Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Monday, December 22, 2008
Grinchy Grinching
Every family has one -- a Grinch -- someone who puts a damper on the holidays. Dr. Seuss' famous poem, first published in 1957, starts:Every Who
Down in Who-ville
Liked Christmas a lot...
But the Grinch,
Who lived just North of Who-ville,
Did NOT!
The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
I completely understand that everyone is not the same and that some people find the holidays to be overwhelming. For other people the holidays bring back unwanted memories.
Our family Grinch hates the holidays, does not want a tree, complains, pouts, says that he will not participate and yet shows up every year around Thanksgiving and stays until New Years. Like Dr. Seuss' Grinch, our soupuss only shows up in Who-ville on holidays. Dr. Seuss' Grinch appears on Halloween in Halloween is Grinch Night. Like the storybook Grinch, our Grinch treats loyal companions like Max as an irritation that must be tolerated.
Some think that the storybook Grinch is envious of the Who's happiness.
Seuss saw the Grinch as a hero, though, saying, "Can't they understand that the Grinch in my story is the Hero of Christmas? Sure... he starts out as a villain, but it's not how you start out that counts. It's what you are at the finish."
The jury is still out on the heroism of our family Grinch.
As the Whos say in Welcome Christmas:
Welcome Christmas
While we stand
Heart to heart
And hand in hand
Grinchly links:
- Grinch trivia game
- Grinch mask to color and wear
- Grinch themed ornaments to decorate and hang from your tree
- Play the Grinch Grow Your Heart game
- Creating the Grinch
- Absolute Grinch
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas... and My Heart
- Who's Who and What's What in the Books of Dr. Seuss
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thankgsiving turkey trot
This Thanksgiving, we decided to have a new tradition. My aunt, my mom, DH and I all participated in the Ridgewood Turkey Trot 8k. Aunt Pat and I ran, DH and mom walked. We paired off and stayed together. Dad and Walter stayed home and guarded the turkey this year.
This morning Mom, Pat, DH and I met up at the Ridgewood shopping center along with about 1996 other people. We saw someone with a Cat in the Hat hat and another person dressed up like a turkey We watched the kids one mile fun run and then we were took off down Ridge Road for about two miles before looping through a neighborhood and then going back on Ridge Road to the finish. All four of us were smiling at the end.
After heading home to clean up and relax for a bit, DH and I went to my parents house for dinner -- too much food as always turkey and stuffing and baked sweet potatoes and... followed up by apple pie and maple cream pie. Yikes!
This is also the first holiday since my grandmother passed away. She was definitely missed and remembered today. I think that is one reason we were kind of looking for a new tradition.
Update:
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Father's Day
For Father's Day, my parents invited us over. My dear brother (DB) was on leave between Army schools and he was in Raleigh visiting our parents over the weekend. DH and I were invited for Father's Day dinner along with the Girls.
My father hasn't had a lot of hobbies since giving up golf due to his eye problems. He recently started playing clawhammer banjo. He takes lessons once a week and is signed up for banjo camp at the end of the month. When Dad took up banjo, DH mentioned that he saw a banjo related t-shirt. He sacrificed himself and went to the NOC store last time he was in whitewater kayaking and he got the shirt for Dad and we saved it for Father's Day. The t-shirt says "Paddle Faster (I hear banjo music)" in a reference to Deliverance which was filmed in Western NC. Dad has made it clear that he will never learn Dueling Banjos, much to our disappointment. He did really like the shirt and he said that he plans to bring it to camp.
DB recently graduated from the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey where he was learning Arabic. His next set of orders is for interrogation school at Fort Huachuca. No one knows for sure what is after that. He should finish his next school in November. His Guard unit has been activated and it is not clear whether he will finish school before they are deployed or if he will join them or what.
My father hasn't had a lot of hobbies since giving up golf due to his eye problems. He recently started playing clawhammer banjo. He takes lessons once a week and is signed up for banjo camp at the end of the month. When Dad took up banjo, DH mentioned that he saw a banjo related t-shirt. He sacrificed himself and went to the NOC store last time he was in whitewater kayaking and he got the shirt for Dad and we saved it for Father's Day. The t-shirt says "Paddle Faster (I hear banjo music)" in a reference to Deliverance which was filmed in Western NC. Dad has made it clear that he will never learn Dueling Banjos, much to our disappointment. He did really like the shirt and he said that he plans to bring it to camp.
