Everything is beautiful

I was on the road at 6:45 this morning to pick up Reagan and bring her to spend the day with me.  The sun poked through the clouds briefly yesterday, but today it is back to wet and dreary.

As I drove down beautiful 179 towards Prairie Home, I couldn’t help but think how pretty everything was.  The bluffs in the distance were white behind the now brown leaves of the trees.  The river to my right along the winding road was the bluest of blues.  Even the squirrels looked kind of cute as they played keep away with my car tires.

Then out of the blue, as I rounded a bend in the road, I caught the most beautiful colors through the corner of my eye.  A rainbow.  Bright yellows, blues, and greens.  And then it was like the entire sky was exploding with colors.  It was breathtaking.  Then the rain came.  What an experience.

Reagan is doing good and enjoying being with me and PaPa.  They gave her a steroid shot for the croup at the Dr’s.  She just needed a grandma and grandpa fix. 

When we got home, hubby was blowing leaves off the driveway so you people can see where to drive.  Yes, we have that many trees and that many leaves.  He stopped long enough to hold and hug Reagan for a bit and then headed back out to get rid of as many of the already wet leaves as he could. 

Reagan immediately pulled a chair to the window so she could watch Jim work. 

  

She loves her papa.

Just thinking

I sure wish the sun would  shine.  They promised!

Granddaughter, Reagan, is sick.  Alicia took her to the ER.  Am patiently waiting to hear what is wrong with her and if maybe I can take care of her this afternoon.

I LOVE my new juicer.  We ordered one of the Jack LaLanne ones that they advertise on TV and I’ve used it every day since we got it.  It is so easy to use and the fruit and vegetable juices are so tasty.  I had 1/2 pear, 1/2 apple and 2 carrots for breakfast.  Yea me!

I’ve been going to the gym at least three times a week for a month and a half now and am eating healthier and yet I’ve only lost 3 lbs.  I’m not going to give up.  No way!

 

Please keep the little 9 year old girl who was murdered by a 15 year old neighbor girl in your prayers.  They live very close to where my daughter and her family lives.  What would cause a child to do such a thing?  Will they try her as an adult?  Should they try her as an adult? 

Why does my 13 year old grandson think he should be the class clown? He disrupts the entire class with his antics.  And I’ve never seen a child yoyo with his grades like he does.  One minute he is making straight A’s and the next minute he’s turned them into D’s and F’s.  And it isn’t because he isn’t doing the work – it is because he isn’t turning it in!  Come on Travis, this is serious stuff!

Did I mention that it is STILL dreary here?  I believe we have officially been bestowed the honor of having the wettest October on record. 

I just heard from Greg.  Reagan has the croup, poor little thing.  I’m going to watch her tomorrow.

And I’m heading to the gym and then to work so I am able to be here for Reagan tomorrow.  I might take some time to start working on that Ark and gathering up pairs of animals while I’m at it.

Smile everyone!  Life is good!

Our weekend in pictures

Fall decorations, wilting in rain. Not as many as usual since we haven’t had time to find pumpkins and straw. This will just have to do.

A beautiful, proud Hosta, giving us her last show of beauty for this year. But she will come back next year – she always does.

The sun finally peeped through the trees on a cool Saturday afternoon in time for a walk in the woods.

Dakota and Travis working side by side, drawing without picking at each other for a change. What a treat! Never mind the fact that I had to take soft scrub to the table to remove the markers after they went home.

Austin playing Wii Tennis (and baseball, and bowling, and boxing… he’s a Wii nut) by himself.

A rainy Sunday drive, with Greg and his family, looking for land with a view. A spot where we can build a cabin and be closer to where our kids live.

We found an old cemetery at the top of an almost dirt path.

It had an “oh my!” view. That’s Greg and Reagan. It stopped raining long enough for us to slog around through the wet grass for a bit.

Look at this majestic cedar tree!

Can anybody guess what that little building is that Allen is standing in front of? A little hint is that it has two places to sit in it. And this cemetery is quite a distance from anywhere else…

Reagan and Allen checking things out.

