Year-end Resolution Check

It is ending, this year of 2011, and while it is drawing near I'm checking in on how I did for the last two months as well as the year.

1. To not text while driving - So sucked at this one these last two months, which is really awful when you look at how dangerous it is to text and drive.  Why do people text me when I'm driving?  How does one let people know that one is driving and therefore unable to text back?  I'm thinking I shall try to get the whole thing outlawed here in Florida, because if there is one thing that I do it is obey the law.  I did, however, do well for the most part the rest of the year, and I plan to really turn off my phone as soon as I enter the car in the next year so I should be good.  Score for last two months:  0  Score for the year: 8
2. To get some form of exercise daily (10 minutes at least) whether it is walking the dog or performing jumping jacks. - Another resolution on health that just went down the toilet.  Didn't do it, didn't do it, didn't do it.  Have lots of excuses.  Doesn't matter.  Score for last two months: 0  Score for the year: 1 
3. To finish my slide project and to get important photos on CD's to have for...prosperity? - Slide project finished?  Check.  Important photos on CD's?  Uh, no not really, but a lot of them made it to the computer so that is good enough for me! Score for last two months: 9  Score for the year: 10
4. To continue to work on toning down the potty mouth. - Nope.  Nada.  Hell, no, didn't happen.  Think perhaps it is a lost cause.   Score for last two months: 0  Score for the year: 7

TOTAL:  25 out of 40  Doesn't really matter in the end, does it?  Some resolutions went well.  Others didn't.  Only thing to do is jump right back on the 2012 resolutions and get to work!

Last Connie Foot Photo

I have decided that not only am I tired of taking pictures of Connie's foot, but I'm tired of looking at the wound.  I think even the Foot God is tired.  This week he didn't touch the foot because the apligraft from last week was still attached, and he doesn't want to see her weekly, but bi-weekly.  Perhaps another apligraft will be available in two weeks.

So I shall periodically update Connie's foot, perhaps only monthly, unless there should be a break, and by that I mean a miracle, in things.  She is on 15 months of this wound in her foot and there doesn't appear to be an end in sight, but curious minds want to be informed of progress so I shall report when there is something to mention!

12 Christmas Gifts

12.  Speakers for my computer
11.  Steelers charms for Iphone
10.  Flowered backpack
 9.   Cold Cash
 8.   Steelers Flag
 7.   Earrings made by second born daughter
 6.   Iphone earphones and mic
 5.   Steelers chair
 4.   Iphone resting pod for car
 3.   Jade pendant from China
 2.   Magazine protectors
 1.  Steelers mailbox

A Christmas memory

My father loved to do his own Christmas shopping.  He would go out a few days before the big day and wander shops looking for the perfect gift, which was always a wallet for me and lotion for my mother.  He also got interesting gifts that one would never think of owning, and Christmas was quite entertaining when opening up his presents.

The second Christmas of Madison's life my father drove to Florida.  Along the way he stopped at a Cracker Barrel and found a gift he was sure Madison would love.  It was a typical Russ Mason gift.  It was a creepy real-life looking bass fish on a plague with a Santa hat.  On the front was a sensor that when activated would start the bass, named Billy, singing.  His little fish mouth would open and close and his tail, with a bell attached, would shake.  Madison was scared to death of the thing.  Which in turn only made my Dad laugh harder.

We had to put Billy Bass away for several years because each time we would bring him out Madison would run in the opposite direction screaming bloody murder.  It got so we would just take him out of the Christmas box and put him to the side never to peek inside his bag.  This year, however, I got him out and put in batteries to see if Madison would do her thing.  This year she just giggled.  At some point Tom took the fish and glued him to the front of our house to the right of our door.  It had to have been done at night.

Because the next day after everyone was off to school and work Billy Bass began singing.  Apparently, Tom did shut off the sensor button in the back and apparently it has bionic sensor because every time a car passed my house Billy Bass sang.  I could not turn off the button in the back because Tom glued the animal to my wall.  All day long Billy sang as cars passed by, and every time Billy Bass sang Elliot ran to the door barking.  By the end of the day I thought I would kill Billy with my bare hands.

The second day was more of the same until I went outside and surveyed the scene.  I wish I had done it earlier because a little piece of black duct tape over the sensor shut Billy right up.  I am thinking of taking it off tomorrow since I don't think many cars will pass by my house, but maybe the few that do will bring us a little cheer.  And Madison and I will think of Russ and laugh...

A few Christmas photos

I'd like to say I've been too busy to blog, but in thinking back over my days they have been fairly normal, well, except for that pesky Christmas shopping.  Today I decided to post my long awaited Christmas decorating photos.

