It was a plan, not a promise

I mentioned in an earlier post that we finally got our big room in the basement painted & carpeted, and Kev finished putting up all the baseboards & trim around the windows & doors. The ceiling will be next, when we get the moola to do it. I'll post photos sometime soon... when we get it arranged nicely. It's still kind of a mess right now.

To prepare for the carpet installation, everything in that big room (about 42' x 18') had to be removed... so we stuck it all into either my craft room or the utility room. We've moved out some of the big stuff, like the sofas and the TV... but for the rest of the stuff, I wanted to do some major sorting. There were some things I came across that I not only forgot I owned, but I wondered why I was keeping them. I'm such a packrat. So I decided to make a change...

Joyce and Mike both want to earn money this summer. I told them that if they set up and ran a garage sale, they could split the profits. I suggested this Memorial weekend would be a great time to have a sale, because of all the traffic there would be on M-20.

Truthfully, Joycie did most of the setting up work last week, because Mike was at school and over in Bay City. Kevin, Sammy and I helped her. It was a TON of work getting everything out, dusted off, set up and priced. Ugh. We came up with a bunch of stuff, and then Joycie's Gramma and Aunt Janet gave her a bunch of stuff to sell, too (and told her to keep the money).

We ran an ad in the local paper and put a sign out at M-20... & another sign at the end of our driveway. (We have a long driveway, and you can't see the house from the road.) We started the sale Friday morning with plans to run it through Monday.

I got up early Friday morning to go down to the corner (1/2 mile) and set the sign on the side of M-20. Kevin was leaving for work; the lucky boy got stuck with a 16-hour shift Friday. He stopped and chatted with me while I pounded into the ground the 2 hockey sticks I sawed up for sign posts (they were part of a group I bought way on sale, and who knew they made hockey sticks for lefties?!). While I was pounding, a white van turned onto our road. I told Kev to watch and see if he pulled into our drive, and Kev told me he didn't. But he did. He was driving back out our driveway as I was driving back in... with the garage doors and the house wide open and 2 sleeping kids upstairs. Kinda freaked me out. Also, the van's windows were so darkly tinted that I couldn't see into them. But, no drama. I think the guy saw the baby stuff and left. (Yes, baby stuff! With our baby being 13 years old... I finally agreed to get rid of some stuff.)

So Joycie and I did her garage sale Friday, and Mike arrived mid-afternoon.

Having a garage sale is a lot of work and really, really, really boring. My idea that Memorial weekend would be a good time to have one turns out to be a pretty crappy plan. Sure, we live out in the country, but we just haven't had many shoppers. So when Mike's mom called him Saturday afternoon and asked if they could skip the sale Sunday and join his family out at a lake on a pontoon for the day, I said go on ahead. I told them I'd watch their sale Sunday. Then I found out it would require my watching it Monday, too. What the heck.

So here I sit, comfortable at our picnic table with my laptop. Since I'm outside, I rigged up a box lid taped to my laptop cover to shade it, and I have to say... it works like a charm. They should make laptops with a slide out cover for working outside. (I'm guessing that's not an original thought, and the invention is likely already patented.)

I was up and opened yesterday by 7am and working on my laptop until about 6pm. I got so much work done (company work), and it felt good. Very few interruptions by shoppers, but those that came did some good shopping. Kevin suggested I bag the sale for today, but I told him that I not only kicked ass on work yesterday, but that I really enjoyed working outside doing it. It is gorgeous, partly sunny and breezy. Absolutely gorgeous. Getting some of my backlog of work done in this kind of setting... heaven!

The one thing I do regret is that I am kind of tied down... I wanted to paint a couple more coats on this old wood desk I started painting on Friday, but I can't because someone may show up. It's an old desk that I bought at a garage sale ages ago, and it was in pretty crappy shape then. I painted it a dark green and dark blue (body blue, desk top and drawer fronts green, & it looked really good), but those colors do not go well with our new basement walls of Apricot Butter. I keep an old Mac computer on this desk, and I want to continue to do so. The Mac is chock full of cool games. And I had this gallon of red paint... so I'm painting the desk red, and it's going to look great down in the basement. But red paint is difficult... I've got 2 coats on the desk now, and it will need at least another 2, maybe 3. That's red paint for ya.

I also wanted to do some weeding in my flower and herb gardens. But those are out back, and it's too much of a hassle... I could leave Sam in charge of the sale, but I don't think that's fair. He'd be a little out of his league, and being in charge of a garage sale with strangers coming up is just not something I'd do to him.

But I get to work on my laptop. Thank goodness I sprung for that wireless router.

