Fairy Garden Number Two

I like Fairy Garden Number One better, but this one is still cute!

I Had to Buy a New Coffee Table

A couple of years ago I found an old trunk that I adored. When I moved into this house, I had a piece of glass made for the top and used it as the coffee table. I love the way it looked, but it had a few places on it where the metal was bent out and possibly "dangerous", but a baby would find every one of them. (Note: To date, no one has ever been injured by this trunk!)

When my little grandson was over the other day, he started to pull up on the chest. When I yelled his name and said "No!", he looked at me like I'd slapped him ... and it broke my heart!

I found another table that works with the room, and has a bottom shelf for baskets, which I filled with toys. My kids like this table better, Even though the new table is pretty and it looks nice, I prefer the old chest ... but I never again want to have to "yell" at my grandbabies for doing what babies do. So, this is my coffee table ... until my kids are done having babies!

Yesterday's Storm

I was out running an errand when the storm hit yesterday. The winds were ferocious, rocking my car back and forth. Small pieces of debris were flying by from both directions. I feared I was driving into a tornado. As bad as the wind was, the rain was even worse. It was one of those torrential downpours where you can't see the road in front of you. Traffic came to a crawl. I got home safely, and I was lucky that I had no damage to my car or house. Other's weren't so lucky. Trees fell on houses and vehicles all over the city ... and took down a lot of power lines. I didn't lose power, but a lot of people did.

My neighbor lost some large branches on one of his trees, but they didn't hit anything.

One of my friends sent me a picture of a very large, mature tree that fell at one of the local schools. What a shame.

A few hours after the storm, I headed to a friend's house, taking my default route. There were a couple places where trees were lying in the road, but it was still passable ...

Until I came to a tree blocking the road ...

Okay, can't go that way. Let's go to Plan B ... Nope!

Okay, Plan C. Nope. (Trees down on wire, road closed, but no picture of that one.)

Okay, Plan D ... No again!

Fortunately, Plan E worked ... because there was no other way to get where I was going! I was expecting the power to be out when I arrived, but it wasn't, and we were able to have a pleasant meal.

A few hours later I had to make an emergency run to Walmart. I took a long, roundabout way there, avoiding all of the roads I knew were closed ... and hit another one I wasn't aware of! Luckily I know the city about as well as I know my own house, so I was always able to find an alternate route and my house never lost power. It was a bit frustrating, but all in all, I was very fortunate. Things could have been much worse ... and for a lot of people, they were.

I Spy With My Little Eye

Two deer resting ... right outside my bedroom window! (Click on the photo to enlarge.) I've seen deer before (everyone has), but these two wandered into the woods right outside my window, just on the other side of the fence ... and stayed for hours!

First, it was just one deer ...

She ate for a  while, then laid down. Before long, another joined her. The first deer stood up and started grazing again while the second deer ate leaves from the trees.

And before long, they were both resting. The first deer moved over here (click on the picture to enlarge it) ...

and the second deer laid down here (click on the picture to enlarge it) ... exactly where the first deer had been ...

I know deer are everywhere and aren't all that exciting, but this is the first time I've ever witnessed them "in the wild", doing their thing, unaware that they were being watched. As I went about my day, I kept going back to the window to see if they were still there. They stayed for several hours. until a neighbor set off fireworks and spooked them.

I've seen a lot of deer here before, but these were the first two that lingered. I thought it was pretty cool! Yes, I know ... my city-girl is showing!

Napping Protocol

Unlike a lot of things that have hard and fast rules, like whether the toilet paper is hung over the top or from the bottom ... (the correct way is over the top) ... napping has no set of rules. Really! When it comes to napping, anything goes.

Take the napping location. Napping is acceptable in bed, on the sofa, or in a recliner. You can nap inside or outside. Napping rules are so versatile that you can nap on the sofa one day and in bed the next! For those who choose to nap in bed, there is an additional consideration ... on top of or underneath the covers.

Me? Well, I'm firmly in the nap-in-bed-on-top-of-the-covers camp. Getting under the covers is too much of a commitment ... that's only for "real" sleeping or when I'm sick. Besides, I can't stand an unmade bed. If I napped under the covers, I'd just have to make the bed again, which makes napping under the covers less pleasurable.

My nap time does comer with an exciting twist ... I nap with my head at the foot of the bed and my body at an angle. There was no real thought process that went into this, it's just something I've always done. If I had to guess as to why, I'd say it's so that I don't disturb the pillows on the other side of the bed.

When my little grandson is over, I'll lay down with him when he naps. He sleeps better, and longer, when I lay down with him. I don't sleep ... I just close my eyes and lay beside him. He's almost ten months, so when he's awake, he's a busy boy ... but when he's tired or sleeping, he's a cuddler.

I never feel guilty for napping or laying down with the baby. I don't lay there thinking of what I should be doing instead of napping like a lazy slug ... I fall asleep thinking about what a decadent, luxurious thing a nap is. Since they don't do themselves, any chore I'm putting off will still be there when I awake ... and I refuse to give up those sleepy cuddles from my grandson. Before I know it, he'll be too big for naps and there won't be any lazy afternoons when he's content to fall asleep in Grandma's arms. And even though I don't sleep ... those are the best naps.

