diesel's truck and messages on the back. "Throttle Jockey" was one of Diesel's stickers on his truck and now it adorns several t-shirts. "One Shot, One Kill!...Git U Sum" was another Diesel trademark. They wear these shirts to proudly proclaim their love for their friend.

There is also a little vengeance on their minds. The tree that Diesel hit is now logs headed for a bonfire that will be held to say goodbye this weekend. While it may seem a loss of a good tree, these kids were amazed and the amount of nails, old crosses, and ribbons they found while cutting the tree. Yes, it has been stopping cars and lives since I was a child. Now, at least a car will have a clear shot to an open field if they miss this curve.

Some have learned that words spoken in anger or spite sometimes can't be taken back. Petty disputes can last forever and aren't really worth it. A true friend loves you to the moon and back.

They are planning to give a memorial tree to Diesel's grandparents. They are organizing food for after the service. They are investigating options for Diesel's truck. They really want to repair it and then give it back to the grandparents so they can keep it or sell it. However, if it is beyond repair, then they know the value of the parts and will help the family make sure they get what it is worth. They have already stopped some of the parts from disappearing and others that were gone have been returned.

Yes, these kids are grieving and hurting. But they are wearing that grief proudly and openly. Time will ease their pain and their lives will go on. Each one with a touch of Diesel.

PS. Being kids, they have been forbidden from 'hanging out' at the majority of places in our town. However, the local Steak and Shake has been very hospitable, giving them a place to park their trucks, rev their engines (within reason), and bond together. Managers and waitresses were at the hospital and are watching over these kids as they work through their grief. I want to thank them and let them how much I appreciate their kindness.

Diesel

2010-05-10T15:47:00.005-04:00

One Saturday morning, I walked into my living room to find a large boy in a white, wife beater shirt asleep on my floor and my son asleep on the couch. I fixed breakfast for them – a rarity in my house – and Dustin carried his plate to the sink and offered to help clean up the kitchen – another rarity in my house.

Dustin, or Diesel, as he is better known has been in and out of my house ever since. Last winter, during a big snow storm, Diesel brought the hood from one of his old trucks, which was then hooked to a 4-wheeler and became the Super Sled (don’t try this at home! Only trained stunt men or bored teenage boys should attempt this feat!!) When my son’s truck was stuck in the snow, it was Diesel who came to the rescue. On the Saturday mornings when I would find myself alone, I would curl up on the couch in my pj’s with a coke and watch all the Saturday morning tv that I never get to watch when anyone else is home. I could almost guarantee that about mid-morning, Diesel would be knocking on my door, wanting to show his newest toy.

Diesel had a talent for bargains. He bought cars for $400 that everyone else had to pay thousands for. He traded a $400 car for a motorcycle about the same time my son bought one that cost every cent he had made working that summer. Of course, I was the only one home when Diesel came by. I told him how nice his bike was, but he said my son’s was nicer and looked better. I still disagree with that, but that was the kind of kid Diesel was. He never bragged about what he had and he always appreciated yours.

Was. On Mother’s Day, while the sun was shining, a dark cloud formed over our lives. Diesel was in a terrible wreck and was killed. His diesel truck that he loved so much was destroyed and the laughter was taken out of our lives. Diesel was always laughing. He was always smiling. He would go out of his way to speak to you. He never forgot a face. Or a friend. Diesel was known for his white, wife beater shirts, but he was always kind and easy going. He was one of the best kids I have known.

Yesterday, as news of his death spread, his friends gathered at the hospital. They stood in groups, crying, talking softly, or standing silent vigil. They spoke of the good times and how much they loved this soft spoken, bear of a man/child. Diesel was 20 years old. Yesterday I saw 18-25 year olds age before my eyes. They met death, stared him in the face, and they stood strong for their friend. They planned memorials and they remembered good times. They stayed as long as Diesel did. When the funeral home left with their friend, they moved to where they hang out every night, hoping this was a dream and that big, red diesel Ford, would coming roaring in - Power Smokin' everyone in sight. It didn’t.

Diesel, we miss you and whenever we see that black smoke roll from a big, chrome diesel stack we will know that you are up there - watching and laughing.

What's On My Jukebox?

2010-05-07T08:30:00.002-04:00

I have always wanted a Jukebox. I have enough 45's to fill one, but I don't have the room, the money, or the type of house to really get one. So...I'm going to build a virtual Jukebox here, on-line. Stay tuned. I will even teach you what a 45 is, although I really, really hope you know.

My first attempt to "own" music didn't work out so well. I was in grade school - either 5th or 6th grade and Bobby Goldsboro had a great song out. "Honey". I really, really loved that song and I wanted it so bad. After enough hints my mother finally gave in. She had quite a had quite a nice collection of records herself and that was where the problems began.

Her records were from the 1940's and were known as 78's - meaning they played on a record player that rotated them at 78 RPM's/ Evidentially in the 1940's an artist would record songs and then another artist would record the same songs on their record and you could buy the artist that you preferred. However, I didn't know that, so when she kept asking whose album I wanted that song on, I kept saying I just wanted the song.

So I got the song. On a "new" album that was 33 1/3. (which means that it played at 33.33 rpm's ya' know). However, it was not a Bobby Goldsboro album. It was Kate Smith. Now, if you are at all familiar with the Billy Graham crusade's of the 1960's and 70's you will know who Kate Smith is; otherwise click here. Now I'm sure that my mother had the best of intentions and that if Kate Smith was good enough for Billy Graham, then she certainly should have been good enough for me. And I love Kate on some songs - no one can sing How Great Thou Art like Kate Smith (except George Beverly Shea, but that's for another time), but "Honey" just wasn't the same.

My dad sang one song over and over again all through our childhood, we all knew the words. When we got older we discovered that it was really three different songs that he just rolled all together. With this great musical background, Dad decided to come to my rescue. He bought me another album. (Listen - it's not what you think it is. This is on the album and was written by an inmate at Folsom Prison.)

Just what every pre-teen desperately wanting to fit in needs. It was almost enough to make me quit, but instead it was just the start of a classic collection. (Of course there was never and will never be a juke box that plays this size record.) However, it did open my world to country music and I now have quite an extensive collection of Johnny Cash albums. This is a reminder to keep an open mind and what you hated at one point in your life, you may love at another point.

After the Johnny Cash Album, I was able to convince both of my parents that at 45 was a "cooler" option for me and at only 79 cents it was a bargain too. First 45's in my collection? Tune in next week.

