| leatherman's log |
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July 2008 |
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| Week One: Happy 4th! |
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| Although my Spring
planting of flowers and seeds was off schedule this year due to the
unfortunate circumstances, things are growing and already blooming
around the front and back yards. |
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| Luckily cosmos re-seed
themselves, so I already have some coming up on both sides of the
driveway - and they are already blooming! About three weeks after
these plants were out of the ground, I seeded the thin areas. Now
there are small plants coming up to fill in the gaps. |
| I brought three begonias home from DO's
last year. Two didn't make it at all - not even through Fall.
Although half of this plant died off during the cold Winter sitting
in the sunny kitchen window, it came back pretty well as soon as
Spring came to Ohio. |
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| From the street, one can
see the pansies are doing well in front of the dogwood tree. The
hostas, that were planted last year, around the back side of the
tree are doing good too. Stalks are already appearing that will have
flowers on them soon |
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I've been taking some
Chantix that we have leftover from . . . No, strike that.
(I can't tell you the exact date, somewhere after Christmas '04, but
I remember starting to write my blog entries in the plural - as in
"we" and "us". Part of the grieving process is getting back into the
habit, in these updates and real life, of talking about "I" and "me"
instead. It's just another frustrating part of losing a partner. I'm
really trying to watch what pronouns I'm using now. At times, I'm
even loathe to use "we" when referring to what me and my roomie Sean
are doing. There just isn't any "we" anymore.)
I have been taking some Chantix that I have leftover from when Jim
and I had taken it last fall. That time, I had been able to quit in
FOUR weeks. Hopefully, I will do better this time as there's only
enough for THREE weeks this time. LOL The Medicaid card still
doesn't cover Chantix yet, so I can't afford to fill the new
prescription that my doctor wrote for me.
This is day 5 and I've only smoked a pack of cigs over the last two
days (with the roomie bumming about 4 off me every day, since he's
been trying to quit on his own for the last two months). Today I can
finally say that I am feeling the effects. No "vivid dreams" yet;
but, although I can get pretty buzzed again off half a cig
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I'm only smoking once every couple of hrs, and they taste like nothing!
WooHoo! Oh I'm sure the roomie will attest that I've been in quite a
bitchy mood
the last two days; but I've been down this road before and hopefully
this time I'll have quicker results and longer-lasting results.
The results are going to have to come quicker because as of tomorrow
I won't have ANY money for two days! That means no traveling (can't
afford the gas) in the "soon to be re-possessed" car, and no cigs!!
I've already raided my change and borrowed $30 against by next SS
check (for dog food and not cigs ).
I'm supposed to be able to smoke the first week on the med; but it
looks like I only get one more day to enjoy them.
Hopefully, I'll get those longer-lasting results too this time.
Although I understand the next two months are still going to be
stressful as I find a new home and prepare to move, I'm not really
expecting to have any more insurmountable problems for a while.
Bluntly, I've got no partner left to die on me; and as I've said
before, I can try to work out any situation except death. I worry
about my Joxie now that he's over 10, and Aries does have those
seizures. I know that is worrying about just too much; but
realistically those things will be happening sometime in my future.
 
So here's hoping I get through nicotine withdrawal quickly and
nothing drastic happens for more than 105 days this time. |
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Recently, there were days of some
decent weather and I enjoyed some time by the pool. But then we've
gotten some really odd weather (that's par for the course in Ohio
LOL). First thunderstorms, then cold weather. Here it is about to be
July and June is ending with October temperatures! (Eek! Maybe I
should reconsider that move back to the sunny HOT South. LOL)
However things are supposed to get back to regular Summer temps by
July 4th.
