Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine

I got scolded by #1 Son for not showing pictures of Kyra Marie. He brought her home in January of 1992 (against the wishes of parental units). Just a wee bundle of curly fur, she wiggled her way into our hearts. #1 Son called her Velcro Toes because her tiny toenails made the sound of velcro being pulled off as she ran across the carpeting.





Guess who fed her, gave her water, bathed her, potty-trained her and whose lap she snuggled in? #1 Son? Not! He would take her downstairs to sleep with him every night. And every night I counted... 1...2...3...4...5...reach down and scoop her up to sit in my lap. He would come upstairs and get her a couple times, but eventually he realized it was a lost cause.

She is getting up there in years now. She has arthritis in her back legs, especially her hips (she was hit by a car in 1994) so going up and down the stairs is pretty much out of the question. Although when I let her out of the pen, she runs around (actually kind of bounces like Tigger) like a little puppy. She pays for it later. She'll get up to go outside and her backside slides out from under her. It doesn't stop her, she keeps going as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening.

She is practically deaf. About 99% hard of hearing. Her eyes are showing signs of cataracts. Her teeth are getting bad (thus creating a severe case of halitosis which would gag a maggot). As I said, she's stiff from arthritis. Last winter she had a stroke and then the flu. I thought we were going to lose her. She recovered nicely... well, as nicely as she could for her age.

The above pictures were taken about an hour ago. Yeesh! I had a hard time getting them. She is camera shy. Unlike the Pugglies who love to have their picture taken!

Yeah, I know what you're thinking... what about the Children and Watermelon Wine? Well, I'll do another post with the Children, but I think I'll keep the Watermelon Wine for myself. Thenk you!

Pugnacious Pugs

Meet my kids. Top Left is AnnaBelle, born December 18, 2003. Bottom Right is Emily Louise born July 19, 2003. Obviously, they did not come from the same litter. Emmie Lou was bought over the internet and flown up here from Florida (but was actually born in Minnesota). Annie was born in a small town north of here. I wanted a Pug ever since I saw "Frank" in Men In Black. I suppose Emmie kind of looks like Frank, she certainly has his attitude! Seriously, I read that Pugs are lovable, loyal and good around kids. And I heard they are obstinate and snore loudly.

Emmie and Annie are as different as night and day. They both are lovable, loyal and good around the kids BUT Emmie is the domineering, self-centered, allaboutme brat. Annie is sweet-natured and laid-back. Annie is a chubby, soft, cuddly marshmallow. My Man says she is not overweight... she is BUFF ... but let's face it, she is a chubbette. Emmie is thin, gangly legged and muscular. Both love attention, hugs and kisses but Emmie is a hog. She doesn't want Annie getting any extra attention. She will literally attack Annie for no apparent reason (at least not to us).

Both are obstinate (which is a fancy word for stubbornashell). They are like teenagers with selective hearing. They will listen only when they are in the mood to do so. I know they know their names... but if they don't want to pay attention, they put me on complete ignore. Lately, Annie doesn't want to go outside to go potty. Not that she is going in the house... she just doesn't go. I keep telling her she will explode if she doesn't. I have to scoot her out and guard the door so she doesn't sneak back in. It is a good thing we don't have close neighbors. I would die of embarrassment. I nudge her to the grass and repeatedly say, "Go poop. Go pee-pee." She goes only a time or two during the day which I would think for a dog... that can't be good! Our old dog (15 year old Cockapoo) goes a dozen or more times a day. Okay, so she's old and like old people, they can't hold their water, but still... it gets irritating to let her out so much and yet Annie won't go out at all. Emmie, well, most times she is willing to go out but she gets hooked up to a chain 'cause she doesn't know enough to stay in the back yard and won't come when she is called.

Snoring... omigosh! Between My Man and AnnaBelle (literally...between them), the snoring is loud enough to shake the walls! Emmie doesn't snore too often. Only when she is really, really tired or has her nose smooshed down in the covers.

