A Special Sunday

[Lilac]

Dh has checked in. Last night they went to a race and didn't get back until 1 am. Todays race starts at 1 and he is hoping for a lot of green flag racing because the ride home will be 6-7 hours.

Okay, I so enjoy stories about LO. It's no wonder that a lady at Sam's loves him. He just radiates happiness and that is a sign of the happy home he has with the 2 of you.

CathyS, good luck finding that elusive slip.

Harmony, I am sooooooooooo glad that you woke up rested.

Harriet, I hope that your ddad is having a good day.

Hope everyone else is enjoying a beautiful fall day.

Cowinkie, it is such a joy watching you enjoy your well deserved retirement. I think your happiness is really helping lucylee know that at the end of this school year, it will be her time to start a new chapter.

The loving support on this board is phenomenal!

[Ivy]

A VERY SPECIAL HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU TODAY, OKay! MAY YOU ENJOY YOUR DAY ALL DAY AND NIGHT, TOO!

I mistakenly said that Lily of the Mohawks was made a Saint, but on today's news they said her name was Ketari. When I printed up her Novena, it said Lily of the Mohawks, so I don't know if Lily is the English translation of Ketari or not. I'm not Catholic, so I just don't know. But I do know the boy who was healed from our state, had the miracle of the flesh-eating bacteria going away and his life was saved.

I'm sorry I was so frustrated with sports on our TV all day and night, yesterday, and I complained yesterday. Isn't it much better to have a DH who stays at home, to watch sports and tend the fire, than to be out at some sports bar with his buddies? At least I know where he is.

We had several water spouts in our area yesterday!

Taking care of grandkids can be challenging, exhausting, but enjoyable, too--- especially when they return home. This summer we had 4 grandsons stay 2 at a time for 2 weeks, then 1 for 1 week and another 1 for 1 week. Their ages are 8 3/4, 12, 13 3/4, and 15 1/2. They're not itty bitty kids, whom I need to change diapers on or lift up or anything. But having the lack of privacy, for so long, is what affected me the most. I tend to go without a bra in the evenings, lounge, and I didn't feel right going bra-less around my guys. It's an odd situation, but I felt better keeping dressed around them.

I think, too, how parents of baby-sat grandchildren, truly do appreciate it, too, even if they don't say it. My hat's off to you, Harmony. And all baby-sitting grandparents.

I DO believe today WILL BE a "Special Sunday" for all of us! Waving hello and Good Morning to all Villagers!

[Ivy]

I've now had my late shower, shampooed and am dressed. Now I'm ready to do laundry, but DH needs his shower first.

Lilac, I was awake after midnight, too. I'd gone to bed, couldn't sleep, DH was watching boxing matches in the GR8 room, and I stayed awake until just after midnight, but did sleep well. I hope you got a good sleep, too.

(((((Harmony))))) Being a grandmother is hard sometimes and challenging. You so so patient to me! When our youngest 2 grsons come, 3 1/2 and 18 months, lifting them is hard, running after them is almost laughable, because the 3 1/2 year old is so fast, and after they leave, I'm bushed and really feel it the next day. (Is my age showing?) Kids have so much energy! Where do they get it? They need to bottle up some of that stuff and sell it to grandparents!

Lynlee, The water there sounds lovely, beautiful, warm and it makes me want to take a vacation!

Dee, I hope you'll find everything you need on your shopping trip! Good luck on your FL stay, too.

Kathryn, I hope you'll be able to get a nap in. I know you need your rest.

Booksaver, The library quilt show, etc. sounded great to me! I hope you get a change to get some rest today, too.

Helia, You'll have to report about the 5K to us today! I hope it went well for you!

Lilac, The Miles Kimball angel ornament sounds so lovely!

CathyS, I sure hope you'll find that slip! I had a similar problem once and I know how frustrating it can be.

OKay, The description of LO's hug was written so cute. You made me laugh!

Waving to Sadie, Cowinkie, Twins' Mom, Nancy and Scattered, MT, too, and those I've forgotten.

