God Bless Us Everyone

May all the images from your ghosts of Christmases past, present and future show you all good things.  As Tiny Tim said, "God bless us everyone".  God bless all of you and to all a good night.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Well, the weatherpersons (to be politically correct) predicted snow for today and they were right on the day, but a little off on the timing.  We were supposed to have rain until afternoon, then turning to snow.  I awakened to snow and it's still coming down.

The roads were not supposed to be accumulating snow.  Supposedly the roads were supposed to be warm enough that the snow would melt.  Guess those flakes fooled Mr/Ms Weatherperson because I see a little bit of stuff accumulating out there. 

This could be an interesting one.  When we get snow coming up from the Gulf of Mexico, which this is, then we tend to have a lot...as in 10 - 12 inches a lot.  Today's snow has been predicted to be 2 - 4 inches.  (They say blithely, not acknowledging that 4 inches of snow will cripple this town.)  Well, gotta study for that final next week anyway, so break out the hot tea and hot cocoa and let the snow continue.

Wishing you sunshine and warm temperatures you little snow bunnies.

Yes, they do say the darnedest things...

Grayson and Ashton

Having a 23 year old we don't have a chance to hang with little ones too often.  Last weekend we got that chance.  We traveled to St. Louis to see our niece Ashley get married.  Ashley used her niece Mya as her flower girl and her two nephews Ashton and  Grayson as ring bearers.  It was fun to be with the little kids and hear all of their cute sayings.  The boys wore nice suit jackets and pants with belts (a new one on them...they generally wear elastic waist pants).  Poor Ashton, the older and potty trained one, had a tough time with his "seat belt".  He couldn't get it off in time and well, things got a little damp.  I suspect he wants to go back to elastic...it's quicker and easier.  Those "seat belts" can be a little too tricky to get off in time.

The kids' parents shared with us their versions of some phrases.  Instead of going to Mickey D's (McDonald's) these kids go to Happy D's.  I guess it's some kind of combination of happy meal and Mickey D's. 

Then another favorite is their version of Toys R Us.  These three little tykes call it Toys 4 us.  Far more accurate than the commercial name I must admit.

My favorite of all was what they call the Ferris Wheel.  To them it's the Scare Us Wheel.  Pretty darned accurate I must say.  Kids do say the darnedest things.

Mya - the flower girl

Lame Blogger Alert

Man oh man...do I EVER qualify for lame blogger of the year.  I can't believe my last post was over a month ago.  You'd think NOTHING ever happened in my life.  Well...that may be close, but not exactly true.  I've been doing lots of stuff...some of it even fun.

Last weekend was the Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival.  My sister and brother-in-law from Whynot Pottery came up and spent the weekend with us and sold lots of pots. (yay)  I got to go out and see their stuff on Sunday with friend Pat and bought a few goodies.  They make some beautiful stuff.  My sister is having fun with her pillow pots and tiles.  They're always trying something new and fun.  I like it because it keeps me in Christmas gifts for friends.

Christine and Aunt Meredith at the fair.

Also visiting over the weekend were Christine's friend from Dallas, Elizabeth with her friend Chloe.  The girls were making an east coast swing with a focus on trying to visit as many states as possible in about 10 days.  They were doing a pretty good job of knocking them out. 

Chloe, Liz and Christine

Earlier tonight John and I went to The Mudhouse in Crozet, met up with friends Mike and Pat, and heard some good music.  There is a local singer/songwriter with a wonderful voice: Mariana Bell.  You should give her a listen if you get a chance.  Also playing were Travis Elliott and Tucker Rogers.  You should check them out if you get a chance as well.  They were all quite good.  It's nice to hear music at a coffee house rather than having to sit in a smoky bar.  Those days are over for me, thank goodness.

Other highlights of the last month include a quick trip to Norfolk.  Got to see mom, friend Jeanie from Coeur d'Alene who was in town visiting her mother and step dad.  Also got to see my friend Lee who is making some gorgeous quilts. The woman has talent.  Got to see the nephews, too, of course.  Had an interesting hour or so waiting by the side of the road on Shore Drive for AAA to come change a tire.  I should have just changed it myself...would have been a lot quicker.

Tomorrow, friend Andrea and her daughter are coming down to go to a Metallica concert at the local arena, JPJ.  I wonder how our 50 something friend is going to handle the head banging and mosh pit.  Oh, to be a fly on the wall...with earplugs, of course. 

Next weekend takes us to St. Louis for niece Ashley's wedding.  The last weekend of the month is reserved for our annual football get together.  Busy is good, right?

When is a Naughty Child good?

Recently while "reading" (I use quotes because almost everything I read these days is a book on tape) Elmore Leonard's Tishomingo Blues there is a scene where the protagonist is talking to a woman at a Civil War reinactment camp.  The woman is slicing green tomatoes for a "Naughty Child Pie".  Coming from a long line of great Southern cooks I thought, "Wow...never heard of anything called Naughty Child Pie",  and the only thing I knew you could do with green tomatoes was fry them or wait for them to ripen.  My curiosity piqued, I started searching for Naughty Child Pie online.  Many references were to the book, Tishomingo Blues, and to the fact that no one had a recipe.  I finally stumbled upon an actual recipe and filed it under the "maybe one day I'll be brave enough to try this" category. 

Well, this being the end of tomato season and what with having shared much of our bounty (unintentionally mind you) with the local deer population I realized I had a few measly little green tomatoes and if I wanted to give this pie a shot I'd better get crackin'.  So Sunday was the day.  I baked one and I must say it was quite yummy.  I did not peel the tomatoes, which makes it a little tough to cut.  I might try removing the peel if I attempted another one.  This also calls for a boatload of sugar (1 1/2 cups) and I think you could get away with less.  Not sure about the chemistry if you do that.  Maybe one of you who actually studied chemistry can tell me if I should up the flour quotient or what.  Here's the recipe.  Give it a try and let me know what you think of this particular Naughty Child.

Naughty Child Pie

8 medium-size green tomatoes
1/2 Cup golden raisins
2 Tsp. grated lemon peel
2 TBSP. lemon juice
1 TBSP. cider vinegar
1 1/2 Cups white sugar
1/3 Cup toasted chopped pecans
1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1/4 TBSP. salt
1 Tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. ground ginger
2 TBSP. butter chilled/cut into small pieces
powdered sugar for sprinkling

1 Pre-made pie shell

Preheat oven to 400°. On lightly floured board, roll out pie dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Edges will be ragged,this is okay. Just leave like this as edges will get folded in later. Center dough in 9 inch pie plate.  Cover & chill. Cut tomatoes into thin slices. Put into large mixing bowl & add raisins, lemon peel, juice & vinegar. Stir & set aside. Mix together sugar, pecans, flour, salt, cinnamon, & ginger. Blend well. Sprinkle 2 tablespoon over chilled pie crust. Add remaining sugar-pecan mixture to tomato slices. Toss to coat well. Scrape tomato filling into pie crust. Dot with pieces of chilled butter. Fold overhang of pastry into center over filling.

