When You're Really Married!

You know you're really married when your spouse and you start to resemble each other in so many different ways!

You know you're really married when you look back through the years and think, "I've become him and he's become me!"  Aaaaak!  That's scary!

Example:  You know you're really married when you think about those first married years, and hubby snored like a siren all night long.  You had a hard time sleeping most nights between the snorts and grumbles.  But then you know you're really married when hubby doesn't snore anymore, but he says that you're keeping him up nights, because, yes, you snore!  Aaaaak!  That's scary!

Another example:  You know you're really married when you think of those early years of wedded bliss, and he was always hot!  "It's hot in here," he'd say as he wiped his sweaty brow!  Meanwhile, I would be covered with three blankets and could hear my teeth chatter!  Now, I can't seem to get rid of the internal heat while hubby curls up under a wool blanket and says, "Do you really need that air conditioner on?  I'm freezing!"  Aaaak!  That's scary!

One more example:  You know you're really married when you used to wake up at the least little peep from your child stirring in the other room.  Or perhaps they gently call out to you in the middle of the night, and you pop up out of bed then rush to their side.  Now, I'll ask hubby, "Did you hear the boy come in last night? I didn't hear him come in.  I must have been sleeping like a log."  Hubby will tell me the time to the exact minute that the boy got home, and say, "Didn't you hear me talking to him while he stood in the doorway of our bedroom?"  NO!   Aaaak!  That's scary!


That's why I think you can tell when you're really married!  When he's become you, and you've become him!  Aaaak!  That's scary!   

How Many Hours are in a Day?

I'd say there are exactly 3 hours in each day!  Whatt???  That's what I feel like on those days that I rush to work, work all day, and come home.  I rush in the door, and think to myself, "Peace!  I have 5 whole minutes to relax!"

Wrong!  Those pesky phone salesmen must have my house staked out, because typically five minutes after walking in the door the phone rings!  I think to myself, "Nice, this must be my BFF, B; or maybe it's my mom."

Wrong again!  An automated voice comes through the telephone stating, "We are not selling anything....we want...."  I usually don't know what they really want, because I hang up!  Just like that!  I'm not even remotely curious as to what they wanted, and that's saying a lot, because I'm usually a very curious person!

Then I rush into the living room, kick my shoes off, stretch my feet out for what I think is going to be about 3 minutes (two of my five minutes were eaten up by answering the phone, then walking away grumbling about it), when suddenly....my son walks into the door from work and says, "Hey Mom!  I'm in a hurry!  The guys and I are going fishing!  What's for dinner?"

Well, need I tell you there go my remaining three minutes out the window!

So I get up fix dinner, then I realize that I really need to do a load of laundry.  Then it's time to eat dinner, wash those dishes, then back to the laundry.  Oh yeah!  The bathroom could use a good scrubbing, and the counter needs to be cleaned of the debris that's hanging out on it!  Next thing I know, it's well getting near my bedtime!  Off to the shower I go.....dry my hair, put my jamies on, and think, "Okay, I must have 5 minutes of peace and quiet!"

When suddenly the boy bursts through the door and exclaims, "Hey MOM!  I caught 5 bass, I'm going to clean them now!"

Okay, son, just be sure to clean up your mess when you're done!

When he suddenly has a great idea!  "Hey MOM!  Could you take some pictures of me filleting a fish for my blog."

It's 10:30 p.m!  I'm dog tired, but I love my son!

Go check it out on his blog!  Click Here!

The Boys Went Fishing!

First I'd like to say:


"Dear Maybe I'll Blog, Maybe I Won't,

I'm so sorry that I have recently neglected you!  I've been very busy lately, but it is with great pleasure that I return to you dear Google Blogger!  I've recently fought a battle with Wordpess, and it wasn't pretty!  It's such a comfort to come back to the familiar and user friendly Blogger for awhile!

Thank you,
Your dear friend, Laurie"

Okay, so without further ado, let's turn to the topic of "The Boys Went Fishing!"

My son is an avid fisherman, and he also likes to hunt.  Right now it's bass season in our little section of the world, and you can only guess what he's been up to?  Right?  Well, of course...fishing!

Hubby doesn't always have the opportunity, time, or energy to fish as frequent as my son, but when the boy was little his daddy took him fishing often!  Now that the boy is nearing his 21st birthday, he can go alone, and daddy doesn't always go with him.  A few weeks ago, they did get themselves out to Otter Lake, and enjoyed bass fishing together.

