Progress

Last week arriving at the mall, I zipped around the parking lot looking for a prime spot. Spying four prime spots one row over, I rounded the end and made straight for them, thrilled not to have to walk further in the heat. Only, too bad for me because the spots were reserved for "families with small children". Annoyed, yet also unable to be so because I advocated for the spots for pregnant women back in the day, I rounded the lot several more times until I finally gave up and walked the mile to the door in the stifling heat.

Today, while shopping with my cousin Jaimee I got a remembrance lesson in how difficult it is to shop with a toddler in tow. We set off with a happy toddler clutching his stuffed animal and an old phone discovered in the house, and a big smile on his face as he settled into his car seat to watch the video that popped up on the screen hanging from the ceiling of the van. Minutes before we arrived at our destination he was asleep.

Waking a sleeping toddler is equivalent to waking a sleeping tiger, yet there is no other alternative. It sucks for the parents and it sucks for the toddler, and it really sucks for the other shoppers, many who are there to escape their own whinny toddlers. Jaimee was unfazed by her sleeping child, insisted we would lay him down in the cart, and we stuck to our schedule.

We trolled the parking lot for a space close by because carrying a sleeping toddler in your arms is like carrying a hundred pound weight from the gym. They are nothing but lumpy sacks of dead weight that put pressure on legs, back, arms, and necks as you haul them from point A to point B. Luckily, nowadays parents don't have to add that stress to their body parts since they have the above mentioned designated parking spots.

Back in the old days, twenty years ago, the genius that came up with the idea hadn't opened her big mouth (I put her because, surely, this was a mother) yet and so we struggled with sleeping toddlers, babies in carriers, walking toddlers who refused to hold hands, and our own bodies loaded down with a gigantic diaper bag that housed everything but the kitchen sink. Times were tough back then, but this, this invention, this simple act is pure wonder. Spots close to the door to rally the groups quickly into the store from the car and vice versa.

Of course, the spots were taken, but we landed one next to this spot and so we considered that a win, and Jaimee lugged the sleeping child out of the car seat, cradled him as he tried to decide whether to keep sleeping or to wake and observe, and we were in the store in seconds and he was in the cart on top of a pillow we had brought as our color swatch before he could make up his mind which way to go.

Progress. Almost makes me wish I could start over. Although, after three days with Jaimee's ten four children I've decided visiting and/or grandparenting is the new way to start over.

Visitors

Outside our front door is an area off the porch and between the walkway for plants. I don't remember now if that area had plants in it when we moved here, but I do remember running a soaking hose under the dirt and planting things in it. It has now become a smorgasbord of mismatched plants from palm trees to some tree I received as a thank you for volunteering in Madison's first grade class room. My husband grows peppers in there and experiments with various plants he runs across at Home Depot, and the whole area is encircled with three layers of brick that draws kids to walk across it as a tightrope.

It is a favorite spot of Elliot's when we go outside each day because lizards congregate there and he exits the front door and immediately pounces into the area to chase the geckos. He did that recently as I took him outside for his daily urination and as he pounced and dug I played on my phone. Exactly two minutes later I heard a very high pitched tiny scream of fright that refused to end. Being a mother, and having gone through this very scenario once before, my motherly instincts kicked in and I began pulling the dog from his discovery. I was frantic, screaming his name and tugging on the retractable leash because I knew what was making that horrible noise. We had a bunny nest.

I could see two hand sized pink, hairless, eyes not even open yet animals in a shallow hole that Elliot had dug up, and one of the animals was frantically squealing, and as I watched he/she worked her way back into the hole to cuddle up next to her nest mate. I began kicking some of the leaves back over the hole until I worried that wasn't the right thing to do, but for some reason I was concerned not only about predators, but about sunburn. Hello, we live in Florida and it is a real concern.

I left the nest alone, but Elliot was very concerned. He spent the entire day with his nose pressed against the front door, peering out at them and whining. ALL DAY. I tried very hard to explain that what he had found was a nest of bunnies and that while I understood he was a dog, an animal, a carnivore, despite his love for salad, we had higher expectations for him than a bunny killer. Not on my watch, dog.

The next morning the hole was covered with fur. I briefly wondered if part of that clump included some of my dog's hair that tends to blow around our yard, but I decided not and was impressed that the mother had taken care of covering up her peeps. Elliot, of course, wanted to exam the fur and the hole and the bunnies, and Tom and I had to steer him clear of the area each time we took him outside. He would take to acting nonchalant as we walked past the area, but his nose was constantly twitching and he didn't fool us one bit.

Two days after that the leaves were covered over the fur, but because Elliot continuing hanging his head over the bricks and sniffing, I knew the babies were still there. I continued my protection of them, banging on the kitchen window when I saw my husband inside the area picking up handfuls of leaves and bagging them.

Me: "What are you doing? The bunnies are there."
Tom: "Look at all these leaves. It's fine. I'm cleaning this up."
Me: "You don't even know where the nest is so stop it. Get out of there. Jeez, you're worse than the dog."

Last night as they returned from there nightly walk Tom let Elliot hop into the area. This is the kind of thing that sets me into a tailspin because, what? Why?

Tom: "I just wanted to see what he would do. If they were still there."
Me: "Of course, they are still there. What about tiny, pink, and hairless did you not get? They aren't done growing yet."

Apparently, Elliot pawed until the hole was once again exposed (AAHHH) and one of the babies popped its head out of the hole and stuck his/her nose right up against Elliot's nose in a "Are You My Mother" sort of way. Realizing that no he was not the right species, the bunny popped back into the hole and burrowed once again next to his nest mate.

Tom: "So, they are still there."

And I wonder why I have anxiety about leaving...

Travel anxiety

Before I travel, I have anxiety. It usually starts several weeks prior to my traveling and this time has been no different. I've had this since I was a youngster. I blame my mother, of course, because we are suppose to blame our parents for our idiosyncrasies, but she use to jokingly pretend she was really sad when I would go to sleepovers, and it gave me a guilt complex. I worried something would happen when I was gone and it would be all my fault for leaving. The weird thing is that I know she was kidding. She was the mother who jumped up and down at the bus stop each school year. Yet, I worried.

Once I'm at the airport the anxiety disappears. Poof. As if it were never there to begin with, but the weeks or days leading up to the trip are riddle with anxiousness. First of all, I don't travel alone. I've written about this before, but for the past twenty years I've had children in tow, occasionally  the husband. I can count the times I've traveled without them on one hand and three of those are within the last five years. Secondly, I don't like leaving my family behind because of the "what if" factor which my aunt tells me is the need to control my surroundings. As if I could stop a hurricane from barreling through the Atlantic and up through the state of Florida.

Third, comes the guilt. I'm able to travel because I don't "work". (The air quotes are still not tiring much to the hubby's despair) I prefer to tell myself it is because I can travel with my work. My writing comes with me and my travels give me more to write, but there is still the guilt of leaving the job holders behind. This time that means my husband.

Darcy: "I'm coming home this weekend."
Me: "What? Why? I'm not going to be here."
Darcy: "I know. Poor Dad."

Lastly, is the fact that when I do travel away from the husband he buys something major. Like a refrigerator. Or a car. Thank god, he asked me about colors on the car before purchasing and I put the stop to that purchase. Since the hurricane the man has been doing projects he has wanted to do for years. He has had our pool deck resurfaced. He has had the roof inspected again. Yesterday, a shipment of LED lights arrived by UPS to redo the lighting in the Steelers room. God knows what he will buy or do when I'm off traveling.

This morning when I woke my heart was rapidly beating and I worried about my yearly physical that got canceled due to the hurricane. I worried that I should have a flu shot before flying, but then worried that if I got one what if I had a reaction and wasn't able to travel? I'm getting my teeth cleaned today and worried I would have a major cavity that they would want to repair in the next week and I wouldn't be able to have that done and my tooth would get infected while in Indiana. People, I'm a mess.