DB recently graduated from the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey where he was learning Arabic. His next set of orders is for interrogation school at Fort Huachuca. No one knows for sure what is after that. He should finish his next school in November. His Guard unit has been activated and it is not clear whether he will finish school before they are deployed or if he will join them or what.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Grandma's fall and her plans to move
The plan was for Grandma to move on April 1. We thought the problem was her plans to go to Atlanta for the week of Easter but it turns out that is not the issue at all.
On Friday Grandma fell. She was able to get to a phone to call my parents but my parents quickly determined that they could not move her and called 911. She was transported to a local hospital where they found that she broke her hip. The good news is that after rescheduling her surgery twice, they were able to get her in on Friday and she was admitted to the hospital where she will stay until Tuesday. Then she will be discharged to a nursing home for rehab. We are expecting her to be in rehab for a week or two.
While she was in the Emergency Room waiting for the surgery, they gave her several morphine injections. At one point, after her surgery was rescheduled for a second time, she turned to my mom and asked, "Do you think we should cancel?" Mom explained that canceling was probably not an option!
Later on, one of the nurses came in and another nurse commented to the first nurse, "Oh your pregnant!"
Grandma replied, "But I'm 88!"
When I saw Grandma today, she was in a good mood. Apparently that was not the case yesterday.
At this point, her move to to Abbotswood retirement home is still on. Instead of moving from her apartment to the retirement home, though, she will be moving from the nursing home. That means that my mom and dad are going to end up going through 16 years of stuff that she has accumulated since moving to Raleigh from Milwaukee. Since her apartment is more than twice the size of her rooms in the retirement home, this is be no small task. The apartment is packed to overflowing and that makes it even more difficult.
On Friday Grandma fell. She was able to get to a phone to call my parents but my parents quickly determined that they could not move her and called 911. She was transported to a local hospital where they found that she broke her hip. The good news is that after rescheduling her surgery twice, they were able to get her in on Friday and she was admitted to the hospital where she will stay until Tuesday. Then she will be discharged to a nursing home for rehab. We are expecting her to be in rehab for a week or two.
While she was in the Emergency Room waiting for the surgery, they gave her several morphine injections. At one point, after her surgery was rescheduled for a second time, she turned to my mom and asked, "Do you think we should cancel?" Mom explained that canceling was probably not an option!
Later on, one of the nurses came in and another nurse commented to the first nurse, "Oh your pregnant!"
Grandma replied, "But I'm 88!"
When I saw Grandma today, she was in a good mood. Apparently that was not the case yesterday.
At this point, her move to to Abbotswood retirement home is still on. Instead of moving from her apartment to the retirement home, though, she will be moving from the nursing home. That means that my mom and dad are going to end up going through 16 years of stuff that she has accumulated since moving to Raleigh from Milwaukee. Since her apartment is more than twice the size of her rooms in the retirement home, this is be no small task. The apartment is packed to overflowing and that makes it even more difficult.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Tying up loose ends
Celebrations: Birthday, Christmas, Dog Day Afternoon
Back in November, I wrote about my angst over the holidays, my birthday and my brother visiting from out of town. I selected Option 2 and went out to eat for my birthday. We had a nice time and I'd do that again.
We had or usual Christmas Eve gathering at my parents' house, with Darling Brother there and had Dog Christmas at my house on the 27th. DH and I had a pleasant enough time on Christmas Eve. The food and wine were both great. Grandma was scheduled to go to Atlanta for holiday but changed her plans at the last minute. DB was there, having arrived in town on earlier in the day.
DB had very little to say on Christmas Eve and acted as though we were interrupting his football watching. I was pleasantly surprised that he gave gifts. I do hope that he liked what we gave him but I may never find out.
Grandma sent a thank you note saying thanks for the gift. The cookies were good. I'm guessing that means that the digital photo frame was not a hit! Actually, I think that she'll like that more once she is in her new place.
That brings us to Dog Christmas. We've never brought Hannah or Emma to my parents' for Christmas Eve and since my folks have come over to my house for my birthday on the 25th, the dogs have given gifts (it started with bark...) and received gifts. Since we moved my birthday celebration and I still wanted to have people over, we called it Dog Christmas. My mom made some beautiful quilts for the dogs this year!
