Kids

Recently I was babysitting for Lucie and Jack. They were asleep so I read a magazine and when I was done with that I wondered into the dining room where Lucie's doll house was. I glanced at it and did a double take. She had set everything up so nicely. All the furniture was placed according to the right room, the baby napping, Diego at the dining room table, Papa sitting in the livingroom. I don't know why the Mommy and Grandma are lying on the floor but everything else seemed to be in place. Lucie can spend a lot of time playing with that and making up little scenarios. I was so impressed with her placement of everything I had to capture it with my camera:

When Ellen got home I couldn't wait to show her what Lucie had done! She told me that when Lucie and Jack went to bed the night before she took her time straightening up and had set up the doll house herself!

Spiritual Connection

Please click to enlarge

I found this in a recent Ladies Home Journal. We are each a fragile snowflake. At this time we are all in a fragile state. These blogs have opened our communications with thoughts and feelings that might, otherwise, not be shared. The openness and honesty that I read is an outpouring of the soul that seems to touch us all, whether you are the soul-sharer or the soul-catcher. I am fortunate and grateful to know you all.

Every time a post is made my heart feels fuller, from joy, laughter or sadness. We have shared the same loads. Personally, I feel more connected to

each of you. Thank you all for sharing.

“the times they are a’changin’”

Can you feel it? I can feel it. I don’t know what IT is but IT”S there. Take a deep breath and let your shoulders down. Is this what the lack of fear feels like? The emotion of it all has worn me out!

Today, Inauguration Day was a day filled with Pomp and Circumstance, not in Kennedy style, mind you, but the simple elegance carried by a man AND a woman who have worked hard, have family who believed in them and believe in themselves. Their heads are held up high and they have raised “the bar”. I don’t know why but I feel that Mr. Obama HAS and WILL alter the way some people feel about not only about their country but their neighborhood, and themselves. I am not singling out African-Americans, I mean everyone. Courtesy and Respect will be something to expect and not overlooked. Apathy may dissipate. Am I expecting too much? dreaming for too much? hoping for too much? I usually do. I am praying that this time I’m not. One thing I know about change is that you can only change yourself. Remember the famous words on Michael Jackson, it begins with “the man in the mirror”.

My sense is that Obama is genuine, approachable. Not like the sketchy sob’s that just left. I LOVED the fact that DICK was in a wheel chair, how appropriate was that? He left a broken man! Puppet-head left with a smile on his face. Sure, do everything they way YOU want to do (or what DICK told you to say and do) screw everything up and leave the mess for the next guy.

JUST THINK, NO MORE TEXAS TWANG!!!!! NO MORE NUCULAR!!!! Funny, spellchecker just accepted nucular. (In capital letters but not lower case)

All right, enough for now. Oh wait, where did you all find the pretty backgrounds?

First Snow and Christmas Parade

Ellen, Lucie and I braved the first snow

Saturday evening to attend Lynchburg's Christmas parade. Let me tell you IT WAS COLD! Our first snow arrived earlier that day to embellish the ambient nature of the parade itself!

We thought we were prepared, Ellen had a little back pack with some necessary items, tissues, wipes and and also to hold the giveaways. A huge Lays Chips truck is part of the parade and the toss out bags and bags of chips, Doritos, Cheeto's, etc. Many other groups give out candy canes and candy (leftover Hallowe'en?) I brought a chair. Last year Lucie wanted me to hold her, in spite of the fact that Mommy, Papa, Mammie and Papy were all with us. Of course, I was honored, but I thought I was gonna die!

As with most any parade there were high

school bands playing. As the first band

approached and you could feel the big bass drum Ellen turned to me and said, "I can't believe this Mom, I'm crying! Seeing this through my daughter's eyes changes how I look at this!" First, I just HAD to laugh! My children have laughed at me for years for getting emotional over "stupid little things" and now it is happening to them! Then, of course, I started to cry along with her!

Now, I ask you, where else but in a Christmas Parade in the South, south of the Mason Dixon line, are you going to find this?

Enlarge the picture and read it. If you can quote the bible you get a free prize.

That's all for now folks!

Trying to get caught up

Yes, it's been a long time since my last blog. I've been busy, although nothing like everyone else!

I've had two treatments on my cervical spine. Radio Frequency Ablation. It actually denervates (burns) the nerves. Hopefully, before Christmas, I will have 2 more done on my lower back. I am praying this helps. I am trying to co-ordinate meeting with a new doctor, a Physiatrist, ( a Physical Therapist Doctor) to help me get some strength back. I feel terribly deconditioned. All this waiting for hearings, insurance authorization, and appointments has worn me out. Not to mention, pain is exhausting. I keep trying to work through it, but, I have to accept that is not going to happen. That's been the hard part.

Ok, enough of that, Thanksgiving was wonderful! We went to Amazement Square, the "Mazoo" as Noah call's it. He loves it and I know Sophie did, too. It's mostly hands on stuff kids can do. From balancing a ping pong ball with a hair dryer to listening what the guitar, keyboard or drums sound like when you play them.

The park was another big hit (Check out my web album)Sophie is one fearless little spitfire! AND she is the sweetest little thing, too!

Ellen & David did everything they could to make Thanksgiving special. Having Elise, Peter, Noah and Sophia was "icing on the cake" for me. I had my family all together. That IS the best thing ever! I stayed there, at Ellen & David's, as I didn't want to miss a moment with all of them. It was fun! David's cousin Marie Mona joined us. Her english is fantastic! Please encourage all the kids to take up a second language. Ellen & Peter are so lucky to have it spoken in their homes.

