Is There New Music?

This past month, my husband and I celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary. And since kids started coming 24 years ago, we have maintained a date night, usually 3 times a month, and usually Friday night. It is fun! The purpose is not to eat or party or be entertained, but to be with each other and talk. Rehash the week and regroup for the next. On a budget. We were happy with our dive bar less than a mile away where we could get a cold pitcher of beer and a dozen unhealthy yummy wings for $12. We walk in the place, wave to the waitress and she delivers the beer and 2 frosty mugs without taking our order.  She asks how many wings tonight? We sometimes catch up with the neighbors in the bar. This set up worked for the last 15 years...until new owners took over!  Oh no! With a goal of attracting a newer and bigger crowd, they started having bands and open mike night on our date night! We went a couple times and were entertained, and were surprised this younger crowd listens to our high school and college music. But we missed talking. So last night we ventured into unknown territory into a new bar. We sat outside under a beautiful night sky and ordered our usual, a pitcher of Coors light and 12 extra crispy medium wings. We chilled and kept an eye on the Phillies. 50 minutes later I said to my husband, "I am getting hungry. What could be taking so long?" The waitress checked on us and we asked about the wings...she said, "When your order them extra crispy, they take longer." They were definitely going to be extra crispy. While we waited we got another beer, then the air changed and the wind and lightening started. We went inside to a whole other party going on...with a 2 man band. Playing Queen, Tom Petty, Neil Young. We sat in the booth together, waited for our wings and sang every word to every song.

We Could All Just Lighten Up A Little

Right? I guess I am upset about Obamacare and haven't figured out exactly what to do now. I wish we could all just succeed and start over.  Like the original intent in 1776.  So I'll think about ways I do lighten up. I realize Wordless Wednesday is posted on Tuesday..that is how it works in blog land, I am just going with the blogging flow. Then there was the Tuesday when my sweat pants were on inside out all day and I thought it was Wednesday. I thought about all the people I was talking to with those tags and seams showing and my conversations about how the week is just flying and it is Wednesday already....maybe they didn't even notice and maybe they thought it was Wednesday too. So I'll think about how I should have, would have, could have, been embarrassed instead of being forced to join something I did not want to join.

Hercules Has A New Threat

And it is no longer the Hoover vacuum.  He probably wishes that was his biggest concern. Now that all the boys are back from sports camps they want to exercise their new pet around the clock. My husband gets up at 6, walks the dog, and so begins the steady stream of humans in half hour succession repeating this same scene. Then the lunch time walks start. The mid afternoon. Late afternoon. Early evening. Walking, running, fetching, siting, laying, shaking. Over and over. My husband reenters for dinner and says,"Hercules! Hey puppy! Want to go for a walk?!" The dog does not respond enthusiastically. He lays there, against the couch wagging his tail but not even lifting his head.  He could care less about that stupid vacuum.  Now it's the leash that is the threat, and another person who wants to take him for a walk. This dog will be the most physically fit canine in the state of Pennsylvania by the end of the month.  My one son ran him so hard yesterday my son started wheezing, and today another son took Herk swimming in the creek. On top of all of these walks and runs! The dog is treated like royalty from others too. We went on a picnic on Sunday and left my sons friend in charge of walking Herk, feeding him etc. We got half hour text updates on the dogs status.  I knew more about what this dog did in 6 hours then I ever knew about any of our kids. Looks like Hercules moved right in.

Wordless Wednesday

This really helped my putting score this past weekend.

When A Kid Has the Wrong Sporting Equipment

 At the end of his baseball game this was my son's nonstop rapid do not stop to breathe firing rant, "I wasn't even sure you were coming. Did you even notice? I forgot my cup. I had to wear the coaches cup. I think it was his from college. It was probably in his bag since he was in college. It was so old and was gigantic. It was practically touching my knees. I could not even field a ball because the cup was blocking my glove and I could not even run the bases because the cup was so huge it was in the way. Stop laughing."

