Leavin' On a Jet Plane----

Don't know when I'll be back again--Oh Babe, I hate to go.

Ok, ok, so I'm not leaving on a jet plane, I'm going in my little Escape. And I do know when I'll be back again--next May. And I don't hate to go!. I'm so looking forward to getting back to Sanibel even though these nasty little tropical depressions, tropical storms, hurricanes, etc keep lining up out there all set to pounce on us.

The car is packed--and I do mean packed! Although, I must admit, it doesn't seem to be as packed as it often is. We will take off at about 5:00 or 6:00 tomorrow morning. Although it is about 12 hours, we will drive to Macon, Georgia tomorrow and spend the night there. I'm sure there will be Labor Day traffic but at least we won't have the usual rush hour traffic in Atlanta. Tuesday we will head to Orlando to visit Mickey for a few days. We would LOVE to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodgel or one of the other resorts in the Park but we opted for the much more financially acceptable Doubletree Inn and Suites in Lake Buena Vista. We get a two room suite, refrigerator, microwave, and free transportation to the Parks for $80 a night. Well, ok, you have to add in tax and and $8 per day parking fee but it beats $200-$300 a night inside the Park. On Saturday, God and the weather willing, we will head home to Sanibel.

So, I guess what I'm saying is--don't expect too much, if any, blogging for the next week. Oh, and by the way, I finally posted something on my genealogy blog, Branches and Roots. I wrote a post about some of the stories that have been passed down over the generations in our family. I bet you have a few stories of your own about some of your ancestors.

Anyway, I'll be talkin' to ya'll soon.

Mr. Snowbird says hi and bye also.

A Great Day

BGSU 27-Pitt 17 We Won!!!!

Ok, I will admit it. I'm a little excited by our game today. Since it was an away game and since we are headed to Florida on Monday, we aren't going to be able to partake in any of the tailgate parties this year. For years we have enjoyed going to some if not all of the BG home games and have tailgated before most if not all of them. So, our friends, Rick and Marta who live in Bowling Green, invited us to their house today to watch the game on TV since we couldn't get the game at our house. And since this was our only chance to tailgate, we did so even if it was in the house.

Our usual tailgate fare plus Sloppy Joes and Baked Beans which aren't shown here.

Of course, while watching the game, we had a few adult beverages. I discovered a new yummy adult beverage called Celtic Crossing. Oh yum!!! Apparently the only place you can buy it is in Kentucky, Illinois and one other state which I can't remember. (I think I had had a little too much Celtic Crossing when I was told where.) I now know what I'm going to be drinking in Ireland next summer! And, if I can find any adult beverage stores open on Monday as we drive through Kentucky, I may just have to make a stop!

We had a cat for about 12 years and we had to put her to sleep a couple of years ago because she had cancer. I have really missed her and periodically I need a kitty fix. So, I was able to get my kitty fix today. Rick and Marta have a Bengal cat. I've never seen one before much less even heard of one. He looks like a cheetah. And boy is he playful. Rick and Marta live and breathe BGSU sports and of course the cat had to be named appropriately so he was named Ziggy Zoomba which is the name of one of BG's fight songs and is also the name of the BG message board.

This is Ziggy. Isn't he gorgeous?

Ziggy in one of his more sedate moments.

There's nothing worse than a cat who is half in the bag. And he didn't even have any adult beverages!

Rick and Marta also have an adorable dog named Hobey Wan Kenobi. No, I didn't spell it wrong. His name is Hobey, not Obi. Rick and Marta are HUGE BG hockey fans--as am I. The Hobey Baker award is given each year to the best college hockey player in the US. Two of BG's players have won the award. Also, Rick is a huge Star Wars fan so they combined two loves into one and thus Hobey was named. I love Hobey. He is the greatest, most loving dog there is. So, I not only got my kitty fix today, I also got lots of puppy love.

Let me introduce you to Hobey Wan Kenobi.

How could you not love those eyes?

So, we had a great day. Good friends, good food, good adult beverages, a kitty fix, some puppy love and a fantastic and unexpected win. GO BG!!!

OK, Now I Feel Old!!

Ok, I officially feel old now. Scott Hamilton turned 50 today! And of course, you all know who Scott Hamilton is, right? Scott was born August 28, 1958 in Toledo, Ohio. He was adopted as a baby by Ernest and Dorothy Hamilton, both professors at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. When Scott was 2 years old he contracted an illness that caused him to stop growing. After many tests and diagnosis, he was finally diagnosed with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome. After the diagnosis it was felt that exercise would help so he took up ice skating at the BGSU Ice Arena. (Incidentally, I have spent hours and hours and hours in this arena watching hockey.) First he got into ice hockey but then turned to figure skating. He finished 5th in the 1980 Olympics where he was honored with carrying the flag for Team America. He was World Champion in 1981, 1982, and 1983 and then went on to win gold at the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo. He then went on to found Stars on Ice.

The first time I saw Scott skate in person was in BG in May 1985. He would come back for every other year for the Ice Horizons Skating Club show. The picture above (sorry for the lousy quality) was taken in May 1987. The other gal is my friend, Marta.

