Missing Everybody

I sure am going to miss all the fun that was going on around my house the last couple of weeks. All of the distractions and laughing and messes were some good therapy for me. It did me good. When life gets tough, family is what makes it all better. Here's a bit of what was going on:


Here the cousins are playing out on the lawn.


The girls picking peas.


The boys picking peas.


They were all having a blast shelling the peas and playing Phase 10. I didn't know kids thought picking and shelling peas were so much fun. But they kept at it and when all was done, you should have seen the pea pods all over the lawn!


I wasn't about to tell them that shelling peas is a lot of work. The kids worked at it until there was a huge bowl of peas we cooked for supper.


Here everybody is enjoying pizza, burritos and home-grown-and-kid-shelled peas. And guess what? They ate all their peas!


The boys loved picking bouquets of my flowers.


Here's Hamilton holding an armful. He's such a doll! He kept trying to sneak up behind me and "kick my can." But I got him myself a couple of times. I'm still not too old to get him back!


The boys loved playing in the dirt. You should have seen the dirt left in the bathtub after the boys took a bath and all the water was drained. I could have planted a garden of more peas! Hamilton loved taking a bubble bath in my big tub EVERY night!


The girls had tons of fun playing with some play-doh. It's amazing what you can find at Grandma's house. These girls found a play-doh machine their parents played with when they were these kids' ages. It kept them busy for quite some time.


On Father's Day we went up to the property in Midway and roasted hot dogs on a make-shift campfire. This was not your usual type of bonfire made with logs of wood, but I suppose it served its purpose. I swear the coals kept slipping through the grate until there were hardly enough left to roast our marshmallows.


Mercedes didn't care about eating hotdogs. She was going for the rootbeer!


Here's Mercedes just being cute!


This is Grandpa J taking 'er easy and having a nap.


This is Papa relaxing and being shy when he realized I was taking his picture.


Here's Mercedes again, just being cute and playing some peek-a-boo.


After everybody left, today I went out on the back lawn while Grandpa J was mowing the grass. This is what I came across. I am not sure if this is some type of alien sign that one reads from outer space or whether the grand kids were thinking of starting a fire in the backyard. The rocks were very meticulously placed in a circle. They also found some old dried up chunks of sheetrock and "graffitied" my back patio, but the rain washed it away before I could get a picture.


And then, of course, here are the infamous airplanes left all over the house. They made some pretty fancy ones that were beautifully colored, but they must have thrown them away before they left. Here are nine of the ones they made. I found airplanes in my plants, behind the television, up on my ledge and under the table. I love to find 'em. I pause to remember how much fun my grandchildren are and how much I love them all. I'm sure as time passes, I'll find more hiding in the crooks and crannies of my house bringing back those fond memories of when they were here and making me shed a tear or two.

My Dad's the Best!

This is me and my dad. He's the BEST and this is why:



My dad took me to work with him one day when I was little. I remember going to Chico for the day. It was fun to ride with him - just me and him.



I think I deserved several spankings when I was young. I remember having a few "run-ins" with my mom, but I don't ever remember my dad spanking me. If I did something wrong, all he had to do was just look at me in a certain way and I would cry.



My dad used to go and sing in the church choir with me every Sunday so I wouldn't have to go by myself when I had to play the piano.



My dad bought me a lot of things throughout the years. One time he bought me a hanging Tiffany lamp at an auction for $350 just ‘cause I said I liked it! And then, I wondered how I was going to pay for it!



My dad always wears shirts with pockets. He always carried a "golden screwdriver" in his pocket that could fix anything! Plus, he can always find me an aspirin in the glove box to fix my headache, a toothpick in his pocket so I can get something out of my tooth, or a pocket knife in his jeans to get a sliver out of my finger without it hurting.



My dad pulled through a serious stroke several years ago and maintained his crazy sense of humor. He said it wasn't quite the right time to "kick the bucket." Besides, I don't think he could quite reach it. Good thing!


My dad seems to always have "frogs" follow him wherever he goes. Sometimes he makes me laugh and laugh about that, and anyone who knows him knows just exactly what I am talking about. ‘Nuf said about that!