Just like children, they are both individuals with unique personalities and idiosyncracies. And just like kids... I may not like some of the things they do, but that doesn't mean I love them any less.

This is AnnaBelle (isn't that a beautiful face?) when she was a baby.

Starry, Starry Night

Starry, starry night. Paint your palette blue and grey. Look out on a summer's day with eyes that know the darkness in my soul.

(This is the opening lines to a song. Does anyone know the name of the song and the artist? No cheating! Just off the top of your head...make a guess.)

I walked outside at 11:00pm DST and ugh...the heat and humidity slapped me in the face like a warm, wet washcloth. The dampness in the air was so heavy it clung to me. The darkness surrounded me. I looked up and was awestruck by the vast array of stars in the sky. The more stars visible, the more insignificant I feel.

I stared up into the night sky listening to all the sounds of the darkness. Frogs and crickets creating a cacophony of music and yet it held a melody all its own. I let the warm night hold me close for a few moments more then retreated into the cool comfort of the house.

All winter long I wait for the long, hot days of Summer. There's always so much I want to do to enjoy it. Picnics, going to the zoo, the park, travelling and camping (I miss camping a lot.) The past 3 summers have been nothing but work, work, work until exhaustion overtakes us.

Three years ago, we decided to have the family reunion here so a lot of unfinished projects needed 'finishing'. It took the whole summer, right up to the day of the reunion (August 15th) to get them done. Didn't realize how hard I had pushed myself until I ended up in the Emergency room 4 days later... heart attack!

One would think I learned my lesson but no, last year we spent the summer getting the house ready to sell. We keep finding things to fix up or to improve to make it more appealing to prospective buyers but....

...here we are a year later and the house isn't sold yet! We buy another house which needs some sprucing up so this summer is spent going back and forth between houses, doing what needs to be done.

I am tired (I tire so-o-o easily now) and so sore every night. I wake up feeling as if I haven't slept or even rested my weary bones. I keep getting chest pains but don't know if it is muscle spasms or something more serious. Of course, if I could lose about ^% or &) pounds I would feel a helluva lot better. But that's a lost cause!

I watch as my summer drifts away from me without having done anything FUN! or EXCITING!

Thay Doan't Taste Like Crawfish

Dialects are hard to write and harder to read, but this one jes e'nt da same widout the dialect.

Heading down to Florida. Signs along the way "Boiled Peanuts". Eeuuw, sounds gross. Had to stop...not for the peanuts...mechanical problems. My Man had to put a doo-hickey on the thingamajig. While waiting for him, My Sister and I went into a shop to browse.

There by the counter was a sign that read "Boiled Peanuts". I just had to ask about this local flava.

Me: "So what are Boiled Peanuts? Are they any good?"

(Toothless, well almost...he did have a couple teeth on the bottom, paunchy southern hillbilly wearing a t-shirt which had seen better days or maybe years...which showed off his hairy belly, his pants riding on the hips below his hairy belly... let's just call him BPG for Boiled Peanuts Guy)

BPG: "Wah-el l l, lat me tell yah."
(Very s-l-o-w, long drawn out dra-awl)

My Sister and I look (gawk) at him ... waiting... waiting

BPG: "Wah-el l l, hev yah evah hed craw-w-wfish?"

Me: "No, can't say that I have."

BPG: "Wah-el l l, thays doan't tess like craw-w-wfish."

My Sister and I look at each trying hard not to bust a gut. Look back at BPG.

BPG: "Wah-el l l, let me tells ya. Some yars back, thays tried ta get me ta et some craw-w-wfish. Thays says thet da mo-ar yah et, da bettah day tess. An' da mo-ar be-ah yah drinks, da bettah day tess."
(pause...pause... deep breath...)

BPG: "Wah-el l l, Ah doan't drinks be-ah [sister and I do a fast double-take to each other] so Ah jes kep etting dem dare craw-w-wfish. Da mo-ar Ah et, da bettah dey tess. So... boiled peanuts is jes like dem dare craw-w-wfish. Da mo-ar ya et, da bettah dey tess."

