I found today’s photo in a stack of pictures I found in a box.
Growing up, we always had dogs. The two we had throughout most of my childhood were Lucy and Daisy. Daisy was a beagle and we got her when she was a puppy.
Lucy would bark. Daisy would howl. We had never heard a dog howl before. She would also go after birds, rabbits and other critters. She would have been a good hunting dog.
I remember when Lucy got old, my dad “took her to the farm” to get better. Well, that was obviously code for “putting her down.” She was very sick at the end and there was nothing that could be done. She was in a lot of pain, so the decision was made.
Daisy was around for quite a few years after Lucy. At some point my mom brought another puppy home and called it Sassy. I remember her playing well with Daisy, and at the same time she reminded me of Scrappy Doo. I can’t tell you why.
Thinking back, we had this one dog named Pepe that grew to be very large. They had told my folks that she would be a small dog. They lied. One time we were going to be gone all day. Dad thought he’s put the dogs in the garage so they wouldn’t go to the bathroom in the house. When we came home, Pepe had white stuff all over her face. She had been eating the drywall in the garage. Another time she had found a D battery and ate almost half of it. It is a wonder that dog didn’t kill itself with all it would eat.
When I moved out, someone gave me a kitten. From that time on, I think I’ve always had a cat. Currently Maizey and Bitsy are the felines in our house.
I know some folks aren’t pet people, but I’ve always been. I loved the companionship of our dogs and love when the cats decide to sit on my lap. Pets are truly family.
I truly hope that you and your family had a wonderful holiday! I’m a bit late getting my update written, so please forgive me. It has been a busy, yet relaxing few days.
On Monday, we got quite a wintery mix of weather. The day started with rain and freezing rain. It eventually changed to snow. As the temperatures dropped, the accidents were piling up. All throughout the day, there were messages on social media and on the news about the roads being icy.
Sam had to work Monday, so I was worried about her driving. She promised that if the roads were too bad, that she would turn around and call in. The weather wasn’t a surprise, and the main roads were salted pretty good, so her drive was not too bad. The drive home was a bit trickier, but she made it home ok.
Christmas Eve morning I knew I had to get out and clear the driveway. My sons were planning on coming over and I wanted to be sure it was clean. Ella and Andrew, who have been in the house TOO long, wanted to go outside with me. They ran around the yard, made some snow angels, played tag, and enjoyed the snow. Despite me telling them that it was not “scooter weather,” they played with them anyway!
The boys arrived about noon. They brought pizza and we all had lunch together. When they walked in, each of the two little ones ran to one of the older ones and hugged them. My second oldest was caught off guard by this. All I could say was, “They miss you, obviously.”
It was a nice time catching up. Phone calls between us are often cut short, possibly because of “listening ears.” Texting is hit or miss, so to have them with me and in conversation was very nice. My oldest and I talked about his job and his girlfriend. He also told me of his plans to move in with a friend from work. My second oldest told me that he had a girlfriend, too. He showed me a picture of them from when they went to the homecoming dance. My ex’s family had their holiday get together the previous weekend. Both boys were allowed to invite their girlfriends to the party. They both seem genuinely happy. This makes me happy.
They were able to stay for a couple hours, but my second oldest had to work that night. He works at a movie theater, and the holidays are always a busy time for them. I was glad that they were able to come over and spend time with me and their siblings. Of course, I am THAT dad who has to get a picture of all four of them together. You’re guess is as good as mine as to how many photos were snapped before getting one with all of them looking at me.
The little ones and I hung out for a bit as we waited for Sam to get up. We watched some Christmas cartoons and snuggled on the couch. Sam joined us in the living room and told us that her folks were coming by. They were going to drop off the kid’s Christmas gifts on their way to church.
I had to laugh because when they arrived, I went out to help bring stuff in. There were three boxes. I brought the first one in and set it on the floor. Ella was like, “Is this mine? Can I open it now? I wanna see what it is?” Sam’s folks weren’t even in the house yet and she was ready to rip off the paper!
