Vacation Day 1

How did that song go again?

"I'm on vacation!
I'm on vacation!....."

Today:
Our usual Saturday morning breakfast out with friends.
Grocery store.
Beach walk.
Sit and read on our deck.
Sit and read in our living room.
Go to 9-year-old nephew Zack's baseball game. (Eat hamburgers there.)
Tonight will watch a TV program and read some more.

I'm going to take at least one photo with my cell phone each day of my vacation.  Kind of like a "photo journal."

Today's photo:  The hot chocolate I had at breakfast this morning...before I drank it, of course!

The Vacation Song

"I'm on vacation!
I'm on vacation!
I'm on vacation!
I'm on vacation!
I'm on vacation!"

I'm planning on blogging during my vacation.  But, in keeping with the vacation spirit, I will probably keep the posts short.  Very short.

Oh, I gotta sing that song again:

"I'm on vacation!
I'm on vacation!....."

Yippee!!!

Family

Kim, Joe, Kelsey, and Cocoa are heading back to Illinois early tomorrow morning.  So we all crowded around in my parents' living room in the back of the house tonight for one last sit-around-and-chat-and-laugh time.

Dad bought our favorite roast beef sandwiches for their going-away dinner. Cocoa and Sadie really wanted a sandwich, too, but they had to settle for doggie food. (Although I hear that Sadie may have gotten a little roast beef from somebody.)

Kind of tired now, so short blog.  Work tomorrow, then Lew and I start our vacation week.

Nite-nite!

Dad: Unedited III

(Dad is guest blogger today! -- Tracy)

I'M BACK AGAIN.

I have been advised (actually requested) to shorten up my creative writings.  I will attempt to comply.

See you next time!

(Kidding)

On our wall by our computer I have posted our "Wall of Fame."  One member of the wall is our new-found four-legged friend Cocoa (a chocolate, brown, and beige cockapoo).

Cocoa arrived on the scene with Joe, Kim, and Kelsey from Illinois on July 3rd.  For almost one month now our small home space has become "Doggie Day Care" for Cocoa.  In fact, he is snuggled up to Mary Lou on the couch as I'm at the other end of the couch writing this.

I've managed to bond with Cocoa so that when I go outside he will yelp away until I return.  I won't mention the rug stain.

Yesterday a man walked by with a small collie and saw us sitting on Lew's porch with Cocoa.  He walked down the driveway to meet Cocoa.  The first three seconds went well.  Then Cocoa started barking like a crazed maniac.  I think Cocoa sees himself as a serious watchdog.  He is so mistaken.  The man petted him while his collie stood in amazement watching the loud puppy.

While "Doggie Day Care" is operating, our poor cat Pepper stays under the bed.  We keep the doors closed so Cocoa can't search her out.  Once Cocoa leaves for his beach house the cat can be seen searching for treats, which she gets because she has earned them!!

Probably we'll have only one more day with Cocoa as the Illini crew will head back to Eureka on Friday.  Kaelen will stay on to work a couple more weeks at the Clambake before flying home on August 19 to prepare for another year of college.

The month has flown by and we're sorry to see it end as part of the family returns home.  In the planning is a trip for Mary Lou and I to Eureka in October to witness Kelsey as a cheerleader (not too enthused) and a drum major (excited about this)!  Hope to catch Kaelen in a concert, also.

Friday will be a sad day as Illinois becomes the goal of Cocoa and family.  We'll miss them but we thank God for having them visit every summer.  We must not dwell on the negative, but be thankful for the positive.

Have a safe trip, Joe, Kim, Kelsey, and Cocoa.  We'll keep in touch and the "good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise" we'll see you in a short 2 1/2 months.

The only happy one Friday -- PEPPER!!

And, Tracy, I cut it from 4 pages to 2 1/2!!

Some Things I'm Not Very Good At

Using prepositions properly.
I should have titled this post "Some Things At Which I'm Not Very Good."  (But I think that sounds really weird.)

Geography.
But I can find Maine on a map.  (Well, only if it's on the map in the first place.)

The balance beam.
One of my gym teachers accused me of being uncooperative when I didn't want to try the balance beam.  When I eventually did try, she understood why.  (My middle name is not "Grace" for a reason!)