Technology

2010-05-04T15:35:00.003-04:00

This isn't really a blog post, but more of a cry for help.

We have lost the remote. The satellite remote. The one my son and I share because his father thought it would be a good idea to hook "my" bedroom TV up to the same box as my 18 year old son. Our routine is usually he uses it at night, I slip into his room sometime between 3 am and 8 am and take it to "my" room, because I watch it when I can't sleep and to catch the morning news as I wake up.

So, I took it and now it's gone. I have looked everywhere. My son has looked everywhere. His father has looked under the pillows - he doesn't mind because he really doesn't like me watching TV at 3 am.

I went on-line to get another - $36 and a week to get here. Excuse me?!??!

Please! Does anyone know if a regular satellite remote will work with Dish's new one box system? We have one box - in the living room - that really has 2 channels on it. We can record one channel and watch the other from the living room. The second channel is also controlled by the (lost) remote from either "my" bedroom or my son's. I miss my TV!!!

Water Gardens - Take 2

2010-05-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

You may remember about my fledgling water garden last year. Well, it made it through the summer and fall. During the winter it froze and for some reason the fish did not go to the bottom or move behind one of the rocks, so they also froze solid – just under the surface of the ice. During a thaw all the ice melted, but the fish did not revive (so much for cryonics!)

So when the weather warmed and we foolishly thought winter was over, we drained the pond, cleaned out all the decaying leaves that had accumulated over the fall and winter. We re-filled it, installed the pump, and started the fountain. It was very pretty for about 15 minutes or so. I went inside but my 5-year old granddaughter came and told us the pond was pouring water over the sidewalk and was almost empty. My husband caught it just in time to keep from burning out the pump. I re-filled it, reset the fountain, and turned it on again. Fifteen minutes later it’s once again watering the sidewalk. So I gave up. For the time being.

A few days later, on a whim, I bought a water lily (also because the same 5-year old granddaughter thinks I should have one). I sat it in the water, just below the surface and the green leaves have been reaching for air ever since. It was looking good.

Yes, was. We received twelve inches of rain this weekend. You would think that with a water garden that wouldn’t matter. But it does. I think. My water lily is gone, I think it drowned. I’m sure the torrential amount of rain has knocked it off the shelf it was sitting on, but I can’t seem to find it in the bottom of the pond. I was skimming with the net, but I couldn’t find it. Now that rain has stopped I will drain the pond again – just turn on the fountain, because the rain also knocked it over too – and hopefully find a soggy, but semi-happy water lily just waiting to be rescued. And we will start once again.

Music Memories

2010-04-29T15:36:00.009-04:00

Lately there have been a lot of reminders about my favorite era of music and the memories from that time. First, a new radio station has come to town. HANK, 96.1 plays country legends from the 1960's, '70's and '80's. Ahh,,,,back when I was cool! I can sing along on almost every single song - and, yes, I do still remember the lyrics!

Secondly, For Crying in the Mud posted about musical memories and what they mean to her. Then today The Pioneer Woman posted a giveaway on her blog asking for your prom memories and what music you danced to. Wow! What memories that brought back.

That was back in 1977 and prom was a mix of soft rock and the beginnings of disco. We danced to the Bee Gee's, ELO, Jennifer Warnes, the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac.

"Looks Like We Made It" by Barry Manilow was more or less the unofficial theme of our graduation. Another hot group was KC and the Sunshine Band. "That's the Way I Like It". The day after graduation we (my girl scout troop) headed for Daytona Beach on our annual trip (yes, we were a very cool troop!). That song was on every single radio station over and over again. We were about to the TN-GA state line and our leader turned the radio off and said, "no more!" So of course we sang it - over and over again. All week.

That fall I started college and Peter Frampton was very hot. Margaritaville was also a top song that year and very popular with the college crowd. That's all I have to say about that, but needless to say it was sung long and loud on several occasion on campus!

Of course, I was always a little more country, so I was happy listening to Rita Coolidge, Mary MacGregor, and Kenny Rogers. However, the very cute guy that I was dating took me to see Kansas, and AC/DC. Tickets were like $15 each and I remember complaining about having to spend $18 to see KISS. I later paid $21 to see them a second time in Lexington.

1977 was also the year John Travolta graduated from Vinnie Barbarino to Saturday Night Fever, Elvis died, Apple was incorporated, Lynyrd Skynyrd looses three members in a plane crash, and the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, KY burns, killing 165 people. It was also the year I graduated high school, watched Star Wars six times in four months, and fell in love for the first time.

Cars and Kids

2010-04-27T19:53:00.010-04:00

In my younger days, I was accused (more than once) of being a red neck. I guess I was. I knew what my engine looked like and what most of the parts did. I could change a flat tire and change my oil. I had a very cool car - a 1976 Oldsmobile Starfire that I maintained mostly by myself (well, sometimes Jessi helped).

In the 1980's I purchased a 1950 GMC truck. It was my dream to restore the body, put it on big tires, and a 6" lift. Yes, I would need to use the running boards to actually get in the cab, but it would be so cool...I sold it to take my daughter to Disney World. Still in the same condition I got it in. So much for dreams. Well, sort of....

Flash forward to 2010. My son buys a 1984 Chevrolet that he promised to sell before he leaves for college. The first thing he does is put in a 4" lift kit so the 33" swamper tires clear the body. I need a ladder to get in it. This is what you call living your dreams through your children.....When he goes to college, I'm driving it! (can't you see me at the grocery in this??)

(That's a hook hanging off the bumper - off a crane - but that's a blog for another day. )

Daddy's Hands

2010-04-22T14:14:00.006-04:00

I love hands. Hands are always the first thing I notice about people.

I remember my grandfather's hands. They were always tanned from working outside and usually had a cut or two on them. He had long, thin fingers that could do any job. My grandfather was a very hard worker who used his hands to help many people - mostly people who just needed a hand up. And they always had time to hug a grandchild.

My Dad's hands are thick with stubby fingers. They have worked on farms for many years. Even his "regular" jobs involved farmers. He spent 8 years in Brazil teaching them to grow burley tobacco. When he got back to Kentucky he sold insurance mostly to farmers and he worked our farm between sales. I remember Daddy's trembling hands when my grandfather died. I remember Daddy's trembling hands holding my daughter for the first time.

My husband's hands are slim and strong with more than one callus. They've been mashed, cut, and bruised over the years, but they were always ready to reach out to his children. They're very soft as they hold his grandchildren and always ready to pick a flower or build a playhouse.

