What is that you may wonder. Perhaps it is the horn of a unicorn. Or the tusk of a narwahl.







No, it's 5 foot icicles hanging from our gutter. It is freaking cold here. I hate it.
















I can't wait for spring and summer when I can sit out on the patio and watch the hummingbirds.














On top of this cold weather, we had to go and buy a new washing machine. Not something I enjoy spending money on. Sort of like when you have to buy tires for your car. Just no satisfaction in it.

Baby, it's COLD outside

Here at the 43rd parallel it's COLD. While living in the northern United States we're used to snow and cold, but so far this season we've been spoiled by not really having winter yet. Until now. It has been very mild for what we consider winter. In December the temperature averaged about 20 degrees above normal. In the month of January the average high is 31. It has been struggling to get up to 20. Yesterday our high was 11 degrees.




As many regions of the country experienced ice storms the last week, we did also. Thank goodness not as severe as some areas. I feel for those people. We had a huge one some years back and our neighborhood was out of electricity for 11 days. Eleven days without heat. We have a gas furnace but it needs electricity for the electronic ignition. The water heater is gas fired so we would rotate turns taking hot showers and all would come into the bathroom and bask in the warmth of the steam. Hotels were out of power as well. Plus they were housing the crews that came from around the country to help restore service. Eventually power was restoredto our town library and we would hang out there in front of the gas fireplace. You could tell the people that didn't have their power back yet. We all walked around with a glazed look in our eyes wearing layers of clothes and wouldn't take our coats off. We slept all in one bed, (the boys were 4 and 1 year old) wearing sweat pants and shirts, 2 pair of socks, hats, mittens and with 4 blankets Once you warmed your spot up, you didn't move for the night. The coldest the house got inside was 40 degrees. I have a new appreciation and respect for people in third world countries that live in those conditions for entire winters.

These photos were taken Monday and are still coated in ice today with a layer of snow on them now. It looks like a crazy Martha Stewart came around and frosted the trees and shrubs. It is actually very pretty.

Potty Talk

This isn't about the potty talk you may think. It's more like potty etiquette. As you may or may not know, I am the only female in a male household with husband Sean, number one son age 20 and number two son age 16. Even our dog Cody is male. At last count he has 5 of these squeeky footballs around the house. The other day I woke up with one next to my pillow.

Back to the etiquette. I'm not one of those females that rant and rave about the seat being left up. I don't care. I have to look before I sit anyway because our big dog, the aforementioned Cody, likes to drink out of the toilet. Yes, I know, eeeeewwwww, but that's the way it is here. We have tried leaving bowls of water for him but he prefers the more sophisticated taste of toilet water. The problem with that is that when he gets a drink he gets water all over the seat. Nothing worse than sitting on a wet seat. Even if it is just water. If I get up in the middle of the night I still look for a wet seat so I will notice if the seat is up or down.

My beef with the bathroom is the toilet paper, which will know be refered to as TP. Men, do you not know we ladies use TP everytime we use the bathroom. I realize that you don't but we do. The men in my life are aware of this fact because I can be very vocal about it. That means when you do take care of business that needs TP and you happen to use up the roll, please be kind and replace it with a new roll. This is all we ask.

As for me, I'm not picky about whether the paper comes off the top or from the back. I'll change it to the way I like. I don't even care if you're too lazy to put it in the holder as long as you get one out. It is so easy at my house as we have a drawer right next to toilette (it sounds better in French). I ask that if you use the last roll from the drawer, please go under the sink and get more. It's most inconvienent when you don't. There's nothing worse than when you've done bubbles and there is no paper.

What the hell are bubbles you may be wondering. When son number one was being potty trained, the first time he stood up and peed he saw that it made bubbles in the water. He was so excited that everytime he had to go, he said he had to do bubbles. So 17 years later we still call it that. It sounds so much nicer than, "I have to take a piss" don't you agree?

This isn't something I would normally share with other people but if I can educate just one man, then it was worth it. :)

Thumbelina

I planned on writing about President Bush's plan to send even more troops to Iraq but it is too depressing. We just keep getting deeper and deeper. Men and women keep dieing. It's sad...

Last night I watched Primetime Live and they had a story about the world's smallest people. They have a type of dwarfism called Primordial Dwarfism. From the time of conception these babies do not grow normally in stature, hense the name "primordial" meaning from the beginning. The babies are perfectly formed unlike other types of dwarfism. Primordial is the most severe type and it is estimated that there only about 100 people with it in the world.

Primetime profiled a little girl named Kenadie-Jourdin Bromley. She was born Feb. 13, 2003 and weighed just 2 lbs 8oz. Kenadie isn't expected to grow beyond 30 inches tall. She will be 4 years old next month and now weighs 10 lbs. There is a website about her and I encourage you to check it out. www.littlekenadie.com

Kenadie has found a way into my heart. I haven't been able to get her out of my mind since I saw her. My son thinks she is "kind of weird looking" but I think she is beautiful. That must be the mother in me. There is something about the look of wonder on her face, her smile. She looks like a little pixie. Kenadie has loving parents and a younger brother. I'd post some pictures of her but they're copyrighted and they ask that they not be downloaded so I'll respect their wishes.

I Have a Dilemma

When we go on vacation I have to be near the water. While the mountains are beautiful I must be at the water or it doesn't seem like a vacation. For at least 20 years we have gone on vacation to North Truro, Massachusetts. It's located on Cape Cod which is a peninsula shaped like a bent arm sticking out into the Atlantic Ocean. North Truro is on the outer side of the "wrist" We've always camped together with my sister's family, my parents and friends. Some years we've had as many as 7 families together. My father would put together a miniature golf course back in the pine trees. We would draw partners and have an annual golf tournament called The Flamingo Open. We spent many hours on the beach with the children digging holes, making sand castles, playing in the waves. We would boil lobsters at camp and play games at night. My parents enjoyed watching their children and grandchildren.

