A new baby in the family

My brother Bill is a grandfather, and sister-in-law Annie is a grandmother, for a second time. Their son Mike and wife Renee had their second baby, Patrick, on Christmas Eve day.

Patrick arrived a bit early, as he wasn't due until some time in January. That meant a trip to NICU until his lungs get stronger. But as of today, Bill says most of the tubes are out and he's actually sucking on a pacifier while being fed with an IV. I hope he gets to come home soon!

Bill says big brother Liam is a bit confused. Reminds me of when Katherine was born. Michael was so mad at me he wouldn't come near me, until I offered him some cookies. From that beginning, Michael and Katherine are very close!

Baby Patrick. waiting to go home!

Dental stuff

Mike went in to have a tooth extracted, as well as to have a graft put in for a future implant. He told me they found a double-infection. No wonder this tooth has been giving him so much trouble! He's better off without it. He seems to be doing okay, but he's somewhat Stoic so I wouldn't know if he was hurting. They gave him prescription-strength ibuprofen and some stuff to rinse with. He goes back in about 10 days. We hope the infection is completely gone by then. They already tried penicillin and now they have him on amoxycillin. However you spell it!

34 Years

Mike and I celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary yesterday. I had a little trouble figuring out where I wanted to go for dinner. First it was Aki (a Japanese restaurant) but I opted out because it isn't a favorite of Mike's. He would have gone for me, but the day is for both of us. Then I tried 2 different steak houses, and was very discouraged that they were too crowded. We finally went to a Chinese Buffet and really enjoyed it. Mike and I just don't do 'fancy'!

Here's Mike enjoying some Chinese food:

Sweet and Sour Chicken...yum!

He gave me chocolates and a Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card, and I bought him sneakers!

:)

Birthdays

James and Katherine both had birthdays this last week. Jamie turned 28 and Katherine turned 30. I don't think either one of them is happy about it. Katherine thinks she's old, ha, ha. I told her to tell her 91-year-old grandmother that!

We made scungilli for Jamie's birthday dinner, which he enjoyed. He asks for it every year. I gave him a gift card and some candy.

Katherine's friend Theresa took her out to dinner. Michael met them there, too. I'm sure I'll get more details later.

I'm making her birthday dinner, Western Hospitality Casserole, tomorrow night. I gave her a scarf I made plus some little things. We're going shopping one day soon. I just have to get over a cold I have!

Katherine, in her new scarf (made from silk/bamboo yarn!) looking "NOT old"!

Pumpkin

Katherine called up and said she was bringing a pumpkin to carve. It was the last one in the store. I'm glad, because I never got around to buying one, not even a little one! (I can't really lift one of the big boys.)

It's a nice-size pumpkin and will look cute outside tomorrow night. Katherine free-handed a  cat and a tree. She had to use some toothpicks to hold certain pieces in place, but I think it came out great!

Of course, Mike brought the seeds and goop out for the animals to enjoy! 

Megan

Megan is very sweet and very pretty. I bet she'll be good for Michael. I had nothing to be nervous about! She got to meet all of us, except for Nicky, who was at work.

Michael heads off for California on a business trip tomorrow. They only told him Friday! Apparently, it's an emergency and he's the only one who can fix the problem. He'll be up early tomorrow--his flight leaves at 7 a.m.!

An Important Day!

Today I get to meet Michael's girlfriend, Megan! I'm very nervous. But the house looks nice and Mike's got sauce on the stove.

More later...

Ohio

We spent five days this past week visiting my mom in Ohio. We don't usually take the drive 2x a year, but she is 91 so we need to get in what time we can. Of course we went to Der Dutchmann, a favorite of my mother's. It was a much briefer visit than in July, but neither one of us likes to be away from home too long. We did enjoy the visit, including a few trips to see my Aunt Mary. She is in an assisted living place and just recently left the hospital (because of a broken hip). Mike helped fix her hearing aid.

I'm happy to say both my mother and my aunt have their 'wits' about them, although they are very much slowed down and have difficulty hearing. We aren't so sure how long my mother can live alone in her home, but I hope it is until she is no longer here. My sister is trying to straighten out her finances and Mike and Sue have both tried to get her medical insurance figured out. Fricking Obama Care...

The one scary thing is that Mom tripped over my damned suitcase and hurt her foot. Thank God by the next morning she was fine. I was up half the night thinking she'd wake up with a swollen ankle.