I was going to make a longer list, but the Internet just closed down on me.  I had to sign back on to finish this post.  Gremlins in the computer, I guess.

Or, maybe I just couldn't think of anything else to add to my list....Ha ha!  Just kidding!  The Internet really did close down.

Really.  It did!

Gonna Be a Long Week

I already know that this week is going to drag at work.  Why?  Because then I'm on vacation.

At this point, I only get one week of paid vacation a year.  Lew gets three weeks, and he decided that he would use one of them next week in order to vacation with me.  (Bless his heart!)

Our vacation is actually going to be a "staycation."  We do live in Maine, after all.  We're praying for good weather.

Yes, I know that each day has the same number of hours and each week the same number of days.  But this week will be too long, and next week -- my vacation -- will be too short!  C'est la vie....

My Sister's Boo-Boo

Some of the family went to play laser tag yesterday afternoon.  (Lew and I were both doing errands, so we did not join in on this exciting event.)

Apparently my sister Kim and our 9-year-old nephew Zack had a little "collision" at one point.

It is important to note that Zack is not your average 9-year-old.  He is probably the tallest kid in his class (by quite a bit), and he is pretty solid.  (Well, very solid.)

So poor Auntie Kim is sporting quite the bruise on her right arm today.

She wants sympathy, but I think she is actually quite proud of her bruise.  I say this because she just told me to mention it on my blog!

(Postscript:  Lew and I played our own game today.  It wasn't laser tag, but it was our very own Motorcycle Game.  I guessed "three," and we saw...three!  I win!)

Thoughts on Eating

A former co-worker of mine loved (and probably still loves) running long-distance.  Our boss had a saying about this:  "He eats so that he can run; we run so that we can eat."

I love to eat.  But there are a few foods that I dislike, the major classification being seafood.  Blech!  (And, yes, I was born and bred in Maine.)

Actually, my whole family likes to eat.  In fact, we all ate out tonight to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.  Their anniversary was actually on June 11, but being a little late doesn't stop us from celebrating (especially when eating is involved).

In her day, my mother could eat everyone under the table (and not gain an ounce, by the way).  Now she has just about every food intolerance known to mankind.  But, she does manage to find things to eat.  And she still sometimes eats things she shouldn't -- like the french fries at Josh's baseball game the other night.  (You could say that she pays for her food twice -- once when she buys it and then again after she eats it.)

There are some food items that my father dislikes eating.  Salad and any sort of vegetable come to mind.  He also doesn't like fancy food.  If it comes with a garnish, then he probably doesn't want it just on principle.

My husband is pretty much a meat and potatoes man as well.  And he likes spaghetti a lot.  He has the same aversion to seafood that I do.  (And, yes, he was also born and bred in Maine.)  When one of us cooks, it is usually Lew.  OK, it is always Lew.  Although I do make my sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

My favorite (chocolate) thing (chocolate) to eat (chocolate) is....well, I'll let you guess!

Not In Kansas Anymore?

My Dad mentioned tornadoes in his post on Wednesday night.

The National Weather Service confirmed that 3 tornadoes did indeed touch down in Southern Maine on Wednesday night.  I just watched a news clip of some of the damage.  And, fortunately, the only lives lost were those of two cows.  (The other eight cows in that particular barn were saved.)

We are not used to any kind of tornado events here.  We're not exactly tornado country.

I remember only one other time when a tornado touched down in Maine.  It was a teeny one and did minimal damage.  And it happened only a couple days after I had moved back to Maine -- from Kansas of all places.  (Spooky!)

My Wardrobe Accessory

On the night of our anniversary, Lew and I had chocolate bars for our dessert.  (We were at Josh's baseball game, so our options were limited.)

The chocolate bars were a little soft due to the heat -- it is July, after all -- but they still tasted yummy.  Mine was so good that I dribbled some of it all down the front of my tank top.

When I stood up at the end of the game, I also saw that I had gotten chocolate on the right leg of my jeans.

I did some laundry when we got home.

