Barnacles be gone!

Check out all these beautiful fossils that were by the lobby elevator at the medical building for the dermatologist. That beauty weighs a few pounds!

So she froze off several personal barnacles, and dug out spot specimens, one per leg...one stitch each. Yikes! There goes my leg modeling career. Oh well...

The good news was that I needed to prop up my legs for awhile in the afternoon, so Macey, Madison and Will came over and played marbles with me. Alex elected to watch a movie instead of playing with us, the stinker.

Let the games of summer begin. Next time, no movie, my boy! You play with all the kids.

Oh yes, that teeth cleaning revealed a tooth that needs a root canal. I'm beginning to feel like a patchwork quilt. Bugger. Welcome to old age!

Life is still good here in paradise, y'all!

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Chilly Monday

My two assistants are holding down the fort while I go to the dermatologist for barnacle inspection and a blood biopsy this morning. Something is aggravating my veins, so we are trying to figure out the culprit.

Next will be teeth cleaning. Can you feel the excitement? Me neither, but I'm trying to keep all the parts in good functioning order, for being as old as they are.

Life is all about attitude, and mine is good...and my smile will be brighter in a few hours!

Carry on...


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Chick magnet

Yep, Ella is working her charm for Xander!






He hasn't posted in a few days on his blog, but I know for a fact that he is now on Colorado High time, having reached Pueblo. He is officially halfway to Astoria, his first major destination, and is having a blast, despite a few bugs, chasing dogs, and several non-bike friendly drivers. Pox on all! We want our boy and dog safe. Check them both out at www.thecyclesherpa.blogspot.com. Xander is quite entertaining, and is meeting some interesting folks along this scenic trip.

After all the recent high temps, a "cold front" brought rain and now some coolness to our mountain paradise. Sunny and 55 is mighty nice this morning, climbing to 76. Love it.

All is well in our corner of the world as we run smack dab out of June.

Have yourselves a ginger peachy day. We sure will!

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TBT–1975 ski trip

Mountain Man and I left WPB, and drove up to NC for a long skiing weekend.

I can see our kids now, rolling their eyes at our matching ski sweaters.  Hey, they were the finest Jock Penn-ay had to offer, the price was definitely right, and they kept us (relatively) warm.

We popped over into TN briefly to visit our friend Pat.  He probably didn’t even notice our matching sweaters:

I think this was also the trip where I took my pressure cooker with us to quickly cook our dinners….in our VERY cheap motel.  We didn’t eat out much back in those lean days, saving up our money to spend on travel.  There’s a pattern there!

Although the sweaters have been long gone, we still have that old Datsun parked up at the shop.  Looong parked at the shop!

That is also another pattern……….that I will leave alone………..for now.  Bless his heart.  At least we are still traveling!

Have a ginger peachy TBT, y’all!

Toosday thoughts…

 

Haley made a perfect card for MM for Father’s Day, reminiscent of our infamous FFF camping out west, forced upon three unwilling young kiddos!  Are we there yet? was heard all too often…for six loooong weeks.  Oy…it’s a wonder we all survived!

Our FFF (forced family fun) trips have gotten (mostly) better over the years, and have included several more Fs added to the name.  Hence the inspiration for Amy’s post, carrying on the family tradition:

 

She also stated that after two days of fishing, it got too hot,with no shade, no biting and boredom and restlessness set in (with three kids—sounds familiar), so she was debating using kids for chum…

Now where would she get that attitude?!  Hmmm…

So last night, we had our new priest Liz and her hubby over for dinner, then a dessert cruise up the lake, picking up Haley and Ansley en route.  The lemon squares were delish, but perhaps better served on land—we all looked ready for a Head and Shoulders commercial after having the powdered sugar blown all over us!  That was a small price to pay for that yummy goodness.  Check soon for the recipe here.

There just might be a few pieces leftover, along with some pasta salad and grilled salmon.  Who wants some of that?

Happy Father’s Day!