Wildlife and a Birthday

32 years ago, at 5:37 p.m.--just a short time from now--I gave birth to our firstborn, Michael William after about 14 hours of labor. He was born with a full head of dark, brown hair!

I sent him a text wishing him a happy birthday. We're all meeting for his birthday dinner at Catfish Annie's tomorrow. Not sure what he's doing today but I think he's either going out with his girlfriend, Megan, or with friends. I have a gift for him that I think he'll like--a book called "A Short History of Nearly Everything," which is a sort of history of science. I have a version on my NOOK that I love, but this is even better as it is illustrated. And it weighs a ton, despite being paperback!

Now, to the wildlife part of this post. It's been busy in my backyard this week. I rescued a bird from Melody and put it in a hanging planter until it was strong enough to fly. The trouble is, it couldn't get up high enough and Nutmeg got it! (I should say 'him,' because it was a male house sparrow.) Nuttie stood at the backdoor with her prize in her mouth, meowing at me. I got her to drop him and he flew off. I didn't see him again so I think he finally had enough strength to escape!

Every night about 7, the 3 baby raccoons that I call the 3 Stooges come to visit! Moe has a solid stripe at the end of his tail, Curly has sort of crossed eyes and Larry is the 3rd one. Sometimes, Moe shows up alone. They stand on their hind legs and beg when they see me. They have known me since they were babies (they are still pretty young!) and they trust me. Of course, I never try to pet them! I know they are wild animals!

Sometimes, a raccoon with no ears shows up. He seems very old but he's sweet, too. And the other night, a HUGE raccoon came to visit. He's so big he might be the father. I haven't seen Mama recently, but know her because her tail is not fluffy. Here's the big raccoon, whom I call Chubs or Chubbers:

 He's eating Frosted Flakes and has them on his nose!

I hope we never have to move. I would miss my backyard babies so much! And that includes the squirrels that come when I call them!

PS--other than Mama Raccoon, I have no idea if these are boys, girls or both!

Wow, it's been a while

I keep forgetting to add to this. Not that life is that interesting!

Nick went for Jury Duty this past week, but luckily got out of it. He just spent the day but doesn't have to go back for 6 years! Mike and I drove him out to Riverhead, then spent the day with John and Noreen. John was having a new front deck of green cement put on his store. Mike knew I was bored so he called Noreen. My sister-in-law and I enjoyed a few hours of shopping. I got some things at AC Moore, a crafts store that is not near my own home.

The weird/bad-at-first/okay news is that Mike was diagnosed with a small bit of skin cancer on his head, of all places. Comes from never wearing a hat at all those soccer games he's watched. It really had him worried but they were able to get it all and he doesn't even have to go back for six months. He will wear a hat from now on when he's outside, of course!

I have some new e-books coming out in the next month, which I should be editing instead of writing in my blog. But this is more fun. I hate reading my old books. I was a different person back when I wrote them and would have done things much differently now. But I guess they're okay because they do make me a little bit of money. (That whole thing with the actress who was supposed to get one of my books made into a movie has fallen through--with no word at all from her or her 'people.' Maybe she's just too busy, as she's popular these days.)

Katherine had some kind of eye ailment (she's better now) and I made her little heat pads for her eye, out of felt with kitties on it.

Michael is here today making chicken wings. We're also having burgers, cole slaw and pasta salad.

Nicky and Jamie are at work.

Goodbye, Rocky

When we came home Saturday night, after dinner with friends, I went downstairs to let Rocky out of his cage, as usual. His sleep sack was hanging off its shelf. No big deal, since he's done this before--keeled over in his sleep like the bag was a hammock. Sadly, though, this time he keeled over because he'd passed away.

Rocky was very, very old. I can't remember if we got him before or after Shadow, but he was at least 7. Pretty good for a ferret. He's been on his 'way out' for a long time now so, while I'm a little sad, this was not the devastating surprise Shadow's death had been. He is now buried in the back yard. RIP Rocky.

