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.

Ticka Ticka dee, Ticka ticka doo

Ticka ticka dee, ticka ticka doo.....that's what my grandson, Anderson, says when he is deliriously happy. I'm happy because I just received a major dose of my daughter, SIL and grandson that might just last me for about a week.

I just returned home from visiting the McCords in Mansfield, TX (part of the Dallas/FW sprawl if you remember your geography lessons.) We had a great time visiting. The night I arrived, we dined at Chef Point, an interesting gas station that is also a fine dining establishment because the owner couldn't get a bank loan for a restaurant but he could actually get one for a gas station. It's been featured on Diners and Dives on the Food Network. Yum --the bread pudding with its cognac sauce is outstanding. It's not everyday you can get gas and chicken piccata at the same place.

On Tuesday, we gorged on Kincaid's famous hamburgers and hot dogs with chili before tackling the Central Market, which is like Eatsey's or Fresh Market, multiplied by 5 or more. I found the most delicious lemon curd. I just wish I'd bought more to take home in my suitcase. Plus, I wish I'd brought a bigger suitcase. Susannah cooked a great dinner, Chicken Delight, a recipe that will be a staple at our home from now on.

On Wednesday, we visited the nation's fifth largest zoo in Fort Worth, which is a charming city with an obviously wise planning commission helping new developments blend in. After wearing our shoes out for two hours without even seeing 1/4 of the zoo, we crawled to the nearby Macaroni Grill, where we amused ourselves with coloring while Anderson looked on with a puzzled look while hinting (unt, unt) impatiently that he wanted his crayons back. If they had given us more than 3 colors, we'd still be there. I was able to convince Susannah to let me browse the local antiques emporium in Mansfield where we found a stuffed animal with new tags for Anderson for only $2 (as opposed to the zoo's standard of $12.99 for a tiny stuffed animal). We had to make up a song about the walrus, "Wally the Walrus Wades in the Water, Flip, Flip, Flip, Flip, Flip, Flip," whereas Wally gets flipped repeatedly much to the delight of the previously bored Anderson.

Thursday was girls day out with a trip to local gently used childen's store (kinda upscale, I might add) to see if we could possibly add to Anderson's collection of Spring shortalls (I counted 24 in his closet right now), the Home Goods store affiliated with Marshalls and our favorite store of all time, TJ Maxx. We found an educational alphabet bus that we bought for Anderson that after a short time needed to have its batteries removed for our sanity. If we had had a screwdriver, it would have gone the way that annoying doll, Chatty Cathy, went for Susannah--wonderfully silent eternally.

What fun....Ticka ticka dee, ticka ticka doo.

Getting Ready!

Next Monday, I'll get to see my daughter, SIL, grandson and grandoggies in the Dallas Metroplex area. I can hardly wait.

Telephone calls are great, videoconferencing is okay but frustrating, and blogging is the next best thing to watching my grandson grow but -- to get to hold him and hug Susannah--that's what I dream about.

Our lives have been so enriched by our grandchildren. It's hard to imagine unconditional love but I think Susannah and Adam have discovered it in Anderson.

Blog ya later-- Bob wants the computer

Remembering Cheryl

It's taken me a while to write anything. Right after Christmas, I lost my sister, Cheryl, to what probably was a heart attack during her sleep. I honestly haven't been able to write because I didn't want to feel. I talked briefly to Cheryl a couple of days before Christmas and offered her a bunch of excuses why I hadn't been down to Suwannee to see her or why I hadn't gotten her a Christmas gift. She laughed hoarsely (she was a smoker)and said, "You're a new grandmother... I understand."

I'm driven. I've always tried to be the best....the best student, the best worker, the best mom but I wasn't the best sister. After work, I generally fall into my chair and put my feet up on the ottoman and die a mental death by watching reality television. Because I call people all day and talk on the telephone incessantly, it's been too much trouble to give either of my sisters a call. I kept saying---I'll go spend some time with her when I retire or I'll send a card (it came back.) I kept thinking,...when I have time, I'll........

We don't have any more time.