Look at this headstone. Nowhere could I find the woman’s name. I guess it’s possible it was above the word Wife but I certainly couldn’t see it. Her age: 63 years, 2 months, 22 days. What – no hours?

We didn’t find that perfect piece of land with the perfect view, and we probably never will – at least not one that we can afford! But it is fun looking.

Sunday afternoon drive

We took to the back roads last Sunday afternoon in  hopes of finding some beautiful Fall colors.

We found a very old cemetery in the little town of Westphalia.  But the leaves on these trees certainly haven’t changed clothes, now have  they??

This cemetery is located at the bottom of the hill, away from the Church on the hill.  We think, but aren’t sure, that at one time the cemetery was located next to the church and then was moved in later years in order to provide room for parking lots and expansion.

We found one of the few old bridges left standing in the state.  These leaves look mighty green still. 

Our plan was to stroll through Westphalia and take pictures of some of the many historic buildings and church.  Their church Fall Festival changed that plan!  People and cars were everywhere.  Now that just isn’t my idea of a good photo op… unless the plan is to take pictures of people and cars, which I have done many times… but not today. 

The bridge was pretty cool, though.  That’s Jim driving across it.  Can you see the license plate?  It says MoLamb… get it?  It has two meanings:  More Lamb or Missouri Lamb.  We are thinking about changing it to LmbChp next year.  What do you think?

Next stop, Painted Rock Conservation Area. 

No, Junyah, we didn’t see and partridge or deer.  Heck, we didn’t even see any squirrels!

According to the self guide book that Jim is reading in the above picture, “Before you reach the river bluffs, there lies remnants of an Indian burial cairn. Local legend has it that this cairn was a great chief’s burial mound, built 500-1500 years ago.  The cairn was vandalized years ago, so there is no way to know for cfertain.  Most probably, it and the bluff paintings were there when the Osage Indians moved into the area around 1400 A.D. and when they left, by 1825”

As Jim was reading this, he commented, “I’ll bet this  is where the burial cairns are located”.

Ya think?  He hadn’t noticed the LARGE sign that says “Indian Burial Cairn”.  How I love to laugh!

The leaves are starting to change colors here, but definitely not in their glory yet.

According to the guide book, Painted Rock State Forest is a place full of history.  The river-bluff paintings were old already when Zebulon Pike saw them in 1806.  They were pictographs, one a buffalo, placed high on a bluff above the Osage River by Indians ages ago.  For years, traders and rivermen used the painted rock as a landmark.

The rock paintings (not accessible by the tail) probably were done between 1200 and 1300 A.D. but people lived along the Osage long before that.  Form 9,000 to 2,500 years ago, small bands of Indians, perhaps 12 to 15 in a group, made temporary campsites on the high ground near the river.

A friend has a cabin on the other side of the river and has canoed across to see the actual paintings on the rock.  Maybe  we can do that next Sunday… or maybe not…

Then and Now

  We headed out yesterday in the hopes of seeing some of the golden Fall foliage that we all love so much.  Since we are in the middle of rolling hills, Ozark mountains, and historic little towns, it doesn’t much matter which direction we go.  So we just started driving fairly aimlessly, with no clear destination in mind.  The eye popping color we usually see just aren’t doing their thing this year so far.  Maybe next week.

As we cruised the back roads, we happened onto a sign pointing us to a beautiful spot in the road.  Painted Rock Conservation Area.  The area is 1,490 acres of preserved land.  There are hiking trails, wildlife, and scenic overlooks over the beautiful Osage River.

We immediately thought back to not all that many years ago, when we first visited Painted Rock.

It was in the Spring of 1992.  We enjoyed the day as Tessa, Julie and Greg walked in front of us along the path.

The path looked much different today.  Not just because it is Fall, but because our children are no longer with us on these little outings.  They are grown, with families of their own.  That’s a good thing, though.  Oh yea, I miss the daily commotion sometimes.  I miss the daily hugs, too.  But time moves on and things change.  I’ve always tried to embrace change.  In the long run it can be a very good thing.