Lew and I both laughed about this, because it's not the first time that I've "worn" chocolate.  I like to get Junior Mints at the movie theater, and one time I managed to get them pretty well mashed into my jeans and my jacket by the end of the show.

The sad part about both of these stories had nothing to do with the clothing -- it was the chocolate.  What a terrible waste!

Dad: Unedited II

(Tonight Dad handed me four pieces of yellow lined paper!  I got blogger's elbow typing this.  And I heard that my sister Kim disputes Dad's account of the "incident."  Enjoy! -- Tracy)

Hi again, "MT" fans!!

I was asked if I would write one of my million stories of yesteryear for "MT" today.  Foolishly I agreed to do it.

However there was an incident that occurred today that I must tell you about.

My day started (midnight) with spouse not feeling well.  It could be a letdown from Josh's baseball loss last night or the french fries consumed at the game.  Perhaps neither was the cause, but I digress.  I do know that I looked at the clock and it said 3:00 a.m.  The next time the clock was looked at, it was 8:50 a.m.  I decided to rise up and face the day.  Spouse was feeling better!  The day is looking good!

Shortly after rising, Joe, Kim, and Kelsey arrived with Cocoa.  Cocoa comes here for "doggie day care" and I have him on a weight-gaining program.  It seems to be working.

Within minutes, Debbie, Josh, and Zack showed up to take Kim and Kelsey to the beach.  They left to pick up Nathan and off to the beach they went.  Joe had a dinner appointment at the Olive Garden with several of his classmates from years ago.  They meet every year for this lunch.  I might add here that "OG" is not a favorite place to eat for me, nor was it for my mother!

Eventually all returned to the house and the "incident" happened.

It seems that Mary Lou bought some pork loins for dinner.  The weather report for the day was possibility of "severe" thunderstorms.  (Never happens when warned.)  As a result of the "severe" storms possibility, Mary Lou & Kim decide to grill the loins on Uncle Lew's grill out on the deck.  Kim claims to have knowledge of grilling but I have trouble believing.  Kim lit Lew's grill and Mary Lou put the loins on the grill.  Joe had settled in for a nap in the recliner and I had settled in (after a couple of "Raymond" reruns) to an afternoon Red Sox game.  Nice and relaxing -- so I thought.

I sat there watching our 42-inch HD LED TV when I looked out the window toward the grill.  The grill was not visible as it was surrounded by smoke.  The smoke show was better than most NASCAR burn-outs after winning the race.

I sat watching the game while calling on Kim and company to fix the problem.  She woke Joe up to take care of business.  I called the local fire department and told them that if they received any calls about a forest fire in the area it would not be necessary to leave the barn.  The lid was lifted and fire shot out at least to the top of the house.  Joe managed to bat the fire down and save the loins.  They are now back on the grill and smoke free.  Donations will be accepted to buy Uncle Lew a new grill.  (Kidding.)

Cocoa is resting well through all of the commotion, while Pepper continues to stay under the bed while Cocoa visits.  Think about that.  You are "Pet of the House" for 10+ years and an intruder arrives (Cocoa).  You are now stuck hiding in a room while the intruder has the run of your space.  Poor Pepper!

Hopefully the loins will be edible in an hour or so....

The overcooked (burned) loins are now done!!  I think I'll go to Old Orchard for pie (pizza) and fries (Pier fries).

The story is over and perhaps you have guessed that "MT" pays me by the word!!!

The Red Sox are down 3-1.  (It's going to be a long year!)

So long -- I'll be back.

P.S.  Kim did cut up the loins.  However, upon eating them, it was decided that the seasoned loins were too salty.  Mary Lou said, "I'll never buy these again."  I hope she remembers that statement.

P.P.S.  The "severe" thunderstorms did come through.  Tornado warnings accompanied them.  Heard that a couple tornadoes touched down.  The meteorologists were correct!  Three cheers for them!!!  Before the storm my sister Deborah arrived from her Old Orchard camp and sat in the recliner with eyes closed and ears covered!  A real brave "Mainiac."  Tracy and Lew were at the mall during the tornado warning.  I believe at Sears.  WHAT A DAY!!

Our Big Day

Happy Anniversary to us!