On the human front, I finally got around to having a tooth pulled Monday. It's a broken tooth that was leftover from a lost crown. I've needed to do this for a long time and am glad to have it out of the way. I almost didn't make it because I took a fall in my bedroom the night before and smashed hard against the bathroom door frame. I have a bruise on my shoulder to show for it, but the pain was all down my arm and into my fingers, so I was afraid I'd broken/sprained/bruised something. Sat with an ice bag all Monday morning until it was time to go. I'm glad I didn't cancel the appointment. At least the tooth pulling is out of the way--except for an achy jaw and stitches. My arm is fine, thank God. Having numb fingers after a fall is scary.

Especially since it was my right arm!

Busy Weekend

NOTE: THIS WAS FROM A YEAR AGO, BUT I FORGOT TO PUBLISH IT! (Vet's Day Weekend, 2013) On Saturday, Mike and I went to a shower (yes, men were invited) for our good friend Virginia's grandson. The baby is due in December. I gave a monkey-themed package with a car mirror, sleeper, a monkey candle (in baby blue) and swaddling blankets. I hope to have something homemade done for the baby's birth!

Then on Sunday, we drove down to Atlantic City, New Jersey. We stayed at Bally's, courtesy of Mike's brother John and his wife, Noreen. They go often and get some nice perks, including free rooms and food.  We stayed just one night but would like to go back again some time. It was very enjoyable! The weather could not have been more perfect for a walk on the Boardwalk, and it was fun looking in the stores. We took our nephew, John Joseph, to Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, which was pretty cool!

Labor Day

We had a nice barbecue for Labor Day. Mike grilled Porterhouse steaks that were out of this world delicious. Katherine brought an antipasto and a Greek salad and Michael brought donuts for dessert. I made really good  baked beans, and hope I can remember the tweaks I made on the recipe! I had also bought some beautiful tomatoes from the farmstand that we really enjoyed.

Mike had some trouble with his jaw because of a root canal last week (as of today, he's got the temporary crown and post in--it's Wednesday) so he couldn't quite enjoy himself as much. At least the steak was super tender!

It was a great way to end the summer--even though summer's still here for a few weeks. Yesterday it was in the 90s. Not too many 90-plus days this summer. I felt bad for the kids who had to start school on one of the hottest days of the year.

Of course, the kids watched "Breaking Bad."

More from AC

I volunteered to watch my nephew in the hotel pool for a while so his parents could have some free time. I just brought some crochet work with me. He had a great time and it was fun to see all the kids get together for "Marco Polo." They enjoyed each other even though they were strangers. We adults could learn from them:

Later on I went back to the slots. I won some, lost some, but came out ahead because of the free room. Here is a picture of one of my vouchers, from a $20 bet:

Sorry it's upside down.

I don't know why, but I found these two statues in the distance to be really funny. Just two dudes hangin' out!

The front of our hotel, from the Boardwalk:

Mike and Me, on the Beach

Here we are under the umbrella Mike's brother John rented, just after walking along the water!

Atlantic City

My bil got us two nights free in Atlantic City, at Bally's. We went with John, Noreen and our nephew John Joseph. We were there from Monday to today. I enjoy the slots, and we allow ourselves a certain amount to play with. I was up and down and up...but stayed within my 'budget.' I said as long as I came home with $20 in my wallet, I was happy. If you allow that the room would have cost us $400, and we barely lost half of that, we still came out ahead.

Frankly, if you go to Atlantic City thinking you're going to make money, you're nuts. I found two machines that let me win quite often (and got upset if someone else was sitting there!), and it's the thrill of winning that makes me happy, not the money.

Of course, there's a beautiful beach and a nice boardwalk! We walked along it each day and hit the beach yesterday. I can say I got my feet wet by the Atlantic Ocean this year, LOL!

Here is the view of a sunset outside our window. 

We enjoyed ourselves so much that Mike wants to go once a month next summer season. It's less than a four-hour drive in good traffic and we will get perks for free rooms and food. 

Lunch Today

Mike and I met John, Noreen and John Joseph for lunch at Chili's today. We really enjoyed ourselves, as usual!
On the way home, there was a big accident on Elwood Road. It looks like a woman rear-ended a bus. Her whole front end was completely smashed in. She was in her seat looking totally dazed so I'd guess the airbag hit her. This was the aftermath, so there's no telling what really happened. The bus might have stopped short for some odd reason. I hope the woman will be okay!
Mike and I are looking forward to our trip to Atlantic City next week!

Nicky helping out

This is what happens when you get a kid out of bed to mow the lawn:

He does it in his bathrobe!