DB was invited as well and he was told that it was optional. He came and then was rude to the dogs! Shoving them aside and prompting me to call him on it, saying, "Don't shove them! They live here!" DB just made a face. I don't think that he said a complete sentence to anyone the entire "visit" and he had nothing to eat or drink. His body language indicated that he didn't want to be there and he made rude faces and gestures. Why on earth did he come? The only good thing that came out of that I was not the only one to notice this.
Grandma
As you may have guessed from Grandma's change of plans this holiday, she has not been feeling well. After her 911 call, emergency room visit and appointment with a surgeon, it was determined that she should be taking Metamucil. She eats whatever despite the fact that her diet hasn't been working for her. She continues to take her medicine in some random way, not as it was prescribed.
Christmas week, she said to my mom that she was ready to look at assisted living places first discussed back in June. Mom decided to strike while the iron was hot and they took a tour of Abbotswood. The tour went well and Grandma asked to see a second place, Independence Village. I'm not sure if she is on the waiting list for Abbotswood or not. She started talking about placing furniture in the apartment there...
That about ties up the loose ends from 2007.
Goals
I'm working on my goals for 2008. I'm making good progress on them but I may need to modify a few
Back in November, I wrote about my angst over the holidays, my birthday and my brother visiting from out of town. I selected Option 2 and went out to eat for my birthday. We had a nice time and I'd do that again.We had or usual Christmas Eve gathering at my parents' house, with Darling Brother there and had Dog Christmas at my house on the 27th. DH and I had a pleasant enough time on Christmas Eve. The food and wine were both great. Grandma was scheduled to go to Atlanta for holiday but changed her plans at the last minute. DB was there, having arrived in town on earlier in the day.
DB had very little to say on Christmas Eve and acted as though we were interrupting his football watching. I was pleasantly surprised that he gave gifts. I do hope that he liked what we gave him but I may never find out.
Grandma sent a thank you note saying thanks for the gift. The cookies were good. I'm guessing that means that the digital photo frame was not a hit! Actually, I think that she'll like that more once she is in her new place.
That brings us to Dog Christmas. We've never brought Hannah or Emma to my parents' for Christmas Eve and since my folks have come over to my house for my birthday on the 25th, the dogs have given gifts (it started with bark...) and received gifts. Since we moved my birthday celebration and I still wanted to have people over, we called it Dog Christmas. My mom made some beautiful quilts for the dogs this year!DB was invited as well and he was told that it was optional. He came and then was rude to the dogs! Shoving them aside and prompting me to call him on it, saying, "Don't shove them! They live here!" DB just made a face. I don't think that he said a complete sentence to anyone the entire "visit" and he had nothing to eat or drink. His body language indicated that he didn't want to be there and he made rude faces and gestures. Why on earth did he come? The only good thing that came out of that I was not the only one to notice this.
Grandma
As you may have guessed from Grandma's change of plans this holiday, she has not been feeling well. After her 911 call, emergency room visit and appointment with a surgeon, it was determined that she should be taking Metamucil. She eats whatever despite the fact that her diet hasn't been working for her. She continues to take her medicine in some random way, not as it was prescribed.
Christmas week, she said to my mom that she was ready to look at assisted living places first discussed back in June. Mom decided to strike while the iron was hot and they took a tour of Abbotswood. The tour went well and Grandma asked to see a second place, Independence Village. I'm not sure if she is on the waiting list for Abbotswood or not. She started talking about placing furniture in the apartment there...
That about ties up the loose ends from 2007.
Goals
I'm working on my goals for 2008. I'm making good progress on them but I may need to modify a few
- core,
I saw the YogaFit stuff and was inspiredworking on core but haven't gotten the DVD and probably won't - try mountain biking and hopefully get a bike (and use it!); got a mtb, using it
- English century; still looking, in fact, I'd love some suggestions for this. It may be that I work on climbing more -- enter the 3 Mountain Madness 75 and figure if I can climb Pilot...
- climb better. I feel that I was not a very good climber this year; working on it
- gain some speed; working on it
- stay healthy; working on it
- Tour de Cure in June, MS150 in September; entered TdC (MS150 registration isn't open yet)
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Alien bunny slippers
In which aliens kidnap DH by using innocent looking bunny slippers (a la A Christmas Story but without the whole pink bunny suit)...
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Grandma's Saga continues...
When last I wrote, Grandma had eaten two servings of lasagna and feeling fine after a somewhat miraculous recovery.
