I Said Something Mean to Doc

Doc went shopping the other day and came home with a pair of bright red bermuda shorts.

                                                

Before the filter between my brain and my mouth kicked in to tell me that it is better to be nice than to be right, I blurted out something like "Oh, my gosh, those just scream 'old man', kind of like socks with sandals".

Yes, I did really say that and I felt really bad right away about saying it  (even though I think I was kind of right).  Doc just sort of harrumphed a bit and said something like "I don't know what's wrong with red shorts". I said I was sorry and that he certainly could wear anything he wants to wear, (but I'm pretty sure I'll never see him in those red shorts.)

I thought that was the end of it. Boy,  was I wrong. Today Doc came by my office with a new very bright red truck, bought and paid for. He didn't actually say anything like "How do you like that for red?", but the message was there. I actually sort of like the truck, at least more than I liked the red shorts.

I thought the above was the end of my post, but since I got home and wrote it, I heard from Doc that when he got the red truck home he didn't like the way it fit in the garage so he returned it and is now out shopping at another dealership for a different truck. Whatever he comes home with, and even if he is wearing the red shorts, no matter what I think I will tell him that I absolutely love it.

I really need to learn to just keep my mouth shut.

How To Make A Hot Mid-Summer Monday Very Special

Blog friends are the best and my friend Betty at at A glimpse into midlife is the Best of the Best. I came home from a long Monday at work to find this package from Betty, a total surprise. The package traveled well over 5000 miles from Paraguay to really brighten my day.

I was so excited to open it I almost forgot to take a picture of the package. Inside were a really beautiful Bamboo spatula, some very cute Paraguay magnets and the gift that keeps on giving, a box filled with spa items including soap, candles, a candle holder, a wash cloth and pumice stone.

There was also a very nice birthday greeting

Betty's is one of the first blogs I ever read . She became a good friend right away and has become a very special friend. She has even already sent a gift to my grandson due to be born in September.

Betty's birthday is coming up later this week. You will be doing yourself a favor if you go check out her blog and you will be doing me a favor if you go over and wish Betty a very happy birthday.

A Midsummer Family Cookout, Birthdays and Family Pics, With Only A Couple Of Rough Moments

My family got together for a cookout on Friday evening at my son and daughter-in-law's  house to celebrate some birthdays. There is a great park right across the street from their house so there was plenty of activity for everyone.

There was lots of baseball,

Bike riding,

scooter riding,

and fun on the playground.

There was some love between cousins,

and taking turns when it came time to blow out the candles on the birthday cake.

Apart from a little lapse in cousinly love that resulted in a biting incident between the 2 year olds and a little pulled muscle in my leg, from (I would like to say sliding into home) a slow trot to first base following a hit that didn't quite make it to the pitcher, it was a very fun evening.

My favorite gift, a new picture of all of my grandkids..

Many Kids and Many Years Later, I Still Love This

I think I first heard this poem, Song For A Fifth Child by Ruth Hurlburt Hamilton when I was pregnant with my first child. I loved it then and I still love it now.

Image from Bing Images

I have had six grandchildren born in the last nine years. It feels like they are growing up even faster than my own kids did. With my 7th grandchild due in a couple of months this poem has been back in my mind again.

I know everyone has probably seen it many times, but, to me, it is worth seeing again. Here is the whole poem.

Song for a Fifth Child

Mother, oh, mother come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing and butter the bread,

Sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

 

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue

(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew

And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo

But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?

(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.

I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

Even though the wording is a little old fashioned,

the message is timeless. 

Doc And Dodger Go To Hollywood, Or Maybe Not

I have mentioned before that Doc is a just a little twitterpated about our dog, Dodger. I'm often required to agree that "yes, he is a very handsome boy"  or to come see something really cute or smart that Dodger is doing. So when a a couple of people at the dog park yesterday said nice things about Dodger, Doc came home with a little extra swagger. One lady said Dodger was so cute that he should be in commercials. Another said that he looked like a Hollywood dog and that he should be in movies. Doc has now started calling him "Hollywood".

Of course, I think Dodger is a very handsome boy, in a scruffy sort of way.

But I think I am going to need to remind Doc of a couple of things. Apart from the fact that we probably don't want to expose our boy to all the temptations Hollywood has to offer, his level of training probably doesn't make him a very good candidate for a movie career. I think he would at least have to learn to sit before the second or third request.

Then there is the problem that his eyes often look very shiny or bright green in pictures.

 And he can sometimes be a bit camera shy.

Hmm, maybe those shiny eyes could get him a bit part in a horror movie.

Yes, We Do Know How To Celebrate America's Holiday

I have read on blogs and heard people talking about all the great plans people have for the 4th of July holiday weekend. People are going camping, having cook-outs, watching fireworks, going to ball games, all manner of all-American holiday fun.

Well, Doc and I know how to celebrate with the best of them, so we are ready to party on and mark the birthday of our country in a big way with a little known but dearly beloved or soon to be all-American custom of getting new toilets. Yes ma'am, our holiday celebration includes getting not one, but two of these little beauties.

I won't dwell  too much on the fact that this particular model has a very French sounding name which led me to believe that there might be a bidet involved (there's not).

This holiday extravaganza came about because the new tile in our bathrooms raised the stool just enough in one that the previously nearly inaccessible tank became completely inaccessible under the countertop.

Let the party begin!

Photo from Google Images

A Postscript To My Previous Post

Addison's counts have risen enough for him to resume his chemotherapy. This picture of Addison and his friend, Bella, getting ready to receive their chemo was so compelling to me that I wanted to share it.

Notice their hands

You've gotta have friends