I also remember that Tessa was not happy to have to be with us on this particular day.  She wanted to be with friends and definitely not on an outing with her boring family.  At one point, the kids were flinging rocks over the bluffs and out of the blue, a rock hit Julie in the back of the head with a sickening thud.  My immediate thought was that Tessa had hit her in the head on purpose and I flew into a rage, screaming like a banshee and calling Tessa a name that to this day I am ashamed to repeat.  It is amazing the memories that come flooding back when returning to a place of the past. 

After a few tears (I think I was the only one who cried) and apologies (I was the only one who had anything to apologize for), we continued our hiking and site seeing and had a wonderful day.  It is one of those memories that will stay with me forever.  I’m pretty sure it is one that will stay with my entire family forever.  It is things like this that makes us who we are today. 

And who are we today?  We are a happy couple who have been together 41 years; married 37 of those years.  We are still parents, but our roles have changed dramatically.  And we are grandparents of 10 wonderful grandchildren.  But that isn’t what defines us.  We are each very unique individuals, who if we didn’t have each other, would still have a very full life.  Just like we continued to have a full life after our children left home.  Life is a ever changing, and it is up to us to make the best of it with what we have.   

 

This post turned out very different than I had planned.  Sometimes my fingers have a mind of their own, and this is one of those times.

I was going to post about Painted Rock Conservation Area.  That post and the pictures will just have to wait their turn.

Let the sun shine!

The sun is shining for the first time in forever!

I spend my day curled up in a sweater

My head is about to explode

It’s my sinuses acting up, I am told

Why today!  Give me a break!

So a pill of some kind I guess I will take…

I know... I know… But I never claimed to be a poet.  Have a wonderful weekend all.

I was a spunky little thing or… I can’t believe I didn’t get fired!

What is this you ask?  I know you can’t read it, but never fear, I’m going to type it for you.  But first, a little background.

I was searching for a photo of my/our Kindergarten Class for a blog post.  As I was going through everywhere I thought it could possibly be (and never did find it), I came across a letter I had written in 1983.  I honestly do not remember writing this letter.  But I clearly remember the situation that prompted it.  The page you see was one of 12  (twelve!) handwritten pages to my boss.  As I read the first page, I thought, “wow, I’m glad I didn’t give this to him”.  Then I got to page two and saw red notations and comments in my former bosses handwriting.  Oh my gosh!  I had literally blocked this from my mind!  Even now I cannot remember the discussion we must have had.  However, since I not only kept working for him, but was asked to move with him from this 1983 job to a new job in 1984, it must have been the right thing to do.

I know this is long, and won’t be offended if you move on… I really do understand.  But I need to type this out for me.  This blog is somewhat of a journal and this needs to be included – for me.   The John/JDA referred to here was the then Attorney General of Missouri, John Ashcroft.  LaVerla was his secretary.  (My bosses’ comments are in parenthesis).  So here goes!

5/11/83 – 2:00 am

Duncan,

Thanks to our discussion this afternoon I cannot sleep, because of the things I wish I had said and didn’t.  Most of this will probably be plain ol’ garbage but I’m hoping that somewhere in this effort, there is going to be one or two points worth looking at.

When you asked me to help LaVerla out, I told you I would be glad to, but that it is a lousy solution.  I meant that more than you can know and for more reasons than you knew. 