Yet, come Thursday morning when the hubby drops me off at the airport I will get through security, grab a coffee, and sit and relax. Excitement will kick in and all will be well. Two days and counting...

Monday morning NFL recap week #3

Wow. The first half of the games were all odd, starting with the game in London when the Jags stuffed the Ravens 44-7. It went uphill for some of the "mediocre" teams from there.

Steelers:
So, the Steelers started off the day embroiled in controversy by choosing to stay off the field during the national anthem following the tweets from our president who suddenly what, woke up? This is last year's news, and frankly I'm over it. I made my opinion on this a few weeks ago. I haven't changed my mind. There are way worse things going on in the NFL than this issue. There are way worse things going on in the world and here at home than this issue. I watch football as a diversion from all of this political nonsense.

• Players never stood on the field during the national anthem until 2009 when some NFL person saw it as a marketing tool. The Steelers should have known it wouldn't be simple. Despite Tomlin's media address stating it wasn't a political statement but a removal of circumstance, people chose to see it differently. Here is what went down. Tomlin heard the team talking about the issue, told them to decide how to handle it as a team, when they couldn't agree on an action the team decided to remove themselves from the situation. That way they weren't saying anything either way, but doing what they used to do before 2009; stay off the field and concentrate on playing football. Of course, no one bothered to listen to the reason why, instead deciding for themselves what the Steelers were saying, and then acted accordingly. I had a family member text me he was burning his terrible towel and who brought my father, a Marine, into the conversation. Really? Funny how disrespecting the Steelers' towel (sacred in the organization) wasn't seen as an irony. All I could think was how sad that no one is listening...on SO many levels.
• Loved Terry Bradshaw speaking up for the right to protest, but Howie Long really got to the heart of the issue. "Kneeling or sitting for the anthem is not something I would choose to do, but I fully support the right to do it. That being said, what keeps getting lost in the form of the protest is the message of inequality. Put in a perspective, as a white father having raised three boys, there were a million things to worry about on a daily basis, but it's impossible for me truly understand the challenges an African-American father faces at every turn while raising his children. But in a league that is comprised of 70 percent African-American players, if you're a white player in an NFL locker room, that puts you in a unique position to try and better understand those struggles and subsequently as we've seen, show your support for your teammates in your own way. Understanding starts with a dialogue and the most important part of dialogue is to listen." I've listened to one of my male African-American friends talk about raising his son in this world, and it is heart breaking to hear some of the things he had to teach his child, one of my daughter's good friends, stuff no white father ever had to teach a son or daughter. We have got to start doing better as a country and as fellow human beings. 
• Steelers offensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva, who served three tours as an Army ranger, chose to take a stand and be seen standing in the tunnel for the anthem so that too added fuel to the fire. Crazily, what wasn't shown or discussed was the fact that the team was standing behind Villanueva in the tunnel, supporting his right. Again, he chose to take a stand while the rest of the team chose to remove themselves from the political situation all together. If you still are confused, please go here to hear Tomlin talk about how politics don't belong in football.
• Frankly, the team should have been concentrating more on playing better football during that time. Maybe discuss how they weren't going to have so many penalties this game? How to get back the running game? How not to play like crap against a mediocre team? Just sayin'.
• Seconds before halftime, the Steelers went to kick a FG. It was blocked, recovered by the Bears Marcus Cooper who then took off running down the field to score. He got cocky, however, (Dear god, how many times do I have to talk about this nonsense? Hello, people, let's discuss this crap instead of the kneeling) and slowed down before he got into the end zone, allowing the Steelers Vance McDonald to strip the ball from his hands. The ball rolled into the end zone and the Steelers punter batted it out of bounds. Time was out. Halftime.
• Uh, not so fast. The officials called one thing. Then they called another. Bears coach John Fox ran around on the side line asking for a safety. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told his players to head to the locker room since halftime had been called. It was ruled after a considerable amount of time that the Steelers became the defense once the Bears blocked the kick. Because they committed a penalty (bleepin' surprise there, huh?), the rule states that the period has to be extended and so the ball was placed on the one yard line at the sight of the fumble. Steelers players had to come out of the locker room and head back on the field to defend. The announcers were in an uproar. The field was in an uproar. The crowd was in an uproar. 
• The play started, the Bears false started, and a field goal ended the first half. Whew. 
• Yikes, this game was crazy all the way. Steelers missed the home field advantage for sure in overtime. Two holds not called. The way things roll. That's football.
• Ben struggled again with the offensive line. We were missing two key players, but still. Gotta protect your big guy no matter what. Especially when the score is tied with seconds on the clock.
• Still not seeing the run game. Why aren't we discussing how Bell isn't anywhere near to earning all the money he feels he deserves? I hope Kansas City's rookie Kareem Hunt the leading running back thus far this year pays attention to what can happen if you get a big ego.
• Maybe this was a good wake up call.

Other:

• Most of the losing teams won this this week. Jets. Bears. Vikings. Early days, people. Early days. Can't start calling teams great or bad just yet.
• Welcome back Odell Beckham Jr. with your cra cra crazy catches and toe tapping touchdowns. Unfortunately, not enough. Gotta give it to the Eagles and their rookie kicker Elliot who kicked the winning field goal at 61 yards. The joy of the Eagles team running out to embrace him at the end was a good reminder why sports are so exciting.
• Then there was Eli Manning, Giants quarterback, just as good as his brother in the post game. Well raised boys there, people. If only all sports leaders could stand up in defeat and tell it straight with respect and politeness.
• No matter what you think of the Patriots, they know how to stay cool under pressure. They showed us that in the Super Bowl and again yesterday with seconds on the board in the fourth quarter. Brady stayed cool as a cucumber and drilled it down the field. Brandin Cooks make a hell of a toe tappin' catch in the end zone and guess what? The Patriots won the game. That's a championship team.
• The Packers played their little hearts out as well with poor Aaron Rodgers getting beat up big time on the line, but again, stepping up to the leadership podium and pulling out the win. Gotta give kudos there.
• Seahawks Richard Sherman had a helmet to helmet hit on Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (after getting three flags early in one play), but if you slow down that play I don't know how you avoid that. Sherman came running at an angle, his head one way, Mariota got pushed from behind and boom they crashed. Only problem was Mariota was out of bounds so it was a late hit and the Titans went nuts. I like the protecting of your leader, but I still don't know how that is going to be stopped.
• WHOA such a bad call in the Lions/Falcons game there at the end. That wasn't a touchdown? Hey, refs...psst. The Lions are the home team. I'm not sure how that was overturned and declared not a touchdown. Then throw in the under 10 seconds rule and it was just another crazy moment in the NFL this week. Yikes.

Pictures from Twitter @NealCoolong, senior editor of NFL with USA Today Sports Media Group

NFL picks week #3

Last week: 10-6

Overall 22-9

Rams over San Francisco - Snooze game of the week and it's the Thursday night highlight. Toss up. I'm going with the Rams who have at least played one game well.

Baltimore over Jacksonville - I thought maybe the Jaguars would break out from the hype of a shitty team, but they let me down last week. Secretly, I'm hoping they do it this week, but I don't have enough faith to call it that way.

Denver over Buffalo - I'm still bitter about my screw up last week with the Broncos...I had them picked BTW. Sigh. Nothing will deter me from this week making sure I have it sealed in stone.

Pittsburgh over Chicago - I told my buddy that we are bursting at the seams. We are ready to explode. I think this week we do. The running game will be on and the B's will make catches. Look for AB to be on game.

Atlanta over Detroit - I hope I get to see this game. It's the most exciting one scheduled. I can see it going either way, but I put Matt Ryan's calmness over Matt Stafford's excitement. Of course, that didn't help the Falcons in the Super Bowl.....hmmmm.... 

Cleveland over Indianapolis - I see potential in Cleveland's offense. I think they win.

Tampa over Minnesota - The problem with day to day injury watches is making picks. If the Vikings Sam Bradford is still out, I see the Bucs winning this. If not, well, it doesn't matter because I have to seal my pick.

