The Neighborhood and other musings

If you ocasionally find time to read our blog, then take time to read my new blog at http://gardentours25cents.blogspot.com/

Bob is getting prepared to visit DisneyWorld with his daughter and granddaughters in three weeks.  The youngest, Sydney, is getting super excited.  Susannah, Adam, Anderson and I visited DisneyWorld in July (Adam's vacation time).  The timing was bad--we knew it but God was merciful.  We had some good weather in the 80s and 90s and some cooling rains.  Anderson is still watching "It's a Small World "videos and listening to the CD.  It was a wonderful adventure for us.  I know the girls will love it and will cherish the memories with their Pop.

Sydney came over to swim Tuesday along with the nieghborhood children. The pool was ice cold (due to the trees) but they didn't seem to care.  It was a riotous time for all, including the parent who came over to watch. Several kids learned to come in through our doggie door so we had to laughingly declare it off-limits (Where were they when I locked my keys in the house last February and could have used their entry?).  Such joy in the laughter and antics of children.  It brought back great memories.

In my youth, I remember playing outside until the dark (actually, it was probably our parents) chased us in.  We played hide and seek, red rover-red rover, kick the can, hopscotch and other games together.  We didn't seem to mind the heat or the mosquitoes --all we wanted to do was play.  I think I'll try to find the rules to those games and introduce the neighborhood kids to them.  Does anyone remember their games?

Wonderful Wednesday

Since I retired, Bob and I have been celebrating a midweek event called Wonderful Wednesdays.  We started it to get ourselves out of the same old same routine.  Occasionally we've had a misfire but generally the time has been wellspent and fun-filled.  Many times, it has evoked old memories.

Today, we headed up to Abbeville and ate lunch at Huggin' Molly's, a drug store that has been turned into a restaurant.  The local legend goes that Molly is a 7 foot tall and hay bale wide woman dressed in black that appears after dark, chases children and then gives them ghostly hugs while shrieking.  The restaurant is owned by Jimmy Rane of the Yellawood fame and it shows his love for the 50s and old western movie posters. Here's the link: http://www.hugginmollys.com/.

After lunching and looking through a couple of cool gift shops on the square, we returned by going the old 231 route through Headland.  There we visited an antique shop (no finds) and went by Bob's Dee-daden and Nannah' house which is close to the square.  We then checked out the new subdivision that is being built on the Roberts' old acreage.  Papa Roberts was Bob's maternal great-grandfather. 

Unfortunately, I forgot the camera that can download.  However, we did have a picture for our grandson, Anderson who loves to hear his grandfather, Bop, whistle.  Toot, toot, Anderson!

Garden Tours 25 cents!

I'm experimenting with a camera (trying to learn new tricks at the age of 61).  I finally gave up on the Kodak and went to Sam's and bought a canon and actually read the directions.  Yea!  I'm hoping that this small success will really open up new adventures for me.  I will be able to actually start a gardening blog and sell some things on Ebay.  I'm ecstatic.    Now I need to learn how to actually manipulate the pictures.  Another day! 

Susannah....if you're reading this....I took a picture of Emma wanting to play frisbee for Anderson.

Lazy Sundays

Wow, retirement has gotten me in its grip quickly. Today, we skipped church and worked in the garden all morning. I then swam and threw the frisbee to Emma, our golden retriever, a couple of hundred times so she would jump into the pool. For some unknown reason, she won't swim unless we throw a frisbee into the middle of the pool (she'll retrieve it from the edges without any effort). Now mind you, you'll never get the frisbee back from her...her jaws are like steel and she's not giving it up. To get her to give it up, you have to have another one ready to throw. She doesn't seem to mind that we have to get out of the pool and get the one she's just dropped in a shrub somewhere...she's totally focused on getting those babies out of the water and away from us. Occasionally a frisbee will sink to the bottom of the pool and then she will sit by the pool for hours waiting for one of us to rescue it and return it to her. She's exremely patient.

Winston, our Biscuits terrier, used to try to rescue her by running frantically around the pool and trying to grab her tail with his teeth but lately, he's given it up and is just letting her sink or swim. He's more afraid of us grabbing him and throwing him in to swim. He now heads for the doggie door if he sees us getting on our swimsuits or grabbing a towel.

It's a nice life if you can get it.

