A Day Off

I figure I best update this site and get everyone updated. Life has been busy with the weekdays and weekends running into each other. We spent Friday night up on Skyline Drive and then drove along the Skyline drive to Charlottesville and then drove the normal roads back home. We had a blast seeing a lot of animal life including a black bear. He must have been about 4-5 years old and ran across the road in front of us. Dessert Friday night was Blackberry cobbler (me) and Blackberry ice cream pie (everyone else). The cabin was nice but Lady complained that when the lights went off it was a total blackout. Oh well, that is life but another trip to the mountains is a definite possibility. Sunday was the usual with church and the grandkids. Needless to say we were busy. Wild Mom is having fun getting wet from Gustav's rain. She was lucky and basically had no damage and the trailer did good at dodging twisters. Gee, looking at the Weather Channel today there are at least 5 more heading east from Africa. Work is slightly better ... it helps when 4 different people quit and two of them way overdue. Now the fun comes covering all the jobs with less people. Now the projects keep appearing faster than we can get them done. I guess that will keep us employed for quite a while. Next weekend is a lay Speakers Training Class, so my weekend will be full. This week the emphasis will be in clearing out the family room and getting it cleaned up. Gee, we will be disturbing a lot of dust. No change for #1 and #2. Peanut dyed her hair black once again. Even #2 tried his hand at dying his. Well, he looks the same and I am afraid it will take a lot bigger effort to look better.

The Redskins are praying for a quick start to the season and quit wasting their few available wins for the season during the preseason games.

McCain made a very good choice. I just hope she and especially her family survive the attacks by the Dems and Media.

Squirt

Well, things are relelatively quiet on the home front. A lot of what I write about is generated from activities at home and it has been quiet there for a while. Work is busy since a certain 2 people have left. I have inherited one of their jobs. That should prove interesting since they made it a full time effort and now it is considered an additional duty for me. Cheng is having fun and should be back next week. My home computer is down right now and hopefully I will get it back up soon. The bill collectors have this funny idea I must pay them every month or they get lonely and call me. This Sunday we start a new season on the Sunday Night Adult league. 36 weeks of fun as we try and stay close to the top of the pack. We will miss bowling with George but it is time to move on and make him proud. The Youth league starts September 7 and that one is still under consideration if I will participate. The biggest obstacle is finding two kids who want to have fun and learn something about the game. Wild Mom is enjoying the rain from the tropical storm and is getting a lot of free lawn watering ... now she will change her sonny-do list to cutting the lawn as the grass explodes in a growth spurt. It never ends. Lady continues her normal routine and is looking forward to the weekend trips we have planned. Buying some new clothes has also helped. No change for #1 or #2. We did hear from some old friends after about 15 years. They tracked us down through the internet so it will be interesting to see where this leads if it does anything at all. Peanut and AJ continue to fill a large spot in our life. AJ is rolling over now and talking to us in that magical baby language that every adult knows .... goo goo and gaa gaa. Peanut isn't half bad as a cook. She has been fixing dinner quite often and I know Lady likes that. Come on guys, what more could you want ... pretty, smart, has a great little boy, is a good cook and most of the time she is a lot of fun to be around. The line starts over there ----> Lew and Serenity continue to grow like weeds. Serenity is walking very good now with only occasional stumbles ... heck, even I stagger once in a while. Oops ... shouldn't admit that. The church has loaded up our calendar for the fall. So that will make our Sundays very busy. I love this window in my office as the sidewalk scene offers me a chuckle almost every day. I could easily see myself being retired and sitting at the mall all day just watching people walk by. Boy could I have an interesting and challenging blog doing that. Like right now, some lady heading to work came flying around the corner only to have her feet and shoes sprayed by the maintenance guy washing the sidewalk off with a water hose. Sorry, no fight but there were words. Let me see, he is pulling the hose along the sidewalk now ... will he trip someone or loop the hose around their foot and pull them down ... hum! Ok, no problem ... the cars backed up to get into the parking garage just parked on the hose ... stopping any more wet downs. Maybe he will check the hose nozzle for blockage when the car moves off the hose!!!

Let Me See ... 08 or 09?

