Is it Monday again?

I think so.  That is the problem with long weekends…it sorta messes up knowing what day it is.  This seems like it is Monday.  That’s OK.  Monday is a good day.  Monday is fine.  I can deal with it.

OY…the bird chorus at 5:30 is another matter, though.  I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I finally rolled out.  Baby girl got fed and crashed again…in her own bed, instead of snuggled up with MM.  Wrong choice, Missy!  Her CATtitude—go away, Mom!  I’m trying to sleep.

So, we had a lovely Memorial Day weekend, deciding while in town yesterday to stop at the market and pick up hamburger makings and grill out.  Two phone calls later, and Joy, Jim and Janet were confirmed on the head count.  Instant deck party…love it!  Easy peasy.  Impromptu works very well around here.

Have a great Mon…um, Tuesday, y’all!

Memorial Day…always

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.  

Thank you, freedom makers.  We remember and honor your service to our country on this Memorial Day, and every day.

Never forget.

Memorial Day remembrance…

Let us not forget to give gratitude and respect to those who served to give us our freedom in the past, and for those who are currently serving in our military.  This also includes all the family members who keep the home fires burning.

God bless you all.

Strawberry Festival

Hmmm...there were two flats of strawberries, long gone by the time we arrived. Oh well. We saw half the town!

Life us good y'all!

Yard update

Brian came over the other day and raked up the dead periwinkle, then began the task of laying down the black plastic ground cover, and removing the paving stones.

We got the predicted afternoon thunderstorms, along with this stuff—hail!:

I ran out onto the deck railing to remove my lovely fuchsia plant before it literally blew over, and I got totally soaked in that short while.   Now this is a covered deck, right?  But the rain was blowing in from the south HORIZONTALLY…practically all the way over to the doors!

And because of said rain, we only had 7 brave souls of the 11 show up for the supper club dinner, but we still had a great time.  The rain had slowed way down by then… and nobody melted.

Traveling Man has gone to Atlanta today to SELL a trailer!  And I have Cuban pork in the crockpot for a marbles night here with friends tonight…smelling mighty good…yum!

Have a fabulous Friday.  Life is good, y’all!

Cheers!

Today is National Wine Day, so I learned on FB from friend Barb.  Who knew?  Someone in the wine industry is falling down on their advertising, missing out on this marketing tool!  Thanks, Barb, for stepping up to the plate and providing this public service announcement.

As it happens, MM and I are having dinner with friends tonight in a local restaurant that does not have a wine license, so they allow BYOB.  And no corkage fee.  How sweet is that?!

So do your part…celebrate…and pop your cork today (and save the corks to replace the soil in orchid pots—thanks, Linda, for that tip)!

What is your favorite wine?  We are currently favoring Bogle Merlot, a very nice California wine. 

Cheers, y’all!

Wonderful Wednesday

So yesterday I did pretty good at calling bingo.  We had about a dozen players, two of them boyos instead of biddies.  I asked them afterward if I got an “A” and they enthusiastically said that I did, so that made me feel good.  Of course, they would be happy with ANYONE who showed up—they are that serious about playing! 

And everything is regimented, so it starts at 12:30 by golly and ends right at 1:30 on the nose.  And they have to finish with an ‘all over’ game where the winner is the first to fill every square.  Whew.  That one took some time.  And the rule is a max of 3 prizes (no money).  They can still play, but they can’t win anything else.  That’s fair because everyone wants to win.

One 90 year old lady told this joke:

What do you have when you see a cow in a pasture with two ducks following it?

Milk and quackers!  Now that’s a good knee slapper for sure, and you can tell your mama or a grandchild that one.

Today is eye exam day, so that’s it from paradise, y’all!

Bingo with the Biddies day

Yes, that is what I wrote.  Bingo.  Me?  I don’t even play that game, but I volunteered to go to the local senior center and call bingo for the biddies today, and Joan is going with me, since she is experienced.  I am a bingo calling virgin.  Not that it takes much experience, so I hear.  This is a weekly sorority project for our group this year, and I am filling in for someone, newbie that I am.

