Time For A Time Out

Image from Bing Images

I have apparently, without really meaning to, taken a time out from my blog so I have decided to make it an official time out and take a blog break. I reserve the right to return briefly or long term at will. After 5 1/2 years of blogging I love and appreciate my blog friends and I will continue reading what you have to say.

 Comments are off

Just A Quick Reminder

It is Free Slurpee Day at 7-11

Ode To The 4th of July

It was the 3rd of June, another sleepy, dusty, delta day......oops, wrong ode. My 4th of July started as a bright and sunny Colorado day and was not nearly as sad and mysterious as as the song that first line is from, "Ode To Billy Joe" most well known, I think, as recorded by Bobbie Gentry in 1967.

As I said, it started out as a beautiful day and I went to a July 4th celebration with my daughters and their families at their swim club. It was all fun and games for a while.....

Floating

Sun bathing

Teenagers being teenagers

Beck trying,

and trying some more to push his dad into the pool.

Then....a few clouds came over which was nice for cooling things off,

until the lifeguards cleared the pool due to lightening.

Within a few minutes everyone was running for shelter from rain, hail and wind.

Sad that it cut the day short and a little mysterious that less than a mile either way from the pool everything was dry, but all good because the weather was fine for fireworks shows later that night. 

Definitely not as sad and mysterious as "Ode To Billy Joe."

(And I still don't know why Billy Joe McCallister jumped off the Tallahatchie bridge.)

Where Have All The June Days Gone?

I guess it is a good sign that I have ignored my blog for a while when a couple of other bloggers send e-mails asking if everything is okay. I am fine (thanks for your concern) but the days of June have really flown by. I worked for a week and then spent a few days after that catching up with chores and errands....not much fun to write about. 

We did have a good Father's Day picnic (minus my son and his family who were out of town) with baseball and water balloons. 

Beck was a water balloon maniac

Hope out for a catch

Jared played a little hard ball catch with his uncle Brandon

What EJ lacked in style she made up in determination

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 Last week Doc and I got away for a few days to the beautiful Colorado River between 

Arizona and Nevada. 

We got to celebrate the first day of summer by going to a Beach Boys concert.

Even though only one or two are from the original Beach Boys the music was great

and it was a  very fun and nostalgic way to greet the summer

Now I am hoping for things to slow down for a bit with some time to enjoy the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. 

How is your summer going?

Thanks Apple

The following is a short post I wrote about two years ago that, to say the least, fell flat with those who read it, never a good feeling for a blogger. A new TV ad that I just heard this week (see below) has made me feel a little better.

This blast from the past showed up on my car radio this morning. Most all of us (at least those of a certain age) will remember the Chicken Fat song, also known as "The Youth Fitness Song".

The song was written for President Kennedy's Physical Fitness Program and was distributed to all the school districts in the country in the early 60s. It was composed by Meredith Wilson and recorded by Robert Preston, both of Music Man fame. 

It became a hit song and was played in both schools and homes. I remember working out to it in gym class (wearing the one-piece gym suit that was the requirement of the day). For a time at my school it was even played each morning over the school speaker system so kids and teachers could work up a sweat before the day began.

Wherever and whenever it was played, when it came to the tag line Give that chicken fat back to the chicken and don't be chicken again!, everyone sang together at the top of their lungs.

Maybe a resurrection of the Chicken Fat song is just what we need to help solve the problem of today's childhood obesity.

If this song is a blast from your past, do you have any Chicken Fat Memories?

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Nearly every person that commented on the post said in one way or another that they had never heard of the song, didn't know what I was talking about and certainly had no memories to share. Sigh....a blog bomb for sure.

Well, these nearly two years later Apple has made me feel a little better by featuring the Chicken Fat song in a new TV ad for the Iphone 5s. At least someone besides me remembers this song that I had such strong memories for me.

Thanks Apple

Don't Hide From Me

Grandparents sometimes wonder and talk about what their grandkids will remember about them. Will they remember that they were fun or funny or that they taught them wise things about the world or taught them how to bake cookies or told them wonderful stories? I'm pretty sure that the main thing my grandkids will remember about me is that it was a really bad idea to hide from Grandmom.