They were so proud of their catch:

Six Bass on a Stringer

I bet you all figure we had bass for dinner!  Incorrect!  My son is going  to be living in an apartment with his buddy when he returns to college.  They both are stashing their 'catches' in the freezer, so they can eat for free all school year!

I'll let you all know how that turns out in the fall!

One more thing:  My son has a new blog that I want to promote!  Go check it out!  Click Here!

The Wedding Post!

Hubby and I have added our wedding day to our new blog!

Go check it out!

I Can't Drive 55

Enjoy!

Another Blog????

You may be wondering why I have a new blog, but it's not just my own blog, nor is it going to replace this blog.

I've opened up a new Wordpress blog (actually hubby and I have) so we can document our trip from NY to California 25 years ago.  We had just gotten married, and we traveled.....

Well, go read the blog.  Here's the link:  http://icantdrive55.wordpress.com/

Let me know what you all think.  We'll be updating it as time permits, so I'll probably point you in that direction when we've made a new post.

Enjoy!

More Vacation!

I just had to share some more pictures of the beautiful area that my BIL and SIL live.  It's beautiful! Their house sets back into a lovely wooded area, and it is so unique!

Here's their beautiful house!  It's gorgeous inside!

BIL and SIL's House

These are the woods that surround the house.  There is just enough light that comes through the sparse woods to make it warm and cozy, but shaded enough to find a cool spot!

The Woods

We spent a lot of time down by the creek behind the house.  Hubby did some gold prospecting down there, and I spent time taking pictures and just looking!

The Creek

 I sat down on the this huge slab of bedrock and played all day.

More Creek

Hubby spent most of his day in this little gap digging out silt, sand, and some gold with his gold pan.

Hubby's Digging Spot

It was a beautiful day for the most part, but around 4:00 p.m. it stated to rain, so back to the house we went.  But overall I will remember it as a glorious day by the creek side!

Check Up and Update on College Life!

My mother has been home for three whole weeks tomorrow.  She's been a very good girl, and the respiratory doctor told her that her progress was excellent!  Yippppeee!  God is so faithful! 

She's going to see the rheumatologist on Friday morning due to the fact that the doctor believes her double pneumonia is linked to the Lupus. 

The boy called last night.  He loves his new campus.  He loves the food.  He loves his Chemistry professor.  He told me he's probably the best professor he's ever had. 

He has an extremely tough course load this semester, but he's determined to do his best.

He's taking College Chemistry, College Biology and some level of College Math.  He has two evenings that he has labs (one for Chemistry, one for Biology).  He told me he spent his whole weekend studying.  That's good!

So life is getting back to more 'normal' whatever that might be!

My mom and I have started a bible study together as she hasn't been able to get to church (she's supposed to avoid large crowds), but she's thinking she might go to church this Sunday, but no hugging!  Her and I have become huge germaphobics recently!  We carry antibiotic lotion in our purses, I have it in my desk drawer at work; I even keep it in the car!

Mom and I have also started crocheting shawls for the elderly in nursing homes.  It's a program through church, and we're really enjoying it.  I go over to mom's house every day after work and we sit and crochet and talk for about an hour, then I come home and start dinner. 

My days are long, and I haven't had much time for blogging, but we are all doing well! 

Released Today and Coming Home!

That has been my heart's desire for the last 2 weeks!  Praise God!

Running the Halls!

Here's my life in a nutshell today:

I called the hospital to see how my mom was doing.  She had a procedure done this morning which I'm sure involved sedation.  I wanted to be sure she wasn't sleeping when I went up to see her.  The nurse told me (get this one):  "Oh, she's not sleepy at all - she's running the halls." 

That's my mama!  She's not hooked up to anything anymore, so she's really taking advantage of her new freedom!

In other news:

My son is out ice fishing AGAIN! 

My freezer is getting full of perch AGAIN!

My hubby is working!

It's snowing AGAIN!

I had a rough day at work AGAIN! 

I keep thinking that I'd like to mop my kitchen floor AGAIN! 

How's your Wednesday shaping up???

The Phone Call!

When you have sick parents and you hear the phone ring..........cringe!  I sometimes don't want to answer the phone.

But yesterday afternoon I got the very besteset of phone calls that I've ever received in my entire life.

I picked up the phone in irritation as I had been trying for over 30 minutes to get out the door to go see my mother in the hospital - but the phone kept ringing.