This was Saturday. Mike said Nick did the front lawn, too (Mike usually does that) and even asked what else he could do to help.

I had to take this when he wasn't looking, of course.

Sushi with the kids

Katherine, Michael and I all went to Aki last night. The food there is remarkable but omg, it is very expensive! I paid for Katherine because she's in dire straits these days. She hasn't been working Sundays, where she gets time and a half. But fortunately, she says, she starts again in a week or two. She said she didn't realize how much that extra pay helped.

It was funny, Michael was trying to remember a song he really liked from the 80s. He said it was one of his favorites and the video had something to do with a tornado. Turns out, the song is "Sara" by Starship, and it was one of Katherine's favorites, too! I haven't heard it in years and will have to find it on Youtube.

We went to Bed, Bath and Beyond afterwards. I didn't get anything exciting, just some little things like a new pair of latex gloves for the kitchen.

On our way home, we witnessed a truck with a trailer-hitch (holding a backhoe!) have a blow-out. Not only that, the axle broke. It made quite a noise! There was a car stopped behind it and two young women got out, but fortunately they looked okay.

A few days ago, Long Island hit a weather-related record. We got about a foot of rain in less than 24 hours. It's the most recorded for that time period in all of recorded New York history! Mike and I woke up to about a half inch of water in our downstairs. Today is the first day the house is dry enough that it doesn't smell bad. The dehumidifier and shop-vac were put to good use!

We were lucky, though. Others on Long Island had really serious flooding that ruined property and cars. I'm glad we live on the North Shore, which is much higher up than the South Shore. Fortunately for John and Noreen (we went out to lunch with them Wednesday, with little John), they had no flooding at all.

General Updates

There are two guys downstairs putting up sheet rock over the crummy old ceiling. Whatever they do, it's a big improvement. They've been working steadily since 3:30--3 hours.

My sil Noreen's mom passed away this weekend. Mike is at the wake. I stayed home because of the work being done but will go to the funeral tomorrow. Eileen has suffered from dementia for several years and has been in a home. She fell and broke her hip last week, then went into a coma. Sad as it is that she died, at least she didn't linger, suffering, for too long.

I lost a pound so far on this diet. Still not so sure about it.

My raccoons visit every evening around 9 pm. I'm not sure how long the babies stay with Mama. One of them is a little aggressive to the others and his mother. They snort like pigs when they growl. But they are still adorable.

Grandma Enjoys the Fireworks

Here's some pictures I took on Fourth of July. We're standing in front of my mother's house in Columbus, Ohio, watching some fireworks being set off a few blocks away:

Obviously these were taken July 4th, but I forgot to publish them!

Losing weight

I gained back every pound of the weight I lose two years ago, and I'm ready to start trying again. I signed up for a new program called "Food Lover's Online." You eat what you want, just in moderation. I didn't really feel like going through the whole WW thing again, at least this time around. I'm willing to give this a try for the 3 free weeks' trial period.

We are having sirloin steak, corn on the cob and tomatoes for dinner. I picked up the vegetables at the farmstand. Also got some cherries and pluots I've worked into my snacks. They want you to eat something every 2.5 hours and tell whether your choices fit in the fat-burning category.

I was happy to see I guessed my current weight correctly at 180 pounds. Honestly, I thought it was closer to 200. Glad I'm not that far gone! I hope to lose 30 pounds although 20 would make me happy. Damn, so would ten.

I'm supposed to take a selfie of my 'before' self but they can kiss my toe on that one.

Sunday

Michael and Katherine came over today for ribs, coleslaw and macaroni salad. It's always nice when they are here for dinner. Of course, they watched Breaking Bad. Katherine is way behind the rest of us--Mike and I have one more episode in Season Five, then we can start the final season.

Later, Katherine came back to see the baby raccoons. She took a great picture:

That's a peanut he/she is holding. Wish I could tell if they are boys or girls! Well, at least Katherine finally got to meet them. Pretty soon, they will be big and off to start their own families. Which is probably a good thing because buying all these peanuts is getting expensive.

Oh, one other thing--we had a bunny in our yard today! My backyard seems to be becoming Wildlife Central!