I also get to watch a lot of bird action. I have some photos I'll have to post later. Right away on Friday morning when we opened the garage doors, we had some Swallows that kept flying in and out of the garage. I haven't seen Swallows around our house before, so I was thrilled. They would land in the garage, and I was so happy... tried several times to get photos before I finally was able to do so. But then the bird shit on the stemware we have for sale was kind of a downer. Now I chase the little buggers out as soon as they come in.

Mike and I watched a couple of Robins going at it for a while on Saturday. They were seriously scrapping. Flying at each other and making a racket big time. The 2 of them were like a ball of furious feathers. Then they'd separate and land on the ground a few feet away from each other, wait a bit and go at it again. I was like, "holy cow!" Mike said, "Robins do like to fight each other; they must talk a lot of trash." Cracked me up.

Goose, goose, duck

The Canada geese parents and their goslings have left our pond and not returned. I saw them the day after Mother's Day, all of them swimming in a row in the pond. The mom was in front, then all 6 babies following following her, with dad bringing up the rear. I found out that this formation, goose, goslings & gander in a row, is called a crèche (which is how I know for sure it was the mom in the front).

I tried to get a good photograph of the crèche, but this is what I ended up with...





I was hurrying and didn't have my glasses on... *sigh* They crossed the pond quickly and went up onto the far bank.

I love our pond. It's brought in a lot of wildlife to us that we wouldn't otherwise get to see. With all the critters, there's been some interesting scenarios played out for our enjoyment. Like the other morning, when Kev noticed a lone duck on the pond. It was at the shallow end, near our sandy drive. It was a type of duck I couldn't identify. So of course, I grabbed my camera. I was afraid to go outside and take a photo for fear it'd fly off, so I took some photos through our windows. Photos through our house windows usually don't turn out well...





The duck was swimming back and forth and towards the bank. Then Kev and I both noticed N.C. sitting in the middle of the drive, just watching the duck...



The duck didn't appear at all concerned about N.C., in fact, it seemed like the duck was trying to get N.C.'s attention. Then N.C. stood, stretched and walked a little further up the drive... and the duck followed him, swimming along with him to the edge of the pond! N.C. dug a little hole in the drive and did his morning business. (Kev was so happy about that... He's spent so much time and effort making that drive out to the back little barn, then N.C. craps in it. Nice.)

Then N.C. casually walks down to the edge of the pond, more towards the middle of this shallow end where there's a gentle slope into the water. And again, the duck follows him! N.C. stays there drinking for a while and the whole time, the duck is swimming back and forth a short distance in front of N.C. It was like the duck was saying Hi! Hi! Hi! Hey, Hi! Hi!

N.C. walks off, and a while later, the duck flew away.

N.C. is quite the hunter, and we appreciate his efforts in keeping the chipmunks away from the house. Also, the occasional mole or mouse. And yes, sometimes, rarely, a bird. But N.C. is no dummy... no way could he get a duck for dinner. This he knows.

So, anyway... back to the duck. This is the best photo close-up I got of her...



My trusty "The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds Eastern Region" wasn't really that much help in definitively identifying the duck, though it led me in the right direction. Some Google image searching revealed the duck to be a female Hooded Merganser. Which is a new one on me; I've never heard of them. I sure hope there is a male around, and that the pair of them arrive at our pond because I'd like to see him... he's a beaut. Good information and photos about Hooded Mergansers can be found at this site.

What did you think I meant? That wasn't it.

Now that Kevin is on the lab tech job he's had since last October & he isn't working any weekends (thank goodness!), he and I have our weekend early morning routine. Coffee.

Sometimes we sit together and go through a pot or two while we talk, other times, we may decide to watch a recorded episode of Lost or CSI while we drink our coffee together. Or, Kev will have some hunting or sports show on the TV, and we'll both semi-watch it while we talk. Sometimes, like this morning, Kev will watch a recorded game (Tigers vs. AZ from last night), and I'll get on my computer.

I'm kinda sorta listening to the game, but also doing some research... last night I had a dream that wasn't about the movie "Twister" nor was it about a scary tornado, but whatever I was dreaming about included those beautiful wind lawn sculptures from "Twister". I've had a thing for those ever since I saw that movie. So this morning I was itching to get on the 'net and see what I could find out. Turned out to be not a whole lot, other than the artist is Evan Lewis and his web site is sorely lacking in photos of his pieces that were in the movie. I tried to find our copy of the DVD, which I believe was downstairs near the TV last time I saw it... but since we moved all the stuff out of that big room for the carpet installation and haven't yet moved and sorted everything back... it was a pointless search. Especially on only one-half cup of coffee. And then I got distracted trying to take photos of the turkeys tearing up the mulch and making a big mess beneath our bird feeders. I want a close-up of one of their heads, because the turkey's head... it's ugly. So ugly, it's very, very interesting to me. They move so quickly, however, and they're smart, so they're leery... I've had no luck on that photo yet.