However, there has been parts of the day when the sun has been out
and it's been really warm - the way Summer is supposed to be. Since
I live right by the pool, I've been able to squeeze in quite a bit
of reading time by the pool, along with getting in the water for an
hour each day while I clean and keep the water sparkling bright. (I
worked too hard to get it this way to let the rain water turn it
back to icky green!) |
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| As you can see, there aren't nearly as
many toys and floats in the pool as usual. Quite a few had small
leaks from the abuse they received at the parties Jim and I held
last summer, and I've been throwing them away. I really doubt my
next home has a pool so there's no sense in trying to patch any of
the floats; nor do I feel like packing up, moving and storing broken
pool toys. |
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Many of you have written or chatted
with me about my decision about what to do with Jim's house. I think
at this point we all pretty much agree that it's really a decision
not in my hands. Though many of you have had good suggestions, no
one has been able to come up a viable solution to any of my reasons
why I can't keep the house. Quite frankly, it's a house (with
problems) that I can't afford and that
I have no real claim to. I know for a while my roomie tried to keep
the faith that some answer would magically appear; but when we had
to place several bowls around the house the other night to catch the
dripping rain water leaking through the roof during the downpour of
a thunderstorm, I saw the light dawn over his head.
Part of me is getting more used to the idea of leaving this house (especially
when rain is dripping from the ceiling) since I received several of Jim's bills this week that
acknowledged his passing and want his estate to pay up their claims!
It's another sign that my stay in this house is coming to an end.
Another part of me is thinking I should be leaving soon anyway, as
everything about this house is a constant reminder either that Jim
is no longer here or that things are going to have to change. Why
just today, one of my favorite activities, yard work, was ruined by
thinking about what was, what is and what will be (it WAS Jim's
yard, but it won't be MINE much longer). Why should I care about the
flowers or the weeds if I'm not even going to be here in another
month or two? I guess all that can be someone else's problem. |
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While seeding cosmos out front, I
planted some where Jim and I grew sunflowers last year out in the
backyard. Wouldn't you know it; but a few days later I found half a
pack of sunflower seeds, so I planted them too. All the plants are
coming up nicely. Maybe mixing up these flowers will okay. The
cosmos will be blooming from 6 to 24 inches, while the sunflowers
will grow up another 2 feet before flowering. |
| The bamboo outside the patio is even
wilder and taller this year than ever before. It spread over into
the neighbor's yard and they hacked it down along with a dead bush
in the line of plants between the two backyards. The bamboo doesn't
seem to have extended out towards the pool much, the way it usually
tries to do. That's a good thing though. I sure don't need bamboo
sprouting out from under the pool liner! |
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MouseOver to see the flower |
I originally got a sample of this plant
from DO's neighbor, which I grew around the fountain in the front
yard of my old house. Two summers ago, I transplanted some to Jim's
house. It had spread quickly, produced pink flower "balls", and died
off nicely for the Winter before coming back each Spring. It didn't
do so well in the drought last year; but is spreading out this year.
My plans were to let this grow all around the edge of the pool. |
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| Sitting in my "new"
computer room this Summer, looking out the window, I can see the
pool. I also see that my morning glories have returned without me
having to seed again this year. |
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Even though the roomie is still up my
ass a bit too much (and no, I don't mean in the "good" way.
 
I mean in that annoying "always-there-when-you-turn-around" way),
I'm still pretty glad that he is here. Every time he goes to work, I
find myself wandering through the house (without a cable connection
there's no TV for distraction), thinking about and missing
Jim terribly. If I had been alone all this time, I may have ended up
as one of those people sleeping away their grief in bed, losing any
semblance of their own life. I know I'm supposed to be sad right now
(I read all those grief books when Randy passed away); but this
seems like that debilitating kind of sadness whenever I'm alone.
It's really quite scary feeling that sad and grief-ridden. |
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I do have some nice news though. I'll
be back online in another week! WooHoo!!
Luckily, when Jim and switched to ATT Uverse from Time Warner cable,
we left a $0 bill, plus it's been about 6 months now since we had
the cable turned off. That means that we can have cable service
(including internet and their phone, so I can stop paying for the
cell phones that Jim and I had, saving me quite a bit in bill money)
back in the house next week (Tues 7/8/08). Since Time-Warner is
connected throughout the city and ATT is not, when the roomie and I
move, we'll be able to move keep this same service no matter where
we end up living in town. |
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Week Two: |
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WooHoo!
mIkIE is back online!
Going back to Time-Warner RoadRunner service, I've got the internet
back, along with cable TV, and a digital phone! Just in time too, as
the cell phones were just shut-off for non-payment. It's a shame I
couldn't have been able to afford the phones; and because it wasn't
my account, I couldn't even save my old phone number.