I love a nice beach. I love the water, the crashing waves, the seagulls, looking for seashells and pretty stones. I like to go early and have breakfast on the beach. I've been to beaches in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia in Canada. Maine and Massachusetts in the U.S. All of these are cold water beaches. I've been to tropical beaches in Florida, St. Thomas, Bermuda, The Bahamas and Hawaii. Different beaches around the world have different kinds of sand.

On Cape Cod the sand is brown, tan and white and very coarse. You can see the indivual grains very easily. It looks like what it is; tiny, tiny stones. The shore line has usually has a path of larger stones that you have to walk over to get into the water. These are the stones I like to look at. When they're dry they look dull and drab but when wet they look like jewels. The different colors are beautiful. In North Truro the beaches are pure and pristine, part of the National Seashore and has strict regulations. There are no hotels or houses built on the beach. You can't climb the sand dunes because they don't want them eroded by people as the wind and water do enough of it.

The sand on Prince Edward Island in Canada is red. P.E.I. was formed millions of years ago on sedimentary bedrock of soft, red sandtone. This creates rich, red soil that has rust in it. Trust me when I tell you it doesn't wash out of clothes very well. On the beach we dug for clams. I'd never had clams so I tried these. No mater how much we washed them they were still crunchy with sand inside of them. I will never eat another clam.



We went to Bermuda on our honeymoon and visited Elbow Beach in Hamilton. This beach has pink sand. It is made up from pulverized remains of invertebrates such as coral, clams and other sea life. What puts the pink in the sand are forams, an animal that lives on the underside of the coral. When they die they have a red skeleton. As they drop to the sea floor they're crushed by pounding waves and washed up as sand.


I've been to a black sand beach in Hawaii on the island of Maui. As lava from the volcano quickly cooled in the water it shattered into glassy fragments that were eventually crushed into sand. Today the sand comes from the erosion of the black lava rocks that make up the island. I'll say that the black sand beach is very strange. I wasn't crazy about it plus it was very coarse.



The sand I've experienced in Florida is like white sugar, some are as fine as powdered sugar. This again comes from the sea life that has been crushed over time. While I love Cape Cod, the lure of the tropical beach is strong and since I've only experienced it a few times, they tend to be my favorite kind of beach. White sand, turquoise and aqua water and palm trees are so foreign to me and seem exotic.







Sean and I will celebrate our 25 wedding anniversary in December of this year. We've always planned on going on a nice trip to celebrate it. We thought we would go to Hawaii but that's out of the question. Too much money. We're trying to save money for this trip but it's hard. With two kids and one in college, money is tight.

Here's my dilemma. My parents want my family and my sister's family to all rent a house together this summer on Cape Cod. It has to sleep at least 10 people so we're talking a big house. Several thousand dollars. It will also be my parents 50th wedding anniversary this summer. Cape Cod is not cheap, as a matter of fact it's very expensive. We can't afford to go to Cape Cod and go on our anniversary trip to a nice relaxing, warm, tropical beach next February. I don't know what to do. Go to Cape Cod and celebrate my parents or go on our own trip and celebrate us. What should I do??

By the way, Sean says I am waaaay too wordy on this blog and no one will read it. Oh well I tell him.

Can You Be A Hero?

What is a hero? Webster's New World Dictionary defines it as; any man admired for his courage, nobility or exploits. Also; any man admired for his qualities or achievements and rearded as an ideal or model.

Can anyone be a hero? Of course they can. Do you need any special talents to be a hero? No, you don't need any. Does one wake up in the morning and say, "I think I'll be a hero today." I don't think so. But everyone can be a hero to someone.

You can be the quiet hero. The adult that mentors a youngster, showing them the way to become a productive member of society. I think that good parents are heros. It takes a lot to raise a child today. Love. Discipline. Patience. Sacrifice. The parent working several jobs for his/her family. Grandparents raising their grandchildren. Teachers that take the time to build a child's self esteem.

Then you have your public heros. Firefighters, police officers, EMT's, soldiers, doctors, nurses. These are the people you think of first when you think hero.

Atheletes can fall into the hero catagory. I don't really think of them that way. Sure they are an asset to their team. Maybe they scored the winning touch down or winning goal but I don't think that those kinds of feats affects other's lives. Now an athelete that gives his time to charities, that's another story. To do something good with your name is a great thing whether it be starting your own foundation or visiting sick children. You're a hero if you do that. I say put your money where your mouth is.



Then there are your bigger than life heros. I want to talk about 2 recent events of the past week and one from 25 years ago. The first being Wesley Autrey. He is the man that jumped down on to the subway tracks to save the life of another man. With a train coming! What was he thinking? Or was he not thinking? I could be wrong but my guess is that he didn't think. He reacted to a fellow human in danger. His two young children were on the subway platform with him. He had to leave them alone while performing this heroic act. What if his rescue had not been successful? His children would be without their father. That's why I think he reacted in the moment. Let's face it, if heros thought it through everytime, they wouldn't do it. Would you be able to do it? If it were to save my children, I would do whatever it took, whatever the risk. I would give my life for theirs. But in the case of someone I didn't know? I guess I don't know if I would until I'm put in that situation. I'd like to think I had the guts to save another person. Mr Autrey is a Navy veteran. Could that have had something to do with it? Mr. Autery has been showered with publicity as well as gifts such as a week long trip to Disney World, $10,000. from Donald Trump, a scholarship for his children, a Bronze medallion, New York City's highest award for civic achievement from Mayor Bloomberg and he gets to ride the subway for free for one year. He certainly deserves all of these accolades. Thank goodness for men like Wesley Autrey.

