An Adventure With Verlie

My big project for today was to accompany my mother-in-law to her appointment with an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) specialist.

Verlie is still at the rehab center, so they arranged for her transportation to the appointment.  I got to ride along.

The van we rode in has a driver's seat (of course) and the front passenger seat.  The rest of the van is designed for transporting a person in a wheelchair.  The wheelchair --with the patient sitting in it -- is lifted into the van by a special lift that is on the side of the van.  Once the wheelchair is secure in the van, the lift itself is folded up inside the van so that the door can be shut.

The lift rattles around a bit while the van is moving.  Somewhat noisy.  And if you're on the outside looking in, the patient appears to be behind bars.  (Verlie joked with the driver about taking her back to jail instead of to the rehab center.)

The van is equipped with a somewhat sarcastic GPS.  It has a computerized lady's voice, and she sometimes mocks you.  I got a kick out of her.  She tried to send us on a route that no local would have used, and the van driver went my way instead.  The GPS lady had to "think" a bit after that.  Ha ha!

The ENT office is undergoing some renovation.  Verlie's appointment ran into the late afternoon, and it was already dark outside by the time we were heading to the last phase of her appointment.  There was a big L-shaped room that we had to go through that had no working lights.  It was dark.  But fortunately there was no furniture in the room for us to bump into.  And the lights on either side of the room were working, so we could kind of see despite the L-shape.  Verlie was in the wheelchair, I was steering her, and the audiologist was with us.  We were never in any danger.  :)

Between the van ride and the dark room, Verlie and I had quite the adventure today!

Our Dinner Guest

We had a guest for dinner tonight.

I ate the leftover spaghetti from yesterday, and Lew made himself a tuna fish sandwich.

Our dinner guest smelled the tuna and came out of her "hiding spot."  Lew left some in the can for her, she ate it, and then she promptly returned to her hiding spot.

Who was our dinner guest?  And where was she hiding?  The photo below has the answers!

Post-Dinner Musings

After an afternoon obligation at church, Lew made spaghetti for supper.  It was quite tasty.  I have eaten way too much these past few days.  But what American hasn't?

Lew is jumping on the trampoline right now.  The trampoline is one of those small bouncy things you use in your house -- not a full-size trampoline that you would use in your yard.  So, Lew is being good -- getting some exercise -- while I sit here on the couch and play on my laptop.  I will put in some time on the elliptical machine tomorrow.

Pepper came over to our side of the house a little earlier today.  She is quite fascinated with the Christmas tree.  I had to scold her, as it appeared that she was trying to climb into it at one point.  I suspect that she will do some napping under the tree over the next month.

I have enjoyed Lew's long weekend.  (He has, too!)  He goes back to work tomorrow.  As for me, I haven't started looking for a new job yet.  Still, I have managed to keep quite busy these past few weeks.  Makes me wonder how I would have gotten everything done if I had been working.

The rest of my evening will be filled with football on TV and the book I've been reading.

An early "g'nite" to all!

Oh, Artificial Christmas Tree

Oh, Christmas Tree,
What's that I see?
You're missing half your branches!

Oh, Christmas Tree,
Oh, now I see
Why you have half your branches....

The corner is not big enough
For you, your ornaments and stuff!

So Lew left off
Your whole back side.
Still lovely are your branches!

The Day After....

I had to work on the day after Thanksgiving for the past couple years. But not this year. I really like not working....

I especially love days when I can stay in my pajamas.  :)

I did have to get dressed eventually, because we went out for a few hours this afternoon.

Turkey sandwich tonight.  Also a piece of Emily's apple pie.  Moxie.

Relaxation for the rest of the evening.

Tomorrow we decorate for Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The turkey has been cooked and eaten.  The leftovers are in the fridge.  The card table and folding chairs have been returned to the attic.  The dishes are done and put away.

I ate too much, and my feet ache.  But it was a GREAT day!

We ate earlier than we had planned because everything was ready early -- and all at the same time.  (We have Emily to thank for that.  That girl is something in the kitchen!!)

Before we said grace, we had a Moxie toast to Nana.  She loved Moxie!

The Patriots beat the Lions, so our family members headed home in good spirits.