Life With Our New Puppy

So far, so good. For the most part. 6 days since we got him. Coming here from the shelter with fresh stitches and not being able to get a bath was the first problem. I could smell the pound in our house. This was definitely not going to work. My husband (since it is his dog, really) had to figure something out. Now. But the sutures could not get wet. Dry shampoo to the rescue, 3 times, and that problem was resolved! The dog and house smell much better now and me and the dog are happy. A good thing. Hercules is mellow, sits by me when I am reading the newspaper and in my garden, especially loves music and sits by the piano when my son is playing and sits practically still to watch him play the Viola. He makes it apparent he likes human company, and we humans like him back. But ....he hates machines. ALL plug in machines, gas power machines and machines with batteries. Hates them all. With a passion. This is a problem, considering the vacuum is an attached appendage to me.  He starts growling and barking and circling when I vacuum, which is twice a day. I thought he would get used to it but now he barks when I take the vacuum out of the closet and it is not even plugged in. He doesn't even like the looks of the vacuum. Or the lawn mower, weed wacker, edger..he HATES these machines.  This chill, lab mix becomes a ferocious beast when one of us is doing work with a machine.  My husband has been giving him treats and praise to sit watch me vacuum... something just seems wrong with this... my kids wish they had this arrangement!
Any suggestions?

Grades Are Back

 We got all the kids report cards in the mail. All A's! Dean list!  Yes, great effort pays off. I hope they are smart enough to understand it is what is in their heart and not in their head that gets them to heaven.

Wordless Wednesday

When they phoned the request for the cake the caller said I would like a cake with the words  Best wishes Suzanne written on it.   And then underneath those words write, We will miss you.

When The 7th Child Goes Away To Camp

Pretty much just dropped him off on the curb.  Literally.
So different than the first child!  The first week long over night camp my oldest child went to was a very big deal in the family.  I personally interviewed each college camp counselor, about curfew times, Internet access, occasion to be with the opposite sex, and stuff like the entire menu. Finally the counselor with the whistle around her neck said, "Is this the first time ever that your child will be separated from you?" Oh my gosh..now just the opposite. The kid says, "Who are the counselors?"  I say, "I don't know, they 're trained whoever they are."  The kid says, "Where do we sleep?" I say, "Oh, they'll have some sort of bed." The kid says, "What will we eat?"  I say, "Oh you can go for long periods of time, like weeks on just one healthy meal."  The kid says, "Should I call very night?'  I say, "No, you don't have to. You'll be fine. But hurry up...it is good to be early for camp."

Fathers Day At Our House

the cook makes breakfast

for dad

dad also got a promise to be the best kid and $1

dads bracket

dinner with the family

and dads new dog...Hercules

Pitfalls Of A Young Entrepreneur

My motivated 15 year old son is attempting a landscaping/pet sitting summer business with his friend. They made colorful pamphlets and delivered them on their bikes to mailboxes within 1/4 mile radius. The ads looked good, professional even.  My sons phone number was first on the list to call.  He looked at his phone and said, "Oh crap! I missed it! We got our first call!  It is a potential customer! oh no!  I never changed my voice mail!"
which was:
"hello."... pause.
"hello?" ... pause.
"What?"... pause
"I can't hear you."...pause.
"Can you talk louder?"..pause
 "Just leave a message."
beep...
The message is so real it sounds like his voice and not a recording...and is kind of annoying because everyone falls for it... too funny, but not really funny if you are looking to hire some kid or be the kid who wants to be hired!! The guy called the next number and they have their first pricing tomorrow at 8am...