Scott is a survivor. He survived his early childhood disease, Testicular Cancer, and a brain tumor. He is now married with two children and still runs Stars on Ice. Happy Birthday Scott--but how did you get to be 50???

The Saga of Bob the Builder Continues

Ok, so I haven't updated you on the Adventures of Bob the Builder lately. So here goes. When last we met here, Bob had hired Susan, the Concrete Guy's girlfriend. She came in Monday and Tuesday of this week after her day job at Marathon Oil. She worked about 3 to 4 hours each day. AND--she got more done in those few hours than the guys did in all the time they were here! I asked her why she got so much more done and her answer was that the guys are always taking breaks and long lunch hours. And yup, she was right!

Anyway, the living room and bedroom (well, except for the light fixture in the bedroom) are done. Yay!! I finally was able to move all the stuff from the family room back to their rightful spots. I know that my daughter kind of scorned at beige and it does kind of look that way, especially in the pictures, but it does have a green tint to it and I LIKE IT. So there. LOL.

So here are some before and afters so you can see the difference.

The fireplace wall before.

The fireplace wall after.

The entertainment center wall before.

The entertainment center wall after.

This gives you an idea of how the paint looks with the wallpaper--which, by the way, is going to go bye bye next summer in lieu of painted walls.

This is the before of the bedroom with walls primed and no carpet.

Mr. Snowbird was in charge here and picked out the colors, the drapes, the carpet, and Comforter. Not too shabby I would say!

So, there you have it. We still have so much more to do next summer. A new kitchen, get rid of wallpaper in the living room and family room, probably new carpet, possibly redo the bathroom etc. But you better believe that Bob the Builder WON'T be doing it. If anybody can recommend a good contractor in Findlay, Ohio, let me know, ok?????

Wordless Wednesday-Pink Wellies

This was taken on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Wordless Wednesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now spends most of her time on Sanibel Island, Florida volunteering for a Wildlife hospital rescuing and rehabbing wildlife. I even dumpster dive for injured Raccoons!! I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. Back to Wordless Wednesday.

Enjoy more Wordless Wednesdays at Wordless Wednesday and 5 Minutes for Mom

Ruby Tuesday-Fish House

This is an old fish house which is still standing in Pine Island Sound near Sanibel. Back in the 30's and 40's Pine Island Sound was peppered with these fish houses which were used as fishing camps and later as ice houses. Today, the few that have survived hurricanes (including Charley in 2004) are owned privately and used as cottages. Talk about getting away from it all!

I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Ruby Tuesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now spends most of her time on Sanibel Island, Florida volunteering for a Wildlife hospital rescuing and rehabbing wildlife. I even dumpster dive for injured Raccoons!! I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. So if you really want to see red go to Work of the Poet.

Friendly Neighbors--NOT!

These are the houses across the street from our house. See those cars? Those belong to me and to Bill who lives with us. We have lived in our house for 34 years and for all of those 34 years we have parked our cars out in front. We would park them in front of our house but that is a fire lane so that is impossible. And we can only park one car in the barn so that is where Mr. Snowbird parks his car. When the kids lived at home, we actually had 3 cars that needed to be parked on the street. All has been well for 34 years. The house where the cars are parked has passed through many owners since we have live here. As I said, all has been well for 34 years.

This spring a new owner bought the house. During my first garage sale in June, she came over and introduced herself. She seemed very nice. She is a single mom who does a lot of babysitting. I haven't seen a lot of her all summer since we never seem to be outside at the same time.

I have to admit that we have had all three cars parked out front most of the summer due to the barn being full of my garage sale stuff and because the contractors needed to get into the back yard much of the summer. And I will also admit that there is a city ordinance that you can't leave a car parked in one spot for longer that 2 or 3 days without moving it and I did tend to forget that. But, as I said, all has been well for 34 years. No complaints from any of the previous owners in any of the 3 houses that we park in front of. Until last Friday!!

Bill came home from work and found a note on my windshield. When he brought it in to me, I was astonished to say the least. I'm afraid a few choice words escaped my lips.

Just curious, what would you think if you found the following note on your car???

Hangin' With the Family

Since we are hoping to head back to Sanibel around Labor Day (IF Bob the Builder is done by then), we decided that we should take this last chance to see our son and his family this weekend. So we headed across state to Twinsburg. We ordered in Mexican for dinner and ate out on the patio. It was a beautiful, warm evening and we enjoyed just eating, drinking adult beverages and talking. Ok, so the kids didn't drink adult beverages or even sit around and talk much, but it was very enjoyable.

Today has been a lazy day for Mr. Snowbird and me. Dave measured the kitchen for new flooring, Mr. Snowbird read and went with Dave to pick up flooring, Erin had team soccer photos taken and then Ann took Erin and her friend blackberry picking, Sam played XBox and then went Jet Skiing with a friend. Me--I slept late, watched the Olympics, read, and decided I'd better let all my blogging buddies know what I was up to.

Tomorrow, we will go to Erin's soccer game then head back to Findlay. Hopefully in time to see the Olympic Closing Ceremonies.

