November 17, 2011

Okay, it is the middle of November.  The 15th, opening day of gun deer season has begun in Michigan.  It was also the day that my first husband, Dave, passed away at the age of 34 from cancer, leaving me with 3 small children to raise.  Fast forward 36 years later and I have remarried a wonderful man, have 5 children between us and a few adopted ones to boot, 20 - some grand kids and enough love for more if need be!

Two of the older boys went deer hunting near the Gun Lake area where we live.  They both were successful and came away with bucks.  Small bucks, but still bucks!  Hubby, who goes all the way up north the Michigan's Upper Peninsula called and he has seen nothing!  Should have stayed home and hunted nearer to where you live, silly!

It is cold out tonight.  In fact it is the coldest night since March 26th I think they said on the news.  It is 32º right now outside.  It is supposed to get even colder.  No snow yet though.  Oh, we had some snow already this fall, but it didn't last long....the kind I like!

I will need to begin Christmas shopping soon.  With so many people to purchase gifts for, I must begin fairly early and shop only for sale items.  Hopefully the things we want to give will be on sale!  We have been lucky in the past, so I'm confident that it will work out this year also. 

We do have some bad news this season.  Our youngest son and his wife are no longer together.  It saddens me, but there is nothing I can do about it.  We will remain close with our daughter-in-law and our two grandsons.  They are welcome in our home anytime.  I'm not sure how Christmas or Thanksgiving will be handled this year as our son has a girlfriend who also has children.  Which adds more expense to our Christmas giving.  And at the present time, our sons cell phone is turned off, he has no job, no car and we have no way of contacting him.  I don't even know when the last time was that he spoke with his sons or has seen them.  Very sad situation indeed.  He was always such a good father....I just don't understand what is going on.  This is not like him at all.

But, on an up note, our 2nd youngest son who married a year ago this past Sept. is still extremely happy and he and his wife and family are doing remarkably well.  I've waited a good long time for this to happen and I can say that I am very pleased with the results and the fine job they are doing of blending families together! 

Our oldest son and his family are fine also.  He has injured his knee and has a doctor appointment tomorrow to have that checked out.  I keep telling him he's not as young as he once was.  He will be 40 on Nov. 21st.  He has a lovely family and his kids are growing like weeds as kids do.  His wife is doing well and she is very dear to us too.

Our youngest daughter in Kentucky now has 4 children and is in the process of building their new home.  We are so happy for them.  The only drawback is that due to the cost of building a home, they won't be able to afford to come home for either Thanksgiving or Christmas this year.  But the desperately need a new, bigger home to house them all, and we are very grateful that they have been able to accomplish this.  I am hoping they might be able to actually be in their new home by Christmas.....boy what a blessing that would be for them.

Our oldest daughter and her husband have just the one child left at home now.  The older two have moved out and are working and attending college.  They are actually old enough to be married and starting families of their own, but have chosen to wait.  I'm glad.....they need to enjoy themselves before they settle down with a family.  But whatever they choose to do is okay with me as long as they remain happy and a part of our lives too.

Well, that's about it.  I just felt the need to bring this blog up to date with my children and grandchildren and I think I've done just that. 

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone....may you have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Blustery days!

Well here it is the middle of October.  The temps are cool, highs in the low 50's with very strong winds which will probably strip the trees of their leaves in very short order.  We did make it on a color tour this year and the colors were beautiful as you can see by the above photos.  This was on Oct. 7, 2011. 

Now it is Oct. 18th, my oldest daughters 43 birthday!  Happy Birthday Michelle!  And tomorrow, the 19th is the birthday of two of my granddaughters, Hannah and Harley!  Happy Birthday girls!  On the 26th, my grandson Drew, will turn 7.  Doesn't seem possible that he is going to be that old already.  As I get older the time seems to slip by much faster.  I wish it would slow down and give me a chance to enjoy each age my grand children are before rushing ahead like a fast moving brook!

My mind wanders, back to the color tour.  We had a very pleasant day and I am glad hubby is laid off right now or we probably would have missed it this year.  As of today, with all the wind we have been having, the trees are almost void of leaves except for the mighty oak whose leaves turn brown but seem to hang there forever as a stark reminder of the beautiful green and the shade they once provided in the summer.

August 23rd....almost the last hurray of summer 2011!

At least that's the way it seems to me.  Tom has been working second shift most if not all of this summer.  Usually 6 days a week.  Doesn't leave much time to spend together doing fun things.  On his only day off, Sunday, we use to go on adventure rides as I call them.  Now we spend them catching up on yard work, weather permitting.