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Week Three: |
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I still don't know what this plant is
that I planted by the pool; but it's doing really well.
MouseOver for another CloseUp |
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This year, thanks to my friend Rhonda,
I finally found out what this "blue pod" plant is that Joyce has at
her house. It's the Chinese Bellflower, otherwise known as a
"balloon flower". |
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I'm not certain if I'll be here long
enough (more about that later) to see the sunflowers bloom, but they
are doing really well.
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The morning glories are doing really
well. Just the other day, as I was wondering when I'd be seeing the
first blooms, the first bloom finally appeared. |
| Two days later, the blooms were
starting to burst out all up and down the vines. |
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Looking like I don't have a care in the
world , I'm getting quite a tan this summer, not only from using the
pool, but also from spending time just sitting up on the deck
reading.
But I only wish I didn't have a care in the world. Instead, slowly
but surely, my life is unraveling and falling apart. |
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| Two main problems hit me
this week. First, thank goodness it's Summer cause we don't have no
heat! There was enough left over from Winter on the gas bill that I
haven't been able to keep up with it, so a few days ago the gas was
shut off.
Luckily, it's not really a problem at this time of year with the
daytime temp in the upper 80s; but cold showers are kinda hard
getting used to.
Thankfully, the stove here is electric, so I can still fix dinner
every night. WooHoo! |
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Then there's a problem
with the roomie. Oh, Sean and I get along pretty well, it's just a
problem that he lost his job! Unfortunately, it seems he's also lost
his motivation to find another job. After 2 weeks, he's barely tried
even a dozen places for more employment. However a day ago, Sean
finally got an offer for a new job, though it won't start until the
first of this week.
It's also been during these last 2 weeks, that we started looking
for a new home. At first, I was checking out three-bedroom places;
but it looks like our other friend has preferred to stay in the
dreadful position (of his own choosing though) of being 30 and still
living at his mom's. So then we changed the search standard to look
for a 2-bedroom place. Now, with Sean's unemployment, I'm just not
certain whether I should continue with that search or start looking
for a 1-bedroom place that I can afford for just me and the dogz. I
told you - I really, really need that crystal ball to figure out
what to do next!
Maybe if Sean was my bf I could tolerate the situation, but
goodness! the cute boy ain't even queer! LOL No matter how "nice"
Sean is, or how much he "wants" to help (without a paycheck now,
"wanting to help" is about all he can really do), the responsibility
of housing for me and the boyz falls into my lap alone, and I'm just
not certain on how much assistance I'm going to be getting from this
roommate. He may just have to fend for himself, while I move on to
my own place. |
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But looking for a
1-bedroom is even a problem, I'm finding out. Getting only $500 a
month from SSD may give me enough to pay rent somewhere; but
there'll be no money left for any utilities. Not knowing then
exactly what kind of housing to look for right now, I've been
putting out the word and trying to find as many solutions to my
problem as possible. Heaven knows, I don't even own a car to sleep
in (a letter from the car company says they may repossess the car
anytime after the 20th), and I sure don't want me and the boyz to
end up homeless! One very drastic solution that I have found is
that, if worse comes to worse, I can lose nearly all the furniture
and belongings I own and move in with Carolynn (Randy's mom) until
her house sells. She is looking to sell the house while she has a
new smaller house built beside her son's home, so at best, this
would only be a temporary solution - but it is a solution that would
keep me and the boyz off the streets for a while longer.
The dogz are another minor problem in my search for housing; but
I'll be damned if I'm going to lose my boyz! As it is, I may have to
lose a LOT of my belongings (furniture, clothing, even memorabilia
from Jim's life) to fit into a small apartment (or just a room over
at Carolynn's); but I've stayed alive for many, many years because
of my responsibility to care for the dogs. They are moving with me
where ever I end up going! |
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On top of those worries,
is still a much deeper emotional problem though. I know I've
mentioned it before; but Jim was a major part of my life for 20
years and having him gone so suddenly has really just left me for a
loop. It's just tearing me up that everything here reminds me of Jim
and that I have all these problems that not only can Jim not help me
with; but I can't even discuss these problems with him.