Bake 15 minutes. Turn heat down to 325° & bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly & crust is golden brown. Let pie cool on wire rack before cutting. Dust top with powdered sugar for decoration.  (I didn't bother with the powdered sugar.)


Bon Appetite!

Happy Labor Day

Looks like multiple members of the family have been laboring on Labor Day.  I can tell from her FB message that Mere has.  Odds are Lee is working because she never stops working.  Don't know about the boys, but I'm sure they accomplished something today.  I have a conference on Thursday, so had to go into the office to get some hours in today.  This part time don't get paid unless you clock in stuff is getting a little old.

We did enjoy an early BBQ at Pat and Mike's last night.  Mike is working on perfecting a pork shoulder smoked on his Weber using apple twigs.  He made one last weekend and then did two for last night.  It was more than enough in spite of the crowd.  In fact we have some in the fridge that Pat sent home with us.  Hmmmm...dinner!

I have some burning to do before all the yard junk that I raked and dug up yesterday gets wet from the predicted storm.  Just thought I'd take a minute to wish everyone a happy day off...for those who actually took the day off.  Wishing all a good week.

Champ - Feb 1998 to August 31 2009

Champ May 31, 2009
This picture was taken exactly 3 months before he died. Hard to believe.

Champ, our beloved yellow lab, died sometime in the wee hours of Monday morning. He started looking bad on Saturday. He finally came inside after spending some time outside just lying in the driveway in the rain. He was well behaved for our visitors and, of course, begged treats off of me while I was cooking. Overnight he vomited his dinner and when I got up Sunday morning he wanted to go outside first thing. I found his "deposits" fairly quickly and got those cleaned up. He was doing his typical sick routine...going out behind the workshop and lying around, eventually coming up to the gazebo and lying on the dirt floor there and just looking sad. He didn't want to eat anything. I tried to give him his pills with peanut butter...usually a favorite...and I had to force them in past his clenched teeth. His gums felt hot and his nose was dry and warm. We let him lay around outside much of the day, but eventually we got him in. He couldn't eat. He drank a little water and eventually vomited that back up. As the day progressed he grew increasingly weaker. He was stumbling around, barely able to pull himself upright by the end of the night.

We showered lots of love and pets on him. He obviously felt so bad it was sad to watch. As we were preparing for bed John asked Christine to check with the vet, Dr. Epstein, to see if she could bring home an injection so we could put him to sleep at home. Being the last to go to bed, I gave him some gentle scratches and told him that we loved him very much and how great a dog he had been for us. I didn't think he'd last the night and he didn't.

I got up Monday morning and Christine was in the entry way, cleaning him up. He had died during the night. He was so quiet. After months of heavy panting it was strange not hearing that sound any more. He looked so peaceful and that was a comfort. He had such a wonderful personality. Champ was just always happy as long as he was with his people.

John got up and went into the back yard and dug a grave. I helped him take Champ to his grave and helped him fill it in. We said a little good bye to the guy and then headed in for work as usual.
It just breaks my heart to have lost this dog. He really and truly was such a fabulous dog. He was rambunctious and undisciplined, but very loving and happy. Christine picked him out of a large litter and she did a great job. His personality fit in with our family so well. He could be a real pickle...running off and getting into trouble, but he was our pickle and we adored him.

I just don't see us getting another dog any time soon. It was too painful to lose him. This has been a really crappy year with too many deaths of too many people (and critters) I've known and loved. It sure makes you appreciate the little things that you can still enjoy...a beautiful sunset, a big harvest moon, a sunny day that has just the right temperature. Sometimes that special thing is just making it through the greenlight when you really need to get someplace. Whatever it is appreciate it before it's gone.

Weekend

It's the WEEKEND...hooray. Today we had a surprise visit from niece Ashley. She is the oldest daughter of John's younger brother, Rob. Ashley and her fiance' (Brad), his brother and parents were returning from the Outer Banks where they had been to attend a famly wedding. Returning to St. Louis, this was a convenient lunch stop. They had their sights set for Louisville as a stopover, so we go them for about two hours. It was a very pleasant surprise. Ashley's future in-laws, Jeff and Karen, are delightful, kind and caring. Andrew, Brad's younger brother is a pleasant 17 year old who plays a mean flute. He played Amazing Grace as part of a duet at my mother-in-law's memorial service. When she was alive he used to take her to orchestra concerts with him. How nice is that? We had a wonderful visit and sent them off, packed to the gills. They even found room for Ashley and Brad's wedding gift.

After they took off John and I canoed a stretch of one of the local rivers, the Rivanna. We put in at the bridge at Reas Ford Road and paddled down to the Reservoir. It was interesting to see parts of the county that we had never seen before. We saw 4 deer in different locations. Also saw about 100 Canadian Geese as we paddled along. Saw some kingfishers, and a couple of blue herons. John brought along a rod and tossed it out a couple of times. Didn't catch anything, though. It took about 2 hours all in all. It was fun to see someplace different, but I don't think I'd be hankering to do that stretch again. The water was a little too flat. The stretch of the James that we did last month was nicer.

Champ was acting sick this morning. His disease is really getting to him. Don't know if I posted this, but he's been diagnosed with lymphoma. Christine got him some Prednisone and that really seems to perk him up quite a bit. He missed his doses yesterday and that resulted in a really low energy level this morning. I managed to get some pills in him and he's better tonight. He still has trouble breathing and gets hot and pants a lot, but at least he has enough energy to eat and to walk around a little bit. I know our guy isn't long for this world, but I don't want him to suffer. Thankfully, he doesn't seem to be in pain. He did look pretty pitiful lying out in the driveway in the rain.

So, one more day to the weekend. Yay. I plan to finish cleaning the house and doing the laundry. I have some veggies to pull out of the garden and Ill be making some tomatoe sauce. I have some homework for my computer class and then it's early to bed to be fresh for Monday morning. I love relaxing weekends. Plus, I get to sleep in.

Hope your weekend is just as dull and relaxing.

Rollin' on the River

Spent the day floating down the James in the canoe. Went from Howardsville to Warren. Ran into some little rapids (like class 1...IS there a class 0??) Beautiful weather, nice and warm with a gentle breeze from the west, so it was pushing us from behind. Our experience is normally to be fighting the winds to our destination. All in all a pleasant float down river.