TGIF ... another week is gone. We finalized some of our vacation plans last night. The Birthday get-a-way is planned for September 19 & 20. It looks like we will spend the night up around the inner-harbor in Baltimore and then spend Saturday at the Maryland Renn Faire. The ChincoTeague Trip looks to be set for October 17-19. We figured we needed to set some dates set or they would get lost as now we have only 2 weekends between now and November that are not obligated. We need a social secretary just to managed all our events. Lady is ready for these breaks and would even entertain the possibility of retiring for good. We wish we could move the cruise up and escape for the two weeks right now. Aidan rolled over one day this week so nothing is sacred now. And getting those toes to his mouth is getting easier and thus a whole lot noisier. Work is plodding along though two people who made it a pain have left this week. So hopefully things will improve and then Cheng returns. He is enjoying his vacation and was even able to listen to his favorite radio channel on the Eastern Shore. We added a new person to our Bible Study group bringing us to 8. We probably could add 2 more but sitting room would start becoming an issue. No changes for #1 or #2. Peanut spends all her time taking care of AJ and he is now interacting with us more and more. Now we will wait and see if he gets an attitude like him mom or will he remain an "angel." Lil Princess and Lew are growing and making the maximum use of the pool when they are here. It looks like some watermelon seeds that Lew spit out are growing underneath the deck out back. Star has a job interview next Tuesday so we wish her the best of luck. The weather here has been cool ... in the high 70's ... that is kind of a nice surprise for August. I have only seen small pieces of the Olympics and those Chinese gymnasts sure looked like they were 12-14 years old. Next thing you know they will offer diaper filling as a medal sport and toddlers under 1 year old will compete ... and the Chinese will find a 25 year old to pass them self off as less than 1 year old. Just like Korea, you can not trust them any further than you can see them.

#500

Well, the weekend is over and I am checking things to see if I am rested from the whole adventure. We did all the normal things like eat out and spend time with the kids. The Youth bowling league ended and the way it did was less than satisfying. I was the only person on my team to show up. So, the other team automatically got 30 pins forcing me to roll 210+ just to stay close. Well, the bright spot is the fall leagues start soon and that will be better time (translated new team). Lew and Lil Princess came over Saturday and life was not the same. Lil Princess really scoots around now as her walking is getting very good. Along with walking, came the climbing. Give her a toe hold and she is up lightening quick. Of course, the kiddie pool on the back deck got a workout too. Yard work was the password of the day on Saturday for me. There are days when you just have to cut the jungle back or live like Tarzan. Sometimes it makes you wish for a postage stamp yard so the work would be less. AJ is still growing like a weed. I must of held him too much since my arms are sore today. Wild Mom called and that was fun as usual. She is well and waiting for some company, it seems GungHo-Jenn is never there (work and party). Some of her good friends sold their house and are moving to Lake Martin Al. Work is the same. I received calls Friday and Saturday. I was lucky on Sunday since the Ops manager was there ... thus I received no calls. Cheng is having fun on vacation since he hasn't called to check on things. So I have my fingers crossed that all goes well this week. The September calendar continues to fill up with bowling, advanced speakers course, speaking on the 09/14 ... that is right I initially figured the wrong date so the 14th is right. Also in September will be a weekend away with the destination still up in the air. Oh, and Peanut gets older (16th), 21 to be exact. She will probably transistion to long dresses and combat boots.

Thoughts of a Swell Time

I am looking forward to a quiet weekend but you can never tell if it will be until it is too late. With Cheng on vacation until the 25th, I get to be on call for everything at the station. It is amazing how quickly things happen at times like these. This weekend is the last week of Youth bowling. We will most likely wind up 4th but everyone had a good time. If you are not busy on September 7th, you can come and hear me speak at Church. Besides, if I have to wake up early then you should have too. The week has been uneventful and went fairly quickly. We did take the youngest daughter out to eat for her 19th birthday on Wednesday night. peanut, AJ, and Lady were there to celebrate. I couldn't talk her into a movie afterwards. AJ is growing like a weed and starting to develop a personality. He still hasn't managed to roll over yet but oh does he come close. He drools all the time and a towel is standard equipment now if you hold him. So far no jobs for anyone on the home front. You know, it must be the water for surely it can't be the effort. Weekends mean yard work ... so that will be the order of the day tomorrow provided it doesn't rain. Lady's boss is on vacation too, so her workplace is really quiet. She even managed to go in late this morning. Let me see, what will it take to get her to retire? Wild mom is doing fine and already adding to the list. Hopefully, I will be able to get down there soon and get a few things done. We checked into riding the train across Canada and that is expensive ... about $2100 per person. Shoot, we could do two cruises for that much. We need to book another by December but we haven't figured out where too yet. It is time to get the brochure down and study it I paid my USBC Nationals entry fee this week ... so Vegas here I come. Gee, I wonder who is up to going there for a few days.