A friend of mine lost her father this week. It was a sudden and tragic accident that makes the loss that much quicker and painful. There was no time for good-bye. Right now there is hurt and loss, but there is still the memory how much love was in daddy's hands.

Trash

2009-10-06T12:09:00.004-04:00

Why can't men find the trash can? My husband went on a rant this weekend because our son left his empty ramen noddle wrappers on the table after creating a midnight snack on Friday. He kept bringing it up all weekend..."The trash can is 3 FEET from the table! Why can't you just throw them in the trash can?"

This morning I tossed the empty toilet tissue roll in the trash can - since it was obvious that my husband wasn't going to - it has been on the counter for 2 days. (The trash can is under the tissue holder and the counter is across the room.) I also threw away his fast food foam cup that he brought in with him last night. Admittedly, I do not have a trash can in the living room where he left the cup, but he passed two on his way to bed. We won't talk about the empty Mt. Dew can on the front porch - I'm not quite sure who left it there, but I don't drink Mt. Dew. Or the vacuum cleaner that he decided was trash, but hasn't quite gotten to the curb. He did toss my toaster oven, with the promise he'd get me another one, because we had a small fire in it and the glass was smoked. (It's been 3 years now, I still don't have a new one.)

He does complain about the way I keep my car. But there is no trash in my car. Yes, there are things that need to be brought into the house, there are things I need to take into my office, things my grandchildren left, and there are things I might need Friday's football game if it rains or gets too cold. There is also my 4 folding, camp chairs that I have in there to safeguard. The last ones I had got into the house, then into his SUV, and then to a campout. The last I heard one had fallen into the camp fire and one was being fished out of the lake. He can keep them now - and I'm sure he will. He won't be able to find a trash can...

The Things We Do For Out Kids

2009-09-28T11:22:00.014-04:00

Friday is the big day of our week because it's football night! I could care less about the local college teams or any of the nearby professional teams, but high school football is entirely another story. You see my son is on that team and I live and breathe Cardinal football!

For example, this past Friday night - it had been a dark and gloomy day, with a forecast of rain in the early evening and then clearing. Now, I don't really like being outdoors (my husband tells

people that I hate grass), but what I really hate is being uncomfortable. I don't want to be too hot or too cold, but most of all I don't want to be wet!! Now I was prepared for rain - I had a jacket, 2 umbrellas, and a towel to wipe down the seats. We

waited until just before kickoff to arrive and the rain had stopped - or so we thought.

It was a nice evening - not too hot, not too cold - not too wet.

Until the 2nd quarter.

Then the rain started.

Nice and gentle at first.

We popped open the umbrellas and scooted close together. Everything was fine. Even our granddaughter was happy.

We stayed in our seats during half time because they were dry where we were sitting, but if we got up they wouldn't be dry any longer.

The third quarter started and the opposing team fumbled the ball. Our offense ran out and the coach finally put my son on the field! Yeah!!! Then we fumbled the wet ball and the offense (including my son) left the field. The opponents made one huge play and were within 20 yards of scoring a touch down. My son was sent out to play defense (which is what he wants to play). YEAH!!! They lined up, got into position - and the ref blew his whistle. Everyone stood up, looked at the officials and both teams, the benches, coaches, trainers, and water boys all started running off the field. Parents (who were all that was left in the stands) sat in the rain wondering what was going on. Finally, it was announced that lightening had been spotted and the game was delayed for 30 minutes. Well Lightening is a different matter and so, the parents reluctantly gave up their dry seats and headed for the shelter of the concession stand area. After 10 minutes, they called the game. 40-0 we won. Somehow the joy of a win was lost. My son missed his opportunity to play and I was wet from the knees down. yuk! This had better be the last of the rain this fall!!

Things I Have Learned Recently

2009-09-16T09:06:00.003-04:00

1. Color pencils do not scan well. The scanner picks up the wax from the pencil and creates shine that distorts the colors and even some of the shapes. So in order to show my art now I have to find the camera, be able to adjust the lighting without disturbing other family members, and find suitable backdrops for photography. Some day that will all happen at the same time and then I will post my pictures. Don't hold your breath....

2. When the phone rings at 5 am it IS something bad. At 4:55 I sent a text my son, who replied that he was on his way home. At 5:05 am the phone rang. "Mom, I had a wreck." Thankfully he was less than 1 mile from home, so it didn't take us long to get there. He wasn't hurt, but the Jeep is a total loss.

3. We should all aspire to be wrecker drivers. It cost $100 to tow the Jeep 1/2 mile.

4. Panic attacks and stress can make you feel like you're having a heart attack. Only this one lasts for days/weeks. And the more you think you may be having a heart attack, the more stress you are adding to your life. The more stress you add, the more it feels like a

5. The difference between local TV and satellite TV is that now I pay to have nothing to watch.

6. If you live near me be forewarned - you have to drive to another town (at least 20 minutes) to buy a spool of thread.

7. Blogs that aren't updated are harder to write. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

New Art

2009-08-18T16:52:00.011-04:00

My first class this year was a watercolor pencil with Tina Sue Norris. We explored different ways of putting color to the paper (multi media board) and how to move the color once it was there. It's hard to see in this scan, but the background is white trees, already stripped of all their fall leaves. I really like this medium and I love Tina Sue Norris as a teacher. She is so calm, so sharing, and so funny. As she says, you can't mess up because it is all fixable! My kind of project!!

We used drafting film as a palette - scribbling the pencil in a smal circle to transfer the pigment to the film, then picking the color up with a wet brush. This gave a nice wash to the leaves. After the wash dried a little detail was added with the pencil dirctly applied to the paper, then blended with a wet brush. The background was color washed, then the tree trunks were penciled in and blended. Very quick and easy, but really a nice detail.

My second class was a tiger-striped cat that has already been disposed of and will never be seen again. I did learn some things from that class and I will try again, but with my own techniques and style. This class and I just didn't see eye to eye.

I have more classes, but my scans have ended up in nowhere land and I can't seem to find them. I will continue this soon - I hope!

I'm Baaacccck!

2009-08-17T16:38:00.002-04:00

I just spent a week in art heavan - for me at least!

I attended the Heart of Ohio Tole convention (HOOT) in Columbus, OH. This was my sixth time to attend and I can't wait for next year!! I was able to take 5 color pencil classes and 1 acrylic gouache. I floated home in a haze of what I can do and plans for many, many art projects. I hope I can do at least a fourth of them this year.