So, there you have it. That's what I've been up to this weekend.

Bob The Builder Update

We called Bob the Builder yesterday to see when--or even if--he was ever coming back. The last time we saw anyone from his crew was a week ago last Monday! He said he couldn't come until next week. Grrrrr. About an hour later he called and said that his crew was busy putting a roof on a house but he could come today. So he and his significant other showed up at 9:00, dropped some stuff off, and promptly left to go shopping for something--who knows what. They came back with a few things and finally started painting about 9:45. Then they discovered that they didn't have enough paint so Mr. Snowbird went to get some rather than let them out the door again. At 12:30 they left for lunch since B the B's lady friend had to go to work. He came back about 2:00 and continued to work on the living room. Our living room is one HUGE room which is "divided" into two parts. There is paint on one end and wallpaper on the other end. We left the wallpapered end alone except that the woodwork needs to be painted the same color as the painted half. Also, the woodwork goes upstairs and there are 6 doors upstairs that need to be painted also. But, I digress. B the B finally got the painted half including the ceiling finished today. When we asked when he was coming back, he said next week! Mr. Snowbird told him for the umpteenth time that we wanted to leave for Florida by the end of the month. This month, not two months from now!! So, he caved and called someone else and offered them the job. He actually called Concrete Guy's girlfriend. She will be here Monday afternoon and hopefully will finally get the job done for us next week. If she is as good as Concrete Guy, I won't have any gripes--finally!

So, anyway, I was able to FINALLY--after 2 months--put coats back in the closet, put Hummels back in the cupboards, put pictures on the wall, and move the furniture back into place. Tomorrow we will put the drapes back up. I can't put everything in it's place though until the other half of the room is done. But, at least progress is being made. And we can finally walk through the family room again since that was where everything was piled.It was all I could do to get to my plants to water them.

The bedroom is all painted and we are just waiting for carpeting which will be here on Monday so that room will finally be finished. Slowly but surely things are finally getting done.

Anyway, there you have it. The saga of Bob the Builder continues but at least progress is being made and there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Do I Make You Smile?

The Farmer Files-Lost in Oahu tagged me with the Smile Award. Wow. Thank you. I'm glad that I bring a smile to your face and to others with my rantings of Bob the Builder, my stories and pictures of my fab five grandkids, my stories about rescuing wildlife, dumpster diving for raccoons, and my life in Paradise.

Characteristics for the Smile Award:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude (not necessarily at all times–we are all human) (I do try to maintain this but when it comes to Bob the Builder the attitude seems to change a bit!)
2. Must love one another (I try, I really really do.)
3. Must make mistakes (Oh and do I make mistakes!)
4. Must learn from others (I hope that I have. I know I have. Or else I wouldn't be a blogger!)
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world (I sure hope I am.)
6. Must love life (Absolutely! Positutely!)
7. Must love kids (Hey, I was a teacher, a mother, and a grandmother-what else can I say?)

These are the rules:
1. The recipient must link back to the award’s creator.
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must chose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

OK, so now I have to pick 5 award winners who make me smile. How do I pick 5 from all the blogs I read. I guess I will just have to try, huh.

My daughter at Shama-lama Mama is going to hate me for picking her for yet another award but her posts about my grandsons always bring a smile to my face, or a giggle or an out and out laugh. For instance this post about her Child of Passion or her story of Noah's swimming lessons in Water Boy and the video of A Little Refreshment with Twin Toddlers. Anyway, Karen, thank you for keeping me updated on the boys and for making me smile, giggle, and laugh when I need it.

My next award goes to Tootie at Turtle Talk with Tootie and at Sanibel Toot's Lazy Days. Once a week, Tootie drags herself out of bed before dawn and heads to the beach to check on Sea Turtle nests in her assigned zone. Along the way, she picks up trash-you can't imagine what people leave on the beach. She also takes lots of beautiful pictures of the sun rising or of the birds along the beach early in the morning. On her other blog, she talks about happenings on Sanibel--like todays tropical storm. From both of her blogs, I stay in touch with Sanibel when I'm not there. Thanks Tootie for helping stave off my Sanibel homesickness and for making me smile.

My next award goes to Tink at My Mobile Adventures. Tink has phone, will blog. She blogs about trips to Disney World, her recent trip back home to New York which was interrupted by TS Fay, and most recently about putting up hurricane shutters. Her pictures and her posts always bring a smile to my face. Thanks Tink--and I would leave those storm shutters up until December too if I were you!

4th on my list is Deb at Mom of 3 Girls. I "met" Deb when I became her winner of a Bloggy Giveaway. You can thank her hubby for my beautiful header. By the way, Happy Birthday Ron. Anyway, Deb shares the adventures of her three beautiful daughters, Abby, Hannah, and Becca, life with remodeling (boy can I relate to that!) and her adventures with baby kittens. Deb, thanks for the smiles you bring me.