Once every thing and everyone was inside, Ella was allowed to open her gift. It was a table top vanity. It came with fake cosmetics, but we didn’t know that. Sam bought some cheap – real – make up to go with it. This led to her giving everyone a makeover!
It was not exactly my shade of lipstick ….
She really loves it. I hope it is just a phase. She’s too young for makeup.
Andrew got something called Squigs. I guess they are toys that he uses at Physical/Occupational Therapy. He loves them. They have suction cups on them, and he can so all sorts of things with them
Nana and Pa couldn’t stay too long, because they had to get to church. Thankfully, they both made it out with out a makeover.
About 5:30, we grabbed out coats and hopped in the car. It was time for our yearly Christmas Eve tradition. We drove over to the county park where it was totally lit up for Christmas. For $10 a car, they have it set up so that you can drive through and see the lights. (During the holidays, they have a Christmas Train ride that we like to go on, but didn’t get the chance this year.) As you drive through the town, Christmas music plays and it is really beautiful.
They really do a nice job here. The old houses are even decorated in period decorations.
This tree always amazes me. The detail is brought out so well with these lights.
They have things like this at the Detroit Zoo, too. I wish we had been able to come up for the train ride and village walk. That way we could have gotten a picture in that ornament bulb.
By the time we got home, it was time to get ready for bed. The kids knew that their Elf on the Shelf was leaving with Santa that night. They loved seeing the craziness that she’d do every morning. They wanted a picture of her with them before bed. After hugs and kisses, they thanked Twinkles and told her they’d see her next year.
Andrew fell asleep pretty quickly. Ella, on the other hand, was talkative. Typical “night before Christmas” stuff. She is so sweet, though. As she turned over to close her eyes, she stopped and looked at me. She said, “Daddy, I really hope that Bubby (Andrew) doesn’t get coal from Santa. He doesn’t mean to be bad all the time.” I told her that he would probably be just fine. I made sure she was aware that Santa knew that he was good “most of the time.”
When the kids were asleep, Santa got to work. There were a few toys to put together, but nothing too complicated. I think the house was asleep by 11:00pm. That is always good, because you know how early so Christmas mornings can be!
Lucky for us, it was just after 8am when Ella burst into the bedroom and said, “It’s Christmas!!! Time to get up!!” If we hadn’t stopped her, she probably would have been out the door, into the living room and had all the presents unwrapped before we could put on our slippers! Andrew was still asleep, but once we told him that it was Christmas, he shot up and was ready to go.
They each got a Santa gift. Ella got a balance beam that she can practice on. Andrew got a Paw Patrol Big Wheel!
Andrew got new books, an explorer kit, Bluey toys, and a set of construction vehicles that you can put together and take apart.
Ella got some things for he Gabby’s Dollhouse, a Barbie changing room, Pocahontas pajamas, and a Tiana cookbook.
They had just the right amount of things to open. It wasn’t overly elaborate. There were not hundreds of gifts stuffed under the tree. It was simple and they were happy with everything!
Someone posted this on a Facebook page and I completely agree:
“I understand now. The Christmas magic I experienced as a child wasn’t about the decorations, the food or the gifts. It came from my parents and the effort they put in throughout the year to make the holiday special for me. I’ll always be grateful for that. Now, I have the privilege of sharing that same joy and magic with my own children.”
When everything was opened and the playing commenced, Sam was off to make her homemade cinnamon rolls. I made a pot of coffee, and called my brother. As we sat and enjoyed breakfast, I chuckled as Bitsy, our kitten, looked at the piles of wrapping paper and boxes. She would eventually make the boxes her new toys.
There were plenty of wonderful memories made this year. I will look back on them fondly. I’m already looking forward to next Christmas!
I woke up yesterday morning to exactly what I expected in regard to social media. One side gloating and the other angry. Honestly, if the outcome had been different, it would have been the same way, just the other way around. It was the same here on WordPress, and because of that, I promise that this will be the last mention of politics on my blog for a very long time! Besides, I have other things to write about.