Suddenly I heard a very familiar voice say, "Hello?!?!"

I screamed (well, maybe not screamed, but almost), "Mom????  Is that you?????"

The answer was a joyful, "Yes!!!"

The ventilator has been removed.  She remained in ICU for the night, but this morning while visiting my dad (who is possibly sick with the stomach thingy) the ICU nurse called and told me they are moving my mother out of ICU as we speak.

Praise God!

I want to sincerely thank everyone for their thoughtfulness and prayers.  I can't even properly thank you all with words.  They just aren't 'enough' for what I feel for the kindness that has been shown to my family throughout this ordeal.

But if you're still tuned in and willing to pray, please pray for continuing wellness for my mama, but I also ask that you pray for my dad.  He's very frustrated and a bit down from the radiation, the diarrhea (that we're not sure is from radiation or bug), and he could really use an uplifting from the Lord!

Baby Steps!

My mother has been doing a bit better.  She's one tough cookie!

She's been on a ventilator for almost a week.  Well, this is the start of the 4th day that they have it set at 40%, and her oxygen levels keep holding.

Did I say that my mama is one tough cookie?

We went into the hospital last night, the nurse had the curtain drawn, so we waited.  And we waited, and we waited.....

Finally, the nurse pulls the curtain back, says, "I was changing her bedding for her, but come look!  She's exercising!"

What?

We went in and my mama (who can't talk with the ventilator on) is sitting up in bed and pumping her legs.  My 78 year old mama, pumping her legs back and forth, back and forth!

My brother speaks up and says, "Are you taking a walk, mom?"

She gives him the thumbs up, grinning, and chuckling (the best she can with a huge tube shoved down her throat).

They extracted 800 cc's of fluid off her lungs yesterday!  One thousand cc's equals one liter!

Did I say my mama is one tough cookie?  Oh yeah....

We still have concerns that the fluid doesn't reform (then we could be back to square one), and we also pray that her lungs haven't been damaged.

So - if you're still out there praying, I just want to thank you from the bottom of my tough cookie heart (I think I inherited a tiny portion of that tough cookieness!)

Blessed be the God in Heaven Who hears our prayers!

My mama is one tough cookie (with the help, love and support of our Lord).

Continuing....

My mother took baby steps towards improvement, but she's a very sick lady.  If you are praying for her, I thank you with all my heart!  If you continue to pray, I thank you with all my heart.

Today is my son's 20th birthday!  Bye!  Bye! to those teen years.  Happy Birthday, son!  You are a blessing to your family!  

Prayers Please!

If you are a praying person, and you feel so led, please pray for my entire family.

My dad is at this very moment receiving a radiation treatment, but last night my mom was taken by ambulance to the local hospital.  She has pneumonia.  She is currently being moved to ICU, so I'm on my way up to see her.

I know that I have a lot of friends who are prayer warriors, so I'm asking that you keep all of us in your prayers.

Much appreciated!

Can You Believe????

Did you know that I've been nominated for the world's worst blogger for 2009?

How awfully rude of me to leave so many hanging out there about the knitting project - and how awful that I haven't updated anyone about my dad's condition.

I humbly apologize and ask for you all to forgive me!

First off!  My dad is scheduled to start his 5 treatments of radiation on Wednesday.  If you feel led to pray, I appreciate it so much!  He's having 2 - 2 1/2 hour treatments for 5 days (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week; and Monday and Tuesday of next week).  On a good note for dad:  He was recently diagnosed with the beginning stages of diabetes, so he got determined more than ever to take action.  He lost almost 50 pounds, and he started exercising daily.  His doctor has reduced his blood pressure meds in half, and is thinking that his meds for the diabetes might be altered too.

Here's a picture of him on Christmas Eve.  He was giving my son some of his old hats.  The boy has taken up ice fishing again this winter, and his head gets cold.  So Grandpa was sorting through all his hats, and offering a few to the boy.  See that silly orange hat the boy is wearing?  It's his favorite ice fishing hat now!  Really!  It is!  BTW, the boy had just woke up from his 'after dinner' nap, so he does look just a teeny bit groggy.  Doesn't dad look great?

Now, for the knitting project!  Here it is!  It's an afghan!  Can you believe it?  I finally finished it!  I was so bad about finishing this project, but it was a relief to get 'er done!

Here it is:  but beware - my feline friend couldn't resist - she sat on it, and she wouldn't get off, so I let her get her pic taken!