###### ##### #####

• Finally, Favre is moving on and maybe the news will include something else.
• Preseason football, oh boy.
• I have finally found a way to not hear any election news ... I turned the TV off. I watched Animal Planet for a while but now they keep showing Animal Cops all the time and I am tired if that series.
• I haven't followed or plan to follow the Olympics ... Chinese isn't my cup of tea.
• I haven't seen any Golf lately ... if they are going to make someone Player of The Year and they have been hurt half of the year ... then obviously, there is nothing exciting worth watching.
• The Tour has been over a few weeks and no doping scandal ... maybe we are over the hurdle.

A Real Yawner

Well, another weekend flew by and left very little evidence that it was there. Well, maybe except for the dirty house as the cyclones roared about. We stayed busy ... amazing how 2 toddlers and 1 kid will make time disappear. Some of the time was spent on the deck as Lady got a small pool for them to splash all the water out of. Just sitting on the deck meant you got wet. We ate at our favorite places and even managed to go see "Dark Knight." Let me see, now what do I want to go an see? Lady and Lew will go see Wall-E this afternoon. One more week of youth bowling and I will be glad for it. But the Fall leagues start in four weeks ... no rest for the weary I guess. I need to send in my money for Nationals in Vegas next March. That is only 7 months away. Gee, that means the cruise is less than 6 months now ... that I can not wait to get here ... sitting on the islands always generates dreams of retiring there. Lew, Lil Princess, and AJ were their usual selves and full of life. Sometimes they were all crying at the same time. Lil Princess is starting to imitate sounds ... I am glad I am older for she will break quite a few hearts one day. Work shows no change. More jobs and less time or people to do them. It will be interesting as the sales staff gets smaller. I hate selling so don't even think of that. Cheng will take a couple weeks off so that will keep me busy until he returns from his boon dongle. I put the caddy in the shop for all its inspections and work .. so I get to drive the pick-up for a few days. There was a rumors of a football game this weekend, but with the Redskins playing it was more like a coed flag football game ... a real laffer if you could stay awake. The Braves are having a bad year but even so, the Nationals are 10 games behind them ... how embarrassing. Demote them to Single A ball and someone go out and buy a better team ... the Florida Marlin's owner knows how.

Sidewalk Adventures - II

Well, one thing you don't do. A young lady wearing a dress decided to sit on the window sill in front of the building while she waited on a friend. Well, she stood next to the sill and jumped up as she tried with her arms to push up and sit on the sill that was about 3 foot high. Well, Murphy intervened and things didn't go so well. No, the building did not moved. She managed to get almost on the sill, of course the wind blew and her dress flew up in the back so when she slid back off, the granite edge was rough enough to tear the clothes she was wearing ... mainly her hose and panties. There must have been some minor bleeding as her friend tried to wipe her backside with some Kleenex. These two ladies were so involved in fixing the damage they forgot they were on a busy city street ( 5 lanes of traffic) and eventually they went inside the building.

Next time ... don't step out between two parked cars with enough room for someone to park in between. As a knucklehead was waiting to flag down a taxi another mentally challenged person decided to park in that space. So halfway through his backing into the slot he hit the taxi flagger and knocked them into the other car ... denting the hood of the park car. Then they were smart enough to start shoving as a precursor to fighting ... right in the street ... a street that is 5 lanes wide and with constant traffic. Luckily the police showed up soon and got them under control.

I am beginning to like this window office ... perhaps a good pair of binoculars would enhance my viewing pleasure ... now this is reality TV.

