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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Underdog and Baseball

So, if you read yesterday's post you know that I have been suffering from an especially intense form of intestinal distress.  I did go to work today but soon realized that it was a very bad idea for me to be there.  So I called the office and asked for someone to relieve me so I could go home.  I knew that I needed to tell my first graders that I would be leaving for the day.

So I told my class that I was not filling well and I thought I would go home and go to bed.  One of the little darlings piped up with, "You don't go to bed when you are sick.  You lay on the couch and watch cartoons!"
Her friend then added,"Yeah.  You watch Underdog!"

So this is for my little ones at school...

The Underdog my students probably know.



The Underdog I remember.
















On another note, as many of you know I am planning to retire this year.  As the time gets closer, I am tending to get a little sentimental about teaching.  You know, this is my last Christmas party, last Valentine's Party, or Spring Break.  Today my last evaluation was scheduled (It was canceled.  But that's another story.) and I was feeling a little misty eyed about it on Wednesday night.
So, in my best 'I'm kinda sad' voice I asked Danny,"Do you know what tomorrow is?"

And guess what my compassion husband said, "Opening Day."

Yep, Major League Baseball started today.

I feel so loved.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Dinner That Keeps On Giving

 Today's post will be short and you ill soon know why.

So, it's been a long day.  I woke up at about 3:00 AM with a stomach ache.  Not just a stomach ache but the worse STOMACH ACHE EVER.  It feels like there has been a fraternity house party in my stomach.

So I have been without sleep for a long time.  And I just spent the day with a class of delightful first graders.It has been a long and difficult day.

We went out to eat last night and I had a delightful sandwich. I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner.

I'm not enjoying it today.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Random Thoughts From a Random Mind

Random thoughts for today.

1.  Yesterday I returned to school after my two week Spring Break. Going back just solidified my decision to retire.  Yes, after 22 years I am hanging up the ole' whistle and chalk (or whiteboard marker).  While I have enjoyed teaching it is time to move on to something else.  What else?  Who knows, maybe I'll be a lady of leisure and live off my husband.
 2. Today, I got a tooth filled.  I know, exciting news!  But the question I have is why does the shot hurt more than the filling?

I mean just look!  That needle looks like one you would use for a horse not a human being!  Could that be the reason?  Surely in this modern age of dentistry we could find a more humane way of numbing my precious pink gums.

3.  I have decided that the chances of me spilling ice tea on my pants increases when I wear white pants.  I have proof with the stain on my white capris.  And just for your information, school hand soap will not remove tea stains from white capris.

Monday, March 28, 2011

United Airlines, My New BFF

It was the busiest flying day of the year, the Saturday before Christmas. Danny and I had planned our trip to Hawaii for over a year.  We arrived at the airport early.  On this travel day even arriving on time would not guarantee you a seat what with the lines and security.  We only had two small carry ons.Everything else was checked.  We had confirmation numbers for our flights, rental cars, hotels.

What could go wrong?

Danny approached the ticket agent (we were second in a very long line) and gave him the confirmation numbers for the tickets we had bought using an on-line service which shall remain nameless.  The United Airlines ticket agent asked us where our paper tickets were.  We never received paper tickets.  The ticket agent (from now on, he will be referred to as TA) suggested we call our Nameless On-line Service and if they would go into their computer and just change out tickets to e-tickets he could give us our boarding passes and all would be good.  Danny called.   He talked.  And talked.  And talked.  He could get nowhere with the person on the other line.  TA got on the phone and talked.  And talked.  And talked. Nameless On-Line Service kept saying that we had the tickets.  Danny and TA kept saying we did not have tickets.

In the meantime our plane left...without us on board.



Danny slumped down in a seat in the airport and I called Nameless On-Line Service.  The manager of Nameless On-Line Service told me he had the routing number where the tickets were delivered and that I had signed for them.

I have no memory of signing for the tickets.

I looked at my husband and walked up to the very helpful TA and told him that I had to get my husband to Hawaii and soon. He clicked and clicked on the computer.  He could not get us out that day.  Everything was booked (remember, Saturday before Christmas).  He clicked and clicked some more.  He could get us out on Sunday on some cobbled together flights. We would change airlines and have layovers but we would get there and, oh, it would cost $5,400  on top of the $1,900 we had already given Nameless On-Line Service. But at this point, I just pulled out the credit card and said ok.