We are so thankful for the good Lord and His many blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

And now it's time to go put my feet up....

Dad: Unedited XX

(Three big days in a row.  Yesterday was Nana's memorial service, which Dad comments on in today's post.  I wrote about Nana on November 5th and included a photo.  Today is my sister Debbie's birthday.  I wish her a "Happy Birthday" and I'm sure that Derf and "spouse" do, too -- she is their daughter, after all!  And then tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I pray that you have a blessed day.  Enjoy Dad's post.  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!

Yesterday we said "See you later" to 'Nana' Reed.  Nana was 92 and was Glen's grandmother and Josh's & Zack's great-grandmother.

I had the honor of singing at her "life celebration service."  It was an uplifting time as stories were told of her long life.  There were laughs, tears, and all sorts of emotions.

Interesting to me was I arrived home and my new "Singing News" came in the mail.  "Singing News" is the printed voice of Southern Gospel music.  As I flipped through the pages I was challenged to finish this line: "What a day that will be...".  Well, one of my songs for Nana finished the line:  "...when my Jesus I shall see."  I thought this a strange coincidence (perhaps not) that I had sung this song which was written over 50 years ago by a veteran of the Korean War after returning home to a mother-in-law who was very ill.

Jim Hill said that he held the pen while the words came to his mind faster than he could write them down.  Jim wrote:

There'll be no sorrow there,
no more burdens to bear.
No more sickness, no more pain,
no more parting over there.

Jim Hill said, "God wrote the song -- I just held the pen."  I believe it!

Several years ago I saw Jim Hill as he sang tenor with J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet.  A third singer in that group was Jimmie Blackwood (James' son) and the piano player was Tony Brown as I recall.  They appeared in concert at the Portland, Maine Exposition Building.  An incident at that concert made an impression on me.  J.D. Sumner was considered the lowest bass singer in the world.  He and the Stamps Quartet travelled with Elvis Presley as a backup group for several years.  Elvis even gave J.D. a new bus.  I could write another blog naming several well-known gospel singers associated with Elvis.  The stories are endless.  Elvis was a fan of gospel performers.

Back to my J.D. story.  While we were listening to the Stamps there was a small child running around in the bleachers and he was making much noise.  J.D. stopped in the middle of a song and admonished the boy and the parents.  "People paid good money to hear me sing and it would help if you controlled your child."  Back to the song without interruptions.  I believe sister Deborah was at this concert but I could be mistaken.

Gospel songs are important to me.  I have a series of gospel songs I sing while in the shower (Standing in the Shadows You'll Find Jesus; He Holds My Hands; I Know the Lord Will Make a Way for Me).  None of these have the message that "What a Day" has, in my humble opinion.  I was privileged to sing this (along with "The Old Rugged Cross") for Nana.

Nana -- We'll see you later!

To the rest of you -- Happy Thanksgiving!

Toodle Pip!  Derf!

It's That Time Again

Today, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, is the day on which I usually start to ask myself, "What was I thinking?!"

Lew and I host the family Thanksgiving dinner, which we really are delighted to do.

But, if you've been a regular reader of my blog, then you know that I don't COOK!

So, right about now, I start to very slightly panic.  But only very slightly, because I have figured out the secret of hosting Thanksgiving dinner:  Get everyone else to bring the food!

Lew takes care of the turkey, and I do make a sweet potato casserole.  The sweet potato casserole is quite good, but it takes me forever to make -- my lack of cooking experience is probably to blame.

Emily is coming over early Thursday morning, and she wants to be put to work.  I will be more than happy to oblige her.  (I think it's time she learned how to make sweet potato casserole....)

If prior years are any indication, I know that we will have a wonderful time together.  And in the long run, "So what?!" if something doesn't come out of the oven just quite right.

We are very blessed.

A Far Greater Milestone

In today's post, I intended to write mainly about a milestone that I reached today...I finally broke down and got out my winter coat.  It is really getting to be quite cold here.

But just now I saw that Barry's quite recent entry on "Update on Suzy" is titled "Journey Milestones."  They found out today that Suzy will not have to undergo any more chemotherapy treatments.  Hooray!  And the September MRI showed no signs of a tumor.  Hooray!