Two days later, best friends,Julio Gonzalez and Pedro Nevarez were walking down the sidewalk, again in New York City, and heard a child (3 years old) calling for help. Imagine looking upward and seeing a child dangling 4 stories up. The child let go and was caught by Mr. Gonzalez after bouncing off Nevarez. Talk about being in the right place at the right place. There was a gardian angel with those three people that day.









Twenty five years ago this month, Florida Air flight 90 took off from Washington D.C. in a severe snowstorm. The Boeing 737 could not gain altitude and clipped the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River. It crashed through the 1" thick ice on the river. Helicopters were despatched to participate in the rescue. Meanwhile, watching from the bridge was a 28 year old office worker named Lenny Skutnik. He saw a woman floundering in the water and realized she could wait no longer for a life line. Lenny then took off his coat and boots and without any thought to his own life, plunged into the frigid water, swam to her and brought her to safety. He later was quoted as saying, "I just couldn't stand there and do nothing to help." Mr. Skutnik was later awarded with the U.S. Coast Guard Gold Lifesaving medal and the Carnegie Hero Fund Medal. He attended the State of the Union address with First Lady Nancy Reagan. Another hero from the crash was Arland D. Williams Jr. He was on the doomed plane and still attached to it. He repeatedly handed off the life line from the helicopter to others to be rescued. That day 5 people were saved, 78 died including Williams when the plane sunk and took him with it.


"There are many kinds of heros in life, male and female. Everyone and anyone can be one." Summer

"Each man is a hero and an oracle to somebody and to that person whatever he says has an enhanced value." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in."
Andrew Jackson

It's 2007

It's the first day of 2007 and it's grey and dreary as it tends to be in this part of the world. I think I will stay in my jammies all day today. I swear I have to move some place where the sun shines on a regular basis. It doesn't have to be tropical or even warm. Ok, warm would be nice, I would be happy with temps in the 60's during the winter. But sunshine is my ultimate goal. I just watched the Rose Parade and now I want to move to Pasadena. I swear if Sean had a job that wasn't sooo specialized and he could find the same line of work somewhere else, we'd be out of here. I'd like to go and visit my parents in Florida for a week this winter but Number 2 needs to take Driver Ed. in school this spring and it costs us $385. for the class.

I do think that 2007 will be a good year if only for the silly fact that I like odd numbers. When asked to pick one, I always go odd and always pick tails in a coin toss. My house number is odd but my phone number with area code has 7 even numbers in it. I was born on an even day in an even year. But I'm not into numerology. I just like odd numbers for some strange reason. I'm not sure why I just wrote that, it cannot be interesting to anyone but me.

Back to 2007 (I'm not into making resolutions; I just can't seem to keep them and that's discouraging to me.) but this is what I'm looking forward to. In no particular order, here's my list. SPRING. I know winter just started but I miss my garden and seeing things grow. Helping my students get through the rest of 5th grade. Working in special education has its ups and downs but there is nothing more satisfying than getting through to a student that's struggling. Helping a friend through tough times. Enjoying my family and friends. A trip back to the 1000 Islands in NY. Improving my health, I swear my body feels 90 years old somedays. At least my mind feels 25.

My wish for you is that 2007 will be the best year yet of your life. Free from sadness, fear, prejudice and stupidity.

Are You Hurting?

I realize that this is a long post but please read through to the end.

Around the holidays some people may become depressed for various reasons. This sometimes passes but can linger. Others may suffer from depression all the time but it can worsen around this time. I write about this today because depression is a horrible illness. How do I know this you may wonder. I have first hand experience with is as it has been a part of my life for years.
Surprised? I have recovered from it but it took hard work.

Years ago while pregnant with number 2 I was sick all the time. Morning sickness all day for all but 3 weeks of the entire nine months. Every routine test I had done while pregnant came back abnormal. If you've ever been pregnant or the significant other of a pregnant woman, you know they do many tests. I had one blood test for some sort of protein that came back high and they had me do it again. Still high, meaning there was a decent chance of a baby with spinabifida. (Too low and possible down syndrome.) We were offered genetic counceling but refused. We wouldn't abort the baby but would love what came.

A long story short, in the end both number 2 and I almost died during delivery. Happily all turned out well. He weighed 5lbs. 4 oz. but grew up to be a fine young man. He just got his PSAT scores back and he is in the 95 percentile; meaning he scored higher than 95% of the students in the nation that took the test. I'm sorry, I had to brag just a little.

After he was born my hormones were beyond messed up. I felt like I had an extreme case of PMS 24/7. I was on edge and angry all the time. I didn't understand why when I had a husband that loved me, 2 great children, a house and a comfortable life I wasn't happy. For a few years I buried those feelings, no one knew I felt that way. I was a great actress but it was killing me inside. Over time I felt my heart turning to stone. Nothing mattered anymore, if I died the next day, so be it. I didn't care about much of anything. I felt that no one cared about me, I didn't deserve to be loved or even liked. Why and how could anyone care about me? My self esteem was in the toilet to put it bluntly. My life sucked.

What finally put me over the edge and made me realize that I needed help to get better was one day I thought, "what have I done bringing these two children in to such a miserable world? They should never have been born." That scared the shit out of me. The next day I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with clinical depression and started treatment. With counceling and zoloft I got better. It turns out I may have been mildly depressed for years and didn't realize it and the high risk pregnancy tipped the scale.