We did have a nice 5 day get away this summer, but it seemed to end to quickly for my liking.  Wish it could have lasted longer.  Maybe it's because I'm retired ~ well, mostly anyway.  Sometimes they paper calls me in to fill in for someone who is on vacation or has called in sick or has a sick child.  In fact I worked yesterday because the gal I was filling in for had no sitter and knew she wouldn't, so this was set up quite some time ago.  A little extra spending money is always nice.  But with Tom working 2nd shift and me working days, I only see him if I wait up for him to come home.  That's what I'm doing tonight...he should be here around 1:30AM....overtime!

A storm blew in earlier tonight with lots of heavy rain, thunder and lightening.  I love thunder storms but am not allowed to enjoy them as in the past.  I have these 2 four-legged fur kids who do NOT like thunder and lightening.  As a matter of fact they are now smart enough that when it begins to rain they predict thunder and lightening by following me around where ever I go, including into the bathroom!  I comfort them as best I can and reassure them that everything will be fine and I am here and won't let anything happen to them.  I hope they're around long enough to return the favor to me when I get too old to walk around safely!

Did ya ever......

............go to a local store and see someone you sure you knew? I did, today! Was positive that it was the mom of my daughters friend, Sherry, who was on the same high school swim team. I said "Hi, how are you?" She smiled back and said "fine, and you?" I told her I was fine also, and asked her how her kids were. She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and said..."do I know you?" I then asked her if her name was Pat? She gave me a big smile which led me to believe that she had not recognized me at first. She then extended her hand to shake hands with me and said....with a big smile on her face...."My name is Dot and it's always nice to meet new people!"


I should have been embarrassed but I wasn't! I smiled back and mumbled something about when I got really old and had Alzheimer's I would meet new friends every day and started to walk away when she touched my arm and reassured me that it was fine and that she does the same thing sometimes. We laughed, chatted a few more minutes about being moms and grandmas and growing old, and went on our separate ways. Talk about a DUNCE!!!!

August 1, 2012

I can't believe it is the beginning of August already.  70 Years ago today, my first husband was born.  This November 15th will be the 38 Anniversary of his passing!  Seems like so long ago now.  My children were all little then and now, most of my grandchildren are older than mine were way back then.   Had Dave lived, he would have been so proud of his children and grandchildren.  How I wonder sometimes, did I ever get through those years of raising them alone. 

So many things have happened since then...so many things have changed, and yet some things remain the same!  I can't even imagine what things would be like now if he had lived past his 34 years on this earth.  Well, that is something that I will never know in this lifetime at least.

Enough of the past.....I always get a little sad on this day wishing he were here to celebrate his birthday with his kids and grand kids.....life goes on!

May 16 ~ Monday morning. . . . . .

so here it is.  Another Monday morning where I don't feel like waking up.  Yet I must, the dogs want out and the sun is shining.  So why this funk?  Maybe because the weather has been so cold and rainy lately that it's just some state of mind we have all adapted to cope with the crappy weather.  Maybe we will be in some kind of funk through the entire year!  I guess that wouldn't be the end of the world. . . . we would just have to deal with it!

My mind wants to jump up and do things.........anything active and outdoors..........but my body says 'whoa girl' we can't do that anymore!  So I guess that is really the crux of my funk.  And I guess it will be with me for the rest of the year and probably into next year too.  Plans, future, dreams?  Don't really feel I have any of those anymore.  It seems I'm just here exisiting until the good Lord calls me home.  I now know why all those people in my past who were either very sick or old(er) than me were ready to call in quits and die.  They even looked forward to it........something I find myself thinking about some days!

Easter Weekend

Easter weekend begins tomorrow and it is supposed to be a partly sunny day.  Easter Sunday is supposed to be raining.  That means any grand kid coming here will have to hunt Easter Eggs inside this year.  Seems like so many of the near past Easters have been cold and snowy or rainy.  I can't remember when the last Easter was that the little ones could hunt outside for their eggs.

I don't even know if any of the kids are coming to bring the grand kids over.  I asked, but haven't heard back from anyone.  We've been invited to Bumpa's aunt and my friends home for dinner, but I hate to accept in case the kids do bring the grands over.  I tried to see what Amber is doing, but haven't heard from her either.