Wednesday was our evening of celebrating for Father’s Day.  After all, it is a movable feast, to be celebrated wherever and whenever it is convenient, right?  Right.  The kids pretty much all had other plans for Sunday, so we had a nice party Wednesday.  Amy fixed a low country boil down at the pavilion, and Haley and Faith brought all the trimmings.  Fabulous, but did we get any photos of the feast or the honoree?  Nope.  Nary a one…except this one of Alex reading (thank you, Haley):

This was earlier when the kids were playing:

And goofing off:

They do goofing off quite well, having a blast on Unka Brian’s paddle board, wearing themselves out…and then sleeping well.  Hallelujah!

Happy special day to all the dads out there.  Kick back and enjoy your day!

Ready to roll!

I managed to snap this photo of Xander and Ella just now. She is loaded in her basket, and they are out the door and OFF for another day of adventure on their westward trek.
www.cyclesherpa.blogspot.com

They were at a bike shop in Newton, KS, just a tad N of Wichita. The Trans America Bike Race 2015 has gone through there, so the shop has been a happening place, and Xander got to experience all the excitement. And everyone got to give Ella some love, of course.

Sorry I missed Xander playing his guitar and singing late last night. Bugger.

We are all enjoying his posts about the trip. Check out his blog! He is seeing parts of the country MM and I haven't seen. Well, we do live in a rather large country and haven't seen everything.......but we are trying to fix that!

Long live the long ride, Xander and Ella. Be careful out there!

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Cute critters of all sorts

MM survived the ladder and got the fans to running again so that we can enjoy sitting out on the deck once again. Hot air gets trapped there, so the fans are a MUST on a super hawt day. We have hawt!

See that broadleaf vine? I don't know the name of it but I do have a bad word I call it! It is a thorny thing, and climbs everywhere.

My two helpful assistants merely watched as I clipped away at those pesky vines. It is a never ending job. Kinda like housework, but a tad more fun, being outside, while also enjoying the other outdoor critters.



Life is good in Mayberry, y'all!

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Dear Lord...

Please protect my knuckle headed hubby and keep him safe. I can buy a new fan, but I can't replace HIM. Thankyouverymuch.



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Dancing Queens and other hot stuff

I think with Saturday’s dance recital, we are done with school calendar stuff and summer can officially be declared. 

 

The temps are certainly beginning to reflect summer’s arrival so much so that the A/C might just have to be activated.  I am still trying to use ceiling fans instead of the A/C, so I discovered one more fan problem upstairs.  Yes, the major lightening strike that killed the two fans in the living room claimed another victim, so MM has a new motor on order.  Moral to this dilemma:  don’t buy fans that only work on remote controls! 

End of PSA.

Now back to cleaning off my desk, under the nicely whirling office fan.  That MM wants to keep his “office girl” happy!

Busy weekend!

If you like kilts and bagpipes, you should have been in the N GA Alps this weekend!  Clans galore arrived to set up tents as vendors, providing food, genealogy research, weaponry (the old timers had to defend themselves, of course), animals (Highland cattle, the art of falconry, border collies, and more)…bagpipes and drums, Scottish dancing and other music…live demonstrations…a mini-Cooper parade.  Whew!

MM drove the tractor shuttle again this year, and I worked the admissions booth.  It was HAWT!…but fun, visiting with the many folks who arrived from all over the place to enjoy the mountains and all these festivities.

I especially appreciated the family birthday dinner that awaited us at Haley’s home after the closing ceremonies.  And the birthday chaos with the kids.  It was good to sit and rest my tired feet, and enjoy the kiddos.  The birthday girl enjoyed all the presents and good wishes…and EVERYONE enjoyed the triple chocolate cake!

 

MM and II  both crashed early, happy this festival only happens once a year!

Life is good here on this sunny Monday in Mayberry, y’all!

Happy #17!

 

We got the 6ish AM call 17 years ago today that Haley was in labor and heading to the hospital.  No hurry, this is her first child, right?  Wrong.  I took my time getting ready before heading to the hospital…since there was PLENTY of time.

