The Story of the Fly and the Finger

Excuse me while I scream. Please, can somebody tell me why oh why my pictures are small when I explicitly click LARGE on the upload page???

Some of the Cousins

ANYway, after a very wonderful reunion last weekend with the cousins (and OH how we love to be together) I was in a blue funk. P.S. These are only some of us. We were 18 altogether I think, with so many more who couldn't come.

THANKFULLY, my friend Sonnia showed up from Las Vegas and entertained me with answers for problems of the world.

But then,

every dang time I turned around, there was a fly in the house. A GROSS, DISGUSTING, DIRTY OLD FLY. My apologies to all you fly lovers out there, don't tell me who you are.

So I was swatting and shooing flies for fun and enjoyment.

One landed on the screen door. I opened it up to shoo it out and whilst I was waving my arm to get rid of the thing, smashed my middle finger on the door frame.

OHHHH the pain.

I do not know if it is broken or sprained. At this point I don't care. It hurts and it is swollen and black and blue. Larry tapes it to my ring finger for stability.

So I am mad.

I'll get over it. Really. But right now I am mad and sad. And need to go to bed.

BUT - I am giving a talk in church on Sunday and need to do some research. So no bed for a while.

Ciao for now...

The Cousins, 1957

Could we be any cuter?

On vacation at the 1000 Islands -

Yours Truly, Big Joe, Ricky, Mary, Dolores, Little Joe and Chuck. Eugene wasn't born yet . Can you tell which one is my YANKEES baseball pal?

There may be a fish somewhere in the picture.

Oh these events!

FAMILY TIME!!

The most awesome family around, of which I am a part, will be here this weekend for a reunion and I am EXCITED to the max! Here is what to expect:

Food

Bocci

Food

Singing

Food

Trivia

Food

and Talking into the night


Updates to follow.......

Happy Independence Day!

I don't know about you, but I love the 4th of July.

I am terribly grateful to our founding fathers who were guided by God to make this country the best in the world.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

P.S. It's really hard to take pictures of fireworks!

What earthquake?

We experienced a 5.0 earthquake today here in Rochester - well actually it was centered in Ottawa, Canada but it sure traveled far.

Of course I never felt it, although it seems most everyone else did. I was at work, oblivious, when a co-worker got a call from his mother saying she felt the house shake and that her television went off.

My alert self went into action and I called Larry to see what he knew. He reported that there had been an earthquake but he didn't feel it either.

I feel deprived. Those of you who have actually been in major quakes think I am loony, I know.

A couple of other times I have HEARD the rumblings or rattlings of quakes around here but I never actually FELT one.

It's always something. Excitement abounds here in western New York.

Almost finished!

Remember the old family room? Before - nice and comfortable, but a little boring. See previous post below.....

Now, here is the new living room furniture in a pretty newly painted room! I love it all, it's almost perfect. Now we just have to find something wonderful to put up over the couch and the rest of the walls. I think we have the curtains but I'm still not REALLY sure.

The cushion is sticking up. I hope the checks don't give me cross-eyes!

And The Chair, our new leather chair that I could live in and be happy. It is SO incredibly cozy!!! Larry fell asleep in it today.

Men and Meatloaf

I work with a bunch of guys. There are only a couple of us female type people in an office full of retired military men, young and old. I love them.

No really. I do.

Let's see. There is John our fearless leader, and another John. Dave and Big Paul. Big Mike and Young Paul. Rick and Tim. Chris and Kyle. Jim and Lee. Bob. Not to mention all the other guys who wander around from other parts of the office.

And there is Bart, or Bait as we now call him. When the decorator wrote "Happy Birthday Bart" on his very lovely birthday cake, she wrote the "r" of Bart more like an "i" so he is now Bait. Not to mention he is cute and available. You know, bait.

Well anyway, today we had a Meatloaf Bake -Off. There were FOUR meatloaves. Then there was potato salad, mashed yams, green beans, rolls, baked beans, potato chips, pickles, pop, and dessert. Those guys were so happy. Men love meatloaf. The one that turned out to be the winner was Lori's. She puts those crunchy fried onions in hers along with SAGE. Imagine sage in a meatloaf. It makes you think you are eating pork or turkey. Very interesting and good.

The others were all jealous. I tell you, our part of the office is the happiest place to be.

P.S. The new furniture comes tomorrow!! (Saturday)

Major Announcement

Drum roll please...................

This is NOT about paint. Or furniture. Or carpeting.