We followed the float with a trip to a new brewery, the Devil's BackBone. It's located at the turnoff from 151 to Wintergreen, a local skiing (and also 4 season) resort. Really good beers. We tasted the sampler then picked one for a longer taste. Oh, also found out a distillery is going in locally. Now that will be interesting. Wonder if we have to bring our own coke to the tasting room??

Hope your Sunday afternoon was just as relaxing and fun.

Funny People (the movie)

Isn't funny. In the least. Seriously save your money. I saw 7 people walk out. I wish I had been one of them. Worst movie of the year. Maybe the decade. Could be the worst of the century.

Beth - Memorial comments

A friend of mine sent me one of those “cute things kids say” columns for Mother’s Day this year. It has excerpts from the internet on “Why God made moms”. There were questions like, “Why did God make mothers?” (She’s the one who knows where the scotch tape is and mostly to clean the house.) How did God make mothers? (He used dirt. He made her just like me, but He used bigger parts, etc.) What ingredients are mothers made of? (Clouds and angel hair and everything nice…and one dab of mean.) Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mom? (We’re related.) It ended with a classic line that defined my own mother-in-law. What does your Mom do in her spare time? (Mothers don’t do spare time.)

Oh, how that last line exemplifies Beth Williams. There was no such thing as spare time in her remarkable life. Beth was both a planner and a doer. It seemed to me that she got up before dawn and gave the rooster a little nudge to get him up and at ‘em and she tucked the chickens in late at night before putting her house in order, maybe canning up a peck of something or another and just squeezing in a couple of hands of cards (which she often won) or maybe a round or two of charades before calling it a day.

She went cheerfully about her day with such purpose. She took everything in stride, welcomed each moment in life as a gift; an opportunity to do good. Whether it was scrubbing the bathroom or performing a favor for a friend or calling someone on the prayer line she approached every activity with enthusiasm, happiness and dedication.

Beth had plans. She was always planning something. I often said she missed her calling, that she should have been a summer camp director. If you had the great pleasure of seeing her in action up in Maine with the grandkids you would be astounded at her ability to entertain and organize this ragtag group of 7 kids whose ages spanned 11 years, not to mention her own children. The second we hit Maine she was soliciting suggestions from the kids on who wanted to do what. Each grandchild got a special day to choose the family activity. One would choose a trip to the shore, another a special treat of lunch at the dock. Also included in the mix of activities were favorite hikes like Sabbatus, Tire’m and Jockey’s Cap. A trip (or two) to Shaner’s for ice cream was another favorite.

The kids had more than just fun planned. She made up a chores chart and carefully included each child according to his or her ability to reach, hold or maneuver. Older kids were in charge of the dishes because they could reach the sink while younger, smaller ones might have floors to sweep or dusting to do. They all pitched in…sometimes even willingly. Beth was the organizer, planner and engine behind all the wonderful activities they had up in Maine. She planned for it all year. If you ever saw them leaving for a Maine expedition you would have thought that Lewis and Clark should have been so well prepared.

She had the travel down to a science as well. It was a two day drive from St. Joseph to Maine, so all the kids had one “overnight” backpack with essentials and their suitcases were all stuffed in the back of the van, never to see the light of day until the car reached its final destination. That backpack held whatever the kids needed for two days of travel. The night before their trip the kids slept in their travel clothes so all they needed to do was to get up and brush teeth and hop in the car. She ran a tight ship.

On the road, Beth had activities planned for the kids at rest stops. Lunch was often packed so all they had to do was to find a rest stop, get out the food and the toys and go about their business. The kids were encouraged to eat, get a little exercise and then hop aboard the train, ‘cause it was pulling out.

As the kids grew older her planning changed. She moved on from just doing hikes and shore excursions to activities that were farther afield. I was able to take one memorable trip with her. to Prince Edward Island in Canada to visit all of the Anne of Greene Gables sights. She, of course, had planned well. Having talked with neighbors at the cabin she got the name of a working farm bed and breakfast where she booked our stay. The girls so enjoyed the farm, complete with kittens and a new calf in the barn, they were almost as content to stay at the farm as they were to go visit the sights. She arranged in advance for tickets to the Anne of Green Gables play in Charlottetown, which event was the hit of the trip. She mapped out our tour of the island, making sure we hit all the Anne highlights there were.

The kids hiked part of the Appalachian Trail, they went on a whale watching trip and to a wolf preserve near Boston, a ferry to Monhegan Island and the puffins, and they traveled over to the Trapp Family Inn in Vermont. Each year, Beth planned a special excursion. She had the date fixed and would write out instructions for the kids as to what they were to pack and how long to expect to be on the road, but didn’t tell them where they were going. I think they had as much fun guessing the adventure as they did going…well almost as much fun.

Our Beth was a great planner. One thing that I am certain she had planned was the afterlife. Homegoing, homecoming, death…whatever you choose to call it. Beth was a true believer. A strong and devoted Christian her entire life, Beth had faith in her Lord, her Savior and life everlasting. She was not a Johnny-come-lately to Jesus. She was a fulltime, lifetime believer and was happy to share her faith with all she encountered. She touched lives.

I read a joke recently. A banker arrives at the Pearly Gates carting this huge, heavy suitcase. He gets to the front of the line, sets down his suitcase and St. Peter says, “I don’t know what you’re hauling there, Mister, but you can’t bring anything in here.” The banker, distraught, looks up and says, “But it’s my life’s work. I spent so much time and effort to get all this. I just can’t let it go.” So, St. Peter kindly says, “Well, open the suitcase and let’s see what you have that’s so important.” The relieved banker opens the suitcase and St. Peter sees that it is stuffed to the brim with gold bricks…hundreds of them. The banker is beaming. St. Peter looks at him quizzically and says, “You brought pavement??” Well, Mom didn’t bring pavement to the Pearly Gates. She brought the love of all who knew her; all of the people whose lives she had touched. We are all better people for it.

I don’t know if ice cream and chocolate are available in the afterlife, but if they weren’t already, then my guess is that Mom is making plans.

Beth Greiner Williams

My mother-in-law, Beth Greiner Williams, died peacefully in her sleep early this morning. Brother-in-law, Rob, called us at a little after 6:00 a.m. to deliver the news. She had daughter Linda and niece Mary Mitchell in with her. Rob and his family were getting some much needed sleep. Funeral arrangements are still pending. There will likely be a memorial service in St. Louis. Burial will be at West Point with her beloved husband of more than 50 years, Murray. It may not be for a little while as it takes some time to schedule the services there. Murray Jr., a West Point grad like his father, is very familiar with the ins and outs of Army red tape, so will be making all those arrangements. Would like to do something up in Maine with the family. It was such a special place for her. The only year she missed going up there since 1965 was the year that Murray was terminally ill.