Ellen, Kevin & Alex joined us joined for

Thanksgiving. Noah was very happy that

Aunt Ellen brought her famous coffee cake!

(El, I need that recipe! Please.)

Sophie liked the whipped cream, too! (Thanks to Daddy!)

We will all be together for Christmas in Florida, too. I can't wait! Maybe then we could get a picture of all of us with eyes open AND smiling while looking at the camera! I swear I don't know how Mom & Dad did that with all three of us, uh, four, wait-five, six and seven!!

After a week away from home I was greeted by my Christmas Cactus. When I woke up for some reason I went into my livingroom. The sun was shining on it and I couldn't resist this shot. This has got to be the most neglected plant on earth! I've had it for years and water it from time to time. It spends the summers on the porch in the heat and I bring it in when it gets cold at night. Thank you little Christmas Cactus for bringing this small joy into my home. How does it know when to bloom?

A little thing happened yesterday,but it gave me such a thrill. I was outside in the garden trimming dead flower stalks and leaves and such when I heard the woodpecker that has evaded me and my camera since I have lived here. I've tried numerous times to capture it with my camera and yesterday was the day! He landed on the huge tree across the street from my driveway. I watched him for a little while and went in to get my camera. Of course all of me SD cards had pictures from Thanksgiving week (Here's the link to Thanksgiving Pics)(http://picasaweb.google.com/katch52/ThanksgivingWeek2008?authkey=pL_5pYeXBDI#

So I quickly downloaded them onto the computer to have some space on the card. I got back outside and he was still there! I turned on the camera and the ill-timed message of "change the batteries" came on. Oh damn, the frustration! I ran back in changed the batteries and he was STILL there when I returned. He even let me walk around to get different shots. Now, I will share them with you

I think he was checking out the possiblility of a nest in that tree. He didn't peck at all. I almost thought he was just catching the late afternoon sun.

Speaking of late afternoon Ellen, Lucie and I are going to the Christmas Parade downtown tonight. It's cold now and at 5:00 pm I'm sure it will be colder!

I wish my editing would "stick". The pages seem to have a very strong mind of their own! The pictures don't want to stay where I want them to stay. I suppose I'll get the hang of this sooner or later. Or not.

Ta, for now.

Election thoughts

I must say that when I have listened to Obama and even read part of his book I did not see color in the man. He speaks in a way that is inspiring; his expectations of the "everyman" is pretty much what I believe. I love that he called himself "a mutt". Who of us ISN'T a mutt?? I pray that this country will come together as we have never before.

Once Obama was declared president, I felt a sense of calm come over me. I didn't realize HOW MUCH the Cheney-Bush Reign has held me in a state of anxiety! That's just crazy. I will celebrate January 20, 2009 as if it were the first day of a new millenium! Anyone want to join me?

I've heard that Colin Powell has been considered for the post of Secretary of Education. I think he, too, is a great man. But I would LOVE to see William H. Cosby as the Secretary of Education! Yeah, that's right, Bill Cosby! I think he would be awesome for the position.


Would you believe I heard someone say on the radio that they believed Barack Obama is the anti-Christ! Oh my God, some people are just extremely out of their minds. Check this out:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/antichrist.asp

I saw my Doctor last Monday. For some unknown reason I needed to vent about a lot of things. He was great. He listened and then said to me, "I have NEVER told this to a patient, but I go to the Unitarian Universalist Church. Have you ever thought of going?" In fact, I have. I just hate going to new places by myself. But now is as good enough time as any to give it a shot.

It has been suggested to me that I change the title of my blog. So I will try "Ramblin'..."

Oh, my picture was printed in the paper on Friday, cheap thrill, I know!

It was a busy weekend. Working, slowly, on my bathroom, running errands, etc. I made dinner for the Teyssier Family Saturday night. I wasn't happy with it, but they said they were.

Sunday I met Ellen T, Ellen B. & Alex at Ruby Tuesday's. We went out for lunch for my birthday. I had a really good time! There was SOOO much to talk about. There we were, 4 democrats, amidst the after church crowd, across the street from Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, talking politics! Nobody threw anything at us, so my best guess is they are all closet democrats. Especially after hearing the news today that Virginia isn't such a "swing" state anymore.

Remember the lump I had on my forehead the other evening? Well, I woke up the next morning, having slept on my left side, and I could barely open my left eye. The right one wasn't lookin' too good, either. (oh my, I've begun droppin' my "g's". YIKES! This can't go on!!) Definitely not the most flattering picture! I am really beginning to age...

Today, I worked more on the bathroom. I successfully removed the old light and hung the new light bar over the mirror. Then, I took out the old mirror and put up the new mirror. Sounds like a breeze, right? Took me all day. But, WOW, I DID IT! I can hear Dora the Explorer singing "we did it" , in Lucie's voice, of course! Now I must decide if I want to keep the white light bar or change to a chrome one. I've picked up bathroom "accessories" that are chrome and ceramic. I saw the PERFECT light online but I am not willing to spend $150.00! It is beautiful, chrome and ceramic retro style. Really pretty. Can anyone offer feedback on my tentative choice?

I must be crazy for taking this project on, because it always results in pain. But since I wake up in pain anyway, I'd much rather feel the sense of accomplishment because it's louder that the pain, if only for a little while.

Next, I think, will be to prepare the walls for painting. I have to clean & sand them. I'm really not looking forward to that. There is no grease left in these elbows!

I'm still working on the grout in the floor, small sections at a time. I settled on using a Chlorox pen. It's a little like tic tac toe, but nobody wins! Not so, I'm sure I'll be very happy with the end result.

There, another happy thing, mostly!