Friday, March 31, 2006

My husband















My husband is mowing our lawn for the first time. I am supposed to be sleeping. I guess I'll just be exhausted tonight. That just means I'll sleep really well tomorrow.



Here is another picture of Greg. He like's overalls. After Christmas, he made sure he had five pairs so he wouldn't have to worry about them being dirty when he needed something to wear. He says that they are perfect -- his belly has room to expand.


This is why I am not asleep at 3 am. I was overtaken and too weak to fight. Posted by Picasa

Mrs. Murdoch


Helen's post about Billy reminded me of a story Mrs. Murdoch told me.

When I worked at the public library, Mrs. M. was the genealogy librarian (Patsy and Fleta would like her.) For the first year or so I was there I was deathly afraid of her. Little things like parking in her parking space and searching for books in her section of the library (always under her watchful eye) made me weary of her.

One day mom asked me to pick up some papers from Mrs. M. I told her "I will not do it." I think she was taken aback. I told her I was a little 'afraid' of Mrs M. and that I would like to avoid her at all costs. Ok, no problem. Well.... Mom came to the library that afternoon. On her way out the door she stopped by the circulation desk. "I don't think you will be having any more problems with Mrs. M." uh oh. She went on to say that she told Mrs. M. that for some reason I was afraid of her. I guess she gave her the 'stare.' I doubt that she threatened her but I remember from that day on Mrs. M. was a little weary of me. And very nice.

Well, here is my story.

A few years later, I found out Mrs. M. is really funny and she has lots of stories to tell. She told me that she could remember the last time she gave her son a spanking. He was as tall as she which was almost as tall as me. I'd guess about 14 years old. She told him what his punishment was going to be. He took off running. They ran around and around the house. Finally, they where running in circles around the dining room table. Mrs. M. was sensing that she was whooped so she grabbed her knee and fell to the floor. Her son (he was a gentleman then) came to help her up --- Picture this -- Mrs. M. jumped up and tackled him and gave him the 'whipping' he deserved.

Thursday, March 30, 2006


Me and grandma Posted by Picasa

Me and Grandpa Posted by Picasa

The Life of the Party

Today is Sigrid's birthday, yesterday we had a party. A lovely outdoor party.

1st Sister was there.





















And 2nd sister... along with her beautiful cake. Everyone was called the morning of the party and told not to laugh at the cake. 2nd sister decorated it and we were supposed to oooo and ahhhh. We ooo'd and aahhh'd after we got through laughing. FYI, the cake is a princess/castle cake. It was very sweet. I heard that somebody sprinkled extra sugar on/in it.




















It was baby sister's party so a party she had. She got lots of present and even her own piece of cake. Which she ate better than the narrator ate hers. She of course loved her Auntie's gift the best!
















Here are the three sisters together.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006


Memories of Murals and Spittoons

A house's individuality and character are created by the people who occupy it. My maternal grandparents' home was unforgettably unique. Once a month when I was younger, my parents, my sister, and I journeyed to my mom's birthplace. the trip took three hours. We traveled over giant mountains and around treacherous curves. When we finally reached the home place, I was sick with joy.

As we drove up the the house, I could see a big, long-haired, mangy dog sitting on the front porch. Next to the dog stood Grandpa. He always came out on the front porch to welcome visitors, whether it was the mailman or a grandchild. It never failed that Grandpa had on blue jean overalls, a white shirt, and an old baseball cap hiding the snow-covered fuzz sprinkled over his head. Also, parked on the front porch was a big riding lawn mower bleached by the sun until it had no discernible color. As I stepped onto the porch, I could see Grandma peering through the window. If the weather cooperated, all the doors and windows were open.

When I walked into the living room, I always noticed Grandpa's big wooden rocking chair. It sat next to the front window; he could see the road and who was coming. Grandma relaxed in a rocking chair like Grandpa's, but his always seeemed special to me. He would rock each of his grandchildren on his lap. I remember the squeaking of the chair as we swayed back and forth like the gently rocking of a boat. Grandpa took us back in time with the creaking of his chair. He told many stories and nursery rhymes. My favorite was the one about Jack and Nory. When Grandpa was tired of telling stories and his grandchildern were pestering him, he would tell the story of Jack and Nory. He would say, "I'll tell you a story of Jack and Nory, and now my story's begun. I'll tell you another about his brother and now my story's done."