LaVerla needs immediate help.  As it looks now, I’m going to be hard put to give that to her.  And my stomach is going to be hard put to be trying to do my own work, help LaVerla in every spare moment, and walk by Sue’s desk and see her do nothing.  There is a problem and it is time to deal with the problem.  The way I see it is you are going to be very hard pressed to find someone suitable for that chair.  I know, because I’ve been there.  Sue is sloppy, careless, unproductive as far as initiative goes, and as far as I can see, doing a lousy job for you.  So was Patty and Leesa.  Who knows, maybe I’d better throw myself into that category too for the time I sat in that chair.  There has to be reasons for this.  Your first problem is LaVerla. She has to change her ways.  The girl loves to complain about being overworked, used and unappreciated.  I’m sure there is a lot of justification in her complaints but there are also solutions.  One is when someone offers help, give them something.  I have offered too many times and been told “I think we’re in good shape” or “just let me work things out a bit and I’ll get back with you.” A person gets told no only so many times and they quit offering.  This has happened to Sue, it’s happened to Rita and it’s happened to me. LaVerla is scared of John. She saves everything for fear that he might want something.  I realize this point is somewhat off the track but it is terribly bothersome and adds to her confusion and disorganization tremendously.  She trust no one – including me. When John is in the office she watches his phone, his door and his every move like a hawk (Duncan’s note: This is as he wants).  This is needed to an extent, but there are also other warm bodies of fairly capable standards that could also watch the same thing she does with a varying degree of success.  She love to complain about luncheons (Duncan’s note:  RS & TD’s secretary should be assigned this) but yet she will let no one help her – I know because I have offered numerous times.  To work with LaVerla is terribly frustrating.  If I (Duncan’s note:  or anyone else) am to do letter, dictation, or whatever for JDA, I want to feel I am a capable secretary able to produce a final product to be proud of.  This is usually impossible.  If a letter is drafted by someone besides LaVerla, invariable the “again,” “too”, “date”, or something is at the wrong end of the sentence.  If you space down five, it should have been 10.  If you say “Dr.” in the title it should have been “Professor” and if you close with “sincerely” it should have been “most sincerely”.  Get my point?  It’s no wonder Sue has no initiative to do right the first time.  It is going to be changed anyway.  Nobody like their work graded and I don’t relish the idea of going through that again.  I am a very capable secretary but I have my ways of doing and saying things – and so does anyone else who tries. (Duncan’s note:  Certain categories of JDA’s correspondence should go directly to TD sec., TD to review & give directly to JDA!)  LaVerla has to realize this and give us a chance.  Someone has got to set her straight on a few things and I’m not the person to do that.  I consider her a friend and would do nothing to hurt her.  Which means I will change sentences around as she wants until I’m red in the face and I still wouldn’t be able to let her know what she is doing.  You are not going to get someone to work out in Sue’s position until LaVerla learns to let go and let someone work with her, not for her -or maybe even against her in this case.

There are also problems as far as Randy and Tom go.  I wish I was clearer as far as what these are.  I felt them when I worked for Randy and Paul, but I never was real sure what the problem was.  I think possibly just the substance of the work is lacking.  Randy could use Sue for research and project if he wanted to.  Since I have never worked directly with Tom, I can’t pin point that problem either.  I just know that the form letters get old.  I also know somebody has to do them. The face is though, Randy & Tom were talking Sue down before she ever came on board. (Duncan’s note: ?)  That does not exactly constitute a fair chance. I would very strongly suggest that they have a say so in their next secretary so they won’t have anybody to blame but themselves.  (Duncan’s note:  good idea).  I wish I could see the problems there better but I can’t.  A simple solution would be for Randy & Tom to quit griping behind Sue’s back and for Sue to quit rebelling with sloppy, haphazard work, and  for everyone to sit down and talk, holler or whatever – over and over if necessary.  It is kind of like a marriage, if you don’t open up and communicate, it doesn’t have a chance from the start.

Now that I am getting tired and sharper with my criticism – for my job’s sake, let’s say I don’t know what I’m saying at this point – I will tackle you.  Why the devil won’t you  handle the problem rather than walk around it?  You are asking me to step in when I don’t have time. (Duncan’s note:  that’s what I asked)  Some solution!  This is unfair to LaVerla who needs help now and unfair to Sue who keeps moping around the office looking for work.  The problem is now and a temporary solution – no matter how good – or lousy, in this case – is not the answer.  If Sue is in fact not capable of the job, admit it to her and yourself now, reduce her salary to her capabilities and move her to somewhere else in the office – now.  If you want the whole situation to come to a head, put Rose in there.  She won’t mince on words and I figure she and LaVerla will have knocked each other silly within a week.