Picutres will be posted (tomorrow, hopefully), for those who care to look, but mostly for me - because I DID!!!

Growing Up and Growing Old

2009-08-05T14:21:00.001-04:00

Today is my son’s 18^th birthday. My son is still at football camp. On his birthday. Before he left he said, “Mom, this is the last time you’ll see me as a 17-year-old.” My heart has been hurting ever since.

My baby is grown up. When my daughter turned 18, it didn’t hurt like this, although it did a few weeks later, when I drove away from that dorm in the middle of Kansas without her! But I had her brother and he kept me busy (he was 5 at that time), so I didn’t have time to think. But this is my last one. My nest is not empty (he says he is going to a college where he can commute, because he’s not leaving home), but it seems different. Of course, he’s been gone all week, so the house should seem emptier, but we’ve been at VBS ever since he left, so we haven’t had much time at home. And our oldest granddaughter has obligingly asked to spend the night with us twice, so she has been an extra person, but it’s just too quiet or something.

My emotional milestones have never been the same as everyone else’s. My mother wept for days when each of her children started first grade. I pulled away from the school with a happy heart. The day my daughter started middle school (at my old Jr. High) I cried all the way to work and for most of the morning. When I dropped my son off for his first day at middle school (now moved to my old high school) I sobbed so hard I had to pull over. When my daughter started college it really didn’t bother me (except for the 800+ miles between us), but her graduation day was one of the saddest days I have experienced.

I don’t know why 18 is hitting me this hard….maybe it’s just because this is the first birthday that he hasn’t been at home. Or this is his last year to play football. Or because he’s a senior this year. Maybe it’s because he keeps reminding me that he’s 18 now. Maybe it’s because I really think he doesn’t need me anymore…..

Of course when school starts and I’m pulling my hair out over his grades, everything will be back to normal.

Art - My Way

2009-07-29T09:59:00.000-04:00

It's almost August - my favorite time of the year. First of all both of my children were born in August - the 3rd and the 5th - (and many years apart!). But the second week of August is my anual pilgramage to Columbus, OH for an awsesome convention called HOOT.

HOOT stands for Heart of Ohio Tole and while it was created and is dedicated to Tole and Decoraitve Painting, they also have classes availble in other media. Oil and watercolor classes have been a mainstay over the past years, but recently color pencil classes have been available. Last year I took 5 color pencil classes and I am signed up for 5 again this year. I can't wait!

I am taking a color pencil class with Pat Lentine. Last year I did this color pencil drawing in one of her classes. This year I'm taking a portrait of a collie. I love her children more, but the collie is a great design and she will teach how to do hair/fur. She is really a good teacher and I love her classes.

Another class I'm taking is with Marian Jackson. She is a wonderful teacher too. I had two classes with her last year and have done a packet of hers on my own. St. John's Rose was a real stretch for me and this is my second attempt. (The first attempt is long gone and hopefully was not seen by anyone!). This would have been a great class for me to take, but I couldn't get to the live one and had to settle for the packet. This is probably my favoite color pencil drawing yet, but I'm still new to this.

I am taking one acrylic class this year. It's a closeup of a deer head. My husband is very supportive of my 'hobby' and makes sure that no matter what else is going on I get to HOOT, so this one's for him. I hope I can do it justice!

If you want to see more of my work - I don't photograph much of my art - but some of it is here.

I will be sure and post my finished classes from this year too.

Ghost Stories - Part 2 Update

2009-07-27T15:00:00.000-04:00

Just today, as I was desperately trying to find a photograph that I had packed away, my son (who doesn't even know I have a blog and that this is a 'current topic') picked up an old, framed portrait of an ancestor and told me that was the same man he'd talked to. I told him that man had never lived in the house and it couldn't have been him, but my son is still insisting that it is the same man. My mother said that it is one of her mother's relatives and never even lived in Georgetown. He still swears it's the same man. That puts a whole different spin on a "haunted house!"

Ghost Stories - Part 2

2009-07-24T16:48:00.000-04:00

My mom's house has been her home since she was 18 years old (1945). She moved to Brazil for a 18 months (she counted every minute until she was back home) and West VA for a few months, but other than that she's been in the same house. She doesn't believe in ghosts and almost always has an explanation for what her children proclaim to be ghosts.

My first bedroom to myself was at the top of the stairs in the front of the house. It was part of the original house that was built in the late 1700's/early 1800's. I lay in bed every night and waited for the "ghost" to come up the steps. I could hear the kitchen door shut - downstairs and all the way to the back part that was added on in the 1900's. I could hear the kitchen cabinet (the old, metal type that was popular in the 1930-1940's) drawers being pulled open and closing again. I could hear the piano stings jangle as if someone were walking down the hall past the piano. And I heard them come up the steps, 1..2..3.. and so on until they got to the top step, ...21. Then all was silent and I could go to sleep. My mother wrote this all off as the "house settling". You'd think a house that was that old would have settled.

Once, when my brother was in my room, he heard the footsteps and he refused to come into my room for quite awhile after that. His room was just across the hallway from mine, but he had never heard any of it. Years later, he, his wife and daughter spent the night at my mom's house. His daughter, my daughter, and I were sleeping upstairs while he and his wife slept downstairs. About 11:30 he heard a noise and went into the kitchen to investigate. He saw a tall man, dressed in all black, walk from the outside kitchen door into the family room. However, when my brother got to the family room - a very short distance - there was no one there. He immediately ran to the front of the house and alerted me. There was no one upstairs (except us) and a search of the downstairs did not reveal anyone there either. About ten years after that, I saw the same thing while house sitting for my parents. "He" walked from the outside kitchen door into the living room as I was in the kitchen. I knew what it was as soon as I saw it and if my son hadn't been in the family room asleep, I would have run the other way. But, being a braver mom than I thought I could be, I ran to my son. As soon as I got him, I called my brother (who lived next door at that point) and said, "I saw your ghost and I'm here alone." He said "I'm coming." and hung up. He was there within minutes and stayed with me until my husband returned. No questions. He knew what he'd seen and he knew I'd seen the same thing. I think it's the same "Abraham Lincoln" man that my daughter saw a lot of and the same one my son had a conversation with a few years later.

All Creatures Great and Small - More Fish Tales

2009-07-23T14:02:00.000-04:00

I have always wanted a water garden. It just seemed so calm and beautiful with a small, bubbling pool of cool water with plants hanging over the edge of the water looking at their reflection in the water. I have read many articles and how-to's on the joys of water gardening. I have read how to make one that is fairly maintenance free. I have also heard from other people who have had one how easy they are. And, yes Jessi, I have heard how much trouble they are - from more than one person. But this is what I wanted and now I have it.