I Can't Even Fake It

Trying to though. The purses, the nails, the jewelry, the TV shows, the cars...zero interest. I do not fit in. I sit and listen to the chatter and try to raise my eyebrows to appear like this is fascinating...but I know I would never pass even an amateur acting audition. I am not interested in the stuff most women my age are interested in...and no matter how hard I try to be interested, I just am not. Since my $15 phone got washed and ruined this has become even more evident... my entire family and group of friends and every partner my husband works with is incensed that I do not want a fancy phone, that does fancy stuff. And it would be FREE!  This is outrageous to them!  They keep showing me theirs and my kids look for any occasion to get me a new phone. I am satisfied with my flip $15 replacement phone. The persnickety lady at the AT&T store informed me they do not even carry "that" kind of phone. That phone and my attitude must be an embarrassment for the company I keep.  And it goes on... I am happy with my used paperbacks where I fold the corners of the page. So no kindle either. And I don't even want to talk about phones and kindles and fashion. On the other hand I cannot get anyone anywhere to talk about the stuff I want to talk about.. classic books, religion, political leanings, recipes using my herbs and garden...until finally after 11pm every night my exhausted husband sits next to me on the sofa in our bedroom...his eyes heavy, his muscles weary...and he listens and talks..and it is a beautiful beautiful thing..so why would I even care about purses?

Seriously?

I was meeting my girlfriends at 5:30. My husband would not be home until about 7. In less than one hour here are the phone calls or texts messages I received.
"Where are you?"
"Where is everyone?"
"Can I have a sleep over?"
"Can I sleep over?"
"Do I have to mow now?"
"Can I have a lemonade stand?"
"Can someone else do the dishes?"
"Do I have practice tonight?"
"MOM!  Should I put the pizza on the seat or hold it on my lap?"
And what finally did me in..."Mom? What should I eat?"

Wordless Wednesday

Real Backyard Baseball

Our neighbor and my son appear to be the most unlikely friends. The neighbor is large and athletic.  My son is slight and academic. The two get along beautifully. The neighbor rings the doorbell between 8:58-and 9am and wants to play baseball. The two go out in the yard and my son pitches. Every single time, he pitches.  The neighbor jacks the ball, high over the swing set, and runs to third base. My son reminds him that he is supposed to run to first base. The neighbor says, "Oh, I know. I forgot. Pitch again." My son pitches, the kid slams the ball deep into the woods. And runs to third base. My son tells him he is supposed to run to first. The neighbor says, "Oh, I forgot. OK, pitch again." He pitches, the neighbor cracks the ball over the pine trees.  He runs to third.  My son says, "You are supposed to run to first. " The neighbor says, "OK, this time I will." He hits the ball foul, but high over the trampoline and runs to third. My son reminds him he is supposed to run to first.  This scene repeats over and over and over, and anyone watching gets so annoyed!  They get irritated the kid always runs to third and always gets to bat. Meanwhile these two friends are OK with this arrangement..they play this game until someone comes and tells them they are not playing right. Then whoever tells them they are not playing right starts to play and pretty soon there is a whole group of boys playing baseball...my son and his friend then jump in the neighbors pool until the other boys get sick of baseball and leave. Then my son and the neighbor start playing baseball all over again. My son pitches the ball. The neighbor jacks the ball...and runs to third.

What Is Really In The Laundry

Yesterday the dryer was making so much noise. Unusual noise. With every turn it was Bang! Bang!  I asked my son to please see what the heck was going on in the dryer. He reported back in 5 seconds that he had 2 baseball belts in there and that was what was banging. Mistake #12...believe a 12 year old son who wants to go outside and play and does not want to investigate laundry noises. I believed him. I went to the gym so I wouldn't hear the banging.  When I came home I began folding the laundry...and that banging?  How about a 8X8 rock?  yes! That would definitely make that kind of noise...and remember my purple glasses? They were in there too. Later, after dinner on the patio, I asked this same kid to please bring my cell phone inside because I was going to rinse off the tables and didn't want to get the phone wet. He was carrying all the dishes and so put my cell phone in his baseball pants pocket. Today, I could not find my phone. He said he put it right on the kitchen island and someone must have moved it.  He remembered putting it in his uniform pants..they were washed and folded and put away already. After an exhaustive family search ...I found my phone ...in the rubber rim of the washing machine...after 3 loads of wash....in one days wash I washed that rock, my glasses and my phone.
Summer just started.