Lew and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary tonight by going to Josh's baseball game. No win tonight, so his tournament is over. But his team had a 3-2 record, so very respectable! It was fun!

Debbie and Glen's 14th anniversary is today, and it's Dad's birthday. So July 20th is a big day in the family.

Lew sent me a beautiful flower arrangement at work. Thank you, Sweetie!

(Postscript:  I originally tried to send this post from my phone while we were riding home from the game.  For some reason, it put it on my blog in three different posts.  The breaks were at strange places.  So, maybe I'm not as much of a tech geek as I thought!)

My Afternoon Nap

Today was my annual physical exam.

The doctor's appointments were backed up by "a bit," so I had to wait in the waiting room for several minutes.

When the doctor's-assistant-girl called my name, I got to go have my blood pressure taken, finger pricked, and all that good stuff.  I knew that I had gained a little weight since my last appointment (still blaming the leg surgery!), so I stood backwards on the scale while the assistant wrote down my weight.

Then I was shown into the exam room.  I "dressed" for my exam and then sat on the exam table.  Looked around for a few minutes.  Thumbed through a couple magazines.  (In one of them I read that there is no definitive, absolute way of doing nothing.)  I was getting a little tired, so I propped myself up by putting my hands on the table and I closed my eyes.  After doing this for a while, I was afraid that I might fall asleep and fall off the table.  I leaned back so that I was essentially lying down.  My legs were dangling over the end, but I was pretty comfortable.

And this was how my doctor found me.  I never did fall asleep, but I came close.

She apologized for the wait.  She later showed me how the end of the table pulls out.  I could have put my legs up and been completely prone....I am SO doing that the next time!

(Postscript:  Hopefully, I won't have to wait as long next year.  I will attempt to be the first appointment in the morning or the first after lunch.  Nobody else thinks of doing that, I bet.)

Emily Gets a Lot of Loot

Emily's friends planned her bridal shower for this morning.

Emily is hard to surprise, so she was informed about it ahead of time.  But they kept the location a surprise until the latest possible moment.  Emily and her mother went out to do some errands, and then they drove to the shower...at Emily's own house!

It was great planning on the gals' part, as all of the gifts ended up filling the hallway once Emily finished opening them.  It was nice that she didn't have to pack all of that stuff up to take it somewhere else.

I also must comment on the genius who came up with the idea of the bridal registry.  Duplicate gifts received by Emily = None.  So, "thank you," bridal-registry-genius-of-many-years-ago, whoever you might be.

I volunteered to bring the party favors.  This really means that I volunteered my sister Debbie to make the party favors.  She got our other sister, Kim, to help her.  Mom helped for a while, too.  I watched for a bit.

The favors consisted of two truffles.  One was covered in white chocolate (to represent the bride) with a dark filling.  The "groom" was covered in dark chocolate, with a dark chocolate/raspberry filling.  The truffles were placed side-by-side in these cute little baggies which were just the right size.  The bags were then tied with two strands of ribbon.  The ribbons were Emily's wedding colors.  Before the ribbons were tied, a little silver double heart was attached, as well as a little card which said:

Emily and Matt
Happily Ever After

Walking Off With a Win

Blogging late tonight.  Way too much excitement at Josh's baseball game.  Josh's team was down by 4 runs going into the bottom of the 4th inning, but then they scored 5 runs to go ahead.  The other team scored a run in the top of the 5th and a run in the top of the 6th to go ahead 6-5.  The games are regulation six innings, so Josh's team needed to score in the bottom of the 6th.  The first batter walked, the second struck out, and then the third batter -- after fouling off several pitches -- hit a home run over the center field fence!  And a walk-off home run, ladies and gentlemen, is exciting at any level.  (My father even said that he probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep tonight.)

Lew did not get a hamburger plate.  We had steak & cheese sandwiches at home before we left.  But we did get a Sea Dogs Biscuit at the game.  A Sea Dogs Biscuit is like a sandwich -- vanilla ice cream between two chocolate chip cookies.

Lew probably could have downed a hamburger plate, but earlier today he had gone to his tuxedo fitting for Matt's wedding.  I will not comment any further, allowing the reader to figure that out on his or her own.