So anyway, for our weekend mornings, the two most important components are coffee and talk. Kev and I usually take turns filling up our coffee cups. To be honest, Kev has done a helluva lot more filling up turns than I have so far this year...

Just a bit ago, I was standing at my desk trying to take a photo through the window of the damn turkeys, and I finally gave up. Decided it was my turn to fill up...

me: Honey, you ready for a refill?

as I walked over to get his cup...

Kev, with very cute exaggerated enthusiasm: Yes, I am!

as I was heading toward the kitchen...

Kev: And I expect it to be delivered topless.

in kitchen, pouring coffee...

me: No top on your coffee cup. Got it.

Hubby has a stiff one...

Bet that got your attention... Stiff neck, that is.

Kev took another fall, only this one didn't get his butt wet, and it wasn't so funny...

Kev and I took a walk the other morning, with the 3 dogs. As we walked by this big pile of logs he has waiting to be split, Kev decided to climb to the top.



Then he called Reilly up to him, and of course, Reilly could make it up to the top...



Meanwhile, Barney and Betty were running around and around the base of the log pile. Betty was huffing away, which she always does when she runs, but since she was excited, she was really huffing. Barney wasn't real sure what all was going on, but since Betty was so excited, he was following her lead and was equally wound up. No way could those 2 climb up that pile of logs, though. Betty's too old, and Barney's too blind.

Reilly picked his way carefully back down the log pile, and so did Kevin, where Barney and Betty were happy to greet him...



It's those last few steps, y'know...



At first I wasn't sure what had happened, so I just kept taking photos...



And then I realized Kev was on the ground not moving. On his last step, a log rolled out and he lost his balance and went down, but then Barney jumped on top of him. Bad enough to fall, by then having a 90+ pound dog land on your chest and slam you against a bunch of logs... um... not so fun...



Up and walking again, a little slowly at first...



He's ok, but now his shoulders and neck have needed the heating pad every evening. And when he turns his head to look at you during a conversation, he pretty much has to turn the top half of his body to do so, since his neck is so stiff. Age: 47, last attempt at log pile climbing. Duly noted.

Strategically placed leaves

The marsh out back

Kevin and I have been taking as many walks together as we can. He's really encouraged me a few days when I haven't felt like getting out, and as usual, my man's right on... I always feel better after a walk. Since my first surgery on my neck in January, I've tried to get in as much walking as I can. Once the weather turned nice, it was wonderful to once again take a walk in the woods. The past couple of years, our walks together had ceased because every time I looked down, my left shoulder and arm would go painfully numb... and you cannot walk through the woods, or anywhere really, without looking down. At least I can't; my clumsy gene is quite prevalent. If there is one thing I appreciate the most after this surgery, it's being able to walk in the woods again with my husband. And our dogs... those 3 love it more than any human possibly could.

A while back in April, we ended up at a marsh that's located off our northern property line on state-owned land. It was brown and wet and I was wearing sneakers. But we crossed it and came to one of the branches of the Carroll Creek drain (part of which also runs behind our house; it's man-made but now looks just like any ol' creek). We found a bridge someone had made, and we crossed over the creek, ending up walking back to our house by way of the road.

Sometimes I take my camera with me on our walks, but most often not. I didn't have it that day, and I sorely wished I had. The marsh was beautiful, as was that branch of the creek, which looks very different from ours. Our creek is overgrown and well, creeky... this was more like a small river, clean sides and swift. There were small lily pads in the creek and marsh grass just starting to turn green, and the sky was a beautiful gray. A perfect April day.

This weekend, Kev and I took a short ride on our old four-wheeler back to where the bridge is located. This time I took my camera.





Kev and I could hear water running, gushing... so we walked upstream a ways. There were several little tributaries running into the creek from the swamp. We've had quite a bit of rain lately, so it was really, really wet out there. But we could still hear loud water. We soon came upon this beaver dam...



This was the beavers' level 2... the first dam was further ahead, and you can see it in the photo above. Kev decided to go check it out. I stayed put, once again wearing sneakers. And also, everything is growing like mad out there, and frankly, all the grass mounds and water and massive growth was kind of creeping me out... I didn't feel like getting a full-on soaker. I decided to turn my camera on my hubby, and I'm so glad I did...





























Still smiling! Wet butt and all...