[Harriet]

Well, Lilac, yes and no, but thanks for asking. Glad to hear your dd had a positive experience with the station's advertising. None of my dgc are old enough for me to have run into actual arguments yet except for toddler melt-downs that aren't really the same thing. Like you, I know exactly what I would have done with my own children and it would have been automatic, effective, and a surprise to no one. But grandchildren who are not always in your own home... ... that gets tricky.

Yikes, quick healing wishes for Cowinkie's sweetie. Glad you had a Friday of progress, Cowinkie.

Ivy, that story ran in our newspaper here, too.

TaDas from last evening I wanted to tell:
HRH and dstepson fixed the small lawnmower, mowed both lawns, cut back a tree that was brushing the house and spray-washed the "woods side" of the house, which tends to get dusty or cobwebby quickest.

I took dd to that party, got lost on the way back and came home quite unhappy because I also caught my shin with the closing car door. So my TaDas yesterday pretty much ended with the remake of the master linens I already told.

One bright thing I did today was to catalog-order 3 pairs of slacks in the same style as ones that I know fit well. I am a little concerned because this was online and some of the recent customer reviews criticize the item saying the fabric is cheaper and the cut different. But others say it's exactly the same as always? I don't know what to do with this conflicting info except to employ the KIC method of catalog shopping called "order-but--keep-that-return-label". Oh, I hope it's all okay - I just don't have time for this.

Ivy and lucylee on the subject of men's activities, HRH (who spends time, not on sports programs, but on online gaming) is fond of teasing me that he could be out "running the bars" instead. He will even answer the phone to friends with "Joe's Pool Hall" to watch my reaction. (His name is certainly not Joe) It's a big joke with many friends that he always wants to head home quickly. If part of it is us and part of it is a multi-player battle , that's okay because we know he wouldn't be happy at any other computer screens except the ones near us. To be fair, although I never go near the games, dd does play with him, as have all the children. He used to play remotely "with" (online) dd32 but something about the 3rd baby stopped almost all dd32's extra activities, lol.

[helia]

Hi everyone! I have not cuops yet -- will have to do that later. I did notice there's been a discusion on men's activities? I'll have to read and maybe comment -- dh always has a lot of activities going on.

Race Update! Thank you for asking about my race, Ivy. We are safely home from Detroit! We could not have asked for better weather, even though we started running in the dark. This has been a beautiful day! It has been sunny and clear all day. This 5K went better than my last one; I would have liked to have been a bit faster but (1) I just don't run well first thing in the a.m. and (2) I felt nauseated enough at one point I thought I might, well, throw up. . . I just slowed my jogging down for a couple minutes, and the nausea passed. Then, I "sped" back up again. I think I was dehydrated -- I could feel that dryness in my mouth before the race; I grabbed water at the first liquid station, but I think it would have been better if I hadn't as I suspect the water didn't sit well in my stomach. It would have been best if I had kept dehydrated the days beforehand. I could hear Harriet's voice - or was it my WW instructor's voice? - telling me that if I had been drinking my water, as I know I should, I might not have felt that way and may even have run better. . . .I am not a fast runner by any means, but I was happy that I shaved 3 minutes off my previous time and I did run under 13 minute miles, both of which were goals of mine. Dh did fabulously! All his training paid off. He actually beat his goal and ran in under 8 minute miles (7:55 maybe?). He finished the half marathon in 1:43, and he was still running strong at the end!! He said he felt good and could have kept on going a bit longer - but not for an entire marathon. Not bad for a 48yo guy who started running a couple years ago. He really enjoyed the views from the bridge (they ran over the bridge to Windsor, Canada) he said.

Dfriend S said the run took them by a sculpture park, maybe also in Windsor? She said she liked the Canadian fans b/c a lot of them had dogs with them, and she really likes dogs. Dfriend S also met her goal in the half marathon. She hasn't been training consistently but ran in 2:15.

