Saturday doings...

We're all ready for the little munchkins to come bumping on the door tomorrow evening. Their numbers have dwindled over the years, but have stayed pretty steady at about 75 or so for the past couple. Hopefully we'll have enough.

This year they'll be getting chocolates and pretzels.

The temps are continuing to fall so before we get hit with our first frost, we got a little fall planting done.

Planted more daffodils to fill in some

sparse spots in the mailbox bed.

We have a split rail fence around our property and have always had a problem with the gates. First, because we have a two-rail fence instead of a three-rail fence, they're hard to find. Seems to me, if you're going to sell all kinds of fencing material, it would make sense to have all kinds of gates to go with said materials, but, hey, whadda I know! The last gates we got we had to order on-line.

Secondly, they wear out/decay faster than the fence posts and rails. I can't remember how many times we've replaced them. So, this time, to preclude all the aggravation we usually go through with the stupid things, Lew decided to make the gates himself.

Now for the pièce de résistance of the day:

This pile of wood...

turned into this beautiful gate!
Isn't it just lovely?

Ahh, the man is so talented!

Wishing all my mommy readers ...

and my very special mommy-to-be -

Rite of passage...

*sigh* These kids just won't stop growing up!! My little guy, my #1 grandson... the one who used to crawl into a pillowcase for a snooze or pretend drive his Hot Wheels for hours and hours or snuggle up for a bedtime song... that little guy?? He went to his junior/senior prom Saturday night.

The boy cleans up good!!

Flowers for his lady, so sweet!

Don't they look adorable?

They had a great time - didn't get home til 3 am!

*sniff*

TOP O' THE MORNIN' TO YOU!!

WOO HOO!!

My baby girl is having a baby boy... I'm gonna have a great-grandson!!

Better late than never...

I hope yours is sunnier and "May-er" than ours!! ;)

Yay! It's here...

ZZZzzzzz...

Besides being the last day of February, today is... are you ready?... Public Sleeping Day!

Need an extra 20 winks? Well today is the day to grab 'em and get away with it. Find yourself a quiet park, an empty bench, and lay your weary head down. Or maybe a beach blanket on a soft pile of sand. Or even a desk top. 'Course if you fall asleep on the job, you probably do so at your own risk.

Anyway, sweet dreams... enjoy your snooze. ZZZzzzzzz!

23 years ago...

...this beauty entered the world and proceeded to fill my life with a whole lot of happy...

Happy Birthday, my beautiful #1 granddaughter!!

Wish I was there with you! :)

Little drummer boys...

Like most of America, I tuned in to President Obama's swearing in at the Capitol yesterday, with all the pomp and circumstance of the festivities and parade that followed. As I watched, I was reminded once again of how how much I enjoy military and marching bands and had fond memories of earlier times in DC. Funny how the mind works like that, isn't it?

My first husband was in the Air Force in our early married years, so we didn't have a whole lot of money for extras. With a little toddler in tow, we had even less $$ for entertainment. We did, however, live close to DC then, so we often took advantage of the freebies available in the city.

One of our favorite things to do on balmy summer evenings was to drive into town to enjoy the free military concerts on the Capitol steps. The U. S. Army, Navy, and Marine bands used to perform on different nights of the week pretty much all summer, so the most we ever had to spend was for gas, which back in the mid-60's was still ridiculously cheap.

I'm convinced that my son's innate sense of rhythm and love of drums flourished due to this early exposure to military music. It was precious to watch this little guy imitate the uniformed drummers while he marched to the beat of his own across the top of the steps.

I was never able to supply him with a real drum set of his own, and he didn't actively pursue a career in music, but to this day, at 40+, the man still loves his drums. Not surprisingly, his youngest son, encouraged by his dad, inherited that love and plays drums in his school band. He has his own professional drum set at home... that he lets his dad play with.

It's National Nothing Day!

National Nothing Day is quite simply... a day for nothing.

This un-event was created by newspaperman Harold Pullman Coffin. It was first observed in 1973. The goal of National Nothing Day is "to provide Americans with one national day when they can just sit without celebrating, observing, or honoring anything."

