Childhood...

Sorry for my absence, I have been dealing with this really horrible bout of an upper respiratory infection. The doctor says not to worry, I should feel better by mid-weekend, but for now, I feel like crap.

One bright point of my week as always is Sophia. She started swimming lessons this week. It is great to see how she has changed since taking lessons last year. Since she is so young, she will not really learn how to swim, but how to be used to the water. She kicks her feet as soon as she gets into the water and does not stop for her entire lesson. She looks so cute in her swim suit and I can't help but think she is cuter than any other kid in the class. Maybe that is just the mom coming out in me.

Tonight I finally took the time to finish planting some stuff in my gardens. When I was finished I had to water the flowers on my front porch. Sophia was sitting in the grass playing with her daddy. I quickly turned the hose on her and she got this shocked look. Shortly after that she was standing on the front walk happily having her feet squirted. Next thing I know she is squealing with delight while running in and out of the water being sprayed. I was thinking about how awesome it is to be a kid experiencing things for the first time.

School is getting ready to end. Can you remember what it was like when the school year was coming to an end? I can remember feeling so excited on that last day. School was finally over and the long summer was ahead. I think that the last few weeks of school were always a waste for me.

I can remember countless days spent riding my bike with my friends around the neighborhood. It's funny, but I think kids today are cheated a bit, because they have to wear bike helmets. They will never get to feel the air rushing through their hair as they navigate their bikes down a long hill. I can just remember how free it felt to just take off on my bike on some unplanned adventure.

Summer also meant swimming and playing with water in any form. We really did not play with the sprinkler, but I know that many kids did. One thing I can remember is taking a drink out of the hose while playing outside. I never wanted to go in the house, so it was just a quick way to quench my thirst. There is nothing better than that nasty hose taste to bring on a memory of childhood.

Something else to look forward to is the arrival of lightning bugs. I think most children find them fascinating. I can't wait until they start coming out so that we can teach Sophia how to catch them. They light up the dusk like fireworks. Did you ever put holes in the top of a mason jar to keep them in your room overnight? I can only hope that Sophia will love them as much as me.

What makes you think of your childhood summers? Give it a thought. I am sure it will make you smile. Now go out and do something that will make your inner child happy!

Good night and pleasant dreams of warm summer breezes!

The Yeti...

I do some of my best thinking right before I go to sleep. Last night I thought of something good to write about and then I forgot what it was this morning. I hate when that happens. Sometimes my mind is like a black hole. So unfortunately I can not talk on that subject I thought was so awesome last night!!!

When this happens to me, I think about the following song lyrics:

Standing waist high in snow,
what brought me here I do not know.
Sky is filled with starry scenes
of heroes and their greatest deeds.
Satellites move across the sky,
and every year they multiply.
Father bear is sound asleep
and will be so for several weeks.

Across the plain I see a figure,
every instant growing bigger.
Instinct tells me to run away
while faith proposes that I wave.
He approaches to a rod.
I whisper up a prayer to God.
The stranger asks me with a grin,
"Do you have the time my friend?"

Himalaya is my old time stomping ground
(oh yes, time is of the essence).
Manitoba, better snows I've never found
(oh yes, time is of the essence.)

The author looms above his page
and thinks it strange that at his age
he can not find the proper words
to describe his only world.
One would think that in a life
where no two snowflakes are alike
one would have a brilliant rhyme
for each and every bit of time.

Himalaya is my old time stomping ground
(oh yes, time is of the essence).
Manitoba, better snows I've never found
(oh yes, time is of the essence.)

I am sure that any body who has ever sat down to write something and fails to come up with something brilliant can appreciate these lyrics. It is a fun song and helps me to realize that I am not alone. I really just wish that I could remember what I wanted to write about.

I did see Star Wars over the weekend. I liked it, but I think I want to see it again, before giving my final thoughts. No matter what I thought of the plot, I loved the special effects. I have to admit that I got a little sad (and yes a bit teary eyed) when I saw the end of Anakin. Bob of course laughed at me for this. I am a big baby.

Maybe, I can come up with something better for my next post. Believe it or not, this crappy post took me over an hour to write. For now, enjoy the lyrics (Clutch - The Yeti).

Have a great evening!

Writing...

I have been searching my mind for something interesting to write about, but have come up with nothing. I hate when that happens. Now I know how a writer feels when they have writer's block.