So My Sister, Baby Son and I each bought a container of boiled peanuts. I could NOT imagine them tasting good no matter how many of them I ate, but it was a challenge we couldn't turn down.

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere in particular (Georgia), the motorhome breaks down. We (as in My Man driving and me telling him where to go) limp it into a town which, thank goodness, has a NAPA store. My Man, using their tools outside the garage door out back, fixes whatever whatchamallcallit broke. My Sister, Baby Son and I wait inside the sweltering hot motorhome trying to amuse ourselves.

Dum de dum dum... Hey! Let's try our boiled peanuts! With much trepidation, we begin eating them. Ummm....well... not too bad. One followed by two, followed by three, etc etc.

Omigosh! "Da mo-ar ya ets, da bettah dey tess!"

Thank You, My Friend... Kathy

My home life wasn't the greatest when I was a kid (another story, another time) so I didn't stick around the house much. If I wasn't at the McClains, I was at the Berends'. Deb's parents worked during the day. Rule was: no company and chores had to be done. Both rules got broke a few times, but usually I hung out next door until one of the parents got home.

The parents at the Berends' house weren't home much but that was because of work and they owned a tavern Up North. How cool is that? They were also building a house up there. Kathy, being the oldest daughter became the Caretaker in their absence. She is about 6 or 7 years older than me, but there wasn't much of a generation gap. Char is closer in age but we never connected on the same level. Doug and I had an on-again-off-again relationship for a few years. We always were friends. Okay, not always. When he was seeing Linda Osborne, I really didn't like him. Yet he was the one who introduced me to my First Real Love (Craig). Then there was Duane, my buddy! My mom called him The Retard but it was with affection. He was so crazy and funny. He could do stand-up comedy at age 11. He had several routines which would just have me rolling in the aisles. My favorite is...."Deep in the heart of the jungle you can hear the sounds of the constipated ape...Unnnhhh!" Guess you had to be there. Marvin, was the little brother. He didn't really hang out with us, but we all looked out for him. Oh, yeah... brother Ray... didn't see a whole lot of him, but for a while I had a secret crush on him. Older brother Gary was married to Cheri and they had a little girl... Debbie.

In the early years, Char shared her dating experiences with me. The best was "the twins - Char & Dar". Then along came Mike and that was it for her. Kathy was dating a guy named... Si? Sid? Crappola! I can't remember his name! Probably because I didn't like him (sorry Kath, but I didn't). Then along came Ed. I remember Heath bars were given out at their reception. Deb and I liked to share Heath bars... she ate the chocolate off the outside and I at the toffee part! I gave them purple bath towels for a wedding gift... purple was her favorite color!

Kathy and Ed stayed in the house and the rest of the family moved Up North. I still visited Kathy on a regular basis. I was able to talk to her about anything and everything. And she listened! She offered advice occasionally, but mostly listened. She was always there for me. When my brother was killed in a car accident, my parents had to go to Petoskey. I was left in the care of my sister and her husband. She was close in age to him so she took it really hard. She couldn't offer me any solace so I went to Kathy. I was 14 and had lost my big brother, my hero! I close my eyes and I can still feel the comfort of her embrace. I would have totally fell apart if it wasn't for her. Thank you, my friend!

My mother never drove a day in her life. She had to rely on others for transportation. When I was 16 my dad wasn't around much. Hunting or fishing or drinking or in jail (because of drunk driving). Kathy drove my mom to the store quite a bit. My mother was looking forward to the time when I had my driver's license so I could drive her around. Unfortunately, my dad refused to take me out driving to fulfill the learner's permit requirements. Kathy and Ed came to the rescue. They took me out driving at night, weekends and any other available time. My driver's training teacher, Mr. Azkoul was a real a**hole! They weren't my parents so it didn't count! My mother was quiet and mild-mannered but let me tell you, when she got through talking to Mr. Azkoul... he was more than willing to sign off on my permit. Yay Mom!