She's a nut!

I really need to get better at this blogging thing!  I couldn't believe how many people e-mailed me, commented on their own blogs, and let me know LOUDLY that they were upset I wasn't blogging!  I'm sorry, I really didn't realize all that many people even read my blog!

And ehart, my dear friend, I owe you a lengthy, wordy, talky, squawky (not sure if that's a word or not) e-mail.  I plan on it - this week, I promise!   

Here's wishing everyone a Happy New Year!  May 2010 bring you peace, comfort and happiness!

Later!!!!

College Football, Cancer Treatments, and Reading List

What an odd title!  But that's what I'm going to be writing about in this post.  I don't often put my life out there on the World Wide Web, but if I don't talk about my life and what's going on in it, well, I don't have much to tak about! Self absorption? Maybe...

Yesterday, hubby and I drove up to Buffalo to watch the boy's last game of the year.  I got a lot of pictures of him on the sidelines, then I got tired of holding the camera, and put it away!  It's hard to sit in a stadium full of spectators trying to get a good shot of your own personal college football player, so forgive me!

There he is - #17, my son!

I'm thrilled that the Mohawk is gone!  Bryce decided that it started to look grossssssss!   I'm thrilled also that one of his suitemates can cut hair - even if he does give a Mohawk or two, the good feature is that he can also shave them off!! 

I don't see that frown very often, but hmmmm, I'm really wondering what he was thinking at that moment??

It was a hot, hot day!  Can you believe it?  It was so hot that hubby and I turned the air on in the car when we got to Buffalo.  Unfortunately, the Buffalo Bengals play on a field that typically has a great deal of wind that sweeps in from Canada, or Lake Erie, or Lake Ontario, or all three.  Usually the temps are very low there this time of year, and typically we shiver throughout most of my son's games.  So being the last game of the season, we figured for sure, it would be unbearably cold.  We both donned our thermal underwear (hey, it was freezing when we left), and we felt like furnaces for most of the game.  Hubby got a sunburn!

Okay, so I took most of the pictures before the game started, so Bryce has his helmet off in all the pictures that I took, except this one:

Ooops!  I cut his head off!  That probably happened as I was trying to balance the camera with one hand and my other hand was high in the air waving to him and his teammate.  He had turned around and was pointing out his floozy of a mother, standing there in all her Bengal gear, and sweating!  I guess I should be grateful that he's not too embarrassed to say, "See that lady standing there with the Bengal shirt, Bengal hat, jumping up and down with the camera screaming 'Bryce, Bryce, over here, honey'.....well that's my mom."

The Bengals lost, but we all enjoyed going out to dinner with an old classmate of Bryce's and his family after the game.  Bryce and the old classmate played high school football together and were (and still are) pretty good buddies.  The old classmate played for the winning team, not the Bengals!  It always feels so strange sitting in the crowd watching two boys who played together in high school, play against each other in college.  They actually are pretty comical!  They pat each other on the butts (what's that all about anyway?), they slap each other on the backs, they smile and laugh!  Whatever!!!!!!!!!

We had a safe ride home without incident, and we were tired, but happy that we spent time with our son!

On a not so happy note, my father has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.  If you are a praying person, and feel so led, please pray for him.  He has a lot of health issues (although to look at him you'd never know).  He has a super great attitude, and we're all rooting for him.  He actually laughed when he told us how he left the doctor's office the other day and overheard the nurse say, "That poor man has so much wrong with him!  But such a nice man!"  Yupper, that's my dad!

He starts his intensive radiation treatments at the end of the month.  He has a few other health issues that they want to get under control before they start.

Now on to my reading list:

  

I finished Reading Lolita in Tehran.  I enjoyed reading the book, but it was an eye-opener to me also.  It shows the terrible oppression that so many on the other side of the world live with every single day of their lives. 

Hubby and I had a wonderfully, rich conversation on the ride to Buffalo about the mentality, and most of the time, ignorance, that plagues these poor people.  Many have very little in regards to worldly goods.  They grow up feeding and nurturing themselves from their family's political and moral values.  Many don't have the luxury of having much of an education.  We, as Americans, often feel that it is our right to an education, but in other parts of the world, it's not even considered nor is it a priority.  Their 'education' stems from watching censored political agendas that the main message is: "Hate Americans!  Kill Americans!  They are of the devil!"  It's easy to understand the methods of their government (brainwashing, in my opinion), but it's also easier to understand the 'why' of the hatred they feel towards the western world.