This is about TRAVEL. And LARRY.

I will announce this if you all promise not to faint.

Those of you who know my darling husband knows that traveling is about as much fun for him as kissing a cactus (his words.)

So, when I tell you that we are going on a CRUISE, you probably won't believe me.

But HA! It's true!

Yessiree, the man I married almost 29 years ago, the love of my life and my eternal companion, agreed to it, after much persuasion from good friends telling him that he would have a blast on a cruise and that he needs to go.

At first he said, "Well, I MIGHT... MAYBE... BEGIN... to think about CONSIDERING it." Which turned into, "Well, okay."

Could have picked me up off the floor. Bless the man's heart.

We have many months to wait, so I don't talk about it much or he gets weird. But we are going and that's that. HA! HA! (That's me being happy.)

During...

So while we are still in a mess, the project really is almost done. I cannot WAIT until this is over!!

You can kind of see the color of the kitchen here. It's a darker blue but looks Beautiful.

I need to find something snazzy to jazz up the soffit.

And here is the mess in the family room. The creamy color is up though and I like it but it doesn't show well in the picture. It will be pretty with the new furniture and curtains.

Before, during.....

Family room BEFORE. Comfortable, boring. BORING. And off kilter.

Family room DURING. It's a mess. This is before the yellow paint went on. Hopefully I can post an AFTER picture, with the creamy walls that will look just the way I hope!

And the kitchen BEFORE, not too bad, just a little dated. After 15 years, ya think we need a change? Oh and any ideas what we can do with the window over the sink?

This is the general mess of furniture and STUFF moved all over. This is what makes me nuts. There is nowhere to sit, without climbing over things.

And there is a suspiciously furry tail vacating the photo. Little white feet, too.

It's a beautiful day. Not too hot, not too chilly. The Yankees are winning so I need to go outside. My mother needs a ride to her church tonight, and I still have to finish preparing my Gospel Doctrine lesson. Man, there is so much to do.

Painting and a Big Mess

You know, redecorating is fun. Kind of. But the mess is driving me absolutely crazy. Don't get me wrong. I am grateful that it is being done. Really I am. But the paint cans and drop cloths, the dust and stuff, the furniture everywhere, clothes and things out of the closets, those are all bad for my psyche. Have you ever been happy and miserable at the same time??

Well anyway, the furniture and carpet are ordered. Hurray!

Paint wise, the creamy look that I wanted in the family room turned out to be YELLOW. No, no, no. That had to go. So another trip to the store for another, much lighter "cream" and we will see how it looks.

The kitchen is gorgeous. I am happy. As much as I try to get away from blue I just can't. I like blue. Larry likes blue. That's just the way it is. So the kitchen is blue and white and it is lovely.

I will post pictures. Before AND after.

Man, I missed this blog. Hello to Facebook friends!

Decorating woes

Guess what?! After 17 years we are redecorating the family room and kitchen. Imagine. Whoo hoo! I thought I would know EXACTLY what I want. Colors? No problem. Style? No problem. I am a woman who is confident in her decisions.

HA!

I think I found the sofa. Well um, maybe. Brown and teal for the walls. What? Maybe not. Found a gorgeous deep red leather chair and ottoman that I sank into and could have read there for hours. Where does THAT fit in?

The kitchen dream colors are cobalt blue, white and yellow. How do I do it?

See this little bottle? That's the color I would like to use somewhere in the kitchen. It's beautiful.

So I am in decorating limbo. Suggestions are welcome. I am a mess with too many choices.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

The blog is BACK!

Okay so I quit Facebook.

I missed the blog and apparently I cannot do both. ADHD.

Work is good. Larry is good. My mother is good. I am good. Tired all the time, but good.

How ARE you all??

Love you guys.

HOW long has it been?

Man, life is just out of control these days.

The good news is that my braces are off.

The bad news is that one of my back teeth is NOT NOT NOT happy and hurts every single day. Last week I was in such excruciating pain (seriously) that I was in TEARS at the dentist's office. Pain had never made me cry until then. So he shot me with some blessed Novocain to ease it immediately and it seemed to make the ibuprofen work better when it wore off.

Now, it's been two days since I've had to take anything for the pain but I still can't chew on that side. Something must be wrong but the x-rays indicate a healthy tooth.

I just don't know.

On another subject.............

Many years ago, a very disturbed and dangerous person told me that my mother had thrown away all my baby pictures.