Yes, Kathy (and Ed) were a big influence on my adolescent years. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without them. I haven't seen them in a few years. We've talked a few times over the years. Time and space haven't diminished the love I feel for them or my deep, heartfelt gratitude. Thanks guys! Love you!

Battle of the Minds

Deb's comments regarding the previous post:

Hmmm...I remember things just a tad bit differently. I got the cast on my arm from jumping over the bushes between my house and Doug's house. We were trying to see who could jump over them without hitting the tops. You were there when I did it. And Nancy Brown. And at least a dozen other kids ( okay most of them were Berend's).

I read the next blog, too. I remember going to Mary Jane's a lot, but the pool table was in my basement. I also remember spending a lot of rainy days in the Berend's basement singing along to the record player that had a short in it. Remember how we used to get Dwayne to give himself shocks all the time?

Just went out to have a smoke. Did some thinking an the pool table. We had a standard table in our basement. Mary Jane had a bumper table in her's ....I think. We liked to go over to her house because it had an upstairs. They were (more or less) the 'rich' people. And she had a couple of older brothers that were very good looking.

The field we played in was between our house and Mary Jane's ( untill they moved a house there when I was about 15). It was flatter and bigger than the one beside Mary Jane's. Besides, the people that lived on the other side of that one would yell at us every time we tried to play there.

Do you remember every summer we would walk over to the pool to swim....at Godwin School? It was a long walk, but oh so worth it.

That's just my rememberings. By the way....that Faygo song....I find that running through my head a lot. All I can recall is the tune and....."That's why we make Faygo". Oh, and something about Hoola Hoops.

My response:
Of course, my memory is much more attuned than yours. I say that because I can practically name every person in our class (even before the reunion) and tell you something personal about them. Having said that….

No…I was not there when you broke your arm, but later I was shown where and HOW it happened.

Mary Jane had a pool table FIRST. And as you say, they had money so it was an expensive table (not bumper but a big ass, solid, cost-a-fortune table). When your dad built a room in your basement for Karen (don’t know if it started that way but she got it), he bought a pool table. Let’s just say it was less expensive than Mary Jane’s… and not level. We still had a lot of fun with it as long as we could keep the balls on the table (they went flying a few times).

I remembered the basement and record player but couldn’t remember whose basement it was. I thought it was yours, but it may have been the Berends’ basement. It was the first time Doug and I slow danced… to the tune by Paul Anka “Put Your Head on My Shoulder”. And Steve Heiner and Doug’s rendition of Tommy James & the Shondells “Hanky Panky”. Ah yes, Duane… I want to reminisce about him later. He could always make me laugh!

Mary Jane had a lot of older brothers. She was the youngest. There were two fields we played in (which I was going to cover later). The one between Mary Jane’s and her next door neighbor (on Daniel St) was mostly for softball and kickball. The one across the street from you was for football and $5. When they built the house there, we played in your front yard or the Berends’ front yard. That’s when I got my knee busted up by Regan Lewis (What’s His Nose).

Yes, I remember going swimming at Godwin and spending time at the Rec Center. But thank goodness we didn’t have to walk all the time! Lots of times we took the bus. I swam more than you did because you kept wandering off to the Rec Center... cute guys in there!

There will be more Shared Memories and along with it, more debate I'm sure!

This Is The Beginning of a Bee-yoot-ee-ful Relationship

The good old days. When I was a kid I couldn't wait to grow up. Now that I am all grown up, I long for the carefree days of my childhood. They weren't all good, but there are plenty of good memories, lots of great memories and a whole heap of fantastic ones.

Deb and I knew each other in 3rd grade but it wasn't until 5th grade that we became best friends. We have remained friends through all these years (with several spans of losing touch). She lives in North Carolina and I live in Michigan but the computer keeps us connected. We know the other one is only fingertips away.