(Postscript:  My cousin Kathy's husband, Gordon, posted the following on my Facebook page:  "Read your blog about Lew's focus on food at the ball game. My barbershop chorus is singing the National Anthem for an Indy Indians game on August 16, and I'm excited, because it's dollar night. $1 hot dogs!"

Lew and I Go On a Date

Lew and I usually text each other at least once a day when we're at work.  Our normal exchanges are as follows

Lew:  "Smoochie  xoxoxoxoxoxoxox"
Me:   "xoxoxoxo"

Today, I added a little extra to my text:  "Hungry for BAD food!!!"
Lew was, too.

So, we went out to dinner.  I had lasagna, and Lew had chicken parmigiana.  Then we split a scrumptious dessert -- a warm brownie topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Yummy!

(Postscript:  We had a delightful waitress named "Tracey."  I told her that she spells her name wrong.  She blames her mother.)

You Can't Win 'em All

Dad, Mom, Aunt Debbie, Kathy, Lew, and I all piled into Dad's truck to go to Josh's baseball game tonight.

Josh pitched for the first four innings.  He did well.  He also had a really nice double and scored a run.  The game was tied going into the sixth inning.  The opposing team was able to score and ended up winning the game.  Still, the game was fun to watch.  It was baseball, after all!

Because it's a double-elimination tournament, Josh's team is still in it.  Their next game is Saturday.

Lew's comment as we were driving home was that he will probably get the hamburger plate on Saturday.  (He got the hot dog plate tonight -- with an extra hot dog.)

My cousin Kathy was quite tickled by Lew's focus on the food.  Apparently her husband is similar in this regard!

(Postscript:  For those of you that are anxiously awaiting Dad's next "guest blogger" post, please know that I have already offered next Wednesday to him.  Let's have one of those stories, Dad!)

Dad: Unedited

(Dad came through!  Below is what he turned in to me on his yellow lined pad of paper.  It is typed in as he wrote it, except for one spelling debacle.  Apparently my sister has already read this, as Dad wanted to make sure it was "dumb" enough to be on my blog.  I'm not quite sure how I should feel about that....LOL!  Enjoy! -- Tracy)

IT IS HERE!

The Guest Date has arrived!

The birth of a new blog!

Over the past months -- weeks -- hours -- minutes even -- I have been seriously pondering writing a blog on a regular basis (daily? -- weekly? -- monthly? -- or annually?)  You will not be required to vote for the regularity, as I do not want to be restricted to once a year.

Eventually I'd like to publish a book of blogs, as I hope to include up to date data along with my experiences over the past many many years.  I can't tell you how many years as you would learn of my wife's age.  Contrary to "Mainely Tracy" I have not mentioned her age (one year older than my current age for one week).  Of course I could bring this up in the next few days.  But I won't.  Well I don't think I will.

Prematurely I have even considered titles for my blog.  A couple that come to mind are "Mainely Tracy's Blogger Dad" or "derf newog the blogger."  Derf Newog being the mirror image of my name.

I have a few problems to overcome before writing for real.  On a good day I can turn the computer "on" and "off."  I can read my e-mails but have no idea how to respond to one.  So, as you see, I need some work.

I will be working diligently to improve my skills.

You now know of my plans.  I can sense your anticipation.  I will be ready in September.

See you then!!! Maybe
(You'll love my reminiscing -- guaranteed)
(I've got a million stories to tell.)
Stand By!!!!

Mom's Birthday: The Day After

I got out of work later than I had planned to, and I arrived home to a dinner party in full swing!  The family decided we should try to actually celebrate my mother's birthday, even though we were a day late.

It was a lovely meal, for which I prepared nothing!  (I am high-fiving myself right now.)

My cousin Kathy is visiting for a few days; she's staying with Aunt Debbie down at the cottage.  They were both here for the party.  Kathy asked me to mention some things on my blog tonight:

1)  Aunt Debbie handed out the plates.
2)  Aunt Debbie cut the cake.
3)  I provided the dining room table, complete with SpongeBob place mats.

Actually, I added the third one on my own.  Our SpongeBob decor really adds to the sophistication of our home.