Just as we were leaving, helpful United Airlines TA gave me some forms for lost or stolen tickets.  He said we might get some of our money back. And, he also coupons for $150 each for two future tickets on United.

We went to Hawaii.  Had a lovely trip.

And, on Wednesday, March 4 we received a letter from United Airlines saying that  $5,400 was credited to our charge card.  We are still out the $1,900 we payed Nameless On-Line Service but we would have paid that anyway.  So, essentially, United Airlines flew us for free after Nameless On-Line Service messed up.

How do I know Nameless On-Line Service messed up?  I checked the routing number with Fed Ex.  Those tickets were never delivered.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Little Cabin in the Woods

So, Josh and Baby Susan have taken the grandbabies on many fabulous trips, I think the ones they may enjoy the most are to this...
MommyGran and DaddyGran's cabin!

What's not to love?  In addition to the spoiling of grandparents there is the spoiling of GREAT GRANDPARENTS. What kid wouldn't love that?

They get to eat out every day. Their every whim is attended to.  They can watch the Cartoon Network all day AND all night if the want.  They get taken to the mall and glorious things are bought for them every time.  They can ride the four wheeler, the bush hog, and in the cart.
But perhaps their favorite thing to do is fish.

And fish.
And fish.

And maybe pick a tomato or two or three or more.
Maybe they aren't really Texans.  Maybe they are really Kentucky kids.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Kmart Fashion. Yes or No?

 So, Kmart is continuing it's venture into fashion by introducing it's Spring and Summer line.  Take a look at this linc...
Kmart goes boho slide show

Okay, it has possibilities. The styles are a little young for this 56 year old Memaw but my granddaughter could rock some of those looks.  I like the reptile looking dress and shoes but with my upper arms looking the way they do it is better if I wear a 3/4 length sleeve or at least elbow length.  Sometimes the older you get the more you need to cover up.

But , oh my word, the shoes!  Those shoes are to die for!

The white jacket and peach shell are cute.  If the shorts has about four inches on them they could work.  (See note about covering up more the more years you have,)  I like the military look of the jacket and it could work with jeans...in fact the peach shell and the jacket would look great with jeans.  They would also look great with the new longer capris in blue.


The prices reportedly are going to range from $12.99 for tops to $29.99 for full length pants. And with prices go up for gas and food this makes this seem is better.  I am not a clothes snob.  I've been known to wear a $10.00 top with $79.99 pants. (Don't tell Danny about the pants.  It's our secret my internet buddies.) The prices will be right but...

 my major concern with Kmart fashion is quality.  I would have to see these pieces without the benefit of the expert lighting and staging that is taking place in this slideshow.  With the correct lighting and staging you could make, even me look like a 30, okay maybe 40 year old diva.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Two Guys and a Book

 I have chased many guys in my life. In elementary school I played  Freeze Tag and regular tag trying to catch those guys.  Never did.

I chased the ones in Middle School that I thought were just SOOOO cute but they don't know I was  alive.

Then there were the guys in High School that broke my heart and the ones whose hearts I broke.
And finally, after chasing  all those guys, I caught that one that I knew I would love  forever.  However I was really lucky.  I  caught TWO guys that I will love forever...

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

GrannyGrunt

So, this is how I remember my Grandma.
I always called her Grandma.  But when Baby Susan was little, my Dad teasingly told her to call my Grandma GrannyGrunt.  Baby Susan thought it was cute so it stuck.  From that moment on my Grandma was GrannyGrunt.

GrannyGrunt died at the age of 82 on July 30, 2002.

The other day I was going through some pictures and ran across this.,
This is also GrannyGrunt albeit a long time ago. She is standing in front of their house out in the county

I don't ever remember GrannyGrunt like this. She is so young. She is wearing a snazzy belt and what looks like a bracelet on one arm.  Look at the hand on her hip and the way she is looking at the camera.She looks like she could take on the whole world.

The two girls in the doorway?  The one in the white socks is my mom.

And the kicker is that when that house in the background was going to be torn down my Dad saved some of the wood and made me a bench out of some of that wood.
It's like a have a piece of my grandma and mom with me all the time.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Parents Or Pizza

So, I was cleaning out a closet and look what I found...