My dfriend B, her dh and her ds (my ds' best friend in hs) all ran the 5K but finished much earlier than I did. Another friend came along to take photos for a book, and of course dfriend R was there to cheer on S! After the race, we went back to the hotel, showered, and then all 8 of us went out for brunch together.

I napped a little this afternoon; I slept awful in the hotel. Also, my stomach still feels a little queasy, so maybe something more than dehydration is going on.

Anyhow, I'm going to call my parents. Then, dh and I will make our weekly trip to Whole Foods for bread to go with soup. tonight, I need to do a lot of Hebrew b/c I am making and bringing a meal to a family with a new baby tomorrow so my Heb. prep time tomorrow will be curtailed. this mom is in our moms group.

I'll try to ci later. . .

[Twins' Mom]

Congrats, Helia! I was reminded of you and your dh this morning when I set out from home for a meeting, and some lanes were cordoned off and part of my route closed for a marathon here. I passed the signs that said "14 miles" and then "15 miles" and everyone looked pretty good!

Somewhat busy day here and I still need to get house cleaned up for dcleaning lady. Had a meeting at 10 this morning for the community religious school, and had to do some prep before the meeting as well. Afterward, I came home, read the paper and napped a bit, then painted the two rocking chairs and the stool for the table. Unfortunately, it will take more than one coat for sure, maybe more. The finish is lovely tho, a satiny black with the grain showing through some. And then dh and I went to the grocery for a quick trip.

We are swarmed by kudzu bugs, apparently. Dneighbor had her exterminator out on Friday and that was the verdict. They are attracted to light colors and are all over our porch posts. They were pretty disgusting when I was painting as they were landing on my glasses, face, skin and in the paint.

I need to:
-hang delicates in the washer and start another load of delicates
-straighten family room
-clear kitchen counters
-fold clean laundry from dryer
-take ibuprofen, as my hand is cramping up from the painting...

[Harmony]

Wow, Twins, I've never heard of Kudu bugs. Here we get love bugs seems like a couple times a year. They're a nuisance. Oooh, I just looked them up, they're kinda like stink bugs and apparently they're all over the south now, invaded from other countries. I'm glad we don't have them, they'd be eating my green beans. I have enough bugs trying to eat them.

Had DGD out in swimming pool and took out the bubbles too, great place for them as there is ready water to wash soapy hands. She took a short nap later and I was going to do the same, except for the phone calls...

Our legos are the little wee ones. We start out on the area rug, but she's too little to keep them there and they get all over. She put a big column of all the same color together, but that's the extent of her "building" and attention span. I think she just likes the dumping of them best. I could never get her to keep them in one place like OKay does.

I have her clothes in the laundry, their cooler hosed out, the garbage out and recycle bin. DD is in the country now and I'm expecting her around 10 tomorrow morning. I feel a nap coming on tomorrow.

[Twins' Mom]

Going to change shoes and walk the dogs now...

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Hi all!

You are reading the post of one tired SHE!

The day was wonderful. The weekend has been wonderful. But I'm glad I'm going home since I can't keep up this pace.

Yesterday afternoon dh, my sister, and I took a ferry ride and walked around a bit, then we split up and started back to the hotel. I had had a PB&Banana sandwich but was still hungry so dh and split a small pizza, then I had my nap.

After nap, I made THREE phone calls! One to my cousin to see who would give Unc a ride to the dinner, second to my other cousin who's currently staying down on the South Shore to see if we could meet up today and finally a call to my sister to say we were on our way to get her. We picked up Unc too and drove out the 'old' road to the cottage (which is now a hotel and restaurant but it was our family cottage when we were young.) The road is called the Waverly Road but it is just a very wavy road and sitting with dsis in the back seat we both started to get queasy like we did when we were kids!

Dinner was great. Turns out Unc's only son got married last February after 20 years of living with his partner. They actually married on their 20th anniversary! So that was news. I've only met her once so sat at that end of the table to get to know her better. Something was 'off', it felt like she was insecure and so was going overboard in order to seem secure. My dsis noticed it too.