Cheryl, here are the things I would say if I had the time:

You were the meanest and the kindest big sister. Only you will understand that.

I forgive you for all the times you drove by Ritchie's house and blew the horn while I cowered in my seat. I forgive you for the police visiting our house and almost issuing a stalking ticket to me(a seventh grader in 1961). It certainly dampened that crush.

I forgive you for teasing me relentlessly. Perhaps you'll forgive me for surprising you when you walked in the door (as a 11th grader) and found me holding a butterknife to my abdomen with ketchup smeared everywhere. It was payback and your scream reinforced my resolve.

Thank you for pitching in and helping with Susannah's wedding when I was losing my head. Thank you for buying such generous gifts for her when it probably meant you went without.

Thank you for taking care of Daddy all those years. Although we tried to make up for it by paying you, we took advantage of you.

Thank you for going with me to try to intervene and try to get our oldest sister, Beverly, into rehab when we knew it was all for naught.

Thank you for helping me understand that having friends and support is more important than having wealth. Your friends loved you and showed up in force at your memorial.

I always loved you and I'll repeat what I told you the last time we talked, "I'm glad you're my sister."

Christmas Coming!

Christmas is 9 days away. Bob and I finally got the Christmas cards written and licked yesterday. Susannah (whose track record includes getting both dogs for me) took care of us by snapping our pics at Fort Worth while we were visiting her the first of December and ordering them through a special deal she found on the internet. She is honestly the most sweetly manipulative person I know...she has a special talent for talking people into doing exactly what she wants them to do. We got the cards the day we arrive home --all for $3.12 (thanks to Susannah's thriftiness in some areas).

Susannah, Adam and Anderson came home over the last weekend and had a whirl of activities at all the parents' homes. She has always enjoyed being a divorced kid and thinks there are huge benefits involved. Two birthday parties, double the presents...two to four Christmas celebrations, quadruple the presents...etc. It's easy to see why she has so much enthusiasm for all the festivities.

Kecia, Jessica and Sydney also spent time with us for the last 2 weeks. I forgot what was like to be in the midst of family (bathtimes, bedtimes, school rush). Bob and I are just settling back into our routine. The dogs are starting to get bored again, too. Bliss......

Work is beginning to slow down. 12 docs recruited so far for 2010 and I'm working on 5 more. I love my job but I honesly thought it would be easier. I forgot that I bring this insane work ethic to every undertaking. I keep thinking that retirement sounds like so much fun but I can just see us taking on major projects. Although Bob initially thought I should retire, now he is rethinking having me around all the time. The Honey Do list is already being formed in my head even though it's a year and half away. However, Bob says I can't retire until I pay off American Express so I may have to work alot longer...maybe another decade or two. Wonder if the Medical Center will continue to employ me into my 90s?

So what do I want for Christmas? World peace, family gatherings, to hear the sound of my grandson saying "Nunna" and tooting for Bop(Bob, who has a funky thing he does like a whistle), my daughter and son-in-love to move into their own home (unfortunately in Texas), to hear Sydney screech with joy, to hear Jessica laugh, and to continue to hear Bob snore.

Dreading my Babies' Move to Dallas

Susannah and Adam's (not to mention my newest grandchild, Anderson) move to Dallas (Grand Prairie)is but a week away and I can hardly stand it. I just want to drag around the house,eat cake(all I could find was popcorn)and pull the covers over my head. I have never napped and I've started napping--how depressed can that be? My energy has ebbed and dipped so slow that you'd have to put a mirror to my face to see if I'm breathing.

ENOUGH! Sometime around 4 pm, I told Bob that I needed goals and projects to get through this time. I started making a mental list.....get dressed (check; roll my hair (check); put on make-up (check...wait a minute -- take some of that rouge off. Bob and I got into the car and went to eat at the Olive Garden, actually had a conversation that wasn't about Susannah and Adam for the first time in 2 months and then he followed behind me in TJ Maxx (he called it CJ Maxx and advised the clerks that they needed a neater store -- my Bob --who was born without a neat bone in his body.)

