The Joy of Six...

Hi, it's me Olive...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Grandma said I could come on her blog again to tell you 'bout some really 'citing news.  Guess what?  I'm gonna be a big sister.  Me....Olive.  I'm not sure 'xactly what that means and what I gotta do; but it looks like my mommy and daddy are happy 'bout it.  I know it's got somethin' to do with my mommy's tummy; which is gettin' kinda round....like my ball.  I think mommy and daddy knew 'bout this news for a while, but didn't tell hardly anybody 'bout it til now.  I know they told my Grandmas and my Grandpa...and maybe a few other people; but now mommy is talkin' 'bout it a lot more...to friends and stuff.  Everyone looks pretty happy, so I wanted to share this good news with all of you...my Grandma's friends; and besides...I like this blogging thing.

I really need to talk to someone who is already a big sister to find out what I'm gettin' into...maybe cousin Bella could help.  She looks like she knows what she's doin'.  I know there's a baby involved....smaller than me.  I'm not sure how much time mommy and daddy will have to spend with it; but I know how much time they spend with me, and I might need to talk to this baby 'bout that.  If the new baby is little and cute like my dolly, then maybe I could play with it a lot...so mommy and daddy could get some rest.  I could even take it for a walk in my stroller if my dolly doesn't mind.  If any of you have anything to tell me that could help me be a good big sister, please let me know....or tell my Grandma so she can tell me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I heard this baby is s'pose to come to our house at the end of somethin' called August.  And then guess what?  Somethin' called September comes right after that and I'm gonna be two whole years old...yeah, the 14th.  This new baby can come to my party.  Isn't that great?

Okay, now I just gotta figger out where it's gonna sleep.  I pretty much got my room set-up just the way I like it.  Maybe mommy and daddy will let it sleep in their room.  But I can show it around and tell it what not to touch; and I have lots of toys for it to play with.  This could be a really good thing....

That's all I know right now.  Thanks for letting me share this 'citing news.  Mommy says it's always good to share.  Wish me luck.  I've been gettin' ready and practicin' my cleanin'.  Bye-bye...Love, Olive  xo

You Were On My Mind

Tomorrow would have been my late husband’s 67^th birthday.  He’s been in my thoughts a lot lately….I’m not sure why these reflective times happen when they do….maybe they’re my way of grieving....even now.  When Joel died over six years ago I felt numb and a little lost; but I also felt a huge responsibility to pull it together and keep everything organized.  I didn’t want anything falling through the cracks because I was falling apart.  The ‘organized’ me took over and in the process cushioned me from the great loss I just had.  Sometimes I feel like this big, old house is swallowing me up; and without him here to banter with and check-in on from time to time…these rooms feel pretty vacant lately.  Lord knows we didn’t spend every waking hour attached at the hip, but I always knew he was around doing his thing while I was doing mine…. and I could always touch base when I needed to….and vise-versa.

Joel was an enigma….a character…..sometimes you just loved him to death; and other times you wanted to wring his neck.

He loved:

His family, and felt great pride in his kids

Sailing, sailing, sailing, and everything that surrounded it….especially the camaraderie of all his sailing friends

John Wayne movies….and could be found with tears running down his face while watching one

Football

History and famous battles and wars

Watching children learn…and being a part of it

Wine, beer and his ‘drinkie-winkies’ (cocktails)

Shrimp and gyros plates

Books….any and all; including his family’s set of World Book Encyclopedias when he was growing up.  He had a photographic memory and could actually tell you the page an entry was on.  He read many books over and over again, especially those that made him cry.

News and commentary programs…especially ones you could call into with questions or comments….and he often did

A medium rare steak and a good cup of coffee

Playing bridge with friends...and later on the computer

The computer…for business and pleasure...loved Flight Simulator

Oxford button-down shirts

Wingtip shoes

Pizza, potatoes, and pork roast

Bargains….of any kind

Politics and debating them with anyone who would listen…..and those who wouldn’t….it didn’t matter

Good music

Ice cream

Salad, hot peppers on beef sandwiches, and barbecued ribs

Smoking

Playing trivia games

Making concoctions in the kitchen

Taking things apart and then putting them back together again

Fixing and repairing things around the house….cheaply

Duct tape (refer to above)

Magic tricks…and did many himself

Listening to his kids laugh….and me too.