Bagging It Up
This past weekend, the weather was nice. So I decided that it was the perfect day to rearrange the garage. Every Spring and Fall I do this. I make sure that whatever seasonal machine I need is close to the door (snow blower or lawn mower). In the fall, I also put the lawn furniture and barbeque in the garage, so I need to make room for them, too.
I pulled everything out of the garage and began to go through some of the boxes that were in there. I condensed things from one box to another and rearranged them on the shelf. Then I moved some of the other things closer to the wall to make room for everything else. There were some bags of clothes that I was supposed to take to Goodwill and forgot about, and the mice got to them, so I wound up throwing them away.
As someone who likes to keep things, mostly for sentimental reasons, I admit it was nice to throw a bunch of the stuff away. There was so much cardboard in there, I couldn’t wait to get rid of it. I found a place for my toolboxes that will be much easier to access, and hung a bunch of tools up on the walls.
Once this was done (three hours later), I decided to start bagging leaves. I had gone out and bought bags and was finally able to start getting them up. I must have looked like a fool, as I was using my snow shovel as a “dustpan” for the leaves! It fits perfectly in the top of the leaf bags and makes it a little less messier.
15 bags later, my back was screaming at me to stop. I had really hoped that I could get it all done, but I was done. As I counted the bags, I thought, “Well, I have got to have most of it all bagged up!”
Uh, no. The above piles are just two of the 7 that are still around the front and back yards. Maybe this weekend I can finish?
I Was a Lions Fan Before It Was Cool
As a fan of the Detroit Lions, I have to admit that it is nice to have a team worth talking about! We’ve waited so long for this. Dan Campbell has really got our team doing well. When it came time to play the Packers last weekend, there was plenty of talk about how the Lions would lose on the road.
They came out and played some great football. The games are a lot of fun to watch because I never know what they are going to pull out of their helmets! When St. Brown scored a TD last weekend, I saw the “headstand” he did in the end zone and chuckled. Then I saw the photos online and I thought, “THAT is a fantastic picture!”
During the broadcast, they cut to a Lions fan who was wearing a cheese grater hat. For those who don’t know, the Packer fans are often called Cheese Heads and wear Cheese hats. I love this guy for wearing this and going viral on the internet! He had no idea until after the game, obviously, because he posted this:
Kudos Mr. Bodine! Kudos!
The Lions are 7-1 and I am enjoying the season! I am enjoying it so much, I asked AI to make me a Detroit Lion:
HOLY MACKERAL! I look fantastic!! I’m skinny, muscular, and handsome as ever! Put me in, coach! (Whoops, wrong sport.)
Make Yourself at Home
Sunday night, I got the kids to bed early. The school break was over and it was back into our routine Monday morning. Everyone decided to crash in our bed that night. I guess I woke up about midnight and as I changed positions in bed, I had to laugh. Andrew was next to me, Ella was in Sam’s spot and smack dab in the middle of them was our kitten, Bitsy!
She looks like she is very comfortable! No wonder I was falling out of bed!
I’ve been having fun on the blog in the last week or so. However, we’ve experienced our share of rough stuff at home. Hopefully, we’re working our way towards the end of it.
Germs!
It started with Ella about three weeks ago. She went to urgent care with a fever. They said it was an ear infection and sinus infection and to follow up with her primary doc. They confirmed what urgent care said and we did a round of antibiotics. She missed a week of school and went back. She hung on to a deep cough, but she had no fever. The cough continued and we took her back to the doctor who told us it was due to drainage. When she spiked another high fever, we were back at the doc who gave us another antibiotic.
Saturday, she wasn’t really herself. My brother was in town and she was kind of clingy. On Sunday, my brother was supposed to come back over, however, plans changed. Ella woke up with a fever of 105.1. So it was off to the ER.
She was miserable. They swabbed her to check for Covid, Strep, and any other virus. They gave her Motrin and the fever started to break. They took her for x-rays to check for pneumonia, too. We were there from 8:30am until about 2pm. No pneumonia, urinalysis was fine, chest was clear, but she does have a form of Coronavirus that is not Covid. She came home and immediately fell asleep on the couch.