OK, last but not least. This is a blog my daughter introduced me to and I know that this gal has no idea who I am as she has hundreds of readers daily. There is no way she has time to read anyone's blog! Ree at Pioneer Woman grew up in the big city but is now the wife of a rancher who she lovingly calls Marlboro Man. Their two daughters and two sons help out around the ranch and are home taught. Ree is also a photographer and takes amazing pictures of life on the ranch. She is also one of the funniest writers I know. She never fails to make me laugh. I love all of her posts but when she writes about Charlie the Basset Hound, I can't help but laugh outloud. Go spend a few hours roaming around her blog. You'll love her.

Ok, so that's it. Again, Farmer Files, thanks for the award. I do appreciate it. I'm glad that I can send a smile out into Bloggy Land every once in awhile.

Wordless Wednesday--Smoky Mountain River

These were taken in one of my favorite places in the whole world--The Smoky Mountains.





I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Wordless Wednesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now spends most of her time on Sanibel Island, Florida volunteering for a Wildlife hospital rescuing and rehabbing wildlife. I even dumpster dive for injured Raccoons!! I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. Back to Wordless Wednesday.

Enjoy more Wordless Wednesdays at Wordless Wednesday and 5 Minutes for Mom

Fay, Fay Went Away--Yay!

To quote Barry Manilow "Looks like we made it". Fay never became a full fledged hurricane before it hit land south of Naples, Florida which is about 40 miles south of Sanibel. Apparently, unlike most tropical storms, it gained strength as it crossed across land. It could actually become a hurricane once it hits the Atlantic. Stay safe Linda!! But, as for Sanibel, no flooding, no power loss and no wind damage. Yay! According to Tootie on Sanibel Toot's Lazy Days, there is this shield that was set up around and over Sanibel after Hurricane Charley so we are now protected from future hurricanes. Oh, if that were only true!

CROW came through unscathed and was taking in lots of patients today. My friend, Diana, was driving all over Ft. Myers picking them up and delivering them to the hospital. Would you believe that they have 32 baby raccoons??

So, it looks like we don't have to make a mad dash to Sanibel to pick up debris this week. We can go see our son and family this weekend and then WAIT for Bob the Builder to reappear and do what he was hired to do!

Anyway, I can't tell you how happy I am that we dodged this bullet.

Fay, Fay, Go Away

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like she is going to go away. She has decided that Lee County and Sanibel look like a great place to spend a few hours. Sanibel is under a Voluntary evacuation right now and I would bet dollars to donuts (don't you just love that expression?) that it will go to mandatory in a few hours. But, I hope that is enough time to get everyone off of Captiva and Sanibel as landfall is supposed to be tomorrow morning. I would not want to be there if there is a storm surge. A surge back in the 20's was like 10 feet high. Not good when you live in a trailer that is about that high. Anyway, my friend, Diana, who lives in Ft. Myers and Gordon who called to tell me that our place was shut up and locked up will hopefully keep us informed of what is happening. Keep checking back for more information as I get it.

We've Been Coned!!! And Other Stuff

These are three words that any Floridian--or anyone who lives on the Gulf or Atlantic Coast--hate to hear. This means that you are in the path of a Tropical Storm or Hurricane. Look at the map above. See where it says 8 AM Tue. That's Sanibel!!! UGH. Right now Fay is still a Tropical Storm and we are hoping and praying that it stays that way or even drops off to a Tropical Depression. But it doesn't look good. We have already gotten the 2nd advisory email from the City of Sanibel and Governor Crist has already declared a State of Emergency due to the threat of a storm!

It was 4 years ago last Wednesday that another hurricane, Charley, took this same path and hit Sanibel as a Category 4. We were in Scotland at the time and had no idea what was happening aside of what we saw on the BBC. Sanibel and Captiva are just now getting back to "normal" as far as vegetation goes. The city has spent tons of money planting new trees. Businesses are back on their feet. To make it worse, this has been the best Turtle Nesting Season in a long time. If we get a storm--even a Tropical Storm, it could wipe out most of the nests. So, I called Gordon today. Gordon is the new CROW intern and is living in our place this summer. He was working so I left a message telling him to bring everything inside, put stuff in the Florida Room up on blocks, shut the door between the trailer and Florida Room and get the heck out of there! I'm just hoping we don't have to make a mad rush down to Florida next week. I would much rather take a leisurely drive down stopping at Disney World on the way.