Next items on the list (wow- Bob is so ready for the list instead of the listless Sue) include planning a trip to Alaska, planning to put flagstones in the back yard near the swing and planning a Thanksgiving trip to Dallas.

No--it doesn't mean I don't care -- I care too much and need to think of other things. Yes -- I can use the webcam and watch my grandchild grow up but it just isn't the same. I love having him wave at me as I drive onto their street and do his hand-dance and then refuse to go to me by hiding his head behind his mom. I loved singing him to sleep last Thursday by singing lullabyes and my mother's favorite, "Your Cheatin' Heart." I love his sweet smile when he's dipping off to sleep and those killer eyelashes when he sighs.

Oops--there I go again ...I need to get back to that list. Blog ya later.

Dog days

The summer is slipping away from us and dog days are about over. While Bob and I sat out by the pool to eat lunch, the pre-Fall breezes cooled us. The ever-present mosquitoes feasted on me(never Bob who has some magical essence that makes them gag). My formerly wonderful flowers are looking pretty tired and black spot is creeping into the hydrangeas. The impatients are looking leggy and stressed. The rains this week contributed to a jungle like growth of all the shrubs, which badly need pruning.

Today, Bob invited his ex-wife, Belle, to come to church with us. It was a bit of a novel concept for me, to say the least. She was very gracious in accepting and bringing the grandchildren, Sydney and Jessica. It actually seemed quite familial and quirky all at the same time. I asked the pastor to pray for Bob this morning (I suspect he prayed for me). Any reader will understand why.

Susannah and Adam will be moving out to Grand Prairie in early October. While it's very sad, it will adventuresome for them. Sandwiched in between tears and worry that Anderson, my grandchild, will not know me, is an upbeat hope that this will be a wonderful opportunity for Adam, who is taking a step up in his career. It will also allow Susannah to stay home with Anderson-- something I was never allowed to do based on finances.

In an attempt to comfort me, Bob keeps pointing out that lots of people do not live near their children but that does not make me feel better. I'd really like nothing better than to have Susannah, Adam and Anderson live in a trailer in our back yard. It would be kind of crowded but wonderfully comforting.

Maybe I do need those prayers.

The big 60 is approaching- reflections

Honestly, I don't know where the time has gone. It seems like yesterday when I was sitting with my best friend, Dorothy,in a field of daisies and picking off "he loves me, he loves me not" about the cute older guy in the 8th grade who lived on the next block. This week, I have my 60th birthday coming up.

What a wonderful life! With every wave of sadness or disappointment came the next wave of happiness and excitement. Would I do it over again knowing the past? Would I try to avoid the hurts and pitfalls?

I'm glad I don't have to answer those questions. I believe that God has the plan and the blueprints..... and I have only to listen for his guidance. I have a framed cross stitch that says "Pray without Ceasing." That reminds me to keep thanking God, praising him, praying for guidance....and listening.

So far, it has brought me the most wonderful daughter, son-in-love (as Granny calls it), grandchildren, and husband. Sigh.

Spring fever

I love Spring planting. I can hardly stand to work during the days that plants are spouting out of the earth and buds are opening. I am so afraid that I will miss this wonderful introduction to my garden that I plot and plan to figure out how I can get more outside time.

I wasn't always this way. Marriage, work, Susannah's needs, and responsibility always seemed to intervene when I was younger. I discovered the intricacies of gardening when Susannah was about 12 and she was more into her friends than into me. I replaced her dependency with watering and nurturing the garden.

This year, Spring has waxed and waned. I've been busy planting and trasferring and pruning. Cold days like today frustrate me because I've got so much to do. Easter is right around the corner and I wanted to have the back yard looking glorious when Anderson found his first Easter egg. I am not daunted by the possibility that the first thing he will do with an egg is try to put it in his mouth.

Unfortunately, a huge beetle eaten pine tree has robbed me of the pleasure of hunting eggs in the back yard. With the high winds, it is dancing in the wind and Bob says it will surely fall with the next high wind. We tried to have it cut down but the tree company needed a bucket machine to be moved next to it and advised us that we would have to lose 2 more oak trees to actually get it down. It's too dangerous to climb. I refused to even consider the possibility and now I'm eying the front yard as a possibility for egg-hunting.