Thanks be to God for all that He's done and for all that He IS!

So, my milestone pales in comparison to Suzy's milestone.  I wonder if she and Barry could hear me cheering here in Maine?!

Please continue to pray for complete healing for Suzy.

(Postscript:  I have a link to Suzy's blog on the righthand-side of this page.  Be sure to read Barry's encouraging words for yourself!)

31-28...Phew!

I have been quite busy recently with various projects, and I was ready for a break late this afternoon.  So I watched the New England Patriots football game on TV.

They were playing at home against the Indianapolis Colts -- two of the best quartebacks in the league going head to head.  But our quarterback has better hair than their quarteback.  (Nah nah nah Nah nah nah....)

Well, if you watched the game, you know that the Patriots had a fairly nice lead going into the 4th quarter.  But then it took an ugly turn.

With about half a minute to go in the game, I fully expected a Colts victory....or a tie at the very least.  But then Peyton Manning threw that beautiful interception and the Patriots had squeaked out another one.

I would write more wonderful things about this victory, but I do have relatives that live in the Indianapolis area.  I would not want them to feel that I was gloating at all.  There is no sense in rubbing it in.

Oh, sweet victory!

(Postscript:  But to be completely fair, I do think that Tom Brady should get a haircut.)

Cultural Literacy

Several years ago (like, maybe 20!) I took a class where the subject of "cultural literacy" came up.  This refers to our assumption that most people will be familiar with certain cultural references.

For example, many months ago I wrote a post in which I referred to my parents and Kaelen as "The Three Stooges."  Without reading back, you may or may not remember the story I told in that post.  But just from my reference, you know that something zany must have happened!

In the interest of becoming even more culturally literate, Lew and I decided that we would watch the Harry Potter movies.  Part 1 (of 2) based on the final 7th book just came out in the theater.  We won't pay to see it on the big screen, but it did make us finally watch the movie based on the 6th book.  This movie had been on our DVR for about five or six months.  (Apparently our commitment to cultural literacy is questionable.)

So we watched the movie.  Didn't understand a lot of it.  But we did come away with the knowledge that Hermione likes Ron, Ron subconsciously likes Hermione, and Harry and Ginny like each other (a fully conscious liking on both of their parts).  Also, Harry needs to find five more of something-or-other-things in order to destroy Voldemort.

We think it's five, anyway.

We'll find out for sure when we watch the next movie in about a year or so.

A Full Day!

This has been (and will continue to be) quite the day!

First of all, it is my niece Kelsey's 17th birthday.  I'm still in a little bit of shock about how old she is getting to be.  She has no gray hairs yet, but still....where have the years gone?

Happy Birthday, Kelsey!

Another big thing that happened today was Verlie's "home visit" with the physical therapist from the rehab center.  I picked them both up around 9:30 this morning.  We drove over to Verlie's house so that the therapist could see Verlie in her own environment.  She asked Verlie lots of questions and will write up some recommendations about the space.  There are a few more hurdles to clear, but we are praying that Verlie will eventually be able to return to her very own home.

While we were at Verlie's house, we saw something out the window that shocked us all.  It was SNOW!  OK, so it was just a very, very light flurry, but still....

I could get along quite well without snow.

As for the rest of the day....well, I am writing my blog a little earlier than usual.  When Lew gets home from work, we are going to go out and grab a quick bite to eat.  And then we will go and complete our biggest grocery trip of the year -- our Thanksgiving Dinner shopping list.  There will be a few things to pick up next week, but just a few.  Tonight's the night.  I am always a little frazzled after this annual event, so that's why I'm posting beforehand.

I fully expect to be staring blankly at the TV later this evening!

The Deserted Island: People

I've been putting off this particular post about my deserted island.  I knew that I wanted to write about the people I would have with me, but I've had trouble deciding.

Lew is definitely one of the people.  I can't think of anyone that I'd rather be stranded with.  :)

But what about an additional four people?  I decided not to name any family or friends, as that could get a little touchy!  So, it would have to be four people that I don't know.  A celebrity?  A famous athlete?  A politician?

