It's in the stars......

They say it's in the stars.  Bailee and I prefer to think it's in the clouds.  We spend a lot of time looking up.  Sunday on our nature ride we saw so many cool things floating above. Some had wings and some just became whatever our imaginations conjured up.  Yesterday, we were visited by a brontosaurus.  He was pretty silent and not the least bit scary.  At first glance, I was sure "he" was a pterodactyl but Bailee quickly corrected me and explained the long neck.  I hate it when she's smarter than I.....( actually I ♥ it.)

The next image was pretty easy.  We're becoming pretty schooled in the field of feathers. We're the very best part of being called "bird-brained!'  We both exclaimed loudly that this was a feather from an extremely large eagle.

 There is pretty much no better day than one spent with my girl gazing at the skies and using our old and new imaginations. Who knows what we'll see next time!

90 Short Days

In 90 short days, we'll be sitting down to Christmas dinner.  Many complain that we rush the season.  How can anticipating and planning and enjoying such a special time of year be something to complain about? As Bailee says, "Deal about it!"  Unless you're the kind of shopper that cares little about the gifts you give or the recipients of those gifts, now is the time to search for just the right gift.  I've always prided myself in listening throughout the year to catch an idea for the perfect gifts(s) for those I care about.  I'm not a last minute Louie who runs out on the 23rd and grabs a gift card, a candle or trinket (unless of course, they've mentioned a particular one that they need or want.)  I know it sounds trite but I so love giving more than receiving....Now don't get me wrong...I've never turned down anything chocolate or a new bit of technology.  I'm also an ornament freak... Hallmark and I have an extremely close relationship.  Once again, I give and they receive ;-)  On Thanksgiving night, it's our ornament and paper preview.  Everyone unwraps their new ornaments that have been wrapped in the paper that Sandy Claus will cover their packages in on Christmas morning.  No need to search for silly tags and much easier to count each one's haul.....After 30+ years, that part of Christmas is finally fading away.....This year may shock them as presents get pricier and wish lists grow more practical.  So, if you're whining that there are already aisles of Christmas decorations and wrappings popping up in stores, think of me and remember I need just the right paper, for just the right package for just the right people and I need it soon!!!!

The Hall of Fame

It's nearing the end of baseball season so who's headed to Cooperstown?  It's the beginning of football season so who was honored in Canton? Hockey will soon be in full swing and who might be destined for Toronto?  There's even more serious fighting going on but these winners won't end up in Canastota. They may very well, however, end up in Rochester and they couldn't care less.  You see, these contenders are just lifeless, inanimate objects. But for those of us with children, grandchildren or even were children.....and believe me, I'm pretty sure I know some adults who were never children, the list contains Hall of Fame material that brought life to us all and made it ,oh, so much  more fun!
Here are the contenders for entry into the National Toy Hall of Fame.

• American Girl Dolls   ( they get my vote..........and my money)
• Bubbles   ( they turn baths into giggles and wands into wiggles)
• Little People ( we always called them midgets...oh wait.....they weren't toys)
• Hess trucks   ( bought them, kept them in the box, sold them at a profit)
• Little green army men (I wonder if the government knows they carry little green guns?)
• My Little Pony  (the only ones that were allowed in our "barn"..Jeff's allergic)
• Operation  ( loved it...no co-pay, no recovery, no enemas)
• Paper Airplanes  ( The price is right but no in-flight snacks)
• Pots and Pans  ( they're not getting "in")
• Rubik's cube  (still can't do it....causes depression)
• Slip and Slide  ( making your yard and inexpensive water park.....)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles  (they're baaaaack)

If last year's winners ( the rubber duck and chess) are any indication of what two terrifically, tremendous toys will achieve infamy at The Strong, I'm choosing Bubbles ( a non thinking toy) and Operation ( strictly on the non-merits of Obama care.)  American Girls will get there eventually but history hasn't reached its pinnacle in the doll  (or education) world .........yet!!!