I can honestly say, lo, these many years later, it was because of her next door neighbor that we became close friends. I went to the Carnival at Bigelow Field in Home Acres (a small carnival but a big event for us kids) with Janet Perez. One ride on the Scrambler and she was on the sidelines puking. So I looked around for someone I knew would ride the HAMMER with me (there were a lot of people I knew but only a few who would brave the HAMMER). I spotted Deb in a group. She stood out because she was wearing a skirt and she had her arm in a cast. Both of these points added terror to the ride. I asked, she agreed and we climbed aboard.

The HAMMER was made up of two hammers with seats in each side of the hammerhead. So I guess 8 people can ride at a time. The hammers swing back and forth, passing each other, gaining momentum until they swing up and over and down. Of course the up, over and down is the wonderfully terrifying part of the ride. Except once we went up and over, Deb's skirt went up and over her head scaring the snot out of her. Her arms flew up and the one with the cast smacked me hard in the face. I was stunned (literally) and she was scared stiff she had hurt me. When I realized nothing was broke, I started laughing .... laughing so hard I was practically crying. She started laughing, too. When we got off the ride we were holding onto each other and laughing but everyone thought something was wrong. The group of kids she was with earlier came up to her and... that's when I noticed him! Himmm Doug...

The next day at school she told me he thought I was 'cute'. Omigosh! He thought I was cute. A 7th grader thought I was CUTE! So I started going over to her house to visit her and to sneak peeks at ... Doug ... maybe even talk to him.

What started out as a fluke turned out to be the beginning of a beautiful relationship...actually quite a few different relationships. Some of which still touch my life, my heart and soul.

The Berends and the McClains were my family. They were there in good times and bad. I spent more time at their homes than I did at my own (with good reason...but another day, another story) and they made me feel as if I belonged there with them.

Next post will be a tribute to a very special person in my life... Kathy... Doug's sister... my confidant, mentor, lifeline, and friend (every teenager should have a "Kathy" in their lives).

Remember When You Were A Kid?

The temperature was in the 90's today with the heat index hitting a whoppin' 105! I stood outside in the blazing sun with a hot breeze blowing over me and the Faygo Boat Song got into my head. The tune was there but only a few of the words flitted around. "Comic books and rubber bands... mhmm mhmm mmhmm...Remember when you were a kid? Well, part of you still is and that's why we make Faygo." I have to blame My Man for it (why not? He's an easy target!) because he mentioned earlier today about not seeing anyone out and about in their yards when it is this hot. So my mind jumped back mhmm years to when I was a kid...

Gosh, when I was a kid (yeah, yeah, way back when) no one stayed in the house during the summer. As soon as breakfast was eaten, the whole neighborhood was outside playing. We shot back home for lunch or ate at a friend's house and then it was back outside until dinner time. Then back out until dark or on the occasionally night until 11:00 pm so we could play hide and seek.

Everyone knew everyone on the block so all the kids had free rein of all the yards for our massive hide and seek game playing. I'm talking a lot of kids... maybe 20 kids with the ages ranging from 5 or 6, (I was about 8 or 9 at the time) all the way up to 18 (that's one reason we could stay out late... the older kids took on the responsibility of keeping watch on the younger kids). We liked to hide in this one yard because it had a lot of lumber stacked up in the back... great hiding places! Ollie Ollie Oxen Free... I have no idea if that's what was really said, but that's what I remember and if it is what was said...What the hell does it mean?

When I was in the 3rd grade we moved (we lived one street north of the elementary school and now we lived one street south of the elementary... only the creek seperated our house from the foot ball field) and my friends changed. None of my friends lived on my street and it wasn't condusive to playing... too busy of a street, but the four blocks to the north had kids by the score. We usually gathered mid-point at the empty field near Mary Jane's house. We played softball, kickball, football, $5 in that field but basketball was played at Deb's (my bestest friend), tether ball at the Berends' and when it rained we played pool in Mary Jane's basement.

Had to shut down and save as draft because an awful thunderstorm rolled through. It was worse to the north of us but it was still pretty wicked here leaving a trail of branches and limbs everytwhere. At least the heat and humidity broke.