So, my thoughts are with CROW, all of my friends on the island and inland, the 4 legged wildlife who can't escape a flood surge, my neighbors who had a tree through their roof 4 years ago, and my "itty bitty piece of Paradise" in Periwinkle Park.
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Neptunesmuse commented in my garage sale post asking how I had done. Let me say, my back is killing me! I was supposed to have the sale open until 4:00 today but by 3:30 when no one had been there in 2 hours, I started tearing it down. It took me 3 hours to put everything away. Luckily Mr. Snowbird said I could store the "leftovers" on the bench in the garage rather than lugging it all up to the barn attic. But, after 2 months, he now has a place to park his car again. I really did quite well combining both sales this summer. Enough that I feel comfortable stopping at WDW on the way south and then going to St. Augustine with my friend, Diana, sometime this winter. Yay! Nepunesmuse asked if I had any memorable customers. I can say nobody pocketed anything without paying for it. I did have one gal that wanted something and said she only had $3 and would I take that. When I asked what the item was marked at she said, "$20.00!" Well, duh, of course I said NO!! I did drop the price to $10 later but come on folks, $3.00??
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When we moved into our neighborhood over 30 years ago we were the "young uns" on the block. Of course as time went on, we became older and our neighbors became younger. We had great neighbors next door. A very friendly young couple with two little boys. Unfortunately, he was transferred so they had to sell. We should have known what we were in for when the new buyers put up an 8' high fence around their yard. They had two big dogs which they left out much of the time and these dogs barked at anything that moved! And to top it off, they were about the most unfriendly people you would ever want to meet. About a year ago when a For Sale sign went up, we jumped up and down and cheered. It took a year for the house to sell but sell it did. So now we have new neighbors. And boy are they great. It is soooo nice to look out your kitchen window and have your neighbor smile and wave at you. David, a widower, and his two daughters moved here from the Boston area. Welcome to the neighborhood guys! And, when talking some genealogy today we decided that we just might be long lost cousins!
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And last but not least, once a year I looked forward to being awakened by a very distinctive sound--that of hot air balloons flying right over the house. We have a Hot Air Balloon Festival in Findlay every summer and on Saturday and Sunday mornings they launch at about 8:00. This year there were about 30 balloons. Unfortunately, I didn't get outside to see them all but I did catch quite a few. Sure beats an alarm clock.
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And just to warn you--don't fret if I don't blog for a couple of days. We are heading up to Detroit to our friend's house for a couple of days. We are due back Tuesday--the same day that Fay is due to hit Sanibel. Fay, Fay, Stay Away!!!

Yet Another Garage Sale--And Remodeling News.

Yup, that's right. I'm having another garage sale. I kept everything set up from the last sale so all I had to do to get ready for this one was to add some stuff, put the ad in the paper, and open up at 9:00 this morning. Now that's the way to have a garage sale.

Brad the Concrete Guy has been doing a fantastic job. So much so, that Mr. Snowbird keeps hiring him to do more jobs. As I said, when you have a 100 plus year old home, it becomes something of a money pit. The base of the house is made of stone taken from a nearby quarry. The mortar was starting to erode so Brad took care of that. Then Mr. Snowbird decided that the basement windows needed replacing and caulked--which actually they did. We are also hiring him to fix the inside basement walls which tend to leak when we have 100 year floods. And apparently he paints too--so he will paint the basement and a couple of the windows upstairs that need it. Geez, I wish I had known he painted before we hired Bob the Builder!! Speaking of Bob the Builder--haven't seen him or anyone of his crew for a couple of days. Have no idea when they will make their next one day appearance!

I hope the Olympics get done tonight a lot earlier than they did last night. I'm a sucker for gymnastics and I finally gave up at 1:30 this AM before they were even over. But, tonight is the Women's all around so they will probably run just as late. Makes it tough to get up and out to the barn for the garage sale. But hey, the Olympics only come every other year so I'll stay up to watch them. Of course I guess I could tape them, huh?

Wordless Wednesday-Ouch!

Need I say more???

I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Wordless Wednesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now spends most of her time on Sanibel Island, Florida volunteering for a Wildlife hospital rescuing and rehabbing wildlife. I even dumpster dive for injured Raccoons!! I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. Back to Wordless Wednesday.

Enjoy more Wordless Wednesdays at Wordless Wednesday and 5 Minutes for Mom

Ruby Tuesday-Twins In Red

My son lives in Twinsburg where Twins Fest is held the first weekend of August every year. I've attended a couple of times and it is amazing to see so many multiples gathered in one location--some so identical you couldn't tell them apart even if you were their parents and some so different, you wouldn't even guess that they were related. I became the grandmother of twins in 2005 but was unable to attend Twins Fest the summer after they were born. Then they moved to San Diego and probably won't return for the festival for many years. My daughter did take the boys to Twins Fest that summer, though, and had their picture taken with the "Most Alike" set of twins. So thanks to her for this picture, here are the "Most Alike" and probably the "Most UnAlike".

I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Ruby Tuesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now spends most of her time on Sanibel Island, Florida volunteering for a Wildlife hospital rescuing and rehabbing wildlife. I even dumpster dive for injured Raccoons!! I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. So if you really want to see red go to Work of the Poet.

Thoughts of the Day

OK, I am officially in Olympics overload! I watched them for most of the weekend. I love the swimming and the gymnastics the most. Why Gymnastics? Because I can't believe some of the things the gals and guys can do. I wince everytime I see some of their programs. Amazing. Swimming because I used to teach swimming and was an interim Aquatics Director at the YMCA for a short stint. Both of my kids grew up in the pool and were on various swim teams over the years growing up.

So I groaned and moaned right along with everyone else during the US women's gymnastics qualifying last night. Luckily. despite injuries to two of the members and even with horrendous mistakes, they are so strong they pulled it together to qualify second for the team all around.

