February ends...March begins.....

 February also came with  Kathy's 65th Birthday...one more step closer to retirement. Here she is enjoying her Archery gift from Jack.....

It also brought the loss of her bud ...Chubbs....he just laid down and died the day before her birthday which really sucked. Chubbs was a good little dog that they rescued and he became her traveling companion, walking buddy and watch dog... Rest in Peace Chubbs ..

 

 

 

 

 

February ended with a Spring concert of Ella's from her school, Salt Creek. The amazing thing about this school is that it is the same school her Mom went to when she was in 1st grade and oddly enough she has her Mother's same teacher. My how time flys...one moment the student the next the parent...

Ella was extremely professional and did a great job...I am very proud of her. Going to this concert was like old home week. I saw many neighbors and friends from the time that we use to attend the concerts for our children...now we are the grandparents attending for our

 

February

December snow 2017

December Snow 2017

February has been quite the month.....we started out with the leftover snow from January which all total was about 8inches....

then February came and with it came 18 additional inches of snow....The last time that had happened was in 1902. We had 9 straight days of snowfall. It was great for the snowplows and ourselves as well. It certainly gives you time to reflect, slow down and bake...what is better than that....the dog was not thrilled...the snow was taller that she is so unfortunately she was unimpressed...oh well.

 

 

 

                                      All things considered it could have been a worse winter season...but we'll take it...






Inside however, was a good time for baking with Grand kids...Here is Ella baking cupcakes for her brother Parker's 5th Birthday....yummmm

Parker's 5th Birthday did arrive on February 11th....he was having a bowling party with his cousins and friends..his theme was NINJA TURTLES....YaYa Gram and I decided we would get him a turtle...not so easy. We did not realize that the small turtles that we all grew up with were not allowed any longer. I have heard it was because of Salmonella reasons...not sure. The ones we saw in the Petco were about 4-5 inches but would grow to about a foot in size...you have got to be kidding...apparently not and they require a 120 gallon tank...that was not going to fly so we opted for a fish and tank with a Ninja turtle figure in it....that seemed to work. Parker was all excited. We did everything the way they told us to do it. Parker never left his fish "Raphael" alone...unfortunately within 24 hours he passed on....back to the Pet store for fish #2...hopefully with better results....

 

 

        

            

 

Jono......We Remember......

    Today marks the 14th year since Jonathan died. It is very surreal to think that in 4 years he will be gone as long as he lived. He was remembered today by many people.

Father Damien, called first this morning to tell me that his mass today will be for Jonathan. A long time ago when Jonathan was making his confirmation, the Religious Education teacher put all the names of the kids in a basket and people were asked to pick a name and pray for that person. Father Damien by chance picked Jonathan's. It was shaking for him when Jonathan died, he opened the church to whatever we needed. He had the staff help with anything that was requested. It was the first time the wake or viewing was done in our church. There was a line of people that stretched from Corpus Christi Hall out the foyer to the parking lot for 6 hours plus. It also was in January and as usual very cold. I try not to dwell on that aspect and to this day there are many details that stay and others I don't remember. Katie wanted a sign that from Jonathan and was very discouraged when nothing seemed to come through. And yet I asked her "do you know how many cars were in his funeral procession?"...She did not.....70 it is the same as her badge number as a Police officer.

...Amy receives signs all the time and today is no different. 

Today at breakfast at Panera, Amy was sitting at the table looking at the artwork and the picture next to her was signed by the artist.....JONO...coincidence????HMMM 

     No more explanation is required....

Sometimes it hurts to know how much time has passed and all that has happened in his absence. The whole he left in his siblings lives and heart. And yet I do believe he is aware of every last bit of it. He has been with us always during special events, babies being born...life lived....and has celebrated as we have, cried as we have and has hope that we will see each other again...as we have. We will always miss your sense of humor, quirkiness......and smile...until we meet again.  

     

             .JT. Love you always and forever.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

       Every year in January, I like to set the theme or pick a goal that becomes my focus for the year. Most of the time it was work related, but this year both work and personal have collided. My theme this year is reinvention of the spirit.....just reinvention of almost every aspect of my life.


       As I head closer to the time of retirement which is mind boggling to begin with as I never thought I'd ever get that old....well surprise...I did....it is now time to get a grip and figure out who I am, where I'm going and renew my spirit...as currently I'm not really fond of who I am.