Tuesday morning, however, she called 911 because The Pain was so bad. It was so bad that she did not call Mom, who is less than one mile away. Grandma was taken to the emergency room where a CT Scan revealed nothing new. Additional tests were preformed and she was referred to a surgeon after tests revealed an "abnormal bowel gas pattern" in her abdomen. She was went home with a stronger dose of the pain pills that she is taking intermittently. Tuesday afternoon, she called Mom to let her know about the eventful morning. Yesterday, Grandma was feeling fine and was in a good mood.
Grandma sees the surgeon next Tuesday.
I am wondering why she did this end run on Mom? Is she acting out or really in sick? I'd hate to think that she was really really sick and we not taking her seriously. It all reminds me a bit of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
The whole situation makes me feel bad. I hate that my grandmother isn't feeling well -- whether it's a physical or emotional problem. I hate that my mother is having to deal with the fallout. I hate that the medical community sometimes confuses quantity of life with quality of life.
Tuesday morning, however, she called 911 because The Pain was so bad. It was so bad that she did not call Mom, who is less than one mile away. Grandma was taken to the emergency room where a CT Scan revealed nothing new. Additional tests were preformed and she was referred to a surgeon after tests revealed an "abnormal bowel gas pattern" in her abdomen. She was went home with a stronger dose of the pain pills that she is taking intermittently. Tuesday afternoon, she called Mom to let her know about the eventful morning. Yesterday, Grandma was feeling fine and was in a good mood.
Grandma sees the surgeon next Tuesday.
I am wondering why she did this end run on Mom? Is she acting out or really in sick? I'd hate to think that she was really really sick and we not taking her seriously. It all reminds me a bit of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
The whole situation makes me feel bad. I hate that my grandmother isn't feeling well -- whether it's a physical or emotional problem. I hate that my mother is having to deal with the fallout. I hate that the medical community sometimes confuses quantity of life with quality of life.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Grandma's episodic health issues
My 87-year-old grandmother's health-related episodes have a definitely pattern. The week before Thanksgiving, my mother said that she had until about a week after Thanksgiving before my grandmother's illnesses flared up. I don't know if it's nerves or attention getting or what.
My mother's prediction was off, but not by much. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Grandma let Mom know that "the pain" was getting worse. I don't doubt that her pain is real but Grandma always refers to it as The Pain, sometimes causing DH to make Lost in Space references.
Grandma wanted to go to the doctor. When asked what the doctor could do for her, Grandma indicated that pain pills was what she needed. When it was pointed out that she had pain pills, my grandmother said that she really needed some antibiotics. Grandma called for an appointment.
The situation got worse before seeing her general practitioner. The following weekend, she said that she might need to go to the emergency room. She was still not taking her medications as directed. Mom talked to her again about following the directions and said, "If you're not better in a few hours, I'll take you." Mom did some errands and came back to a blinking answering machine light and a message from Grandma saying that she was well enough to come over to my parents for Sunday dinner. Apparently about an hour after talking to Mom the pain suddenly went away. Smart money says that she finally had taken the pain medication. That evening, Grandma packed away two generous servings of lasagna. Her stomach must not have been bothering too much.
My parents had to be bad guys and explain that no one wants for her to be in pain and that she either had to take the medication prescribed in the dosage prescribed or she would have to go to a nursing home where they could help her out with this. Mom has mentioned to me that Grandma's episodes are starting sooner -- the Saturday after Thanksgiving instead of the week after Thanksgiving -- and lasting longer. This is not good.
This has been an ongoing process and I've mentioned it before. We all want for it to be her decision to go to an assisted living facility on her terms. She really does need to take her medications though, especially since they seem to help. One concern that we have is that she is not putting it all together anymore.
I don't mean to belittle her problems. Grandma does have some medical issues, namely atypical tuberculous, along with a pulmonary specialist to go with it, and a small B-cell lymphoma that her oncologist is keeping an eye on. The symptoms that she complains about, though, are things that have been bothering her for twenty or thirty years. In other words, not new. It's difficult for us to know if The Pain is worse now or not. Again, I wonder if she is subconsciously going through this for attention.
My mother's prediction was off, but not by much. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Grandma let Mom know that "the pain" was getting worse. I don't doubt that her pain is real but Grandma always refers to it as The Pain, sometimes causing DH to make Lost in Space references.
Mom: Are you taking your pain pills?
Grandma: Yes.