We also got to meet my cousin's son's partner (who is delightful but we already knew that because Unc loves her so much.) She is an RN, he is a fire fighter. His twin was there too but is very quiet (due to a brain injury) so we didn't talk much with him until the car ride back (we took him back into the city to save his dad the drive, since his dad lives further out in the country.) It was a miserable, rainy, night and we had to take the Waverly Rd. back. Dh was toast by the time we got back to the hotel from the strain of driving.

This morning we picked up my sister and Unc and were on the road by 10. The goal was to get to Mahone Bay before church let out and the restaurant got too crowded. We succeeded even though we went by the old road again. The views were pretty good for a lot of it and dsis had lots of memories since she drove that road tons when we lived in Nova Scotia. At one point our family lived on the South Shore so they drove it back to Dartmouth to visit my mom's family and the rest of the time they lived in Dartmouth but had to drive to the South Shore to visit my Dad's family. By the time I have good memories, the main highway had started to be built. Plus, I only did the trip twice a year since we lived in Ontario when I was growing up.

Lunch was excellent. Just like last night, Unc was mobbed by people wanting to meet him and ask him about being 100.

After lunch, I went to my favourite shop in the village and picked up two pairs of earrings (we missed stopping there last year and I usually stop once a year to buy a pair.) Then across to the pewter shop to buy my birthday present from ds (to save him shipping.)

Then we headed back onto the old road and on to my grandmother's village (houses strung for about 4 miles along a road), stopping to see her house, then Unc's house down there and finally visiting my grandparent's graves. From there it was a hop, skip and a jump to visit my cousin and her husband who were visiting with R&L, the couple who took in my grandmother when she couldn't live on her own (at age 98.) We had a lovely visit for about 2 hours and then started home on the highway.

Last stop was at my Aunt's grave (Unc's wife.) I could almost hear him saying in his mind "I'm coming as fast as I can" to her.

The weather was overcast with sunny breaks and warm all day. The leaves are full colour and so many views were breathtaking along the way. It is funny but the ocean wasn't my focus of the day as it usually is. Instead, my focus was on Unc and his stories.

He had us in stitches for much of the way home. Part of it was the stories, part of it was his not hearing what we'd say and saying the exact thing himself a moment after one of us had commented on some view. On the way there, he recited a very long poem he had read in the paper about a haunted ship in Chester Basin. It had a comic, twist, ending so we enjoyed that fully. He is an excellent story teller and reciter. (As was my father but my father had Irish heritage to blame that on!)

We dropped him at his house just at 6 and were checked into the hotel and down in the dining room just past 7. After all the food we'd had, we still had a free 3 course meal to eat. I had my halibut dinner at long last and a wonderful salad to start and chocolate lava cake with peanut butter ice cream for dessert.

Then dh and I walked across to the pharmacy to pick up tampons for me. My TOM came back, again (third time in 3 weeks) and the 15 tampons I brought with me proved to not be enough. I'm rather grumpy about that. Today was the worst so I finally started up advil to try and slow the bleeding.

I managed to rest about 30 minutes in the car on the way home (it took 2.5 hours to get down and just 90 minutes to come back since we were on the highway.) Then I laid down for a few minutes in the hotel before heading off for dinner. I'm achy and tired but since I've only walked 4700 steps today, and spent most of the time in a car or visiting, I think that helped me not melt-down despite no nap.

Tomorrow we have the hotel until 2 so I'll nap from 1 - 2 and then we'll go visit Unc before heading to the airport at 3:30. It will be a busy morning because I want to pick out photos of the weekend to print up to take to Unc. The restaurant last night took a photo of him with his candle in a pie and presented it to him in a card before we left. Nice touch we thought.

[Harriet]

Hurray, helia!

Ewww, Twins' Mom, I looked up Kudzu Bugs and am totally weirded out!

Kathryn, what a wonderful experience for your Uncle and all your cousins.