Anxious for a Moment

The weekend was filled with activities and not long enough. Saturday was the Oriole and Angels game. Of course the Birds lost 11-6. I did like it since there was quite a bit of hitting. We also added dinner at a restaurant at the inner harbor. Sitting outside and watching the crowds go by was fun too. Friday night was family movie night and the movie was "The Ultimate Gift". It was good but more of an adult movie. Peanut and AJ went with us, perhaps more for the free food than the movie. Sunday started good but ended a little on a downer. We had to take AJ to the ER. Viral infection and something else, well, he is ok and in a short time this will pass too. Other than that everything else was normal and part of our weekend routine. Since AJ needed the time Sunday night, I will have to find another time to go see "Dark Knight." I wonder who I can find? The Tour De France is over so my life will return to normal until next year. I guess Lady will start finding honey-do's and keep me busy and out of trouble. Lil Princess is walking very good now and that provides a new dimension to her life and ours. Now we can have her wear some of those pretty dresses that were too hard to crawl in. Lew is like any 5 year old .. a little bit precosious and a handful for #2 to handle. It is so much fun to see a 5 year old stand defiantly in the face of #1 and #2 ... as some analyst says ... it goes from adult-child to child-child very quickly.

Next Event: ChincoTeague or Cheat River

Road Trip #1

My First trip was quite eventful and enlightening. We left on Saturday after Lil princess's birthday party. Gee, I did not know finger painting your face could be so much fun. Well, we drove the first day to Pigeon Forge and I managed to get caught up on my sleep. Hey, I did managed to get Virginia and Tennessee as notches on my belt. I wanted to try out the neat go-karts but Papaw was too tired. So once again, they put me to bed with the bribery of a bottle. Sunday, I was determined to get out of the seat and look outside at the country side. So I made enough noise and fussed until Nana gave in and let me loose. Now that was fun watching the scenery whiz by. Nana thought she could force my medicines into my mouth but the "lips of steel" clamped down and I won. Eventually, I gave in since I do need the foul tasting stuff. We ate breakfast at Denny's where the waitresses went crazy over me. Naturally, I was on my best behavior and didn't cop a feel even when the blonde gave me a good shot to. At the Alabama Rest stop I managed to get my toes into that grass for a few minutes. Sunday meant I added Georgia, Alabama, and Florida to my long list of travels. Once in Florida, all bets were off. I pitched a fit at the restaurant because of some silly rule I had to be buckled into the car seat. One bad thing about being carried is that if the knucklehead stands where the sprinkler can get them ... I get it too. It was cold enough to make me catch my breath. But at least we both got wet. There was this black and white dog who constantly kept laying beside me. Just wait till next time when I can move ... I will even the score. While at dinner at Chet's, I kept amused by the waitresses and all the stuffed animals on the wall. And cheese grits won't kill me ... though I am not use to that taste. One night, I managed to stare down a squirrel. You see, the man of that house fed them pecans all the time. Then they will come to the glass door and sit there looking in until someone feeds them. So I conveniently parked myself there at the door and stared them down. Even waving my arms didn't scare them away. Then I was embarrassed when someone strapped rattles to both my arms and put these sock things on my feet that also had rattles. The socks had colored rings on them and fit very loosely and I looked like a clown with over sized feet. How embarrassing. Just wait till I can get even. Some day ... Some how. Well, finally it was time to come home so I added North Carolina and South Carolina to my list of travels. I have travelled the Southeast US by my 3 month birthday. We stopped off in Georgia to see some person named Star. Needless to say, she talked all the time. But the house was pretty and those cats amused me. One was cut to look like a lion and the other was crazy active. We ate at some restaurant where the waitress wasn't pretty and everyone managed to squirt the peppers all over the table. Then I started the long ride home. The carseat is hard enough and more so when they leave the pacifier in it. Just for consistency, I spit out my medicine again to make Nana mad. I have learned how to let out little stinkers that Nana blames Papaw for. Then I got home and Mom was all happy but complained how big I was ... well, it has been 5 days. Duh.

VBS ... Once Again

Another week and it should prove to be a busy one. Vacation Bible School starts Monday and will fill our days until 8:30 pm at night. Lady should be real busy. Lil Princess and Lew should be kept very busy with all the activities awaiting them. Saturday, we will head to Florida to get a few Sonny-do's done and maybe have a few minutes for doing something really fun. Wild Mom is anxiously awaiting our arrival. The sonny-do list is so long it has become unmanageable and too heavy to carry. Peanut and AJ are gone to her mother's for the week. So that should change the house dynamics this week. #1 and #2 have for the most part been on a different schedule than us. Perhaps one day when they are gainfully employed their schedule will align with ours. Who says things are dull? The day started with some excitement ... the hot water heater shorted out and smoked quite a bit and for a short few minutes had a nice flame. It was shut off after a few anxious minutes and now we await the plumber to show up and replace it. Then the cable decided to go on the fritz. Are we in that cycle now? Only 4 weeks left on the Summer Youth league and we doggedly hold onto 3rd place. We just can't seem to get that extra mark to win the 4th point right now. There have been a lot of close games this summer.