The colors of Fall

Fall is the very best time of the year when all things wonderful happen!  Temperatures decline, bugs freeze, colors emerge, birthdays arrive, walnuts fall, football exhausts, school begins, television renews, shopping continues, decorations abound and taxes arrive....OK, forget that last one!  Yesterday, even the darkest of skies and the raining of leaves made us all warm and fuzzy....at least Lacie and me!  I'll probably share more photos this fall than any other season so bear with me... The one above was from the Farmer's Almanac ( one of my favorite books) and shows that even ♥ shows its colors in the fall....So, at 10:29 tonight, when the Fall solstice begins, lean over and kiss somebody you love....even if it's yourself!!!

OPEN

The word of the day is OPEN!!




An open mind is a must for almost anything you do, anyone you meet and any obstacle that you encounter.  This I am learning even at the ripe old age of 62.  (sometimes it really is darkest before the dawn)




An open hand, in my opinion, can work wonders if applied in the right way to the right place at the right time. ( I'm a tad old school)




An open container in your vehicle is an absolute No-No unless it's soda or water. (I learn fairly well from others)




An Open House at your favorite granddaughter's school sits way at the top of my Open List:-)

Patience

If patience is a virtue, I am virtuously virtue-less!!  With age, I have learned that "All good things take time",  "Good things come to those who wait," "Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet," He that can have patience can have what he will," "Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind!"   Well that's all well and good ....................but it's crap.  At 62, I enjoy calm, order and peace.... facilitating the waiting of more than just myself is interrupting my calm, order and peace.  I'm pretty good at making decisions which is a plus....the minus jumps in when it doesn't happen pretty quickly.  I decide what gift I'm giving, I find it and buy it.  I decide who's going to paint for me, I hire him and it gets painted. I choose to build,  I find a builder and he builds it.  I'm not comfortable with being at the mercy of others to complete my tasks and achieve my goals....yes, even senior citizens have goals.  They may be shorter and simpler, but we have 'em!
If you haven't yet figured it out, the "kids" have still not closed on their house. I will not bore you with the details, the legalities and the dysfunction but lets say it would be easier for me to conceive........literally! 
Each week (night) they work on completing more projects, albeit furniture, lighting or décor.  They're optimistic (outwardly) but discouraged (inwardly.)  Almost 2 months living out of a suitcase is depressing.  I love having everyone here but they're ready to fly the coop and make a nest of their own.  It's really hard at my age to keep my fingers crossed and then try to use them......just sayin'.
So, for all of you who obviously have too much spare time and even think about reading my rantings, keep your fingers crossed for them, if only for a second, and maybe a move will be imminent.  Maybe the snap of our fingers will reach the ears of those who impede the process....
keep 'em crossed for them...and me!

Monday, Monday

Let's hope the first line of Monday, Monday by the Mamas and Papas......is the way it just turns out to be!!

Hump Day

Sometimes, Hump Day is hard to get over.....pun intended.  Other than the fact that we all woke up this morning and are able to sit up and take nourishment, this day pretty much sucks.  I'm pretty sure my parents, grandparents and ancestors never said "Sucks!"  (does that make me a cool Senior citizen?...probably not.)  House news is discouraging to say the least, Jeff's job is stressful and full of slow moving bureaucracy, I ache in places I didn't realize I had places and estimated taxes are due. Woo Hoo!


I'm scheduling a Sandy afternoon!  Shemar Moore returns to Y & R at 12:30, I will watch a 100% more dysfunctional family ( than mine) on B & B at 1:30, drive to Eagle Point @ 2:00, return to my Kindle and Baileys and coffee at 2:30 and read till my eyes cross or my sedative (Baileys) sets in.  If anyone mentions supper, I'll tell them I'll gladly eat whatever they fix...within reason and then I'll sit in the hot tub and wrinkle!!!


That's my afternoon and I'm stickin' to it!!