Grandpa chewed Good Money tobacco. I never felt left out; he always asked if I wanted some tobacco. Grandma complained because Grandpa chewed on his tobacco without his teeth in his mouth. He kept a giant whiskey-barrel next to his chair where he sat his tobacco-stained spittoon. Grandma scolded Grandpa to hide his spittoon when company came to visit.

The kitchen was the biggest room of the house. In the kitchen, Grandma entertained her children. In addition to the usual kitchen appliances and conveniences, my grandma's kitchen overflowed with a couch, a sewing machine, a twin bed , and a wood stove. I do not recall eating wonderful meals in Grandma's kitchen. I remember watching my mom and her brothers and sisters sit around the table. They talked about their families and days gone by.

My favorite room was off the back porch, Grandpa's room. Grandpa and Grandma did not share the same bedroom because Grandpa had cancer. He would wake up numerous times in the night. I recall sleeping in the living room and awakening to the sound of footsteps in the kitchen and the sight of shadows bouncing on the wall. Grandpa's room was small. It had just enough space to walk around the bed. Above the bed, a mural covered the entire wall. The painting was a farm scene with bright green rolling hills and a deep blue sky. The mural was not a work of art, but it looked like a masterpiece to a child.

When it was time to leave, we shared hugs and said our goodbyes. As we drove off, I always looked back through the rear window of our car. I can still see Grandpa on the front porch waving goodbye.
I wrote this paper during my college English class. I just thought I'd share it with some folks that might appreciate it. For the record I made a 96%

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Rocky


Rocky Posted by Picasa

This is Rocky. My HUSBAND's dog. I know he looks very sweet and innocent but he is living proof that I can never ever have children. Don't get me wrong I love animals but I find myself wanting to beat this dog.
Rocky is a yellow lab. Probably a little less than a year old. He wandered up to our old apartment one day. Skin and bones. I could literally count all of his ribs from a long distance. Of course this made me cringe inside. I subsuquently emptied out all my meat and eggs from the refrigerator and gave them to Rocky. My husband begged and begged. "Can we please, please keep him?!? I will take good care of him." I am a weak woman when my husband cries.
So here we are, it is the middle of the night -- I have to get in my truck wearing my pj's to drive around the block looking for Rocky.
My husband decided we needed to get a shock collar to help us help Rocky behave. Bad idea. I have day dreamed about stepping on the collar so Rocky would get one long continuous jolt. Isnt that evil? Mainly, we use the collar to call him home when he decides to go sniffing off in other people's bushes. But occassionally.... I just like to push the button. (See, I am a horrible person.)
75% of the time Rocky does not get on my nerves. But the other 25% of my time I just want some peace and quiet. I will probably delete this post in the morning. I just wanted to introduce everyone to Rocky. Please don't send the animal police to my house. Or maybe... Nope I can't afford the fines.
I am only venting. I love Rocky. I'm gonna go give him a big hug now.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

First Post...


I am 3rd sister's daughter. I asked my husband what I should post here since this is my first post. And I'll tell you about my house.

My house is just wonderful. But not as wonderful as my loving husband. All week I have been crabby and cranky (nothing new there.) I tend to take my frustrations out on those closest to me. Greg is such a great person for putting up with me -- I guess he loves me more than I love him -- because I would not put up with him if he acted the way I do sometimes.

I am much more relaxed tonight. Everything is cleaned and put away. I have a beautiful kitchen. I will post a picture. My most prized possessions are my junk store plates and bowls I've found. I just love anything old and pretty that costs less than 5 dollars.

Well, my husband is hollaring at me. I guess he misses me! I hope he and the dog don't snore too loud tonight. Thanks for inviting me into your world.