Ooops, I forgot

Another milestone in a parent's life has come and gone. My daughter has graduated from High School. Actually, she graduated on 08 June 2008, but I forgot I had wrote this and just found it as I was purging my files. So I have cleaned it up some and will finally get it posted.

#####

I can only imagine what she was like as the early years passed by but I am thankful God has allowed me to be a small part in her life the last 2 years. She has grown up so much I almost don't recognize her. Oh, I know who she is from her physical attributes but who she is inside is harder to see. But as soon as she says "I love You" I know. I marvel that in spite of my best efforts to get in the way, she has reached a goal that many don't reach.

I saw her struggle with Mathematics and Spelling wondering if she would ever "get it." No matter what she did, it never seemed to be good enough. But now I see it was good enough for the School System. You see, I saw her as my daughter and nothing is ever good enough except perfection. She is better than that I thought. But now sitting half a football field away in the hot evening sun, she was right. When I tried to smother her perhaps to keep her as a small child ... I had to let her go and by letting go I would give her the chance to come back not as a small child but a woman capable and ready to take on life. Perhaps we were all in school with her. She was learning how to cope with life and we were learning how to let go. So in reality, she made the "A" and we made the "C".

When we stood there arguing that night before the black gulf separated us for a season, I think it was fear on my part ... fear she wasn't ready. How could she make it on her own like that? Yes, we didn't see eye to eye, and yes, in many things we still don't. I wasn't seeing her as the person she was but as the little girl with pigtails carrying the barbie lunch box of years long past. But she is being who she is with some small amount of influence from me. It is hard to let that child ... or grown woman ... go. But she has survived 12 years of school and is ready for the next phase of life. Do I agree with all she says or does, no, but she is a sum of me, mom and her. God has given her to us for a season. To teach and guide ... now it is time to let her go and let him lead and guide her to the next point in her life. I now must become her greatest cheerleader and support her as she uses what we taught her. I must learn to stand back but be close enough to catch her when life shoves her down. So I wonder who has learned the most or grown up the most.

Am I proud of her ... yes I am. Do I love her ... yes ... more than I can say. Would I do this all over again ... in a heart beat.

In the 90's

Can you believe it ... the weekend and yard work is here! I have waited 7 days for this ... not! Things are slowly returning to normal as this project winds down. Mind you it is not without its bumps. And the one immutable law of nature ... Can't Fix Stupid ... continues to raise its head. As I sit here watching people scurry along the sidewalk on their way home, I wonder when time will slow down and take on a more normal pace. vacation Bible School starts next week so we will be very busy. Peanut and AJ are heading north for a vacation at her mom's place. So our house will be quite different. Maybe we will just have #1 wear diapers and whine a lot so we can feel like things are normal. Job hunting is slow for all personages at our place. Could it be a genetic flaw or perhaps a virus we suffer from. I guess one day we will be illuminated as to the reasons why. I do manage to watch the Tour De France every day. The scenery is beautiful and very relaxing. The American riders are doing quite well. Lady is busy but also hoping to have a brief vacation on the 19-23 in Florida. Wild Mom is busy dusting the sonny-do list off and double checking it to make sure everything is on there. Will Lil Princess be running now or just walking a lot faster. Next weekend is her first birthday including a party. I will be there and then leave for Florida afterwards.

Pop - Pop - Pop

Well, the holiday weekend is over with and we must trudge back to work. The project is complete for the most part but there will be a few monkeys to deal with for a while. The Holiday was quiet and mostly non-eventful. On Friday, we BBQ'd, made ice cream and watched the kids while the older kids went to the fireworks. Saturday was the usual with the Mexican restaurant the main part of the afternoon. Sunday was busy as it was the new Pastor's first day. Sunday School was easy for me since they had a pot-luck breakfast in its place. The night ended with youth bowling. It was kind of frustrating as people had the idea that "I bowled my average, so it was good. " Well, when the other team bowls over their averages, you lose with that attitude. And non-bowling kids are another issue or should I say a distraction.