A picture's worth a 1000 words:-/

Every trip to the nursing home depresses me more and more.  Not just because there's little recognition, if any, from Mom but because there are so few answers -  period! Research is critical as with any disease but when dealing with physical diseases, often people recover and can describe  their experiences and their physicians can track their drugs, treatments and recovery...or demise.  Alzheimer's can only be researched through behavior which must be observed and studying the brain of deceased sufferers. NOBODY knows what they're thinking....s-c-a-r-y!  I'm almost always greeted by a sleeping, slumping "nonagenarian" (90+.)  A little shake and she awakens almost always with a smile.....but not a smile of recognition:-(  Nonetheless, I'll take that smile.  She is seldom, if ever, combative or angry or sad... all emotions I hope to never see.  My deepest regret from each visit is not knowing what she's in there..
The drawings above are from a 3+ decade span of an Alzheimer's patient's self portraits.  I'm not sure whether I personally find this helpful, encouraging or stressful.... Whichever, it gives some interesting insight into the digression of mental acuity.. Once again S-C-A-R-Y....  I am seriously thinking about organ donation when the time arrives.  Once again, I hope I make the right decisions.  I can easily find bumper stickers asking WWJD.......but I have yet to locate one that begs WWBD (What Would Buzz Do).... I guess I'll just have to wing it;-)

Happy Manday

No, that's not a typo.... You know I love Mondays and if I have X & Y chromosomes instead of merely 2 X's, I'm ok with that.  It might explain the mustache.....but that's a blog for another day :-/  I'm beginning this new week by taking a deep breath and trying to remember that I cannot fix everything for everybody.  I wish I could but "I can't!"  I can fix the washer, I can fix the checkbook, I can fix plants, I can even fix my Fantasy Football team to make them more successful....... I CAN NOT fix the legal world, health care, politicians and stupid.....  Oh that was being redundant wasn't it?


I can, however, hope.  And today I hope that this is The Week!!  My 'kids" have worked hard in preparation for the move to their new house.  If there was one bump in the road, they've landed in a speed bump factory and the sign over the door says "Murphy"....(Murphy's Law.)  Fingers crossed till they ache, spared a cricket it's life (that one too;-), refused to walk under or even carry the ladder, threw salt over my shoulder and said my prayers slowly and out loud in case he's even hearing impaired.  Let's see if all that helps to fix their homelessness;-)  If not, I'm calling Kerry Washington and beginning a Scandal!

First Day of 3rd Grade:-)

.............................Summer's over and on to a brand, new school year:-)  Each year Bailee grows taller and the Rose of Fuzzy (Sharon) bush is right on track.  I'm hoping this will be another great year.  As much as we all complain about budgets, Common Core, government involvement in education and soaring taxes, we have the best school district.  We're surrounded by caring, competent teachers and administrators who give more of themselves than anyone realizes.  These kids, no matter their ages, are our babies and grandbabies.  We are fortunate that class size is workable, empathy is abundant and enthusiasm is obvious.  These men and women are teachers because they want to be...not because they have to be. How fortunate are we?


Here's to excited kids, science projects, math headaches, surprises in lunch pails, art projects that need to be translated, learning cursive on their own, spelling tests, popcorn and movie days, holidays and much more.  This is the best time ever and we're all pretty lucky to live in a town where knowing that it takes a village to raise a child is more than just words:-)

Really?......NOT

Should it really be this hard to buy a house?  I have never found it this difficult to give money to someone....even many someones.  What do one buyer, 5 sellers, 3 lawyers and 2 realtors add up to?  One giant cluster F$%+  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Pretty much had it up my eyeballs with legal shmegal today.  It is definitely easier to build a house than to buy or sell one.  I have sold 5 houses, bought 3 and built 2........ I would build another in a heartbeat and may never buy or sell another...............EVER!


I'm over it....done, kaput, outa here!!!!

HELLO SEPTEMBER!!!!!

I love September!!!  This is my Happy New Year!  When the kids were in school this was when order returned to the world....at least my world.  Schedules actually reappeared and normal resurfaced.  Now,as a Senior Citizen, it remains my favorite time.  Football resumes this week and that makes me happy beyond words.  The prime time TV schedule premiers it's new offerings and reruns are a thing of the past..... The leaves are turning in their green jackets and donning their new oranges, reds and yellows.... Love their spectacular new wardrobes!!!!!  High temperatures slowly fade away and 60 becomes the new 90... Some old people like 90...this old person DOES NOT!!!  This September should be full of remodeling and decorating at Jeff and Lacie's... (if they ever close.)
Bailee heads to THIRD grade.... Wow....almost out of the primary grades.  She has a wonderful teacher and lots of great classmates.  Should be an amazing educational and fun year.
I'll try to pen my thoughts a little more often and share photos of our endeavors. Fall is really the best of the best!!!!