New England over Houston - If the Patriots lose this game, it will be the talk of Monday.

Miami over Jets - Argh. I'm feeling the Jets this week, but....but....

Philadelphia over Giants - Eli Manning and Cam Newton are the two quarterbacks eating the most turf and grass. No way the Eagles don't keep that up with Manning this week.

New Orleans over Carolina - Everyone says that Newton and company will prevail, but as I stated above Newton can't keep it up if he's always on the ground. Six sacks last week and that isn't even figuring in the sacks from last year and his off season shoulder surgery. I think Sean and Drew pull off a win this week on the road.

Tennessee over Seattle - Russell Wilson is another quarterback who is struggling with a weak offensive line. Difference here is he can scramble better than Eli Manning. But I think he doesn't scramble enough this week against the Titans.

Green Bay over Cincinnati - I'm not sure what is going on with the Bengals, but I don't see their season improving at Lambeau Field.

Chargers over Kansas City - Is there a team more unlucky than the San Diego Los Angeles Chargers? I mean, come on. Last week? I sort of felt sorry for their fans and then I remembered my brother was one and that feeling left quickly. I had them losing this week against the team that chugs

Oakland over Washington - The Raiders won me my football fantasy match last week so I'm sticking with them this week.

Dallas over Arizona - I just don't know. Not impressed yet with either team. 

In the doghouse

Last weekend while Darcy was home, she witnessed the wrath of her father who had survived a category 2 hurricane boarded up in a house with two women and after suffering from a muscle strain in his back. He came from work, and instead of embracing his daughter he made comments regarding the work she had not done. Work, that mind you he didn't mention that he wanted done which Darcy pointed out to him. So, he moved on to me.

Tom: "What did you do today?"

I hate that statement. My SIL and I discuss this daily. We have debated that statement in my husband's presence via Facetime, and still he and my brother ask us this Every. Day. When I said I had been at work he went into his normal grumbling of how my job is a "volunteer" job and not work.

Tom: "Work is when you get paid for doing said work."

Of course, I came back with how I hadn't gotten paid for the "work" I did in the hurricane recovery, and instead of knowing when to quit, his frustration just kept his mouth moving. He told me my payment was the house I was living in. It went downhill from there until Darcy and I ran him out of the kitchen.

I held a grudge against him for two days, but the problem with an empty nest is that I don't have anyone but him and the dog to talk to, and frankly, the dog hears me all day long. I eventually had to give up my irritation stand against him, but rest assured he knew I wasn't too happy about his statement.

Tom: "Who's baby shower are you going to?"
Me: "My "volunteer" boss' shower."

Tom: "If you could run that check over to the pavement guys, that would be great."
Me: "Sure, I can stop my "volunteer" writing time to "volunteer" to do that."

I may be in my fifties, but I'm still a child sometimes. Whatever. His attitude pissed me off, and because he is not a chatty communicator I have to be subtle. Ha!

Today my "volunteer" boss texted me to tell me she had been listening to the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack ever since I had talked about seeing the show. She told me to thank Darcy because she was "legit crying in my office listening to Ben Platt's sad voice." So I copied the message and sent it to Darcy, telling her it was a text from my boss at "volunteering". We discussed the text and she then asked me other questions and then an hour or so later she sent me a link to THIS.

"But sometimes the weight of the things I keep pulls me down below the surface until I am kicking and struggling to break the surface and gasp for breath. Because all these things I keep are invisible, intangible. They go unnoticed and unacknowledged until they are missed. They are not graded or peer reviewed or ruled on by a court. And sometimes they are taken for granted. My husband and my boys are kind and generous and they love me hard. And this is by far the greatest job I have ever had. But sometimes being the Keeper is exhausting. Because you feel like you're doing it alone.

So to all of you who are keepers, I see you. I know the weight of the things you keep. I know the invisible work you do, which doesn't come with a pay check or sick leave, is what makes the world go round. I see you." - Cameron

And the fact that my daughter sent this to me to tell me she sees ME. Well, people, the tears flowed. And flowed. And flowed.

So stuff it husband! Because the WORK I did for twenty years (without a paycheck, sick pay, vacation time, etc.) is appreciated by the ones who really matter to me.

Countdown to IN

In August, while preparing for my soon empty nest, I wrote here about wanting to travel. I made a list and then, by golly, after a comment made by my husband (he's sorry he made it now), I made plans to mark off number 2 on the list; travel from one end of Indiana to the other.

We started off in the empty nest doing pretty well. Hubby and I communicated. We didn't struggle to find a balance. We shared our feelings. I was bubbling with happiness, and I probably knew on some level that my WARNING sign deep down was blinking, but I tried hard to suppress it. Pfft. There is always something lingering around the corner to blow me off the top and Irma was her name this time. The hurricane blew in, albeit not as strong as we all thought and I'm SO grateful for that, but she threw things into a tizzy from our home to our health to our emotions. It was a trying time, and as we now pull ourselves out of the wreckage, some things can't be undone or unsaid. I know we will emerge from this time as my GOING UP sign deep down is blinking, but I feel a tad guilty for going on a "vacation" as my husband now refers to my trip.

I haven't been to Indiana in three years. THREE YEARS. I can't believe that myself. It's been even longer than that since I was in my hometown. Things have changed in those three plus years, not only with me, but with friends and family. There have been deaths. There have been illnesses. Kids have gone off to college. Kids have been born and are growing up. I've missed a bunch of that. I have a great niece who just turned five. She has a head full of red hair like my own girls. I've never met her. How crazy is that? It is time I return to the state where I was born.

The problem when going home is all of the people that claim they want to see you. I say claim, because let's face it some people are just being nice, but this trip I'm determined to see everyone whether they want to see me or not. I put it out there on social media. I've made plans to see family. I'm reaching out to friends I haven't seen in over twenty years.

In my paternal family social media site: It isn't a farewell tour, but more like a visit from the queen. SO...My senior council/security detail/chauffeur has set up my first meet and greet. I will be holding court here on this date. Anyone interested in joining me for beer and pizza, come on down. I miss all of you and would love to see ya!

My cousin recently moved to Indianapolis. I pictured the capitol, but apparently like all cities there are offshoots, little towns and cities not exactly in the big city. She didn't really move to Indianapolis. She moved near Indianapolis. Like thirty minutes near the city. Uh. SO that opened up some possibilities and close others, but my cousin, aka senior council/security detail/chauffeur, is determined to be at my beck and call. Like she should be....for the queen.

Me: "Are the kids fighting over marking off the dates on the calendar."

Jaimee: "What calendar?"

Me: "The Countdown to Cara Calendar. You have that, don't you? Where the kids fight over who is going to mark off that day's date?"

Jaimee: "There will be a calendar as soon as I get home."

I have to also mention that while this phone call was taking place that Jaimee entered, browsed, purchased items, and drove to sixteen different stores, prepared and grilled kabobs on her grill to feed her brood of twenty, and decorated her mantle in Halloween decor. (For all I know she was also at a delivery snapping pictures as a new life entered the world. This is a new side business she is starting. Enter Cara in the checkout section and receive 10% off on your birth photos. Well, when she gets that website up and running. She was probably doing that while on the phone with me too.)

I sat on my couch and talked. Just sayin'. 

Within a couple of hours I received a video of her children fighting over who was going to mark down the days until I arrived on the BRAND NEW Countdown to Cara Calendar.

This woman is SO talented and creative. Who even has that board in their house? I hope she didn't purchase it just for this purpose or her husband will kill her. He is more concerned with blinds on his new windows so his new neighbors don't see him naked. My suggestion when he inquired about what to do regarding his nakedness was to work out. Bada Boom! Folks, I'm coming to Indiana. Sign up now to hear more of my humor. I'm starting out in the south and making my way north. Message me if you don't think you can stand not to see me. I'd love to have a coffee and catch up our twenty plus years. Life is short. Let's have some fun!