There definitely are people that I would enjoy meeting, but I'm not sure that I would want to be with them all of the time.  And truth be known, that would probably work both ways....

So, I've decided that Lew is the only person that will be stuck with me!  (Thanks, Sweetie.)

But in the spirit of the exercise, here are a few people that I would like to meet, in no particular order:

Sarah Palin
Simon Cowell
The Fox & Friends anchors
Kristin Chenowith
David Phelps
Carrie Underwood
Rush Limbaugh
George W. Bush
Billy Graham
Josh Hamilton
Tim Wakefield
Tony Dungy
Patricia Heaton
Terry Francona
Marvin Olasky
Kay Arthur

.... and I could go on, but I need to give Pepper her "nite-nite" goodies!

Dad: Unedited XIX

(I remember visiting my great-grandmother at the farm when I was just a little tyke!  Enjoy my father's post....  -- Tracy)

Rainy and windy morning!  Derf here!

Last week's blog was followed by an e-mail reply from sister Jean.  She reminded me of another story about early television.

Dad grew up on a farm with four brothers and one sister (a couple of children were lost at birth or shortly thereafter).  My Grandpa (Chester) and Grammy (Idelle) lived in the same home the rest of their time on this earth.

Early on in the television years Dad thought maybe it would be good to set up the farm with a television.  I can't honestly say that Grandpa and Grammy were real receptive of the idea.  Their attitude didn't faze Dad one bit.  Not much did!!

As I recall it was late fall when we put up an antenna on a piece of one-inch galvanized pipe.  I believe it was a twenty-one foot pole so it barely cleared the porch roof.  The television was an Arvin console that had cabinet doors, etc.  Quite fancy back then!

Well, it didn't take too long for my grandparents (especially Grandpa) to become enamored with TV.  Grandpa really looked forward to Arthur Godfrey and his friends' show.  I think it was on Wednesday evenings.  (Arthur Godfrey also had a talent show.  This show introduced the Blackwood Brothers Quartet and Patsy Cline.  Eventually he had a daily show with his good old ukulele.)

A few weeks into the project Grandpa mentioned to Dad that perhaps we could move the antenna back a bit and run it up the side of the house a little higher.  So by coupling another piece of galvanized pipe we raised the antenna to about forty feet and Boston channels came in quite a bit better.  It was great to see my grandparents enjoy the fruits of our labors.

Occasionally we would watch Arthur Godfrey with the grandparents and spent most Sunday afternoons visiting with them.  I must admit that I miss those days when family members spent time on the farm.  Our family was fortunate that the grandparents were with us in Old Orchard Beach as Dad moved a small building to OOB for their summer home.  More about the grandparents' cottage later.

As I grew older and watched Dad so involved with his parents, this was a lesson that I learned.  I attempted to do as much for my parents as they grew older.  I was taught well and hope I succeeded somewhat in watching out for my parents.  What a lesson I learned from Dad with not only his parents but his care for my grandparents on my mom's side.  You can see from this writing that Dad had a soft, generous side and was not always killing animals with baseball bats and coke bottles.  Memories were made that will never leave our generation.  That is good!!

RIP - Grandpa & Grammy, Mom & Dad!  Thanks for the memories.

Until next time,

Toodle Pip!  Derf!

Grammy Idelle and Grandpa Chester Gowen

A Double Digit Day

Ten years ago today my sister Debbie gave birth to her second child.  If I recall correctly, Zachary weighed 10 pounds 4 ounces right out of the chute.  (Ooohh....perhaps I should have come up with a better way to word that!  Sorry, Debbie!  Ha ha!)

Because Zack was born in the year 2000, it will always be easy to calculate his age.  Lew and I got married that year, too.  I like easy calculations.  Very clean.  :)

We celebrated Zack's birthday last night, and he probably is asleep already tonight.  But I still am going to end tonight's post with a big shout out to a sweet nephew:

Happy 10th Birthday, Zack!  Lots and lots of "Aunt Tracy hugs" to you!

(Postscript:  I know that both of my nephews love their "Aunt Tracy hugs."  Well, they do, don't they?  That is what I believe, and I'm sticking with it!)

Lew and I both held Zack on the day he was born.