With clinical depression you have low levels of serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical in your brain that controls a wide range of functions such as balance (at my worst I would stumble a lot), sleep/wake cycles, mood, appetite and hormonal balance. I had lost all interest in my life. If I could, I would have stayed in bed all the time. I only wanted to sleep. I couldn't smile, my face actually felt unable to do so. I sometimes slurred my words. I just felt so hopeless and empty and worthless and sad. I couldn't make a decision to save my life. Just going to the grocery store to get food for dinner, I couldn't do it. I didn't have any hope for the future. It not only affected me but my husband and children. It's no fun living with a depressed person. Nothing made me happy. I suffered with this for 4 years. I remember the first time I knew I was getting better. I was sitting outside and heard a bird singing. OMG, I had not heard the birds singing in years. I began noticing the colors and textures of life again. Today I still take meds and will never stop taking them. I never want to feel that way again. Sometimes I have nightmares that I'm going through that and wake up terrified. My motto: Better living through chemistry. It saved my life.

For many years I didn't tell anyone I suffered from this. It has a stigma attached to it and I didn't want anyone to think I was crazy. I understand now that it is an illness, you can't control it or "snap" out of it. I'm just happy that I'm a success story.

Today I am happy with myself and my life. I live each day to the fullest. I love my family, friends, job and myself. I have the "glass half full" outlook in life. My heart breaks for those that suffer with it as I've been there.

I tell you all of this because if you or anyone you know is suffering from depression; get help. It's not a personal weakness, you didn't bring it on yourself and people that love you want the old "you" back. No one should have to go through this.

Signs of Depression
*Persistant sad, anxious or "empty" mood
*Changes in sleep patterns (wanting to sleep all the time or can't sleep)
*Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased appetite and weight gain
*Loss of pleasure and interest in once enjoyable activities including sex
*Restlessness, irritablility
*Persistant physical symtoms that do not respond to treatment such as chronic pain or
digestive disorders
*Difficulty concentrating at work or school, or difficulty remembering things or making decisions
*Fatigue or loss of energy
*Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
*Thoughts of suicide or death

Less than half of the people that have depression seek treatment.
Females suffer from depression more than males.
Men seek medical attention for depression less than women.
Untreated depression costs about $44 billion a year in lost workdays, decreased productivity, sick days and other costs.

I hope that everyone had an enjoyable Chirstmas Day. My family and I had a good one but somewhat unusual. It started at 8:00 when we went over to my sister's family's house for opening gifts. We all received many nice ones and it made me happy that I gave generously to the Toys For Tots campaign. I would have felt even more guilty for receiving so many nice things.

I made my egg and sausage casserole for breakfast and baked it in my sister's gas oven. No problem. Later when she turns it on to get it ready for the turkey; it won't light. The menfolk played around with it, took it apart; nothing. It was either go out for Chinese or cook the turkey elsewhere. Sean and I packed up Tom and left for home. Fours hours later we returned with a pefectly roasted turkey. We missed Chirstmas afternoon when we all play games that were received from Santa but it could have been worse.

Don't you love it when the gift you give to someone turns out to be the favorite gift they receive? We got my niece and nephew each an i Dog. You plug an MP3 player into it and its a speaker. Plus the dog's face does a little light show to the music, moves his head to the beat and wiggles its ears. They LOVE it.


Number one son loved the North Face gloves and Timberland boots he got since it's cold and wet walking around on campus.

Number two bought himself a Wii last month and got a new game for it yesterday from his aunts. It was a hit. Then he opened a Playstation 2 game we got him, Guitar Hero, and has been playing that since. I'm rather tired of hearing it but he loves it.

Sean couldn't decide on a favorite but then said that by just a millimeter he picked the flash drive that he got from Number 2

My favorite gift came from Number One. He got me this sweatshirt blanket at school. He knows I love hanging around with a blanket in the winter and this is very snuggly. I think what I love the best about it is that it's really a perfect thing for me, he picked it out himself without any ideas from anyone. He bought it with his own money and wrapped it himsef.

The evening ended on a downer though. My sister's dog bit my father on the knuckle. We took him to the firehouse to have the medic look at it and they said he needed to have stitches. Sean, me, number 1 & 2 along with my mother went to emergency to have it done. Dad is fine after 3 stitches but the dog...well grandpa is the 3rd person she has bitten. Their dog has been seen by a "dog whisperer" and that hasn't helped with her temprement. She has become more aggressive as time goes by. She is just 2 years old. They called the vet today who is awhere of the history and she said that she needs to be put down. My dad feels bad because this bite was the last straw and while he is glad that she bit him and not one of the kids, it because of this the dog has to go.

My last thought for today is that I am very blessed to have the children, husband, family and friends that I do. I couldn't ask for anything else.

Merry Christmas

I held out hope for a white Christmas but it will be green. That's okay, it's the spirit of the day that is important. It seems like when I was a child we would get more snow and the holiday was always white. I did some research and in my city over the past 50 years we had snow for Christmas 60% of the time. At least the sky is blue and the sun is shining.

To me, Christmas is always associated with snow. If you watch holiday TV shows, most of the time, snow. Many Christmas cards feature snow and holiday songs sing about snow. So I wonder what Christmas is like for people who live in down South or in tropical places where snow flurries never fly. Christmas lights on palm trees? Very foreign to me. Warm balmy weather? Very unchristmas to me.



Twenty four years ago we went to Bermuda on December 12 for our honeymoon. It was in the 60's and sunny. We walked around in shorts and sometimes sweatshirts but the locals all were in fur coats, leather boots, gloves. For us that was warm. The island was all decorated for the holidays with colored lights but it made me homesick for the Christmas season that I know and love back home. Sean, why did we pick December to be married in? Yes, I know, I picked that date. What was I thinking?

But in the whole scheme of things, it doesn't matter where you are for Christmas, it's what's in your heart and the people you love.Many people for different reasons can't be with the ones they love for Christmas so I will say a prayer for them. To all of my wonderful friends that I met, no matter what you celebrate, I wish you peace and health for the holidays and in 2007.