Irma extras

• After Tom went out during the storm to check on the noise I was hearing banging against the house, I freaked out. I mean, seriously, who goes out during a hurricane? Not only that, but he went out our back door which is not as sturdy as the front and with it not latched I was concerned it would blow off. He returned safe and sound, but that wasn't good enough for me and so I scolded him. "What were you thinking? Are you nuts? Blah, blah, blah." He paid as much attention to all of that as he usually does when I freak out, and so I told on him to his mother, thinking she would lay into him. Instead she said, "Was it windy?"
• I have a SnapChat streak with my SIL in Indiana. We had gotten to 700 days of daily picture snapping to one another. My SIL was freaking out about losing the streak and so I did what my youngest daughter and her friend did when she went to China. I gave my SIL my password information and she snapped for me so the streak would stay alive. I liked the idea of this because that way she could get out information to my family too. When my brother received a picture of his own dog from my account, he was quite confused. When he found out the truth he was flabbergasted. "Are you kidding me?" When my youngest saw her photo of the dog, she said, "Glad to see SnapChat was a priority during the hurricane, Mom."
• Not getting the news was weird. Not knowing where Irma was after hitting us was creepy. The only time I got great cell service was in the early hours of the morning. My friend Robin and my cousin Jay were the only two up at that hour so they would text me the news and pictures of where Irma was wrecking havoc. It was like they were the only two people on the outside. 
• On Tuesday we drove Grandma home. She and Elliot were in the back seat and Tom and I were up front in the van. First mission was to get gas. We knew the station up the road had gas so we discussed our strategy; which way to enter the station, how long we were willing to wait, whether or not we turned off the engine while waiting, etc. We were all involved in the conversation. We pulled in and waited until our turn. Tom got out to fill the gas can and top off the van. No sooner did he get out of the van then I heard Grandma say, "What's he doing, huh?" I thought, "OMG! Is she serious?" So I reminded her, loudly, that we were getting gas in our can and in our van and she started laughing. She was talking to the dog. Who obviously did not follow the early conversation. I was quite relieved to know that Irma hadn't sent Grandma into the start of dementia. 
• We collected twenty bags of debris mostly sticks, leaves, and small stuff and then we received the notice from the county that we shouldn't bag. Seriously? Hopefully, our garbage company will do so. The large limbs and rest of the debris sits along our curb for pick up by the county.
• Everywhere we drive there is debris stacked on the curb. Major trees were toppled, including huge palm trees. It's crazy to see the roots on these things ripped right out of the ground. We wonder if there will come a time when we don't see this stuff stacked along the roadways. Who knew we had so many trees with so many leaves.

Monday morning 2017 NFL recap week #2

Didn't get the call for the gathering from my buddy who most likely needed some peace and quiet after Irma. Watched via the laptop after all sorts of hot wiring with initials I didn't understand and tunneling with bears. Don't ask. My husband is an electronic guru.

Steelers:

• The Steelers honored their late chairman Dan Rooney before the game with a tribute video and an erected flag with his initials inside a black and gold shamrock in recognition of his work as the US ambassador to Ireland. No way you lose a game after that.
• Before kickoff, the Vikings pulled quarterback Sam Bradford due to a swollen knee or some such other medical term. He was on Heinz Field in a Viking sweatshirt in the 83 degree weather so I'm thinking something was also wrong upstairs. A sweatshirt? Mike Tomlin's long sleeved black shirt was bad enough, but a sweatshirt? Minnesota boys not use to hot weather.
• Welcome back Martavis Bryant. No better way to shake off the dust than a touchdown to start things off. He scored on a cut to the middle, with a shimmy and a shake fake, and then nothing but clear field to the end zone.
• Ben's offensive line had issues this week holding the Vikings. And then one by one the heat began to affect them. Psst. Boys, you live in that heat! Those Minnesota boys were wearing sweatshirts! Suck it up and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
• P-e-n-a-l-i-t-i-e-s. Seriously? Again? What are we five?
• My friend texted me that the Steelers defense sucked, but I disagreed. The defense helped win that game more than the offense and that's also how we won last week. Cam Heyward and Bud Dupree and Ryan Shazier were stellar. 
• Our offense has yet to explode and I told my Steelers buddy to mark that down because they will. Once they gel, the offense is going to blow. I feel it coming. Da Bears should be worried.
• Oh, and Jerome Bettis liked my tweet. 

Other:

• The weird news to start off week #2 was the news that former Steelers linebacker, now with the Miami Dolphins, went AWOL from the team Saturday night and missed the game against the Chargers, ending his 101 consecutive streak of starts. Timmons was one of those I hated to lose this year, having been drafted by the Steelers. He played ten seasons for Pittsburgh, but money and age had him going to the Dolphins despite his 114 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, five pass deflections and one forced fumble in 2016.
• Andrew Luck  is still not healthy and it is like he won't be for another four to five weeks? Yikes. Most teams have been there at one time or another, but I enjoyed the innuendos of the Fox NFL Sunday crew with a reminder of how the Colts owners treat their injured quarterbacks.  
• At that leads into a nice segue to Peyton Manning. How hilarious are his Direct TV commercials? Also loved the Fox NFL Sunday crew's comments about how one day they wouldn't be surprised to see Manning high up in the NFL or even as commissioner. Oh, I'd vote him in right now!
• Ravens Joe Flacco threw his eighth straight game with an interception that tied a NFL record held by Phillip Rivers. Baltimore won the game and Flacco has a ring so I don't think that record is much of a bloop to him.
• Someone needs to tell receivers to just run after they get a ball. Too many of them keep looking behind them like my swimmers use to do in the pool. Then they want to do that stiff arm thing like that is going to do much. Just look toward your end zone and run, dammit.
• Season ending injuries as always. The Ravens lost a lineman and the Panthers lost their tight end. Neither were on my fantasy team. Is that terrible to think? And can we not do something about these groin injuries?
• Marshawn Lynch was in full beast mode back from retirement. A local Oakland boy who made good, he hit his hometown passing out free Skittles to fans, rushing past defenders, and making fun of his old team by being called upon to carry the ball with Carr yelling, "Seattle". A year of rest did more for him than it did for Jay Cutler.
• The Chargers wanted to go for it on 4th and 1 in the first quarter against Miami, surprising the Dolphins who had to scurry, scurry back out on to the field. We all waited and watched, wondering what was happening when Chargers QB Philip Rivers didn't move the ball. Turns out his center Spencer Pulley screwed up. Audio picked up Rivers telling him, "I goosed you, we had a gimme sneak." Don't hear that often on national television.
• Denver had lightning in the area and so their game against the Cowboys was delayed. Nice to know the NFL cares about weather.
• NFL Network's RedZone dude, Scott Hanson, had a snicker-snicker moment with the Dolphins' Jay Cutler who over threw a pass wide right that practically went into the stands. "Jay Cutler, out of the broadcast booth, how big is that arm still? Weeellll, not really that accurate. Look out! Look out! Charger cheerleaders on the sideline had a shot at that one. None of the players did." I snickered.

NFL Picks 2017 - week #2

Last Week - 12-4

Overall 12-4

Cincinnati over Houston - I swore to myself this year I wouldn't let outside influences make my picks, and then I did with this pick. Ugh.

Arizona over Indianapolis - At this point, I don't have much confidence in the Colts.

Philadelphia over Kansas City - The Eagles still have the hype. The Chiefs made the big time last week, and I hope they rein in their rookie mistakes this week. Should be the game to watch.

New England over New Orleans - I don't see it any other way.

Pittsburgh over Minnesota - Without power, I didn't get to see the Vikings play last week, but as always, I have faith in my boys. Plus, season opener at Heniz Field. That's a lot of pressure and power on their backs to come out and play well. 

Tampa Bay over Chicago - I think I ruled with my heart and not my head on this one. Forgot we were at home. The Bucs play better away.

Carolina over Buffalo - Went with the home team here.