But WOW, that 4 x 100 men's relay last night has to have been the most exciting relay race ever--except for maybe one that my son swam in when he was in high school. Dave was never the strongest swimmer on the team but managed to earn points for the team. In one meet, Coach Rock Snow put Dave as anchor on the Free Relay Team. This was the last event in a meet and the outcome of the meet depended on this event. As far as I can remember, Dave had never swum anchor on a relay! This normally goes to your strongest swimmer. When Dave took to the pool, he had a substantial lead. The swimmer from the other team was their strongest freestylest. Dave managed to hang on and win by about as much as the US team did last night. I just remember standing on the side of the pool (I was supposed to be scoring, not watching) screaming and yelling my head off. Those feelings came flooding back last night when I watched our US team beat out the French by 8/10's of a second and break the world's record by 4 seconds. It was such a fast race that even the 5th place team came in under the old world's record. So, thanks USA, for bringing back such a great memory of another win years ago.
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Could someone explain to me how you can gain two pounds by eating a small bowl of Cheerios and two cups of coffee and then not gain an ounce eating a huge meal which included 2 glasses of adult beverages and a big yummy bread pudding desert?
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The Concrete Guy is busy, as we speak--well, at least as I speak--putting the finishing touches on his job. And Brandon, Bob the Builder's son, is "busy" painting the living room. He said that there were several other guys supposed to show up but I haven't seen them yet. More later.
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These are some random thoughts that I received in an email from a friend today. Enjoy.
1. Can you cry underwater?
2. How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of murdered?
3. Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?
4. Why are you IN a movie but ON TV?
5. Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They are going to see you naked anyway.
6. Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?
7. If the Professor on Gilligan's Island can make a telephone out of a coconut why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
8. If corn oil is made from corn and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
9. Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
10. Do the Alphabet Song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
11. Why did you just start singing the two songs above?
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Olympic medal count as of today
Gold Silver Bronze Total
1. China 9 3 2 14
2. South Korea 4 4 0 8
3. United States 3 4 5 12

USA! USA! USA!

Happy Birthday Mr. Snowbird

Today is Mr. Snowbird's 79th birthday. He said this morning that he never dreamed he would feel this good at this age. For years his birthday was celebrated on August 12th not the 10th. Why, you might ask. Well, I'll tell you. He is adopted and his adoptive mother apparently thought his birthday was on the 12th. When he entered the Army during the Korean War--or should I say Conflict--she gave him his adoptive history. All of a sudden, he discovered that he was born on the 10th. But, he--and later we-- still continued to celebrate on the 12th. Sometime back, he decided that it was time to celebrate on the actual date--so we do. Unfortunately, some members of his family (Dave!! LOL) tend to get confused and can't remember if it is the 10th or 12th. So whenever it is,hon, happy birthday and many, many more.

Looking back--

4th Grade

About 10 or 11 years old.

In the Army.

All grown up.

Chuck and Noah December 2005

July 2007 in San Diego.

Let The Games Begin

Wow, did anybody watch the Olympics Opening Ceremonies last night? I was GLUED to the TV for 4 1/2 hours! China totally outdid everybody when it came to putting on a show. I would hate to be any country who has to follow in their footsteps. Those were the most amazing, fantastic, spectacular, gorgeous, mindboggling (and lots of other superlatives) Opening Ceremonies I have ever seen! And where else but in the land of fireworks, would you see such a magnificent display of pyrotechnics--over and over again?

Then came the Parade of Athletes. I swear, I have never, ever heard of half of those countries. But they all looked proud and so excited to be there. I just think it is sad that the athletes had to miss out on the Opening Ceremonies. I'm sure that they were televised wherever they were but still. And that so many of the athletes (swimmers and gymnasts to name a few) had to miss the Parade because their events were today. And how about Yao Ming carrying the flag for China with the tiny little 9 year old earthquake survivor walking beside him? Or Yao holding the little one so he could see what what going on?

And how about the way they lit the torch. The poor guy must have been exhausted from walking on air when he finally made it around the stadium to the torch. Again, amazing.

So, I'm pumped. I will be a TV junkie for the next couple of weeks watching as much as I can and will have a horrible case of withdrawal when it is over!

Now, if the terrorists and politicians can just let the athletes do what they came to do. And wouldn't it be wonderful if the terrorists and politicians could take a lesson from the athletes? They showed pictures last night of athletes from different countries meeting, greeting and taking pictures with each other on friendly ground. Unfortunately there has already been a very sad event where a Chinese man attacked 2 American relatives of one of the indoor volleyball coach's. One of the relatives was killed. We can only hope and pray that this is the last such event.

Anyway, Let The Games Begin and may the best men and women win! And yeah, I hope the US gets their fare share of gold, silver and bronze!

Oh and as for the daily medal count --just google Olympics.

Olympic medal count

				Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1.		China		2	0	0	2
2.		United States		1	1	1	3
3.		South Korea		1	1	0	2

(3 medals in women's fencing. Way to go women!!)

Google Silliness

Yesterday on Tink's blog--ya know,the one who tagged me--she had another meme that really looked fun. I'm not into the whole meme thing,usually, but this one drew my attention. And since there isn't a whole lot going on around here today (except for Concrete Guy pouring our new backporch and steps), I thought I would try this Google Silliness out on you.