My dad took me on a 450 mile yard sale vacation to Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia at my request. In fact, he's let me tag along on lots of trips to Quartzsite and Mexico. Sometimes he insists I ride up in the front seat to talk to my mother, but I always beat him to the back seat ‘cause I'm faster than he is!



My dad takes me to McDonald's for breakfast whenever I am at his house, or he is at mine. He always buys two (‘cause they're cheaper that way) apple or cherry pies and then INSISTS I eat one. By the way, I learned a long time ago I can't ever tell my dad if I'm on a diet. He'll sabotage the diet every time by buying "Costco-sized" Hot Tamales, Good and Plentys, Snicker candy bars, or sweet rolls and then HOUND me to death until I cave in and eat it ALL!



Yep, it's true. I do have the best dad. Happy Father's Day!

Eighty Toes!

Here are the bare feet belonging to all but two of my grandkids. There's a total of 80 toes altogether. Can you guess whose toes they belong to?


Oh, what fun we have!
(Aryn, Orin, Alyza, Adia, Mercedes, Hamilton, Adam and Austen)

What You Can Do At Grandma J's House

Here's what you can do when you are at Grandma J's house:

You can color and draw.


You can horse around.


You can play games.


You can make all the paper airplanes you want and throw them. I always find airplanes in the strangest places after these guys go home.


You can eat yummy snacks.


You can learn to say "yucky" when your mom feeds you cold spaghetti and tomato sauce. Boy, that stuff looks nasty to me. Who'd want to eat it especially when it's cold! So I'm teaching her to say the word, "yucky."


You can eat all the cold cereal you want, even if it's three bowl fulls before bedtime.


You can make popcorn when you can't stand to eat Grandma J's enchiladas.


You can take a bubble bath in Grandma J's tub.


You can have all the bubbles you want with just three drops of bubble bath and asking Grandma J to turn the jets on full blast!


You can perform a show and have everybody watch and clap.

And, the BEST part about letting your grandkids do all this stuff at your house is when your grandkids tell you, "You're AWESOME Grandma!" and "You ROCK!"

Oops! Here are the pictures!

Look Where I Am!!

We're on a tram overlooking the Royal Gorge.  What a view!

Look Where I Am!!!

We're on a tram overlooking the Royal Gorge.  Look at the view!

Tornado Warning

Today we had some severe thunderstorms and lots of hail. In fact, it sounded like someone was throwing rocks at the car. While we were wandering around Denver trying to figure out what direction to go and how to get back to the hotel, the tornado warnings started up. I've never been in a tornado warning before. Sirens were going off and all of a sudden it appeared there were no cars left on the road. Everybody disappeared. I think everyone was hiding in their closets or bathtubs. We learned from Yvonne that we should get in the bathtub to stay safe. So, that's what we did. It's a darned good thing that warning didn't last too long. We were wedged in together and couldn't get out!

I Ain't No Model

Just thought I'd share what my mom and dad brought to me at a time when I need a hug the most.  Some days are harder than others, but having a supporting family keeps me from losing it (my marbles) altogether.  A bear hug is ever bit as good as a long distance hug! 

Me and Court

I was soooo wanting a mental health day off from work today and darned near didn't go to work. But, my mantel of responsibility took over and I made myself get there. Good thing!

Somebody called in sick. So, guess who got to go into court and cover? ME, of course. It's been a while since I've been in court since I'm the manager and tell everyone else what to do. I'm a bit rusty, but there were five hearings scheduled. . .no big deal. I'd be in and out in a couple of hours. NOT SO. We started at 9:30 a.m. and got out at 4 p.m. and I had no lunch! Talk about starving to death!

As Judge, myself (I was doodling a lot), five attorneys, and several parties sat in the middle of a very, very long and very boring civil oral argument, one particular loud and Mr. Boisterous Attorney jumped up when it was his turn and started his arguments. All of a sudden an echo repeating everything he said came out of the ceiling speakers. Those blasted gremlins must be at it again! Long story, short. . . it's really hard for me to tell a short story. . . the record (which you HAVE to have in court) was not recording. OH, oh! Judge looks at me. I look at Judge. I stop the recording and attempt to reboot, while Mr. Boisterous Attorney holds his thoughts. That's really a difficult feat for some attorneys. We start again. Mr. Boisterous Attorney attempts to continue his train of thought. I look at Judge. Judge looks at me and I shake my head. It's not working. OH, oh! Need Plan B. We move to the other courtroom.