Mom: Are you taking them every six hours?
Grandma: I take them every morning.
Grandma wanted to go to the doctor. When asked what the doctor could do for her, Grandma indicated that pain pills was what she needed. When it was pointed out that she had pain pills, my grandmother said that she really needed some antibiotics. Grandma called for an appointment.
The situation got worse before seeing her general practitioner. The following weekend, she said that she might need to go to the emergency room. She was still not taking her medications as directed. Mom talked to her again about following the directions and said, "If you're not better in a few hours, I'll take you." Mom did some errands and came back to a blinking answering machine light and a message from Grandma saying that she was well enough to come over to my parents for Sunday dinner. Apparently about an hour after talking to Mom the pain suddenly went away. Smart money says that she finally had taken the pain medication. That evening, Grandma packed away two generous servings of lasagna. Her stomach must not have been bothering too much.
My parents had to be bad guys and explain that no one wants for her to be in pain and that she either had to take the medication prescribed in the dosage prescribed or she would have to go to a nursing home where they could help her out with this. Mom has mentioned to me that Grandma's episodes are starting sooner -- the Saturday after Thanksgiving instead of the week after Thanksgiving -- and lasting longer. This is not good.
This has been an ongoing process and I've mentioned it before. We all want for it to be her decision to go to an assisted living facility on her terms. She really does need to take her medications though, especially since they seem to help. One concern that we have is that she is not putting it all together anymore.
I don't mean to belittle her problems. Grandma does have some medical issues, namely atypical tuberculous, along with a pulmonary specialist to go with it, and a small B-cell lymphoma that her oncologist is keeping an eye on. The symptoms that she complains about, though, are things that have been bothering her for twenty or thirty years. In other words, not new. It's difficult for us to know if The Pain is worse now or not. Again, I wonder if she is subconsciously going through this for attention.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Update on The Talk
Well, I lunched with my mom on Wednesday and we did have The Talk about my birthday and my brother and it went relatively (ha ha!) well. Nothing was really decided but it was important to me to get the issue on the table. We agreed that my brother's problems are his own and my mom offered to talk to my dad about his role the situation.
We discussed a few options:
After sleeping on it and discussing it with DH, I suggested that we give the second option a try this year. We'll see if it sticks or not!
We discussed a few options:
- Status quo. Birthday celebration on my birthday at my house. Mom talks to dad to see if that will help.
- Birthday celebration out at a restaurant, not on my birthday. Dog Christmas on another day.
- Birthday celebration at my house, not on my birthday. Dog Christmas on another day.
After sleeping on it and discussing it with DH, I suggested that we give the second option a try this year. We'll see if it sticks or not!
Monday, November 26, 2007
The Talk
I'm having lunch with my mom this week and I need to gather my thoughts for The Talk. I've been dreading it. My birthday is on December 25th which poses some problems challenges. My major issues have related to the guest list and menu.
The major challenge that I have is how to deal with my brother. He is about three years younger than I am, he is single. He is now in language school. He does not communicate with the family much at all. In fact, I have not heard from him since last December despite the fact that I have contacted him multiple times since then. He is coming to the area on December 24th and I strongly suspect it has more to do with school being closed than the fact that he wants to see any of us.
Last year, when he was at my house, he made faces at what I served for my birthday dinner and he sat and pouted. My father spent most of his time trying to get my brother out of his funk. My brother seemed to make it clear that he was there because he did not see not coming as an option, not because he wanted to be there or to celebrate my birthday. Unfortunately, this is par for the course and I really I do not care to experience this again.
What I want to talk about with my mom is options. What are some good options that will allow me to celebrate my birthday -- preferably on my birthday -- and not have to deal with my pouting brother.
It would be very helpful if I could figure out what I wanted from all of this. As it stands now, I don't see a way for everyone to be happy.
Any brilliant ideas out there?
The major challenge that I have is how to deal with my brother. He is about three years younger than I am, he is single. He is now in language school. He does not communicate with the family much at all. In fact, I have not heard from him since last December despite the fact that I have contacted him multiple times since then. He is coming to the area on December 24th and I strongly suspect it has more to do with school being closed than the fact that he wants to see any of us.
Last year, when he was at my house, he made faces at what I served for my birthday dinner and he sat and pouted. My father spent most of his time trying to get my brother out of his funk. My brother seemed to make it clear that he was there because he did not see not coming as an option, not because he wanted to be there or to celebrate my birthday. Unfortunately, this is par for the course and I really I do not care to experience this again.