Beth was a planner. In fact as early as last Tuesday she was planning dinner at a local Italian restaurant and a side trip to WalMart to pick up a few things. That was the night that her legs had given out and her left side was rendered virtually useless, but our Beth had plans! She was a wonder and a wonderful person.

Born in Riga, Latvia, she had travel in her blood. Her father went around Europe setting up YMCA's in various countries. In fact his work was not confined to just Europe, they also spent some time in China later. Beth and her sister Jean (also deceased - in 2007 from Parkinson's) were both born in Latvia. I learned only recently that English is Beth's second language. Although she was born into an American family she spoke German for much of her first years, learning English when the family moved to the States when she was 7 years old.

When the family was in China she, her sister, and mother had to be evacuated during the Japanese invasion, much like what was shown in the movie, Empire of the Sun.

The family eventually settled in White Plains, NY. Beth and sister Jean attended school there. Both went to Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts. Beth still attended annual reunions with some of her old college friends from Holyoke.

Beth met a handsome young redheaded man at a college dance, Murray Williams. They were married on December 27th, 1949. Murray was a fairly new West Point grad and I think their honeymoon consisted of a whole weekend before having to report to some duty station or another. Beth handled that with the grace that showed throughout her life.

The four children were born over a period of about 10 years. Murray Jr. came first in '50 or '51. A few years later John arrived in '54. Linda followed about 1957 and the baby, Rob just hit 50 years this year, so was born in 1959. Little did Beth know, but when she left the older boys in charge of the younger kids when she and Murray had a date night, Murray and John would put Linda and Rob on their shoulders and have chicken fights. They also would mount a net to her teak dining table and play table tennis on it. I would bet good money on her suspecting some shenanigans, but she could never get them to 'fess up...at least while they were young. If you were to ask me who the instigator was in all of this I'd have to say that I'm probabaly married to him. John shares his mom's sense of fun.

Beth missed her calling. She should have been a camp counselor. In fact, she likely felt that she was when the kids were young. When we went to Maine she had everything planned out...lots and lots of activities. She wanted to know what day we wanted to climb Sabbatus, Tir'em, and Jockey's Cap; what day we wanted to have the sailboat races on the lake. She planned an annual birthday party for some time during the month they spent in Maine and had lots of fun activities for that day. There was always a scavenger hunt (a ploy she worked out to send the kids running up and down the road, and up and down the hill to the water front in an attempt to tire them out for later). She always had treasures for the kids to find at the end of the scavenger hunt. The only year that failed was the year they did the parable of the burning bush and one of the uncles accidentally set fire to the barrel that had the gifts in it. (No, you light the fire AFTER the kids have found the toys!) That was probably 10 years ago and Beth still laughed when describing the long faces on the cousins as they poked through the remains of the fire looking for any kind of a trinket. The birthday celebration day also had the annual balloon pop competition as well as a pinata most years. The woman knew how to plan a good time.

The best thing about her was her loving, gentle manner and her quick laugh. She was a very happy person. Upbeat, she didn't give you long to sit and mope. There were too many things to get out and get done. A devout Christian, she lived a good, honest life with a sincere devotion to God that few have. She was not planning to die this soon, I'm sure of that. But, she had planned her entire life for the afterlife and I do hope she is reaping the rewards of that planning. I picture her reunited with Murray Sr. now. If God didn't plan for chocolate and ice cream in the afterlife, I'll just bet he's getting a suggestion from someone I know and love right this minute. Rest in peace, Beth. You were a great wife, mother and mother-in-law. I wish everyone could have known you.

Beth

Talked to Rob today. Beth is still comatose. Her breathing is growing more shallow, but she is still breathing. Rob kindly put the phone up to her ear and I had the chance to tell her I love her and that the best thing I could hope for Christine is that she have a mother-in-law who is just like Beth. She has been wonderful in so many ways.

And now she's worse...

Today's email from brother-in-law, Rob reads,

Mom is not waking up this morning- she is resting comfortably, but did vomit during the night and has vomited again as we were working with her. the hhnurse is calling the docotr and will call back. there's a lot going on now. Ashley and Hannah are awesome. Cindy is coming. Tim, please call Linda and update her. Les, I tried to use John's pager #, but may not have been successful. I'm not calling 911 bc she seems to be comfortable.

So double shit. Comatose is not a good progression. I really, really hate this.

Well shit...

Was hoping for better news from the folks in St. Louis, but the following is the text of my brother-in-law's latest email on my mother-in-law's condition on her lymphoma with mets to the brain:

Mom has no use of her legs now. Her left side is especially weak. There is more confusion. Appetite, cardio-resp are fine. She is home-bound until we figure out transportation service.

Home care nurse Melody came over today and was real helpful. She explained hospice care and skilled care and their limitations. She recommended getting a prognosis from Dr. Van A -even by phone(which I did today). She had Mom choose whether she wanted hospice care yet ('not yet, thank you'), and she explained what we need and how to get it (wheel chair and gate belt)-which we have now.

I missed Dr Van A's call, but he left voicemail and then talked to Cindy also. He said "the prognosis is not good and you should probably get hospice care." And he added to Cindy he would talk with Dr B to see whether radiation is worthwhile- weighing quality of life against improving survival chances I guess...

Mom's spirits are pretty good...she still wants to take the family out to Rizzo's (restaurant), run out to WalMart to get items, and does not realize/accept how dire her situation is...
I think she is beginning to realize, and it is getting her down...I try to be direct and open with her, but don't want to crush her hopes with this...

any thoughts?
Cindy and Ashley are awesome.
thanks, and love,

What's a devoted daughter-in-law to do? This sucks. It really sucks. I have the best mother-in-law in the world and she doesn't deserve this. Never smoked a cigarette, never had a drink and still belted down her milk with her evening meals...not to mention her daily exercise and energizer bunny devotion to chores. Oh, and on a first name basis with God. Seriously, if you were to adopt some kind of positive karmic lifestyle to ward off evil diseases, this woman is the poster child. Evil, evil disease.

Thursday and Friday in Maine

Thursday dawned bright and sunny as promised. After breakfast we headed over to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It was time to attempt the Mount Washington road. First stop was a little pull out on the Swift River off the Kancamagus highway. A beautiful spot, if only a little out of our way. Had tried to find the West Side Highway around North Conway. Ended up having to route back through, but the side trip had been worth it.