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas; NOT

It looks like we will have a green Christmas up here. It will be in the 40's this week, too warm for snow. This snow was about 2 weeks ago, it melted and haven't seen a flake since. I'm not a snow lover but don't hate it. It can snow all it wants until Dec. 25 then I want it to melt until next December. Somehow that never happens. One Christmas Eve it started snowing that beautiful fluffy snow and when we awoke on Christmas morn we were greeted with 2 feet of the white stuff. Speaking of snow, I haven't had a snow day off from school in 3 years. There is nothing like getting that phone call at 5:30 am telling you that school is canceled. Although that means there's a lot of snow out there.




I love a Christmas cactus in bloom, too bad it looks so unlovable the other 11 months of the year. Maybe I'm jealous because I can't seem to keep one alive until the following year. I don't have any luck with piontettias either. They start to drop their leaves about 10 minutes after I bring it home. So I must confess, this plant is not in my home but in Sean's work location. There it is ignored and neglected but still rewards them. I do however have great luck with African violets.






I am finished with my holiday shopping. I actually like Christmas shopping. We save for it all year and I can't wait to get out there and spend that money. I love to buy presents for people, I have always been a "giver". The secret to being a good "Santa" is to keep your eyes and ears open all year long. You might notice someone could use something in the summer. File that info away. They might say something that will give you an idea. People love when you take the time to really think about them and what they would like. Not just buy anything to say you did. Put some effort into it and you will be rewarded with the look on their face on Christmas morning. This picture was taken at the mall last weekend. It was a lovely sunny day and warm too, in the 50's.


After a busy day of shopping I enjoyed a vivid sunset from our backyard.













Sean and I went out for breakfast before work today. While we were at our little place I noticed two men in their 60's each sitting alone waiting for their breakfast. They started chatting and were having a nice conversation. The first one got up to leave but first went to the waitress and asked for the other gentleman's check. He then paid it. I told Sean we can't leave yet, I have to see this guy find out he was treated. When the waitress told him that his breakfast had already been paid for he looked so surprised then very happy. He left the restaurant with a huge smile on his face just knowing someone thought he was important enough to do that for him. We go to this restaurant every Saturday and I decided next time I see an older person eating alone I'm going to buy their breakfast without them knowing. Let them wonder who did it while making them happy. What a small price to pay.


By the way, I always order the same thing, 2 scrambled eggs, bacon, white toast and ice tea. Our waitress just asks me if I want the usual. Sometimes when they see us coming in from the parking lot the coffee and ice tea are waiting for us at a table. FYI, I couldn't find any good looking pics of scrambled eggs and I loathe any kind of egg with yolk not scrambled. Sean orders his eggs over medium and then mops up the yolk with his toast. It's just gross. UGH!

What's the first memory you can remember? As I get older my memory seems to be going. It seems like I don't remember a lot from my childhood. Usually when I do, something has sparked it. If I sit quietly and think, things will come back to me. My sisters are two and five years younger than I but I don't remember either as babies. I do remember that my youngest sister threw up all the time. I'm sure she'd love that I just told you that.

One memory I have is when I was in 5th grade, a boy named Matt would call me on the phone all the time. I would never talk to him, after all he was in 4th grade. But the real reason was that his last name was Knight. I didn't want to be teased and called Summer Knight. Several years later I had a crush on a boy named Tommy Day. I would have loved it if he had called me. I wanted to be Summer Day. Yes, something sparked this memory.

Some memories I wonder if they are mine or someone else's. Like when your mom tells you a story about yourself when you were younger. After you've heard it once or twice or more is it her memory that has now turned into yours? You hear about false memory so I guess it can happen.



Pictures bring back memories. This is one of me when I was maybe about 2 years old. I swear I remember being in this crib. It was at my grandparent's house and when visiting, my 3 week younger cousin and I would share it at nap time. Do I really remember being in this crib or is it just because I see the picture? How's that for a case of bedhead! The second picture is just a bonus, I don't remember a thing about it. :)

I think my first uninfluenced memory was when I was 3 years old. We were moving from Ohio into a newly built house 7 hours away. Several years ago I mentioned to my mother that I remember going to see it while it was under construction. Mom was amazed, she didn't think I would remember that. She had never told me I had been there before we moved in and I described the event perfectly as she remembered.


I had an elderly neighbor that I became friendly with and over time her memory started to fail. I eventually became her caregiver. As she aged she lost her short term memory but regained some of her long term memory. Sometimes she lived in the past and was a happy young woman. Other times she was in the present and somewhat cranky. When I get older, if I loose my faculties, I hope I live in the happiest time of my life. Not as a crotchety old lady with artificial knees!

Rudolph

Tomorrow I will have watched "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" for the 42nd time. I've watched it every Chirstmas since it premered in 1964. Of course for many of those years you could only see it once a year, before the likes of VHS and DVD. I make it a point to only watch once a year at the time it is on. No taping. I know, weird eh? There is something special about seeing it only once and at air time. Sort of like the "olden" days. After all if you could see it anytime you wanted it sort of loses its magic.







Since number 1 son was born in 1986 we've watched it together. When number 2 joined us in 1990 he continued the tradition of watching. They got to stay up past their bedtime to watch. Over the years as they've gotten older things have interfeared. Rudolph was always aired on the first Wednesday in December. Trust me, I know this because that is Boy Scout night.
(Both are now Eagle Scouts) They would either not go or leave early from scouts. Rather silly but they did it for mom.

Fast forward to 2004 when number 1 son went away to college. I was still trying to get used to him being away from home and feeling somewhat melancholy. Our little tradition of watching Rudolph together had come to an end after 17 years. Lo and behold at 8:00 that night the phone rings, it's our oldest. I asked him if he knew what was on tv at that moment and he said, "of course, that's why I'm calling." We watched it together albeit over the phone. The next year, no phone call. Oh well, they grow up.
We still had number 2 with us though.




