My Little Superman

With the recent release of the movie, Superman; this came to mind, to share with all. Paul was very much into the Super hero's and his room was filled with many of his hero's'. The first Superman movie, staring Christopher Reeve was in the theaters. The rage in sleepwear was comic-like pagamas. So, off to K-Mart for the newest P.J.'s for our Paul. He was thrilled to have those P.J.'s and wore them "all" the time!
It was close to Paul's birthday and so I made a Superman cake, for him, family, and friends to share....he was thrilled! His birthday is in January and he turned 3years old. The months went by and October came, along with Halloween. To no surprise to us, Paul wanted to be dressed as...Superman! With his P.J.'s in hand we needed to finish the costume. I made a cape, found some tights, red boots and a mask. He loved that costume! Halloween was just around the corner and Paul was so excited to go out, for all to see. Paul wore those P.J.'s to bed and in the morning we would find him with them on and all the attire of his costume. He ate his breakfast and wanted to go out in the back, to pretend he was, The Superman of all times. We watched from the window to see him fly with his arms extended, around the perimeter of the yard. We even went across the street to show one his favorite neighbors just how proud he was to be, Superman. I really think his Mom was the proudest!!!!
Halloween came and Paul was so excited, he wore the costume all day, minus the mask; as it seemed uncomfortable while wearing it. I made the holes on the mask a bit bigger for him to see better, and off he and his dad went. I decided to stay home and hand out candy. This was actually, Paul's first venture out for Halloween. He was off holding his dad's hand....but really, I thought, he was flying high! Bill said at one point with the mask on and Paul's big eyes peering through, he was ready to come back home. Off to bed he went and I'm sure his dreams were of his Superhero. My thoughts were and to this day.....Paul is our Superhero....

A Great Day!

The last three weeks have been on my mind a lot; to say the least! I had surgery on Monday, the 17th, to rule out cancer of the uterus. With other family matters to assist with, I felt a need to concentrate on those, and not my own. Perhaps, I thought I was going to be o.k., or I needed to get off my mind what COULD have changed life, with the results of my biopsy? I woke up this morning, knowing that I had my appt. with my Dr. Bill went with me, for the support, we both needed. We were assured that all is well and with that we know longer carry that burden on our shoulders. With that, life goes on......as it has and I can't tell you all how that makes Bill and I feel. Someone is looking out for us...and I am so very glad that my life is as usual. Thanks to all that knew about what was happening and the prayers and thoughts from all. May family and friends be with us for a long time....

My Erbie

Erbie the cat came to us almost 11 years ago. He's a very affectionate cat; to say the least. If you want to be bugged...stay around long enough and he will do that with great pleasure. Erbie was rescued from a pound when he was a kitten. There was a Rescue service that would take kittens and foster them while looking for a good home for each of them. We had lost a cat that we had for thirteen years,looking of old age and I was heart stricken about that. I was in a pet store looking to adopt and saw him. Each kitten had a resume attached to their cage and what I read, suited me. When deciding on him, we needed to be interviewed to become the owners. All worked out for us and we brought Erbie home. My cats have always been indoor cats. I never liked the idea of having them stay outside and bother other neighboors, plus the thought of them bringing a rodent as a trophy didn't appeal to me. We had him fixed and he became a good companion; to me any way. Bill says he's a pest because he needs so much attention and wants it all the time. Me, I've excepted him for who he is...our family pet! Erbie got out one day and I was devestated. I looked all over the neighborhood, calling his name and with no response I decided to visit the local pound, seeing if he had been brought in; even looking at the daily rosters to see if he had been brought in and had died. I did this every day for almost two weeks. I thought it would be a good idea if we printed out posters and taped them all over the neighborhood. No luck and still with lots of tears I would visit the pound in hopes to find him....with still no luck. One Saturday when Abby had gone out for her morning potty time, I went to the door and there was Erbie, just standing there next to Abby at the door. Well, I swooped him up and took him upstairs to give him a bath. I didn't know where he was for those days and what he may have picked up so in the tub he went. With the other two cats we have I needed to be careful with that. I can't remember when Erbie started to sit like he is in this picture, but it's a good one...Enjoy!