Finally found our way to Mt. Washington and without a single hesitation drove on in and paid our fare to drive up. And what a drive it was. The road winds up 8 miles and 6,000 feet. To say it's steep and winding is an understatement. Fortunately, the caretakers managed to put quite a few turnouts along the way, so there was a respite from the white knuckle road trip.

We did finally make it to the top. The views on the way up were spectacular...although I should have kept my eyes on the road. It began to get a little dizzying towards the top where there are switchbacks and sheer drop offs...just a tad disconcerting. We found a nice fellow traveler in the parking lot to get a picture of all the girls in one shot. A tour around the top included a trip to the gift shop (of course!) and a look see in the Tip Top Hotel. We were in and out of clouds for much of the visit, but managed a few moments of clarity and got someone to take a picture of Marilin, Les and Kathy at the summit marker. I kept looking around for someone advertising to do the return drive for a fee, but alas, there were no takers. I kept my eyes peeled to the road on the trip down. Doesn't pay to look over the side in those dizzying circumstances. Got a quick lunch at the bottom then off to North Conway and Cathedral Ledge.

Cathedral Ledge is a lovely overlook that you can drive or hike to. We opted to drive. The views from Cathedral Ledge are spectacular. There is also a view of the climbers...this being a popular climbing spot. The sign behind Gladys reminds people not to throw anything over the edge to avoid hitting the climbers. One would think you wouldn't have to tell people that, but oh well...

After the trip to Cathedral Ledge it was time to return to the cabin so we could make our date with Ken's Kove. We had a 6 p.m. lobster pick up time scheduled and we were not going to miss it. We did a Williams' family tradition with all the fixin's at the house and a pick up of steamed lobster. It was deeelish. I did end up haivng to take a quick lie down after we returned. The trip up Mt. Washington had given me a little bit of vertigo. I think the next time I attempt that I'll have to pay someone else to drive me up.

Gladys made a special cocktail for the ladies as a pre-dinner drink. I tried a sip. Tasted a lot like a margarita. The only three ingredients I can remember offhand are: 1 - 12 oz can frozen limeade, thawed; 8 oz tequila and; 1 corona. If I find the recipe I'll post.

Took a nice evening kayak with Kathy. Water was like glass. Quiet evening of reading and off to bed.

Friday was clean up and prepare to depart day. Sure wish we could have stayed longer. Kathy and I took a morning paddle. The lake was still clear as glass and wonderfully soothing. Saw the momma loon and poppa nearby keeping an eye on us.

Maureen, Marilin and Gladys stripped beds and ran laundry. Kathy and I stowed the kayaks and other dock gear. Raked the path to the lake so that others who follow will have an easier trip down the hill. Raked under the clothes lines and in the drive, trying to clear out the accumulation of years of leaves. Once all laundry was done it was time to make one more run into Bridgton. Took the laptop so Gladys and Kathy could print boarding passes at the library. Also wanted to check to make sure that Renys didn't have just one last thing that we couldn't do without. For the uninintiated Reny's is a Maine institution. A variety store stocked with all the basics you might need to furnish a cottage or even your own home if you're a Mainiac. they have a great assortment of seconds and over runs. You can find some great buys pretty cheap here. Managed to find a couple of trinkets. This is the Bridgton Renys which was expanded in 2008.

After all the errands were completed in Bridgton I had a request for ice cream. Well, if you're in Maine there is only one place for ice cream for the Williams clan. That's Shaner's in South Paris. Shaner's has been there for years. Used to be the store front for a local dairy and they make all their own ice cream....and sherbet as I found. So, we hopped in the car and drove over towards Norway and then into South Paris. Found Shaner's and the girls bellied up for ice cream.

Gladys waiting for her peanut butter ice cream and hot fudge sundae. Kathy with her "boring" (her words, not mine) vanilla and strawberry selection.

Marilin with her pistachio over maple walnut cone. Maureen waiting for her hot fudge sundae. I didn't get a picture of mine, but it was a huge serving of homemade orange sherbet. Shaner's comes through again.

On the way back stopped for a picture at the infamous all roads lead to somewhere exotic sign. The cabin is in Sweden, and we shop in Norway, South Paris, Paris and Oxford Hills. There must be a lot about the look of the Maine topography to remind folks of their homes in the old country.

Home to pack and eat up the leftovers. Packed the car and got everything ready for an early (but not too early) morning departure. Gladys was first out of the overpacked car with a flight from Portland on Saturday morning at 9:20. Kathy was next to be dropped at Logan Airport in Boston. Good thing she had a good book for her marathon wait for a 4:00 p.m. flight back to Nashville. Maureen, Les and Marilin made it back to McLean by about 9:00 p.m. and to a tasty dinner of grilled salmon and salad. That Terry is a keeper. All in all a fun week with the girls. Next up: a long weekend October of 2010 at Gladys's house in Patrick County. Wonder if there will be lobster?

Tuesday and Wednesday in Maine

Tuesday dawned clear and it was time to take to the water. I got in the kayak early and paddled around the north end of the lake. Saw two beaver and a pair of loons...with the mom sitting on the nest. She wasn't too happy about my paddling around, so I spent as little time near her as possible. Didn't want to spook her. Don't know as the beaver are such a great thing to see considering the level of damage they can do. Didn't see any obvious signs of dam building.

After breakfast it was time to head into Portland to pick up the fifth member of our group, Gladys, who was coming in for the remainder of the week. Found Gladys without any problems at the jetport. Got directions to the Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth just south of Portland. It ended up being a place where I had been with the inlaws and nieces and nephews many years ago. It's obviously a Portland area institution. Weather was a bit rainy so we couldn't sit outside at the picnic tables. The inside was nice, if very busy. Thanks, Maureen, for the lobster treat.

Marilin and Gladys wait patiently for our number to be called.

The lobster is here...time to dig in.

After lunch it's time to visit the cute gift shop beside the Lobster Shack. While I was inside shopping I got the seagull report from the other girls who had been wandering in and out. It seems the weather had cleared enough for some folks to sit outside and eat. One couple had a seagull swoop in and snag their container of fries. It flew to the next table and landed with the food and then was swarmed by the other seagulls. The food was gone in seconds. Apparently the gentleman of the couple was quite annoyed, but the woman had a good laugh over it as did everyone else who was watching.

Interesting yard sculpture in front of the gift shop.

The rocks at the shoreline look like petrified wood.

The girls after a very satisfying lobster lunch.

Next stop was the Portland Head light, another working light house. After a brief stop there it was on to LL Bean.

We did some power shopping. Here is Marilin doing what she does best...shopping and talking on the cell phone to Arthur.