The author, Azar Nafisi, lived in the United States for over a decade while obtaining her education, having been born and raised in Tehran.  She had always loved her country of Iran, but when The Ayatollah Khomeini usurped power of her country, she started to see the ripping seams of what her country had been built upon, which was basically a hatred that was so consuming that many were willing to sacrifice themselves for a cause that they had been totally misinformed about.  Or perhaps their views were so skewed that they couldn't grasp the reality of what their country was submitting them to. Many ideals taught within the 'home and hearth' atmosphere, obviously, will shape that person's reality.

Once per week, Azar meets with a few select students that she had previously taught at the University of Tehran.  Although she is not a professor at the University of Tehran while meeting with these young ladies, she realizes how much influence she had upon her students while teaching them Western Literature.  Many of those who had appeared withdrawn or perhaps, disagreeable during her years of teaching, were actually staunch supporters of her ideology.  It wasn't until the girls were in the privacy of Azar's home that they would admit to their allegiance.  Surprisingly, she invited women to partake in their literature meeting, when she hadn't seen their support of her beforehand.   Personally, I think that was pretty brave of her!  

All in all, it is a book that I would recommend.  It's not a 'sit back and let things happen' kind of book. It's of the genre that make the mind work.  It also stayed with me long after I read the last page.

Another book that I'm in the process of reading is The Red Tent by Anita Diamanti. 

It's a little different than what I thought it would be.  It's the story of Dinah, Jacob's daughter.  It's not to be confused as Biblical, as Anita Diamanti has made it clear that she is writing in the novel format.

I'll review the book properly once I've finished reading. 

The Fish Story!

My son came home last weekend, and brought one of his suitemates with him.  It was a wonderful visit.  The boy's friend, M, is such a great kid!  I can see why they are such great friends:)  He's from downstate, and he had never been to this area before.  So, of course, the boy became 'tourist guide' over the weekend, and showed him the sights.

They visited our local BassPro Shop.  If you've never been to a BassPro shop and get the opportunity to, don't miss out.  They are an awesome store.  We are fortunate that we have one about 10 miles from the house.  It's my hubby and son's favorite store.

They came home all excited and M was telling me all about the big fish tank and all the huge fish in it!  His eyes were lit up, and he was so enthused.  He was reminding me of a 10 year old, not a 20 year old! 

Then the boys went to cheer on our local high school football team at the Syracuse Dome, where they were playing the Sectional Final game.  They lost, but they can be proud of their season, and the way they played.  Go Warriors!

Next morning, two very tired young men dragged their sleepy heads out of bed, and went fishing.  They got skunked.  (In case you're not familiar with fishing verbiage, 'skunked' means they didn't catch a thing).  In fact, they didn't even get a bite!  They were discouraged, but had decided to give themselves another go of it the next day.

Sunday afternoon the boys were prepared to get skunked again, but alas, their fortune was a complete turn around from the day before.

M caught this beauty of a large mouth bass.  He was 5.7 pounds, and 20 1/2 inches long!  What a beauty!  He posed for me to get a picture for my blog.  He was quite touched that I wanted to post it on my blog.  He must not totally understand the low readership of my blog, because he said he felt like a celebrity!  Sorry, M, not to trounce on your beloved dreams, but my readership isn't quite the celebrity status....yet!

Oh, yeah, the picture!

Ain't it a beauty?

Oh, please don't mind my totally un-remodeled kitchen! It's just one of those things that we've never quite gotten to, since I always seem to be using it!

 

Speaking of cooking - M is such a nice kid, that he not only thanked me once, nor twice, but something close to 3 or 4 times for the dinners that I cooked while he was here.  I laughed and told the boys that the college food must be pretty bad!  They enthusiastically agreed!

All in all it was a beautiful weekend.  And M, come back and see us any time!  We loved having you! 

My Blog and 150 Hits!

That's right, good ol' Laurie somehow got 150 hits to her blog in the last couple of weeks!  How?  Well, seems that the "Funny Halloween Stories" was a big hit.  Who'd 've thunk?  I can't believe how many people have been googling those very words, then visiting my blog.  Apparently, I show up on the first page of links, so I guess it goes to show how a simple title can get your blog a ton of traffic.