While five attorneys, several parties and Judge take a break, I test the equipment in the second courtroom to make sure it is working, gather the water jugs and replace the ice and get the courtroom ready. When am I suppose to go to the bathroom? Judge's water jug is empty and the others need more water. I make a mistake and ask Judge, "What are you drinking?" His reply, "Water, but I wish it was something a lot better than that!" Bet you didn't know Judges don't always have water in their pitchers! So, Nice Me runs downstairs to the second floor and grabs the ice cold Diet Pepsi I had reserved for the afternoon. Judge stays awake for the afternoon, I find myself nodding off. Next time, I'm stealing somebody else's Diet Coke out of the fridge for Judge instead of donating my Diet Pepsi! Surely, that's not a crime!

Finally all the attorneys ran out of things to say. You see, attorneys always have to get the last word in before they sit down, and just when you think you're done with the hearing, another one jumps up.

Afterward, I had to call the Help Desk to figure out the problem with the recording system in the first courtroom. Mr. IT Guy promptly tells me to look at the toggle switch by my leg. I look. It's toggled to the PA system instead of the head phones. OH, oh. I SWEAR, I didn't move and there was NO WAY I switched that switch with my leg! Nice Mr. IT Guy says maybe when Mr. Boisterous Attorney jumped up for his argument, it caused some weird static electricity that caused the switch to switch to the PA system by itself. I liked his theory. He's my kind of guy. He knows just what to say to a very, very tired and hungry clerk.

Calculators and Gremlins

Budget cuts are affecting us at work these days. It's almost to the point where a person has to write an essay describing why they deserve a piece of equipment, no matter how small (even paper clips), to get some things that would make our jobs easier, or better yet, more efficient. Sometimes people think state workers have the best equipment. Lest you have THAT idea, let me burst your bubble and share my experience from the other day.

I went looking for a calculator so a co-worker could have one near her desk. I looked in all the crooks and crannies, high cupboards, low cupboards, closets and storage areas hoping to find a spare hiding somewhere.

I was pretty darned optimistic when I came across THREE calculators, yellowed with age and looking quite like they would qualify as antiques. My hopes were high. Now I wouldn't have to beg and/or write an essay to justify buying a new one.

I plugged in the first one. After installing a roll of tape, I started adding simple addition problems such as 5 + 5, then 25 + 30, then 106 + 243. ANYONE with a first grade education could solve these problems. What came out of the machine and onto the tape was a column of random numbers, letters and symbols down the side of the tape. Who knew a calculator has a question mark? Weird. I guess this one won't do.

My optimism was still optimistic. I plugged in the second calculator. I figured out how to put a roll of tape on this one. When I added a few random numbers, all I got was BLANK paper out of the machine. Nothing. Nothing at all. And, NO, it didn't need a new ribbon. I think these calculators were made before math was invented. Calculator number two is out of the question.

My optimism dwindled to pessimism pretty quickly. I plugged in the third calculator and managed to get the paper in the machine. I added a few quick numbers, and, lo and behold, it WORKED! And. . . it added correctly. Just when I turned to announce my great discovery, the machine started to add by itself. It added it's own numbers and printed the totals. As I watched in astonishment, the machine just kept on working and adding and totaling. It would stop for a minute or so and then start back up. It kept up until I was able to prove to everyone in the office it was true. One of my co-workers commented, "It's just happy to be plugged in!"

I think there's a gremlin in our office messing with MY MIND! I decided we'll forget about having a calculator and just use an old fashioned piece of paper and pencil.

Happy Birthday Yvonne Today!

I worked on my post for your birthday last night and saved it for your birthday today. I tried what MY SON said on Kara's blog to change the date. For Pete's sake, I can't make it work! So, here's my tribute to you. Just know, even though I created it last night, it really was posted today. . .

A Tribute to My Little Sister on Her Birthday!

I was in first grade when Yvonne was born and I remember being quite pleased having a baby sister. I bragged to my first grade teacher.

Yvonne was always really little. I was the BIG one in the bunch. I think I still am. She had blonde hair and big brown eyes and the tiniest feet of anyone I've ever known. They were so small, I never figured out how she could stay standing up. Her feet were a size 5 or 6 and I wore a SIZE 8!