My small pond is not exactly what I have envisioned, but hey, it's a start! My little tiny, "carny" goldfish are not exactly the huge, beautiful koi that I saw swimming in my water garden. The few flowers that I did manage to get planted don't seem to want to get near the ponds edge (except for the Japanese Bloodgrass, which dips it's blooms into the water every time it rains!). But nobody ever, ever told me about how emotionally hard this is!

After resigning myself to too many fish in too small a pond, I have started feeding them huge amounts of food. I thought everyone was happy and getting along just fine. Then it started raining. My little pond got fuller and fuller. Last night I went out for one last feeding before I went to bed and noticed that the water was trickling over the edge. I got a cup and started bailing water out to lower the water level so that the cats and assorted wild animals that I have been told feed on fish ponds like mine would have a harder time getting to the fish.

Now, you need to picture this. It's almost midnight, it's drizzling rain, and I am standing in the garden barefoot bent over the pond bailing water out by the cupfuls. Also on my mind is that I am dangerously close to the driveway where my little ghost boy likes to hang out. I did announce my presence when I came out the door, but you never know if ghosts really listen - and I do have neighbors. I can't just yell to the ghosts. So, anyway, I'm bent over the pond, when I hear a noise directly behind me. Hoping it's a neighbor, I quickly straightened up and turned. Nothing. Nobody. Not a thing out there but me and the rain. OK, maybe it's a cat. I shift a little to the left so I'm a little closer to the steps and resume bailing water. I hear it again. Damn! Still nothing there, but I'm a little more cautious as I bend over. Just as I dip my cup in the pond something cold, wet, and hard hits my ankles. No, I didn't scream. I wanted to. I tried to. Nothing came out. But I did run up the steps to the safety (???) of the porch.

Now, I've seen my little ghost boy on more occasions than I want to think about, but he has never let me get more than a glimpse of him and he has never, never, ever tried to grab me. So - after my heart slowed to only twice it's normal rate - I edged my way back to the steps and peered down into the garden area. Nothing. I went into the house to get a flashlight because while the pond lights do a lovely job on the pond, they don't do much for the surrounding area. Returning to the porch with the flashlight (and desperately pleading with my ghost boy not to see him tonight) I peered over into the garden. Nothing - then something jump toward me. This time I did scream. Nobody came to my rescue; nobody even peered out of a window. OK. Well, this definitely wasn't a ghost, so I crept forward again.

This time my light was in the right place at the right time and I saw my 'huge, ugly' fish was trying to escape the garden - or find his way back to the pond. Either way, I tried to scoop him into my very small (goldfish sized) net and return him to the pond, but he was too big for the net. I ran inside and dragged my poor husband (who was sound asleep at this point) from the bed and out to rescue the fish. He tried, but it was too late.

This morning my son asked why I was outside screaming in the middle of the night. Not that he came to help me. He just wondered why. I love you too, son.

A Tale of Two Fish

2009-07-21T13:59:00.000-04:00

My fish tale started when my son and his girlfriend won fish for my garden pond at our county fair (first post and second post). So, my little pond has been bubbling along with my little fish colony for about a month now.

We went for a day trip on July 4 and were gone all day on July 5, so I turned the fountain pump off in order to save my electric bill, mainly because everyone tells me that my pond pump will skyrocket my bill and I have enough trouble keeping the AC going! So, without my pump going and two days of full sun, I arrived home on Monday evening to a pond of totally grass green water. Now all of my pond maintenance "expertise" is coming from magazines that say how soothing and wonderful the sound of running water is and how much you will enjoy your new water garden. It would be more enjoyable if I could see the fish.

My son decided that we needed another algae eating fish, so he purchased that (even though it made an odd number of fish in the pond, he is living with it). It can't possibly eat enough to make a difference this year. So I purchased some algae eating chemicals. They didn't work either. We are experiencing serious green stuff here people.

After having a family discussion, we decide to scoop the fish out into another container (my son was pushing for my husbands cooler), drain the pond, scrub it out and start over. My husband thought that most of this work would fall on his shoulders, so he stopped at a local bait store and asked the fishermen there for advise. I can only imagine what they thought - they live to fish. Anyway, they talked him into buying 2 more fish. I can't expain why two more fish will help, but brought them home, he did.

The first fish was a lovely (??) orange and white spotted goldfish (yes, I know they are really carp) that matches my other fish - except that he is 100 times bigger than they are. The second fish - also a carp of some kind - is just a fish. He's is brown and gray and black and my first thought was that my husband had brought home supper. He is skillet size. If we had been fishing, he would have been a keeper. In my family, he probably would be wall-worthy. But he was added to the pond and sunk into the green depths.

Now for a week I have been feeding fish like crazy because we have all of these monster fish now. Last night as I was feeding the fish (for the third time that day) I noticed a 'bubble' scooping huge amounts of food up. Upon closer examination the 'bubble' turned out to be a fish mouth. My 'ugly' fish has been scooping up all the food, leaving the other fish to starve.

No! Wait!! They have been eating my lovely $15 water lily!

In a desperate attempt to save what's left, I scooped the lily - or more accurately the roots and two leaves - into the top of the fountain, where the bubbling is threating to drown what's left. We have a serious overpopulation of aquatic life, for which there is only one solution.

Build a bigger pond! (Yeah, right!)

Ghost Stories - Part 1

2009-07-17T16:22:00.000-04:00

I am stealing this thread from my daughter's blog (http://jessisscatteredmind.blogspot.com/), but I just can't help it. My mother's house has ghosts and I love my family's ghosts! I don't want to see them, mind you, but I do love them.

One of them is a little boy (well, 8 - 12 year old) who seems to hang out around the barn. I only have caught fleeting glimpses of him, but I know that he was there. He wears brown knickers (or knee pants - whatever you call them) with suspenders, a light colored shirt and a brown checked tam. The first time I saw him I was backing out of the driveway and glanced toward the barn to get my bearings while driving backwards. I was looking out the back window again before I realized what I saw. I quickly jerked my head around again, but he was gone. All the way to my house I was trying to decide if I had really seen anything or if it was a trick of the light. About 10 miles down the road - in the darkest, most rural part of my drive - my son, who was about 3 and sitting in his car seat beside me (it was a truck - I don't put car seats in the front otherwise!), says "Mom, what is he saying?" Now you have to understand that the only two people in the car/truck was me - who was silently trying not to freak out - and my son.