Up until last year my hubby liked purchasing and decorating a Christmas tree about two weeks or less before the big day.  For some reason that all changed last year and he got the tree at the beginning of the month, just like he did this year.  While Darcy and I were at her soccer game the first Saturday in December Tom took Madison and brought home this tree.  The tree sat empty for over a week because with school and soccer Madison didn't have time to do the lighting, and Madison ALWAYS does the lighting on the tree.  I did add the hat for some decoration, and I thought it quite lovely during the day.

Eventually the lights got put on and then the ornaments and then the presents were put 'neath the tree.  Our living area is quite small and now that we have the flat screen on the wall we were unable to put the tree in the corner of our living room.  So we put the tree in the dining room...where everyone has a tree.  But in our house the living room flows into the dining area and so we can see the tree all the time.  That room use to house the tree anyway back when it was still an extension of our living room.

This year since the dining table is right smack dab in the middle of the house we began using it as the wrapping table instead of the pool table in the Steelers room.  Darcy worked hard at cleaning the area and making it into what she calls the "wrapping station".

Each year we change the outside of the house.  When the kids were little I insisted on a candy theme with lollipops and candy canes and gingerbread men that Kelly made.  Eventually the gingerbread men bit the dust and the lollipop colors lost their shine and no one was interested in fixing either so the candy theme was retired.  Plus the Steelers flags that hang outside my house from September to February need to be incorporated into the decorating.

One of the things I insist on is that the house has to look good during the day as well as at night.  I dislike looking at the dangling white icicle lights on people's houses, the dead blow up objects in a heap on the lawn, and the empty animal structures that you can't quite see in the sunshine.  While it all looks festive and beautiful in the evening, it looks awful and depressing in the light.

So I have my wreaths and a few other items (Kelly calls my bags "Santa's trash") that are a delight during the day.  Tom put the lights this year around the top of his little brick structure and added two light up figures on our poles.  I would have put them on the two that aren't hanging flags, but he did it while I was gone.

My neighbor a few years back bought some cute magnet decorations that she puts on her garage door.  I didn't like the price of them so I went to the craft store and made my own.  The decorations died last year, but the lettering was still intact and I thought it all went well with my Steelers magnets.  I think next year I'm going to do all my Christmas stuff in black and gold; the ribbons on the wreaths and the lettering on the door.

One of Tom's traditions is poinsettias.  He gets them every year and then plants them around our house.  None of them have bloomed after that, but at least we are recycling.

Not as decorated as we usually do, but I thought it simple and tasteful.  Now I hope I get some more Steelers flags for Christmas so that each pole has a flag for next year!!

Tuesday Morning Sports Recap

Steelers played last night so my sports recap had to be pushed back a day, but my, what a weekend in sports it was with locker brawl, fists flying and lights going out.

Steelers:

• Should just start with James Harrison's one game suspension for last week's hit on Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy.  The hit came in the fourth quarter and wasn't even really shown on TV live.  It was only after McCoy lay on the field that the reporters quickly showed a replay, and we learned that Harrison had once again hit helmet to helmet, a now no-no in the NFL after an investigation on former players dying or going crazy showed this is a direct cause of brain trauma suffered from football hits.  While I don't object to the NFL bigwigs making an example of Harrison with a one game suspension I do believe that they are just going through the motions.  I don't think they have any idea how to stop concussions and brain injuries with the way the game is played.  No one wants to be the one who changes the game rules as the NFL is raking in the money with the way it is played now.  The truth is that the refs can't be all over the field all of the time and these types of hits are happening every play of the game, not just to quarterbacks.  While the hits on quarterbacks are what draws the attention and fines, hits to defensive players like Troy Polamalu are status quo and largely ignored unless someone is knocked unconscious.  Then there are the idiots on the sidelines that are sending these players back into the game despite suffering what turns out to be a concussion, such as what happened with McCoy after being hit by Harrison.  The NFL has to do some fining on that too if they want to be consistent and show they want to stop this from happening.  I just don't see any end in sight despite fines and suspensions unless the game itself is revamped.
• The TV cameras caught Harrison on video talking to McCoy after he returned to the game, and the announcers informed us Harrison was apologizing to McCoy for his hit.  Since McCoy has no memory of what transpired after his hit and the announcers have no idea what was really said we can only assume what was being discussed.  I like to thing Harrison was checking in with McCoy and telling him he was sorry, but his attitude afterwards with reporters was anything but.  I understand he has to be careful what he says, but since when is showing remorse going to get you in trouble?  I bet if Harrison has shown the slightest bit of apology he might of played last night and only been hit in his wallet.
• I understand that Ben is the leader of this team, but he needs to understand that sometimes he can't lead; last night was one of those nights.  Ben playing hurt isn't going to be the Steelers answer to getting ahead.  Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon need an opportunity to get into the game and get some experience.  I understand that last night was a huge night, but I'm not sure the team gave its all.
• Candlestick Park lost its lighting twice last night due to some huge power surge or something.  A fan ran around on the field acting like an idiot and the cameras caught Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich watching the fan.  "Where is James Harrison when we need him," Ben said, referring to the incident several years ago in Cleveland when Harrison tackled a drunk fan who was eluding security on the field for several minutes.
• Troy Polamalu looked fresh despite his injury.  If only the rest of the defense had stepped up its game.
• The Chargers beat the Ravens so to take the lead in the division all the Steelers had to do was win.  Unfortunately, this team just can't seem to sizzle when they need it.  I'm getting kind of tired of watching mediocre play from a team that is much better then it's showing us each week.  Somewhere something has got to change.