Maureen got a nice watercolor of a Puffin. The art was displayed in the Starbucks around the corner from LL Bean. The artist was called by the Starbucks staff and she hustled over with an original for Maureen. At that point we figured we had made a pretty decent donation to the economy and headed back to the cabin to get Gladys settled in and to have dinner. Marilin and Maureen teamed up on a delicious pork roast with veggies and a salad. Then it was time for more wine and more chatter. You'd think we had solved all the problems of the world by this time, but noooo. Alas, no cards.

Wednesday was a pretty quiet day around the cabin and lake. A little too rainy to go find a decent hike. The weather cleared in the afternoon and Les, Gladys and Marilin took a trip in to Renys. Les decided to make penne pasta with butternut squash. A favorite recipe she found online this winter. Discovered some gluten free pasta at Renys to accommodate Maureen's allergy, and then off to Hanaford's for more ingredients and yet more wine. After dinner Marilin decided she was going to brave the water and kayaking. I had finally figured out how to get into and out of the kayaks from the dock, without ever having to set foot in the chilly Maine lake water. Kathy had figured it out too, so Marilin was convinced it was her turn. We went down to the water and got Marilin all suited up in a life vest and got her into the kayak without incident. Les got in the other one and we headed out towards the north end of the lake. Wanted to take a quick peek at the loon. Marilin had never seen one up close. After showing her how to paddle we set off on a glassy lake for a beautiful ride. All was going well, then we returned to our dock. Marilin came in a little bit too far to just reach out for the dock, so she decided to just scoot over. Well, for those of you who have ever been in a canoe or a kayak you will know that those small vessels don't "scoot" too well. In fact, all you achieve is upsetting the balance and then going ass over teacups into the drink. And that is exactly what Marilin did...with a whoop. She came up gasping (the water is THAT cold) and with her glasses intact on her face, but fogged up rendering her essentially blind. I yelled at her to put her feet down since she was in chest deep water. At least that was a blessing. So, we got her around to the dock stairs and got her on the dock and wrapped in a towel. The girls up at the cabin were in the living room reading, so had missed the ruckus. It was amusing and at least Marilin had a good laugh over it.

Sunday and Monday in Maine

After a brief stop at the Shaw's in Wyndham to pick up lobster rolls for lunch, we mosied west on Route 302, finally arriving at the cabin mid-afternoon. We unloaded, claimed beds and bedrooms, opened shutters and sat down to yummy Maine lobster rolls.

After lunch, a quick trip down to the water was in order. Unloaded the kayaks from the boat house and readied them for our first trip. Then back up the hill to the cabin.

Got together a shopping list and then headed into Bridgton for groceries. First, made a quick stop at The Corn Shop Trading Company. Just needed to boost the economy a little bit. It's one of my favorite shops in Bridgton with very friendly owners and an adorable, friendly dog. One of the best places for souvenirs and gifts in town. Marilin and Kathy picked up some goodies for friends back home.

On to Hannafords for food for a couple of days. We each had a night to cook for everyone. First rule: easy meals and as much lobster as possible. Les kicked off the cooking with some chicken tortilla soup. Perfect for a drizzly cool June evening in the north woods. Followed dinner with a game of manipulation rummy despite Marilin and Kathy's protests. They claim not to be gamers, but if you're in Maine at the Williams cabin, a game or two in the evening is required!

Monday morning greeted us with a little rain. We got the old percolater coffee maker revved up and heated water for tea and plotted our day.

Marilin in the kitchen Kathy on the porch

After breakfast we took a quick trip over to North Conway, New Hampshire to check out the LLBean outlet store and Settler's Green, a whole whopping bunch of outlet shops. Also took the laptop so we could check email. Settler's Green has free wifi and we took advantage of that.

Finished up by late afternoon and drove through Fryeburg in time for Les to do a Weight Watcher's weigh in. Down 2.8lbs for the week. Whoo Hoo! I can maybe have a little butter with my lobster!!

Home and Kathy's night for chicken stir fry. Followed by wine for the wine drinkers and chatting....lots and lots of chatting.

UVA Women Year 8

Way back in 2002 some of my college roommates and I decided to start getting together for an annual reunion. We did the first two in Richmond, which is a somewhat central location. While that was satisfactory, we decided that in order to make it easier on some of our group we would have each person host the group in ensuing years. That meant the host didn't have to travel and since we have no expectations of a clean house there really wasn't much prep work involved. We normally do a long weekend, but this year was different. I talked my dear mother-in-law into letting us use her family cabin in the Maine woods for a week. Here is Reunion 2009:

On Friday, Marilin drove to my house from her friend Jane's farm. I finished packing and we went to Maureen's in McLean for an overnight and to get packed up.

Maureen's husband Terry got some last minute instructions in doggie care (Maureen and Terry have three adorable small dogs) and with the car parked to the gills we took off on Saturday morning for parts north.

From McLean we headed for East Hampton, Mass, home of my Uncle-in-law, Adison Cate. Ad is the widower of my mother-in-law's only sister, Jean, who passed away 2 summers ago. Ad lives in a very nice home in a retirement community that he helped develop in East Hampton. We arrived after a leisurely 9 1/2 hour drive at the reasonable hour of about 6 p.m. This is quite a switch from the trip my husband and I normally make from our home to Maine in a single, marathon drive...leaving in the wee hours of the morning and arriving at dusk with a numb backside and still reeling from the road.

At Ad's house we met his new friend, Cynthia. I was delighted to meet this fine woman who apparently is his new girlfriend. Now, I wonder when Cosmo and GQ are going to get on board with the "dating in your 80's" articles? Anyhow, Ad and Cynthia look to be a fine match with mutual interests and a comfortable manner. They both live in the same retirement area and each knew the other's spouses (now both deceased) and both Ad and Cynthia were in the same group for spouses of terminal patients, so have that in common as well.

We left quickly for a wonderful dinner at the Apollo Restaurant which is in an old warehouse near downtown East Hampton. This year East Hampton is hosting the Bear Festival and have a number of adorable painted bears situated all over the city. Much like the bulls in Chicago, the big apples in the Big Apple, and the Mermaids on Parade in my hometown of Norfolk, the bears were painted by local artists and are on display until being auctioned off. http://easthamptonbearfest.com/photos/ Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of the bears on display, but you can follow the link for more info.

The next morning, Father's Day, we met Adison's son, David, at Sylvester's in North Hampton for a nice brunch. http://www.sylvestersrestaurant.com/sylvesters.html Sylvester's is the home of a former minister and proponent of vegetarian diet from the 19th century, Sylvester Graham. Also father of the graham cracker he was apparently a nutritionist ahead of his time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_Graham

Adison and David Cate at Sylvester's.

Marilin, Adison, Cynthia and Maureen on the streets of North Hampton.