A Family Member's Achievement

As I was finishing my blog post last night, Lew yelled up to me.  He said to come downstairs "NOW."

Debbie, Glen, and Josh had stopped by to see us.  They had just been at Josh's football banquet, and there was some exciting news.

Each year the "Marty Merrill C.I.A. Award" is given to one player on the Varsity Middle School football team and one player on the Junior Varsity Middle School football team.

"C" is for Confidence.
"I" is for Intensity.
"A" is for Attitude.

And the recipient of the 2010 J.V. award is none other than my nephew Joshua!

Congratulations, Josh!  We are all proud of you.

Josh and his C.I.A. Award

Published!

When talking with friends about what I want to do when I grow up, I have been responding that I would really like to write a book.  PROBLEM:  What should I write about?  (I'll let you know as soon as I figure it out.)

I was looking through some stuff tonight, and I came across a book in which I actually am cited as an author!

Granted, I am one of three authors.

Granted, the three of us authored only one chapter of the book.  (Chapter 22.)

Do you want to know what the book is?  I am sure you would find it fascinating.  It is a collection of professional articles about water utility management.  I collaborated on our article when I was a graduate student.  The article was also published in a professional journal.

I just found reference to this article online.  And there is my (maiden) name right there as one of the authors!  Pretty scary, as I don't recollect anything at all about the research and calculations we did for this project.  So if any water industry professional were to track me down somehow and ask a question I would be clueless.  But in my defense, the article was published back in November of 1999.  I have not really kept up with this field since then -- despite its fascination.

I do not believe that any of my readers are water industry professionals.  But, just in case, I have decided not to reveal the name of the article nor the book.

And if you happen to be curious enough to search and come across the reference to the article online, I will deny any involvement.  I know nothing.  :)

But hey!  At least I am published!

Look, Ma! No Coat!

Quick post tonight.  Sleepy.  I got up at 4:50 a.m. to go on a shopping trip with three gals from my church, and my body is quite confused now.

Today was gorgeous here.  When I stopped at the gas station today, I actually got out of the car without my coat on.  It was that nice!  In mid-November!  In Maine!

No, I am not commenting on the global warming debate....

But I am loving this unseasonably warm weather!

Another Career Option Eliminated

Lew and I enjoy watching the country music award programs when they are on television.

The CMA Awards show was on a couple nights ago.  We DVR'd it for viewing at our own leisure.  We watched about half of the program last night.

I think that I could have been a somewhat decent country music singer, but watching these awards shows always reminds me of why I never would have made it.

You have to be able to write your own songs, but I might have been able to do that.  Just pick a topic, write about it, and you have a country music song.  (Don't believe that?  There's a song about a "Big Green Tractor.")  So, no, it's not the song-writing.

It would be helpful to be able to play the guitar.  I can't.  But as I said, it would be "helpful" -- not a deal-breaker.

OK, I guess you have to be able to sing somewhat.  But I can sing as well as a certain teenage country music star, who shall go nameless here.  (She's a lovely, likeable girl....but I don't understand her musical appeal.  She is a mediocre vocalist, at best.  And all of her songs sound the same to me!)

So...finally...the real reason I could never be a country music star:

I refuse to wear those high-heeled boots.  I would fall flat on my face....

Not Just Another Holiday

On this Veteran's Day, I say "Thank You" to all that have served in our nation's military.

My husband is included in this number.  He was "invited" to be in the army and got an all-expenses paid trip to Vietnam in the late 1960's.  He served as a medic -- something that makes his mother very proud to this day.  (Thank you for your service, Sweetie.)

I am always humbled when I hear the Armed Services Medley of the official songs of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force.  What is extra-special about this medley is that former and current members of each branch are asked to stand when their song is being played.  It gives the rest of us in attendance a chance to express our gratitude.  (And it gives me a chance to poke Lew in the arm when it's time for him to stand up!)

Before we fall asleep tonight, we'll pray for the safety of our troops -- a prayer not just for this holiday, but for every day.

God Bless America!

Dad: Unedited XVIII

(Although this was a bit of a typing job for me, I think it was worth it!  Dad asked me to include a couple photos, which I've inserted in the appropriate spots.  But, hey, I want to hear more about the monkeys!  Enjoy! -- Tracy)

La Blog de Derf!  Derf here once again.