Other:

• In Dallas a cowboy defensive tackle apparently took exception with something a reporter said in an interview on Thursday and video surfaced of the two screaming *&^%$# words at one another.  The tackle, Jeff Ratliff, had to be restrained by teammates.  No word on whether anyone restrained the reporter.  Dallas then went out two days later and kicked the pewter off the Buccaneers pants 31-15.
• Moving northeast we find another locker room showdown and more drama at Penn State.  Apparently Penn State's quarterback, Matt McGloin, one of the revolving door quarterbacks  this season, was sucker punched by his receiver and teammate Curtis Drake after the team's loss to Wisconsin.  McGloin reported suffered a concussion and a seizure after Drake delivered a mighty powerful whollop and McGloin was taken to the hospital, but later released.  The school's campus police are investigating, but we already know how those guys operate.  Scooby Doo and his pals could do a better job.
• Heading westerly to Notre Dame is news that everyone's favorite walk on player, Rudy Ruettiger, isn't the nice guy inspired in the movie, Rudy.  Apparently ole Rudy is working a pump and dump scam with his sports drink company as well as making up elements of his time as a Notre Dame walk-on football player.  No campus police investigating this one.  It's been turned over to the feds.
• How about those Colts?  Their first win put the Steelers in the playoffs!  If only the Steelers acted a bit more gracious.
• The Packers lost their first game, but in the end that will make them better.  No team goes undefeated and then wins the Bowl.  I'm seeing the Packers repeat against the Ravens come February.

The things kids say

My sister-in-law had her Iphone out and was playing music while we sat chatting in the living room.  In wandered my four year old niece.  She crawled on the couch next to her aunt and began singing one of the modern songs played today on the radio.  She was moving her lips quite pronouncedly and singing in a soft voice.  As one song changed into another she did too.  It was quite funny, and a bit disconcerting, to hear this little one singing Moves like Jagger, and we were all laughing as she entertained us. Eventually the music stopped and my sister-in-law flipped through her playlist.

Nancy:  "I'm trying to look for another song that she might know."

Brea: (looking up at her from her slouch on the couch) "Do you have Sexy and I Know It?"

Connie Foot Photo #43

Last week there wasn't a photo because I was relieved of my duty by my visiting brother.  He did not honor my request to take a photo and text it.  I have a feeling though that the foot looked much like it did this week.

The surgery went well and the wound is looking very filled and healthy.  Next week he will apply an apligraft again.  Eventually, according to the Foot God, the wound should close.  Hmmm....when exactly he couldn't say.  Meanwhile Connie forges along in her wheelchair wondering if she will ever be on her feet again.

Monday Morning Sports Recap

No Steelers ball until a week from Monday, but there was plenty of action over the weekend.

