My dad as a baby
Have a good Labor Day weekend, and should you find yourself leaning against a bar, have one for my dad!
31 August 2012
Old Photo Friday
Have a good Labor Day weekend, and should you find yourself leaning against a bar, have one for my dad!
28 August 2012
So Let's See ...
Hello Sports Fans! I'm still here, just not organized enough over the last few days to post. And the worst part is, it's not like I've been busy with other things, and not able to fit in posting. I've just been truly disorganized.
Anyway, remember this post? Well, even though it is not technically the end of summer, it's nearly September 1/Labor Day weekend, so I think we should review and assess.
1. Lose 6 pounds. Almost a complete success - I've lost 4 pounds. I'll take it.
2. Finish my Narrangansett sweater. Nope. Didn't even pick it up.
3. Take better care of my nails. This started out not so well. A friend talked me into a gel manicure. It looked nice, lasted a long time, and then when it came off my nails were in pretty bad shape for about a month! They are much healthier now, and I've done a pretty good job taking care of them.
4. Try to be more creative with my CSA items. Yes and no. Yes - I've done well when making an effort. No - laziness has won out most of the time. However, it lasts through October, so there is still hope!
5. Get rid of stuff. OK, but not great. However, this weekend is a three-day weekend here in the U.S. because of Labor Day, and The Tim has to work. I have big plans, let me tell you!
6. Try to be nicer. Doing OK, much better than usual in a summer when it is too hot and humid all of the time. Most of my success is a result of just keeping my mouth shut in the first place ...
7. Clean up/fix up the garden. Not really. Took some early steps, and it was a) overwhelming, we had neglected it for so long, and b) then it got too miserable for me to be outside. I do plan to start doing more this fall, and maybe seeing if I can afford someone to come and give me a consultation/suggestions early next spring.
8. Visit the Barnes Foundation. Nope.
9. More trips to the shore. Two words for you here: Foot brace. Nope.
10. Try to have realistic expectations about all of the above. This was a success. I didn't get down on myself about any of it, and usually I really get frustrated when I try to get things crossed off a list and don't have perfect results.
So I am pretty OK with what did/did not happen this summer. To be perfectly honest, I'm happy I got as far as I did with things!
What about you? Did you have the kind of summer you'd hoped?
Anyway, remember this post? Well, even though it is not technically the end of summer, it's nearly September 1/Labor Day weekend, so I think we should review and assess.
1. Lose 6 pounds. Almost a complete success - I've lost 4 pounds. I'll take it.
2. Finish my Narrangansett sweater. Nope. Didn't even pick it up.
3. Take better care of my nails. This started out not so well. A friend talked me into a gel manicure. It looked nice, lasted a long time, and then when it came off my nails were in pretty bad shape for about a month! They are much healthier now, and I've done a pretty good job taking care of them.
4. Try to be more creative with my CSA items. Yes and no. Yes - I've done well when making an effort. No - laziness has won out most of the time. However, it lasts through October, so there is still hope!
5. Get rid of stuff. OK, but not great. However, this weekend is a three-day weekend here in the U.S. because of Labor Day, and The Tim has to work. I have big plans, let me tell you!
6. Try to be nicer. Doing OK, much better than usual in a summer when it is too hot and humid all of the time. Most of my success is a result of just keeping my mouth shut in the first place ...
7. Clean up/fix up the garden. Not really. Took some early steps, and it was a) overwhelming, we had neglected it for so long, and b) then it got too miserable for me to be outside. I do plan to start doing more this fall, and maybe seeing if I can afford someone to come and give me a consultation/suggestions early next spring.
8. Visit the Barnes Foundation. Nope.
9. More trips to the shore. Two words for you here: Foot brace. Nope.
10. Try to have realistic expectations about all of the above. This was a success. I didn't get down on myself about any of it, and usually I really get frustrated when I try to get things crossed off a list and don't have perfect results.
So I am pretty OK with what did/did not happen this summer. To be perfectly honest, I'm happy I got as far as I did with things!
What about you? Did you have the kind of summer you'd hoped?
24 August 2012
Furball Friday
Pip and Jetsam duking it out
What Pip lacks in size, he makes up for in tenacity. What Jetsam lacks in tenacity, he makes up for (and then some!) in size. Most of the time, no one wins.
Have a lovely weekend!
21 August 2012
Three Birthdays
Today marks three special birthdays.
Ninety-six years ago today, my dad was born. He was the oldest of four kids, who got split up to live with grandparents when his father was killed by a train. My dad was 13 years old. He and his sister Mary went to live with one set of grandparents, while another sister, Helen, and his baby brother John went to love with another set.
My parents got married the day after Christmas in 1941, when he had just joined the Army after Pearl Harbor. They moved from base to base for a while, where - as my dad used to say - he "flew a desk." I've posted pictures of him in his Army uniform here, and I can imagine that he liked the discipline and organization that Army life provided, even if it could be restrictive in other ways. After he was out of the Army and he and my mom had a family, he always worked in the trucking industry. He died when I was thirteen years old, from liver cancer, at a time when there were few real treatments for that disease, and it was more or less always a death sentence. So I have lived most of my life without him, but I think of him every single day, and feel like I was lucky, not just because I knew him for 13 years, but because I knew from a young age that he wouldn't be around forever, and appreciated the time he was here.