I have included some pictures of her when she was young. I'm sure she's never seen these. I apologize for the quality. My camera wasn't the best, nor was I a very good photographer.

Thanksgiving with Dad, Mom, Diane and Yvonne - I'm not sure of the year.



Yvonne holding Tiny (our Chihuahua) and her rag doll. Wait a minute! I thought we weren't allowed to have the dog upstairs and, besides, what's he doing on MY BED?




Yvonne swinging on our swing at our new house.



Diane, Me and Yvonne (Can you believe there's nothing on the counter?)

When we were young, I made a cake in the electric mixer. I decided to be creative and make the cake batter pink. Yvonne stood up on a chair to watch. This particular time she looked into the mixer and her long blonde hair went in the bowl and sucked up in the beaters. Her hair wound around the beaters so tight, Mom had to really work to get them out of her hair. I can't remember whether Mom had to cut her hair to get the beaters and the cake batter out of her hair, but the beaters were bent so badly they had to be thrown away. Pink cake batter flew everywhere. For years, we found pink cake batter in crazy places all over the kitchen.

She was the one who made sure we had Family Home Evening in our family. She took it on herself to plan the lessons even though she couldn't have been more than 10 or 12 years old. I remember one lesson in particular where she made a paper trash can and we "threw" bad words away. I remember it so much, that I used that same lesson on my own kids.

She's REALLY talented. She could paint and draw and play the piano and organ. She always pounded out her frustrations on the piano. If she was upset or worried, the piano was loud. If she was having a good day, the music was soft and quiet. I was always jealous that she could play one part on the piano and sing the harmony part at the same time. I can't multi-task like she does.

I remember when she got married the first time and I cried buckets because I couldn't be there. Then, when she married the second time, I was SHOCKED, ASTONISHED and SPEECHLESS when she called and announced she was marrying a guy with four kids of his own and they'd only known each other a COUPLE of weeks! I remember asking her, "Are you SURE? Are you FOR SURE, FOR SURE?" I'm glad it worked out, really I am. We like Craig.

We have a lot in common: She's my only texting buddy and she got me hooked on Desperate Housewives. Man, I like that show! She rolls up her hamburger papers and stuff the same way as I do when we go to a fast food place. We like the leaded drinks - she drinks pure Coke and I like Diet Pepsi. We love Good and Plenty candy. The only difference is when our dad buys us a Costco-size bag, I eat the whole thing til it's gone. She, on the other hand, portions it out in little baggies and has the self-control to eat one baggie portion per day. Personally, with our genes, I think she secretly eats more than one baggie worth a day. Maybe the baggies are really the gallon size!

She lives in Texas where there are the BIGGEST and MOST bugs I have ever seen in my life! Mutants for sure! There must have been some foreshadowing when I wrote her a letter in June of 1969 from summer camp. I quote my own words, "Boy, Yvonne, if you were here you would be scared! There are thousands of bugs, black ones, brown ones, hairy ones, skinny ones, flying ones and fat ones." These days she's not scared at all - it's ME that's scared of the bugs!

And, I thought she might enjoy a letter I found that she wrote back to me. I love how she says she has "nothing to say so goodby!" I bet that's not so true anymore!


I wonder if she still likes the combination of popsicles, cheese and gum?

She's made sacrifices, an awful lot of them; in fact, probably more than her fair share in life. She moved dozens of times, survived floods, raised 8 kids, plus some dogs, cats, flying squirrels, snakes, ducks, goats, birds and every other kind of animal imaginable.

I really wish we lived closer, but thanks to modern technology, it's been fun to keep in touch with her through our blogs. Our trip to Lagoon last summer will always be a memorable one in my heart. Together we screamed and laughed our guts out all day and dared each other to go on rides and got soaked to the gills. It took me three days to recuperate from that fun day!

We sang songs a lot when we were at home and she could sing the harmony on any song. In honor of her, I made this little video to see if she remembers singing this song with me. We sang it ALL the time. I rounded up a "fill-in" to stand in for Yvonne, but somehow it's not quite the same. And, if you can't hear my "fill-in" sing, it's because NOBODY can replace my sister who lives in Texas!



Happy Birthday Yvonne!