She slept for almost five hours. Sam stayed up with Andrew while I was at the ER. When we got home she laid down to nap, too. My brother didn’t know how long we’d be and figured it was best to let Ella rest. He ended up going home early. So it was just me and Andrew.
We went outside and raked leaves. He was pretty proud of the big pile we made, and he wanted a picture.
Andrew, Sam and me have all had a cough. Sam seems to have gotten what Ella has. Andrew and I are just coughing. I hope this goes away!
Kit Kat Club?
Sam ordered a cat tree for the kitten. She is extremely playful and loves to claw at things. The hope is that she will sharpen her claws on it, and use it to rest. I don’t think that is going to be an issue….
Keith – AI
I was scrolling Facebook this week and something popped up. It was some AI thing that Facebook has. It said to have it “imagine” something and it would create it. You can say, “Imagine pigs flying” and bingo – there is a picture. So I said, “Imagine me as a radio DJ.” Real creative, right?
The first thing it did was took a picture of me from the front, and both sides. It had me upload a picture or two of me to aid it in the creation. Next thing I know….
Not bad, I suppose. Something is obviously wrong with my right hand as it only has three fingers! I’m not sure about the headphone cords … something isn’t right there. On another note, if I was really this thin, I’d be extremely happy!!!
Naturally, I had to try another. That one was too easy. So I said, “Imagine me as Columbo.” I meant, of course, Peter Falk’s iconic character. I never clarified that at all and wanted to see what it came up with. I’m not going to lie, it is kind of impressive.
They got the raincoat and messy hair, although most of it is covered by a hat. I may have to make this my profile picture on Facebook. It’s too good!
Ewe Never Know What You Might Ram Into …
Our town has a Facebook page. It is used to talk about events, traffic issues, and so on. The past week has been a real hoot. It seems that someone’s ram got loose and ran away.
The page began to fill with ram sightings all over town.
This thing was everywhere and they couldn’t seem to catch it.
It became quite humorous as people were creating memes and other photoshopped pictures with it. Those were funny, but I though the real photos were funnier.
I mean, here is this ram just out enjoying the sights and sounds of our town!
I won’t lie, I was actually a bit disappointed when they posted that he was finally caught and returned home.
He was so popular, I may write him in as my candidate for President!
Last Saturday, my wife left for work and called me just a minute or two after she left. She reminded me that the city was doing their “Trunk or Treat” event that night. I asked the kids if they wanted to go and all they had to hear was “candy,” and they were in!
It was a bit chilly that night, but we walked over and got in line. There was a big turn out. If I had to guess, I’d say at least 600 kids were there. They had two of the pavilions wrapped up in black tarps and they had mini haunted houses there. It was fun to listen to the screams from people in there.
They also had cider and doughnuts from one of the local orchards and the kids loved that. They had the parking lot lined up with cars that were decorated for the event. It took us about 40 minutes in line before it was our turn to actually “trunk or treat.” The first vehicle was one of the local fire trucks. Boy, did Andrew and Ella luck out!
Andrew was dressed as a firefighter. When he walked up to one of our local guys, he placed a handful of candy in his bucket. Then he reached in and put another handful in because they were now “brothers!” Ella got two handfuls, too because she was with him.
As a bonus, they made sure to let him sit in the truck, too!
Along the way, they had lemonade or hot chocolate for the kids, and coffee for parents. This made me very happy!
Some of the cars were really done up nice. There was one that was done up in a Star Wars Theme. They had a mechanical Yoda, R2-D2, and some folks dressed up. Andrew was a bit scared of the Stormtroopers, but Ella had to have a picture with “the man with the green light sword!”
I have to wonder if that night led to the kids getting sick. They both had runny noses Sunday night. Ella had a fever on Monday, so she missed school. On Tuesday, she had a cough and it was obvious that she didn’t feel well. She missed school again. We took her to the doctor and she has an ear infection, a sinus infection, and (because she sniffles instead of blowing her nose) she has the start of pneumonia.