Little Visitors

I've been waiting for my raccoons to visit with babies and was not disappointed last night! At first, I thought there were just two. They ran away when I opened the door to give them peanuts, but then came back. And I counted three!
But in the end, there were FOUR adorable, roly-poly babies! Here is a picture of Mama with two of her offspring:

They were so much fun to watch, almost like puppies. They were full of mischief, getting into everything. After a while, they weren't afraid of me and even came up to the door. I think animals know when someone is not going to hurt them.
Melody, my cat, wasn't too happy, and sat there growling at them through the door glass.

Ceiling, Pt. II

We continued work on the downstairs ceiling today. I helped Mike, Jamie and Nick by picking up pieces of metal framing (whatever it's called!) and carrying long pieces of molding out to the garage for storage. It was a lot of work (mostly for the guys)  but like Mike said, if we can get a little done at a time it's an accomplishment. Mike says he's going to have professionals do the actual new ceiling because he hates working with sheet rock (again, whatever it's called!). I'm glad he says that because I don't want to see him frustrated. Hiring someone who knows what he's doing is smarter and faster--and probably cheaper in the long run!

Poor Rocky slept through most of it, until Jamie had to move his cage. Then he was probably wondering what the heck was going on!

Pics of the men, hard at work:

It should be noted that the nitwits who put up this ceiling 21+ years ago used nails instead of screws, making the task of removing it that much harder!

Doctor news and last night in Columbus

We took Mom to her doctor's appointment on Friday the 11th. She had been very nervous about it, but it was an easy procedure in the long run. The news was good and set her mind at ease. The doctor, who was very nice, said she was in great shape for a 91-year-old!

On the way home, we had chili at Wendy's. Later that day we went to see Aunt Mary again. She was now in a real chair, not a wheel chair. I hope she is progressing steadily towards being back in her own apartment again!

After that, we went to a Bob Evans restaurant. I had a turkey dinner that I have to say was very, very good. Mom had pot roast and Mike got a hamburger, as usual. I had him take this picture of my mom and me:

All-in-all, a very nice visit, although I'm glad to be in my own home again. We might try to go again in the fall. If I could get someone to pick me up at the airport, I'd fly there. Mom no longer drives, although she wishes she could!

Mom Clowns Around

Grandma McNally really loves clowns, and has a whole room in her house dedicated to them! (Well, there's a TV in there, too, and a pretty red leather couch!)

My brother Bill made these painted wood blocks for her a few years ago:

She keeps many of the small ones on this old desk:

I gave her the baby clown doll sitting in the upper left corner, the one with orange hair. That was before I was married so it's more than 30 years old. I'm not sure how old the oldest clown is! Next time I'm in Ohio, I'll have to think about asking her!

Ohio, continued

When we are here, we like to do things that Mom can't (or shouldn't) do. Mike got out the hedge trimmers and neatened up all the foliage in front of the house.

When we went to visit Aunt Mary (our third time there), she was up in a wheelchair and seemed much better. She says she has no pain, thank God.

Some of my pictures are on my camera, so I will load them into this blog next week when I'm home. (I can't wait to go home. A week away is too long, IMHO, even though I'm enjoying my visit here.)