Jacksonville over Tennessee - I wanted to pick the Jags last week and realize now I went with the hype. They were the team that was suppose to be in the bottom with the Jets, but they were coming into their own last year so I'm not counting them out...yet.

Baltimore over Cleveland - The Ravens have the defense everyone wants. We shall see how well the Browns offense plays against that.

Oakland over the Jets - I'm playing the Raiders Carr as my quarterback in my fantasy league this week instead of Ben so I expect big things. Gulp.

Chargers over Miami - Haven't had the chance to see the Dolphins yet due to Irma so this one was based on fatigue from hurricane evacuations and traveling across the country.

Dallas over Denver - This was a mistake made when checking my settings after Hurricane Irma. I just hit Dallas to see if I could still play, and I forgot to change it back. Ugh. I think Denver will win.

Seattle over San Francisco - Jeez, the Seahawks sucked last week, but I'm counting on a better day at home this week.

Atlanta over Green Bay - Aaron Rodgers saved the day last week against that sucky team above while at home, but this week they play the Super Bowl contenders from last year who also have a slinging quarterback and who have home field advantage.

Detroit over Giants - I changed this one after waiting all week while my fantasy receiver Odell Beckham Jr. played the will he or won't he game. I think this game is another toss up, and originally went with the home team, but now I'm feeling my boy Stafford. Should be good.

Irma's aftermath

We were back up around eight o'clock, bleary eyed and tense. Outside our neighborhood was full of debris. Yards with trees had sticks, limbs, and leaves galore covering the grass. Several limbs had smashed into and tilted our neighbor's mailbox. One huge palm tree had pulled out of the ground and fallen across another neighbor's driveway. We lost shingles from our roof. Everyone had leaves in their eaves, on their roofs, and up against various parts of their houses depending on which way the wind had blown. Our front of the house had gotten hit. My mother's oldest pineapple plant was uprooted and toppled over. All in all, it could have been worse.

One by one the neighbors came out of their homes. We met in the street and began the chatter. Did you hear the wind? Wasn't it awful? Neighbors I haven't seen in months joined us and we hugged. One neighbor offered coffee via her generator. We took our cups and followed her back to her house where she had a fan going and she made everyone coffee. We sat and talked as more neighbors appeared, coffee cups in hands. Other neighbors began taking off their boards. Tom started lifting limbs and building a pile of debris at the edge of our yard. Some neighbors brought out their chain saws and starting working on the downed palm tree.

Somewhere in lifting the heavier limbs from the tilted neighbor's mailbox Tom wrenched his back. He brought his mother down to get coffee and his face was pained, his hand on his back, his mouth winced. I'm not use to the man down and out. He is the epitome of health. He's the energizer bunny, my father, and superman rolled into one. He could barely move. We got him coffee and then took him home. He lay on the floor and I got him ice and Advil. He hates taking medicine and three Advil put him into a tizzy. I reminded him that I had a slipped disc and knew what back pain was all about. I insisted on the ibuprofen. I found out later he took one.

Outside the wind was still blowing and the air was cooler than our house with no power. I channeled my inner Russ, took the electric drill, and went to work removing the boards that covered our house. Tom had gotten one off prior to his injury, and I removed the rest in the front of the house, opening up the windows as I went. I made a pile of the screws, the wood panels, and the the plywood. Eventually, I had to go inside for guidance.

Me: "I need the other drill bit. The last boards have a regular head."
Tom: "It's on the tool bench in the garage. It's tiny. Don't lose it."

I nodded and got the bit. It was tiny, and I commented aloud to myself the stupidity of the size. I had already dropped the Phillips bit twice, luckily locating it in the debris. Now I had this one to protect. All of that registered, but I was on a high with my success as Super Gal, taking over for the injured male. I was the only female out and about removing boards and carrying a power tool. I was thinking about how I needed a belt. I was thinking how my building of SueG's TV stand was the precursor to my saving the day after Irma.

Tom: "Don't lose the bit."
Me: "I won't."
Tom: "I'm serious. If you lose the bit, we won't be able to get off the other boards."
Me: "Yeah, yeah. Don't lose the bit, I got it."

I lost the bit at the second window. What kind of shoddy equipment is this thing? Who makes a tool where the bit falls out? I searched and searched for it, but I had walked from the window around the side of the house to the front before noticing it. Debris was everywhere. I wasn't going to find the damn thing. I went inside to break the news to the husband, slightly deflated from my high.

He didn't take the news well. He ranted and raved and reminded me that he had told me. He said there was no way I could get the boards off now. He went on and on and I realized I didn't have time for this nonsense. Accidents happen. Albeit more often than not when I'm around, but what the hell? I was busy. I didn't have time for a lecture. I realized he couldn't follow me, and so I left him there on the floor in the Steelers room and went back to work determined to show him just exactly what Super Gal was capable of accomplishing.

I appealed to two of my male neighbors. I mentioned their strength and manly drill bits and within ten minutes they had the remaining boards off of the windows and I had assurance that another drill bit could be purchased for my drill. I thanked them profusely and went inside to open the windows, maybe smiling smugly as I did so. The husband was now sitting up on the floor getting advice on back pain from his mother in the other room. I left them to it and went back outside to conquer the mess in the yard. Super Gal was on a roll.

I raked up several piles of debris and bagged two bags before having to give up due to heat and lack of subsistence. I went inside and ate. The husband was now standing and trying hard not to groan. He looked miserable. I felt bad for him. Back pain sucks. He told me I had to help him gas the generator and we went outside to do so. He gave me step by step instructions. Super Gal tried hard not to jump ahead. The gas can was damn heavy, and my own miserable back pain protested at my lifting it to fill the generator. He insisted he could do it. I ignored him and got the teenagers next door to do the work. I entertained them with my wit and humor and the generator got filled.

Little by little I raked more debris and filled more bags. Neighbors wandered around and we chatted some more. The cool air helped outside as well as inside, but I eventually got too dizzy and had to stop a little bit around two o'clock. My MIL fed me. The husband was passed out in the bed. I showered and changed and lay down myself, waking up a couple of hours later to find my friend Jim in our house. He and Tom had ventured out on the roads and taken pictures of the downed power lines, the fallen trees, the missing street lights. My MIL and I fixed an assortment of crackers and cheese, spinach dip and veggies, and beers. We lamented on our good fortune. Darkness came.

The stillness of the night was something. I'm a person who enjoys the darkness. I rarely turn on lights during the night, but wandering through my house without my lantern I realized how much light is really on...in a background sort of way. Gone were the colored lights that adorn Elliot's cage. Gone were the nightlights I have in the bathrooms. Gone were the lights from our computers. Complete darkness is eerie.

There isn't much to do without power. I took another shower. We retired to our separate rooms. I tried to sleep in our master room, but Tom was flat out on his back and his snoring is god awful in that position. I usually roll him, but knew with his back that wasn't going to happen so I went back to the middle room and tried to sleep. It was too hot.

Then I heard voices. Flashes of light. Elliot began barking out the opened window in master room. I crept around my darkened house, moving from window to window as the flashes of light moved down the street. Super Gal was not going to let her generator be stolen. I vaguely wondered what I would do if that were to happen, but it turned out to be some neighbors on a nightly stroll. Not a good thing in a neighborhood of darkness and antsy people. We had no cell reception and very little texting ability. Getting help would not be easy.

I slept very little. Morning came too soon. Tom had said we would have to refuel the generator at five and when I awoke at eight I panicked. I jumped up and Tom was sound asleep. I got dressed and then noticed that the front door was wide open. Apparently, he had been up already. I took out the dog. I hooked up the coffee pot to the outlet on the generator and made coffee. Two hours later the others joined me.