• Indiana bball is back! - The Hoosiers took on #1 Kentucky in Assembly Hall on Saturday night and totally dominated.  After going ahead by 10 points, the Hoosiers let the Wildcats back in the game and actually get ahead, but Christian Watford hit a three pointer at the buzzer for the win.  Assembly Hall cleared its seats and rushed the floor in a sea of red and white.  It was a huge win and bit of nostalgia for Hoosier fans.  Plus the state needed that after watching the winless Colts all season.
• Court Brawl - At the tail end of the basketball game between Xavier and Cincinnati words were exchanged, punches were thrown, and both benches cleared to join the brawl causing the officials to end the game with seconds remaining.  Cincinnati has already suspended players and Xavier is expected to do the same.  Now days college students are kids in men's bodies hoping to make it in the pros.  I don't know how these coaches keep them in control, but  Cincinnati's coach sure was pissed at the news conference.  Got to learn to walk away.
• Albert Pujo;s - Yes, this happened earlier in the week, but no one can really be surprised can they?  These guys aren't about loyalty anymore.  It's money.  And in this recession who can blame them, huh?
• Colts Game - I was secretly hoping that the Ravens would think this game a no brainer and then lose, but alas, the darn Colts are still without a win this year.
• Tampa Ball - Can this team seriously get any worse?  I thought when Ronde Barber got the interception that they were on the way to kicking some booty.  Instead the booty that got kicked belonged to the Buccaneers.  Can't wait to see what the Glazer boys will do with this loss.
• Tim Tebow - How about Tim for President?  Another comeback win for the Denver Broncos led by their quarterback Tim Tebow, the same quarterback that analysts and coaches said would never make it in the NFL.  And the more these idiots, who haven't jumped on the bandwagon, mouth off, the more Tim Tebow and the Broncos go out and win.
• John Elway - And speaking of someone who mouthed off....I'm tired of the camera panning to Elway high and mighty up in the box.  He always has this pompous, smug posture, and yesterday he was caught spitting tobacco juice into a Styrofoam cup.  Ugh!  The only reason Tebow is around isn't because of Elway's job as team president as he now tries to make it be, but because the fans and the higher ups wanted it so.  Elway wants to be the only "hero" of Denver, but hey, buddy, that was years ago.  You're a has been now, despite what you did years ago, and the city of Denver is behind their man Tebow.  Better jump on the wagon now.
• Matt Prater - And how about the Bronco's kicker people?  I think more articles should be written about this guy because in the end?  If he didn't make those kicks the last few games Tebow's name wouldn't be bouncing around the web or the TV.
• Dallas Game - Dislike the Cowboys.  Enjoyed the Giants winning in the last few seconds.  Besides we need a Manning to succeed this year.
• 
  

Week in review

1. Brother came.  I had some peace of mind.  Brother returned home.  My stress level rose.
2. In the beginning of the year while taking my brother to the airport from my mother's house I made the wrong turn and ended up in Tampa at the wrong airport.  I DID IT AGAIN on this trip.  Although, I recognized my blunder a bit earlier this time and got turned around quicker.  My brother took it all in stride, but he tweeted it.
3. Could not do Christmas shopping until my window got fixed.  Repair guy, Steve, liked to call me twice daily to "verify" our appointment day.  He finally arrived late Tuesday afternoon and did a bang up job.  I did not let my brother touch the window on the way to the airports airport.
4. I got an email regarding Darcy's holiday class party, and feeling chipper after a day of being among the Christmas elite, I answered the planners' plea for cups, napkins, and plates and volunteered.  I said let me know how many are needed, thinking 12 or 15.  The answer came back:  60 of each!
5. My dog gets cuter and more loving every day and just wiggles right into my heart.  The little fart.
6. Finally headed out to do Christmas shopping and ended up only buying major household items like toothpaste, cleaning detergents, and toilet paper.
7. Decorated the tree that sat in our living room naked for six days.  Maddy is our light girl.  Darcy and I are the ornament girls.  It is a great system and we played Christmas songs and ate candy canes while doing it.
8. Came to the realization that the month of December is not going to be the month I resolve all my years' resolutions.
9. Lost two pounds on my new health regime of no soda, no greasy fast food, and minimal sugar. 
10. Listened to Red Solo Cup by Toby Keith approximately 1,045 times. I still don't have the fourth verse memorized.
    

Steelers football recap

My, my how time has flown this week without me blogging a word!  My Monday sports recap blogs have been nil the past two weeks much to my shame, but since I've been watching the Steelers games at my buddy's house I don't get to really multi task the channels and computers like I do at home.  So I've decided to discuss the past two Steelers games in today's blog!  Cue excitement sports fans!

Steelers vs. Bengals

• Finally a game where we played the way I know we can!  We threw!  We ran!  We scored!  Oh my!
• The defense was just plain solid.  The youngster's played hard and the elders led the way.  James Harrison was a brute with three sacks and another tackle that should have counted as a sack
• Troy Polamalu was back and mightier then ever running willy nilly all over the field.  Feel that pick a comin'.
• It was nice to see Antonio Brown (I shook his hand) finally get into the endzone for a score after jumping and catching all evening.
• Big Ben's protection still needs to improve, but he is a scrambler and he got the job done with some nice TD passes.
• Welcome back the running game!
• Darcy's science teacher is from Cincinnati and a huge Bengals fan.  His desk sits facing the back door of the upper school building, and the back door and front door are lined up evenly.  I wanted to go to school the next day after our 35-7 win, park, enter the building from the back, run through the building waving my terrible towel, and run right out the front door never saying a word.  I didn't do it, but I wish I had.