Life on the home front has been quiet, for the most part.  My son has been calling regularly from college.  It's a big change from last year when he hardly called at all.  He's facing some major decisions in his college career, and he's struggling.  If you feel inclined, please pray for him.  He's having a rough time of it.

We have several kids out sick with flu-like symptoms.  I saw on the news the other day that if you have flu-like symptoms, to just assume you have H1N1.  Okay.........So Lysol wipes, Purell, and Lysol spray have been getting a lot of use in the office by yours truly.  A few teachers have fallen victim to the bug, so it's really making the rounds.

A bit of good news is that I got on the scales the other day, and found that I have lost 17 pounds in little less than a year.  That may not sound like much, but I didn't think I was carrying too much extra weight, but 17 pounds sounds like a lot.  How did I do it?  I cut portion sizes down to something more normal, and I quit putting sugar in my coffee!  That's it!  Well, I've also been trying to avoid sugary snacks and baked goods.  I still eat them, I just cut back.

 

I've just finished reading a wonderful book.  

Greg Mortenson has become my hero!

He climbed the mountain K2 in Pakistan, the second highest mountain in the world.  He didn't quite make it to the peak.  Upon coming off the mountain, he recuperated in a small Pakistani village where he witnessed the village children traipsing off to 'school' with sticks in their hands.  Their 'school' was a pile of dirt that they sat upon with sticks in hand, writing their letters and sums.  Their 'school' had no walls, no bathrooms, and no cafeteria.  This view into their poverty-stricken life compelled Mortenson to make a promise that was difficult in the keeping, but he did, indeed, keep his promise.  His promise to these school-aged children and their families was to build them a school.  It was the beginning of the organization known as Central Asia Institute.  Greg has gone on to build numerous schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan throughout the years as the director of the organization.

If you're looking for something to read that might inspire you or lift you out of a bad mood, read it!  Yes, read it!  I enjoyed it so much.  It brought home to me that with all our worries and anxieties, we don't have it quite as bad as we think we do.

My reading has taken on a few too many books at once, but I'm enjoying the opportunity to stretch myself through my reading list.  Well, okay, that Barbra Streisand biography might not be stretching me much, but it's an interesting read.

I'm also reading a book called Reading Lolita in Tehran.  For some reason, I have been gravitating toward that portion of the world where turmoil is a way of life.  Reading Lolita in Tehran is written by Azar Nafisi. 

Now, personally, I think that Nafisi is a bit full of her self, mainly because she tries really hard to prove that she's academial, but once you get past that point, it's a pretty good read.  Nafisi was once a Western Literature professor at the University of Tehran.  Born in Iran, she was educated in the United States, but returned to Tehran to teach.  The memoir she presents takes place before, during, and after the revolution that kicked the Shah out, and planted the Ayatollah Khomeini in his place.  (You know, I personally remember all those news stories way back then).

Being a Supreme Ruler - which basically means he was the highest ranking political and religious leader of Iran - he pronounced severe changes to society as a whole, mainly towards women.  Nafisi would gather together weekly with a small number of her former students.  They would read and discuss Western Literature within the realm of Fitzgerald (Gatsby), Austen (Pride and Prejudice), James, and Nabokov.  All this literature had been banned by the Ayatollah, so it was during these covert meetings that the women got to know each other, and the trials they faced as women living in Iran.  I'm not finished reading it yet, so I'll let you know what I think when I'm finished.  So far, I like it!  It brings to forefront the struggles that women in that kind of society face.

I'm also reading A.W. Pink's An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount.  I've read Pink before, so I'm sure that I'll like this one too.  If you are interested in checking out some of his books, they are online for your reading pleasure here.   I happened upon this site a few years back while visiting Theology from a Bunch of Dead Guys which is part of the Spurgeon archives.

Well, I certainly have a lot of reading on my list, but once your house becomes the 'empty nest' you find you have a lot more time for all those things you've wanted to do for years.  I'm also working to complete an afghan that I put on my knitting machine around 2 months ago.  I'm getting there, and when I'm finished I'll post a picture.  

I guess we've caught up by now!  As you can see, I've been pretty busy!

Funny Halloween Stories!

I'm not the biggest fan when it comes to Halloween.  I think maybe it's all those ghost and goblin stories that turn me off.  But with Halloween just around the corner, I got to thinking of some really funny things that have happened to me and my family on Halloween.