What I want to talk about with my mom is options. What are some good options that will allow me to celebrate my birthday -- preferably on my birthday -- and not have to deal with my pouting brother.
It would be very helpful if I could figure out what I wanted from all of this. As it stands now, I don't see a way for everyone to be happy.
Any brilliant ideas out there?
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving
This year my family had our regular Thanksgiving hoo-ha at my parent's place, about 30 minute's drive from my house. I was discouraged from riding my bike there, so I road in the morning and arrived by car with DH for our 2:00 summons. The usual suspects were all there -- my mom and dad, my aunt and uncle from France (OK, so they're not Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd), my grandmother, DH and me.
This year we are opted to forgo Grandma's inedible pumpkin pie in favor of pumpkin pie cheesecake provided by moi. We'll have to see if this is a new tradition or not. I do think that we've seen the last of the rock hard pie crust though!
It was a really nice visit and I think that a good time was had by all. What a nice day!
This year we are opted to forgo Grandma's inedible pumpkin pie in favor of pumpkin pie cheesecake provided by moi. We'll have to see if this is a new tradition or not. I do think that we've seen the last of the rock hard pie crust though!
Otherwise, we had our traditional Thanksgiving -- fresh turkey with mom's cornbread stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, baked sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, black olives, homemade dinner rolls, Grandma's fruit salad, green beans...
Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 4 cookie sheets)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese
1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 325°.
Coat an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray, and sprinkle pan evenly with crumbs.
Combine sugars and cream cheeses in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add pumpkin and next 9 ingredients (through eggs), and beat well.
Pour cheese mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 325° for 35 minutes or until center is just set. Turn oven off, and partially open oven door. Cool cheesecake in oven 1 hour.
Remove cheesecake from oven, and cover. Chill at least 8 hours or overnight.Source: Cooking Light, December 2005
It was a really nice visit and I think that a good time was had by all. What a nice day!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Emma channels PW
Emma The Love Sponge had some complaints about the weather yesterday. She had been very very happy with the cooler temperatures and, in her
The scene: [DH turns enters the bedroom and turns off the light. Emma is on the Big Bed and Hannah is on her dog bed.]
DH: Off
Emma: [Thinks ah ha! It's dark and he can't see me. Scootches over.]
DH: [Pushing Emma] Off
Emma: [Thinks fine. Whatever. Jumps off the Big Bed.]
Penny, aka PW, was a black lab that was in residence before Emma's time. Penny added a lot to the dogdom lore in our household. She taught many things to Hannah that will be passed down from dog-in-residence to dog-in-residence. Some of the her most important additions to the lore:
- The don't get on the furniture rule really means don't get on the furniture when the people are around.
- Off can sometimes mean scootch
- Black dogs cannot be seen in the dark
PW, we miss you!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Mom's birthday festivus
Last night we met my parents at Border's for a coffee. We gave my mom an early birthday gift while we were there. I picked up a nice piece from King's Pottery in Seagrove after I finished the Rolling in Randolph ride last month. The other part of her gift, a Carolina Hurricane's game, is on Friday.
Happy birthday Mom!
Happy birthday Mom!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Hannah's Carolina Hurricanes story
(imported from FB, used original posting date)Hannah is a big Carolina Hurricanes fan. Hannah's interest in the
team goes way back. In 2002, the Hurricanes made it to the Stanley Cup Finals where they played the Detroit Red Wings.
team goes way back. In 2002, the Hurricanes made it to the Stanley Cup Finals where they played the Detroit Red Wings.
Kevin with Hannah and Emma in 2006. We were out of town for the (away) Sabres game that could have ended the 2006 run.
This was the spring that Marvin was with us. This was the spring after Penny had passed to the Bridge. Hannah took Penny's passing badly. She had always dreamed of being an only dog but when push came to shove, she really wanted her sister to be around. She was sad and lonely. We adopted Marvin.
As many of you recall, Marvin had kidney issues from the time that we adopted him. As the Hurricanes went further and further into the playoffs, Marvin got sicker and sicker. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad were yelling at the TV. From Hannah's point of view, this was not good.
Then our vet gave us the bad news. Marvin was not going to get better. We were out of treatment options. Our sweet, clownish boy needed to follow Penny to the Bridge. Hannah took this really hard. What was she doing wrong that her brother and sister had both gone to the Bridge? Why were Mom and Dad still yelling at the TV?