Ansley had other ideas.  I was standing at the OR door, ringing the doorbell (as the sign instructed) to “let me in!,” but everyone in the delivery room was too busy to open the locked door.  About 45 seconds later, I heard a wee cry.  That couldn’t be OUR baby, but yes, it was.  And someone finally went over and let me in.  I was finally a grandmother, and my heart swelled when I held that baby girl up there in that first photo.

This girl has been very active ever since that day.

Thanks for introducing us to grandparenting 101, Ansley.  Grumps and I have loved our role in your life.  We are mighty proud of the young lady you have become.  Your star is brightly shining, and your future will be awesome!  We have confidence in you.

Smiles, and lots of love.  Happy birthday, Ansley!

We look forward to spaghetti and cake tonight, along with a few hugs.

Mayberry moments

Not mentioning any names, but a certain guy pulled an all nighter outside and is now sleeping it off. Ahem.



This gal has me trained to place a throw pillow on my lap (see, MM, those pesky pillows do have a use!) so she can get comfy while I enjoy my coffee, and a certain pioneer lady on TV.

Brian needed MM's help loading up the bushhog, so I am enjoying a lazy Saturday morning all by myself, well, with the sleeping furbabies as company. And a book. I like this!

There is a dance recital to attend this afternoon, and a dinner with friends later, but for now, it's chilling time.

Sweet. Why not! This morning, I am enjoying my own retirement moment. Because I can.

Life is good, y'all! Have a happy moment or two yourself today.


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Cycle Sherpa

 

This handsome bike dude is sister Nan’s grandson, thanks to her beautiful daughter Kim and hubby (also handsome) Bob.  There are good genes in this pool!

The cute little fluff ball is Ella, the Cycle Shepherd.  She is a one-year old Miniature Australian Shepherd, and she loves riding on the open road.  Seriously!

Xander is an amazing and multi-talented 19 year old (yes, I am a proud auntie, but it is well deserved admiration, and love).  He and Ella set off on the bike from Blacksburg, VA, heading west on the Trans-America Trail to Astoria, OR, then south on the Pacific Coast Trail…a route of 5,000 miles!  The journey will take about 5 months, since he is really not in a hurry, and he wants to see and experience everything he can along the way.  Why not?!

They began two weeks ago, and are having a very interesting time.  Xander is blogging their journey as often as he has internet, so if you are interested, click on www.thecyclesherpa.blogspot.com and follow along.  He is doing a great job on describing the scenery, a little history, posting great photos, and reporting on the glitches that obviously occur with cycling.  He is handling it all with maturity.  That boy has a good head on those shoulders!

Check out their route, and let me know if they will be coming to your town.  There is a proposed route map at the bottom of his blog.  He has already pedaled about 600 miles.  Illinois and the Mississippi River are now in the rear view, with the Ozarks in the front view.  Hello, Missouri!

Pedal on…and stay safe!

TBT–June 2008

 

Everything and everybody is a little older, but not too much worse for wear.

MM’s chest is still Missy’s favorite resting spot, and a nice chest it is.  Now that MM has officially retired, hopefully he can spent a few more hours in this very spot, with this very same kitty, doing a whole bunch of nothing.

Yep, that sounds like a plan.  Well, in between bouts of fixin’ stuff.  That’s OK activity.  That’s not all-day, work hard, deadline kind of work.  I do have a honey-do list (that has been long ignored), now that you are O-ffically retired, my sweet guy.  I know you will be thrilled.  Haha.

Have yourselves a ginger peachy Thursday.  I will…and will be updating that honey-do list for sure.

Enjoy retirement, honey!  I’m thinking we need to go new, comfy chair shopping.

Launching summer fun!