Snack Time at Thing 1's

If she's even half as good at raising kids as she is at raising dogs, those grandbabies will be very well behaved!

Happy 240th Birthday America!

It's hard to believe our country has only been in existence for 240 years, and how much we have changed the world.

We succeeded in gaining our independence from the British despite the fact that they confiscated the guns of the colonists and denied us the right to buy gunpowder. Hitler did the same thing. First he forced people to register their guns, then systematically took them away. With no way to protect themselves, they were at the mercy of the murderous Nazi's, who showed no one mercy.

Our right to bear arms is as much to personally protect ourselves and our families from intruders or those who wish us harm as it is for us to protect ourselves from our government. No one knows that better than the colonists who rose up against the British ... and those the Nazi's methodically murdered all across Europe.

The First Amendment, the freedom of speech, gives me the right to write this post. The Second Amendment, gives me the right to protect myself and my family. These amendments weren't put in place with a devil-may-care attitude ... and they were given to us with a guarantee that the government could not ever take them away.

Guns do kill a lot of people, but then, so does heroin. Should we make heroin illegal so that people can't use it? Oh, that's right ... it already is. I guess we see how well the criminals obey the law. Does anyone think that stricter gun laws would stop mass shooters? The people who's actions stir these debates don't pay attention to laws ... all they do is create gun-free zones where they can carry out their barbaric act unimpeded. 

As you celebrate our Nation's birthday, remember those who fought so hard to give us the freedoms we enjoy today ... and think long and hard before giving any of those rights away.

Yesterday Was "I Forgot Day"

And I truly forgot! I intended to post about "I Forgot Day", but when I sat down at my laptop yesterday morning, I wrote about Thing 2. But I don't feel too bad ... given the name of the "holiday", I suppose it's appropriate to forget!

Mothers and Daughters

The kids had a really good pediatric dentist when they were growing up. They loved their dentist and were never afraid to see him. It was good that they weren't afraid to go to the dentist, but it made making them switch to a "adult" dentist difficult.

I kept telling them that I have a great dentist and to call and make an appointment. Thing 1 finally did. She primarily see my dentist's son, who is practicing with him. And guess what? She loves both of them!

When Thing 2 needed to go to the dentist. I told her to call mine. Thing 1 told her she has seen both my dentist and his son, that she likes them both, and to call for an appointment. She ignored us both until she couldn't put it off any longer. She made an appointment and saw my dentist ... and she loves him! 

They sent me a couple of gift card to me as a thank you for referring her, along with a form letter ... with a kind note handwritten at the bottom. "Thanks. What a nice gal and definitely your daughter". I took it as a compliment, but it's just as likely that it was a huge insult to my daughter!

All of my siblings are kind and generous, but one sister is particularly generous. She will help you or give anything she has to someone who needs it more. She once bought my parents a new hot water heater. They had the money to buy it, but she wanted to do it for them. She's also bought new carpet and furniture for them, as a surprise. She was always taking me and my sisters out for ice cream or hamburgers or joy rides in her brand new Pinto. She didn't know how to swim, so she bought me and my sisters swimming lessons. She was always doing something nice for someone.

I see a lot of that sister in Thing 2. She's always been much more generous than the average child, and has grown into an equally generous adult. A lot of people are generous with their surplus, but my sister and my daughter are generous whether or not they have it to spare. If someone needs something they have, they'll give it to them ... even if they need it or want to keep it. And, unlike many, they don't mourn the loss of their money (or item) ... it makes them happier to give it to someone who needed it more.

Thing 2 was always a sweet, easy-going child. When I had her, I had pneumonia and some stomach bug. I had to be admitted to the hospital early for IV antibiotics. A few days later, they induced my labor. I was afraid she wouldn't make it. She didn't cry immediately and that terrified me. I couldn't bring myself to ask "Is she alive?", because the alternative is that she is not alive. so I asked what color she was ... pink, she's alive ... blue, she's not breathing. The room was full of people, but no one answered, so with my voice trembling with fear, I screamed, "WHAT COLOR IS SHE?". My sister was in the room with me and she knew what I was asking, so she told "She's fine". When I retold that story to someone later, they asked "Did you think you were going to have a black baby?" And that's when it hit me ... everyone in the delivery room was probably thinking, "She doesn't even know the race of the father???". No wonder no one said anything ... they were too busy judging me for being such a slut that I didn't even know the race of the father!

Once I got her home, she slept all the time and was difficult to wake up for a feeding. She was a few weeks early and had had so many of the drugs pumped into my body flowing into hers that she was just lethargic. I wasn't worried, but my (now ex-)husband was. He wanted me to call her doctor. I told him there wasn't anything wrong. She was eating, she was wetting the appropriate number of diapers, etc., but he insisted. So, I called. They asked all the questions I knew they would ask, then they finally asked me why I called. I said "Because my husband made me." Even though the doctor gave us a thumbs-up on our daughters health, he was still mad at me. Go figure!