I remember once, long ago it used to seem, being this sad and
realizing that it was only me against the world after losing Randy.
I used to think that those were the worst days of my life. I was so
surprised the last few years at how much better my life was turning
out than I had ever imagined. I guess you just get spoiled with a
partner. The right one fills in all the gaps, gives you a break from
all the day-to-day headaches and chores, and is always there to
consult on any issue. Now it's back to being half-a-person for a
while. Though you may not want to believe me, it really is harder
than just being single. I have to break EVERY frickin' habit and
daily routine that we used to do as a couple for these past years
and re-learn to do EVERYTHING all by myself, to even obtain the
status of being a single, whole person. It's awful to say, cause
part of me feels that it's disloyal to Randy and part of me feels it
distorts Jim's legacy; but THESE are the worst days of my life ever.
Not only is my physical life in shambles because Jim is gone; but
emotionally/mentally, I'm in quite a mess too. |
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| Even though I may seem to be oh-so
hedonistic for hanging out by the pool as much as I have been and
getting tanner every day, I've been deeply appreciative of every
moment and have really tried to get "my money's worth" out of the
pool before I leave. Who knows, I could find a new home by the end
of next week and these might have been my last few days enjoying
Jim's house and Jim's pool. If I've learned anything from losing two
partners, it's too enjoy life as much as you can each day - while
you can! |
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my pool buddy - Joyce! |
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While I'm on the subject
of me and how things are going, I should update you on how things
are going with stopping smoking. It's been just over three weeks now
and I took my last Chantix a few days ago. Once again, I've been
having some vivid, wake-you-up dreams; but none of the scary
variety. Up until just a few days ago, I wasn't certain how much the
med was working, as I was still puffing away, or craving them when I
wasn't smoking.
However, I was very nauseous the other night (it came upon me
suddenly, late in the evening, so I'm not real certain about the
cause - though I'll speculate on that shortly) so I went to bed
feeling too icky to do much of anything, much less smoke. I awoke
the following morning and still felt cruddy throughout the day,
until that evening. Though I had been craving cigarettes just the
day before, I found I didn't have the craving any longer and the few
that I have been smoking (old habits are hard to break) don't taste
like anything at all.
With a little luck, hopefully the Chantix will stay working in my
system for a few more days as I try to kick the last of this smoking
habit. (oh goodness though! I'm back to being hooked on those wint-o-green
LifeSavers again. ROFL) |
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I have an idea of why I
may have been sick off-and-on for the last few days - 2 parts good
ol' stress and 1 part disease. It seems that even taking acyclovir
twice a day to head off an outbreak of that infection in my left
hand, the recent stress (a key trigger to a herpes outbreak) was
just more than me, my body, or even the meds could compensate for
this time. Although my hand didn't swell up too badly from this
outbreak, I had some of the other side effects this time - mainly
severe pain and nausea.
Also I have to admit that I haven't been taking my meds regularly
lately. Between the Summer heat, the confusion of my life, and
having days of feeling nauseous, taking meds hasn't been on the top
of my to-do list again. ( Hmmm,
maybe the doc was right and onto something when he was so worried
about me on my last few visits.) It's over a month and a half before
I have to have more blood work done, so hopefully I'll be able to
get my act together and still have some good numbers around the
middle of September. |
| No matter where I live,
construction is sure to happen. At least the construction happening
outside the house here is the good kind - they are re-paving the
road. Well, at least for now, they have torn up the road in
anticipation of laying down new asphalt. |
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| (a quick update: it's been six days
now and still no new asphalt on the road, so if you come visit me,
watch out for the raised man-holes! |
Even the poor pool is
starting to fall apart now. First one of the patches Jim put on last
year, has come loose and there's a slow (very slow) leak to the
pool. Also, with my money situation, I've run out of chemicals
(chlorine tablets for the filter) and won't be able to get any more.
Since it's nearly the end of the pool then, and nearly the end of
July,
there's only one thing to do - have some pool parties!! I've
invited people over this weekend and next weekend to splash about
and enjoy a few last cook-outs at the house before I move on to
greener pastures. Neither of these weekend
parties will be Pooltag however.