The Last Day of School

is today...summer is a whole new ball game.
Hershey Park, diving board tricks in rapid succession, air soft battles, baseball non stop in the back yard, popsicle sticks in my landscaping, smores around the fire pit, contests for who can catch the most toads, the scent of the grill, never in bed at anything close to a reasonable hour, who can jump the farthest off the swings, fishing in the creek followed with mud all over the garage, long bike rides made more fun by odometers and speedometers from Santa, adults having to sit through their plays and having to pay .25 to do it, never a clean kitchen table, good bye to clean kitchen counters too, what I will hear all day, every day, "Mom...Mom!....Mom?..Mom. Mom! Mom? Mom!  Mom? Mom. Mom! Mom?"  What my husband will hear every day, "How long till you come home?"

Wordless Wednesday

Explains a lot...they told me they DID lock their bikes!

Walmart On A Friday

My son didn't listen, surprised?  Threw way too many curves balls, on way too many teams, now it is indefinite physical therapy. It is unproductive for me just sitting there, so I thought I would get some shopping done while he has his therapy. I went to go to Aldi after looking at all the ads. The first glitch that should have tipped me off, was the .25 cost to make a shopping cart available.  I didn't have a quarter, and couldn't find one even after tilting my purse. So I had to go back to the van to rummage for a lost quarter, that I knew some kid lost somewhere in some seat. Found it! Then I put the quarter in to get the cart and enter a shopping mecca. I love this store! Beautiful cucumbers for .29, cantaloupes for .99,  blueberries for .99. A full shopping cart!  There is only 1 cashier and after I unpack all my groceries I asked her if I can use a credit card and she said no, I said OK, I'll just write a check.  She informs me cash only. The only cash I had was that quarter that was in the cart. There are at least 3 people behind me.  I ask her if she would please just hold all this stuff and I'll run to Walmart across the lot and use the ATM there and get cash to pay. I promised I'd be back...she  said ok.  It is pouring and there is a tornado watch and Walmart is so packed I have to park like a mile away. I thought, I am just going to use the ATM, I'll double park. I couldn't find the ATM, and someone told me it was just right inside. There is a McDonald's right inside and it was overflowing with hungry people, who are very crabby too.  For some reason I thought the ketchup dispenser in the back of the McDonald's was an ATM and went there to get cash.  When I discover this was not a cash machine I tired to exit  but was blocked by the fight in the way of the exit.  And these people were mean. And big. Throwing punches and yelling xrated language.  Now the women were getting involved. I was trapped! And my phone was in my illegally parked car, where the police would be looking to park when they come to break up this fight, and my unpaid cart fill of groceries was waiting and my son was at physical therapy and the rest of the kids were all probably home from school by now fighting...Ah!  I had to just try and get through the combat circle and make my break away.  Oh my gosh. Today  I am going to just read my book and wait in the waiting room.

Courage Of Convictions

We did it! 9 first Friday Masses in a row! Hooray for us! I can't think of anything that gives my heart greater joy than seeing my children embracing their faith. It is a beautiful thing. I will tell you a story about this. Last weekend, two of my teenage boys were 3 states away in a competitive tournament. They were on different teams and never even saw each other. We as parents could not go, there were too many other kids with schedules at home. So we let the kids go with their teams without us. This was a new venture for all of us, meaning the boys would have the responsibility of taking care of everything themselves. And there was a boardwalk. Temptations. Lots of teenage boys. The tournament was also on Sunday and the boys knew they had to go to Mass. Even if it meant a forfeit. This was a challenge. They didn't have a car , any knowledge of the area, and had committed to a team schedule. They told their coaches about Sunday Mass before they committed to this whole weekend. I don't know if anyone really believed or understood Mass was the priority and thought they would deal with it if it happened. The other kids and maybe the coaches thought this was a little extreme that in the middle of a tournament they are concerned about a Mass schedule. Seems ridiculous to think missing one Sunday would destine them to the fires of hell. And Catholics have to lighten up on all these rigid rules too. And there has to be a travel exception somewhere in your religious commandments, and this would qualify. The boys heard what they were saying. And told them they have to go to Mass. Then demonstrated by example what it means to prioritize, and they ran, literally, to church. Seems to me preaching the Gospel without words is the best way to preach.