Duncan, I wish you would open up and let Mary and me know how you feel about things. There are times you come out of JDA’s office and we can feel the tension coming through the walls.  We tell each other that your silence, slamming phones and stalking in and out of the office are not directed at us (Duncan’s note:  keep telling yourselves – it’s true!) but sometimes it is hard to believe.  There are many problems throughout the office but Mary & I keep trying to hash out solutions between ourselves.  You really aren’t all that easy to approach when it comes to support staff problems.  We have both come to the conclusion that you want us to keep walking around it all. That is hard on us.  Every time someone complains about LaDonna and the phone, Bev and her problems being brought to the office, Terry and her big mouth, Cathy, Jim, Mike and on and on (Duncan’s note:  what are these problems? LaDonna I know) we just sometimes want to say “so what?”, Duncan doesn’t care, so why should we.  You listen, nod your head in agreement to what we say and let things continue as they are.  That is not fair to us.  You have given Mary some authority over the support staff.  Mary is not afraid of dealing with the problems that come our way, she is afraid of dealing with you afterwards.  When she makes a decision, back her up.  Her approach is direct and will stir up the office, but that is not all bad and might be worth a try. (Duncan’s note:  The generalities of this approach sound fair, but I need more specific example to assess it)  And if you don’t like the direct approach, let us know how you do want us to handle things.  We are just tired of closing our eyes and saying things will work themselves out.  Many things won’t. 

As far as my job for you is concerned, I wish I could help you more.  I’ve noticed a change in your attitude towards me – for the good – as far as being your secretary is concerns.  Duncan, I am there to do whatever you want.  Please don’t ever hesitate to ask me to return calls, type letters, write letters, research, file, organize your office – hint, hint… (Duncan’s note:  why didn’t I think  of this?), make copies or whatever -  I figure my main responsibility is to you.  By the way, I may be complaining loud and long about the word processing project, but I am thoroughly enjoying it.  Thank you.  (Duncan’s note:  And doing a great job!)

Since my purpose of writing is to get things off my mind so I can go to sleep, I also have to let you know I am still hurt that you are paying Sue more than me (Duncan’s note:  especially now) and if you like me as your secretary and  feel I am as much an asset to this office as you say I am, you will quit promising to bring my pay equal to Sue’s and do something about it. (Duncan’s note:  Almost every attorney would like to do this for his secretary. You deserve it, but appearance of favoritism would damage morale and my credibility).

Duncan, I have been as open and truthful as I can here.  Everything I have said has been eating at me off and on for sometime.  I find it easier to write my thoughts than speak them.  Hopefully you will read this, think about what is worth thinking about, discard the rest, and pitch everything.  One way or another, we have to all be open with each other.  This is my way.

Now I am going to try to get some sleep and hopefully I will lose this – rather, burn this – before I come to work.  But I have a feeling you will see my insomnia product in its entirety.  Sweet dreams.

Deanna

 

Apparently this was my approach to handling a problem.  I’m totally amazed that I did it, but it seemed to work for me.  I don’t think I’d recommend anyone else try it though.  It might just backfire.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Today, October 15th, is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.  I didn’t know that until I read Yaya's Blog.

She asked that we light a candle for one hour at 7:00 pm.  The very request choked me up.  I cannot begin to imagine the sadness, agony, and loss of losing a baby.  I can only care and pray.

It is 7:00 pm and my candle is lit and I am going to log off and say a prayer for all the Yaya’s of the world and for their precious little ones.

Peace.

  

They’re in cahoots

Several weeks ago I received a mysterious package in the mail.  A square box with MY name on it – and a return address I clearly recognized because I’ve received things from and sent things to this person before.  But I wasn’t expecting anything.  Actually I owe this person a parcel – but I won’t go into that.  The package came from Fuzzy  errr I mean Intenseguy.

I open it to find this note:

Hi Deanna!

I’m just forwarding this box along from LadyStyx to YOU.

I did look at the contents – and oh! You’re going to love these guys and/or gals – I can only tell with real sheep. :)  Like ol’ stink eyed Abe.

I see she included a very rare and very special OCHA bird.  I bet you remember that song…

OCHA bird, up high in banana tree, OCHA bird, you sit all along like me.

Did your lady friend leave the nest again?  That is very sad, makes me feel so bad.  You can fly away, in the sky away.  You’re more lucky than me.