A Hairy Experience

Yesterday I spent a good part of the day with Terry and her sister, Lori. We had snacks in the back yard and shared lots of stories about many things. From here, we decided to go "Thrifting".....when that comes up, there is no hesitation on going! We talked about coloring our hair and haircuts. The haircut topic brought to mind about what I did to mine and my brother's teddy bears. They were different colors; mine was pink and his was blue. I had a baby doll high chair and thought it would be a good thing to see if I could change the way they looked. I got my father's shaving cream and razor and sat each bear in the chair. I can't remember which was first for their NEW look, but away I went. I remember putting shaving cream on my brother's bears head, first. He needed a flat-top, so that's what I gave him. He needed to have his face shaved, so I gave him a mustache. Then I decided to shave my bear and give her a NEW" look too. So, I put the shaving cream on her head and took some of her hair off. Can't really remember the exact look she had, but I know I didn't shave her face; that was a guy thing! My brother was very upset to what I did to his bear and if I recall, he never played with his bear, again....too much of a "NEW" look, I guess. That was the start of me getting my license in Cosmotolgy; which I don't practice, now. Perhaps the experience of the hair cuts for our bears brought back too many ugly thoughts!

Sharing our day with friends

It was such a good day on Saturday, as Tom and Terry came to spend some time with us. It was a beautiful day; with lots of sunshine and good food. Bill decided to make a Southern meal: coleslaw, cat fish, and hushpuppies. Along with that, was ice tea; sweetened, that is. With Tom being a Southerner and Bill as well, Bill decided on that menu. Boy, was that meal a good one! I had lots of back pain that day, but with our good friends here and with all the laughs, it helped to keep my mind off of that..me and my darn back!!!! We are at a distance with Tom and Terry; as far as different states, but it has never stopped us from getting together and having a GREAT time. Seems like, at times, we start off where we finished on the last visit. It's such a soothing feeling to have such good friends to have in our lives.....no pretense on ones part. We all want to talk at the same time; as I see that in my eyes, maybe because we have a short time together or it being a Southern thing? That's what Bill has always said, because he had a large extended family and when they all got together, one had to fight to get a word in. It was always funny to me to; as I came from a small unit. I just started to but-in like they all did. Don't get me wrong....I loved being around his family! There is a caring spirit when one meets the love of a Southerner....I will vouch for that!!! Thanks for being in our lives, Tom and Terry!

My Abby

You all know how fond I am of animals. I have had dogs from the time a I was a small child. A pet is a luxury..or it should be, once they enter your life. We should treat them with the respect and love they deserve; as they will do the same for the owner. My Abby came to us almost 13 years ago. She is a mix of Black Lab and we think Queensland . What a cute and loving, 6 week old puppy. She was one of three pups left in the litter and very shy. With that, I wanted her; as I thought with that character, she might be treated badly. I know we picked the right one! As a puppy though, we had our doubts. She decided to pull lots of my plants out of the garden, dig holes in the back yard, even chew on the redwood outdoor furniture we had. I worked at that time and that's when she did all the damage. We were at Wits End to what to do. Bill threatened to take her to the pound; I would not hear of that! So, I decided to do some research and found out that Abby has Seperation Anxiety Syndrome. I took her to dog obedience training and she did ok; as long as she was with me. She really didn't do well with the other dogs, though. When driving up to the parking lot, all she did was bark at the others. It was hard to get her to be in the crowd of the other dogs, as well. Once we got in the circle; dogs of all kinds and their owners, we did what was expected. We did our six weeks and the instuctor mentioned that I should do more; as Abby needed to learn how to be with other dogs. I decided not to. Even with this; not liking other dogs, I was excepting her as she is. So, I did training in the back yard. She learned to sit on command, stay for some time in one spot, shake hands, and lay down. I taught her to get the paper in the morning; as Bill didn't like to go out with his Sticky-uppy-hair; for all to see. So, our Abby did that for us. Taught her to go upstairs with a bag in her mouth to fetch something I needed. With bag and a note, she went up to the first landing, turned to look at me and I told her to, go see Bill....she did! Down she came with the bag swaying back and forth and dropping it at my feet. With that, she got her doggie cookies. When Abby barks too much, I would tell her to go upstairs and lay down in her bed..she would go, leaving hurt; I could tell. Like a Time Out, with 20 minutes in her bed. I would call her after that time but she wouldn't come down. I would go upstairs to tell her it was o.k. and she would follow me down stairs; happy at that time! When the phone rings and we decide to screen the calls, she howls when the answering machine picks up; as to say, the phone, you need to pick up the phone!!! How smart is that! Abby even played Soccer with me. She would always have two toys, one stuffed animal and a ball. The ball would be the first to let go, and the stuffed animal still in her mouth. I would kick the ball and she would either return it to me with her nose or her paw. We would do that while I did my make-up and hair. So, that could be a good 45 minutes, at a time. We enjoyed that time together. If one of our indoor cats gets on furniture or something we tell them no to do, Abby is on a mission to get them off; nugging them with her nose. She will look at us and come for a pet; with a "Good Girl", and a pet on the head...She loves that! Now that our Abby is up in age, she does some of the tricks, but we can see her slowing down. She was recently diagnosed as having , Cushings Disease. There is no cure. As time goes on and symptoms appear, she will be put on meds., and they can sometimes, as the Vet has said, cause damage to her other vital organs. I cried my heart out when I was told of this. That was back in April and we still have our, Abby. When reading more about her condition, it is commen with her age, being a female and her breed. She isn't in pain; with that we are blessed. We now just love her, and are thankful she is still here with us. As I have always said, our pets are not with us long enough. I love my Abby Girl....