Wild Mom is getting use to having GungHo Jen around. The major sonny-do's now are computer related. Perhaps in two weeks a trip can happen. The gazebo is getting a good workout in the evenings. I wonder how many mint juleps are consumed? The motor home is on the list to be disposed of if the price is right. It seems to becoming the proverbial "money pit."

Lady is busy getting ready for Vacation Bible School next week. No matter how much you plan, you can never get ahead and wind up rushing around at the last minute. Work is still the same for her. The workload has grown and her hours haven't.

#1 has been busy doing odd jobs. Bowling practice is a priority so he won't embarrass himself in August when the new league starts.

#2 is still looking but I sense the effort level is very low. I guess it is time to polish the boot and help provide some motivation.

Peanut is having a blast with AJ. He is a challenge at times and definitely keeps her busy. She is aching to get back to work and before long will test the market once again. Finding a way to sleep while he sleeps is another challenge. I wonder who will give in first.

Lil Princess is walking now. Though she is wobbly she does get around. It was fun watching her toddle around. Her first birthday is fast approaching. So a party is in the works. Lew was his usual self. He did love the fireworks and had a million questions as they went off.

Official language: Tarzan Yell

TGIF ... this week finally ends and the project deadline is just around the corner. I think I have finally crossed the rough spots and am ready for the changeover. Monday night will be a long one as we babysit this through the first night. The weekend looks to be interesting as we haven't planned every minute out. I might even get something done for once. This week was getting car inspections and emissions done. Carl and Lynne are on a mini-vacation so we are on our own this weekend. Gee, I swore someone just hollered "party". Wild Mom is fine and adjusting to Gung Ho Jen living there. I still need to find a good time to slip down there and tackle that sonny-do list. The kids are dong fine in the Summer League as we hang on to first place. There is only about 8 weeks until the fall leagues start back up and everything counts for real. Lil Bit has been fine since his episode back on Memorial Day weekend. Maybe we should call him "Lil Timex." This Sunday is the Pastor's last Sunday and next weekend the new one shows up. So the next few weeks should prove to be interesting as we all readjust. Well, since the weekend is here that means yard work. Sure would be nice to find someone who really wanted to do it ... I sure don't. Maybe I should pray for a massive rain system that would park itself over this region until Sunday night.

How crazy are things now? "the Spanish Parliament is expected to pass legislation that will extend rights to great apes." Does that make you feel good? So if they (the apes) get a passport then must we treat them like any other HUMAN being. We have enough issues with same sex marriages ... what about two gorilla's wanting to live together? Or a mixed marriage (Chimp and Gorilla), would they be free from discrimination? We have trouble with black and white marriages. If the Gorilla was born in a U.S. Zoo, has Human rights, over 35 years old, can he be President? Oops, that happened with Clinton ... sorry. Will the Gorilla be required to learn English as a language ... on second thought we have 12 million Hispanics that don't know English ... so forget the question. Kind of like giving the TV repairman the address of our house ... he couldn't spell "Pine" so instead of "Poppa-India-November-Echo" it was "Please-Ice-Nancy-Elephant." Well, PETA is happy and if they had their way the human race would turn everything over to the animals and let them run the world.

Summer in Full Swing

Well, I am amazed that is the weekend already. To be truthful, these past two weeks have just flown. Getting this new equipment up and running has consumed my days. Then add another piece of equipment that is acting up and my time has become a blur. Hopefully by the 1st of July things will quiet down and I can become normal again ... that is if I was ever normal.

Up Coming Schedule:
01 July - Work deadline
04 July - Holiday
14 July - Vacation Bible School

Life in the Davis household is just as hectic and busy.

Wild Mom is somewhat happy. Gung Ho jen is there and #1 and #2 spent a few days doing some of the most urgent sonny-do's. I still need to get down there soon and take care of those that need my touch (computers). She has had plenty of rain lately so the grass should be growing and getting green.

Lady is busy as the Vacation Bible School time approaches (July 14-18). That is another week of go go go. Work is the same and the boss even reversed himself and accepted her idea for the payroll. Whew, that only took how many years? She is ready for another weekend get away.