My husband worked nights for years, so I was the designated adult for all trick or treat outings.  When my son was around 8 years old, we were doing our neighborly outing.  We naturally went to one of our friend's houses around the corner.  We never strayed very far from home.

We approached the house across the dark, tree shadowed yard to climb the front porch leading to the door.  This house appeared as if it was a haunted house in respect to the worn, peeled paint on the old clapboards.  I think it might have had a few sagging shutters at the windows, too, which really made it look haunted.

My son had visited this house several times through the years, mainly due to the fact that they had a son that was just a year older than Bryce, and they were friends.  But I distinctly remember him say, "Gee, Mom, it looks like a real haunted house."

With the thoughts of ghosts and goblins and eerie things that go bump in the night, we proceeded to go up to the door.  Next to the door was an elaborate table laid out with all kinds of Halloween treats.  There were candy bars, bags of candy corn, and caramel apples on sticks which made a lovely display on the fall table-clothed, candlelit table.  A sign was displayed next to the table that read: "Please help yourself."

After encouraging my son to not be a pig and grab all that was in sight, we proceeded to turn around and descend the front porch stairway.  Upon arriving I had noticed on the trek up the stairway  that there was an old, battered, rather largely-stuffed scarecrow propped into a chair at the foot of the steps.  I hadn't paid much attention to it on the way up the steps, nor on the way down.

As my son and I proceeded to meander our way through the dark-shadowy, dreary lawn, we were suddenly pounced upon by the largely-stuffed scarecrow.  He jumped out of his seat, and screamed, "Bwaaaah, ooh, I'm coming to get you."  Bryce and I grabbed each other and starting screaming.  Then we jumped up and down, and we screamed some more!

Finally, we realized that it was the owner of the home.  He had sat patiently in the chair, playing the part of old Mr. Scarecrow, waiting for the perfect moment to really scare the daylights out of us.  Well, he did!  We laughed about this for years and years.  I know he had been listening to all that Bryce and I had been saying on the way to the door, because he commented, "It really does look like an authentic haunted house, doesn't it?"  Ooops!  I hope I didn't say anything inappropriate before realizing he was there.  For the life of me, I can't remember anything else that we might have said while going up those porch steps, but it did make me a bit paranoid for awhile.

Another Halloween many years before the haunted house episode when I was younger, vainer, and very much into being a 'girl,' I was destined to wear the same costume for something like 10 years.  Well, maybe it wasn't 10 whole years, but it sure felt like it.  We lived in the country (I'm talking about backwoods here) when I was a kid.  Our nearest neighbor was over a mile away, and that was by route of  'where the crow flies.'  In my childhood pea-brain the distance to our next neighbor by traveling roads was 'really far away.'

So, my mom always came home from work, plied us with soup from a can (to keep our little bones warm, because it's always cold on Halloween night in the great white north), and we donned our costumes, which usually was a mask, and a winter coat and gloves.  The easiest thing and the warmest alternative for me through the years was to wear this silly Martian mask.  That's it!  Well, that's almost it.  I had to wear my winter coat, gloves, and a few years it was so cold, I remember wearing my snow pants.  I tell ya, I was deprived (just kidding, not really deprived, but I was envious).  I was envious of all the little girls who wore Cinderella or Snow White costumes.  But I always had to wear the Mr. Martian mask!

One year, my 'really far away' neighbor (who also was a great seamstress) told my mom that she would sew me a Little Bo Peep costume.  It was awesome, cute, girly-girl, and perfect!!!  I anxiously awaited for her to finish the full hoop skirt with beautifully embroidered bodice.  It fit perfectly!  I was feeling quite proud of my Little Bo Peep costume!  I remember my mom getting me a big ribbon for my hair.  I remember the shepherd's crook that my mother found for me to prod my little Peep home.

This particular year my father was in the hospital, so my mom had made special arrangements with our other 'really far away' neighbor to take my two brothers and I along with her group of Halloweeners.  Her group of Halloweeners (I'm not even sure if that's a real word) was huge by my standards.  There were her four children, my brothers, and I, and a few other kids from church.  This neighbor decided to take us all to the small, tiny village that was nearby.  It was almost the size of a city in my mind, but as a grown up, I realize it had all of 30 residents.

We went through the tiny village in our large group, knocking on doors, screaming, "Trick or Treat", and opening our bags at the door to receive our goodies.  I was one of the smallest children, along with my younger brother, Johnnie.  I was always a doting mother hen to my little brother, Johnnie, and this particular Halloween night was no different.  Because we were so tiny, we kept getting pushed to the back of the large group of kids when we arrived at a welcoming home.  We were at the back of the line once again at an elderly lady's house, and of course, she noticed my cute little costume and was admiring it.