Joan said that we have to arrive on time and NOT be late, and even if no experienced person (like her) is there to give instructions, the patrons will tell us what to do.  Like, first call out (yell), “B twelve,” and then say, “B one two.”  That is what they like, so that is what they will get.

Wish me luck!  I’m sure Joan and I will have fun.

Life is good, y’all…especially since I am certainly not old enough to go to the senior center as a patron yet!

Monday’s musings…

Remember when Dick made the mad dash to NH to swap trailers?  Well, he ran out of fuel on the way home and parked along the Interstate to await fuel delivery, and was ticketed by a trooper for not having triangles behind the trailer (a good idea, however he is a private person—not a ‘trailer for hire.’  That is a BIG difference, plus he was underweight, another significant factor…rules he knew, but the trooper did not).

So this is an update from Traveling Man, in his own words:

I wrote the judge in VA explaining that the trooper had written me up incorrectly on two counts. Citing VA law I explained that I was not a commercial vehicle (had pictures of the 26,000 lb tag), and I was using the truck for personal reasons (picture of "Not for Hire" on sides) and therefore I did not have to put out triangles.  Also included a receipt for where I did buy triangles, with the note that while not required, it is a good idea to use, and I would in the future. I also explained that my son-in-law/co-owner legally drove this truck without a CDL license.  Case dismissed, saving me $84.

The “little guy” won…and saved a few bucks.  Case closed.  If only the trooper had listened and believed TMan when he told him that those rules did NOT apply to his situation.  Oh well…he is now a happy camper!

I hope you have some happy today, y’all!

Sitting in the driver’s seat

There was a big land auction here in Mayberry yesterday.  Amy, Jason and Brian were officially working with it (which is why we have had the boys), so they knew about these beauties flying in ahead of time.  This was a good opportunity to wow two wee boys! 

Unfortunately the taller of the two misbehaved at school yesterday, so he had to stay home…which also meant that I had to stay home and didn’t get to see the helicopters.  Bugger.  Grumps took Doodlebug.


Of course baby bro had to brag to big bro that he “sat in the driver’s seat.”  It was the right thing to do.  And to further add insults, little bro got to take a flight in the helicopter later on in the day (so did his mom and dad).  It pays to BEHAVE!

We believe that children need to learn “cause and effect” early in life, because they surely give parents plenty of opportunities for doing so!
No kids today.  It is a day of rest.  Whew.  We need it!

I hope y’all have a sunny Sunday…we do!

Saturday wee stuff

6:35 am – Scooter:  Grammie, I wanna nuggle with you.  OK, say I.

6:41 am -  Doodlebug:  Grammie, I want to sleep in your bed.  OK.

There were five in the bed—Grumps, two wee boys, Missy.  Needless to say, that was the end of sleeping!  Missy was the smart one—she bailed out and left!

And so the day began.  I wish I could bottle up some of their energy and sell it!  Wine thirty will be very welcome and earned today.

Enjoy your Saturday.  Anyone wanna come over and play???

Friday funny…

Why females should avoid a girls night out after  they are married....

The other night I was invited out for a night with  the 'girls.'

I told my husband that I would be home by midnight,  'I promise!'

Well, the hours passed and the margaritas went down way too easily.

Around 3 a.m., a bit loaded, I headed for home.

Just as I got in the door, the cuckoo clock in the  hallway started up and cuckooed 3 times.

Quickly, realizing my husband would probably wake  up, I cuckooed another 9 times.

I was really proud of myself for coming up with such  a quick-witted solution, in order to escape a possible confrontation with him.

(Even when totally smashed... 3 cuckoos plus 9  cuckoos totals = 12 cuckoos MIDNIGHT!)

The next morning my husband asked me what time I got  in, I told him 'MIDNIGHT'... he didn't seem pissed off in the least.

Whew, I got away with that one! Then he said 'We  need a new cuckoo clock.'