Can you imagine such a thing?

Today, my mother pulled out the albums of pictures that I thought I would never see again. She hadn't thrown them away at all. I cried in relief (but anger as well) to think that someone would tell me that.

I'll post a few in the coming days.

I really AM smiling!

And guess what?

Only 12 more hours of wearing braces!!!!!!

Tomorrow, January 20, 2010, they are removed and I will have happy teeth. Oh joy! Oh rapture!

Maybe a picture soon of me and my new smile.

You all were right two years ago. You said it would go by fast. It really did.

Happy on Sunday

I love going to church. Really.

We spend at least three hours there and I am happy.

We learn and sing and pray and I teach and we visit and hug and laugh and thank God for blessings.

What's not to love?

Happy New Year Everyone!

So it's January 3 and I'm a little late, but the wishes are sincere.

This is what I've been doing:

Working. It's a good thing I like this job AND the people I work with or I would be going out of my mind.

Cooking and baking.

Gaining weight.

Putting decorations up.

Taking decorations down.

Visiting people, including, drumroll please....... my mother, thankfully things are going very well.

Worrying about loved ones.

Preparing lessons.

Not to mention all the stuff we as women do every day, and do so well.

I REALLY hope things will settle down a bit now. Christmas is all packed away. All we have to do is bring the tree down to the basement.

The cookies are GONE.

I need to fast again. My body is sad.

It is snowing like crazy out. The wind is whipping. It is 10 degrees. Larry is at the church shoveling. I have to take a shower and get ready. Dealing with snowstorms builds character. HA HA!!!

Dear Friends,

Sorry about the lack of posts. This is what I do lately:

work, sleep, work, sleep, work.

I used to be so good at this blog stuff. I used to be so good at being employed. I used to be so good at taking a picture every day. I guess it just takes getting used to.

My girlfriends are my salvation. You all know who you are. From those of you I haven't seen in years, and one I never even met, that's you Katrina! to those I am fortunate to see every week, I love you all. Hearing about your new babies! and the children! and your lives! it all makes my life rich.

Merry Christmas!

Christ the Savior is born.

Thank goodness.

The Second Dumbest Thing I Ever Did

Remember when I dumped the turkey soup down the drain because I forgot to put a bowl under the strainer?


This ranks right up there.


I have this cute little pocket knife, it's great. It has:

a toothpick
tweezers
a SHARP knife
little baby scissors
and a file





Well, when I was at work the other day, I wanted to use the file to smooth just a small catch on my thumb nail. So I pulled out my trusty knife and THEN,

I laid the blade against my skin to file and swiped it across.

IT WAS THE KNIFE INSTEAD OF THE FILE.

I sliced open my thumb a good one. Blood everywhere.

You can rate which one was the dumbest thing I ever did..............

No disaster dinner THIS year

If you look back to my blog post from last Thanksgiving, you will see that the dinner I made was not great and I was MOST unhappy.

Not this year!

I was a happy cook and a very happy eater.

The turkey was moist and tasty -

The stuffing was excellent -

The mashed potatoes were creamy -

The cranberry sauce was not too orangey -

The squash was not watery -

The pumpkin pie, amazingly enough, was one of the best I ever made (!!!) -

Now if we had just been able to SHARE it with someone, it would have been perfect. See Larry's mom is not too sociable, so if we invite friends to share our Thanksgiving dinner, she doesn't join us. Unless it someone she knows really well and is comfortable with, she stays in her apartment. Since she is 90 years old, we certainly can't leave her alone. But she ate very well and cleaned her plate which is good.

Larry and I took a nap and then we went for a walk, and now I have to gear up for work tomorrow. The Census office is open for business Friday. This full time work is hard on a body!

And the winners are....

The New York Yankees!!!

While I was hopping around the house at 11:58pm right after they won, my cousin Joe called and we laughed and celebrated together over the phone! What a great way to end a great season, celebrating with my cousin -

Here we are again!

Things are looking up!

Not necessarily with the mother but in general, things are better. I was in a bad place for a couple of weeks and now am feeling WAY better and am smiling again!

Yesterday I was an election inspector. What a great job to have for one day! I met lots of nice people and felt like a good citizen.

This is a short update. More to come....

The ups and the downs

Reconnecting with one's mother is not as easy it should be.

Tuesday she rehearsed every terrible thing I had supposedly done since I was born. Not a fun experience.

I envy all of you with good moms. Go give them a kiss. Or call them and tell them how much you appreciate them.