I have never been a writer except for school assignments, which I completely loathed unless they were to be of a creative nature. I always had a pretty good imagination and could finish a work of fiction in a very short time. Non-fiction on the other hand was always a chore and I would imagine still would be, if I went back to school. I always had this terrible habit of waiting until the last minute to do the assignment. Then I would be completely stressed, because I had done so. In that way, I am my own worst enemy.

I admire people who can write. Even works of literature that I hate (most anything by Hawthore (sorry Amanda) or Dickens), I can appreciate the hard work the person must gone through to write it. I am usually a very picky reader. In general, I like works that are considered classic, but I do have the occasional Harry Potter book in the mix. That can not be helped, because that whole series is so much fun to read.

I would be interested to know what people are currently reading and what is their most favorite book ever.

Right now, I am not reading a book. I am reading the most recent copy of Popular Science. My favorite book of all time is probably Pride and Prejudice. I love how people converse in that book. It is so fun to imagine how the people looked and felt during the story. I have to say that I also enjoyed the book Moll Flanders. It must have been quite a book for it's time. I also like the All Creatures Great and Small Series by James Herriot. Even though they might not be considered classic literature, I love the way he describes things and because I am an animal lover, his stories hit close to home at times. He is so easy to read and that makes him a great author to read right before bed. When I first met Bob, he had me read some F. Scott Fitzgerald. He is a wonderful writer, but he can be very depressing and sometimes this makes him a hard read for me. He also tries to get me to read Kurt Vonnegut, but for some reason, I can never finish his books. My not finishing books frustrates Bob immensely.

So with nothing really said, I hope that you all have a splendid evening.

Don't forget to answer my questions. If your book looks good, I might just read it.

Scouts...

It seems that every weekend the local Walmarts and grocery stores are plagued with organizations that want my money for their group. First of all, I don't mind giving people money, but I hate being accosted when I am shopping. Today for example, I went to the grocery store for Bob's mother. On the way in to the store, I noticed that the Boy Scouts were there selling chances for baskets or something. So I put on my best "I am not buying anything, so don't ask" look and headed towards my goal of a shopping cart. It must have worked, because I did not receive a sales pitch.

The strange thing about this was that although there were kids present, the mothers were doing all of the selling. The kids could have at least offered to take people's groceries to their cars to drum up business. A similar situation happened a few years ago when Bob and I were buying a Christmas tree. The Boy Scouts have a stand at a local shopping center that sells Christmas trees and greens. While the people there were very helpful, not a single person working the stand was a Boy Scout. This was supposed to the Boy Scouts not the Parent Scouts!

This took me back to memories of my own childhood. I was a Girl Scout for about six years. While being a scout you are supposed to do things to earn badges. My parents would never help me to earn badges. They felt that if I wanted badges, I should do the work myself. That is great in theory, but all of the other kid's parents helped them and they had tons of badges. There was one particular incident that made me decide to hang up my Girl Scout hat forever. There was to be a fashion show of clothes that each member had made herself. Not only would my parents not help, but they would not buy me the fabric. So I ended up making this really horrible monstrosity of a skirt out of leftover drapery fabric. I was horrified when I saw the other girls, because obviously they had had some help, because their clothing was cute. Mine on the other hand, was hideous. From that point forward, I knew that I could no longer be a Girl Scout.

While I do think that my parents should have been more helpful with my quest for badges (or at least supportive), I also think it is wrong for parents to do all of the work. So I guess that there must be a happy medium. I do know this though, I will no longer buy from the Scouts if there are no kids present and working. What kind of children are we raising if we never require our kids to work for anything?

On a side note, I hate when people try to sell me stuff when I am walking in to a store. In today's case, if I wanted a damn basket, I could contact my local Longaberger basket dealer. I just want to walk in to the store uninterrupted and get my shopping done. It is sort of like the old saying, "Don't call us, we'll call you." Just leave me alone. Maybe I could come up with a universal pin that lets the sellers know that I am not interested, before they even ask.

Please don't think I am a Scrooge, because I really am a charitable person. Each year we have a summer party and ask our party guests to bring school supplies for local kids who need them. We also give to a few other charities on a regular basis. I just hate being accosted! If you want my money send me a written request, please!

Have a spectacular night!!!

Need...

There are days when being a parent pays off. Today was one of those days.

Sophia has been changing her schedule and sleeping in a bit in the morning (this is nice for mommy). I got a call from a friend asking Sophia and I to come out and play. When Sophia got up I still needed my shower, so I let her stay in her crib and gave her some milk and toys to keep her happy until I was ready to get her dressed. After my shower I was rushing around trying to get myself ready before dressing her. She started to cry, so I asked her what was wrong. She said back to me, "I can't touch you." Well that was all I needed. I immediately stopped what I was doing and held her. This must have been what she needed, because she stopped crying right away.