When I asked him why, he said, 'Well, last night our  clock cuckooed three times, then said 'oh sh*t.' Cuckooed 4 more  times, cleared its throat, cuckooed another three times, giggled,  cuckooed twice more, and then tripped over the coffee table and farted.

~~Remember, I said this is a ‘funny’ and not a true story?  OK.  Besides, I don’t drink Margaritas or ever get tipsy…and I don’t even own a cuckoo clock either!

Share a smile with someone today.  I just did!

Weekend, part two

So after the classmates party Friday night, I went over to my sister’s house, where we proceeded to stay up way too late talking and reminiscing.  But it was fun, and I don’t regret a minute of that lack of sleep.

The goal for the weekend, other than visiting, was to sort through the last of our mother’s belongings that Nan had been storing.  Mother was the original scrapbooker—she had boxes and boxes of scrapbooks and spiral notebooks filled with newspaper clippings, photos, cards, and artwork from both children and grandchildren, as well as old report cards, and miscellaneous other stuff.  Sheesh.  What to keep—what to throw away?!

We sorted.  We laughed.  We cried.  We threw away.  We packed.  We wondered “why keep this crap?”  But it all meant something to Mother, and we wanted to respect her memory, however a lot of *stuff* just didn’t mean anything to either of us, and it had to go into the trash! 

Since I seem to be the family historian, four totes filled with mementos were salvaged and came home with me…and I will have my girls help me sort through them and rescue photos that are in non-photo safe photo albums—no small task—and get it all organized and preserved somehow or other for the next generation.

So what are YOU doing to preserve your family history?  Think about it…

Thanks, Nan, for a great time.  And for the ‘tater salad.’  Yours is the BEST…and I did share with Amy and Jason.  They loved it!  Everyone agrees that you have to come up to Mayberry and visit awhile.                                                                                                                                             

Thought for the day:

Believe in miracles.

Have a terrific Thursday, y’all!

Albany High School girlfriends

A dozen AHS Class of ‘63 lucky gals gathered at Pat’s beautiful home last Friday night for an evening of good food, laughter, reminiscing, and just plain enjoying each other!  Most of us began first grade together, and continued on for all 12 grades.  That’s pretty remarkable.

A sweet neighbor came over to snap this group photo (did anyone else get a better copy???)  That overhead light was a bit too bright…

Betty, Diane, Marian, Susan, Sister, Ann, Gayle, Hope, Sue, Pat, moi, and Katrina…shown here with Tina’s salad (Tina couldn’t be there in person, nor in spirit, so she said she would be there “in salad” and so she was).  It was good, as was everything else, especially the love that was felt the whole evening.

We missed those who could not attend.  I sure look forward to another ‘gathering,’ any time, any where.

Thank you again, Pat, for being a “mahvelous” hostess!

 

Life is short...forgive quickly, love truly,
laugh uncontrollably...
and never regret anything that made you smile.

Life is good, y’all!

Good advice

Quote of the day:

'Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater.  If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby.   If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal.  If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.

She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.  So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of sh*t.'

I have no idea where this quote came from, but it is a good one.  Heed well, my fellas.

Stay tuned for a weekend recap.  It has been hectic around here, but I will catch up soon.

Monday funny

A woman came home, screeching her car into the driveway, and ran into the house.
She slammed the door and shouted at the top of her lungs, 'Honey, pack your bags. I won the lottery!'
The husband said, 'Oh my God! What should I pack, beach stuff or mountain stuff?'
'Doesn't matter,' she said. 'Just get out!”

I have two wee boys for breakfast unexpectedly this morning, but Scooter doesn’t like anything I have to offer or anything his mom brought over.  He just told me that he doesn’t love me.  His brother does.  One out of two isn’t bad for a Monday morning.

Life is good, y’all!

Goodbye Albany

Time to hit the road for Mayberry. Nan and I have shared a sisterly good time. I wanna take her home with me, but she is sending some of her fab potato salad. I might share. Maybe.