Ohio

Mike and I have been in Ohio for almost a week now. We traveled from New York last Wednesday. As always, we left very early--around 2:30 am this year. It's just us two, so there's no negotiating anything with the kids. We were pretty much able to get out the door within half an hour. Of course, the suitcases were packed and loaded the previous night.
We were very lucky traffic-wise and had no trouble along the way. With a stop for breakfast, plus some rest stops, we made it to Columbus in about 11 hours.
Here's a summary of the last few days. Pictures will come later when I have my own computer at home:
Wednesday: Arrival. Ribs for dinner, yum!
Thursday: our annual trip to my mom's favorite restaurant, Der Dutchmann. I always enjoy the Buffet and Salad bar. Mom always gets the Broasted Chicken.
We shopped at the gift shop, then at some Amish grocery stores. One has a little thrift store attached to it, and I found very cute red-and-white check fabric for only $2.50 a yard. We also hit a bigger thrift shop and found some goodies there.
Later, we went to visit my Aunt Mary. She broke her pelvic bone and was a bit 'out of it.' She is in a nursing home as she heals. She is 93, and my mother is 91.
Friday: Fourth of July! We were invited to a little gathering at my mom's friend's house. Cathy Crosby has been very good to my mother ever since she came to Ohio about 23 years ago (Mom, that is). I wasn't too happy about going because I don't like parties, but I enjoyed myself. IT was interesting to talk to a Chinese woman, a doctor, who lived through Mao and other bad things (including only being able to have one child). She had some fascinating stories to tell!
Friday night, there were fireworks a few blocks from Mom's house. Mike walked over there to get a better look, but Mom and I watched from her driveway. Not a perfect view, but some of the fireworks exploded over the tree line so we enjoyed that.
I think we visited Aunt Mary again on Saturday, and she seemed a bit better--much more alert. She and Mom told us fun things about their childhoods. Their grandfather owned a store and every week they got to pick out one piece of candy. I never knew my great-grandfather, Luther Patterson,owned a store!
We had burgers for dinner. Mike had 'introduced' my mom to Bubba Burgers at the reunion last year and she was happy that her store actually carries them.
Sunday, I went shopping while Mike worked out. I've been doing a lot of shopping on this trip. I've also been doing some crocheting and some cross stitch. I actually finished two little stuffed animals I've been working on for a long time. Mom thought they were cute.
Monday, more shopping, this time with Mom. We hit Hobby Lobby, a store I don't have in New York. Probably spent too much there. Oh, I forgot--I had found a really cute Patriotic rooster at Michael's on Sunday. Mom said they'd been trying to find one for Cathy, so I said she could have it. She's been very good to my mother, as I said. But we actually found another one on Monday so Mom bought that for me.
On one of the nights, Mike spotted a baby rabbit in the driveway. I went outside and it was still there. I thought about picking it up if I could catch it, but decided just to lead it out of the garage (it ran inside) and towards the raspberry bracken that surrounds my mother's backyard fence. I miss my  animals! I've been in touch with Nick and he says they're doing fine.
We went to visit Aunt Mary again. I'm happy to say she was awake and alert, and even sitting up in a wheelchair. She says they want her to eat peanuts, so we will be bringing her a can of those. Plus I got her some sliced apples and some "Jif-to-go," because she said she likes apples and peanut butter. She needs to gain weight.
Today was a relaxing day, right down to leftovers for dinner. I helped Mom with some paperwork for a medical procedure she's having Friday. We are staying longer than usual (10 days as opposed to a week) so we can take her to the doctor. We'll be leaving Saturday. I'm having a nice visit but am only truly happy in my own home. I only wish my dog Shadow was still there to greet me.
This is too long so I'm stopping now.

Out with the old

The kids came over yesterday and tore down the awful ceiling in our playroom. (We still call it the playroom even though it isn't used like that now--mostly it's an exercise room for Jamie and a game room for Nick. Plus the ferret has his cage there.)

I'm so glad to see it go. Unfortunately, there's also damage (probably from a mouse or two) in the original ceiling. Mike says he'll probably hire someone to redo it, since he doesn't like working with sheet rock. It may be a while, but I'm glad to not have to look at those sagging tiles and water stains!

These are before photos.
Here is Katherine after her hard work:

We had a barbecue for dinner. That's guacamole in the bowl and fresh-squeezed lemonade in the jar, both made by me. I had nothing to do with the ceiling because of my allergies, although it was cleaner than I expected. The kids wore masks and gloves. Michael and Nick helped, too. James was at work.

Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day. The kids got together and bought Mike a Blue Tooth. Below is a picture of him learning how to use it. I suggested it because I don't like the way he insists on looking at his phone when he's in the car.
Katherine also bought him a wand for washing his car and Nicky got him some cans of nuts. Me, I took him out to a nice Italian dinner Saturday night. He had lasagna and I had manicotti. It was a local restaurant I've always wanted to try and we really enjoyed it. We'd definitely go back!
For dinner last night, we had pork tenderloin on the barbecue. Katherine brought a nice antipasto and I made a salad with lettuce, tomatoes and nectarines.
Mike said he had a very nice day!

Michael enjoys the antipasto Katherine brought!

So many pics...

...so many memories.

Shadow loved to snuggle under blankets:

And he loved to be held...

This is the very last picture I ever took of my pup. I'm holding him like a baby. I miss him so much.

June 11th: busy day

I went out this morning to have my annual eye exam. I'm not that great about anything to do with doctors or dentists, but at least I have this out of the way. I picked out a very cute pair of glasses and I get them in 10 business days. Can't wait--I'm tired of looking at blurry words on the TV screen or on road signs. I had all the other tests done you are supposed to do, too, and am happy to say my retinas and all those blood vessels look healthy. Have the very, very start of a cataract but nothing vitamins can't handle for now.