All you have to do is Google your first name with the word "needs" after it, and post the first 10 results. Of course, you can add comments to each of your "needs" which makes it all the funnier--at least I think it does. So here goes.

1. Nancy needs to learn what the moon is.OK, so now you know what my real name is. Did you really think I was born with the lovely name of Snowbird? Anyway, back to my needs. I think I've known what the moon is for many many years now. It's that big round think up in the sky that's made out of cheese, right?
2. Nancy needs jail time!!! OK, just what did I do that prompted this harsh action?
3. Nancy needs to stay here, take responsibility, and face the consequences of her actions. Hey, I'm all for taking responsibility for my actions--if I knew what they were. Maybe it was something I did when I had a wee bit too much of the adult beverages.
4. Nancy needs to quit dying her hair. I will have you know that I have only dyed my hair once and that was for a play in college and my hair turned green and I couldn't get it out for weeks and I learned my lesson and I never, ever did it again. So, here I am 70 years old and still have blond hair. My hairdresser is absolutely amazed everytime I go to her.
5. Nancy needs her own personal Boeing 757.Oh yeah, baby. And a pilot and crew to go with it. And add in an unlimited supply of fuel while you're at it.
6. Nancy needs some help. Well, now, I think that's pretty obvious.
7. Nancy needs to find the stairs in Mattie Jensen's apartment. If I knew Mattie Jensen, I would think I could find her stairs, don't you. Anybody out there know good old Mattie?
8. Nancy Needs Training Wheels. Hey, when you ride a three wheeled adult tricycle, you have built in training wheels. Just kidding. I haven't gotten that old and arthritic yet thank you very much.
9. Nancy needs some vino. Need I say more???
10. Nancy needs Your hand guiding her through. And can't we all? Even though I'm not a church goer anymore, I still believe that the man upstairs looks after me and takes care of me everyday.

So--that's it with Nancy needs. I think I need to give a lot of thanks here to Nancy Pelosi and Nancy Drew. Without them, this post wouldn't have been possible!

And, no, I'm not tagging anyone. Just go try it yourself. It's a lot of fun.

Playing Tag

I have finally been tagged in the Blogger World of Tag. Tink from My Mobile Adventures has tagged me with the BLOGGING FRIENDS FOREVER GOLD CARD (aka BFF Gold Card). Wow! When I got into blogging, I started it mainly for my family and friends. I never dreamed that I would get a whole new circle of friends. I had "met" Tink through the Best of Sanibel/Captiva Message Board and through that she found my blog and of course, introduced me to hers. You need to pop over to her blog and read all about her adventures in the land of Mickey, her trips to Sanibel, and all of her other mobile adventures.

So, it seems that the rules for this prestigious award state:
1. You have to tag 5 people.
2. 4 of the 5 have to be dedicated followers to your blog.
3. One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and must live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to whomever gave you the award.

So, after reading the rules and going through my list of dedicated followers-some more so that others (LOL), I have come up with the following list.

#1. Karen at Shama-Lama Mama. OK, I'll admit it. She is my daughter and my most dedicated follower. And she has a great blog. She talks about life in San Diego as a wife and the mother of 3 of my grandsons. Noah is 5 1/2 and the twins, Ethan and Luka, are 2 1/2. And trust me, they keep her hopping. How she has time to blog I will never know. And she is a great photographer. She had better be. We paid for her college education so she could become one! LOL. If you haven't checked out her blog, hop over and check her out. So, Karen, you have been tagged.
#2. Gail at Shedding the Wolf. I also discovered Gail through the BOSC message board then discovered her blog and put two and two together that Sandpail Gail and GPC were one and the same. Gail is another of my dedicated followers and always leaves very insightful comments. Gail lives in Michigan and is a grandma, just like me. Gail says in her bio, "My life is good, and I want to be sure that a good life is available for my grandchildren when they grow up." So Gail decided to "Go Green". Most of her posts on her blog show how she is doing this. I do envy her for what she has done and want to be like her when I grow up. Ok, Gail, this is what you get for following my blog. LOL.
#3. The Farmer Files. I am a LOST fan and stumbled on to this blog when searching for blogs located in Hawaii. I started following her blog and then she began following mine. She is the mom of 2 young boys who are adorable. I have loved reading about her life in Hawaii and also about her stint as an extra on LOST. But she will soon be leaving Hawaii and moving back to San Diego. I will definitely miss her adventures in Paradise but am looking forward to more of her adventures in SD. So FF, this is the thanks you get for following my blog.
#4. Mariby on the Learning Curve. Mariby came to me and I found her blog through Tink. I always love and appreciate Mariby's comments on my posts. I am a real sucker for her photos on her blog. She lives in the northwest and has such a beautiful "backyard" in which to take pictures. You just have to jump on over there and check out the most beautiful scenery you will ever hope to see. And her flower pictures are spectacular. So, Mariby, thanks for reading my blog and you've been tagged!
#5. For my newer reader (although she doesn't live all that far away) I have chosen Raven at Views from a Raven's Nest. I can't quite remember how I found Raven. I think it was through a Wordless Wednesday or a Ruby Tuesday. I posted a comment and because of that, she found my blog. In her bio, Raven says "I'm 61 years old going on eight. I'm agoraphobic, permanently disabled. I live an odd life, but a relatively happy one. I have two cats. Angel - who is as sweet as an angel and as naughty as a devil, and Tara Grace who is sweet and gentle with the voice of a long shoreman." Even though Raven never leaves her house, she writes the most beautiful poetry and takes the most amazing photos through her windows. Raven, thanks for sharing your view of the world with me.