When she was four, she was the most perfect child you could ever ask for. There was nothing about her I would have changed. Nothing. I asked her if she would stay four forever, and she said yes. Every year after that, we have celebrated her fourth birthday. When she would tell me she wasn't four, I would ask "You mean you lied to me?" She'd sigh and answer, "No".

She stayed sweet and easy-going throughout her childhood. We had a few months of drama during her high school years, but that's pretty much it as far as "trouble" is concerned. She's always been a delight to be around ... and she still is. We regularly have lunch together. She'll come to my office and we'll eat in the lunch room. My co-workers all know her now, and one of them commented, "You two have the best mother/daughter relationship I've ever seen." What a compliment! We do have a good relationship. We laugh and talk and enjoy many of the same things.

Everyone who dreams of having a daughter, dreams that she will be exactly like Thing 2. She is an amazing daughter, and I often have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming ... that this beautiful, funny, sweet, generous, intelligent, talented woman is really "mine". 

And do you know what? She's still pretty much perfect!

The Saga of Cell Phones

Remember the Palm Pilot? I do. I got my first Palm Pilot in 2003 ... and I loved it. These came out when my kids were young and I was a network administrator for a large law firm. Everything went in it. Everything. I had to keep track of a lot of people and this nifty little device let me ditch the paper calendar.

I was so happy.

When Palm came out with the Treo ... a cell phone with all the power of Palm calendaring, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! Being on the same platform, I was able to sync all my Palm Pilot data right into my Treo! At that time, I didn't even care that it weighed more than a Buick.

There came a time, however, that I did care. It weighed so much I had to wear a belt to keep my pants up. Despite my love for my Treo, I desired a thinner, lighter model. And, since I'd had this phone for so long, I was long overdue for an upgrade.

Wanting to stay on the same platform so that I could seamlessly move my data over, I waited a long time for my carrier to get the Palm Pre, but the calendar turned out to be a joke. You'd never know the Pre was made by a company that built their name on superior calendar functionality. I tried everything to make it work for me, including purchasing some expensive software to try to transfer my data ... which resulted in duplicate entries on my calendar ... something I didn't realize until later. I had that horrid phone less than a week before I took it back and got a Blackberry Torch. It took me several months to clean up my calendar, but I did it. I got rid of all the duplicate entries (I thought).

And, oh, how I loved my Blackberry!!

After many faithful years, my Blackberry began to fall apart. Once again, I waited a really, really, really long time for my carrier to get the new Blackberry Z10. I kept it only a few days ... just long enough (once again) to purchase several different apps and programs designed to export my old Blackberry data into the new one. I took it back and got a Samsung Galaxy S4. The native note app was worthless, but the calendar worked flawlessly ... as long as I synced with a Google calendar. I didn't want to, but I was forced to, and I reluctantly accepted my fate. I found a note app that I could back up to an external source, and once again ... life was good. It took me several months to clean up my calendar (which imported all those duplicate entries I thought I had gotten rid of), but I did it. I got rid of all the duplicate entries ... again ... I thought.

I had this phone for about a year and a half when "it" told me there was a software update available. Did I want to install it? "No". It asked me again, and once again, I told it "No". It asked me again. I told it "No". It asked me again. I told it "No". It asked me again. I told it "No" ... then it installed it anyway.

Without boring you with all the gory details, I soon discovered my phone now only stored one year's worth of calendar data. Samsung tech support agreed the phone wasn't working as designed, but they had no idea why, and suggested a factory reset. I didn't want to, but a couple of weeks later, I decided that was my only choice, only to discover ... to my absolute horror ... that the calendar bug was still there ... along with not only duplicate calendar entries, and in some cases, triplicate!

I was still in the process of cleaning up my calendar when I dropped my phone. It landed flat on its back, face up, and began having a seizure. I have had a cell phone since the 90's and have never lost or damaged one ... ever ... but I did that one. I stared at that stupid phone that had caused me so much angst over the last few months ... and I didn't even attempt CPR. The screen was worthless, but the data was still there. I plugged it up to my computer and copied all my data over ... then went and got another phone ... and set everything up ... FOR THE SECOND TIME IN LESS THAN A WEEK.

My new phone works well. I have installed all the apps I bought to replace the native apps that really aren't worth the time it took to write them ... and all is well with the world again. Except ... I can't turn off the weather app and facebook keeps installing itself. I have NEVER, nor will I EVER, get on facebook on my phone, and I DON'T WANT A WEATHER APP! I would love to root my phone and get rid of all pre-loaded apps that I DON'T WANT, WILL NEVER USE, AND THAT KEEP RE-ENABLING THEMSELVES! It's not possible to root my phone right now ... but a lot of smart geeks are working on cracking the code every day ... and I hold out hope that they'll figure out a way ... and then I'll have to set up my phone from scratch ... AGAIN! (Sob!)

I know what you're thinking and the answer is, yes ... I do realize that my obsession to have a phone that works exactly like I want it to borders on the psychotic. The people around me just look the other way when I'm messing with my phone (with smoke coming out of my ears!) and try not to ask any questions ... for fear I'll answer them!