Tom had devised a system for filling the generator. He overturned a pot to sit on. He tilted the gas can and filled an empty juice container and used it to fill the generator. I patted him on the back and left him to it. I went back to raking. I made a million piles. I bagged. Holding the bag and filling the bag was difficult. I started out holding the bag with one foot and one hand until I got some debris inside it. Then I would roll it so it would stay some what opened so that I could use both hands to fill it. It was slow going. My MIL joined me and held the bag. The bugs were bad in the piles. I had to stop often and rest inside the miserable hot house. I had a small hand held fan that I used, moping my face with a towel. I tried to drink a lot of water.

My SIL who lives near my MIL got through to tell us there was power in their area. They had gone to my MIL's house and it was secure and had power. We made plans to drive up there to survey the scene. I went back outside to finish the yard. SueG and her two children arrived. They had found an open station with gas. They helped me finish the yard. I hauled my MIL's belongings into the van and we headed out. We waited in line at the gas station for our turn to fill the gas can and top off the van.

It was slow going. Stop lights were out. Some intersections had police directing. Most did not. People obeyed the laws and treated those areas as four way stops. I thought everyone played very nicely. As we neared my MIL's there were opened stores. Her grocery was open and packed. We found a McDonald's that had nuggets, quarter pounders, fries and drinks. We took the burgers and fries and ate at my MIL's house. She cranked down her air. I unloaded her belongings and took the dog for a walk. It was decided I would return later to spend the night. We left her there and made the return trip home, stopping off at my Indiana cousin's mother's mobile home park to assess the damage there. I got out and took pictures while Gimpy stayed in the car.

At the house I asked the two teenagers next door to lift out the full gas can. They helped Tom fill the generator again. It was 86 degrees in our house. The dog refused to go inside. It took me forever to pack my bag because I had to stop and sit and mop my face. Gimpy Tom refused to leave. He had to work the next day and wanted to keep the generator going. He wanted me to save his dog. I told him the dog wouldn't go with me, but the dog never hesitated. After I loaded the car with laundry and my belongings, he jumped right into the car and never looked back. We left Gimpy on his own and made the trip back to Grandma's and to the power and the air conditioning.

Irma swirls into town

Sunday night we watched hurricane coverage. It was everywhere. Our local stations spent the entire day warning us. Danger! Danger! Irma was coming. By this point we knew. Where she was going changed by the hour. First she was heading our way. Then she took a turn to the east. Either way she was coming fast and furious and as a category two, much less than the five or four we were looking at in the beginning of the week. It might have made us a bit giddy.

Our power went out sometime after eleven o'clock. It had flickered and had gone off twice before popping back on again so when it finally went out we were ready. We have UPS batteries on our TV's so when the power went out our TV was still going. That confused Grandma who was hunkering down with us and we had a few laughs because nothing is more fun than making fun of the elderly. The TV lasted for ten minutes and then we were in complete darkness. We each had a lantern and we had a plan to hang out in the middle bedroom figuring it was the safest.

Tom went right to sleep. Plopped down on the bed and was snoring within minutes of his head hitting the pillow. Grandma decided she was safe in the other bedroom as there is a door between the two rooms and she sat up and read with a flashlight, but not before taking out her hearing aids. I lay against the concrete wall and away from the window and listened as the wind picked up and howled. We were told the storm would last for two to three hours and so I kept my phone on my chest and periodically checked the time. The winds came in at a gust of 85 to 100 mph and the noise was like a freight train through the board over the bedroom window.

BAM! Something hit the side of the house and I jumped up. I tried to pinpoint where the item had hit the house, but then BAM there it was in another part of the house. I was jumping up every time I heard it. Finally, Tom got out of bed and without telling me went outside to walk the perimeter. The dog started howling at the loss of his dad and knowing that he does this when Tom goes outside I realized my husband was outside. WTH? I freaked out and ran around the windows that weren't boarded trying to follow the flashlight beam as if that would do me some good if he got carried off in a huge gust. Eventually he came back in wet and winded. Our gutter spout had been torn off and was clanging against the house as it was whipped around. He secured it and we went back to the "safe room", peeking in at Grandma who was still reading and completely unaware that her first born had done exactly what the newscasters had told us not to do.

Tom changed his clothes and promptly fell asleep again. The wind continued its howling and roaring and my heart started racing and my mind went to that place where it started listing all of the horrible things that could happen. It was scary. I've been through several tornadoes. I'm from the Midwest after all, but this was different. There aren't any shelters for hurricanes underground and while a tornado rips through in minutes, a hurricane lingers. Irma certainly did. Things hit the roof with a BANG and I would jump up. As the wind whirled and whistled, I kept hearing a creaking noise like the door opening on a haunted house.

Me: "What is that?"
Tom: Snore. Snore.
Grandma: "What? Oh, I'm just reading."

It was like a comedy show. Finally, I crawled over Tom and crept out of the bedroom to locate the noise. I was sure it was our back windows covered by the large sheets of plywood my Indiana relatives brought and assembled. At any minute the entire back of my house was going to blow, that noise was just a warning. Instead it turned out to be my interior french doors between my dining room and the Steelers room, which I had insisted on closing since I was sure that room was going to be the second thing to blow off after the roof. Every time the wind would push against the house the doors would suck back into the room and creak. I secured them with the bolt we forgot to push in and headed back to my safety spot.

CRACK! Something else banged into the side of the house. BANG. Something on the roof. Each time it was loud against the howling, and I would jump up imagining all sorts of flying objects like in the Wizard of Oz. I put my fingers into my ears as I use to do when I was young to blot out various sounds and yelling voices. That helped, but I'd start to fall asleep and my arms would fall and BANG something would crash into the house, and I was up again. I would discuss things with Grandma who had tried to go to sleep, but had decided staying up with the lights on was better. Even without her hearing aids she could hear the wind and the banging. It went on and on. Time passed slowly. I shut my eyes and tried to work on my novel in my head. I put my fingers back in the ears and hummed to myself. I also caught myself rocking slowly in the bed as I use to do as a child along with the ear blocking. Funny, how we tend to revert back to childhood in times of stress. BANG!

Me: "What was that? Was that the tree?"
Tom: "What is going on? You two are loud. I need to get some sleep. I'm going in the other room."

He did. He got up and disappeared and within two seconds we could hear him snoring in the master bedroom, the room closest to the oak tree I was sure was going to rip out of the ground and fall on the house. I did not panic, figuring I could rescue him if it came to that. Plus, I got the double bed all to myself.

Around three o'clock or so I slept. It was a light sleep with a lot of tossing and turning. Each time I came to I would listen to the wind. It was still going. I woke up at six o'clock and peered outside my front door. The wind was still blowing, but Irma had left our area. The wind had blown the rain toward my house and it had seeped through the door soaking the towel I had placed there, and dirt covered my glass door making it difficult to see outside. Tom and I took the dog and ventured carefully outside. The neighbors were still locked inside behind their boarded windows. We looked around, let Elliot sniff, and then we went back inside to grab a few more hours of sleep. We made it.

Monday morning 2017 NFL recap week #1

I get that Hurricane Irma was important, but I really felt that my Steelers game (which was scheduled to be shown on local CBS channel) could have been put in the bottom corner of our local hurricane coverage. Sometimes people waiting for the horrific need something to take their minds off of things. I had to listen on the Pittsburgh Steelers Radio Network, but jeez, I would have liked to have watched some football. Thanks to the NFL Network's Redzone I got to see bits and pieces.