She needed me. How many times has somebody really needed me in my life? Oh sure, my bosses may have needed me for a project or Bob may have needed my help for something around the house, but Sophia really needed me. She just wanted me to hold her. That cuddle may have been the most precious gift I have ever received in my life.

I love watching Sophia grow. Sometimes, it makes me a bit sad to realize that she is growing up and is no longer a little baby, but a little girl. She has recently started speaking in sentences. When babies start to speak it is just a babble or a coo, then a word and then a sentence. What a miraculous chain of events! When I compare her to other kids of similar age, she seems very advanced, so maybe Bob and I are finally doing something right for a change. Whatever the case may be, I know that we are taking on the most important project in our lives and the pay off is better than that of any job we have ever held.

Be safe and be well!

Have sweet dreams!

Hip kids...

Once again I have no excuse for not blogging. I really have not had anything that I have felt like writing about. I have also been quite lazy.

I have finally been able to get outside and work in the yard. I planted some flowers, herbs and tomatoes. I have also been trying to spend a good deal of time outside with Sophia. The weather has been so gorgeous that it would be a crime not to do so.

During the day we usually do spend some time watching some television. Most of the channels we watch don't have many commercials. One channel that Sophia frequents is called Noggin. She has a ball watching most of their programming. At 6:00pm this channel switches format and is called "The N." I would have to say the programming is geared toward middle and high school aged kids.

The first hour of programs is "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." I have to admit, I do laugh while watching this show. It is funny to see the stuff that Will Smith wears. While watching I see commercials for other shows that are on this network. I guess kids are an easy score, because these shows look like crap. They are full of beautiful tragically hip kids. One program even offers a story line of a student that is having a not so student/teacher realationship with her teacher. Nice! I have to think after watching these commercials it is no wonder kids get on my nerves. Boy does that make me sound old.

Growing up in the 70's there was nothing better than Saturday morning cartoons and sugar cereals. The weird thing is that I can see the same annoying kids in the commerials on "The N" that I saw while watching cartoons when I was a kid. The hip kids got on my nerves then, just as much as they do now.

Maybe it was my lack of coolness that made these kids really annoying. I was always this chubby, bad haircut, sloppy clothes sort of kid. The kids in these commercials had all the stuff that I did not have, so maybe my envy caused me to hate them or maybe I actually had some foresight in to what was right and wrong.

I don't know, but I'll almost guarantee that when Sophia is the right age there will be some just as equally annoying kids on TV shows and commercials. I just hope that I can give her a heads up on what is right, so that I do not end up with a kid that must have all of the latest cool stuff. It is not that she should not have some cool stuff, but I want her to realize that it is not the material things that makes a person wonderful and interesting.

Well hopefully I will find something interesting to write about soon so that I do not have these long lapses.

I hope you are all well!

Good night!!

Absence and wait...

We are home. It is funny how it feels strange to be home for the first few days after you have been away. It is so cold here. In Florida it was at least 85 each day and here well, upper 50's low 60's if we are lucky. I wish that it was warmer here. I want to work outside, but it needs to be a bit warmer.

Since I have been home I have made several calls regarding things that happened before I left for vacation. My car is still not fixed from the accident and will be at least another week. The new glasses that I ordered at the eye doctor (order placed end of March) are still not in and won't be for at least two to three weeks. I had to have a bone scan done on my foot from my accident (possibly fractured). My doctor informed me yesterday that I have to wait about a week for those results. So I returned home only to have to wait for things to happen. I hate to wait for things, so all this waiting is getting under my skin.

I was glad to be home with Sophia. I am not sure if she recognized us at the airport or not. She was a bit hesitant, which concerned me. She was totally spoiled by her grandparents while we were gone. I wouldn't have blamed her if she did not want to come home with us. She has seemed very attached to me since we returned and wants my attention a little more than before. I hope my absence has not made her insecure. I missed her terribly. In the future my times away from her will not be so long or she will go along.

Other than the things mentioned, things here seem rather normal, which after a week of extreme running from here to there, is a blessing. I have been really tired. I think that between not getting much rest on the trip and the pain in my foot, I am pooped. Hopefully, I can get back in to the swing of things with my blog, too. It is good for me to write.

Have a great day!