Life is one mile at a time, y'all

Sent from my iPhone

Saturday stuff

Nan and I are going through Mother's stuff. It is a happy/sad experience. And there is a LOT of stuff!

Glad blogger is working again. See y'all soon!

Thursday thoughts…

The best is yet to come.  

No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 

Do the right thing!

Call your family often.

Each night before you go to bed, complete the following statements:  I am thankful for _________.  Today I accomplished __________.

Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.  Enjoy the ride.

Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass.

You only have one ride through life, so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can't change.

So what are you waiting on?  Put a smile on your face and share it with someone today, y’all!

Where’s Missy???

Dick and I had two different places to go last evening, but we arrived home at about 8ish, pretty much at the same time.

I asked him if Missy was in or out, since he left after I did.  He thought IN.  I called her.  No Missy.  I called for her from the front door and the back door.  No Missy.  OK, it wasn’t totally dark, so I thought I would wait a little while before shaking her food container, a guaranteed magnet, and decided to go upstairs to have a look up there.  That is where I heard a faint MEOW, MEOW…coming from the air conditioner closet!

Dick had been working in there before heading out, and Miss Nosy Parker had gotten shut inside for a few hours.

She promptly laid claim to Dick’s office chair for the rest of the evening.  Maybe she won’t be so nosy the next time she sees an open door.  Nah, she’s a cat!

Purrrr…

The end.

Purple clematis it is

Camera – purple.  iPhone – blue.  Strange. 

Do any of you watch The Amazing Race?  I sure wanted the father/daughter team to win, but they didn’t, mainly because a clueless cab driver got them lost in Miami on the last leg of the race and that cost them major time.  Bugger.  Dick and I enjoy this show, what with all the world-wide traveling done on it.  We could sure help out those contestants with some travel alternatives.

Our blackberry winter is slowly leaving us, and I like that.  Amy, Jason and Brian are re-doing our front yard as my Mother’s Day gift, so they need good weather to work and plant in.  It’s gonna be so pretty!  Photos will follow when done.

I’ve got a blonde funny for you:

Did you hear about the two blondes who froze to death in a drive-in movie?  They had gone to see 'Closed for the Winter.'

Pass along a smile or two today.  Life is good, y’all!

Hello, Monday...again!

It has been awhile since Dick and I have managed to get a photo with just us and the three kiddos.  You know, the ones who call me Mom.  We are a colorful group, in more ways than just color!

They all did a terrific job on lunch yesterday.  Everything was yummy; everyone had fun, especially the wee cousins.  And the guys cleaned up, as promised.  Thanks to everyone for making my day very special.  Love you guys!

So today life gets back to normal—laundry and stuff.  Bleh.  No more “Queen for a Day.”  Speaking of queens, and we were, I am hoping that Empress Bee got to claim Queen of Carnival Glory upon embarkation yesterday.  Knowing her, she did.  I’ll be following along on her adventure.  Join me!

Thought for the day:  Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.  Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

We are blessed in that our kids do stay in touch…and still like us.

Create some smiles today, y’all!

Happy Mother’s Day!

I sure miss this sweet lady.  I think this was Mother’s high school graduation photo, taken many years ago.  There are sooo many things I still want to ask her.  And I certainly want to tell her again that I love her.  But she always knew that.

Today, I am blessed by my three kiddos bringing over dinner.  Well, Haley and Amy are mostly doing that.  Brian is in charge of appetizers…and ALL the boys are in charge of cleaning up.  After all, us big gals are all mothers, and we deserve a little pampering today, on our special day.  Right?

God bless all mothers everywhere.  If yours is still alive, you are double blessed.

Life is good in Mayberry, y’all!

Internet issues

Our Internet went out yesterday. Promise of being fixed by 3p didn't happen. We learned this morning that no work order was put in. New promise of 7p tonight and a small refund. Gee thanks.

We are not happy campers.

I also need the internet in order to have data on my phone here at home. Help me Ronda!