In past writings by me I've mentioned that my dad had a store.  His slogan was "If it sells, we have it."  It was a 'super market' that he eventually called 'Gowen's Master Market."  Dad had some 'hand fans' made up which could be found in area churches and the tabernacle in Old Orchard Beach.  I'm sitting here looking at a fan with 'Gowen Master Market' on it and reminding people to 'leave where found."  Obviously I swiped a few that are now in my possession.


The fan also has John 3:16 and Matthew 22:37 printed on it.

The store had departments for meat (western beef as Dad was a good butcher), produce (complete with fancy showcases), and a complete line of groceries in various types of packaging.  He carried everything available in today's super markets.  There was also a paint department, hardware department, and even toys and bicycles.  It was a 'General Store' at its finest.  Every day there were products out front which were taken in at closing.  Hopefully 'Mainely Tracy' will post a picture of this.

However, a main attraction at the store in the late 1940's/early 1950's was a television.  At the time I recall Dad having one of the first televisions in Sanford, Maine.  There was an antenna on the store that had twenty-two guy wires.  It was similar to radio towers of today (not as tall), as one could climb up on the ladder tower.  I climbed it a few times for easy repairs.  The only channels were from Boston, Massachusetts, approximately 80-100 miles away.  Airplanes would cause the picture to fade in and out and occasionally it looked like a blizzard.  However it was quite an attraction.

Friday night fights, Saturday night wrestling, and Tuesday night 'Uncle Miltie' were all times that would draw a crowd.  Dad had built a set of bleachers for spectators and we would be in the store for the aforementioned shows.  It was a great time in our lives.  We shouldn't forget to mention 'It's Howdy Doody Time' with all the characters (Clarabell, Buffalo Bob, Phineas T. Bluster, Princess Summerfall Winterspring, etc).

As most of you know from previous blogs my dad became well-known for killing a wild porcupine with a bat.  Dad also had a fairly good throwing arm.  In a store with all the goods around, every now and then there would be an infiltration of unwanted species of creatures.  However, there were never any creatures in the store once we had "Chee Chee" the monkeys.  More about the monkeys later.

One night as we were watching the wrestling matches a gray furry creature came down from the attic and was strolling along a pipe about twenty feet from the TV watchers.  Dad was seated close to a Coke case and there were several empty bottles in the rack.  Dad grabbed a coke bottle and let it fly.  The rat never had a chance.  The throw would have impressed any scout involved in signing pitchers for Major League Baseball.  The furry little creature went kerplunk.  Of course now we had to find the creature and clean up the glass.  Another animal had met his Maker at the hands of the killer of Main Street....

Then back to the matches with such wrestlers as Gorgeous George, Ivan Rasputin, Verne Gagne, Ronnie Etchison, and a host of others including women and 'midget' wrestlers of both sexes.  These were exciting times for us.  I wonder what some of the folks who watched TV with us in its infancy would think if they were with me now on my couch watching our 42" LED High Definition TV.  A change indeed!  For better or worse?

Until next time.

Toodle Pip!  Derf

Grammy and I Watch TV

Lew's mom is still in rehab for her dizziness.  I try to visit her around lunch time on the weekdays, as she usually has some type of therapy session in the mornings and afternoons.

Yesterday afternoon's schedule was a little different, so Verlie got to watch her soap opera at 1:00.  I actually watched the whole hour with her.  I had not watched an entire episode of a soap opera in years.

Verlie quickly got me up to speed on who the characters were and which ones were "good" and which ones were "bad" and which ones were trying to kill each other and which ones had been married several times and, like I said, it didn't take very long to get all caught up.

I feel culturally literate now!

"Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives."

Power Up, Cable Down

I am writing and sending this post to my blog with my iPhone. We have no Internet service right now because our cable is not working.

We had a very windy night last night. We lost power around 11:45 pm and it came back on around 5:45 am this morning. Although the cable service is not back up in our area, we are thankful to have power. There are still several homes that don't.

I do have a recommendation regarding the advice we are given every six months when the clocks change. The advice is to put new batteries in smoke alarms and other such devices....My recommendation is to follow this advice!