We rode our bikes everywhere and anywhere! My brothers bought me an old clunker when I was in the second grade and I do mean old clunker but it got me around and it was mine. I earned a bike when I was in the 5th grade - got straight A's on my report card! It was a blue, 3-speed, English racer...Awesome! Okay, a 3-speed bike dooesn't seem like much nowadays but back then, it was the top of the line. Nobody else had a 3 speed. One speed. That's it. Sorry guys. Eat my dust!

Wow! That was great travelling down memory lane. I just might do another one soon. I have some other nostalgia I would like to re-live. I re-live. You as a reader must su-ffffffer.

Video games, computers, satellite TV, DVD movies, cell phones... nobody just goes out and enjoys the outdoors anymore! Unless there is a pool in the backyard but even then it is sporadic. There are quite a few kids on my street and I see maybe one or two every week or so. I hear them when they are in the pool. Otherwise, they must be held captive in their houses. Prisoners of the techno-age!

So many things you almost forgot
Tryin' to remember
Remember when you were a kid?
Well, part of you still is ..........

Open and Shut Case

Another Open House come and gone. Our realtor warned us that July is usually a bad month for open houses. I assume because people are vacationing or doing yard work. Even so, having said that, she said 7 couples came through today and two were very interested. The kicker is, they have homes to sell, too and one hasn't even put their house up for sale yet! The other one lives in Indiana but her son lives down the road from here. Humph! sounds like the old Sam the Sham (and the Pharoahs) song: "Oh, That's Good...No, That's Bad". Only those in my age bracket (39 years old!) will recognize the song and even then, I don't know how many would have heard it. Sorry, derailed there for a moment. Point is, for every good thing, there seems to be a bad thing to balance it back to zero!

We have been working for over two weeks to get this place cleaned up so it looks more 'spacious'... which we did. And clean. And neat. And appealing. And looking so good that someone will come along and think they just have to have this house at any cost. But that's just wishful thinking on my part.

I keep praying (begging, pleading) to God for the right buyer to come along soon, but it ain't happened yet. I am trying hard to keep the faith... there must be a reason why it is taking so long and it really isn't my place to question the why's and wherefor's but to just accept that it will happen when it is suppose to. BUT my faith waivers and My Man's holds strong.

We need to get started on the new house, cleaning and painting so WHEN the buyer for this house comes along, we'll be ready to move out. Time and energy are in short supply right now. This has Got to be our last move! We are getting too old for this crap. Well, the body is, but the mind and heart are oh, so young!
So another open house is scheduled for August 13th...another 4 weeks. Hopefully, it will sell before that (our mantra for the last 11 months!). We need all the prayers and good thoughts we can get! I could use some encouraging words, too. I am depressed..........

Postscript: Our realtor called a little while ago... someone wants to see the house tomorrow!! Hoo-ray! They are from out of town (is that good or bad... don't know...just a fact to share) so say prayers!

You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd

Through the modern marvels of digital photography and computer software... my Little People can ride their bikes in a Cow Herd. Okay! So one cow doesn't make a herd but there are a lot more than just this one cow roaming in my backyard'.

It is so wonderful to have about 100 acres for my backyard but we don't have to mow it! The cows are curious and will come up to the fence to stand there and stare. The little babies don't come up as close. The bull ... and oh, what a bull he is! ... comes up to protect his ladies.

I am certainly no expert on bulls (bullsh*t ... maybe) but he is really gorgeous! He is the Mel Gibson of bulls! His coat is as black as pitch and so glossy you can almost see your reflection. He is muscular and broad shouldered and oozes bull sensuality (like I would know what that is!) The cows and the calves don't bother me but he kind of scares me. I definitely wouldn't go into the pasture while he is there! The owners say he'll be gone by September. I guess he comes in to service the ladies and once that's done... they ship him off. They may have hired him for stud service only. If I was a man ...I mean Bull (although a lot of men think that is their job!)... that's the job I would want!