I also had a pretty girl; she’s  not with me today.

They’re all the same those pretty girls. Take tenderness, then they fly away.  OCHA Bird, OCHA bird.

Did your lady friend leave the nest again?  That is very sad, makes me feel so bad.  You can fly away, in the sky away.  You’re  more lucky than me.

Wish that I were an OCHA bird, I’d fly away with you.  But I am not an OCHA bird, So here I sit.  Nothing I can do.  OCHA bird, OCHA bird.

Hugs, Iggy.

Do you see my OCHA birds?  Sure you do.  They are nestling together in my plant – right next to the two love bird figurines – the ones I’ve had since our first anniversary.  Aren’t they cute?  They just fit there, don’t you think?  You can’t see them very well?

  

How about now?  They are sassy!  And cute.  And they make me smile! 

And what was that about ol’ stink eye Abe?  I have a bit of a collection of stink eye sheep.  And let me tell you, these little guys fit right in.  Oh, I know, they are hard to see.  That’s cuz they are so cute and blend right in with my collection.

Is this better?  The black sheep of the family didn’t show up very good, but Little Bo Peep’s sheep is sticking her tongue out at me (yes, Iggy, I can tell the difference lol).

And you Styxie!  You, my dear talented lady, are something else, surprising me like this.  Thank you so much for this special gift and for being my friend.

How to play horseshoes

      

Are there any horseshoe players out there?  Hubby and I like throwing horseshoes, although like most things, we’re  not very good at it.  Wait, I’ll speak for myself – I’M not very good at it.

 

I guess we passed our fascination with the game of horseshoes onto grandkids, Allen and Anna. 

Those pegs look like they are spaced just right.  So let the game begin!

You’re going to need to really wing them Anna.  Those things are heavy for a little thing like you!

Alright Allen, let’s see what you can do.

Am I seeing this right?  Are you really going to throw it on your own peg?  Noooooooooooo!

Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle, you made it.  What talent!

And what was Anna doing while Allen was playing his own personal game of horseshoes?

Why she was playing with her own horseshoes on her own peg.  And guess what…  They were keeping score!

He threw away the boots

We have had more than our fair share of rain this past week.  Rain is synonymous with mud, and mud requires boots, especially for a sheep farmer.

Here’s how it went.  Hubby put on his trusty rubber “gum” boots, hopped on his 4-wheeler, and headed down to the sheep pasture.  As he trudged around in the muck and mud, he realized his tootsies were getting wet – a lot wet.  I think the wetness distracted him, but somehow he got mired down in the mud and lost his balance.  As he reached out to un-lose his balance, it dawned on him that he was about to grab onto the electric fence.  He’s a smart man, so he turned away from the fence.  Of course his feet were still buried in the muck and of course he was still off balance – so down he went.  And of course his leg brushed up against the electric fence and he got one of the aw-shit shocks that most farmers experience now and then.

The boots?  Well to hear him tell it, they were split in a number of places, including the sole.  He had just been too cheap to replace them.  The boots went into the trash that very day.  There is a now a new pair exactly like them sitting in their place. 

  

I’m thinking he should have thrown the jeans away too.

Gloomy Doomy Fall

It has been raining here for several days now. You know, the kind of rain that chills you to the bone. There is a ton of stuff I could blog about but I don't really feel like it. I'm blaming it on the weather.

Fall is my favorite time of the year. So come on mother nature, dry up some of this rain and give me my lovable, hugable Fall!

We are heading to our friends' cabin on the Lake of the Ozark this evening. I'm so looking forward to supper tonight. We are fixing crab legs, baked potato, and salad. I usually bake a cherry pie for dessert but we are always too stuffed to eat it, so this time I'm blogging instead of baking. (lucky you huh, lol) We will have a simple breakfast of sausage links, scrambled eggs, and muffins tomorrow morning and then spend the day on the lake.

The Lake should be very peaceful and quiet. Hopefully the sun will peek out tomorrow and warm things up a bit so we can bundle up and take a boat ride. The guys will probably fish. This little lady used to love to fish but somewhere along the line I got away from it. The fact that I won't touch the worms may have something to do with it. I have no problem taking the fish off the line, but sticking that sharp hook into the squishy worms.... ewwwwwwwwwww.