So, it's been fun tagging y'all. Hope you enjoy your BFF Gold Card. So, get out there and share the wealth!! Happy Blogging.

The Longest Night and Other Stuff

So, it would seem that my body has finally recovered from whatever had me sidelined. Or at least I am about 98% back to "normal"--whatever that is. I had been sleeping about 18-20 hours a day since last Thursday. Yesterday was the first day that I got up at 8:30 and stayed awake the entire day. I did a LOT of genealogy work on the computer (I'm putting my data online at Ancestry.com), watched some TV, played around on Second Life (yeah, I do that too), and read some. So, when I discovered that it was midnight I figured that maybe I should go to bed. So I did. My body was ready for sleep but apparently my mind had gotten it's fill of sleep the past few days and refused to shut down. It got to be 1:00, 2:00 3:00 etc. I got up and had some comfort food (a glass of milk, crackers and peanut butter and grapes--yeah, weird, I know) but that didn't do any good. I took a Tylenol which usually works. Nothing! The last time I remember seeing the clock was 4:00. Then it was 5:30 and nature called. Back to bed and of course my RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) kicked in. Nothing worse than crawly, twitchy legs at 5:30 AM when you have only slept for about an hour and a half. So up for more Tylenol! I did sleep, though somewhat fitfully, until 8:30. I looked out the window and saw that Concrete Guy was here to take out our back porch and part of the sidewalk. Good thing I was up because the huge pneumatic drill was enough to wake the dead! So, anyway, I feel like new again! Except for the fact that I only had about 3-4 hours of sleep. Oh well. I guess the old bod just decided it had better things to do than sleep.
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Bob the Builder and friend put in the 4 new windows in the barn yesterday. Whoopie! Also went out and bought the new door for the side of the barn. Didn't install it--just bought it. Can anyone explain why a door costs $150 and the installation costs $250? Mr. Snowbird did say it's because they have to put a new frame in. He is a whole lot more lenient on this whole construction thing than I am. Of course, I'm still looking at a living room where the paint job hasn't even been started yet. Oh, and the bedroom where the kid painted the walls and part of the baseboard but left a strip around the bottom near the floor. I guess he thought the new carpeting would cover it. Bob the Builder did admit that he has a lot of other jobs going right now. Well, excuse me, but I think we were first in line before these other jobs came in!
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Ok, I don't usually go nuts over People Magazine pictures or celebrity babies etc. but did anyone see the latest People with the pictures of Brad and Angelina's kids? Not just the twins but all of the kids. What a fantastic, happy, marvelous family these two have assembled. Just to see the pictures of the older kids with the twins and with each other just brought a smile to my face. Way to go Brad and Angie.
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Oo, oo, oo, I just looked out the window and Bob the Builder is actually putting the new door in. I wonder how long it will be before we see him again?
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I'm sure that unless you live in West (By God) Virginia or were on Interstate 77 in that state yesterday, you didn't hear a word about this. My son and his family have been vacationing in Gatlinburg, Tennessee since last Thursday. They were headed home yesterday as Ann had to work today. He called about 5:00 and said they were stuck in traffic on I77 and would I google it and see what I could find. Sure enough, I found out about these accidents. Two semis had collided and later a semi and car had collided--both close to the same location. From what I could figure out, Dave et al were about 2 miles from where it happened. He said they were moving a bit and hoping to make it to the exit where they could get off. He then called about 9:00 saying they got fairly close to the exit at which point they were turned around and sent back the other way and were now in a traffic jam waiting to get off on the other side. People were running out of gas etc. I asked if they had anything to eat. He said he had beer and the kids had flaming Doritoes. I assume, since they had been camping, they had a wee bit more than that. Ann started a 1200 page novel and the kids were watching DVD's. They seemed to be in a fairly good mood. That was the last I heard from them so for all I know, they are still on I77 in the hills of West (By God) Virginia.
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OK, that's enough stuff for now. Just know, that I am sooooooo glad to be well again. There were times when I really doubted it would happen!

Ruby Tuesday-The Shirt About Says it All

Here is my grandson Ethan in a shirt which aptly describes him much of the time. His cute little "joker smile" (although he doesn't have it here) hides a lot of mischief.

I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Ruby Tuesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now spends most of her time on Sanibel Island, Florida volunteering for a Wildlife hospital rescuing and rehabbing wildlife. I even dumpster dive for injured Raccoons!! I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. So if you really want to see red go to Work of the Poet.