My heart's just not into it. Maybe if things had gone differently
and things weren't so uncertain about how long I was going to
continue to live here; but that's not the reality of it all
unfortunately. Sigh! |
| The First Pool Party
of the Year! |
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Becca,
Kayle and Angie |
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Linda squinting in the glare of the sun |
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Joyce takes a moment to soak up some rays before getting
into the water |
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Sean just back from a beer run as I started the hot dogs
cooking. |
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| Speaking of beer, this is
the second day in the last three weeks that I've shocked people by
drinking beer (Corona with a lime twist, of course).
I guess it is pretty rare for people to see me drinking now-a-days.
Not that I don't like it; but I guess it's just getting older,
having "been there and done that", and really hating that whole
puking thing that makes me not drink so often anymore.
I've really become such a tea-totalerthat there's still half a
bottle of vodka in the frig from when Jim and I had Bloody Mary's
LAST summer.
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| I can't forget to mention
that MUFFINS made a come-back for the pool party!
This was the first batch I've backed since the batch I made for the
nurses at the hospital!
My friend Rhonda had given me another starter a while back but I
didn't pay attention to it at all. It's bag eventually fell beside
the refrigerator and after nearly a week there in the hot exhaust,
the mix was no longer any good. When Rhonda gave me another starter,
I took better care of it and I was once again the "Muffin Man". |
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What's that?!? |
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What's this?
MouseOver to find out! |
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| I guess I survived this
first pool party okay. I'm really tired; but I had a good time and so did
all my friends. We had a couple great games of beach ball
volleyball, ate hot dogs and cheesy-taters (Joyce's summer "piece de resistance"!) and all got a little baked. Sure we lost a few more
pool toys in the fray; but we got a whole lotta fun squeezed out of
those toys!
Yet, even with all the diversions of my friends, the pool, the fun,
the food and the laughs, underneath it all, I was quite sad. There
was no Jim to help me pick up supplies, to clean the patio and
garage in anticipation of our guests, or to man the grill. Several
times during the afternoon, I really wanted to do nothing more than
get away from everyone, and go hide out and cry. |
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I'm not surprised I felt that way
about the pool party though. As I mentioned, I started dwelling on
sad thoughts when I didn't have Jim with me at the grocery store to
pick up supplies, and I have to wonder if I wasn't sending out
vibes. As one of the regular cashiers was ringing up my purchases,
she mentioned that she hadn't seen or "my friend" in the store much
lately. She continued that she understood if we had chosen to do our
shopping elsewhere, she had just noticed the situation seeing me and
wondered how things were going. Even though I had been thinking
about Jim, it was still quite a surprise to have his "absence"
mentioned like that. Quickly, quietly, and politely, I explained
that Jim had gone into the hospital Mar 3rd, found out he had
cancer, and had passed away on May 1st. The lady politely offered
her condolences, and I headed home.
However, about an hour later as I was starting to bake the muffins
for the party, I realized that I was still missing a few
ingredients. Going back to the grocery and entering, I didn't see
the same cashier but a whole new shift of employees as I walked past
the registers and into the store. This time I was checked out by
another one of the employees that regularly ring us up. As this lady
checked my items, she told me that the other employee had informed
her about Jim's death. She also offered her condolences. I was very
touched by the concern of both ladies today.
But those weren't the only reminders during the day of my missing
partner. I received a letter in the mail delivery just before the
pool party guests arrived. It seems the Cremation Society will finally be
turning me over to a collection agency now (they threatened to do it last month) to try to get the last
$417 that I still owe them.
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| So it's back to looking for a new home
this week and trying to pack up my belongings. (I need boxes!!) |
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Week Four: |
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| A week later, the paving
crew finally came back to finish up the road. |
| Two MouseOver Specials |
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| See how well the hostas are growing |
CloseUp of the asphalt trucks |
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| The boyz watch the paving crew by
looking through the gap between the drive and the garage door.
MouseOver to see the boyz a little better. |
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| Another
Pool Day! |
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| mIkIE cleans the pool |
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| The problem to playing
with the beach balls in the pool is that the balls don't always stay
in the pool.