I pirouetted and pranced around on her front porch for quite some time showing off how my full hoop skirt swayed while I moved.  Oh, I was eating up all the attention that this old lady had shown me.  After receiving my candy, I started down the steps to the roadway.  I came to a complete halt.  No one and I mean, NO ONE of my group was anywhere to be seen.  I looked up and down the street.  I looked over at the little village store, and passing cars.  No one I knew!  I sat down on that little old lady's porch and cried.  And what about Johnnie?  He was nowhere to be seen either.

The kind, sweet, rickety, old lady sat down on the porch with me, and said, "There, there, what's your name?"  I told her, and of course, since we lived in such a little, tiny backwoods, she knew my parents.  She took me into her house, called my mother (who happened to be just arriving home from visiting my dad in the hospital), and mom came to pick me up.

What did I learn from that whole experience?  Well, mostly I learned to never like Halloween, but I also learned that my vanity put me into a beautiful, gorgeous Halloween costume that all of about 3 people got to see, because my mother promptly came and got me, and off to bed I went!

The following year, I had outgrown the Little Bo Peep costume.  I was back to being Mr. Martian!

How We Acquired a Cat!

Okay, I have to admit, I was never crazy about cats! Not really!

When I was a child we had a dog. A little beagle/collie mix. She was sweet, cute and fun to play with.

We brought our dog home with us when I was about 5 years old. She was MINE! Everyone always called Tippy, "Laurie's dog!" She slept on my bed at night (shhh, my mother didn't know that). In fact, I used to put her head right up there on the pillow next to my own head.

Tippy lived a long life of 18 years, before we had opted to have her put to sleep. She had lost control of most of her bodily functions, and she was probably in a lot of pain from just being so old.

Dad said when he was digging her grave out in the back yard (behind the shed), Tippy kept sneaking out of the garage. She kept sniffin' around the hole he was digging and he'd shoo her back into the garage. Then she'd sneak back out again! He said he cried the whole time he was digging her last resting place.

I can remember after my college classes one particular day, while working at the local grocery store, I looked up at the clock. Knowing it was about the time that my dad was taking Tippy to the vet to put her down, I bawled like a baby! She was a part of my life for 18 years after all!

Sniff! Sniff!


Oh, yeah, where was I? That's right, the cat.

Well, the boy wanted a dog so bad when he was growing up. Now, you know my experience was so enjoyable growing up with a dog, you'd think I'd readily agree. No! Not so!

See, we live in town. There's a leash law. We have a small unfenced yard. The dog would have to be walked every single day. I knew my son and well, to be honest, I knew I would end up walking the dog. I was not going to give in to my son about having a dog. I mean, come on, he had a goldfish! Wasn't that enough? (I know I'm bad!)

But one day when the boy was about 13 years old, he had gone hunting down in the southern tier of the state with my hubby. They hunted on property that belonged to my hubby's high school buddy. They had a big, old farm. They had cats running hither and yon. They had barns and the cats loved being in the barns. The owners were happy to have them, because they kept the mouse population to a minimum.

Now the owner of the farm was married to a veterinarian. She usually caught most of the kitty cats at some point and spayed them, but there were a few that escaped her notice. Those are the cats that bred and populated their farm. The mighty mousers, they were!

When my son and hubby went hunting down on the farm, the boy noticed that they had this cute little liter of kitties! Yup! They were beautiful, most especially this one little runt of the liter. She was a beautiful, little calico cat.

The boy came home all excited and asked me if he could bring that pretty, little calico cat home next time they went to the farm. I told him that I'd rather he didn't. I knew it would become my cat to feed, clean the liter box, etc.

Long story short, the next time they went to the farm, hubby came into the house and said, "Please don't be mad at us! She's just too cute! We had to have her!"

Ugh! A kitten! They brought home that kitten!

They opened the box that they had put her in for the trip home.

Two beautiful, clear, green eyes peeped out between two pure white paws and were peering at me over the edge of the box as if to say, "Ain't I cute?"

I fell in love with her! She instantly became MINE! (although I do share her with my son, because he's crazy about her).

Her name is Calico and to me, she's beautiful!

Yes, I Have a Cat!

Ain't she cute?