Steelers vs. Cleveland

• Got to start off with warrior Big Ben Roethlisberger playing on one leg and throwing with a broken thumb!  How he came back into that game with the injury we saw on that sack is reminiscent of Terry Bradshaw back in the 70's.  Not sure if he is just that tough or just that plain crazy.  I'm sure it is a combination of both, but he  knows that he is the leader and he has to lead and the playoffs are around the corner.  Steelers were only up by 4 and they needed him.  Bottom line.
• Thought the offensive line did a super job of keeping everyone off Ben after the injury.  Now if they would just do that for two halves we might be in business.
• Nice to see some reaction from Ben after he threw a beauty of a bomb straight up the middle to Antonio Brown who dropped it.  Ben rolled his eyes and groaned and then snarled, yelled at Brown, and banged his hands together as if to say, "Seriously?  I'm playing with my leg about to explode.  The least you can do is catch the damn ball!"  I think he should have said all of that on the sideline myself.  Sometimes these guys need to hear that. 
• Talking before the game with my brother on the phone, he told me he had the Steelers defense in his fantasy team, and he needed them to make plays.  I told him no problem that Troy Polamalu would have his pick tonight.  Oh yeah baby!  Troy got his pick!  It was a beautiful thing.
• He also got a stinger (or something) on a play, and we got to watch as he told friend Ryan Clark to pull his arm out and relieve some pressure.  Good thing we don't play until a week from Monday.
• William Gay has played like a monster these last few games since he screwed up in October.  His interception in the endzone sure made us fans breathe easier, not to mention take some heat off of Roethlisberger. 
• Here we go again with a helmet to helmet hit by James Harrison.  It's getting kind of old.  I've said it before, but I'll say it again.  I think you have to look at each play in these cases.  Browns quarterback Colt McCoy was running, and standing straight up.  Harrison is running toward him.  He tosses the ball as Harrison nears and ducks his head.  I'm not sure how Harrison is suppose to stop his momentum and watch to see where McCoy's head is going to be.  It has to be exhausting for these guys.  Which is one of the reasons why Troy is always diving to make his tackle, going for the legs, instead of the upper body, and that has resulted in quite a few miss tackles, I might add.
• McCoy looked knocked out there on the field, but the Browns had him back two plays later.  What?  They were trying to make him as tough as Big Ben?  Shame, shame.  The NFL can't afford mistakes like that in the middle of "concussion inquires".  Trainer and coach should have been more respectful and caring of their player.
• Props to Antonio Brown for clinching the win at the end so Ben could finally relax.  Beautiful catch and a great "whoop" fake to get around the Brown defender.  And then he ran like the wind with three guys chasing him into the endzone for the TD.  Game in the bag.
• Although I really prefer play like the previous game...not to mention the score.

Men....pfft.

I should have written out my whole car window story in detail yesterday, complete with photos, but I had other things on my mind and so I just did what my husband begs of me daily - I told it quickly.  But then yesterday when the window was suppose to get fixed it didn't and so I've decided that I need to get out my frustration of this whole car window thing by blogging it.  So bare with me or exit out it's your choice.

A year ago my electric window on the passage side of the window broke.  The motor or some piece with a name that was made up by some car mechanic to frighten women car owners broke.  The window itself was just fine, but it wouldn't go up or go down.  I wasn't too concerned about it since fast food drive thru windows back then were on the driver's side.  But my husband thought that a broken window meant the whole car would suddenly just fall apart as he drove it down the road, and so he called around to get it fixed IMMEDIATELY.  Turns out these window repairs are like over $250.  I said, "WHAT?" because there are more things I want for $250 (like a Steelers mailbox in the shape of a helmet) then a working passenger side window.  He made an appointment for someone to drive out to the house to repair the window because apparently these guys come to you in window repair instead of you coming to them, which hello might be one of the reason for the expense.  The night before he came happened to be Halloween and one of our friends who shares the holiday with us owns an imported car repair shop.  I had a discussion with him regarding the window thing, and he offered to do the job for $150 if I brought it by his shop, despite my car not being an import.  So I did.

The window was fixed, although it now made a whooshing noise every time we got on the highway and traveled faster than 60 miles an hour.  I could ignore that part as I'm an old lady driver and never go faster than 45 miles an hour in town.  About ten months later the window began making some groaning noises as it went up and down.  Eventually it began making crackling noises so I told everyone that rode in that seat not to touch the window.  I did not put a piece of duct tape over the window control, which was my bad.  One day, about a month ago, I accidentally hit the window control for that window, one of which is on the driver's side of the car.  The window would not go back up after that so Madison got out of the car and pushed the window up and all was good.