I'm not giving up hope though. There is always hope, right?

Right?

Working things out

There is good news.

My mother is speaking to me again. After 10 years, she has decided that I am not so bad and she actually apologized to me. We talk and laugh and are catching up on 10 years of our lives. I am cautiously optimistic.

Fasting and prayer works. Absolutely. No question.

On another topic -

The Red Cross held its annual fundraiser last month. During the event, they like to show the potential donors a video of a local family who had been helped by us during a fire.

So they interviewed the family and they interviewed me, too ('cause I was part of the team that helped.)

So I'm in this video and I actually like myself in it, kind of, even though now I realize I don't have much of a chin.

What an unfortunate discovery. Chinless. I was better off not knowing.

Love, love October!

This has always been my favorite month.

Ahhhhh, cool, crisp, cozy.

Pumpkins, apples, pretty leaves.

Cider, donuts, stew, soup, yummy warm food.

AND...

General Conference.

Oh my.

We were spiritually fed with wisdom and encouragement and testimony and TRUTH. I have a renewed determination to tell the world that:

THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE!

I have read it many times, have prayed for answers and have received them. If you never read it, give it a go. You will find peace in those beautiful words and your soul will be nourished.

www.mormon.org

Always busy -

I've been in training classes for the U.S. Census again. This new phase should take about a month. It's pretty interesting and you meet lots of people.

Some are really NICE.

Others are just KIND of NICE.

Some are STINKERS.

Others are CLUELESS.

Then there is me, struggling along to understand what I'm supposed to do. It's weird. There are some things that I just GET. Then there are some other things that sound absolutely ridiculous that I DON'T get. So I have to find a kind soul in our class who is training like me to explain it in terms that don't make me tear out my hair.

BUT.

I'm making some decent money and doing a service for the USA. In the meantime, Larry does the laundry, ('cause I'm gone all day!!)

And the camera sits here on my desk......

Sad news to report

Well folks, you know Harley the baby dog from next door? They gave him away. The vet supposedly said he was psycho puppy who could turn dangerous at any moment.

I'll give you three guesses how Larry feels about no Harley around:

1. awful

2. very awful

3. so awful he can't even talk about it.

So here's to our sweet little neighbor dog. I don't think he was psycho puppy. I think he needed to be trained. So I am mad and sad at the same time.

He was a nice little dog.

5 Day Water Fast - Day 6

What a good day! I learned how to appreciate food this morning in a new way. I baked apples for us for breakfast. When we sat down and thanked the Lord for our food, it had a whole new meaning for me. I was so grateful. My taste was enhanced. It SMELLED amazing. And oh, tasting that sweet delicious apple with cinnamon, coriander and nutmeg was like a taste of heaven.

From my studying, I learned that I would probably be more hungry after having food for the first time. That really is what has happened. But now I know that being hungry is not an emergency. I will live.

5 Day Water Fast - Day 5

I've lost 8lbs. (amazing, I think.)

Received answers to questions.

Did some soul searching.

Read a lot.

Thought about food a lot.

Got very discouraged.

Survived.

This has been a journey full of awakenings.

Last night was the worst. I almost quit, because of the thoughts that oh it's not worth it, oh my body needs food, oh who cares, oh I just want to eat. Larry encouraged me to continue until today. So I drank (MORE) water and watched the ballgame with his mother and then just went to bed, with a prayer in my heart of thanksgiving for the blessings of this fast.

I was very grateful that today was the last day.

The dumb part of me started this fast after eating most of a huge hamburger at the Red Wings game Saturday night and, get this, the last food that was in my stomach was FRIED DOUGH WITH POWDERED SUGAR. If I ever do this again, I will work up to it by eating good fresh food, lots of fruit and cooked veggies. It will also be the Master Cleanse, which is drinking a concoction of fresh lemon juice, Grade B maple syrup and cayenne pepper every day. Water alone got very old.

This afternoon, I began to drink an organic pomegranate juice blend, a diluted glass every two hours. What a difference!! I feel alive again. My eyes are still NOT puffy which is such a nice perk. I now realize, with a new awareness, that overeating and especially sugar and salt are really bad for me. Without those things, my blood pressure dropped from a high of 143/93 (yikes) to 114/76. Also, my body did not ache.

Thank you to all four! of you who followed me on this journey. I appreciated your good thoughts and well wishes.

More juice awaits....