Mike dropped me off and picked me up. We took some laundry to the laundry mat and had lunch at Wendy's. Then, later in the day, we went to Patty and Mark's house to get haircuts. Here is Mike getting a trim by our stylist, Tina. She is great at what she does and a wonderful conversationalist!

PS--I dated this in the title because I'm writing it on the 12th, which is Nicky's birthday. That's the next post!

Movies today

Mike and I haven't been to the movies in ages, partly because they're expensive and partly because there's nothing much I can't wait until it runs on TV to see.

Today, Nicky treated us both to a matinee at our local theater (and not for an arm and a leg, I'm glad to say). We saw "X-Men, Days of Future Past." I have to say it was excellent, and we really enjoyed the outing with our son!

On a sadder note, I think Shadow's ashes are ready today. If I feel like it, I'll write about that later. Katherine came for dinner last night and we were talking about Shadow. Like me, Katherine sees something out of the corner of her eye and turns expecting to see our boy there. We both agree, he will be waiting for us when that time comes!

Wings

Mike and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner last night. I've never been there and really enjoyed it. I did learn something, though--if I ever go again I'm getting the boneless wings. What a mess the bone-in ones make!

Mike wonders why I'm taking his picture:

I needed something to blog about that doesn't make me sad. Hard to believe we lost our beloved Shadow Dante a week ago! Today, I helped Mike with some work in the house. He's trying to replace an exhaust fan in the bathroom that, for some reason, has decided not to work. Replacing the actual fan and the switch itself hasn't helped at all. It is a mystery. Mostly, I held the flashlight because (obviously) the power had to be cut off to work on the outlet. Electricity scares the shinola out of me.

Sweetie Boy the Cat

I have had a stray cat who visits my yard on occasion. I named him Sweetie Boy (and probably already blogged about him). I haven't  seen him in ages, but there he was on my deck today. It was nice to see my scruffy little friend, especially after a check on my bank account showed that the payments regarding Shadow have gone through. It means he's been cremated. Maybe a little of his spirit passed into Sweetie. Shadow often did act like a cat, LOL! (Probably because he was raised with our two cats, Melody and Nutmeg.)

I keep so busy that I don't think I've ever been as caught up with my crafting, or my house has been so straightened up. It hasn't been a week since Shadow died, but it feels like both yesterday and a half lifetime ago.

Sweetie Boy is shy, but if I feed him salmon he lets me pet him, a little.

Happier Days

I'm a little less numb and haven't cried at all today. Not sure how I'll feel when I get the ashes next week. I had Shadow privately cremated because there was no way in hell I was going to mix my dog up with a bunch of animals he didn't know. Right now, I'm sure he's up in Animal Heaven, waiting for us, playing with other dogs I have loved in my life.

Shadow in happier days:

Diversion

Mike and I went to John and Noreen's house for a barbecue, since it is Memorial Day tomorrow. I thought it would be a nice diversion for us, and it was. Ate too many chicken wings.

But it was hard to come home. When I walked in the house, and it was so quiet, I got choked up. Mike went to a soccer game and when he was gone I just lost it completely. That's been happening a lot. I keep looking down at the floor as if I'm going to see Shadow there. I want him back so much.

Uncle Jimmy asked if I'd get another dog and I told him, 'no.' I can't go through this again. But how I wish I could see a wagging tail and a happy dance again...

...and I'm about to lose it once more. It's hard to believe how many tears a body can produce.

Shadow and me a few Christmases ago.

One of the hardest things

We said goodbye to Shadow Dante today. Cancer took his beautiful life at the young age of 8. There had been some improvements, but in the past 3 or so days he wouldn't eat and was passing a lot of blood. His breathing was hard and  you could just tell how much he was suffering.

He went very peacefully. I opted for a private cremation and we will get his ashes in a few weeks.

Mike is devastated and Nicky is really hurting, too. I keep crying off and on. I have a feeling reminders of our beloved boy will set me off for a while.

I can't write any more about this. I've emailed a few people and I need a break.

Shadow, I believe, is now chasing and catching squirrels--and he only wants to play with them!