Happy Day-After-Birthday, Mom!

(Postscript:  Don't forget!  Tomorrow night is the night!  A guest blogger on Mainely Tracy!)

Mom's Birthday

My mother turned "uh..mumblemumblemumble" years old today.

Lew and I both worked during the day, but the family did do some celebrating tonight.  We all went to Josh's baseball game.  And his team won again!  They are now 2-0 in the tournament.

No, it wasn't exactly a birthday celebration, but Grandma (my mom) was very excited to watch her grandson play.  So, it was just right.  :)

Happy Birthday, Mom!

(Postscript:  My mother is eight days older than my father.  He will undoubtedly remind her of that several times over the next week.)

(Post-postscript:  Lew got his hamburger plate -- complete with hand-cut french fries -- tonight at the baseball game.  Life is very, very good.)

The 10 Out of 10 Walk

Lew and I took a long walk on the beach late this afternoon.  Lew said our walk was definitely a "10" and began to list the reasons why.

It was warm...but not too hot.
The wind wasn't really blowing...but the air wasn't stuffy either.
The tide was low, so we were able to find some really nice sand dollars.
The beach was pretty clean.
The water was nice to wade in.
His lovely wife was walking with him.

OK, so I had to help him come up with that last one.  But, fortunately for him, he did agree!  (Smile....)

A Busy and Satisfying Saturday

Lew and I had our usual Saturday breakfast out with our friends.

When we got home, I was out the door again within about five minutes.  Mom, Kim, and I went shopping.  We met with great success, so we celebrated by having lunch out.

I was almost three-for-three with meals out today.  We went to Josh's Little League All-Star game at a baseball complex that has one of the best snack shops.  Lew was dreaming about a hamburger plate and hand-cut french fries all day.  They lost electrical power while we there, however, so the grill wasn't operating.

Poor Lew.  When we got home, he ate some cereal for his dinner.

But there was great satisfaction surrounding the game itself.  Josh's team won!  So, they currently have a 1-0 record in the double-elimination tournament.  Barring some unforeseen event (or an error in my math), they will play at least two more games -- but hopefully more than that.

The entire tournament is at the same complex, so we all know what that means....

Lew will eventually get those fries!

A Challenge For the Aged

My blog has been "lame" the past couple nights.  I haven't been feeling well, and I know that most folks are understanding about this.

My father, however, expressed that I should be more dedicated to my blog.  (I can't remember his exact words.)  Is this kind of like delivering the mail?  Not snow, nor rain, nor tornadoes, nor phlebitis....

Anyway, in response, I told him that he could start his own blog!

And he said that he was actually thinking about doing so.

Huh??!!

It was hard to tell whether his intentions were sincere, so this could become a source of debate.  But there were other people in the room who witnessed the conversation.

So, Dad, I challenge you to blog!

I'll even let you start as a guest blogger on Mainely Tracy.  Lew and I have choir rehearsal this coming Wednesday, so you can prepare the entry for that night.  Please have your hand-written post ready and I'll type it in when we get home.

Look out, world!!

An Icky Feeling Day

I felt icky all morning at work.  Leg really bothering me.  Came home around 12:30ish.

Spent the afternoon with my leg up on a pillow on the couch.

I have this little step-pedal thing that you pedal while sitting down.  I did that for a while to get the blood flowing.

Despite the heat, I'm going to put the heating pad on it for a few minutes now....

Hopefully, tomorrow will be just as exciting as today was!

Not Motivated

Too Hot.

Too Tired.

But tomorrow is a new day.

In the meantime, use the few minutes (or seconds) that you would have spent reading "Mainely Tracy" and -- well, I guess you've read this post already.  So, never mind.

Stay cool, everybody!

Back to Work

It was about 110 degrees out today.  Well, maybe not quite that high, but Lew said the temperature display in his vehicle "said" it was 107 at one point.

I went to see my vein surgeon today.  Except for a little bit of phlebitis, everything is looking good!  He made a joke about me having to wear the evil stockings for the rest of the day.  Uh, sure...especially in this heat.  I think NOT!