5 Day Water Fast - Day 4

Before I forget - my photo blog is open to everyone. I didn't remember that it was still private.

Day 4 has been quite interesting. I've had to stay close to the "facilities!"

There still is not real hunger, but this darn wanting to eat is a pain. It is boring not to eat! Water is fine and lovely and I am VERY grateful to have clean, sparkling water, but it gets tiring and not very tasty after a while. I was planning for breaking my fast Friday morning and saw in the refrigerator, Juice! and Nectarines! and a Pear! and Zucchini! Slowly I will introduce food again. Good, fresh fruit and vegetables. I am ashamed to say that there were some days that a veggie did not cross my lips. I am looking at food differently.

Two things I love about this cleansing is that my eyes are no longer puffy. It never really occurred to me how puffy underneath they really were. The other thing is that my body doesn't have its usual stiffness upon awaking. I had learned in the past that white flour and sugar did a number on me, especially in the morning. Remember last year when I wasn't eating any sugar? I should have continued.

I am hoping beyond hope that I can keep my aging body happy and healthy after this experience.

My mind is another story. I like the way I am thinking this week! To be sure, this is one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life, but the things I am discovering are worth it. I am....

DETERMINED.

COURAGEOUS.

SMART.

SPIRITUAL.

INSIGHTFUL.

Those things are really good to discover about yourself.

I also know that God loves me. He answers prayers in many wonderful ways. I know the Atonement is real.

I am also announcing to the world that my husband is a kind man. He loves me, too.

5 Day Water Fast - Day 3

Today is much better. I am not hungry and actually feel kind of energetic, although a little light-headed. Or spacey. Maybe it's just being tired. Every time I flopped on the couch or the bed today to take a snooze something would wake me up, like the phone or a noise outside or the cat.

I'm getting some answers to the "issues" on my list! The answers are coming through my reading, or just thoughts that occur to me or even in a couple of dreams I've had which are pertinent to why I'm doing this.

Water tastes pretty good again. What's weird though is I am already planning my menu for the weekend, meaning how I will wean myself back to eating. Food is on my mind, but the desire to eat is really not there.

OH! And my lower braces are off! The uppers will be on for another couple of months at least. My retainer is purple and looks ridiculous but it makes me smile so who cares!

I can't say I'm really enjoying this, but I'm not hating it and it is good for me. The benefits are real.

Thanks for the support!

5 Day Water Fast - Day 2

The headache nailed me yesterday. My head was very sad and angry at me. Usually a headache means I am a little dehydrated but since I was drinking a lot, that probably wasn't the case. So I just went to bed about 10:30 and slept REALLY well until about 4am when I woke up with the same unhappy head.

With some prayer and thought, I decided it would be just fine to take a couple of Advil on an empty stomach. I went back to bed, tossed and turned for just a little while, then LO! JOY! - woke up this morning at 8:30, feeling wonderful!!

No headache!

No aches anywhere!

The hollow feeling in my stomach was manageable!

I was still alive!

And now, the things I am learning while fasting are profound. I will share some.

This is hard. It is taking courage and determination to do this. Taking one day at a time helps.

I am really not craving food. It's almost like when we don't drink alcohol, it doesn't matter if there is any around. We just don't drink it so it isn't a temptation anymore. That's how I'm feeling right now about food. I'm just not eating it so it's not a temptation.

What IS hard is the feeling of emptiness banging around in there. This is definitely an emotional journey of trying to be filled with things other than food. I am VERY surprised at how much time (before) I spent considering food. Thinking about it. Planning for it. Preparing for it. Buying it. Cooking it. Eating it. Cleaning up after it. Wandering around looking for some more.

Now, it's just me and myself. Larry of course is here and supportive but this journey is mine. And whoa, it is emotional.

Physically, I am a little irritable and the headache is back, but not as bad as it was yesterday. My mouth has a funny taste in it.

We went for a short walk this afternoon which was nice. Temperatures in the 70's, sunny, lovely and pleasant. I am tired, so I need to take a nap. Part of this whole thing is for me to learn to listen to my body, something I don't usually do. I am sitting a lot in my little nook, reading, thinking, listening.

I AM learning.

5 Day Water Fast - Day 1

While driving home from church this afternoon, I saw a woman and her little boy coming out of a pizza place with the cardboard box that holds my favorite food. My first thought was that I don't have to WORRY about food for the next five days.

It was a good thought.