       For years people kept trying to get me to quit smoking....so I did....and I do not at the present like who I have become. I did not realize the personality change that would occur without my cigarettes. First if I analyze why I smoked I guess you could say that it helped me cope. Cope with life, stress, kids, work you name it. It was my 5 minutes of alone time. I always knew it was unhealthy, I knew it made me stink, I knew it kept people at a distance. I guess that is what I liked about it. Sounds crazy I know. It also was one of the few things that belonged to just me. I could do what I wanted when I wanted and all along I accepted responsibility and quilt for whatever the outcome would be. So oddly enough when I quit it was easy. Its been 6 months...no problem...but there are problems. It seems to be with my head, my attitude, my weight and my personality...they all are out of whack...and I do not like who I see.




         So now that I know, I do not physically or mentally like who I am...it is time for a change. Thus the reinvention of the Spirit. I need to break the chain of bad habits that I have formed that hold me to a particular mold. I need to go beyond what I would normally do and reinvent new things that are healthier for me both physically and mentally. So we began today with walking in the Mall. I do not know for sure how far it was maybe a mile or two...it wasn't at a fast pace yet...but it was the beginning. Instead of talking about it we actually got out and I did it....and I am happy I did. When we got back home I did a fast walk around our block...and it felt invigorating..that is what I am looking for. I am looking for the inspiration that was given to me today to carry me through tomorrow and the next challenge. This year is dedicated to change...and one way or another...I will.

               Welcome 2018!!


                     Happy New Year to All!!!

                             It has been almost 5 years since I posted

last....many changes have occurred...new Grandbabies have

arrived and life continues....this is just a short beginning post as

 we move forward in life to try and re-capture the memories

lost, stories untold and events yet to happen.....

                                 Just testing the waters......

Today..it is snowing and in it's path leaves a blanket of white

covering all the past below it...looking forward to a new year

with some adventures and untold stories....

    With the beginning of Fall, we celebrated Ella's first birthday on August 23rd and in September Alexa's first birthday on September 23rd....and as usual my camera did not make the parties.....but we did learn at Ella's party that her Mom and Dad were expecting a little brother for her in February....congrats to all.....

      During the fall I also was having more problems, this time with enlarged lymph glands in my neck. Again it was back to the hospital for tests, Cat Scans, xrays, ultra sounds until finally they decided to do surgery and remove the lymph nodes and test them.
       It is amazing the conversations that you have with yourself when you are facing the unknown. The deals you make with God and the plans you make in your mind for yourself and what you need to do now and not wait. I figured whatever the outcome, I would not give up, but needed more time to complete some of the things on my own personal list.....
      I gave Amy the ability to pull my records when a test was completed and true to form, I heard from her before I heard from the Doctor.  After waiting a day or two for the results, Amy called me and asked if I wanted the Good news first or the Bad news...give me the bad news first at least I will know what I am dealing with. She then proceeded to tell me that I just spent a lot of money to have my fat analyzed....excuse me??? It turned out that what I had was an infection, Cat Scratch fever to be exact. It came from the cats that we had and inhaling the kitty litter seemed to aggravate the glands. It is then that you hit the ground on your knees and thank God for having heard your prayers and those of everyone around you that had prayed. I was lucky and extremely grateful and through the mist I heard God say it is time to ANTE UP!!
He is correct and I intend to fulfill all that I promised.
       Unfortunately, the kittens needed to go to the Humane Society and I know they were adorable and would find homes soon. They promised to try to keep them together if they could, and that they were a no kill facility. I am sorry that I put them through the trauma of living at one place and then being up rooted and into a new home. I would hope as they were farm kittens that we kept them alive longer and that they have found new homes with new masters that will love them always.....

Goodbye Old Friend

       In September, my temporary tenant at my house was moving out and it was now time to begin finishing the work at the house so I could get it rented in December. This was a lot tougher than I thought it would be. I guess I did not remember how going up and down the stairs to the basement was exhausting or how many memories would bombard you when you were in the middle of painting something. As the weeks progressed so did the work and for my kids it was the first time that they had ever seen the house empty. I finally was in a position to patch, paint and redo all the things I wished I could have done when either I or my kids were living in it. As the rooms were finishing one at a time, it left only the basement and crawl space to be emptied. I sure did have a lot of stuff. You know the stuff you hang on to so one day you can do that project you put off or the stuff you save for your kids apartment or house that you know would look great. I did not count on their tastes and about 20 years of time would erase the need for that special stuff. It appears the only one who benefited from the giant clean out was the garbage men.... The kids did come and we sorted through all the Christmas things and divided them up amongst the 3 of them.
         It just so happened that my brother Jim and his family were coming in to visit us for the Thanksgiving weekend. The house worked out perfectly considering it was empty, so we moved in a few blow up mattresses, some night stands and lamps, the outdoor furniture worked for a living room set up and the card table worked for a kitchen table. Jim's daughter Carly, her husband Jayben and their sons Grayson and Levi arrived first from New Hampshire and about an hour behind them came Jim, his wife Lori and their other daughter Athina. It was great to see them all it had been about 2 years since we saw them. We would spend the next few days on an eating marathon from Thanksgiving to a huge get-together on Friday. Jim made his homemade pizza and we cooked it along with bread, chickens and pork in the outdoor oven, bar-b-Que and fire pit.