Once we move in and get to know the neighbors more, I'll find out if we can buy some meat directly from them. Black Angus... mmmm...porterhouse, T-bone, NY strip, rump roast... .... on the grill... seasoned... rare... with baked potato and a salad...

Home In-Movement

I am never, ever moving again! I know I have said this before, but this time I really mean it! I am getting too old for this sh*t! Plus the fact twenty years of accumulated junk takes sooo long to load up, move and unload... and eventually (maybe) put it away in some semblance of organized chaos!

We decided (it was a unanimous vote on My Man's part) to move the stuff from the barn, workshop, shed and the furnace room in the basement over this past weekend. A majority of it got moved but there is still a lot of sh-tuff out there.

One of the Brothers Grimm showed up on Friday and the other one showed up on Saturday with his Man-Child. My #1 Son, his Wife and Little People came over on Saturday to help. Ho-boy! It was hot and sticky so by the end of the day everyone was tired, sore and cranky. We all worked hard... even the Little People! I truly appreciated all my #1 Daughter in Law's help. I couldn't have gotten my Job done without her. I was so proud of the Little People! They might be short, but they worked hard carrying stuff from the furnace room and on up to the garage and then on to the trailer.

Everyone was more than ready for dinner but not so ready for the next leg of the journey... going to the new house to unload! Several loads had already been taken over and dumped there, but the final load of the night was done in slow motion. The heat, the work and a full stomach slowed everyone down. But it got done!

We started again on Sunday (we as in... the guys worked and I mostly supervised and cooked meals). Baby Son came over to help. He was the monkey in the rafters! Climbing up and dragging all the odds and ends which had made it's way up there over the past 6 years. It was pretty much a repeat of the previous day... load up the trailers and trucks and take them over to the new house and dump them in the garage and/or the barn (it isn't really a barn, more of a huge outbuilding but we haven't decided how to refer to it... shop, maybe?) It threatened rain all day so the humidity level was high making it feel like a sauna in both barns. Once again, dinner was a welcome relief but it was after 10:00pm when I started cooking hotdogs and hamburgers. But no more moving after dinner. There wasn't a whole lot of movement by the guys either! Most had taken a shower while I cooked so after dinner they all staggered off to bed.

Monday... the work day started later and all guys worked a lot s-l-o-w-e-r. It was only one big haul... one truck and trailer load. I stayed at home and they all rode together. My Man gave him the scenic tour on the way home. I fixed spaghetti and meatballs with garlic toast for dinner. Showers and dinner out of the way... they decided to watch Tomb Raider... just to gawk at Lara Croft methinks, although they said it was for the action (yeah, sure... I believe that!). Aww shucks, they deserve it!

Tuesday.... youngest brother went home first --he had a 5 hour drive ahead of him. Other brother was taking younger brother's man-child with him to stay for two weeks at the Matriarch Mother's house. BUT we had to go to the new house because they forgot to bring some chairs back with them so not as to waste a trip... a trailer and two trucks were loaded. We followed them in our truck... but about 5 minutes down the road, we had turn around because man-child forgot his retainers. Got smart though... did what I should have done in the first place (before leaving)... did a walk thru and found a number of items they had forgotten! Finally, got to the new house and while the guys were unloading I walked around. I found a berry patch... big, fat, juicy red raspberries ....and I found big honkin' mulberries!

The last of our movers gone... we sat in lawn chairs up by the cow gate and enjoyed the breeze and the view of our new property. Okay so we sat for about 5 minutes... then My Man weed whacked, mowed a patch of lawn and ran the rototiller over the garden... then sat for awhile longer. We finally headed back and vegged out for the rest of the night.

All that moving and it doesn't even include the household stuff... a little but only stuff packed in boxes for the past 6 to 10 years. Still have a few more truck/trailer loads to take out of the workshop and barn but at least it is a start! I get to start cleaning and painting...Whoopee! Now what we need is a buyer for this house! Pray! Pray! Pray!