There are things that should be done today and I want to do them. My Gospel Doctrine lesson for next week, for instance. But I am trying like mad to not let this be just another Sunday. This is my time to look over my list of issues. (Actually, isn't that just the dumbest word? We used to call "issues" "troubles.") But I do have time. I do have time.

Yes I have a list which I will be mulling over and discussing with the Lord. I hope he doesn't get sick of me and my "issues." Nah, he never does.

Water tastes weird today.

Ya know what?

Thanks to all of you who responded about my photo a day. I just decided that it doesn't have to be all or nothing! Imagine that. So I will be on the lookout for cool pics day by day but if I miss a day I won't kill myself.

I just realized that since I stopped doing my Photo of the Day, my desire to blog has dropped off significantly. Soooo, how can I change that? My blog is like a journal, so I'm missing out on recording too many things.

So this is what is going to happen:

After going to the last Red Wings game of the season tomorrow night, I'm going to start a five day fast. I'll be drinking water. That's it.

I feel this need to take five days to myself to feel good again - mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually etc...

After a lot of study and research, a five day water fast with a lot of quiet time sounds just right to me. Larry is supportive, which is good 'cause I won't be doing any cooking! What I will be doing is reading, sleeping, meditating, taking short walks, praying, just trying to get myself together again. I am really looking forward to it.

I will keep you updated as the days go by.

Oh and please, if any of you think this is not good or it's weird or dangerous, don't tell me. I need the encouragement, plus the Lord says I'll be fine!

Blue funk

It's been about TWO weeks since I've posted anything. Man. My life is going by too fast.





All I want to do is read.





My friend Sonnia is here though, which makes life way better. We talk for hours, trying to solve every single problem at once.





My house is full of dust. If we open the windows, all the dirt from the construction outside comes in.




I'm going crazy. It's Larry's fault. (not really :O)

Weird stuff going on

It seems I have been in a period of inactivity lately. My get up and go got up and went. I don't know why. I think I'm coming out of it now though, so I'm posting three pictures, although they could cause nightmares....

Do you remember Redd E. Fox from last year? He is the 911 mascot and makes appearances at events around the area. He showed up at the Red Cross Thursday on a tricycle, circling the desks like a vulture, rapping about 911. But he needed some internal surgery so here he is with his innards hanging out, and his body ignored. It was pathetic.

Next..... looking west.......


and looking east........

These two pictures show our road.

Or what is left of our road.

Those two guys in the upper shot are in front of our driveway in a trench that is at least eight feet deep. It's dusty and dirty and we can't open the windows when they are working.

AND,

they start with the noise and the machinery at the early hour of 6:30 AM, for heaven's sake.

It is a rude awakening from dreamland.

RAIN!

The most interesting thing happened a little while ago. REALLY!

The husband, the mother-in-law and I were sitting in the porch, just hanging out, and watching the goldfinches dining at the bird feeder. Allofasudden we HEARD this rain pouring down, but it wasn't raining at our house. Then we could SEE it down the road, just an incredible torrent, and then after a few seconds, it hit our house and it really came down.

I had never witnessed hearing rain before seeing it, then actually seeing it just a 1/10 of a mile away.

I was amazed. I loved it!

Doesn't take much to make me happy!

Now to get revved up!

Well thanks to my loyal readers for the input. I have to get in gear to start taking pictures again. They will be posted on the other blog here with a link on this blog. I will just have to find stuff that is interesting. 

OUR ROAD is in such a mess that I should be taking a picture of the new mess that occurs each day! It is so dusty some days that this truck with a water sprayer in the back comes and wets down everything. Maybe I'll find it and snap a photo.....

Lovely summer here in the Roc

Well I thinks it's lovely anyway. Some years we get awfully hot and humid weather, which I HATE. 

But this year so far, it's been in the 70's a LOT, with storms and rain and all kinds of weird things, like HAIL. So this is a Mary Ann kind of summer!

Today is going to be beautiful. Sunny and warm. Jo-Ann and I are supposed to be going to the ball game tomorrow night but the forecast calls for thunderstorms. I LOVE thunderstorms, just not at the ballpark.....

On another topic -

Since I stopped doing my "Photo a Day" blog, this blog is not as riveting and thought-provoking and stupendous as I would like. I'm not taking as many pictures, so now it's kind of blah. If I resurrect taking a picture every day, I think this blog will be better by default.

Hmmmmm.......maybe I don't need to take a picture EVERY day, which did get kind of old, but every week? Every other day? What do you, all my loyal readers think? I am open to suggestions and comments. I do love and appreciate your comments.