Some explanation \may be in order.  This is from Baby Susan's Kindergarten year. (Remember Baby Susan is now 33 years old. This is sort of an old piece of artwork.)  They were studying Thanksgiving, hence the hat on the person (who I assume is Baby Susan) to the right.  What?  You don't recognize a Pilgrim hat when you see one.

And for what was Baby Susan thankful?  Was it her family? No.  Was it her home? No.  Was it even her pet? No.  Baby Susan was thankful for Peter Piper Pizza!  The red and green represents the awning that was iconic at our local Peter Piper Pizza.  The rather funny looking thing in the middle is the play equipment that Baby Susan really enjoyed at Peter Piper Pizza.

I can only imagine what went through her Kindergarten teacher's head when in the midst of a class of students saying that they were thankful for their parents, their homes, or pets,  Baby Susan was thankful for a pizza parlor.

She did sort of make up for the parental slight with the following art work...
Looks just like Danny.

Friday, March 18, 2011

What ? Me Simplify?

So, if you will look to the right on my blog you will see a button that shows that  I decided to take the challenge over at SimpleMom.net to simplify, organize, and declutter my house and life.  True, I'm joining a week late.  But that's me, a day late and a dollar short.

This week's challenge was to work on a spot where paper grows.  For me that would be me computer area.  Presenting a before picture.









Now that looks a pretty mess now doesn't it?  Papers stacked haphazardly.  Cords everywhere.  Cups filled with coins and various electronics.  And the kicker?  This fine mess IS IN MY LIVING ROOM.  Yes, this is among the first things you see when you walk in.  What a way to make a first impression.
 
And that's not all.  Under my table is this "organizer" that is filled to overflowing.









So I dug in.  It was like a treasure hunt.  Look what I found.


 Books I have been meaning to read and could not find.  And, perhaps the most valuable find, my teaching license.  Do you think it might be nice to know where that is located?

So after a lot of work this is what it looks like now.










Looks tons better.  A neat clean work space that is not too embarrassing to have in the front room.

Now if we could just do something about Danny's space...

Thursday, March 17, 2011

To Creep or Not to Creep

So, when I turned on my computer this morning it was all over the internet (at least the sites I read.  Which may or may not be fashion forward) that Prada had come out with a new shoe called Prada Creepers.

Allll righty then!  Supposedly this is in response to "hooker heels".  The fashionistas say that they are tired of tottering on high heels and this is the answer.
Are you ready for the kicker?  They are $795!  And they are selling out!  And people are on a wait list for this shoes!

And why you may ask.  Well Lauren Sherman a writer for Fahionista.com may have the answer. "It doesn't matter that they're ugly and not sexy because they're Prada." Okay, I have been known to pay too much for a piece of clothing but at least it was cute.  These are not cute.



But wait, maybe I have been a little hasty in my judgment.  That last particularly colorful pair might look handsome with a jacket that Danny used to own.  Let's see...

what do you think?  Should I take that jacket out of mothballs and buy Danny a pair of $795 Prada Creepers to wear with it?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

It All Involves a Little White Ball

 Spring is just around the corner and that means we will be hearing the crack of the bat and the sound that a ball makes when it hits a glove.

Danny loves baseball.

So, for over forty years Danny has been involved in some sort of organized baseball/softball. Ladies and gentlemen, I present The Mighty Beavers!

Danny is the young man on the upper left next to the coach.  He is one of four that have the shiny do-hickey on his cap. Please also notice that of the five young men we can see on the front row, three out of five are wearing old school Converse shoes. Aww....for the old days before every Little League player is outfitted better that professional player in Danny's childhood.

Fast forward a few years. Here is Danny's softball team.
We spent many nights and weekends on ball fields.  Susan played in the dirt and chased foul balls for snacks from the concession stand.

The players are a little older but they enjoyed the game as much or more than perhaps when they were young. Of course, at this point they spent as much time icing their injuries after the game as they did stretching before.

And there was also one other important difference.

Now they had a very cute bat girl...Baby Susan.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

A Bridge to Memories

When Baby Susan was married about 13 years ago, my parents made the long trek from Kentucky to New Mexico to see their only grandbaby married.  After the wedding madness was over, my dad made (at my request) a bridge for my backyard.  Yesterday I took this picture of that bridge.