 

He hated:

Paperwork….lucky me

When there was no one around to debate with….but there was always the phone

Broccoli and cauliflower…and peas

Being reminded to do something…or as he thought of it…. ‘nagging’

Injustice

‘One-ups-man-ship’

Doing taxes…and worse yet….sending them our money

Doctors and dentists

Being interrupted during a good show

Cleaning his desk

Wiping up messes

Hospitals...visiting or staying

Yard work, hence we had a landscape service for many years….and I still do

Arrogance

Buying a new car; which is why we had so many used ones

Sassing back; which is why our kids never did it

Shaving on weekends….weekends were for sailing, who needs to shave

Bad grammar and mispronunciation

 

He was:

Never too busy or too old to learn something new

A hard worker and a good provider, but for a time when he was out of work….and a little lost

Bright….really bright

Stubborn and self-healing

A big softie inside

A procrastinator

Intuitive

Competitive on family game nights

Good at selling things, but didn’t really love it

Hard to walk away from when he wanted your attention

Friendly and loyal

Good in a crisis

Patriotic

A Marine

Horrible about taking care of his health and sharing things that were bothering him

Someone you could ask about anything.  Somehow he always knew the answer....or where to find it.

Sometimes exasperating

Sometimes exhilarating

An Aries….pretty typical one

A hockey player in his early years

A writer….a good one, with several published pieces. 

A good speaker….he always had a way with words

A good friend

A loud snorer

Witty, funny...very funny

A good card player

A pretty good singer

A pretty bad dancer

 

He is:

Missed...and remembered      ~Joy

Whew, I'm not in this batch! The Darwin Awards

 

Yes, it's that time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us.  Here is the glorious winner:

1. When his 38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

And here are the honorable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine and after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company.  The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer....$15.  (If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?)

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window.. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Polycarbonate.  The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher.  Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from."

9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash.  The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order.  When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.

 (And now....*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER*)

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for.  Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage.  A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline, but he plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake.  The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the interest of bettering mankind, I'm sharing these with all of you....unless of course one of these individuals by chance is a distant relative or long lost friend. In that case, be glad they are distant and hope they remain lost.

*** Remember.... They walk among us and they vote!!! ***

More of this and that...

Sitting here with the window open letting the beautiful 70+ breeze blow into the room.  Wow, this feels good.  If every day was just like this one, I'd be a very happy camper.  I've had such a case of the 'blahs' lately and haven't been able to shake them off.  A day like today helps.

My son-in-law, Chris, is in town on business for a couple of days.  He, Jenna, Joe and I are going out to dinner a little later when he's done with some business meetings.  It will be so good to see him and just chill and chat over dinner.  He leaves to go home later tomorrow.  What a crazy, hectic life he has right now.  He works so hard that sometimes I worry about him not getting enough rest and relaxation.  I worry about the same thing with Julie...and the rest of my kids too.  I guess that's what moms do....IT'S THE LAW.

Still going to the Chiropractor....it's a slow and steady process, but there are signs that progress is being made.  I'm not sure it's the answer for some muscle problems I have going on, but my disc problem seems to be getting better.  I won't be out there running any races anytime soon however.  Heck, I just want to be able to walk around like I'm not 102 years old.  Is that asking too much?

Joe has a birthday coming up...the 19th.  My baby is not such a baby anymore...but he will always be one to me.  Not sure when we'll celebrate his day due to working schedules, etc...but we'll figure something out.  I actually might have jury duty on his birthday....UGH.  I'm on stand-by.  I hope I don't have to go when I call the night before; but if I do, I guess I'll be ready...even though I haven't been feeling particularly stellar.  Does anyone like being called for jury duty?

Here's a few recent pics of Liv, who is starting to say a lot of things now.  She is really such a hoot! 

Toodles from Olive and me.  Have a good week everyone....and Happy St. Pat's day coming up. ~Joy  xo

 

Spring Ahead....what?

I had no idea it was Daylight Savings Time again.  Joe and I were watching a Chicago Cubs spring training game yesterday when one of the announcers mentioned about setting our clocks ahead one hour on Sunday.  What?  Where have I been?  I use to know these things way in advance.  I don't know why I expect to see a lot more reminders than this; but it really took me by surprise that it was that time again.  Now I'm off to reset all of my clocks...for some reason, I hate that little task.  Hope you all were better prepared than I was.

 

Hey, would you buy a purse like this?

Or this?


I don't think so...butt somebody would.  Good grief....

 

Happy Birthday to my nephew, Shane.....and Happy Sunday everyone... ~Joy xo

A Day at the Beach

Recently Jory had to attend a conference for BlogHer in Miami, FL.  This time she took Jess and Olive with her to spend one of the days with her 95-year-old grandmother (Nana), who lives several hours away in Vero Beach.  Nana had never seen Liv and was very excited about the visit.

They drove to  Nana's the day before the conference, and Liv was a big hit with all of Nana's friends.  I'm so glad they could spend some time together.  Jory had been trying to make a visit to Nana possible for sometime now.  While she was busy working at the conference....here's how Dad and Liv took advantage of the beautiful weather in Miami.

Now that's more like it.  I'm waiting for some of that weather to come here.  Maybe it will bring me out of my 'blah' mood lately.  Happy week everyone...  ~Joy xo