Retired one week and counting!

It's been a week since my retirement and I've been busy being a gardner, a grandmother, neigborhood babysitter and wife. In my new life, I've started dieting, exercising and devising daily "to do" lists for my husband, Bob. He's had almost 10 years of retirement and has fallen into a lifestyle pattern that I'm thoroughly disrupting.

I've been planning a fairy party (Secret Garden, Hidden Forest) for Sydney's 5th birthday and getting the yard ready for the onslaught of fairies/princesses and Robin Hoods (elves were just too girly a concept for the invited boys). The garden looks great with the pink, purple and blue lace cap hydrangeas blooming along with the lilies of the Nile (agapanthus). Now I have to figure out how to come up with a Sherwood Forest setting.

We've been swimming every day. Bob and I are falling asleep earlier and getting up later. It feels like summer vacation from school. I've reduced the Benadryl to make me sleepy to 1/2 tab and I haven't taken any Prozac for a week-- don't tell Bob! I didn't put on make-up for 4 days!

The only problem that has loomed is that the neighborhood children are drawn to us. We're trying to wean them from visiting when Sydney is not around. Kecia, Jessica and Sydney spent the night with us last night. The neighbors had supper with us last night and lunch with us today.

Maybe I do need that Prozac.

Easter is around the Bend!

Hooray...I think...I repeat, I think that my daughter, SIL and grandson might just be here for Easter. I love Easter because it allows me to
--work in the garden getting ready to show off my back yard;
--pull out the blue Easter Tree (I know it's corny) and decorate it with all my Easter ornaments;
--drag out Susannah's collection of ceramic rabbits that she got each year in her Easter basket (I love the little Beatrice Potter family with the baby kittens--that is what a baby rabbit is called)
-- pull out the Easter baskets that have been left at my house over the years. This year I bought one for Anderson that looks and quacks like a duck. Sydney's has a purple boa. Sigh;
-- buy lots and lots of plastic eggs to put toy cars, splash toys, rings, bugs, candy and change in. Amy Thomas told me that last year Trey found enough money in his eggs to pay the light bill.

So...I go a little Easter ridiculous. I'm already trying to get Bob to fertilize the grass (he says you don't fertilize until May--) Bah, Farmer McGregor!

Things I hate (actually just pet peeves)

My daughter, Susannah, is always writing about things she loves. With thirty more years experience and a few more husbands under my belt, I thought I'd write about things I hate:

#1 on the list: Street humps. In England, they call them, "sleeping policemen." I get so angry everytime I have to slow down to 5 miles an hour (I know it says 20 but you'd ruin your tires) to cross over a hump just because someone doesn't want any traffic on their street. Excuse me--but isn't that what a street is for? Why does our city allow 75% residents on each side of a street (definition: n. a public thoroughfare, usually paved, in a village, town, or city, including the sidewalk or sidewalks) to determine that my tax dollars can be spent to build a hump so I cannot pass through without practically stopping a paying a toll (the toll being an eruption of my temper)? So what do I do? When I come up to a hump, I stop, look and blow my horn very loudly to protect the children who are tied to their computers but may unknowingly stumble out of their homes into the dangerous thoroughfare. There--I've done my duty and am protecting the children of the world. I know their parents appreciate my thoughfulness, especially late at night. By now, they've got my tag number and have woken up the sleeping policeman.

#2 on my hate list (this is a very purging and calming exercise, by the way) are left lane drivers. Pul-leeze-- I know you plan to turn left 5 miles up ahead but could you just please move over to the right and allow me to pass? What is especially maddening is when you have your exact matchmate traveling in the right lane at 50 miles an hour (in a 65 mile zone) and the rest of us are behind you and plotting both of your demises.

#3 on the list are people using their cell phones who are either driving and talking/texting at the same time (which obviously cannot be done by the swerving going on) or people who are behind you in the grocery store who are talking (always loudly so we know they have friends and a life)using a bluetooth and I think they are talking to me. I try to smile sweetly and raise my eyebrow like "are you talking to me?" but there is no eye contact.

That's enough to keep Susannah from fussing about me never blogging. Actually,I had fun. Now, I'll go to bed and tuck myself into the bed beside my #4 pet peeve-- husbands who fall asleep at 8 o'clock at night and snore loudly.