It's really a yucky day today.  Gray and gloomy and a fine mist just enough to make it feel really cold.  Bumpa has slept almost all day so far.  I'm waiting for him to wake up so I can see what he would like to eat for supper.  It is already 6PM and I hate to cook too much later than this.  I absolutely detest cleaning a mess up late in the evening.

Bumpa and our oldest son, Brian, have been out Turkey hunting most of this week.  They didn't go today because Brian wasn't feeling good.  But I believe they are all supposed to go tomorrow when the weather is nicer.  Even Doug is planning on joining them I think!

Perhaps we will have a fresh Turkey for Easter!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!!

Well, Spring has finally arrived here in Michigan.  Yes, today and this weekend are supposed to be cold and rainy, it is still spring.  We had three nice days in a row and our weather is unpredictable due to the Lake effect air currents and wind either from the north or west.  Still, it is much better than snow!

As I sit here looking out the window in the computer room/office, I can see the trees whipping around as if they can't figure out which way the wind is blowing from.  And the clouds in the sky resemble snow clouds much more than they resemble the spring thunderstorms we usually get.  I'm not complaining about not having any thunderstorms as oldest dog, Prancer, is afraid of them....I just want the warm weather that goes along with the thunderstorms!  I wonder if Spring will ever show up, or is Mother Nature just going to tease us with a nice day or two and revolve back to winter without spring, summer and fall between!

Jan. 26th, and.............

finally we have a small warming trend.  Don't hold your breathe folks it isn't here to stay long.  The meteorologist are saying we will be hit with another Arctic Blast and plenty of snow to keep those that own snowmobiles (Dale) and sledding lovers happy for quite some time.

Those of us who are getting older think differently about it.  It's cold, and roads and sidewalks get slippery and we no longer like to drive in it.  When we were young, and doing circles in an empty parking lot was great.  Now we just get dizzy and think we will puke! 

Bette Davis was right when she said getting old wasn't for sissies.........yet that's how I feel today!

Arctic Blast!

Today an Arctic Blast hit our area.   It is sowing and blowing now and we have had up to about 2 1/2 inches of snow since around 10PM.  It is now 1:45AM and the Winter
Storm Watch is in effect until 5Pm Fri.  Saturday our high is supposed to be 11º with a windchill of 4º.  Sunday the temp is expected to be 5º with a windchill of -8º.  Now that's cold!  How I envy my younger sister already in Hawaii and my older sister leaving Wednesday for Hawaii.  Luckily for them they will miss most of this cold, frigid Arctic Blast that will stick around for about a week...........with increased snow fall.   Our Envoy (the only 4-wheel vehicle we have, needs parts and can't be driven until after it is fixed next weekend.)  So tonight, Tom heated the garage and rotated the tires on the Cobalt to put the tires with the best tread on the front since it is a front wheel drive car.  I hope he doesn't have too much trouble getting to work in the morning.  He has to travel on M-6, which isn't the best known for nice roads.  Fortunately the wind is coming from the west and since it is an east west road perhaps the snow won't accumulate and make it too slick.  If the wind changes directions there will be a lot of slide offs and accidents.  I am thinking there will be several school closings tomorrow morning.  I hope he is careful going to work as are my children and grandchildren!  Saying prayers that they will all be safe!

The New Year

Well, the new year arrived at it's usual time.  Like 'it' has any choice in the matter!  We had Amber and her friend Aubree here for New Year's Eve and Tom's Uncle John called and wanted us to go to dinner at Sam's Joint in Caledonia with him and his wife, Lisa.  When I asked the girls if they wanted to go to a movie, which we were planning on doing or go out to eat, they opted for dinner.  We all had a good time.  The girls sort of just hung out at one end of the table playing with Amber's I-Touch and ignored us for the most part.  That left us free of entertaining them and able to carry on a conversation with the adults.  We were home well before midnight and wished each other a Happy New Year as the ball hit the bottom at Times Square on TV.  We sat around and talked and laughed for another hour and then turned in.  I think the girls were awake much longer talking and tee heeing, as teen age girls will do.  Us older people just go to sleep!

Tom is still on first shift and there is talk of him having to go to second shift.  But that won't be as bad as third.  Third shift is really hard on him and trying to make the transition with the meds he must take.  If he has to go back on third, I'm pretty sure he will end up very sick and in the hospital.  But second won't be so bad, even though we both prefer first, we can deal with it if we have too.

Seems all the kids and grandkids are doing fine, well except for some who haven't gotten the best grades on report cards, but that isn't our problem anymore.  They have parents who must deal with that and we just get to enjoy them.  One of the many benefits of being a Grandparent!!