Last night, Lew and I were awakened at 2:30 am by the "low battery" warning beep on our carbon monoxide detector. The battery is only a backup. So after the power had been out for a few hours, I guess the battery used up whatever juice it had left. Poor, old battery.

Our carbon monoxide level was at the "safe air" level, but our opportunity for a good night's sleep had been disturbed.

I replaced the battery with a fresh one.

Ooh...We just heard a large vehicle go by the house. A cable company truck, perhaps?

Thanks for checking in!

Food, Glorious Food!

The first Cracker Barrel in the state of Maine opened this past week.  Lew and I went to it today with some church friends.  I had only been to a Cracker Barrel once before (when I lived in Kansas), and Lew had never been to one.

Today was only the 7th day of business for the Maine location, so the place was pretty crowded when we arrived around 1:40 pm.  When we heard that it was going to be a 70-minute wait, I thought my husband was going to faint right then from hunger!  But it turned out that we waited for only about half an hour.

My Grandma Whisler would have turned over in her grave if she saw what my meal looked like.  I ordered Chicken with Dumplings, Corn, Fried Apples, Macaroni and Cheese, and the Corn Muffin.  Grandma would have insisted that I order something green so that my plate would have some color.  :)

Despite the yellowishness of my meal, it was delicious!  I ate every bit of it.

Lew and I both wanted the same dessert.  Ordinarily, we share a dessert when we go out to eat.  But neither one of us wanted to share today.  The dessert was the Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake.  (I hear they take all of the calories out before serving it.)

I ate every bit of this highly-recommended dessert, and I would have licked the plate if I had not been out in public.

Happy, happy tummy.....

Today is November 1+2+3

Matt just celebrated his birthday this past Tuesday (Election Day).  He doesn't like to celebrate his own birthday, but we make him do it anyway.  (Actually, the family celebrated last Saturday, so we were a few days early.)

I like to express numbers in different ways, and I particularly enjoyed texting Matt the following message on Tuesday:  "Happy 2-to-the-5th-power Birthday!"

I can't remember if I've mentioned my license plate habit.  If I'm stopped behind another vehicle at a red light, I look at its license plate and try to combine the numbers so that they'll equal a number that I pick, say 10.  For example, if the license plate is "491 232".....(4+9-1-2) x (3-2) = 10.

Do you think I'm odd?

(Postscript:  Don't even answer that....!)

(Post-postscript:  Hope you had a great 32nd birthday, Matt!)

See You Later, Nana!

My brother-in-law Glen's paternal grandmother passed away on Monday of this week.  She was a spunky 92 years old.  Her name was Gert (short for Gertrude), but we all called her "Nana."

Nana was in the long-term-care wing at the same facility where Lew's mom is currently in rehab.  So I've dropped in on Nana a few times recently.  The last time I saw her was late last week.  She recognized me, but I could tell she still wasn't exactly sure who I was.  Her nurse was in the room, so I loudly explained to the nurse my connection to Nana.  When I mentioned Glen's name, Nana pointed to the photos of Josh and Zack that were displayed in her room.  Her eyes lit up and she smiled.

On her 80th birthday, Nana held a new-born Joshua.  Yes, her first great-grandson had been born on her birthday.  (And interestingly enough, Zachary was born on his mother's paternal grandmother's birthday -- that is, on Derf's mother's birthday -- although my Grandma Gowen never got to meet her great-grandsons.)

Nana was a greeter at her church for many years.  She handed out the bulletins as people arrived.  Josh and Zack explained to people that "Nana guards the door at church!"

Nana and my father (the aforementioned Derf) had an interesting relationship.  It was just over a year-and-a-half ago (on Valentine's Day) that she and Dad, both tired of waiting for a birthday cake to be cut into, decided to start eating it on their own.  Nana walked over to the cake and carried it back to where she and my father had been sitting.  They both had forks and they started to dig directly into the cake!  This was not as malicious as it may sound.  Josh and Zack had decided that their new dog, Sadie, was born on Valentine's Day.  So, my sister Debbie threw a birthday party for the dog and invited the whole family.  Nana and Dad figured that Sadie would not be too upset about the lack of pomp and circumstance surrounding the consumption of her cake.