We left North Hampton about 10 to drive into Boston to pick up another roommate, Kathy, who was visiting sons Carter and Brian who live in the city. After a successful rendezvous we were off to the Maine woods.

Independence Greetings

Awoke to beautiful blue skies. Am enjoying a little Breakfast at Wimbledon watching the Williams sisters do what they do best. Plotting a trip on a local lake with the kayak later after my sweet baboo returns from morning rounds. Rain is supposed to hold off until after midnight, so it's a day in the sun, on the lake, and in the garden.

Plucked four nice yellow squash off the vines yesterday. Cukes, peppers and tomatoes still too small and need just a bit more incubation time. Also still need to deer-proof the tomatoes. Yeah, I know they're pretty and you all saw Bambi and all that, but if they don't leave my 'maters alone I'm going Rambo on their cute little asses. Now THAT will be some fireworks.

Happy Independence Day

Happy 4th of July folks. May your day be filled with good friends and good food and a safe fireworks viewing.

Flogging...

O.K. so I was on vacation when Michael Jackson bit the dust, so I missed most of the initial media frenzy. His passing was sad, but he had turned into a strange, sad man. True, he was a great pop singer, but come on people. The man is dead. Let his tortured soul rest. This flogging a dead horse ain't gonna bring him back again. Leave it alone folks. 'Nuff's enough.

Tally Ho

While walking the dog by The Park at the north grounds I spotted a critter off in the distance. It looked dog-like from afar, so I looked around to see if there was an owner about. Didn't see any people. Took another look since the critter was in a spot where I normallly don't see any critters. Just about then it popped up, turned tail and slunk off into the woods. Lo and behold it was a fox. I decided I'd leave the woods and the woodland trail to the wildlife today and just took the dog for a stroll around the track. It seemed like a good day to play it safe.

Mom's

My sweet babboo took off for his amazing cross country journey early Saturday morning so I availed myself of the opportunity to zip down to the old homestead to visit my mom. I must say I am pleasantly surprised.


Mom has been more or less confined to the first floor of her 3 story house since she fell in April, injuring a shoulder. She relies heavily on her upper body strength to get her up and down stairs to her second floor bedroom and (full) bathroom. So, with an injured arm she has been unable to manage the steps.

We did intervene last month and convinced her to put in a chair lift that would take her most of the way up the front stairs. The problem with the chair lift is that it is elevated higher at the bottom of the stairs than at the top of the stairs. Since she has really lousy knees she needs the extra height to get out of a seated position and to get upright. She doesn't have what she needs to push herself up out of the seat or to pull herself out of the seat. Thus she can go from the first floor to the landing and LOOK at the second floor she just can't get out of the chair to get there. She has ordered what I call an ejector seat that she can put in the lift chair to help her get out of it. I hope it comes soon. She said she ordered it a week to ten days ago, so I would expect it at any time. The ejector part raises slowly in the way that her lift chair does and should give her the "push" to be able to get off at the landing. I wonder whether or not we should put a railing on the top part of the stairs for her to hold onto to help stabilize herself.

So, stuck on the first floor, mom is actually moving around more. She has her "nest" in the living room. Her lift chair is surrounded by her various and sundry objects, mainly books, because that's where she's sleeping these days. She has rather enjoyed being in the living room more and was commenting about all the objects and artwork in there. She has pottery from my sister's pottery shop, art prints from my other sister and the odd objet d'art from me (talentless me), and my brothers to remind her of her children. Most of the art in the room was done by artists she knows. There is a picture of our dad, painted by a former co-worker of his and friend, that hangs on one wall, so they chat from time-to-time. I think it's been a good change of scenery for her. She also mentioned she's weaning herself off of television. Given the selection of what's on most channels, that's probably a good thing. I should do the same myself. Oh, if I could only wean myself off of my favorite reality shows. Sigh. Gimme some Amazing Race and Survivor and I'm a happy camper (so to speak).

Mom has removed the chair at her table in the back room and now motors herself in there with her seated walker, then uses that to sit at the table. So, she's out and about in the house more. She has two twenty-something grandsons in the house to keep an eye out on her and she has lots of neighbors and friends who call and drop by.

Mom is also sleeping better. Because she moves into the living room in the late afternoon or early evening to rest in her lift chair and elevate her legs she ends up nodding off earlier so her schedule is better. She's going to bed earlier and getting up earlier in the morning. No more sleeping in until noon. Of course as a retired 80-almost-81-year-old she can (and does) do what she damned well pleases. But, it's nice to know I can try to call her before noon and get her awake and alert.

So, good visit overall. Mom also sounds better than she has for a while. Looks like she's lost some weight. Her breathing sounds good and I think her cardioversion has held, so her irrgular hearbeat doesn't seem to be an issue at the time being.

I also hit a good weekend weather wise. It was nice and cool yesterday and I plan to be gone before the day heats up too much today. Mom tells me my oldest brother and his bride will be in next weekend. I will probably be back in early fall to visit and maybe to dig up her daylillies that she wants split. This is not a good time, but fall is perfect.

Dancing...

That little Shawn Johnson is cute and all that, but Gilles Marini was robbed.

Lions and tigers and is that a real bear? Oh my!

I was driving DH over to Staunton this afternoon. As we crested Afton Mountain and started down into the Shenandoah Valley we saw a smallish bear start to cross the highway. As it saw cars coming down the hill at a high rate of speed it turned tail and ran back into the woods. Wow. Last bear we saw up close and personal was at Yellowstone National Park back in 1992.

Later this evening our daughter was returning home from the doggie park (or as my older sister calls it, "the bark park"). She turned the corner 1/2 mile from our house and thought she saw a small dog running around. Nope...another bear. How freaky is that? Two bears in two different locations spotted by three different members of one family in the same day. What are the odds?

The Nephew's Wedding

My nephew, Joel, got married last weekend. A fine young man, he found a wonderful woman to marry through an online dating site of all places. This one worked out great. They already had a lot in common by the time they met and their love grew from there. They were married at a charming B & B in a small town in NC. Everyone looked fabulous...bride, groom, wedding party, parents and grandparents. It was a terrific event AND they had a delicious sit down dinner to boot. Unfortunately we had to return home because we all had work on Monday, so we had to leave early. Our daughter informed us that for the next wedding we had to work it out so we could stay for the party. She was grossly disappointed to miss the dancing and fun that followed the wedding and dinner. Congratulations to the love birds. May they be as happy as their parents, who just passed 37 years of wedded bliss, have been.

The Grade...drum roll please

I got an A for the computer course I took at the community college. Yay. Now, if my workplace only provided for tuition reimbursement...