#1 is keeping busy and the job hunt is starting slowly. This week he will get 3 days of work as he helps at the Radio Tower construction site. His free time has been spent repainting his bedroom. It seems princess colors and manly man colors do not mix and match.

#2 has less hair now as he had it cut off. Now that was a goat rope. Hopefully with his shorn head he can move faster and finally get a job and do more than lay around and play games.

Peanut is doing great and AJ is growing like a weed. There are a lots of adjustments by everyone but they are fun adjustments. Something about a baby changes things.

Lew and Lil Princess are doing great. Lew has his own trunk monkey and Lil Princess is almost walking. Though lately, she is more of a Nana's girl. Put the three kids together and boy do we have exciting weekends.

##### ##### #####

Build your house in the rivers flood plain and it is hard to feel sorry for you. Just like building your house on the side of a hill prone to mudslides. Man can control nature about as much as a man can control his wife. Come to think of it ... man can't control himself. Hmmm.

Summer Time

Well, the weekend is over and it is back to work and today was no different than last week. Last week the AM transmitter took a lightening strike and while we have fixed it, the phone lines that control it are still down. Verizon is taking their sweet time about fixing it. The FM is back on line after its tower took a strike. We just need to find a better supply of diesel for the generator.

The weekend trip to Williamsburg was really nice. The TV stayed off the whole weekend. We stayed at the Williamsburg Hospitality House just a couple of blocks from old town Williamsburg. Saturday night dinner at the Mystery Theater was a blast ... and yours truly was the smartest sleuth there ... I was rewarded with a coffee cup. We finished the weekend off with some shopping time in the Merchants Square where we spent way too much and lunch at Pierce's Pit BBQ. We all agreed we should do this weekend over.

Wild Mom is growing her rats big as they took to eating her water pipe last weekend. They succeeded in gnawing a whole in it and for just a few bunches of dollars she had it fixed. maybe it is time for a good mouser to take up residence under the trailer. Could Muffin be taught to catch rats?

Looks like #1, #2 and GungHo Jen will head for Florida via Nashville tomorrow. She is ready to start work and pay some bills.

Peanut is adjusting to life as mommy and AJ is doing his best to cover all bases. He is growing stronger and more alert each day. The piles of used diapers attest to his appetite and drinking ability.

Future Events:

• South Caribbean Cruise
• Weekend on the Beach and ChincoTeague Island
• Trip to a Surprise Location
• Trip to Florida to wipe out some of the Sonny-Do list. (Unless #1 does it first)

TOP 8 MORONS OF 2007

1. WILL THE REAL DUMMY PLEASE STAND UP?
AT&T fired President John Walter after nine months, saying he lacked intellectual leadership. He received a $26 million severance package. Perhaps it's not Walter who's lacking intelligence.

2. WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS:
Police in Oakland , CA spent two hours attempting to subdue a gunman who had barricaded himself inside his home. After firing ten tear gas canisters, officers discovered that the man was standing beside them in the police line, shouting, 'Please come out and give yourself up.'

3. WHAT WAS PLAN B???
An Illinois man, pretending to have a gun, kidnapped a motorist and forced him to drive to two different automated teller machines, wherein the kidnapper proceeded to withdraw money from his own bank accounts.

4. THE GETAWAY!
A man walked into a Topeka , Kansas Kwik Stop and asked for all the money in the cash drawer. Apparently, the take was too small, so he tied up the store clerk and worked the counter himself for three hours until police showed up and grabbed him.

5. DID I SAY THAT???
Police in Los Angeles had good luck with a robbery suspect who just couldn't control himself during a lineup. When detectives asked each man in the lineup to repeat the words: 'Give me all your money or I'll shoot', the man shouted, 'that's not what I said!'.

6. ARE WE COMMUNICATING???
A man spoke frantically into the phone: 'My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart'. 'Is this her first child?' the doctor asked. 'No!' the man shouted, 'This is her husband!'

7. NOT THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHED! In Modesto , CA , Steven Richard King was arrested for trying to hold up a Bank of America branch without a weapon. King used a thumb and a finger to simulate a gun. Unfortunately, he failed to keep his hand in his pocket. (hellooooooo)!