I know kids think it is fun to hide and hear you calling and calling for them while they crouch down and giggle in their hiding place. I don't think it is fun or funny. When I can't find a kid, I panic. Even at home when I know they are around somewhere I don't like it one bit if I can't find them.

One of my granddaughters found this out a few years ago when I was staying with her at her house and she thought it would be funny to hide from me in the basement. By the time she finally emerged I had called her mom and was considering calling the police. I know, I know, an over reaction but I can't help it.

This morning my 3 year old grandson was at my house and I called him several times and got no response. Yes, we did find him hiding behind the curtain in the bedroom. He came out with a big smile on his face. I did not have a big smile on my face and I think the poor kid will think twice before he hides from me again.

I think maybe this stems from an incident many years ago when my son was about 5 years old. He had a friend over playing and the little boy, as boys do, thought it would be fun to hide. I was completely panicked that I had lost some one else's child by the time we found him. He thought it was funny and when his mom picked him up she thought it was funny. I. did. not. think. it. was. funny!

Needless to say, I am not a big fan of playing hide and seek with the kids so they have made up a game called Dumb Hide and Seek. There are lots of rules but the basis of the game is that you just pretend you can't see the other players. I have to give them credit for what they are willing to do for their dumb, crazy  grandmom. 

Let The Summer Fun Begin

By the end of this week all of my school age grandkids will be done with school for the summer. Before summer can begin there have been lots of end-of-school activities tailor-made for a proud grandmom.

Jared finished 7th grade with all A's, an award for being the 7th grade math student of the 

year and several other awards.

Justin finished 5th grade as one of two 5th graders with all A's for the entire year.

Anna finished kindergarten with all the enthusiasm that she brings to everything she does.

Hope seemed a little pensive before the start of the 6th grade end of year orchestra concert,

but when it came time to play she did a great job.

I didn't get to attend an event for Wil who just finished 3rd grade but I hear he also has the math thing going on.

I also didn't get to attend EJ's end of kindergarten program but I did hear this good time girl told her teacher and her classmates that her plans for the summer are watching TV and drinking beer.

Let the summer fun begin

Yes, I Have Addressed This Issue Before....

It, sadly, seems that I may not be the Queen Of Cell Phone Etiquette that I proclaimed myself to be when I first addressed this issue in a post several years ago. If I were the true queen my edict suggestion would surely have been more universally accepted. Well, as we queens say "never give up" so I want to make my suggestion one more time.

There's a lot of talk about cell phone etiquette, but there is an issue that I never hear discussed and I think it needs to be addressed. When you are talking to someone and one or both of you are on a cell phone it is not unusual to be talking, talking, talking and suddenly realize that no one is listening. The call has dropped. 

Here's what usually happens with me when a call is dropped. I realize I'm talking to no one, so I immediately call back the person I was talking to. The call goes right to their voice mail because, of course, they are trying to call me back, getting my voice mail because I am trying to call them back. I think, oh, he/she is calling me back, so I wait a minute for the phone to ring. He/she thinks, oh, she is trying to call me back, and they wait a minute for the phone to ring. When the phone doesn't ring within a few moments, I think, oh, he/she is waiting for me to call back, so I call and he/she........well, you get the picture.

I'm suggesting an easy solution that will save us all a lot of time if only you will accept me as the Queen of Cell Phone Etiquette and follow this rule:  The person who placed the original call is ALWAYS the one to call back. Simple. Easy. Problem solved.

You're welcome.

I guess if I were the real queen I would be able to come up with an edict for that guy standing next to you in line at Starbucks loudly describing his "conquest" from the night before.

It Was No Picnic

Thanks to less than perfect weather, our traditional Mother's Day picnic in the park was not a picnic at all this year. It was, however, a very nice indoor celebration that even snow on Mother's Day couldn't spoil.

The kids definitely had a good time....well, maybe this wasn't all that fun for Wil on the bottom.

In addition to Mother's Day we celebrated the five May birthdays in our family.

My oldest grandson, Jared, 13, insisted that he is now as tall I am.

I think he as about a 1/2 inch to go. It won't take long.