Sounds like a plan to me. Celebrate this day by doing...nothing, nada, zip... and do enjoy doing it!

Happy Birthday...

...TO ME!!!

Age is a matter of feeling, not of years.
George William Curtis

My sentiments exactly! I don't know how I got here so fast, but it sure doesn't feel like I've reached the ripe old age of... oh my God!! ... 66!

Not planning anything spectacular, but family and friends have made me feel very special with beautiful birthday wishes/cards/emails, flowers, a very cool bonsai azalea, and lots of love. It doesn't get any better than that. :)

Celebrate the red, white and blue

Today is Flag Day, the day we celebrate our national symbol and commemorate its adoption as the national banner in 1777.

We fly our flag daily, taking it in every night or during inclement weather. I like being reminded of the freedoms we enjoy and the democracy we live in - never have those freedoms seemed more significant than now, in this time of war, global unrest, and terrorism.

You're a Grand Old Flag
by George M. Cohan

You're a grand old flag,
You're a high flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of
The land I love.
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev'ry heart beats true
'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
But should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

HAPPY FLAG DAY!

Do you remember...

... Maypole dances to celebrate spring?? I wonder if schools still do that? Anyway,

HAPPY MAY DAY !!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Today is Lew's birthday and a juicy steak was on the agenda for his birthday dinner. So off we go to one of his favorite steakhouses and whoa, the damn place has closed - tighter than a drum with "for lease" signs all over the windows and the sign gone!! Shoof! We really do need to get out more!

So, anyway, we found another restaurant and he had his steak, salad, and baked potato there - not as good, he said, but not bad either. Happy Birthday, hon! :)

She's on the way...

Wheee! As of about two hours ago, #1 granddaughter is on her way, driving up to spend Thanksgiving with us. It's her first time driving up by herself and she's driving at night, so I'll be anxious until she gets here, but I'm excited. It's going to be a good turkey day/weekend!

City sights and a birthday...

We are back. The main reason for our trip north was grandbaby Winston's 1st birthday celebration in NJ, but we also made a surprise side trip to satisfy a long-held "wanna do" of grandsons Christopher and Michael. They had both expressed a desire to see New York City and the Statue of Liberty and since we were going to be up that way anyway, we planned accordingly.

We got into Jersey Friday evening, stopped at our motel to check in, and then drove into NYC just so the boys could see it. They were tickled. Saturday, under the guise of more sightseeing, we drove to Liberty Park and surprised them with a ferry boat ride to Liberty Island. After spending most of the day with Lady Liberty, which, by the way, was a first for all of us, we then drove back into the city for more sights. We weren't able to stop and go inside buildings... parking is a bear!... but for the time being, just being able to see the Empire State Building, Times Square, Broadway, Central Park and some of the other places they've always heard about, made them happy.

Sunday we enjoyed Winston's birthday with delicious food, family time, gift opening, and yummy birthday cake. It was good to see extended family that we don't get to see that often.

We had a wonderful time, made more enjoyable by an entire weekend of spectacularly beautiful weather.

Herself

Impressive

Empire State Bldg

United Nations

The Birthday Boy

There are lots more photos at my photo blog.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig...

Our trip south was a huge success - we totally surprised Christy, who for some reason, hadn't questioned whether we were coming. I attributed it to her being more preoccupied with her own 21-year old newness than wondering if Mommaw and Poppaw would be there for her big day.

I introduced her to crablegs when she was just a wee toddler of about 2-1/2, cracking and picking shells and feeding her the best pieces, so it was too fitting that she opted for crablegs for her 21st birthday dinner. With the exception of Jim and the boys, who don't do seafood (I don't know where they came from!) we pigged out on crab, Christy ordered her first "legal" drinks, and we had a great time.

Later that evening, she and a group of her girlfriends went out partying, which they all survived, and my baby girl has become of age.

Trying to hold back the hands of time, hasn't worked a bit. Before I know it, the years will sneak by and my #1 grandboy will be 21 too - noooooooo!

Some pics of our doings are on my Project 365 Photo Blog.