The girls and I adjusted to life without a passenger working window.  When the fast food drive thru windows were built so that traffic could move in either lane, we just drove a bit past the window and opened the van door to receive our greasy bag of food.  We never had any issues, but in my pee brain I kept thinking that I should duct tape the control panels, but as usual I didn't do so even though I spent one whole day cleaning the inside and outside of the van and could have easily done so.  I thought about calling my friend, but the fact that his repair job only lasted ten months didn't give me too much confidence.  Then came the day I asked my husband to take the van in for an oil change.

I don't like to do this chore because one, they make you drive into the garage over that wide, open hole in the floor where the men reside to change your oil, and because two, those greasy hand mechanics always pull out something in your car and tell you the whole thing will blow up without a replacement and it costs $75.  I think it isn't too much for Tom to do this chore for his beloved wife because after all, my father always did it for me.  He agreed to do it and took off in my van at halftime of Darcy's soccer game.  When he returned with the van he told me I had a broken window.

Me:  "What?  Why would you roll down that window?"
Tom:  "Because as I was driving along someone put the broken visor back on the passenger window and it fell down."
Me:  "So?  So what did that have to do with the window?"
Tom:  "Because it scared me, and I went to fix it."
Me:  (knowing husband well) "So you forgot what the hell you were doing and hit the control to the window?"
Tom:  "Yeah.  Why didn't you have that window fixed?"

The worst part of the whole thing was that he had broken it so the window wouldn't close all the way and a small slit, about two inches, was open around all sides of the window.  So husband, thinking the van would fall apart with a broken window, called around to have it repaired only now, a year later, places wanted $400 to repair it.  Seriously?  This is obviously a business our KelCar Repairs needs to check into because this is some serious cash.  Eventually hubby found a man up north that was willing to do it for "like $90".  Huh?

Me:  "$90?  He said he would charge us that?  Why?  Why such a big difference?"
Tom:  "Well, you have to go to him up north.  I told him he could come to your mother's house since you are always there.  He agreed to that.  If he has to come down here to our house he charges like $5 more."
Me:  "This all sounds whanky to me, but if you want me to do that I'm game."

We made an appointment to have the window repaired on Friday at my mother's condo.  On Monday, a day of many errands and trips around the county, we had a horrendous rain storm.  Rain pelted the are,a coming down in sheets with the wind blowing the rain around in all directions, most of it coming through the small gap where my window didn't close.  Every lot I entered was open air parking so the car began to get wet and smelly, but I picked up a towel along the way and covered the door and dash to protect it somewhat.  The next day was sunny and the car dried out quite nicely, although the window whooshed every time I drove over 40 mph.

On Wednesday the car repair man called to tell me he was sick, but he felt better and he would still try to do my window on Friday.  I felt sympathetic and told him it was no big deal if he couldn't get to it til next week.  He insisted he would be fine and we agreed to a time.

On Thursday I had to pick up my brother at the airport.  As I cruised along, I made a mental note to tell him not to touch the controls, and again I chastised myself for not putting duct tape over the controls.  I pulled up to the curb and waited and waited and waited.  He finally strode up, opened the van door and dumped in his bags.  Then he opened the passenger door, climbed in, shut the door, and I pulled away from the curb.  No sooner did I pull away from the curb and he was pushing the control to roll down the window, which rolled down about five inches.  The window creaked in protest.  I screamed.  My brother jumped and immediately tried to get the window back up.  The window began its crackling noises and then, as my brother and I watched in horror, the window slowly began lower itself a half an inch at a time until it had completely disappeared into the door.

Rusty:  "Oops.  Good thing it isn't raining."

I sighed and told myself it was no big deal as the repair was happening the next day.  I proceeded to drive him to his destination, the 57 degree wind blowing what little hair he has left on his head.

Rusty:  "I'm hungry.  Want to pull into one of those fast food drive thrus where the window is on the passenger side?"

It wasn't until we got to my mother's condo that I realized wherever I went the rest of the day I would be leaving my car wide open to thieves in a parking lot.  I still had two pick-ups and drop offs to do and two soccer games to attend before I could park the car in my garage for the night.  I looked around my car at all the junk that would take at least an hour to remove.  Then I yelled at my brother for being an idiot.

Rusty:  "Well, really, get a car that works, would you?"

Lucky for me, I had my friend take me to one soccer game and my neighbor take me to the other.  I was unable to go anywhere the next day because of the window and so the list of "to dos" that I had written out to do while my brother relieved me of mother duty didn't get done.  The window guy called me on Friday, told me he was all set despite his chest cold,  and we met in the parking lot of my mother's condo.  He got out of his 1970's beat up car that he calls his "mobile service" and I wanted to hug him, but didn't want to scare him off so we shook hands.