Have a wonderful time in Heaven, Nana!  And as Debbie wrote on Facebook:

We won't say good-bye because as her great-grandsons Josh and Zack learned you never say good-bye you always leave her by saying "See you later." So, "We love you and we'll see you later Nana!"

Nana and "her boys" on Mothers Day 2004
(son Bob, grandson Glen, and great-grandsons Josh & Zack)

Variety: The Spice of Life?

I had lunch today with a former work colleague that I had not seen in about a year.  It is always fun to catch up with "old" friends!  We went out for pizza during her lunch break.  The pizza was yummy, with lots of meat and cheese.  I would get this kind of pizza again if I could remember the name of it.

When Lew arrived home tonight, I told him that I had been out for most of the afternoon, and therefore, I had not made dinner.  This made him laugh for some reason.

As he contemplated what to make for dinner, he said, "How about....Oh, you already ate pizza for lunch."

And my response to that.....?

Well, isn't it said that you are what you eat?  I hope this is not true, because I would be round, flat and covered with pepperoni!  :)

(Postscript:  The package of Newman-O's that we bought for Lew a couple weeks ago was finished off tonight.  Lew even offered a few of these scrumptious cookies to me....which I accepted, of course!)

Dad: Unedited XVII

(I think my entire family is obsessed with our pets.  Our furry friends have been mentioned quite a lot lately, and Dad's post tonight continues the trend.  Dad apologizes for a "bad blog" tonight, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway!  --  Tracy)

Is it really Wednesday already?

Back home in Maine.  Derf here!

Spouse and I arrived home on Saturday, October 30th, just in time for Halloween and the last two baseball games of the year.  The San Francisco Giants completed their domination of the Texas Rangers.  My dog in the fight was eliminated at regular season's end.  Boston!  Wait 'til next year!  (I've use this line many times in the past).  Spring training will be here before you know it.  Yippee!

Upon entering our home, Pepper wasn't sure if I belonged in her house and started to go hide under the bed.  She suddenly realized her buddies were back from afar and is back to her routine of sleeping all day (most of the time in Mary Lou's lap on the couch).  While away, Tracy cut Pepper's treats by one-third.  I will try to comply with the cutback.  Pepper is not obese but is in fine physical shape for a cat turning 14 years old next May.  I must admit that Pepper doesn't need as much care as Cocoa does.  Her age also assures us that she is much more mature than Cocoa.  On the cuteness scale, Pepper and Cocoa are at the top.  Fine specimens they are.

As I look over what I've written today, I am unimpressed with my results.  Perhaps I'm suffering for staying up so late watching election returns.  Not a bad way to spend an evening.

I'll do a better job writing next week, so please don't abandon me for one bad blog.

Until next time.

Toodle Pip!  Derf

P.S.  I am ashamed of this post!

Election Day

I am sporting a round sticker that says "I Voted Today!"

In the days leading up to an election, I look at the sample ballots online and determine how I'm going to vote.  If there's something that I'm unsure of, I try to find more information -- newspaper articles, websites, campaign pieces, mailings, etc.  Lew and I then review the ballots together the night before the election, and we make what we call our "cheat sheets."

When we were looking over the ballots last night, there was still one item that we were questioning.  So Lew called a very knowledgeable buddy to get his input.  Input was received, and we were ready for today.

On my way into the voting site, I shook hands with two of the folks on the ballot.  I told both of them that they would be receiving my vote.  (I should probably mention that they were running for different offices!)

When I texted Lew about the shaking of hands, he texted back that I should "wash up."  I then called him and said that these were the people that we wanted, remember?!  And then he reminded me that they had been shaking hands with people all day, so his advice to me was health-related -- not politics-related.

Oh.

Now that I have voted, I am looking forward to watching the election coverage tonight.  I am going to stay up until my eyes slam shut!

A Sweet Observation

When I was working, I got home after Lew did about 99% of the time.  But due to my current unemployment, I am able to greet him when he arrives home from work.

Lew commented tonight how nice it is to come home to me.

Awwwww....so sweet!

(Note to self:  Next job must get me home before husband....)