Let me get lost in Yankee Stadium or "I love this country!"

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Like I've said before, there are times in life that are so good, you just have to pinch yourself. Then I remember that God wants us to have joy!

We live in this wonderful, God given land. The fireworks we will hear tonight are not real bombs. This is a country like no other. I am grateful.

This is joy.

This too, is joy - Family! 

My cousin Katie and her mom Joanne at Yankee Stadium Wednesday night, with me so happy that I'm dazed.

Family!

Me with my cousin Joe between innings, wearing our Yankee jerseys. We grew up together here in Rochester. We are two of the eight grandkids that (literally,) lived within shouting distance of each other and he is 363 days older than me - Joe November 18, and me November 16 . Those days of childhood were charmed. Now as adults, we can recapture some of those dazzling days and feel like kids again!

Yankees Robinson Cano, Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter

Moonrise over Yankee Stadium

As we were leaving, I needed to get one more shot before the magic was over.

Even if you are not a baseball fan, the stadium is a sight to behold. New, bright, modern and accessible. I was enchanted.

Hail, wind, rain and a good fundraiser

Friday was quite the day. I was part of a garage sale fundraiser, so we worked setting it up and sold good stuff and talked to lots of people. Lovely weather, not too hot, no rain, just great.

We heard some thunder but it didn't get dark like it sometimes does before a storm.

Then allofasudden, the RAIN came pouring down. Then came the WIND. And then the HAIL started pelting everything and boy did we scramble!

The street turned into a river, the temperature dropped, the thunder and lightning were crashing around us so bad and the hail was BIG, some pieces the size of a nickel and even bigger. I got scared because the wind was so strong and I thought we might wind up in a tornado. We ran around to get the stuff back into the garage before it all got drenched.

What a storm. Some homes lost power. Then it was over. Crazy.

Pouring rain and hail......

This is how much rain fell in a half hour.......

And I borrowed a picture from a friend to show the hail....

My ear hurts

Last baseball game I went to? You know. The Red Wings? This girl was sitting next to me and screamed so loud she hurt my ear. It still hurts. I wondered if she damaged my eardrum. That was two weeks ago. 

Then again, maybe I have a bug. Not a REAL bug, maybe a virus?

My mood is strange today. Larry is off having lunch and driving go-carts with some of the guys from his old job. I'm glad he's gone for a few hours but it all seems, well, off somehow. Men don't DO lunch. Well maybe they do.

There is so much construction going on outside that it's noisy. Dump trucks and back hoes and all sorts of nonsense out there.

The good news is: ta da-

I'm going to a Yankee game with my cousins again!

Today

It is such a lovely day here in Rochester, one of those perfect summer days that God gives us once in a while. It's about 70 degrees, with a gentle breeze, lots of sun and all is well.

I am grateful.

I just wanted you to know.

Total Solar Eclipse

I've always wanted to see a total eclipse, but they are usually too far away, like Siberia for heaven's sake, or somewhere else VERY far away.

So one day I searched the internet to see if there was a total eclipse coming to our neck of the woods sometime before I died.

WELL.

What I found was most interesting. I'm giving you an eight year heads up.

There will be a total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, going right over the United States from northwest to southeast.

Some of you may also be interested in this following bit of information:

Totality goes right over Adam-ondi-Ahman, as well as Independence and Liberty Missouri and BYU-Idaho. 

WOW, huh?

Look HERE for maps and all sorts of information on the eclipse.

Larry singing! Larry yelling! Larry clapping!

Me too, of course.

I surprised Larry with tickets to see the Beatles tribute band RAIN today. Look here for information. OH MY GOODNESS. They were absolutely fabulous and outstanding and any other great adjective you can think of. We LOVED the whole show! We yelled and danced and clapped and sang, it was so much stinkin' FUN and we enjoyed it together!!!!

Okay I tried to like it....

Some of you may know that I was not too excited about the book Twilight. It was okay, but no great shakes for me. 

Well.

I really wanted to see the movie because I thought the story was fairly decent and maybe the movie would be good. If you promise not to send me hate mail, I will confess that I could not get through it. Oh. My. I got as far as Bella getting almost killed by the car and Edward saving her. That was it.  

I really thought it was terrible.

The acting, the direction, the sound, the MAKEUP!  What were they thinking??

Oh no. Could I be acting........OLD??????  Oh no.