Time to get busy here. Have a great weekend all.

Lounge Lizards

We had our Fall Festival at Church this past weekend.

As I mentioned in my previous post (and yes Karla I know it is AGAIN 4 days lol), we provide music. This year, to kind of mix things up, Hubby, and best friend Patti, decided to do some Rat Pack music. They only had time to practice three times.

I just recently installed Nero and used it to edit the video. Everyone will agree that I have a lot to learn about Nero! The clip burps all along the way - my doings - just have to figure out what I did wrong. This video doesn't do them justice, but it is all I have.

vintage hat Patti is wearing belonged to my mother. We thought it would add some authenticity to the performance. And don't look at the mess on the stage - you must remember it had been used all day by a bunch of people, including kids.

Without further ado, I present to you the Lounge Lizards!

Oops!

It seems I took an unannounced and unintentional break.

Things have been crazy around here. I've been checking up on the blogs every time I've had 5 extra minutes here and there, but tonight when I logged on, I took a look.... then took another look.... then rubbed my eyes.... and thought... "Is that post really four days old?" Nah, can't be.
Whiskey looked at me with those demon eyes of his and shook his head up and down as if to say, "oh yes, it can!" (he never takes my side on anything).

Anyway, like everyone else, life is busy. We have our Fall Festival at Church this weekend and I've been helping get ready for that. Our little group of bandits (several friends and Jim and me) are singing. We've pulled together a hodge podge of Gospel, oldies, and old time country. We've done this for a number of years now (I've lost track how many) and I really think this will be it. People have to be getting tired of the same old stuff, plus we're not all that good to begin with.

Travis had another football game last night, playing against the only other undefeated team (four teams from the two middle schools play against each other). And they won! It was pretty exciting to watch. One of the parents from the opposing team was sitting behind us and were saying things like, "they are off their game tonight", or "they are usually better than this" and of course the refs were making all the wrong calls. I just quietly grinned the way only a proud grandma can and kept my mouth shut - well kept it shut except when I was yelling "Go Travis!" or "Go Black" or ... well you know the way it is.

Dakota had his 8th birthday on Monday. We lost out to taking him shopping on his birthday because his other grandma was in town. That's ok, though. We have much easier access to him than she does. So we took him shopping and then out to eat before the game. That child! He got a Play Station3 for his birthday and wanted a game. I know nothing about these things other than the fact that those games are ridiculously expensive. So we looked at games. I am smart enough to figure out the ratings of E means Everyone, T means Teen, and M means Mature. I think Dakota thought E meant Ewwww and T means Tough. He wanted a T game. I stuck to my guns and held out for a "boring" E game. At one point I showed him one of the E games and he said, "no, that one is too hard, Grandma". Well you can imagine what happened after that. I pointed out the level of maturity needed for a T game and when his eyes glazed over, we headed for the toys. We got this really cool castle with knights and dragons and draw bridges and left the store smiling. The place to eat of choice (I hesitate to call it a restaurant) was Pizza Hut. I kinda looked down at my body and thought, well there goes 4 days of gym time down the drain. Did I mention how much I love my grandkids? I even forced myself to eat pizza for Dakota (evil grin).

Speaking of Gym Time. I have been there three times this week. Although I haven't lost any weight (do you think Pizza has anything to do with that?) I sure feel better and am sleeping better than I have in ages. Yea me!

Ok, this was supposed to be a short, sorry I've been away post, and instead my fingers wouldn't stop. They have a mind of their own sometimes.

I do want to say one more thing. It seems many of my friends are struggling with issues in their lives right now. Please everyone, hang in there, and look for the good in everything. There is something to be happy about, no matter how bad things seem sometimes. So let's be happy and keep those smiles on our faces. Oh, and share a little happiness as you go about your day. If a poorly paid checker isn't very nice at the grocery checkout, let's remember they have troubles too and have a kind word and a smile ready for them. That goes such a long way!

Love ya all! Keep on keeping on folks - I know I do!