Me:  "As you can see, I'm glad you are feeling better because my brother broke the window and it now won't go back up."
Him:  "Touched the controls, huh?"
Me:  "Yep.  I should have ducted them, but seriously he wasn't in the car more than 30 seconds before he rolled the window down to spit out his gum."
Him:  "Are you sure this car is an 89?  It looks like a 90."
Me:  "Huh?  An 89 or 90?  This car is a 1997 van."
Him:  "Really?  Your husband told me it was an 89.  I ordered a part for an 89."  He strode around to the driver's side, opened the door, and read the date on the side.  "Yep, 1997.  Well, that part I bought isn't going to work in a 97."
Me:  "Y-O-U  H-A-V-E  G-O-T  T-O  B-E  K-I-D-D-I-N-G  M-E!"
Him:  "Sorry.  And it is too late to get a part today.  Plus, a 97 part will cost a lot more than an 89"

Really?  And in my mind a check for $90 went flying out the open car window and in flew one for $400.  The nice man tried to get a part for that day, but it was a no go.  He told me the soonest he could get to me next week was Tuesday, but that he could do so at my own house as he had another service call in that area that day.  Since I now can't go anywhere where I can park and leave my car safely I told him Tuesday was fine with me, and I watched him drive away.  I called the hubby.

Me:  "Uh, I'm here to have my car window fixed, but you gave him the wrong year for the van."
Tom:  "I told him an 89."
Me:  "Yeah, well, I was pregnant with Darcy when we got this van and she was born in 1999 and the van still had a two year warranty on it.  Where the hell did you get 1989?"
Tom:  "Ah, man, I was doing two different things when he called.  I guess I wasn't thinking."
Me:  "Obviously!"

Then I went upstairs to my mother's condo and smacked my brother around.  Then I drove home with the breeze rolling through the window, my purse on my side of the floor so that no one could reach in and snatch it at a red light.  At my daughter's school I waited for her to come out of study hall and entertained myself by killing all of the mosquitoes that flew in through the open window.

Guess my Christmas shopping for next week will be done online.

Week in review

1. Had to call 911 for my mother who spent four days in the hospital with severe dehydration and stress to her kidneys.
2. Would have enjoyed hospitalized mother's entertaining hallucinations of sledding in the snow, visiting ladies' houses, seeing Madison hiding in corners, etc. if I hadn't been so worried about her mental state.
3. Asked husband to take car in for oil change and he returned it with a broken window. In his defense the window was already broken (motor issues), but the girls and I had it rigged so that it was closed. Husband lowered it and then could only close it so far, leaving a nice open gap.
4. Drove all day in a rainstorm with broken window. The towel I had to put across the interior of the door sopped up some of it, but not much.  To rid the car of wet upholstery smell, I purchased fast food at McDonald's.
5. Had my yearly physical exam where I found out I had shot up in my total cholesterol levels, with the bad cholesterol higher than last check.  Wondered briefly if McDonald's fast food contributed to that. 
6. Picked brother up at the airport telling myself all the way there that I needed to mention the broken window so that he wouldn't try to open it.  Brother opened door, got inside, shut door, and then proceeded to open broken window to spit out his gum.  I screamed.  The window crackled and lowered five inches.  Brother attempted to fix it.  Slowly, the entire window lowered into the door.
7. Was going to the gym this morning to work on cholesterol issue, but can not park the car anywhere but the garage for fear of robbery of car contents.
8. Read an article on Yahoo about how to clean your house in record time.  Attempted this method in the Steelers room, starting in one corner like suggested.  Got as far as the second corner before getting sidetracked by my own messy desk.  Got waylaid there trying to clean and organize and instead created another dirty, messy, disorganized pile that now has to be cleaned.  Gave up cleaning Steelers room for another day.
9. While cleaning desk quickly checked in on facebook which led to returning to my farm in farmville.  Spent several minutes trying to remember how to work things and was depressed about how much I had forgotten.  Wondered why yearly physical didn't include memory test.  Must work on that in the coming year....if I can remember.
10. Fixed daughter lunch for school with delicious ham and cheese on Hawaiian rolls.  Later when cleaning up mess, wondered where bread tie had gone to.  Found out after school daughter discovered it in her sandwich.  "I tasted something crunchy in my ham sandwich," was how she started telling the story.

Sharon in pictures

I met Sharon when I first moved to Florida and started working for the city recreation department.  She was eighteen, carefree, and so much fun.  She made me laugh from the first moment I met her, and she still makes me laugh today.  Darcy spent a couple of hours with her and said, "Aunt Sharon is the most happiest, go-lucky, carefree person!"  She may have issues in her life, but she also knows that life is about living, and laughter certainly helps.

 "Hold on!  I forgot to shave before we came to the beach."

 "Just a minute, I'm almost done."

 "Sunscreen is very important on the beach."

"Watch your eyes!"

"Ben! Sunscreen is important!"