Susannah laughs at me and says I'm possessed. She has no idea that I once took my child-rearing duties with the same intensity that I now care for the garden. Once in a while, I get to glimpse the long term effects of my nurturing: When she reads lovingly to Anderson...when she bestows unconditional love on Gus and Annabelle....when she squeals with joy over Anderson's ever present smile and tells him how beautiful he is.... when she calls her dad or her grandfather just to check on them...when she lets Adam watch sports even though she has no interest in the outcome of the game...when she calls me three times a day just to tell me she loves me.

No sprinkler or fertilizer can create that. It takes love and selflessness.

Snow flurries

Today, Bob and I woke up to whispery wonderful snow flurries. It didn't last once it hit the ground. I cannot honestly remember how long it's been since we had snow.
Enchanted, the first thing we want to do was to call our loved ones and share our excitement. We held back because I was afraid I would wake Anderson but it made me think about other times when the first thing you want to do is call you loved ones.

Like 9-11. That day, I attended an early morning meeting and walked into the doctors lounge to see the news discussing the first hit of the World Trade Towers and while I was watching, the second tower was hit. For some reason, all I could think of was Orson Wells' program about the world being invaded. That was my first thought --we're being invaded and my daughter is in Talladega searching for an apartment for Adam with Miss Tammy--what if I never see her again? I'll never forget trying to call Susannah and make sure she was okay. The sheer relief of reaching her and sharing my fears and concerns while knowing she was okay was so reassuring and life-affirming.

Or the day Anderson was born. I called everyone I knew to let them know. We emailed pictures and rousted relatives we hadn't spoken to in months.

Sometimes, it takes snow flurries to reach out. Thinking about that....I called my sister and my niece today, too just to let them know I love them.

Blog ya later.

Rainy days and dog smells

Sunday morning and it's raining. I cheated and didn't go to church today because I wanted to curl up in a blanket and read the papers (3 have collected). However, my plans for a leisure morning were thwarted by one grey terrier with a horrific smell compounded by the wet weather.

Winston, our Biscuits terrier, and I had to take a shower together because his smell was so bad that I gagged. He's so patient with me and allowed us (it's a group effort) to lead him by the leash to the dreaded shower. Then, he shook and shook and used up 4 towels getting dry. I know his smell is the reason that whoever had him for 4 years took him to the pound. He's so sweet and wonderfully protective even though he butts me constantly trying to herd me. He is super smart and intuitive. He doesn't like our housekeeper, Jewell, however and barks for the entire time (4-5 hours) that she's in the house. I've often thought of writing the Montgomery paper and demanding to know why this unknown owner gave him up after having him 4 years!!! He loves our park walks and for the last couple of years, he watched each truck owner pull up and then made doubly sure that he wasn't his owner. I felt so badly for him and for a while wanted to help find his former owner. Not any more, he's ours and we love him, smell and all.

Blog ya later.

Commiting to Thin

Usually when I start a diet, I do it for about 2 weeks before I get sick of it. I decided that if I am truly to commmit, I have to decide what is really important to me and why I need to try to improve my health. There are several reasons:

(1) I love my daughter, grandson and husband so very much and I want to be there for them as long as I can. I want to be able to get down on the floor and play with Anderson and get up without Bob having to pull me up like he usually does. I want to see Anderson graduate from law school like his dad! Perhaps medical school if I can recruit him.

(2) If I do this, I will feel better and be more active. Each time I go to the gym and work out for 35 minutes on the elliptical, I feel great and almost bounce down the stairs. When I don't,my knnes start hurting and I feel pretty sluggish. I have to admit, though, that I'm the only 60ish (59 but it's coming up in May) grandmother in the gym most of the time.

(3) I want to be able to wear cute clothes and show off my arms. Unfortunately, my legs look like road maps so my arms are my last hope for normalcy.