Andrew still has the runny nose, but has not had a fever. That doesn’t mean he isn’t feeling sick. I can always tell when they are sick because the little things make them cry. It has been a cryfest all week! We’ve been heading to bed early every night in hopes that they will get some rest. On Monday night, Andrew was holding on to Bitsy and they both fell asleep while he was listening to music on his tablet.
October Baseball
I’m happy to see my Detroit Tigers playing October baseball. Yesterday, they shut out Cleveland 3-0 and now lead the ALDS 2-1. It’s a best of 5 series and it would be sweet for them to eliminate the Guardians at home tonight. Game time is 6:08pm ET. Go get ’em Tigers!!!
Florida
I have family and friends in Florida. I cannot even imagine having to go through yet another hurricane so soon. Milton is a monster and I pray that those who opted to stay make it through safely. The hurricanes are bad enough, but to hear that almost 20 tornadoes touched down before Milton even hit land.
I also have many friends in the Carolinas, Kentucky and Tennessee. The flooding and devastation left behind by it is heart wrenching. The loss of homes, animals, human life and entire cities is unbelievable. Tears flowed from my eyes as I watched the reports and the many videos.
I continue to pray for all the people who were affected by these natural disasters. I pray for the safety of those who remain in their homes and those who have lost everything. I pray they find comfort and strength to get through all of this.
This week, Andrew woke up in a particularly good mood. He was talkative, silly, and a very joyful boy. My wife, Sam, said to him, “You’re in a really good mood today!” He looked at her and said, “That’s because I didn’t wake up with my mean eyebrows!”
I’m not sure where he gets those from!
The Joy of Reading
Bedtime at our house always seems to be crazy. It got a little crazier this week when I walked into the bedroom with books to read, only to find that Ella was already reading … to our kitten!
She seemed to enjoy it, despite the lack of kittens in the story.
Flip Flopping Around
Speaking of the kitty, Bitsy is making herself right at home. She has no problem standing up to our pup, Daisy. It’s quite humorous to see her swat her itty bitty paw at Daisy’s nose.
Watching her this week has only enforced the phrase, “Playful as a kitten.” She loves to play. We definitely have to get her a few more kitty toys. Until the, I guess she will continue to wrestle with Sam’s Flip Flops.
Special Shopping Trip
This week, Andrew graduated from his speech class. His speech teacher, Miss Christa, has been instrumental in helping us get the right services for him. She has been become more than a teacher to us, she is a friend. We told the kids that they could go to the store to pick out gifts especially for her.
We told each of them that they could pick five things for her. When we walked into the store, they were off. They did a great job. They got her a calendar, new pens, a pumpkin solar light, plastic cups with their favorite things on them (Disney Princesses and Paw Patrol), nail polish, and a couple fall figurines. They also made sure to get her some pretty flowers.
The fall figurines they got her were a fox holding an apple and a squirrel holding an acorn. When she pulled out the squirrel (which was from Andrew) she said, “Oh wow! What a cute squirrel! What should I name it?” Andrew, without hesitation says, “Pickle Nuts!!”
At the end of the day, she sent us photos of where she placed her gifts around the house …
Pickle Nuts looks happy to be there.
Summertime Imagination
Despite the humidity, the kids loved being outside this week. They love to ride their scooters up and down the street and play in the backyard. I usually pull up a lawn chair and grab a spot in the shade and watch them play.
They must have been hot, to, because they were a bit more stationary than usual. They grabbed four of their chairs and put two in front and two in back. Next thing I know, they were “driving” to the store, to the park, and to go get ice cream. Naturally, they had to have their butterfly nets with them…
I love listening to them play together.
Doggin’ Around
Monday was National Dog Day. As much as she drives me crazy, Daisy is a good pup.
Now What?!
As I was walking to my car to go to work today, an Amazon truck slowly passed my driveway. My wife is always ordering things from there, so I never know what is coming. I thought I’d survived another delivery when the truck stopped and started backing into my driveway! All I could think was, “What the heck did she order now!? And why do they have to back in to delivery it!?”
My fears went away as the guy walked out with a simple little package with a shirt or something in it. Whew! I truly was expecting the two back doors to fling open and the driver come out with a huge box on a dolly or something!