We could see that Hannah was having a hard time with all of this. Either she was home alone while we were at the game or we were at home tensely watching the game. We hit upon an idea. Every time the Hurricanes scored a goal, we would give Hannah a treat. This should
help her have a little bit of fun with hockey. Hannah started watching the games. She learned what the crowd reaction was to a goal scored and how the announcers presented this news. She learned the phrase "wrong team" and that Kevin throws his hands above his head when the Hurricanes score. She knows John Forslund's voice. When the announcers sound excited, she hops up and starts to stare at us in anticipation of her treat.
Since 2002 we have gotten a golden retriever, Emma. The golden has picked up on the hockey rules as well.
Emma is also a fan but Hannah gets much more into the games.
If only we could find Hurricanes bandannas for our dogs...
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
A Busy Fourth
(imported from FB)
11:00pm Wednesday, Jul 4
I had a busy Fourth of July this year. Fun but busy!
I started the day with the annual Firecracker 100k bike ride. Over 1000 riders take part each year. This year I participated in the Firecracker for the fourth time. In 2004, I did the 50k as my first ever group ride. I rode in the 100k in 2005 as my first ever metric century and I did the 100k in 2006 and again this year. The route starts and ends in Cary, NC and heads south through Holly Springs towards Fuquay-Varina and the heads west along NC42 through Cornith towards Moncure. We go north around Jordan Lake, with its heavy holiday boat traffic and head back into Cary via the farm land in the Green Level area.
There some hilly sections, especially along NC 42, where I hit 41 mph on one of the downhills. Of course going up the other side was a lot slower!
In the afternoon, my parents came over, brining grandmother too. We had grilled chicken and a lot more vegetable matter than my dad would have liked! I think that everyone enjoyed the visit.
My mom brought over some treats for the girls. She made a special stop at Gourmutt’s Bakery to get fancy dog cookies for them. Hannah and Emma both appreciated it!
11:00pm Wednesday, Jul 4
I had a busy Fourth of July this year. Fun but busy!
I started the day with the annual Firecracker 100k bike ride. Over 1000 riders take part each year. This year I participated in the Firecracker for the fourth time. In 2004, I did the 50k as my first ever group ride. I rode in the 100k in 2005 as my first ever metric century and I did the 100k in 2006 and again this year. The route starts and ends in Cary, NC and heads south through Holly Springs towards Fuquay-Varina and the heads west along NC42 through Cornith towards Moncure. We go north around Jordan Lake, with its heavy holiday boat traffic and head back into Cary via the farm land in the Green Level area.
There some hilly sections, especially along NC 42, where I hit 41 mph on one of the downhills. Of course going up the other side was a lot slower!
In the afternoon, my parents came over, brining grandmother too. We had grilled chicken and a lot more vegetable matter than my dad would have liked! I think that everyone enjoyed the visit.
My mom brought over some treats for the girls. She made a special stop at Gourmutt’s Bakery to get fancy dog cookies for them. Hannah and Emma both appreciated it!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Assisted Living...
(imported from FB)
5:40pm Tuesday, Jun 26
I had lunch with my mom today she gave me the update on grandma, among other things.
Apparently my grandmother is going into an assisted living facility. She thought that she had Alzheimer's Disease but we think that it may be more of a generalized forgetfulness than that. She has left the door open several times, left the gas burner on stove, gets out of cars and walks away as if the door will close itself.
The icing on the cake was probably her drier. She called my mom last week and said that her drier was broken. She had washed and dried one load and when she put the second one in, it malfunctioned. She called the repairman. My mother offered to go over and take a look and my grandmother said that she had it under control, the appointment had been made and so on. Well, the repairman came a week latter. As you can probably guess, she had not turned it on.
After that, she started to say that she had Alzheimer's. She has made some indications that she would like to move to one of the two assisted living facilities in her neighborhood. This is good news in a way. A year ago, after she broke her foot and refused to do the rehabilitation exercises that they wanted her to do, she was wailing,"You're just going to put me in a home."
5:40pm Tuesday, Jun 26
I had lunch with my mom today she gave me the update on grandma, among other things.
Apparently my grandmother is going into an assisted living facility. She thought that she had Alzheimer's Disease but we think that it may be more of a generalized forgetfulness than that. She has left the door open several times, left the gas burner on stove, gets out of cars and walks away as if the door will close itself.