 

Will, and all the wee ones, thoroughly enjoyed his birthday celebration Sunday afternoon, especially the cute and tasty Lego cakes Amy made.  Clever gal, that Amy.  She even made a Lego “basket” to put the utensils in.  And there were plenty of new Lego toys for the boy (and his brother) to enjoy.  Feet enjoying them?  Not so much.  Ouch!

The kids enjoyed the boating…and jumping from the diving board from our deck.  It was nice of Mother Nature to provide full lake pool so that they could finally use the diving board.  We have some little daredevils, that is for sure.  I’m not jumping, much less diving, from that board!  It is certainly OK to call me chicken.  I won’t mind a bit.  I’ll sit and supervise.

 

We recently discovered we had fan problems in the living room, so Maintenance Man replaced one fan motor, which is now working, and has another one on order.  Added to that fun is the driver’s window on the Prius that all of a sudden dropped down, so that needed fixin.  It’s always something, right?  I am lucky to have my handy dandy fix-it guy, and am always willing to hold the ladder for him and hand him stuff.  I wish my own two assistants were that helpful!

Have yourselves another ginger peachy day.  It’s just another Wednesday here in paradise, y’all!

Feline Friday

 

Missy owns the world, well, at least the small world surrounding her very special perch…that needs some serious repair work.

Today, she is officially my favorite kitty, since KC not once, but twice, woke me up in the wee hours of the morning, kneading my arm, kneading my leg.  Now WHY did I lock him inside the house?  Oh yes, I remember a vet bill for a paw booboo caused by a tangle with a bigger critter one night awhile back.  It’s a good thing we love our furbabies!

I am cleaning off my desk today (yawn), while Moho Man is out working on the moho.  He is going to change out the problem refrigerator (this brand has been the cause of MANY moho fires) for a different one, and he has to do lots of prep work before he can do the actual swap.  He has the replacement fridge already, but it is gonna require some helper muscles (“real” muscles, not mine), and a window first has to be removed before said swap can happen.  Bless his heart.  He is a man of many muscles and talents…along with a whole lot of determination!  Safety is always foremost in this thoughts, so the current fridge has to get gone before we can hit the road again.

At least we are having another cool spell, so he isn’t working in a whole lot of summer heat yet.

We are grateful even for the small things in life, including but not limited to annoying kitties.

Have yourselves a ginger peachy first Friday in June, y’all!

TBT–Cote d’azur and pasta, y’all!

 

Our kiddos will remember this particular day on our trip to France.  Hopefully, one of them will identify what year this was!

Brian and Amy had never been to Italy, and since we were sooo close, we decided to pop over the border for lunch, just for them to get another country stamped on their fairly new passports.

Our friendly waiter spoke little to NO English.  Being hillbillies, we spoke basically NO Italian, beyond pasta, ciao/arrivederci, and grazie.  The basics, right?  Haley studied French in high school; I took a conversational Spanish class when Haley was in utero (maybe that is where her love of languages began?), so between us, we were able to figure out what was on the menu and get some food ordered.  Of course it was good.  We were in Italy, the pasta capital of the world!

Handy travel tip:  check out the plates of others and find something appealing, point to that plate, then to yourself, and smile. 

Handy travel tip #2:  if that plate winds up being liver instead of beef stroganoff, hope one of your travel companions likes liver!  Ugh…true story, but MM saved the day and traded plates with me.  I hate liver!

I have since learned that when traveling to foreign places, always tote a translation book.  I have a handy-dandy multiple language book that has been across the pond many times.  It has all the basics covered.  Sure, there are phone apps nowadays that translate, but Wi-Fi may not be always available or affordable for use. 

Who has a “mistaken identity” food story to share? 

Happy, happy day!

 

Scooterbug Will is a big 7 today!  Seven wonderful years of hugs, smiles, and kisses from this sweet guy.  He makes my heart melt.  A lot.  So do the other kiddos, but today is Will’s day to shine.  And he does.

He is a bundle of non-stop happy energy.

Happy birthday, honey boy.  Grammie and Grumps love you bunches!!!

We are ready for some cake and ice cream…