You may remember a week or so ago that my wife bought a bunch of costumes for the kids to dress up in. Can I tell you that this has been so much fun for them, especially on rainy days.
A few more costumes have been added since the original post, but what I love is that they have found ways to mix and match as they play. The results have been …. humerous.
Edna from the Incredibles was quick to say, “No Capes!” However, the kids seem to be using them as accessories to various costumes. The hospital exam glove on Andrew’s hand is there for no reason in particular. Believe it or not the yellow had Ella is wear is a cowboy hat. How it got mangled into that shape is beyond me. Daisy had a hat on, but it fell as I snapped this photo.
My favorite outfit of the week is the ensemble that Andrew put together to go “scooter riding.”
First, Ninja Turtle pajamas. Next, we have Ella’s T-ball cleat on one hand and his baseball glove on the other. Top top it all off, he has a regular baseball cap on his head and on top of that, the hat from the Paw Patrol Chase costume. I do not have to wonder why people driving down our street slow and stare at him as he happily rides his scooter up and down the driveway.
Bitsy
The thing about our new kitty is that she is so tiny. She hides everywhere. She snuck out when the kids had the side door open this week and didn’t go far. As a matter of fact, she sat in front of the door meowing.
She can get into tight spaces and since she got out once, when we can’t find her, I freak a bit. I could not find her the other day and thought, “Ok, maybe she is sleeping under a chair or in the basement.” So I sat down with a cup of coffee and out of the corner of my eye, I looked at the shoe rack. Sure enough …..
She’s a sneaky one.
“The smallest feline is a masterpiece.” – Leonardo da Vinci.
So a co-worker came in last week and sat down next to me. “Keith, do you want another kitty?” Without any hesitation whatsoever I gave her a firm, “No!” She showed me a picture of four kittens who had been abandoned at a relative’s house and said they were trying to find them homes. I said that was sad, but I couldn’t do another cat.
She posted the photo on Facebook asking for folks who wanted to give these kitties a new home. Within five minutes, I received a video call from my wife and kids. When I answer the phone, Andrew says, “Daddy. Can we please get the tan kitty?”
I forgot that my wife is friends with my coworker on Facebook. I turned and gave her a dirty look. She started laughing and told my wife that she had already asked me. I told her that I had politely declined, but that was not ending the conversation.
When Andrew goes into a meltdown or starts crying, we can usually get him out of it by suggesting he find our cat Maizey. He will find her and hug on her and all is better. So the argument was that the new kitten could be a therapy cat for Andrew. (THERAPY CAT?!?) Then my daughter came on the phone and said she wanted a kitty, too. I told them I would think about it.
My coworker called the lady who was taking care of the kittens to let her know I would be by the next day to pick up this kitten! I didn’t stand a chance …
So we piled into the car on the day before International Cat Day and drove the short distance to pick up the new kitten. Andrew was ecstatic! He went into the house with me and couldn’t wait to hold the kitty. We put her in the cat carrier and he wanted to carry it out to the car. I had to take it from him though, he was so excited he was shaking that poor kitty up on the way to the car!
There were many names tossed around and she was almost named Pickle! Then the kids remembered this cartoon show called Super Kitties that the watch on Disney. There is a cat on there that they like, so they named ours after it – here’s Bitsy.
As much as I was against getting a new kitten, to see the kids loving her makes it worth it.
Maizey isn’t quite sure how to take the kitty yet, but they seem to get a long. Daisy won’t leave the kitten alone! She’s always right by her.
The kitten is becoming a bit more playful and she’s already started swatting at Daisy’s nose. When those claws start to get bigger, the dog is in for a big (and painful) surprise!
Bitsy is already using a litter box and having no trouble making herself at home.
Last night she clawed her way up the blanket on my bed and began attacking my hand. She is obviously going to be very playful.
Of course, after running and playing, eating, and running away from the kids and the dog, she needs to find a place to sleep. Honestly, I’d prefer she lay on a blanket or something, but I suppose this is ok … for now….
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 