Vicki and the kids playing math games of all things....

Mom in the Kitchen

My brothers Jim, Phil and Greg



Jim making Pizza, Katie and Ella

How the house held everyone was beyond me. There were at least 40 people inside the house and my brother Greg and I outside by the fires. Father Damien stopped by and blessed the oven for us so hopefully that will keep the burned food down to a minimum.

   We had a terrific holiday and a lot of food fun and family. Now it was time to get back to the house and Christmas around the corner.....
    I finally re-emptied the house and then tackled  the basement. By the time all the decorations were divided and everyone came back and picked up their things it was finally time to face reality and the last things to be gone through were Jonathan's.
Though my mind knew he had no use for his old High School books especially the one with the giant hole cut out of the front or his math papers, it still required one last look. When Jonathan died and the kids moved in and out of the house I just put his things in the basement to go through or deal with at a later time. Well the later time finally came and I had not anticipated how painful that was going to be. After hauling my things over to my Mom's house it was time to go back and retrieve the last few things. As I looked around the house and remembered as many details and memories as I could, I let it go. I had painted every room to seal in the memories that we made there and allow the tenants the ability to begin making their own on a fresh slate. I left the house as the woman who sold it to me did. It was clean and move in ready. The last things I removed from the house were Jonathan's shoes that they gave me that he wore the night of the accident and his coat...pretty fitting I guess. He told me he was going to live at home until he was 40 so it was fitting he should be the last one out....I turned out the lights and left...leaving behind all the good times, bad times, laughter and tears that are now sealed in the house. It is time for a new family to make new memories and let the soul of the house live again. The family seems to be very happy living there and plans to stay for quite sometime. That is fine by me because I don't want to go back for a very long time....I am moving on an taking all my baggage with me. I will miss you house but be forever grateful as you held us all together in your arms for over 31 years....

It is time again to play catch up, so I need to finish out this year so I can ring in the new year.....I left off in August...
    In August, I developed a blood clot in my leg and I know it may seem petty in comparison to people who truly have life threatening diseases, but to myself, I saw it as an inconvienence.
    I ended up going into the hospital for observation with the help of my daughter Amy who is a nurse. I must admit there is no getting past her watchful eye and yet I am grateful for the care and concern she shows me. Well I had no idea that being in the hospital for observation was pretty much like being in solitary confinement. I'm not sure what they were observing but once I was settled in my room that was the last time I saw anyone so I'm not sure how they observe you from a distance but they did because I got all the bills to prove it..This is a new beautiful hospital built with the Green tree Healing aptmosphere. It is beautiful I will give them that but I think I could have been observed at home in the comfort of my recliner and had the same outcome.

    Anyway when I got home I was kind of mad first because I now needed to take blood thinners for an undetermined amount of time and second I could not do all the things that I still had on my summer list.

One of the items was the outdoor oven that I have wanted to build and have thought about for almost 20 years.

So in my anger I started digging.....and created the trench for the beginning of the base to the oven. Digging shouldn't hurt anything....When I finished the digging, the masonary blocks just so happened to show up and get stacked right next to where the oven would go. So I began and with my brother Greg and my son Bill, we created an outdoor oven, but because I could not be satisfied with just the oven, we created a Bar-B-Que space and a work space along with the fire pit that was already in place.
     It took the three of us just under 2 months to complete the outdoor oven and cooking space. It is amazing to have imagined this for so long and to watch it come together piece by piece until it stands before you...

 

 

 

 

 

After almost 10,000 pounds

 

of concrete, approximately 400 bricks for the dome we finally completed the structure. Now the next adventure was to start figuring out how to cook in it....We have done alot of practicing, but we are finally coming to master the process.  

     The outdoor oven is important to me because it bridges a gap between my Mom's childhood and the desire to never forget. When my Mother was a child and living in Chicago, her Mom and Dad had an outdoor oven and they used it every weekend to bake their weekly bread. Her Mom would use 25 pounds of flour and create many loaves to be used during the week. In this day and age, I do not need 7 to 10 loaves of bread during the week, but I wanted to have a small piece of our heritage remembered. It stands as a reminder of who our Grandparents were, where they came from and who we are as a generation they did not get to know. I will learn to use the oven better by the Spring when I look forward to cooking our Easter bread in it as her parents use to do. In just a small way I get to know who they were by what we have accomplished.