Steelers:

• Started with a bang for the defense with a blocked kick, a nice roll into the end zone, and a touchdown.
• Went downhill from there with bad penalties and the O line with issues. Shook off some of the rust with Brown suddenly coming alive, but came out after halftime with a sack and a punt. Ugh.
• It is easy for fans to whine about Le'Veon Bell's holdout as excuses for his slow play, but former Steelers running back De'Angelo Williams kept giving a players insight via Twitter on the situation. While I get that he is friends with Bell and a former player, you can't convince me that joining your team for practice at the beginning of the year isn't a positive. I was a part of a team once. I also understand your choice for holding out, but I also don't believe that Bell's thought that he should be paid that kind of money and his statement that he plays many positions didn't irritate some teammates. All of that doesn't make for a complete team coming together. Just my opinion as a former coach and team player peeps.
• Let's see. Martavis Bryant and Le'Veon Bell missed out on training camp. Bryant's final stats were 2 for 14 yards and Bell was 10 for 32 yards rushing and 3 for 15 yards. I stick to the above statement. Next week should be better.
• Steelers rookie linebacker T.J. Watt had a late hit in the third quarter for a penalty. I yelled at the man. I mean, rookie schmookie. He has a brother in the NFL. He knows the rules. One play later I called an interception and damn if Watt didn't pull that sucker out of the air. That's how to make up for your mistakes.
• And speaking of the rookie...not a bad first game with two sacks and an interception. Little brother did better than big brother this week.
• Seriously. The penalties. Do I have to write about this every season? I understand that this is the first game, especially for the stars who had little play in preseason, but this isn't your first rodeo. You know what you can or cannot do and each mistake like that gives the other team first downs, etc. STOP IT. There is NO EXCUSE for 144 yards in penalties.
• Steelers last play was crucial. God Bless Antonio Brown. He not only made that leaping HUGE catch at the end, but his 182 yards kick started the offense and pushed them through. He was in training camp. Just sayin'.
• Big players this game: Ben, Brown, and Jesse James!

Other:

• The Ravens defense in that first half were ALL over the Bengals. Three interceptions for Cincinnati's Andy Dalton most of them by tipped balls from the Ravens. After halftime, I cringed every time Dalton went to throw the ball and sure enough...he got hit from behind and the ball came out and was recovered by the Ravens. At that point, I think Dalton called that a shitty day.
• What was up with that attempted FG by the Titans who were losing 26-16. With 7 seconds left they attempted a 52 yard field goal. First, of all why? Practice? Second, whoa. That kick was no where NEAR the uprights. That just made the whole thing even worse.
• Then at 52 seconds with the Eagles leading 30-17 the RedZone went to that game and said, "Desperation mode for Redskins needing..." and then he trailed off because HELLO no way in hell was that team going to go ahead and/or win. Oops. 
• I'm thankful the NFL got smart and relaxed the rules on celebrations. Of course, the players had to amp it up this week, but for me, I like nothing. Do the job and move it on. Celebrate when the game is over and you've won.
• The later games were a snooze fest compared to the earlier games. As was the men's final of the US Open. Thank goodness Aaron Rodgers picked up the pace right before the fourth quarter or I might have gone to bed to wait out Irma.

NFL Picks 2017 - Week 1

Hurricane Irma barreling up toward my house? Pfft. It's opening Sunday of football season. Ain't nobody got time for Irma! Although, all my stations have hurricane watch programs on instead of my Steelers game which was suppose to be shown. I contemplated calling the station to complain, but...

Week one is always a toss up, but I feel good about my choices.

New England over Kansas City - One of the few times I'm happy to be incorrect. Wasn't sure that the Chiefs could get over all of their mistakes, but I was wrong.

Buffalo over Jets - The scoop is that the Jets are horrible. I don't always believe the hype, but I like what I saw from the Bills in the off season.

Atlanta over Chicago - I'm going with the Falcons again. I'm not sure why. Jeez, these Falcons have had opportunities the last two years that I think I'm feeling bad for them. As for the Bears, we shall see this year how the loss of their wimpy last quarterback affects them.

Baltimore over Cincinnati - The word on the street is that the Ravens are the underdogs, but I never count them out.

Pittsburgh over Cleveland - Counting on my boys to keep my Steelers room intact and to win this game! Here We Go!

Detroit over Arizona - I like the Lions, and now that Matt has been shown the money I expect him to show the world he deserves it.

Oakland over Tennessee - My crazy pick!

Philadelphia over Washington - The Eagles made some decent off season maneuvers while the Redskins were still wondering who was on first.

Houston over Jacksonville - The Jags and the Jets are supposedly the two teams expected at the bottom, and with the Texans city in disarray and J.J. Watt's huge Go Fund me windfall I expect them to win one for the city.

Indianapolis over Rams - I didn't pick these Los Angeles teams this week because I'm annoyed at all this moving around, but the Colts are without their Manning replacement superboy so could be interesting.

Green Bay over Seattle - Always hard to go against the Packers at home.

Carolina over San Francisco - Cam Newton coming on with somethings to prove.

Dallas over Giants - The Giants seem to play well when against the Cowboys, but I went with the home team.

Minnesota over New Orleans - I'm rooting for the Vikings since their last year bad luck. The Saints just seem ancient and stale.

Denver over Chargers - Again with that move...

The calm before the storm

My Indiana relatives drove all night, boarded up first Scott's mother, and then they headed to my house down the road. They arrived with cases of water, sheets of plywood, and tools galore, but I was horrified at the choice of shoe wear for construction. My father would not have approved. 

The men wasted no time and immediately got to work. Tom, Scott and Dennis boarded up the pool side of the house while Scott's friend Cindy and I sat in the air conditioned and gossiped discussed very important topics. I made sandwiches for them, made sure they ate, and then off they went back to Scott's mother's to catch a few hours of sleep before heading back to Indiana. They offered to throw me in the back of the truck, but I said I'd see them in a few weeks and off they went. God Bless them.

Tom boarded up some more until at midnight I begged him to stop so I could go to bed. He was back at it this morning. Every window, except the bathrooms and the Steelers room, is boarded. Who knows if that will help, but I feel a tad better. This morning I had a breakdown and sobbed when I saw that the storm had moved even more west in the few hours I slept. I did my ranting of all the things we should probably do, but Tom is not a person who panics and he did nothing to calm my nerves didn't appreciate my hysteria. So I wiped my tears and headed out in the hood to pass out some of the tomatoes my cousin Scott brought me from his garden.

All of my neighbors were out boarding up their homes. I passed out six tomatoes and chatted with everyone. Emotions ran from sobbing to shrugging to nonchalant. By the time I got back to my house I was drenched in sweat and had a million texts from people. My MIL called and said she decided she didn't want to be left alone and we made plans for me to pick her up later in the day. I then got to work bagging important belongings and putting them into bins. Interesting how much accumulated stuff becomes so much more important when you picture your roof blowing off and everything getting soaked and ruined.

Friend text: "Things can be replaced."

Me: "I understand the sentiment, but that isn't true. Not everything can be replaced. Should I bag Connie or not?"

Friend text: "Oh, Cara..."

Please. My mother would have appreciated that joke, and if you can't have humor...but it is true. I can't replace my children's baby items. I can't replace the signed copy of a book when the author is dead. I can't replace the pictures of my own childhood, or the papers from my schooling, or my children's special dolls/animals, or even pictures. Some things just can not be replaced, and while I know our lives are what is important, those things are a part of me and just as important to me. The rest of it I can let go. It won't be easy, but I can do that. Sigh. At least we have time to prepare.

The waiting is hard too. It was another beautiful Florida day. I drove to get my MIL and thought how it seemed so impossible that a monster was on its way to destroy our area. I've worked hard at trying to figure out where to hide during the twelve hours we've been told the storm will last. I don't turn on the news. I periodically check in online to find out the latest. Yep, waiting is a bitch. 

Darcy's college is on top of things. They have been told to take their mattresses off the beds and sleep in the hallways or the bathrooms. They've been told to ban together and stay in groups. Evacuation supplies were delivered and will be passed out at certain hours; boxes of dinner and drinks every few hours. One of the stations will be in the lobby of her building. She has plenty of her own supplies. She is a Floridian after all. Some of the kids have thanked her for staying as she has given them sage advice and made sure they were prepared. I feel confident she will be safe and the campus has everything she could need. 

We have secured everything as best as we could considering we have a one car garage and a back room that is made of aluminum or some such project. It certainly won't sustain the high winds we are told to expect, but with all the people praying and sending good vibes I'm hopeful this storm won't come through at a high category. I'm hoping we all make it through alive and our homes intact. Keep up the prayers, the well wishes, the vibes and finger crossing. We here in Florida need it desperately. Irma is not in a good mood.