 It is looking a little worse for wore but it is still usable. I have used it accent my yard for 13 years.  But while it is a beautiful accent in my lovely? (notice the sand) backyard it's more valuable as a bridge to memories.

For example:

This is Miss Emily (my oldest grandbaby) rocking a fierce look on the bridge. You got to love her pose.

Not to be outdone, I present Mr. Jacob.

He is sporting the ever popular striped polo with sweats look.

A few years later we have this.

Typical brother and sister pose.  Mr. Jacob is making a face and Miss Emily is threatening to pour her Coke over her brother's head. In this photo, Miss Emily is in about third grade and Mr. Jacob is maybe in first grade.

Miss Emily is now in sixth grade and Mr. Jacob is in fourth grade but the memories remain.

And, maybe, someday I will have pictures of their children on that old wooden bridge my dad made.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Garden Update for My Dad

 Prerequisite reading before reading this post:  Please read Strawberry Fields Forever and Of Strawberries, Cows, and Chicken before reading this post.  Understanding this post will be difficult if you haven't read the other two.  You will still enjoy it but will feel like  something is missing.  Sort of like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the jelly... or peanut butter... or bread.  You get the idea.

I checked my massive garden today and look what I found.
Why it is a little green tomato.

And look what else I found.
A strawberry bloom.  But wait...I hear something.  What could it be?
One of the cows escaped from the pen and is headed straight for the bloom.  Oh, the inhumanity!

Friday, March 11, 2011

My Strange Addiction

Excuse me. Quiet down, please.  Umm... Could I please call this meeting to order.

Meeting? What meeting you say. This is the meeting of my closest interwebby friends where I make an important disclosure.  A disclosure that may change your world forever.

I. Memaw, am an addict.  There I said it.  And you might say, "You, Memaw.  Not you.  You are a paragon of goodness and right living."

And you would correct except...when it comes to the devil....

Yes, Diet Coke.  I am addicted to Diet Coke.  I recently realized that I was drinking 6-8 bottles, cans, Route 44's of Diet Coke daily.

UNHEALTHY MUCH?

This is a sordid that began long ago.  I first started down the Diet Coke road with an innocent looking little pink packet.  You know Sweet n Low. The gateway drug.




It started with little pink packets in my ice tea.  You know, just a little to make it taste better without those pesky calories involved with sugar.  I was trying to loose those post pregnancy chubs. It was perfect.

And then in 1982, Coca-Cola introduced Diet Coke to the mass market.  I started off small, just one on the weekends or on special occasions.  But once I got the taste I wanted more.

Once I started teaching, it seemed I needed more and more because of the stress, you see.  It grew from one a day to two and then more.  Until last week I realized I was drinking 6-8 bottles a day.  I was out of control.

So Saturday I decided to had decided to give up diet coke. I decided to quit cold turkey. No more Diet Coke.

  Saturday night my husband posted this as his Facebook status
Memaw had decided to give up diet coke. She thinks she is addicted to aspertine. I feel like I am living with Charlie Sheen during his first day in rehab.
 That sort of tells you how I was acting.  
It is now Thursday night and I am craving Diet Coke like nobody's business.  


Thursday, March 10, 2011

Go, Dog. Go!

Last Tuesday was Dr. Seuss' birthday and I got to thinking about favorite Dr. Suess' books.  One that was Baby Susan's favorite was....


Go Dog. Go! is the adventures of various dogs told in the way only Dr. Suess (okay, P. D, Eastman) could. This is the tale of how dogs are interacting in this fictional world. This was one of Baby Susan's favorite books.  She especially liked the part, "Do you like my hat?" Let's take a look.

 These two dogs have similar exchanges throughout the book.  But it all  ends with a dog party at the end of the book.

That is some party going on in that tree. But the part that Baby Susan liked the best was when the poodle asks about her party hat. The poodle asks, "Do you like my hat?"  And the other dog replies, "I do, I do, I do like your party hat."


Perhaps that was what led to this.
Baby Susan is weraing her attractive party hat!

Epilogue: For you younger readers, Baby Susan is wearing plastic pants.  Back in the olden days when babies wore cloth diapers, plastic pants were put over the cloth diaper to avoid the inevitable leaks.  I also think she fancies herself a baseball player.