With the hair starting to stand up on the back of my head, I asked "Who said what?" He points to the space between us and says "Him."

Now, I don't know how I kept the car/truck on the road, but I knew I wasn't going to continue on with a ghost in the truck. I was looking for a place to abandon the truck and trying to figure out how I was going to walk the rest of the way home with my child. My darling son, who then started singing with the radio, "Country boys and girls getting down on the farm." Whew!!!

However, my little ghost boy has been back several more times. Almost like he's taunting me. Just a glimpse, but enough to know he's there. Since I have moved back to the farm, I try to stay indoors after dark, but there are times I must go outside. I walk out the door, close my eyes, and yell - "OK, I have to come out here, but please don't let me see anyone!" So far they have listened to me and I haven't seen anyone, but I never know.

And yes, my husband, who doesn't believe any of this, thinks I'm crazy! But my son, who has had a conversation with my daughter's Abraham Lincoln looking ghost/man, totally gets it.

Back Seat Driving

2009-07-07T11:11:00.001-04:00

I always got to drive because my dear, sweet husband decided that it was easier to let me drive than to listen to me tell him how to drive. Then he bought a standard shift. I try really hard, but it's easier for me to tell him what to do than it is to drive with a clutch.

Then my son started driving. I was supposed to be teaching right? So, I told him what to do. He's been driving for almost 2 years now, but I still have to tell him to slow down, don't tailgate, the roads wet so you have to allow for more stopping room. Geeze, don't they understand that I'm only trying to help?!?!

This weekend we went to Tennessee - down the interstate and then down a curvy, country road that went around a mountain. My son drove. Now it wasn't that he was going fast, but he already has one speeding ticket and if he gets one more they will take his license. So, I kept warning him (ok, so did the radar detector) to slow down. Then we hit the mountain road. Those curves are deceiving - you need to approach them slowly - right?

I don't know why he got so testy! Mom was only trying to help.

Working Vacation

2009-07-02T16:28:00.000-04:00

The last two weeks I have been 'boss-less'. He was on a 2 week trip with his horse (and his wife, another couple, and a friend) to California. I should have had an easy two weeks - right? Nope! I think I have worked harder and been more stressed than I was the week before he left.

I used to look forward to his trips. I got caught up on filing, cleaned up my desk a little, and did a lot of Internet surfing. But something has happened. Now when he leaves I seem to have more to do than when he is here. This time, I didn't look up the entire first week he was gone. Seriously, one day I was an hour late going to lunch and another I missed lunch completely. On Friday, I worked until 5:10 finishing up, but at least I had a clean start on Monday. What happened?!?!? It's now Thursday and I am not finished with my to-do list. I have worked very hard and I have crossed off a lot of stuff, but it's not done. There has not been any Internet surfing - you can check! - and I still have a good 3 days of work left to do in the 1 day that I have. The only thing good that I can say about this week is that the phone has not rung!

I think I will need to take a vacation to recover from his vacation! Do you think he'll buy that??

More Gray Hair

2009-06-30T13:38:00.000-04:00

Today my soon to be 18 year old son got his motorcycle permit. I can already feel my hair turning gray! I am quickly reaching maximum stress level and he doesn't even have a motorcycle yet!

My mother survived this fear - her son was only 15 when he purchased his first Harley. Yes, it sat on the porch for several months before he could ride it down the road. Of course, this is the same son who set out for a month long bear hunting trip to Idaho instead of attending his high school graduation. But she is also the one who was able to force the bear hunting camp to give her an unlisted phone number of a police officer in California that my brother had followed out there when he forgot to call home one night. She is also the mother who completely lost it when I (at 17) announced that I was going to ride to Alaska on a motorcycle (I got the idea from a motorcycle commercial in the mid-1970's ). Of course, it never happened, but it was a good idea at the time! I wonder if it was the motorcycle or the fact that I was a girl.....

My fear isn't that my son will not be a good rider. He was 5 when he stole the riding lawn mower from my brother's house and drove it across the fields to his grandpa's. He was driving a tractor before he was 10 (I didn't find out about it until after he was 10). His dad let him drive on abandoned strip mining roads when he was 12 - after all he was already driving a tractor! He has raced ATV's and dirt bikes. He is a good driver. My problem is that all of these people who are coming down the road toward him don't understand that he is my baby and they need to be extra careful around him. For my sake. Please!

County Fair Update

2009-06-29T16:40:00.000-04:00

Due to overwhelming success at the fish game, my son and his girl friend headed back there on Friday night. Saturday morning there was a 5-gallon bucket sitting on my kitchen table. They brought me 7 more fish. So by noon all 9 fish were in the garden pond. Three tried to escape - one was caught and returned to the pond, but the first two were quietly buried beneath a newly planted rose begonia.

My son, who doesn't like odd numbers, brought an algae eater from Wal-Mart, so now we have 8 fishes in our little pond. And a $15 water lily to satisfy our granddaughter who requested one. She wasn't very impressed when she saw what $15 buys in the water lily world (neither was I!), but seemed happy that it was there.

The fair has moved on to another town. I really hope somebody checks those bolts!!!

The County Fair

2009-06-26T09:34:00.000-04:00

I hate to admit this, but I really hate fair week. It started when my son was young. I couldn’t wait to take him to the fair to ride the little children’s rides and watch him eat his first cotton candy. I had taken my daughter many times and we had lots of fun then and even more fun when she was able to ride the bigger rides with me. So, what happened?

Well, first of all my son moves faster than the speed of light, so keeping track of him in fair crowds was a chore. Then as I was watching him ride the little train around and around I began to notice the mechanics of how the ride operated and how it was put together. Wow. All those nuts and bolts and they move it every 7 days. Does anybody ever safety check these things?

When he was old enough to ride the bigger rides with us, everything seemed to spin up high in the air. The Scrambler was gone, instead we had a gynormus Ferris Wheel that I had the misfortune of seeing erected. No one checked the bolts and now my son wanted to go to the top of this piece of rickety machinery. I don’t think so. We finally compromised by going to watch the tractor pulls and demolition derby.