Shadow Dante

Our 8-year-old chihuahua, Shadow Dante was just recently diagnosed with cancer in his small intestine.

The first sign of trouble was about 2 weeks ago when he stopped eating. We took him to the vet, where they took tests and x-rays, and then a sonogram. The sonogram showed a mass in his small intestine and then a biopsy proved it to be cancer.

He is now on Prednisone, which I give him with water through a dropper, as he won't eat. Well, we've managed to tempt him with ham twice in the last two weeks, but he isn't much interested most of the time.

The vet says he could have anywhere from a month to who-knows. I've cried my eyes out and Mike is very sad, too. He says this is why he doesn't like having pets.

I have decided that, as much as possible, I'm going to enjoy what we have left with this little guy rather than wasting time on worry and grief. Every time he eats, every time he runs after a squirrel or barks when the doorbell rings, it is a moment of hope. I know we'll lose him eventually, I just didn't expect it to happen for another four or five years.

He was actually overweight so that helped him as he has lost a lot. Now he feels like a puppy when I pick him up.

Here is Shadow about 2 Christmases ago, dressed up like Santa!

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day. We had a barbecue with ribs, chicken, hot dogs and skirt steak, plus baked beans and macaroni salad. All six kids were here, which is the best treat of all!

I got a nice lounger for the backyard, plus candy, flowers and a set of Philosophy body wash and body lotion that smells soooo good.

Here's a picture of the beautiful flowers. Katherine made the arrangement herself:

Spring planting

Today Mike helped me finish putting together a raised bed garden. I had started it but couldn't screw the connectors in, so Mike took care of that. And he dumped out about 10 bags of Miracle Gro soil for me, too! I have to rake it and start planting in the next few days.

The bed is only 4 inches deep, and you need 12 inches for tomatoes, so Mike used a post digger (for fence posts) and dug another 8 or so inches into the ground at one end. We used bamboo sticks to mark off where I'll plant 3 tomato plants next month.

Then I helped him put about 30 gladiolus bulbs into the ground, in various places around the property. Plus 2 begonias! I hope they all come up. They should be very pretty.

Easter

So, we all had a wonderful time on Easter. We went to John and Noreen's house. I gave John Joseph a little basket with some toys in it, including a pair of 'real' binoculars. 

Katherine and Michael had given John Joseph a toy cotton candy machine, and they tried it out yesterday. It didn't make very much in the way of cotton candy, but they all had a lot of fun with it.

That's Nick with the beard, Michael, and John Joseph. Noreen said either Michael or Katherine could take the kid home and deal with the sugar high he was going to have, LOL!

Coloring Eggs

Katherine and I colored about 3 dozen eggs last night. It's always a lot of fun and I'm glad we're keeping up the tradition!

Katherine always makes the prettiest eggs. She doesn't just color them plain!

Easter's On Its Way

Easter isn't the big deal around here that it was when the kids were little. We used to have so much fun doing egg hunts in the back yard. We'd invite neighbor kids and everyone would have a great time. Maybe I will do this someday with grandchildren, I hope!

Here we are in 1991, celebrating Nicky's very first Easter! He's about 10 months old. The boys look so handsome in their outfits, and isn't Katherine a pretty 7-year-old in a dress made by me? Long gone are the days we would dress up for a holiday! 

I'm not doing Easter baskets this year, but Katherine will be coming over this evening to color eggs with me. That's one tradition I don't plan to give up as long as I can do it!

Today is Good Friday. Thanks to Jesus for what He did for us. I'm not a practicer, but out of respect I am trying not to eat meat today. 

Deer

Mike and I took a drive to Hecksher Park this evening to see if any deer were out. I was lucky enough to catch a shot of this one, grazing just 20 or so feet from our car. We saw about 2 dozen deer but most were in the distance.
It's hard to get a picture of a 'moving' subject, but after numerous tries I did get this one.

And this one, not quite as cute but still interesting to me:

I love going for drives with Mike. We can't do as many as when he had a company car, but that just makes it nicer for us. After the drive through the park, we headed home and stopped at a Family Dollar store. I picked up a few things, including some gladiolus bulbs to plant. I hope they come up for us. Earlier today, I helped Mike put down some mulch, trying to avoid covering up the plants that are coming up. I have leaves for tulips all over the place and am hoping there will be flowers in a month or so.