I did miss getting my annual picture with my grandkids on the slide at the park but the stairs 

worked pretty well. 

I hope Mother's Day was bright and shiny where you are.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Thank you to Joyce at From This Side of the Pond for this weeks Hodgepodge questions.


1. Share something you appreciate (or something you appreciated as you were growing up) about your mother.

My mother died when I was only 18 and though I was young  I was aware that she was a very strong and independent woman.  Though, of course, she didn't know that I would be on my own at such a young age (my father died 4 months after my mom) I very much appreciate the example she set and the measure of self-sufficiency she instilled in me.

2.  A quote most commonly ascribed to Plato reads "Necessity is the mother of invention." When did this last play out in your own experience?

After giving it some thought it seems that the necessity to come up with and answer to this question would require some invention on my part and that just wouldn't be Plato-worthy.

3. Share one of the earliest memories you have from childhood.

Big family gatherings on holidays. My mother came from a family with 8 children and our house was where they usually got together.

4. When did you last 'hit the mother lode'? What was it?

Well, I recently found a $10 bill in the pocket of a pair of pants I was getting ready to get rid of.

5. What is/was your favorite dish mom made? Do you make that dish for your family/friends now that you're all grown up?

My mom was a good cook....lots of southern style cooking, but I was a picky eater when I was small so I mostly remember things like peanut butter and jelly and grilled cheese sandwiches. Her birthday specialty was German chocolate cake. I haven't made one in a very long time.

6. Mother May I? was at one time a popular children's game. It required no equipment or parts to play. What was your favorite childhood game where you could just turn up and play-no gear needed?

For a time all the neighborhood kids played a game we called Knights and Ladies every evening. There was no gear needed but we did make our own capes out of sheets and swords out of cardboard. 

7. Which TV mom (past or present) is your favorite, and why?

Roseanne.....I like the way the show dealt with real family issues.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I think this is one of the best family pictures I have ever seen.
(Friends of my daughter-in-law)

To participate in Wednesday Hodgepodge visit Joyce here.

Where Does The Time Go? or It's The Little Things

Where does the time go?  Time flies when you're having fun. The older you get the faster time goes. All of these cliches are admittedly trite, but they express some truth about most of our lives....time does fly by. Sometime a week goes by and it seems like I was busy but didn't really do much of anything, certainly not anything to blog about. On the other hand, it is these little things that make up life and looking back I see that the privilege of and the joy in being able to do these little things is a pretty big thing.

Some of the little things I'm glad to be able to do......

Kids baseball......lots of kids baseball. Five of my seven grandkids will be playing some kind of baseball this summer. I don't make it to all the games, I don't make it to bad weather or far away games. I don't even think that I was at this game that my 10 year old grandson, Justin,  played recently, but I am glad to have lots of kids baseball games to go to.

Dog walks.....lots of dog walks no matter what the weather but especially nice right now with so many blooming trees and flowers.

A little Play Doh cookery with a 3 year old chef.

Learning something new. I have been taking Pickleball lessons (well, only two so far) but it is a lot more fun way to get some exercise than walking on the treadmill or using those machines at the gym so I think I will keep it up.

Some silly time before the start of a middle school play with two of my granddaughters.

Another saying that is trite but true......Little things mean a lot.

What kind of "little things" have made time fly by for you lately?

Pretty Girls and Silly Girls....A Fun Easter With Family

Lots of years of blogging means lots of years of the same family events coming around again and again. Since the main reason I started blogging was to help me record and remember family events and activities here I am again with another family Easter.

Pretty girls, almost 6 year old Anna and 6 year old EJ,

and silly girls, Hope, almost 12, giving her mom a lift. 

A selfie of me and my son, Rob.

Ej, Anna and Beck, 3, looking high and low for Easter eggs.

Whether you are 8 1/2 like Wil,

or almost 12 like Hope hunting for eggs is still fun, especially if you know there are a few golden eggs with some cash inside.

A little "crack the egg" game on the trampoline. I was just happy that no heads got cracked.

A minor injury required some attention,

but all's well that ends with a good meal.

Yes, it is much the same year after year but it is that sameness, that is the traditions of family meals, family fun and family pictures that is special to me.