Fast forward again to 2006; tomorrow is Rudolph night and number 2 son is not going to be watching with us. He has to scoop ice cream at Ben & Jerry's. The end of an era. It will just be me and Sean. Someday there will be little ones to watch it with again but hopefully not for several years or so.

Holiday Thoughts

I'm taking advantage of the solitary moment I have at home to do a post. I'm home sick from school today. So much for sleeping in though. The snowplow started its rounds at 5:00 putting down salt. We use salt on our roads here. It makes a mess on your car, garage floor, boots and dog's feet. You have to wipe them off or else they will lick it off. Next was the garbage truck. Then a bit later the recycle truck. Don't they realize I was trying to sleep. Oh well, life goes on for the healthy. I was sick all weekend but went to school yesterday. Mistake. I've had a very sore throat, a headache, sore, swollen glands that make my neck hard to turn and a rather deep and sexy voice. Now today I sound like Marge Simpson, nothing sexy about that. But then again...maybe. I never saw Marge like that! Those that know me, know I hate to miss school so I must be sick.


We are getting ready for the holidays at our house. The tree is up as well as the outside lights. When it comes to the Christmas tree, I like it up early, after Thanksgiving but as soon as Christmas is over, it's out of here. I've taken it down as early as Dec. 26. I need to have my house back in order. As far as the outside lights, I could keep them up and on all winter. I wish people did that. Nothing worse than a cold February night with the snow and wind blowing. It would look so pretty to still have everyone's outdoor lights on. I hated in the 1970's when President Nixon suggested that the nation forego outdoor Christmas lights to save power and ease the energy crisis. I was a kid but knew then he was a bum.


On another holiday note, one of our radio stations has been playing non-stop Christmas music since before Thanksgiving. I just started listening to it. Don't want to get overdosed. I only listen to the old classic songs with Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Burl Ives etc. I don't care for the newer songs. While I'm not a very religious person I love religious Christmas songs the best. (Maybe there's hope for me yet) A beautiful one is "Silent Night" done by a group called Mannheim Steamroller. Strange name but great music. They do an instrumental version of that song that has wind in the background and is lovely. If I knew how to put music on this blog I'd download it for you but alas...



My most favorite song is "O Holy Night" This song gives me the chills when I hear it. It sometimes can bring tears to my eyes (yes, I can be very sappy). Whitney Houston and Celene Dion both have wonderful versions of it. It takes a powerful voice to sing it right and they've got it. Mostly for me I like it the best when sung by a male singer. Don't know why. Josh Groban has a heart stopping version that Sean downloaded for me on my desktop. What a voice he has. When our number one son graduated from high school in 2004 the chorus dedicated and sang "You lift Me Up" to the parents. Needless to say I needed kleenex.

Our number two son has hair exactly like Groban's, well except for the color, #2 has lighter hair.

I hope you are all having a great holiday season. For me, it is all about the anticipation. I love this time leading up to the holiday. People seem nicer, more polite. Remember as you are shopping for your loved ones there are many children that will receive nothing from Santa. If you would, please think about donating to the U.S. Marine funds, "Toys For Tots" at many mall and store locations and "Toys For Teens" at Best Buy stores. For more information go to www.toysfortots.org

Thanks from Summer
XO

I am Thankful

I'm sending all happy Thanksgiving wishes and thought I would mention what I am thankful for.

My family, we just returned from picking up number 1 son from college. I love when he is home with us. I'm happiest when we are all together.

I have a husband who loves me dearly and shows me that everyday.

We are all healthy. Well, my knee and I are not getting along. It has made it very clear that it doesn't want to be out in the cold. It talked me into cancelling our trip to New York City next month. If you have never seen NYC at Christmas time, it is beautiful. But I don't do stairs well and those double decker bus narrow and circular stairs are killers. Plus it doesn't like to walk fast and NYC is a hustle and bustle kind of city. As much as I love it there, my knee just wouldn't let me enjoy it to the fullest.

We have a nice house to live in and while we could use more money we are fortunate with what we have. I have a job that I absolutly love. Somedays I can't believe that they pay me to do it, other days I earn every penny and more. Sean's job is stable and we don't have to worry about downsizing like other business in our city.

I am thankful for my friends. They are always at the ready to celebrate with me or to pick me up when I'm down. A chat with a friend is always uplifting and enjoyable. A friend that loves you unconditionally is a treasure.

What I am most thankful for at this Thanksgiving is that our young friend has had her heart transplant several days ago and so far is doing well. After all the tears I have cried over this, I finally had tears of joy. At age 16 she has her whole life ahead of her and has been given a second chance at life. I am grateful to the family that gave her this second chance by donating their loved one's heart. It was truly the gift of life.

I have many blessings in my life and I hope you count me as one of yours.

To comment or not to comment

I enjoy reading people's blogs for the most part. Do I agree with everything they say? No. I'm not judgemental. People do things in their lives for their own personal reasons. I don't have to like it. Do I comment on them? Once in a while I do comment but for the most part, I tend to be more of a lurker. I don't know why because I wish more commented on my two blogs.

I've been following one for a while now entitled www.desperatehusband.blogspot.com In a nutshell, he is unhappily married with an online girlfriend, has had an affair, plans on leaving his wife etc. In short, his life is a mess.

He has received many anonymous comments about his exploits, many telling him their own personal story, offering a glimpse from someone that has been there and done that. I can see from those comments that most times the online cheating leads no where, they are still unhappy in the long run. Some offer suggestions in a kind way, some in a rude way. He also has his fans that urge him on to live his life, have the online gf and leave his wife. DH can do what ever he wants to of course. It's his life, he has to live it and live with his desicions. When you bring another person into the mix such as he has, your ability to make decisions becomes distorted.