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| Don't forget to wear
sunblock! |
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| Sean hides out under the water so I
can't take his picture. Ah, but all I have to do is wait. He can't
hold his breath forever.
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| The Last
Pool Party |
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I decided to throw one last pool party, in part to celebrate DO's
birthday, and partly to remember Jim's birthday. |
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| Uncertain of how the
weather was going to be, I pulled out some of the old Pooltag
supplies and set up to play some games if the water was too cold, or
if the sun wasn't out enough to suit everyone's taste. |
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| Arriving several hours late
(as they had for the first party),
the rest of the guests finally showed up. |
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Ritchie was still recovering from an
allergic reaction (his face isn't red or swollen any longer), so he
stayed on the patio, playing with the boyz and reading his book.
Rich's hair sure is getting long and shaggy now. Maybe I should get
out the dog clippers and take care of that.
While I'm at it, I
can shave the fuzz that has started growing on his face too.
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Creating
a Whirlpool! |
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We had quite a smorgasbord
for the cookout. Everyone brought something and we ended up with a
pretty good meal. For nearly 40 minutes, I slaved over the flames
grilling pork chops, cheese-dogs, bratwurst, mild and hot Italian
sausage smothered by the simmering strips of bell pepper and onions.
Along with buns, we had side dishes of some delicious Spanish rice
and a tray of mac-n-cheese.
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| Friday night, we had cake at DO's
house..... |
....with more cake at the party! |
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Thanks Linda! It was yummy! |
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I didn't weather this
party as well as I had the last one. You should realize that this
pool party probably would have been
Pooltag 3
if Jim had not passed away. No matter how I tried, I just couldn't
enjoy the afternoon, as all I could think of was what might have
been.
After last year's Pooltag, Jim had decided not to hold any more
parties like that; but we had been debating that decision just
before Jim was hospitalized. Although we love our friends very much,
they are too loud, rowdy and destructive when they come over to
enjoy the pool. For example, all those floats and toys that I threw
away when I first opened up the pool this year - all those were
damaged by the crowd at last year's pool parties. Jim and I had
already thrown away other floats that they damaged that we couldn't
patch up last year.
To make matters worse, my guests obviously didn't remember my
biggest gripe from last year - when the host leaves the pool to go
get the food ready, you are NOT to leave the pool, crowd into the
patio and get into the cook's way. But they did that again too! I
could hardly move around with all the people on the patio (dripping
everywhere too and not drying off), and I snapped and really bitched
them all out.
I fussed about the floats being destroyed and not replaced year
after year; jumping off the side of the pool and making the whole
structure shake (it's not a concrete pool, it's just an aluminum
frame for heaven's sake!); and of course, asked why instead of
everyone still being in the pool (it IS a pool part, duh!), why they
were all crowded into the patio and in my way as I tried to cook
them dinner.
After my tirade, the patio cleared out (only a little bit though),
and I finished cooking in silence. I guess Jim had been right after
all. I shouldn't have held another pool party, because these people
are just too disrespectful of other people's property and too loud
and foul-mouthed. I'm definitely going to miss the pool when I move;
but I won't miss throwing another pool party - because I'm never
throwing a pool party for these guests again. |
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The craziness of the day
wasn't over yet. As we were all eating dessert (that yummy bday cake
Linda brought over - along with another "extra" cake), we could see,
and hear, an approaching storm - and it sounded mean! Quickly people
began to swallow their last bites of cake, grab some leftovers and
snatch up their damp towels. Only a few guests made it away in their
cars before a terrible storm descended on us. Buckets of rain poured
from the clouds, while the wind blew it sideways through the screens
on the patio.
As we all huddled in the garage, we found we had gained a new guest
- one of the retrievers that lives a couple doors down. This dog has
often "escaped" and ended up down visiting the boyz. We could hear
the dog's owner calling her (aka HotDaddy - but more on him in just
a moment. By the way, the dog's name is Josie). Sean ran out into
the yard to tell the neighbor that we had his dog; but the retriever
refused to be pulled out from under the garage overhang and taken
back home. With good reason too as LARGE hailstones suddenly rained
from the sky! Sean and the neighbor quickly came running across the
yard, dodging the hail as it slammed into the ground, burying pieces
in the grass. As the hail grew larger and clumps began slamming into
our vehicles, shattering into dozen of flying ice fragments, the
guys got to safety in the front of the garage with me, the dogz, and
an extra dog.