Mother's Day

I grew up with parents who didn't believe in celebrating Mother's Day or Father's Day. My parents called them Hallmark Holidays. They contended that to be honored on a day because a greeting card company decided you needed to wasn't really an honor. My husband, on the other hand, was raised in a family that embraced all holidays, including Mother's Day and Father's Day and even birthdays came with streamers and balloons no matter how old you got.
When you marry you blend families and traditions. So, now I celebrate Mother's Day. We don't make a big deal out of it. I sometimes get breakfast in bed...which is a nice gesture but I don't really get. Sure, it's nice to be waited on, but it's just a little weird to be sitting alone in the bedroom eating eggs while my husband and daughter were giggling at the breakfast table. So, I put an end to that tradition. We do flowers from the yard - our iris are in bloom and are a lovely shade of lavendar. We do cards, usually amusing rather than heartfelt. And we do dinner - usually something on the grill. We try to get out and do something as a family. Today it was church and a little kayaking. All in all it's a nice day. I figure if celebrating a Hallmark Holiday gets me a free meal and a night off from doing dishes, then it's worth it.
Happy Mother's day to all of you who got the dishes washed for you tonight, too.

Sun Break

When we lived in Seattle there were some interesting phrases used by the weather folk on TV one of which was sun break. Considering the Seattle-like weather we've had over the past ten days I figured it would be appropriate to use a Seattle weather phrase. We had enough of a sun break that I was able to get the grass mowed. Yay. I'm not normally this anal about short grass, but when it's so high you can hide small children in it, it's way beyond time. Besides, the longer the grass the more likely the dog is to bring ticks and other such nasties into the house. So, we are freshly shorn and it should only be about 5 more days before it needs it again. I also got to inventory the plants. All the flowering trees have lost their blooms and are thick with green leaves. The azaleas are starting to fade, but the peonies and iris are growing like mad. We have one bed of purple iris in full bloom and other beds in various stages of blooming. We should have some nice color for another month or so.

Also went and bought some veggies to plant in the garden. Will try to get those in later today or tomorrow. Got a yellow cherry tomato, a big red tomato, a green and a red pepper, yellow squash and cucumbers to plant. Picked up some herb seeds last week, so will attempt some oregano, chives, basil and such. I think I just planted gazpacho...I'm not a real big fan of that dish, but I can think of lots of other things to do with fresh veggies. Now if I can just manage to keep the deer and the bunnies out of the garden...

Final Exam-check!

Took my final exam in the computer class tonight. Got a 98. Should've been 100! Am keeping my fingers crossed that I pull an A. Enjoyed learning more basics about computers and learning to work the MS 2007 apps. One of our projects was to create a web page. Let me see if I can post the link. Don't know how long it will be active, but let's give it a try. http://pvstudent01.pvcc.edu/~lwsp9301/
Now, for a little relaxation. Looking at taking another class in the fall, but will take the summer off. Have to pace myself.

It's Alive....

Me, not my desk top. I got a friend to look at it. He uninstalled McAfee which was hanging everything up and cleaned things up. I picked it up and got it all plugged in. Had to load Norton on it which I did immediately. Things looked like they were working just fine. Then I hit the download button for some updates and that's when the trouble started. It now doesn't recognize the monitor and so is rendered (once again) a useless black box. I don't have the time right now to fiddle with it, so it's sitting in the spare room collecting dust while I use my laptop.

I'm not a big fan of laptop keyboards. They're too flat for me and I don't like not having the number pad off to the side. So, I'm debating the merits of ditching the desk top and getting a docking station (and keyboard) for the laptop OR getting the desktop working again and having both. The latter is convenient because sometimes dear husband likes to use the laptop and then I have something with which to fulfill my online addiction.

So, that's my lame excuse for not posting for a looooooooong, long time. I also have been taking a computer class at the local community college and that has kept me busy. Now why did I take it for a grade and not just audit the course for funsies? Someone please remind me. I have a degree...It's not like I need the credits. Anyhow, in spite of being the opposite of a Type A (?Type Z?) personality I am still competitive enough to want an A. So, last post again for a couple of days until I get the final behind me.

'Til we meet again.

Something evil this way comes...

Oh, they've got me again. Some 12 year old in China or Russia or maybe even Dubuque has gotten his jollies by sending me some nasty malware/adware/CRAP that has infected the desktop. How do I know you ask? Well, my screen scrolls...of its own accord. It also takes close to an ice age for the computer to load. These are the steps I have to take in order to use said computer a minimal amount of time. Step one: Run Disc Cleanup from the system tools folder. Step two: follow that up with a run of Spybot. (Remembering to update the tools once a week.) THEN you can run the computer, but remember that the screen scrolling is not cured by any of that, it just means a page will load in under an epoch. The screen scrolling all by its lonesome is getting very, very annoying. Scrolling how you ask? Try typing an email with the screen bobbing up and down like a dinghy in a gale force wind. I may develop vertigo if I don't get this fixed. Oh, and I talked with a local computer pro and his speculation is that it's embedded in the registry. I have no idea what that means fo' real, but it doesn't sound good. So, if I disappear for an inordinate period of time I'm probabaly getting rebuilt. Hmmmm....as long as I'm getting things rebuilt I wonder what they can do about my butt.

Happy Birthday to me

Another Ides of March and another year older. I like to fool myself into thinking that I am a Spring baby, but today's weather reminds me that I am really and truly an end-of-winter gal. Oh, well. In some years my birthday is warm with lovely yellow jonquils in the yard, but this year with the late snow and the lack of sunshine I'm afraid that all the jonquils and daffodils I've seen have been in the florist's section of the local grocery. Had a lovely birthday anyway with just-what-I-wanted gifts from husband and daughter (thanks in part to a wish list which was demanded of me) - with a lagniappe or two along the way. Went to our friends' house for brunch and cards and whiled away the afternoon. Cake was yummy, but I must resist any more after today. Time for the old WW routine again.

March Snow

Happy March 1st. We had our latest snow of the season last night and are expecting more today.

What I want to know is, who shifted the seasons? We are normally done and I mean DONE with snows by the third week of February. March is supposed to be the season for more sunshine, daffodils, crocuses (which also may have appeared in February bless their little cold-tolerating pistils and stamens), and a brighter outlook. Oh, did I mention the forsythia? The forsythia...central Virginia's first harbinger of Spring...should be brightening up the gray landscape with hillocks full of all its yellow showiness about now. But noooo. We have snow. With more expected. I don't know if it's global warming or not, but someone is messing with my seasons and I won't have it. I don't want snow, I want show.

Come on Spring. Let's have a lot less of that and a lot more of this.