I think I shall bead awhile. Have a great Saturday, y'all!
Sent from my iPhone

Observations on growing older…part 2

~ Remember when your mother said, "Wear clean underwear in case you GET in an accident"? Now you bring clean underwear in case you HAVE an accident!

~ You used to say, "I hope my kids GET married... Now, "I hope they STAY married!"

~ You miss the days when everything worked  with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch…

~ When Google, iPod, email, modem.... were unheard of…and a mouse was something that made you climb on a table.

~ You used to use more four-letter words.  Now those are "what?"..."when?"... “wait!”…???

May your Friday be filled with smiles, and not so many four-letter words, y’all!

Observations on growing older…part 1

 

~The 5 pounds you wanted to lose is now 15, and you have a better chance of losing your keys than the 15 pounds.

~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything....especially golf.

~Your spouse is counting on you to remember things you don't remember.

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.

~Your husband sleeps better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than he does in bed.  It's called his "pre-sleep".

That’s enough for our ‘old’ brains to think about for one day!  Make it a great Cinco de Mayo, y’all!!!

Blackberry winter

No, this does not refer to a modern day cell phone.  This is a (mainly Southern) term used to describe a brief period of cold weather that coincides with the time the blackberries are in bloom, (typically in early to mid May).  Today is officially blackberry winter here, signaling the last of the major cold fronts moving through north Georgia.

Blackberry bushes are everywhere…and boy, do they have thorns!  Soon, we will be seeing these ripening beauties along most every fence line around here.  Pickers beware though—chiggers abound, and they do love to bite and burrow in places you didn’t even know you had places.

It has been many years since I’ve made jam.  My mother was a great jelly and jam maker.  This tradition has now been passed on down to Amy, so instead of jam making, I will offer to keep the wee boys while she goes off to the canning plant.  I am confident that she will share her some of her bounty with her deserving parents.  And everybody will be happy.

Life is sweet, y’all!  Enjoy your hump day.

Morning beauties

My iPhone shows blue Clematis, but these beauties are purple as purple can be! They are beautiful, and growing. I like that--no care, no fuss.

Anyone want to join me in digging up and moving periwinkle today???

God bless our troops!

Justice has been done!  A truly wicked man, who masterminded the deaths of so many of our citizens, is dead.  He will receive no comfort in Hell.

May the families and friends of all the maimed and dead as a result of the 9/11 attack find a bit of peace at last.

The war on terror has not ended with the death of Bin Laden.  The job still goes on. 

God bless our troops everywhere!  Thank you for your service and dedication.

Sunday stuff

Maytag Man traded in his cap for a new name--Traveling Man.  Dick’s brother Bob recently made him an offer he could not refuse.  He’s easy.  If Dick delivered to New Hampshire the big equipment trailer Bob had recently bought in GA, Bob would give MM, oops, Traveling Man, the trailer in NH that it was replacing. 

Having just finished putting a hitch on the “new” truck that then needed a good testing, T Man left last Saturday for NH looking like this…  and came back Tuesday looking about the same, but with a slightly different trailer.   That’s right—he left North GA on Saturday morning, drove all the way up to New Hampshire, spent the night, and was back in N GA on Tuesday…2,300 miles.  Crazy, but T Man does not mind driving for long hours at the time.

Other than running out of fuel in northern Virginia on the way home, and getting a ticket for not having safety triangles out while stopped on the side of the Interstate, it was an uneventful trip that let him rest his bum leg, or so he said.  Remember the recently torn muscle?  Yes, rested that leg for 2,300 miles.  Hmmm…

Anyway, this “new to him” trailer needed cleaning up and painted, so turning it on its side made it easier for him to work on it, and not have it be so hard on his back.  This black stuff is a rust deterrent, so the whole underside is coated with it.

Four gallons of paint, and several days later, the finished product looks like this:

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that T Man HATES to paint.  Really hates it.  But, he now has a good trailer to safely haul *stuff* with, so that made it all worthwhile.  He’s happy.

The end.

Goodbye April.  Hello May!  Enjoy your day, y’all!