Saturday, February 28, 2015

WHEN I’M SIXTY-FOUR

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My hubby Neil celebrated his 64th birthday today. We partied with D.Q. Oreo Blizzard ice cream cake and yummy punch. Didn't make him blow out 64 candles. That might have been too much for the old guy to handle. Happy Birthday, Neil! You are my greatest blessing here on this earth. I love you always. And to answer that famous Beatles’ song’s questions: Yes, I still need you, and yes I’ll still feed you when you’re sixty-four.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

SNOW DAZE

“What am I doing here in this endless winter?”
— Franz Kafka, A Country Doctor
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Some folks here in the middle of Tennessee lamented the fact that it just doesn’t snow any more. You know, like it used to way back when. I think we can all stop lamenting now after the beautiful but sometimes lethal dose of ice and snow we’ve endured the past two weeks.
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The ice was beautiful but the very worst part of it all. I love icicles ~ just not decorating my cable/phone/power lines.
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Neil had to carefully push this Leyland Cyprus branch off our cable line before it snapped. We've been blessed with very few power outages ~ the longest one lasting about two and a half hours.
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When it looked like the snow was done ….
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… it would start up again ….
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… with a vengeance at times
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Another snow day ~ grandson Elijah bored senseless at this point. He told me he’d rather be bored to death than doing math at school. There’s always an upside, isn’t there?
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Granddaughter Shelby and grandson Elijah also hung out with their Aunt Kelly, Uncle Kerry and Cousin Knox. Kelly shared this group selfie she snapped on their way to meet Neil and me for lunch earlier this week. Or was it last week? I've lost track.
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Looking out my front door
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They went back to school which opened two hours late yesterday. Kelly and Kerry took them to school, but first they stopped in at Poet’s for a hot chocolate treat.
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The snow day that wouldn’t end. I didn’t believe it when 1-3 inches of new snow was forecast for last night. We won’t get any, I said. Oh, well. Sometimes they’re right. Daughter Holly dropped them off this morning after having to dig her way out of her own driveway. That’s why she didn’t have on a coat. She had worked up a sweat after all that shoveling.
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They settled in ~ Shelby with her ear buds and iPad, and Elijah was on a Mario Karts binge. All. Day. They brought snow gear, but we missed our opportunity to go outside and play in the snow this morning. By lunch time, it was melting fast.
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Parking lot ice berg. It may takes years for that to melt.
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Stopped by D.Q. after lunch to order Neil’s birthday cake for Saturday. Shelby enjoyed an Orange Julius orange berry smoothie.
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Elijah loves the chocolate dipped cones but he never eats the cone. That’s the best part.
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Shelby dug out the pens and paper and spent part of the afternoon making awesome art. You have to make the best of it in this winter of our discontent. This too shall pass. Eventually. Looks like another snow day Friday. Spring is somewhere beneath all this ice and snow and cold.

Monday, February 16, 2015

The trouble with weather forecasting is that it’s right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it. ~Patrick Young

Snow in the forecast! But, will it snow? If it snows, how much snow will we get? Ice? Sleet? Freezing rain? Which is it? Does anybody really know??? I think we ended up with a little bit of everything. Well, more ice than snow. Would rather have had just snow, but nobody asked me. Here is something I know for sure: it was wet and cold and now everything is frozen. Here’s a sample of what we got in our neighborhood today.
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My snowman flag finally fit right in with the icy landscape.
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My camera lens got soaked while I was out snapping some pictures this afternoon. Made for some blurry shots.
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Daughter Kelly invited us to her house to enjoy some homemade chili this evening which was very much appreciated, especially after my plans to cook some stew and bake some bread in my bread maker got delayed by a sudden power outage. Neil insisted we walk to her house which is just down the street from us. He wanted to be out in the snow.
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Son in law Kerry’s snow angel
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Enjoyed the walk back to the house from Kelly’s. The ice on the tree branches is so pretty in the streetlights. This grainy cell phone pic does not do it justice. I love how the snow makes the world silent. It’s nice to be snowed in every now and then. Looks like we’re going to stay frozen for a while longer. I'm thankful our electricity is on. Hope you are somewhere warm and toasty tonight.

Saturday, February 14, 2015

EVERY DAY, I LOVE YOU

“Don't wait until it's too late to tell someone how much you love, how much you care.”
Auliq Ice
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Neil and I don’t “do” Valentine’s Day. We decided to eliminate this stress from our lives years ago. Those heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, dozens of roses, poetic Hallmark cards and dinners at nice restaurants ~ it’s all good. But if you truly love somebody, tell them every day. Show them every day. Every single day. This evening, we sat by the window in a mostly empty Mickey D’s (one other couple in there ~ older than us and we’re pretty old) just talking about stuff, enjoying our burgers and fries, as we  watched the Valentine’s Day traffic jam on Jefferson Avenue. We were lovin’ it.
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Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all!

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

62


I turned 62 years old today (February 3) with a little help from my family ~ here with my two grandsons Knox and Elijah. It was great fun and certainly helps make growing older worthwhile. Enjoyed the D.Q. Oreo Blizzard cake and homemade punch and all the laughter and chaotic craziness that make birthday parties special in my family. All the birthday wishes, cards and gifts made me feel loved and blessed which I am, not just today but every day of my 62 years. Love my life. Love my family. And off I go into my 63rd trip around the sun.