8. THE GRAND FINALE!!!
Last summer, down on Lake Isabella, located in the high desert, an hour east of Bakersfield, CA, some folks, new to boating, were having a problem. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get their brand new 22 foot boat, going. It was very sluggish in almost every maneuver, no matter how much power they applied. After about an hour of trying to make it go, they putted into a nearby marina, thinking someone there may be able to tell them what was wrong. A thorough topside check revealed everything in perfect working condition The engine ran fine, the out-drive went up and down, and the propeller was the correct size and pitch. So, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath. He came up choking on water, he was laughing so hard.

NOW REMEMBER ... THIS IS TRUE.
Under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer!

Summer Begins

Well, the road trips are over and the Holiday's complete. Now it is time to rest and catch up. A lot has happened and a lot of fun was had. Going back to work tomorrow will be hard for both Lady and myself.

Wild Mom is just planning and thinking up the sonny-do's. The list has been registered as a short novel. Muffins is doing fine and controls most of the property at Mom's house.

Lady made her Indiana trip with Lew and had a great time seeing all the relatives. Grandpa and Grandma made quite an impression ... don't they all? Lew had no trouble finding things to do. Their part of the road trip was uneventful except for meeting Papaw in Richmond IN for breakfast as he was heading to Colorado. It appears Lil Bit had a stroke Saturday and that placed a damper on a lot of things. He is fine now with no really noticeable after effects. The Doctor couldn't really find anything so, however now we will have to monitor him for a while.

#1 is now in Virginia. The trip was fun but long. After 51 hours of driving time in 5 days we are glad to park the truck and relax. I received a good dose of his music ... my ears are still filled with white noise.

#2 stayed home and held things together. The job still eludes him.

Peanut and AJ came and spent the weekend. The time spent holding AJ was priceless and a whole lot of fun. Peanut is recovering well and despite the eclair's malfunction ... we love her. Now all we need is more time with them.

Gung-Ho J is here and resting from her experience with the Corp. Now we must find time to get her to Florida. maybe there is a job out there for her ... hmmmm.

Whimpy

All quiet on the home front this weekend. With Lady and Lew gone to Indiana there was a lot of quiet time in the house. The summer youth bowling league started and we managed to go 3-1. I even managed to set an average that I feel good about. I truly hope the struggles of last season are over. At work the crap continues. people who don't have the faintest clue about the simplest of email things and others that are paid good money and are clueless about their job. I was able to find the correct files and get the downloaded and I had never messed with that crap before. Shoot, if enough bosses leave for the day and it gets down to the weenie level ... I could be king-for-the-day. Our church found out Sunday we will be getting a new Pastor in July. I leave Wednesday afternoon for Colorado and will be back on the 26th.

Wild Mom is doing ok but her computer is on the fritz. So I must find some time to get down there soon. Muffin is establishing his territory down there.

Lady is having fun in Indiana. Now I must find a way to talk her back home.

#1 is packed and ready. Only a few more days left till I hit the road to get him.

Peanut is healing great. We had a long lunch Sunday and chatted about everything ... mainly AJ. We finished off the afternoon with a trip to Toys-R-Us.

##### ##### #####

Obama, if your wife spouts off about politics on your behalf, then she is fair gain for return words from the other side. Grow up.

God Squeezed Me so hard ... His love squirted out of my eyes

I ask myself "what really matters?" Sadly, only after you lose someone do we finally realize what we had. Then it is too late and many hours are consumed wishing we had it to do over. When my father died I mulled this same idea over and I feel then I made many changes. But now, I don't think I changed enough. It is like every day a loved one of yours that isn't told how much you love and appreciate them is a lost day. A lost chance to create a memory that will warm your heart when situations do keep you apart. I would venture to wonder just how much of a relationship you really have. If they mean something too you ... wouldn't they want some contact of even the shortest duration. I think of the "I will get back to you" or "we must do something soon" promises. For the most part they seem to mean ... "give me space and I might find time for you later."

• Does it really matter if we disagree or is better to have just spent that time seeing each other standing there?
• Does it really matter if we spend time together just drinking water or would it be better to always say "I will see you later."
• Does it really matter if we say "I will call soon" or would just five minutes face to face create a memory.
• Does it really matter if you say "I have to work, or I am busy, or catch me later or should we say "you are so important that I should drop everything and spend 5 minutes."
• I guess what matters is how much do I value you as a person. That value comes from how I make or spend my time with you. But also, your time tells me your value of me. So in the end I guess what really matters is you and me ... do we matter at all.