By putting your life out in a blog you have to expect that you will get good comments and bad ones. I know that first hand. I get both although my comments are different than his, being that the subject matter is very different.

He has certainly struck a nerve out in blogland. Do I agree with what he is doing? No. I don't think it helps when people bash him for what he's doing or when people tell him he's doing the right thing. I do have my own ideas of what I think about him but everyone has their own private reasons for doing what they do. I will say this; when you put it all out there in a blog, you better have a thick skin.

What prompted me to write this post is that there are some bloggers out there attacking the anonymous posters. I feel that many, not all, of the anonymous ones have left well written comments, they make sense but most happen to disagree with DH and how he is handling his situation. It may be helpful if DH opens his mind but alas it does sound like his mind is made up. No matter what is said he only listens to the ones that agree with him. They have taken up his cause and bash what the anonymous commenters have to say. People have different reasons for commenting anonymously, I can't fault them for that. But I want to make this clear. Are we all not anonymous out here in the cyber world? Sure you can leave your blogger name but unless you are willing to put your real name out there as well as your email address, I've got news for you; YOU ARE ANONYMOUS TOO.

I did this post on my blog because it is way to long to post in his comments.

Just Desserts

The holidays are fast approaching and my services will be in demand for desserts. Whenever there's an occasion that requires a dessert, I'm the one inlisted for the duty. I'm famous for desserts. One reputation I don't mind having. I'm not crazy about cooking but I enjoy baking. I think that goes back to the day when I just had to have an Easy Bake Oven. I begged my parents and Santa (just in case) for it. That was all I wanted I said, buy me nothing else. I must have been a good girl because there was one under the tree for me. The only problem was I used up all of the mixes in 2 days. Off to the store to buy more. I gave that lightbulb a workout.

For Thanksgiving I will make dessert for 14 people at the In-laws. I love pumpkin pie, not just any pumpking pie but pumpkin chiffon pie. My grandmother always made that. It's light and fluffy, not baked in the oven and take my word for it, it is delicious. You will never want the other kind again. To go along with the pie I will make a chocolate pecan torte. If you'd like the recipes just ask me, I'm not one of those cooks that won't share. I've got a great one for Oreo cookie cake that uses whipped cream and liquor, you freeze it and it is like ice cream cake. mmmmmmm

For Christmas I will again make the dessert, only for 11 people (my fam). I'll make grandma's traditional pumpkin pie and since my brother-in-law doesn't like pie (I know, strange eh?) I will make him chocolate chip cookie cheesecake. I just made one for my father-in-laws birthday. It is a dessert so easy to make plus people think you spent a lot of time on it. (My secret) So if you want to impress someone with a dessert, this is the one for you. Guys, it's easy and surprise someone!





Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake

You will need:

2 rolls of chocolate chip cookie mix

3 packages of softened cream cheese
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
splash of vanilla

Blend cream cheese mixture until creamy.


In a greased 9 x 13 pan, slice and press one roll of cookie dough in to bottom of pan. This is the crust.A helpful hint is to keep the dough chilled until ready to use. It won't be as sticky.

Spread cream cheese mixture over this.

Using the second roll of cookie dough, slice or crumble over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 - 40 minutes


Chill for several hours before serving.

What's in a Name?

Did you ever think about your name and wonder if it has anything to do with the kind of person you turned out to be? Does your name define who you are? If you could change your name would you?

I have an unusual name. Not many people have it. At one time I never heard of anyone with my name although I do now and they're mostly younger than myself. When I was little I didn't like my name because no one had it. It wasn't something that people named their child. I always had to explain my name, yes it's my real name, it's not short for anything etc. I was teased about it because it was different than the Susans' or Debbies' or Pattys' that were out there and I wanted a more mainstream name.

As I grew up I came to love my name. I liked being the only person with that name. I never had to wonder if someone was calling me, no one else had that name, unlike today while these are beautiful names, there are many Sarahs, Jessicas, Emilys, Nicoles and Jennifers. Not only that but I think , it has defined who I am today. Growing up I never wanted to be just like someone else. I didn't want to wear the same clothes or have the same things as others. One of my friends would buy the same things I would. The first time it happened we were maybe 12 and I had gotten a new bathing suit. I loved it. A few days later she got the same one. I was mad and no longer liked mine. Sometimes you would show up at school and someone would have the same shirt as you, I understand that happens, I just didn't like it.

I would like to think that I am as unique a person as my name is. I don't have to have what fashion gurus say is popular. I like one of a kind things. My home is decorated in my style. It's not traditional but not modern. Just a mix of what I like, there is not a theme. I'm not afraid of not being trendy.

Going back to the name thing. What I don't care for are names that are totally made up, that are so off the wall or that you can't pronounce and working in the school system I've seen many. I'm not being judgemental here, parents can certainly name their child anything they like, this is my opinion. Dont' saddle your children with a name like that. One past student that comes to mind was named Elmer. Now I realized that it was a family name but no young child should be called Elmer. Just my opinion. I think of celebraties that name their babies names like Apple (Gwenith Paltrow) or Pilot Inspector (Jason Lee) or Rumor (Demi Moore). Do they think of what their child's life will be like with those goofy names. I know that there have been studies of people and their names and how they have done in life.