(4) My co-workers and I are in a group that plans to lose. If we're sucessful (only 10 lbs), we can enter and possibly win $1000. That is a nice incentive but will it pay for all my new clothes.....no. Maybe I should scratch that one.

Finally.....I like myself and respect myself. I need to prove it and do it for me.

Blog ya later.

A new year

Susannah just called and told me that I was a terribly disappointing blogger because it's been a month since I blogged. She's right, of course, but the past month has been busy and I've not had time to do much.

Besides celebrating Christmas, I've had my busiest month recruiting physicians. This is the time that they (residents) start panicking about making a decision and it becomes a race against time to get them to visit, make a decision and sign on the dotted line.

Christmas was fun --we did alot of shopping for our grandchildren. Anderson's first Christmas had to be memorable and we started his ornament collection of trains. He probably had 10-12 Christmas outfits and I hit the consignment shops to do my part. Sydney is growing up at 3 and 1/2 and she can out-talk, out-maneuver, outwit, and outlast us. I remembered buying Susannah a Fisher-Price clock so I purchsed one on Ebay for Anderson along with a set of keys and a handy PDA. I also bought Susannah a Fisher Price tape player when she was four that she sang along with and played Michael Jackson, Air Supply and other creepy artists. Remembering that, I purchased a CD player for Sydney and she loved listening to Christmas songs and kids hits. It's was a bit bigger than Susannah's so she could hardly lift it.

On Christmas Eve Eve (yes, the eve before Christmas Eve), we cooked dinner and opened gifts with Jessica--Northface jacket(what else?), guitar and tee-shirts and then watched Syndney open dozen of gifts for what the Northface cost. Granny--who is 92, opened her gifts, too and loved watching Sydney demand that everything be opened and played with immediately as she unwrapped.

Susannah and Adam came over early on Christmas morning and opened gifts with us around 8 am. We do a stocking gift in a box and that takes an hour to watch each person open each little gift in their stockings. Susannah and I gave each other the same thing for Christmas: a webcam!

After a hearty breakfast, we lazed around while preparing dishes to go to Amy and Tim's. We hit Amy and Tim's about 5 pm and caught up with the Grinstead family. This has been a rough year for them and it seems that it's time for good things to start happening. From my lips to God's ear.

We celebrated New Year's Day with our friends, Kathy and Kurt. We really enjoy both of them and we talked for hours. We had what Kurt termed as "Chicken and Stuff" which is similar to Chicken Caccitore. They have a neat attractive home and that's a rarity in our lives.

Today, Bob and I packed up Christmas(it took us 3 days and about 50 boxes) and he dared me to buy any more Christmas decor. He's right...of course, but I do plan to buy 2 new trees while everything is half-price. I'm waiting for the divorce papers to arrive any minute.

Out of work today and working harder than ever

Today, I took a sick day to celebrate my cold or as Susannah says, "I'm SIIIIIICCCCKKKKKKK."

Gee... so few blogs and I've already been sick twice. And I thought I was such a healthy person. I've got what my daughter would call a "stinking" cold.

I've been extremely busy with the Thanksgiving weekend (Susannah came home, Jessica and Sydney stayed overnight and Patch, the boss' dog, stayed for 5 days). We did something that Susannah hasn't forgiven yet: we went to a friend's house on Thanksgiving instead of spending it with family, who usually throws together at the last minute.

It was really nice but it wasn't family. With family, it's kind of amazing...you don't have to actually try to think of something witty to say--

• you spontaneously start quizzing the kids about school;
• you inquire what the fam has been up to (weddings, funerals, friends, illnesses, operations and arrests); and
• you begin the mercifulless teasing, ie., habitual but endearing tardiness, dishes they typically bring (Dana's chicken and dumplings, Kim's ham, Grinny's cornbread) or things they have done in the past that we'll never forget (Allison's affair to remember with Big Bird or Wesley's singing "broken arms" instead of "open arms," Joseph's request for Beer (root beer that is) at the age of 2 at the top of his lungs at the public pool. We will add more.

Susannah was right. I admit it.

Blog ya later.