Then his next step was to go with his uncle and cousins. Now you can say I knew better, but his uncle really wanted him to go with ‘the boys’ and they were still little, so they’d be on the little kiddie rides – right? Wrong. They got there, my son went one way, his uncle and the boys went the other. That was the first year we started bringing things home from the fair. This year it was a girlfriend. My son was 12. She was 16. Her name was “my girlfriend” because he couldn’t remember her real name. When I found out she had a job and how old she was I asked if she knew how old he was. “Nope. She didn’t ask and I didn’t tell her.” When I wouldn’t let them ‘date’ she got suspicious and asked why and then how old he was, so that was the end of that relationship. It never got off the phone. The next year he brought home a rabbit. I spent over $100 on rabbit stuff – and my sister’s Great Dane gave the rabbit a heart attack when he knocked the cage over trying to get to him. Since then it’s been stuffed animals that mostly end up with (age appropriate) girl friends.

Last year was the first year he was able to drive himself to the fair and it was a battle all week. Of course, if he could drive to the fair he could drive other places and who was going to make sure that he stayed at the fair? My husband wouldn’t let me follow him – although we did one night. We were there about 30 seconds before my phone rang. “Why are you here?”

“How do you know I am here?”

“I heard. Are you checking up on me?”

"No, we came to see the tractor pull.”

“Then why are you standing by the Ferris Wheel?”

“It’s the first thing inside the gate and where are you?”

“I’m at the tractor pull.”

“Then how do you know where I am?”

“My friends told me.”

That’s the trouble with living in a small town and going to a small town fair. Everyone knows you.

This year, he has a job and is working long hours that require him to get up at 5 and 6 am., so the fair has lost some of its charm. But last night he went with his girlfriend (he didn’t find this one at the fair). I spent the evening thinking about how my little boy had grown up and didn’t have much time for mom and dad anymore. He hasn’t even asked if we wanted to go with him this year. About all the little toys he’d won over the years and given to all those silly girls. And mostly about how next year I probably won’t even know if he’s even thinking about going to the fair.

It was starting to rain as I left my meeting at church and I wondered if they’d have to close the fair and if my son would come home or just stay there until the rain stopped. As I approached the driveway I saw his car turn in. I parked behind him and watched as his girlfriend jumped out of the car with a giant stuffed animal. “Look what he won for me!!” I looked over at my son who was grinning from ear to ear. “Look what I won for you, Mom!” He was hold two plastic bags full of water – and two fish.

Wonder how much aquariums cost?

MIA

2009-05-26T09:23:00.000-04:00

I hope some one is asking, "Where did she go?", but I am pretty sure no one has missed me. However, I will explain my absence just in case. On Thursday, May 14, my baby - who is 17 (almost 18), over 6 feet tall and weighing in at 220 - had minor surgery to remove his adenoids and have his turbinates reduced. What, you ask, are turbinates? Well, Wikipedia says " the turbinates divide the nasal airway into three groove-like air passages –and are responsible for forcing inhaled air to flow in a steady, regular pattern around the largest possible surface of cilia and climate controlling tissue." So now you have had your anatomy lesson for the day.

The Dr. assured us that by having the surgery on Thursday he would be ready to return to school on Monday, thereby just missing two days. This was very important because we are close to the end of the school year. However, after recovery we still have allergy tests to complete and new medicine (hopefully) to adjust to, so my reasoning was to go ahead and start.

We were told to be at the hospital at 10:30 to check in for our surgery. At 1:00 we were moved from the waiting room to the pre-op room, where we waited. At 3:30 he was finally taken back to the OR for surgery. At 5:00 the Dr. told us the surgery was successfully completed, D should "take it easy" for the next couple of days, no straining, and not to bend over - not even to tie his shoes. I went into the recovery room when he woke up and helped him get ready to leave. As he sat up, he remarked that he didn't think he would be able to walk out to the car, but the nurse assured him that was normal and she would get him a wheel chair. It wasn't until I was half-way home that I realized I had no wheel chair to get him into the house - and I wasn't sure I would be able to support him. However, we did fine getting into the house and were on the road to recovery.

Sunday night he was a little nauseous, but got up Monday morning and headed to school. An hour later I got a text. "very sick. need to come home. now." So home, he went. Very sick was a little understated. For the next 4 days my baby, who can eat 5 full meals a day, ate nothing but jello and water. My baby who was not supposed to strain or bend over spent most of his awake moments bent over the porcelain throne, giving up the jello and water.

We stopped the medications, we changed the jello, we even tried chicken noodle soup. Nothing made him better. Finally, on Thursday, I emailed my church family and asked for prayers. Friday, after work, I walked in the house to my baby sitting upright, showered, shaved, dressed, and asking to go to Applebee's for steak. He hasn't sat down since.

Thank you God! I am sorry I didn't hand this to you earlier in the week. Now, could you please help him catch up on all the school work he missed last week in the 6 days of school that are left?

2009-05-15T19:36:00.000-04:00

Wow! What a week and am I ever glad that it is over!!! My cell phone died - as in the white screen of death. So I had to take 3 steps back and use an ancient phone until my new one arrived - which was Thursday night. The bad part of my dead phone was that my son gave me a mini memory card, but since I didn't know how to use it, I just carried it around in the phone - empty. So now, all of my photos and my ringtones are gone. I miss my ringtones the most!

The phone that I had was ok, but very, very basic. It was extremely hard to text with it - well, hard for me because things like the space key was on a different button. So texting took twice as long - and for me texting when I know what I'm doing takes a long time!

Also, all of my phone numbers were saved on the dead phone, but backed up online. However, the phone I was using couldn't access my online backup. (So if I was supposed to call you and didn't, you now know why!) Of course, this was the week I needed to call lots of people whose number I didn't have, but should have had.

My new phone finally arrived and guess what? All the texting buttons for things like the space are on different buttons. My phone numbers are back - but now I don't need to call anyone. I have a choice between 4 ringtones. They all sound the same to me, but I can't 'hear' any of them. They are loud enough, they just don't sound like a ringtone, so I mostly ignore them. So, it will be another week before I can learn all the new twists and get new tones loaded. It's not that I don't like change - well, maybe I don't!

Raising Parents - Chapter One

2009-05-04T20:39:00.000-04:00

My parents are in their early 80's - and are doing remarkably well - but sometimes you have to wonder ......

My dad will call and leave a message "Call me when you have a minute." But you better call fast, because if you don't he will call you back. If you answer, his first question is "Did you get my message?"

"Yes"

"Why didn't you call me back?"

"I haven't had time yet."

click - he hangs up. So you call back.

"Sorry, my cell dropped your call." (Trying to be nice!)

"No, I hung up. You said you were busy."

"Well, I was, but now I'm not. (I had to stop what I was doing to call you back) "What did you want?"