A New Little One

Bill, Paul, and I were on our way to the Watsonville Hospital...for a very pleasant event. Meghan and Dave have their new baby, Charlotte Ann Ryan! It was so good to hear and see that baby and mom were doing so well. We had gifts, in hand for all. Baby Charlotte had a crib full of goodies, Meghan, some flowers from my garden and a bottle of beer for Dave. .....I didn't want to leave him out; as he did a lot in the labor room, too! I bet he would have liked to have that cold beer when all that was happening?! There stood Terry, the proud Grandma of a new little baby granddaughter; just rocking her so gently. Terry was so proud to have that baby in her arms that she immediately said, " here do you want to hold her," I was a bit set back ; as she was willing to release her from HER GRIP! I held little Charlotte for a good 20 minutes, also rocking her and looking down at her perfectly small face......she is truly a beautiful baby, for just being born, having to go down, those long flight of steps to enter this world. As my son, Paul said one day when visiting with a friend, when I was born, "POOF," and there I was! Not even the right word to say; as there were 21 hours of labor for me, and that was hardly a, "POOF," on my part!!! Never the less, we have our Paul and Meghan and Dave have a New Little One in their life. Happy Baby......Happy Parents!

An Ocean Tale

With Summer here these thoughts come to mind about going to the ocean with my dad and my brother. My family had come to the U.S. from a stay in Germany for two years. My dad, being in the Army gave us the opportunity for that visit. Now stationed at Fort Ord, Ca., we were off for another adventure. My father loved the outdoors and one thing in particular was...Fishing. We had settled in a rental for a few short weeks until my parents found housing at the base. Once settled in, my dad was ready for a trip to the beach. My brother,11 years old and I, 9 years old were invited to go along. I know in my heart, dad wanted one of us to pick up a fishing rod and fish with him. That wasn't going to happen for me, as I did not, first of all, want to put bait on a hook and then catch the poor fish...... me being the animal lover; still as of today. I remember being so excited to be with my dad and my brother. We packed a lunch and got up, leaving for a day at the beach. Once we got there, I was all over the sand. Running up and down the beach, looking for treasures, like special, one-of-a-kind shells, finding seaweed to throw back into the ocean and making a LOT of noise. I've always been the, "Mouthy-One", in the family! My dad was very patient with Tom and I. I'm not sure if at this point he was glad to have me there...... making all that noise! He had his tackle box in hand and sat down to start the procedure of taking out the perfect bobber and fish hook, to catch a fish. I can see him now, casting out the line and reeling it in some and waiting patiently for a tug of the line and a catch. Tom and I were waiting for the water to go out some and we would run out, dig a hole and try to get sand-dabs. Of course, I had to throw mine back in to save them! Back and forth, up and down the beach, making a lot of noise. My dad at one time stopped, looked at me and told me I had to be quite or the fish wouldn't bite. I stopped immediately and sat down....to remain quite for a good while, as I truly believed what he said......He was my dad! I'm sure deep down inside he got a kick out of that! Here I was, 9 years old and so gullible... I loved that day; just me, my brother, my dad and All those fish!