"This water is not cold"

 "Let me catch that bird..."

"These boys are precious like their mother!"
"I don't care if you don't want a picture...I do!"

Connie Foot Photo #42 & #43

Last week's visit was routine.  Off came the bandage.  In came the Foot God.  Foot God muttered it looked good.  Plan made to remove staples next week.  Home health care to begin again.  Bandage back on.

This week Connie didn't make it to the appointment, but instead ended up in the hospital with severe dehydration.  The wound nurse appeared to change the bandage and discovered the graft had fallen off.  The staples are still in place, with one in the wound itself.  The wound looked very pink and healthy, but the graft to the side concerned me, as did the staple.  The wound nurse didn't care as her instructions from the Foot God were to not touch anything.  She bandaged it up again right over the top of the falling graft and staples.  Jeez!

Connie's hospital physician put in a call for the Foot God to visit her in the hospital to set up a plan of action, and he arrived late last evening to take out the staples and fix everything up.  He dressed it nicely and will see her on Monday.  In the meantime she has taken a fall on the way to the bathroom, and been quite loopy with the combo of dehydration, stress on the kidneys, and the higher steroid dosage.

Out of the mouths of my babes

Darcy:  "There is something wrong with the ice maker.  It is frozen or something."

Me:  "Yes, that has happened before.  You have to remove the container and get rid of the ice underneath."

Darcy: (attempts to remove container) "Ah, never mind.  We'll just let Dad fix it."

Me:  "What?  No!  We can handle this without your Dad."

Darcy:  "Why?  Leave it for Dad."

Me:  "Because women can do anything that men can do.  Women do not need men to take care of things for them.  You are letting down many generations of strong women.  What kind of example are you setting for the younger women?"

Darcy:  "Uh, I'm just saying why waste our precious time defrosting this thing?  Let Dad do it, and we can spend our time enjoying something else!"

And she is 15

Happy Birthday to my first born who made us into a family.  She is beautiful with a personality that doesn't fit her red hair and brown eyes.  The little girl that ran this household with her kind and gentle ways grew into a loving, sweet, and caring woman.  She is wise beyond her years.  She has made us proud with the way she conducts herself, cares for others, and believes that there is good in all of us.

Where did the time go?  I can remember waving away people when they questioned where we would send her for kindergarten.  "We have years before that," I said.  Now we are worrying about high school and driving.

That little girl who talked to us like an adult may be an adult now, but I still see the little one inside her.  The little one with the tiny voice that never quit talking.  The little one who shared her toys willingly with others, and who wanted to know everything about anything.

We are very proud of who she is today, and love her beyond words.  Happy Birthday Madison!

Thanksgiving in Florida 2011

The great thing about living in Florida is that during the fall and winter holidays we are able to be outdoors in the sand and water.  Good thing that we have visitors from other areas to get us there!

Thanksgiving Pics

Little helper Henry:

My dear friend Sharon, who I have known since she was a mere child of eighteen, stayed at our house for two days over the holidays. She and her husband and two boys live two hours away and with our lives in different directions it has been a year since we have seen them. Her boys are five and three, and on Thanksgiving morning while I was starting my pumpkin cheesecake baking, her three year old offered his assistance.

Turns out he was a great helper. He crushed the graham crackers and almonds.

He added the melted butter and stirred.

 He whisked eggs and added ingredients for the filling.

He mixed it all up.

 And then he cleaned the dishes.

He was amazing; very calm and relaxed. We chatted while we worked, and he told me how he helps his mother cook at home. After cleaning while the cheesecake baked, he helped me snap the beans.

Chef Kelly:

Kelly worked hard the night before getting the turkey ready for the oven.  She made some sausage and apple stuffing, as well as the traditional pan of stuffing.  She had recipes for some holiday cocktails, green beans, and a specialty cheese puffy bread thing.

But the most amazing thing she brought with her were her brand new turkey flipper tongs.  These she used to turn over the turkey for browning, and she used them to transfer the turkey from the pan to the serving plate.

Connie's Milk Giblet Gravy:

This year Connie agreed to talk us through the making of her family's milk gravy. 

First combine flour and milk

Second using the "powerful broth" from the turkey, I heated it on low

Then I slowly added the four mixture to the broth mixture and stirred and stirred

Then I turned that stirring job over to Madison who finished up the gravy with more mixture, more milk, and some seasonings.  We added the giblets and had delicious gravy!

A beautiful table:

Our guests, who did not eat with us as they visited family, made our centerpiece for the table.

And we added a few leaves and some candles.

And then used the fine china and crystal glasses for a finished and very festive table.

It was a very relaxing and quiet day with lots of good food, good wine, and great company.  Happy, happy!