I should probably pause here and explain about HotDaddy. This
neighbor moved in about a year ago, and Jim and I have chatted with
him and his wife just a few times. They have a couple of young teen
boys and 2 retrievers. Last month, as we sat on the pool deck, we
could catch glimpses of these neighbors as they put up a fence to
contain Josie (since she was at MY house before this storm, it
doesn't look like their fence had solved their Houdini-dog problem
yet.
)
Well, this neighbor also rides a motorcycle, is bald, and is totally
muscular, hot and hunky.
I sure haven't minded seeing the eye-candy out sweating in his yard
mowing or installing that fence while I've lounged by the pool.
Of course, I've mentioned HotDaddy a few times to my friends, so
everyone that was still waiting for the storm to blow over, knew
exactly who I had standing right beside me. I'm not really certain
what HotDaddy said to me while we waited for the rain and hail to
stop. First, I was a bit speechless myself because HotDaddy up-close
was much hotter than seen from a distance. Then as he talked to me,
he kept punctuating his comments by tapping me on the arm.
I
couldn't help myself, and as he rambled on (all I heard was his
dog's name LOL), my eyes slid from his face and took in his whole
package. Oh boy! At least I got a smile from the guy when I looked
back up and got caught checking him out. It didn't help matters much
from the peanut gallery behind me either.
Four or five of the ladies and teenage girls had lined up behind me
to get a gander at HotDaddy for themselves. I'm sure he heard them
as they giggled and whispered about "mIkIE talking to HotDaddy". |
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Kayle shows how big the hailstones still were 15 mins. after the
storm on such a hot Summer day. She could only fit two or three in a
cup at a time! |
I saved a plate of hail in the freezer!
There sounds like there should be a joke in that line somehow.
If
you think of something, let me know.
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Watch Out!
Kerri is on the loose and learning to drive. |
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Someone must have done something really
bad in the town the other day. While at Joyce's house, we watched
cops patrolling all over the neighborhood while a helicopter (who
knew we had a big enough sheriff dpt. around here that they have a
helicopter?!?) flew overhead.
MouseOver for a CloseUp
if you can't see the helicopter |
| My morning glories are
still growing well, spreading down the fence-line. Every morning
when I sit down to my computer, I am greeted with a fence-full of
blooms. |
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| My youngest brother and
his family spent some time at the beach this summer, as they have a
few other times in the past. They really enjoyed their vacation and
sent me some pictures. Of course, I just had to share.
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| MouseOver the Family for
CloseUps! |
| After returning from the trip, Jenny
and Lisa picked a huge amount of flowers that had come into bloom.
Bet their house smells nice and looks really pretty right now with
vases full of flowers throughout their home. |
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DO spent some more time by the water
for her birthday. The day after the pool party, her grandson took DO,
and his family, out pontoon-boating. Though they were out for nearly
10 hrs., Joyce had a wonderful time and came home with lots of
pictures. |
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| DO has been using Jim's
camera that I gave her more and more, and she's taking much better
pictures than she used to with her old one. Sure there are still
some blurry shots, and some of her fingers in front of the lens yet;
but everyone is entitled to take some bad photos. LOL She did listen
to some of my photo tips though, and she takes plenty of pictures so
that she has good pictures leftover after deleting the messed-up
ones. |
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| a day on the lake |
| Unfortunately, I have to
end this month with a bad piece of news and a sad piece of news. |
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| First the bad news - the
roomie is unemployed again.
He was working through a temporary
agency and was cut as the company's work load diminished. Making
things worse, is that he doesn't seem too troubled about getting a
job either. I hate to tell him, but sleeping until 2 or 3 in the
afternoon is no way to find employment. |
The sad news is that we just passed
what would have been Jim's 52nd birthday on July 29th. The following
day was also a sad day, as it was the 90th day since Jim's death.
Just a year ago, Jim stood in his backyard, getting things ready for
Pooltag and happy to be 51.
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