After my appointment, I went to work.  Lew went for a walk on the beach.  (Stinky!)

Lew picked me up after work and we went over to his mother's house.  Today's her 82nd birthday!  We celebrated with Italian sandwiches and chocolate cake.

Pepper actually came out from under the bed tonight to eat her "night-night" goodies.  She's always on the lookout for Cocoa, though.  Poor kitty.

A Day Off

Lew and I had the day off from work today.  I guess a lot of America did, today being the paid holiday for the 4th of July for 2010.

I slept in, which was wonderful.  I don't get the opportunity to sleep in very much.

I read for a great portion of the day.  I love reading.  Unfortunately, I don't get the opportunity to have uninterrupted reading time all that often.

We had a family cookout tonight to celebrate Kaelen's birthday.  Her birthday was actually over a week ago, but her family wasn't here in Maine then.  My big contribution to the cookout was providing the venue and starting my dishwasher afterward.

It's almost time to get to sleep.  I have to work tomorrow, but Lew doesn't.  He's on vacation this week!  I'm not, because I don't have enough vacation time.

And what do I have to say about that??

"Stinky!"

Independence Day

Happy Birthday, America!  May God shed His grace on thee....

Lew and I had a delightful day celebrating our freedom.  We started by celebrating our freedom to worship and attended church this morning.

The afternoon was spent reading, snoozing, and watching the Red Sox go down in defeat.  (But we still love them.)

Lew grilled some hamburgers for dinner.  We took a walk afterward.  I guessed 12 for The Motorcycle Game.  (Mom and Kim also entered guesses of 20 and 16, respectively.)  Lew said "lower" than my 12.  We saw only five.  Congratulations, Sweetie!

Cocoa and Pepper met tonight.  I missed the meeting.  My understanding is that Pepper was smelling a sleeping Cocoa when Cocoa awakened, saw Pepper, growled at her, and chased her under the bed.  Well, the cat went under the bed but the dog didn't, thank goodness.

I had to leave Pepper's "night-night" goodies under the edge of the bed.  She hasn't come out yet.  Cocoa has gone to the camp for the evening, so hopefully Pepper will emerge at some point.

Poor kitty!

Summer Has Arrived!

Kim, Joe, and Kelsey are now here for their annual summer visit to Maine.  Kaelen has already been here for a few weeks.  (Which reminds me -- I haven't worked on my song at all!)

Cocoa, the dog, also came.  After being cooped up in the car for two days, he was ready to do some running.  So I had him on his leash out in our yard.  At one point, he started to wildly dash around me in circles.  I was afraid he was going to choke on his collar, so I tried to spin around fast enough to keep up with him.  I couldn't.  But I did succeed in getting dizzy.  Cocoa wound around me, and then he unwound.  I felt like one of those tether-ball poles.

Kelsey went to stay overnight with her Aunt Debbie.  Her "Aunt Debbie" as in my sister.  I also have an Aunt Debbie, who is my father's sister.  It can be confusing.

Kaelen went to stay overnight with her parents at the camp.  That's where Cocoa went, too.

On her way out the door with Debbie, Kelsey proclaimed that summer is finally here!  (Smile....)

But I DID Eat a Salad Last Night!

Tonight's dinner:

Chocolate ice cream and Cheez-Its.

And my lunch break was spent buying some new shoes.

I'll eat a healthy meal tomorrow when we meet our friends for breakfast.  I'll get an omelet with tomatoes, green peppers, and mushrooms....I promise!

To Be Discontinued....

I told Lew that I wanted a salad for dinner tonight, as I hadn't eaten any green food in several days.  (I really do have to work at eating vegetables.  It's not a natural thing for me.)

One of my favorite salads was the Chicken BLT Salad from Wendy's.

Did you notice my use of the past tense?

When Lew stopped to pick up said salad, he found out that Wendy's no longer has it on the menu -- at least not at the Wendy's he stopped at.

My response to this was, "Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"

Lew told me that I must be the only person in the country that liked the salad.

There are other food items that I have really liked that have been discontinued.

So, is it really me?  Is my patronage the reason a great food product meets an early demise?

Post hoc, ergo propter hoc!