The Tim's father was born on this day seventy-nine years ago. He was a Navy man, having piloted fighter jets in World War II in the Pacific. After the war, he and my mother-in-law started living their life together, having five children by the time they were finished. He worked for years in the steel mills, and had barely retired when he was diagnosed with skin cancer. He died in 1989. Of course, my knowledge of him was only as an adult, but from all accounts, he had always been the same - kind, quiet, funny, and a calming influence overall. He loved nothing more than a corny joke or a pun, and since I was a new audience, pulled out all of his old routines to try on me. I also love corny jokes and puns, so we got along really well! I think of him often, and miss him most when we are watching a funny TV show or movie, or someone comes up with a truly groan-worthy pun. I wish he was still around to make us all laugh.
And, finally, about 18 years ago today, our crazy calico Tess was born. "About" since she was a stray that we found, and to be honest, we "assigned" her August 21st as her birthday. I knew my dad would be honored, and The Tim's dad would be amused and pleased if nothing else. We always had at least a cat as a pet growing up, but Tess was truly one of a kind. We suspected that her previous owners had abused her, because she was quick to react inappropriately, and her front teeth were sheared across her upper jaw. She could be terribly mean to us and to the other kitties, but over time she settled down, and was actually truly sweet. We used to joke that she ran a jihad and was planning to a) take over the world, and b) have us killed. She just had the most unique personality of any cat ever. She died after a bout with cancer, and just as in life, did not go gently into that good night. I think of her so much, and miss seeing her, petting her, hugging her, and seeing what new thing would annoy her on any given day!
As a result, August 21 is always a little bittersweet at our house. But then August 22 comes along, with two wedding anniversaries, and another one on August 25. So today is followed by happy occasions, which means that we can't take too much time to dwell on any sadness. Sometimes I think the universe works it out that way on purpose.
Ninety-six years ago today, my dad was born. He was the oldest of four kids, who got split up to live with grandparents when his father was killed by a train. My dad was 13 years old. He and his sister Mary went to live with one set of grandparents, while another sister, Helen, and his baby brother John went to love with another set.
My parents got married the day after Christmas in 1941, when he had just joined the Army after Pearl Harbor. They moved from base to base for a while, where - as my dad used to say - he "flew a desk." I've posted pictures of him in his Army uniform here, and I can imagine that he liked the discipline and organization that Army life provided, even if it could be restrictive in other ways. After he was out of the Army and he and my mom had a family, he always worked in the trucking industry. He died when I was thirteen years old, from liver cancer, at a time when there were few real treatments for that disease, and it was more or less always a death sentence. So I have lived most of my life without him, but I think of him every single day, and feel like I was lucky, not just because I knew him for 13 years, but because I knew from a young age that he wouldn't be around forever, and appreciated the time he was here.
The Tim's father was born on this day seventy-nine years ago. He was a Navy man, having piloted fighter jets in World War II in the Pacific. After the war, he and my mother-in-law started living their life together, having five children by the time they were finished. He worked for years in the steel mills, and had barely retired when he was diagnosed with skin cancer. He died in 1989. Of course, my knowledge of him was only as an adult, but from all accounts, he had always been the same - kind, quiet, funny, and a calming influence overall. He loved nothing more than a corny joke or a pun, and since I was a new audience, pulled out all of his old routines to try on me. I also love corny jokes and puns, so we got along really well! I think of him often, and miss him most when we are watching a funny TV show or movie, or someone comes up with a truly groan-worthy pun. I wish he was still around to make us all laugh.
And, finally, about 18 years ago today, our crazy calico Tess was born. "About" since she was a stray that we found, and to be honest, we "assigned" her August 21st as her birthday. I knew my dad would be honored, and The Tim's dad would be amused and pleased if nothing else. We always had at least a cat as a pet growing up, but Tess was truly one of a kind. We suspected that her previous owners had abused her, because she was quick to react inappropriately, and her front teeth were sheared across her upper jaw. She could be terribly mean to us and to the other kitties, but over time she settled down, and was actually truly sweet. We used to joke that she ran a jihad and was planning to a) take over the world, and b) have us killed. She just had the most unique personality of any cat ever. She died after a bout with cancer, and just as in life, did not go gently into that good night. I think of her so much, and miss seeing her, petting her, hugging her, and seeing what new thing would annoy her on any given day!
As a result, August 21 is always a little bittersweet at our house. But then August 22 comes along, with two wedding anniversaries, and another one on August 25. So today is followed by happy occasions, which means that we can't take too much time to dwell on any sadness. Sometimes I think the universe works it out that way on purpose.
Just so you know, there's a space that only you can fill.
Just so you know, I loved you then -
I guess I always will.
17 August 2012
Old Photo Friday
Have a fashionable weekend!
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