The icing on the cake was probably her drier. She called my mom last week and said that her drier was broken. She had washed and dried one load and when she put the second one in, it malfunctioned. She called the repairman. My mother offered to go over and take a look and my grandmother said that she had it under control, the appointment had been made and so on. Well, the repairman came a week latter. As you can probably guess, she had not turned it on.
After that, she started to say that she had Alzheimer's. She has made some indications that she would like to move to one of the two assisted living facilities in her neighborhood. This is good news in a way. A year ago, after she broke her foot and refused to do the rehabilitation exercises that they wanted her to do, she was wailing,"You're just going to put me in a home."
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
An Early Father's Day
(imported from FB)
I will be out of town this Sunday so we had an early Father's Day gifting event tonight. I met my parents for coffee and surprised my dad by giving him his gift this evening.
I heard all about the big trip to Napa and Monterey. They mentioned the tour and lunch at Domain Chandon. The sailing trip from Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Jelly Belly tour (and bag of Belly Flops), and the penny slots at Lake Tahoe. Both of my parents looked happy and relaxed.
They also said that my brother, who is stationed on the Monterey area at the moment, is doing well. Dan seems to have found a good niche for himself.
I ended up getting my dad a bottle of Domaine Chandon Pinot Noir, a bottle of Chandon Blanc de Noirs and a box of Tar Heel Chocolate Terrapins.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Speaking of Father's Day, I have a Mother's Day story to share
This falls under the category of "Shoot me if I ever get this way..."
My mother shared a story about my grandmother with me. My grandmother has four children, Aunt Patty in France, Uncle Joe in NJ, Uncle Phil in Atlanta and, of course, my mom.
My mom called and asked my grandmother how her week had been going.
"Well, it has been just awful. First I got a package of handmade cards from Atlanta. Who would give an old woman cards?! What I am going to do with them. And there was some home made card signed by the kids (yes, the kids would be her three grandchildren in Atlanta).
"Then, I got my Harry and David. But it was the wrong one. I cannot believe that they ordered me the wrong one. It was supposed to have sausage and cheese in it. (from Joe)
"The next day, I got some tulips in a round vase. The flowers are half dead and who would put tulips in a round vase? I had to go all around my apartment to find a vase to put them in. (from my aunt)
(my mom asked my grandmother what she wanted earlier and they went to the farmer's market to get some geraniums for grandma's deck as a
result)
My grandmother then said something to the effect of "I guess I
shouldn't be like that."
My mom took that as an opening and replied that maybe people shouldn't send her gifts anymore since it was clearly upsetting her. I think that my grandmother was in a bit of a snit for a while after that.
My mother shared a story about my grandmother with me. My grandmother has four children, Aunt Patty in France, Uncle Joe in NJ, Uncle Phil in Atlanta and, of course, my mom.
My mom called and asked my grandmother how her week had been going.
"Well, it has been just awful. First I got a package of handmade cards from Atlanta. Who would give an old woman cards?! What I am going to do with them. And there was some home made card signed by the kids (yes, the kids would be her three grandchildren in Atlanta).
"Then, I got my Harry and David. But it was the wrong one. I cannot believe that they ordered me the wrong one. It was supposed to have sausage and cheese in it. (from Joe)
"The next day, I got some tulips in a round vase. The flowers are half dead and who would put tulips in a round vase? I had to go all around my apartment to find a vase to put them in. (from my aunt)
(my mom asked my grandmother what she wanted earlier and they went to the farmer's market to get some geraniums for grandma's deck as a
result)
My grandmother then said something to the effect of "I guess I
shouldn't be like that."
My mom took that as an opening and replied that maybe people shouldn't send her gifts anymore since it was clearly upsetting her. I think that my grandmother was in a bit of a snit for a while after that.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
I need Father's Day ideas
I need some Father's Day ideas. I hate to say it but I think that Dad may be getting a shirt. I wanted to get him something more creative like the face jug that I got him for his birthday but I am coming up empty. I asked my mom for some ideas and I asked her to keep things secret. She said, "I finally pinned down Dad. He would like a subscription to Wine Spectator magazine." Of course it's tres expensive and he never ever buys anything mentioned in the magazine because they only recommend expensive wines. (I think that maybe they haven't heard of California and the Pacific Northwest!)
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