When naming our two boys we took all of that into consideration. I wanted a name that was not "out there" but not the traditional Michael or Steven or James. I also wanted a name that couldn't be turned into an "ie" name such as Billy or Stevie or Scottie. Nope, not me. Before Kevin was born my father- in- law always refered to him as Kevie. I told him countless times that we were not going to call him that. For 3 weeks after he was born he called him that. Now after a woman has a baby, her hormones are going crazy. I told my husband to take care of that issue NOW or I will and it won't be pretty. He did and our son was never called Kevie again. My other son, Cameron, if you shorten it you get Cammie and that's a pretty girly name. One person did it once and realized that, eewwww, can't call him that. Although my mother did ask why I was naming him a "last" name. He was actually named after Cam Neely of the Boston Bruins.

I think choosing a name is important with many things to consider such as; does it go with your last name, can the child be teased because of it. Remember Elmer? Back to the subject, it should be a name that people can pronounce somewhat. Ethinic names are fine, I'm talking about made up names. That child will be explaining that name for the rest of their life.

If I had to choose any other name for myself it would be Abigail. I love that name. Abby is a cute name or if you wanted to be more professional, Abigail is perfect. Plus there aren't many of them around.

What do you think of your name? Let me know. :)

Honor a Veteran

We had a wonderful Veteran's Day assembly at school last week for all the students. We started off with some patriotic songs. They all know them as they learn them in first grade. We then had two special guests. Father and son, veterans of WWII and Vietnam. Dad was quite elderly as you can imagine and his son spoke for him and told us all his story.

His father was a bomber pilot and while on a mission his plane developed engine trouble. The plane fell back from formation because they couldn't keep up. They didn't have an escort to protect them and German planes found them. They were shooting at the plane and killed the gunner in the back of the plane, things were looking dire. The decision was made to jump from the plane as it was going down. While helping his fellow soldiers get ready his parachutte opened inside the plane. He then had to jump without knowing if the 'chutte would open. Well it did and as the others will floating down with him the German's were shooting them. He played dead and landed safely but not before seeing his plane crash and burn. He was the only one to survive that day. Some French living in Germany hid him in their home for several months and helped him escape to Spain where he then came home. In the meantime his parents had received a missing in action letter from the Air Force/Army (the were combined at the time). He brought this letter with him to our assembly as well as a piece of his plane that he managed to salvage.

I was very moved by all this and almost in tears (if you knew me that wouldn't surprise you, I can be tough but have a very soft heart, especially for children, elderly and dogs). Anyway, I have never had seen 450 children so quiet and listening. Even they understood what a powerful story he had. I just had to go and meet them afterwards to tell them thank you .

So thank you to all of our veterans. My father who was in the Army during peace time, my father-in-law during the Korean War/Conflict and our nephew who served in the Army for 7 years finishing his service as a Sargeant in the 101st Airborne out of Fort Campbell,Kentucky after a tour of Iraq.








If you're looking for a good movie for Veteran's Day viewing I recomend "Memphis Belle"

Out of Order

I seem to be extra technologically challenged the last week. Everything I touch I somehow end up breaking. I took our 300.00 camera to school on halloween and then a few days later tried to take a picture of our beautiful Japanese maple treee and it wouldn't power up. I changed the batteries, still didn't work. Tried regular batteries thinking maybe something is wrong with the charger. Nope, still didn't work. Turns out we have to send it to Canon in New Jersey for repairs. At least it's still under warrenty.

Next I needed to make some copies at school. I go to the copy room and the Copy Queen is not there. No problem, I can figure out how to make two sided, collated and stapled copies. Wrong. We have this big copier with all the bells and whistles that you have to have an ID number plus an account number. I don't know what I did but I pissed it off and it wouldn't work. I couldn't just leave it like that so I had to 'fess up to the Queen and suffer her wrath.

Today I had to take number 2 son to work and was listening to a CD in the truck. I wanted to change it so I push eject and I get no CD sliding out at me. Now there's a disc stuck in the player. Luckily the explorer is also still under warrenty.

I shouldn't be on the computer, who knows what will happen to it. Too bad, I'm staying on it. I am hooked on this website that is a live streaming camera at a watering hole in Africa. www.wavelit.com Last night when the sun came up there I saw monkeys, a giraffe, 5 zebras, and some animal with long curly horns. I suppose I can just watch Animal Planet and see the same thing with a better picture but it must be because this is live I can't stop watching. Except for now because Emmit Smith is getting ready to dance and you know how I feel about him. :)

Catch 22

I recently found out that our young friend does indeed need a heart transplant. As of now she only has 10% of her heart left working. The other 90% is worthless now. She has had some sort of pump installed that is keeping the remaining heart muscle beating. She is fighting for her life. She is at the top of the waiting list for a heart as she cannot live without one. My heart is hurting for her. While I'm praying for a new heart to become available soon I am very saddened because that means someone else's child will have died. I can only imagine the stress and helplessness both sets of parents are going through. I can't pretend to know what it would be like to see my child so desperatly ill. Sometimes life slaps you in the face and makes your own trials and tribulations seem so inconsequential. Please include Emily and her potential donor in your prayers.

Hair

I used to wish that I had a hairdresser that did house calls. A few months ago mine quit doing hair. I had been going to her for some time, since my kids were little.
As a long time customer she said that she would come to our house to do our hair. WOW! My dream came true. But I have decided that it's not a good dream. After a few visits to my house I realized that while it is nice that she comes to me, I miss the salon experience. There is something to be said for laying back in the chair to have your hair washed by someone. That's very relaxing to me. Then sitting there in front of the mirror watching, talking and listening to all the conversations. Now I have to have my hair washed in the kitchen sink and sweep up my own hair plus the dog walks in it. This week she came to naturally enhance my hair (cover the gray, yes, I have some gray hair). My mother's hair was silver by the time she was 40. I don't have much but what I have I don't like. The most exciting thing about that night was that my long haired son got 6 inches cut off. I was slightly sorry to see it go. I loved those big, fat curls but he still looks good.There are some curls left. Why can't my hair do that??