"I was wondering if you knew if it was going to rain Saturday."

"No, Daddy, I haven't seen the weather since I got to work today."

"Well, OK. Let me know when you find out."

click. He never says goodbye. When he's through talking, he hangs up.

Now, you might think this is the end of the conversation. Nope. You'd better find out because if you don't he call back - in 10 minutes!

My mother, on the other hand, is so worried about bothering you.

"Are you busy?"

"Actually, yes."

"Well, I don't want to bother you and this will only take a minute, do you have time to talk to me?"

"Sure, Mom." (I just lost track of what I was doing anyway.)

"I'm so sorry to be such as pest; I know you are busy, but I just didn't know what to do. Are you sure I'm not bothering you?"

"No, Mom." (But you're starting too!)

"Well, theres alot of smoke in here and I think my house is on fire. Can you come home and see?"

"NO! I'M AT WORK AND IT WILL TAKE ME 20 MINUTES TO GET THERE. CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT."

"No, the house is a mess and I don't want them to see it like this. I'll see if I can find it and put it out."

"NO!!!! PLEASE CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT!!! THEY DON'T CARE!!!!

"Oh, yes, they will. Wait! (OH! OH! OH! heard faintly in the background. Is she overcome by smoke? Is she on fire? What is going on????) ................................ I found it. I forgot my breakfast was cooking on the stove. There's no fire, just lots of smoke. I'm so sorry I bothered you. Did you get breakfast? I can bring you some if you didn't have time this morning. I just made a pan of oatmeal - it's not burnt too bad."

Yes, mom just what I want after an early morning heart attack - burnt oatmeal.

Time

2009-04-28T16:24:00.000-04:00

If I could have one super power it would be the ability to add time to my day! I can't believe how much stuff I have to do and so little time to do it in. Even at work - my inbox gets higher and higher (and for those of you who have seen my desk, you know that can be pretty high!). I have 2 reports on my desk right now that need to be done, but other, more urgent things keep getting added.

Home is the same way. Too many things to do and too many places that I should be. So, what do you think I'm doing? Prioritizing and doing the urgent things first? Scheduling and doing things in a timely manner? No and No. Here's what I'm doing.

Nothing like art to make you lose yourself for a couple (or 4 or 5) hours!

I've been painting for about 12 years, but I don't have a dedicated painting space now. It takes so long to get everything out, paint, and then put everything back up, so I haven't done much. Then I found colored pencils. I love this!! Just sit down and work. It's great! No waiting for paint to dry, not a lot of stuff to have to store.

This was a lesson from Marian Jackson, but I didn't get to the class, so I had to work through it by myself.

Hopefully, I will get to take some more classes at HOOT (Heart of Ohio Tole convention) this year. I really love doing this!!!

The Good Old Days

2009-04-23T16:46:00.001-04:00

When I was a child, my family would sit on the porch at night with neighbors and listen to my grandfather and Preacher Roy tell tales of their lives. A frequent start to one of their stories would be “Back in the good old days…..” and I always thought how sad that the past is better than the present. I mean life is supposed to get better as you get older, right? Wrong!

I miss the good old days. Especially the good old days of analog TV. Life was nice back then. I had a set of rabbit ears on top of my TV and I could chose between 5 different stations that came in with relative clarity. You have to understand that this was the extent of my choices. Cable TV was not available in my area and back then satellite TV was too expensive. When satellite became affordable we weren’t home enough to justify the expense and we were happy with what we had.

After we moved back to civilization – where cable was available – we didn’t sign up for it because it was a temporary move and we decided to wait until our house was finished. It’s now been 4 years, the house still isn’t finished and we still don’t have cable. But now we have digital – or at least we are supposed to.

We bought the “box” and we bought a new antenna, but we have lost CBS, FOX, and KET. (I am heartbroken over the loss of KET) and the official changeover date hasn’t even occurred yet. Yes, I could subscribe to cable, but now it’s a matter of principle – it was free before and it should be free now! I know I can buy another antenna – but I want a coupon for that! As a matter of fact, I will give back my digital box coupon if they will give me 90% off the cost of an antenna!! And tell me which one to buy.

There is a web site that will guide you to what antenna you need – if you are smart enough to answer the questions – and it gives you a nice color-coded tag to look for when you go to purchase your antenna. However, they forgot to tell the antenna stores to put the tag on their product. So, you’re back to eny meany miny mo….

Most stores seem to have a good return policy on these antennas, but who wants to assemble all those parts, put it on the roof or a tower and then have to take it down, take it apart, and try again.

Maybe for entertainment, I’ll put my kids on the porch and bring my dad over to tell stories about his good old days. That is if I can pry him away from his big screen that’s hooked up to satellite.

Getting Old

2009-04-20T21:36:00.000-04:00

Anytime I’ve been asked my age for the past 20 years or so, I have responded with a very serious, “I’m 29.” I have been so adamant about this age that my daughter even bought birthday cake candles of these numbers that she can use year after year on my cake (although I don’t think that I’ve gotten a cake since that first year – hmmm). Well, I hate to say it, but I think my days of being 29 are over.

First of all my body is getting old. I ache in places I didn’t even know you could hurt in. My joints pop more every day and I am slowly wearing my ‘cheater’ glasses to see with instead of just to read with. I kept thinking this was a temporary illness and all would be better soon, but I’m beginning to think it’s not.

Secondly, my grandchildren are growing up. They are doing things that I remember their mother doing yesterday – at least it seems like yesterday. Maren has just outgrown her first car seat and Brynna just had her photograph taken in a shot similar to one her mom had made at about the same age – 25 years ago (Jessi cooperated better!).

Third of all, my baby is 17. His age doesn’t bother me as much as where he is in life. Starting first grade didn't bother me at all - when he started middle school, I cried like a baby all the way to work. Getting his driver’s license was a relief since I didn’t have to get up early in the morning to get him to school. Ordering his class ring was a time of stress – how to pay for it (they have really gone up since I purchased mine back in 1977!) and would he really graduate the same year as what we were putting on the ring (it seems that he will). But what is making me feel really feel old is the little things – going to the prom and staying out all night. Deciding who, where and when he will take his senior photos. The college flyers that are starting to fill our mailbox. The fact that he can (and does) fix my car. Legally he can now hunt alone. He kisses his girlfriend in front of me.

I used to think that I would be old in the year 2000, then my definition of old changed to 50. Now I see that it’s not a number, it’s the little things in life that make you old. So, I guess from now on, when asked my age I will have to admit the truth.............39.