Waiting on Irma

Today the storm has moved west. I live in that direction, and as soon as I woke up and picked up my phone I had all sorts of texts from well meaning individuals who suggested I evacuate. Uh...yeah, thanks. I freaked out. My husband hates that and so he increased the power in his voice and that freaked me out even more.

Tom: "Why are we arguing?"

I don't know. Storms tend to make people jumpy. Not him. He's the man of steel. He didn't even want to board the house, but I insisted on a couple of windows. We are waiting for the cousin from IN with the plywood. He has to evacuate his mother first as she is mandatory. He will board her up first and head my way, I'm sure.

Me: "We boarded up in 2008. Why did you do that then?"
Tom: "Because everyone told me to do it and so I did."

I just gave up. Apparently, I'm not part of "everyone". Either we will be boarded or not. Half my neighbors are boarding so I can bunk with them if necessary. My kid insists she is safer at school, and while that is horrific as a parent, I have to allow her to make her own decisions. We feel she is safe there so we keep our fingers crossed. I would rather have her here with me, but she has food, water, and shelter and tons of other kids around and so with a heavy heart I keep in contact with her.

Darcy: "No offense, mom, but you aren't the most calm person to be around. I remember the last storm."
Me: "Please, you do not. You were eight years old."

She and Dad started telling me all sorts of stories from back then, but I held up my hand and stopped them cold. Please. This family should know by now I'm the boss.

Me: "Uh, excuse me, peeps, but I blogged the entire hurricane day by day. I know exactly how it all went down."

They caved and bowed to me. It's just how it is when you blog the family's life. They can't escape from the truth. So, the daughter is staying, and we are waiting for the cousin. I did find water this morning at Target while out picking up plastic bins for storing important things like my kids' baby items that I don't want to lose. Husband is home and looking for plywood in case the cousin doesn't show. He has chatted up our neighbors hoping for some spare wood.

Meanwhile, the sun is shining and the world is going on like nothing is about to strike us. It's sort of like after the death of a loved one and you are sad and devastated and the rest of the world is just carrying on. Also, I'm making a list of relatives who contact me in order of contact so I know who I give the best Christmas gifts to this year. Please. They should remember that I blog!

Top three friends/relatives: Susan, Teddy, and Tori (and Teddy gets an extra point because he is in Australia reaching out.)

Hurricane Irma 2017

I'm definitely scoring points in my effort to keep in touch with family for my New Year's Resolutions because I've heard from relatives I usually only chat with at funerals and holidays due to this massive "monster" hurricane barreling our way. Hurricane Irma, moseying through the Atlantic as a category five, is going to hit Florida. The question is which part of Florida after most likely hitting the southern tip. East? West? Middle? Those are the three trajectories and since the hurricane isn't scheduled to hit for a couple more days we wait. And worry.

I heard of the storm sometime before Labor Day, but here in Florida storms are part of our life and nothing to get fired up about until it's time, and so I didn't even think a thing about it. I spent Labor Day in the Gulf of Mexico hanging out with a visiting friend and family. We spent four and a half hours in the water talking and floating and playing. Then we dried off and went to dinner and later played cards. I went to bed tired and happy and found out about the hurricane the next morning as I made my coffee and spotted the paper. Yikes!

"We're the state that's constantly trying to kill us," says Tampa Bay Times environmental reporter Craig Pittman. "We're the state with sinkholes, shark bites, alligators and lightning. And we get hit by hurricanes." (cite). So. Very. True. 

Every year I think that this will be the year that I start out prepared, and every year that never happens. Yet, I've never had trouble getting what I needed. Until Irma. By the time I was aware, bottled water was gone. Gone. The shelves were empty in every store that sold water, and believe me, my friend and I spent Tuesday driving around for two hours with two rambunctious kids in the backseat searching for it.

We even checked in with stores like Staples and the Dollar Store. Anywhere there might be water, but we were too late. We went back to stores when they told us a shipment would be coming in. We stood in lines. Nothing. No water. Anywhere.

Tom: "We have tap water. What do you think is going to happen to the ground water?"

My husband never freaks out over storms. He isn't concerned at all about the house, or us, or anything. He has to be on call as a government employee and most likely will be hunkered down in the underground command center.

Tom: "They informed us we couldn't bring our pets."

Uh? Did you ask about the wife? Of course, not. I have to be here to take care of his dog! Luckily, for me my cousin from Indiana has a mother up the street from me. She resides in a mobile home and so he packed up his truck with water and plywood for me and her and is heading my way. I'm not sure he and his mother will be able to get out of Florida once down here, but I'm grateful for the supplies.

Him: "I'll import Indiana water to you."
Me: "Great. Imported Indiana water is my favorite anyway!"

Stay safe peeps. Most likely won't have electric which means no blog, but rest assured I'll keep notes! Love to all!

Chattanooga Colpac is the answer to hot flashes

I have, via another product, solved the hot flashes during the night problem for many menopausal woman. I sort of stumbled into it by accident, but now I feel I've got to corner the market except, well, for that sticky point of "I'm using a product already invented". At the very least, with all my latest endorsements you would think companies would be knocking on my door! Luckily, for you faithful readers you get to learn about it here on my blog!

During my physical therapy for my back a year ago, my therapist recommended an ice pack. He used one at the end of my exercises and stretches and it seemed to help, and so I went home, called up Amazon and ordered the pack.

It's full of a mysterious gel that stays cold hours after a stint in the freezer. I use it on my back after working out and Darcy uses it on her sensitive legs after shaving. Sometimes I use it at night while watching television, and recently after doing just that very thing I realized I was cold from the pack. Cold as in I-need-a-blanket-cold which, as my family will tell you, is RARE. That got me thinking that maybe this gel ice pack was the answer to my hot flashes in the night.

I put the Colpac inside of one of Darcy's pillowcases. It's from a set of sheets someone passed down to us and the sheets are thermal. Who buys that in Florida? Darcy puts them on her bed during our five minutes couple months of winter and I've taken to using the pillowcase. Even through the thermal case, that pack is COLD for HOURS.

So, as I sat shivering from my Colpac one night the light bulb glowed above my head with an idea, and a couple of days later after my nightly shower and hair blow dry, as I sat sweating gallons from both those activities, I thought what the hell, let's try this. I got the Colpac from the freezer, put it into the pillow case and laid it under my covers while I finished getting ready for bed, securing the perimeters, and locking down the house. When I returned and lifted up the ice pack, that spot was freezing, and I thought perhaps this could be used along the lines of the pioneers putting in hot stones or my parents' generation putting in hot water bottles in the bottom of the bed for warmth.

I've experimented with it for a week now. First, let me say that the Colpac stays cold for roughly six, maybe seven, hours in the night. At first, after cooling off various spots in the bed, I left it on the floor and picked it up when needed during the night, putting it back there when cool. Eventually, and this is the way I leave it now, I left it in the bed near the side.

Now my routine is: cool down the bed, move it, climb in, lie down on my side, and put the pack against my back. When I'm cool I push it to the side. When I wake up flashing, I push it against my back again. My back tolerates it better than my front, but I've also hugged the sucker during really bad episodes. Even if I just leave it, never moving it from one side to the other, and just barely touch it with my arm, the coolness comes off of it in waves and I feel better.

It works! I've had a couple of nights where I had to put the pack on the floor because I was too cool. TOO COOL! People, that is not something that ever passes the lips of menopausal, high flashing women. This nightly bed buddy is the answer, and I'm sorry there isn't a way for me to sell products and make millions educate the public. At the very least, I'm hopeful that Chattanooga Colpac and/or Amazon could send me another free Colpac for my shout out. Or send me a box full and each time someone starts whining about hot flashes, I'll pull out the Colpac and pass it on.

It's revolutionary. Thank me after you try it.