I enjoyed seeing all that marsh again and finding the beaver dams. I would have liked to have walked up near the bigger dam, because Kev said it wrapped around and was holding a lot of water. Beautiful. Next time I'll wear boots and thicker jeans, because that marsh area is truly not very hospitable... between the thousands of nettles coming up...



the briers and also the pickers everywhere...



and the many, many tent worm nests (yuk)...



it's kind of creepy... Right where the bridge is located, there is a big, gray mound of an anthill. I mean, that thing is HUGE; it must be years and years old. I got Kev to stand near the base of it to show the size of it...



Which wasn't really that great of an idea, since just before that he couldn't resist poking his beaver dam stick into it and stirring up a little part of it... put the ants in a frenzy...



That photo does not do any justice to what it looked like... instantly there were thousands of ants scurrying around. Kev joked that he gave them something to do that day. They retaliated by climbing all over him while he posed for my photos. Yuck. (But also quite funny from my perspective, which was quite far back actually. Thank goodness for my 12x zoom on my old Sony.)

And since I refuse to end this post with all those gross photos (hope you're not eating breakfast or lunch while you're reading this!), here's one of my favorite shots of that walk... Kev showing off his cute wet ass...

Happy Mother's Day!

Early this morning, Kev and I sat down in front of the computer, with our cups of coffee nice and hot. We were settling in to look at all the many, many photos I took yesterday of Mike and Joyce. Then Kev noticed something out the window. Near the pond were 2 Canada geese. He brought them to my attention. We've seen them before, sometimes just 1, sometimes both.

Then something small moved near them...



We thought it was pretty special they would choose Mother's Day to bring their baby goslings to our pond for the first time.



We watched them throughout the morning, and we're looking forward to their future visits. The goslings will change so quickly.

Kev saw which way they headed back into the woods, and he's pretty sure of the vicinity of their nest. It's likely back by his front field, where's it's really wet, and there is a border of big stumps and brush surrounding the field. It'd be a perfect home for them. This is way cool!

Prettier... Prom!

Mike's Senior Prom was last night, and so Kevin, Sammy and I drove over to Bay City to take some photos of Joycie and Mike in their prom finery. They both looked so very nice! We took some photos inside of Mike's house... doing the boutonniere and corsage...



Standing together for several photos, still smiling...



Don't they make a beautiful couple! The next 2 photos are not very well in focus, but they made me laugh when I saw them, so I'm including them anyway, poor photography skills and all...





This photo was in the driveway, and notice the awesome, shiny Chevy Blazer... if you can draw your eye away from the awesome, beautiful couple...



And then of course, more goofing around... those 2 do that so well...



So darn cute! Then we all drove over near the river near old downtown Bay City, where Mike and Joyce met up with a bunch of Mike's friends for some photos.



The kids then went on their way over to a friends house for a steak barbecue dinner before the dance. Izzy had made a huge bowl of guacamole and homemade corn chips for them to take over, and after their dinner, Joycie and Mike stopped back by to drop off the leftovers. Mickey, Izzy, Angel, Tony, Stacy, Kevin, Sammy and I were all sitting at the table filling up on the same, along with some amazing homemade chicken flautas. Oh my heck! Joycie has mentioned time and time again what a great cook Izzy is, and she's right. That meal was wonderful. I ate like a pig. And woke up this morning wanting more. I learned how to make them, though, so now I have to get myself something to deep fry them in. Mmmm... Izzy sent us home with some guacamole and chips, and I'm ashamed to report that I ate most of them about an hour after we got home last night. I don't know where I put it, but I figured it out... Yum! Also, I learned another thing from Izzy... she had left the avocado pits in the guacamole, and I had noticed that. She explained they keep the guacamole from turning brown. Cool! Plus they look pretty in the dish.

We had a really great time at Mickey and Izzy's. Their home is the type where you instantly feel welcomed, comfortable and right at home. Tony, Mike's older brother, and Mickey were very entertaining at the dinner table. Lots of stories and laughter. Very fun.

I texted Joycie late last night, and she said they had fun at the prom, and they were on their way to the after-prom-party. She called this morning just a short time ago to wish me a Happy Mother's Day, and she sounded very happy. Sounds like a really nice last high school prom.

One last photo... this of Kevin and Kevin, Jr. down at the riverside...



What a beautiful pair!

Pretty

Promises are for the birds

As promised, here are some of the bird photos I've been taking...

First up is a lovely lady cowbird, or a cowgirl cowbird...? My Mom and I were talking about cowbirds the other day, and how much we hate them. But then I had to revise my statement, because I remembered that I decided I don't hate cowbirds. I don't like them as much as other birds, but as I have previously discussed, they have a long history. It's not really their fault that they push out eggs from songbird nests and drop one of their own into it. And though I don't care much for the looks of the male cowbird, the female is beautiful in her graceful brown...



Next up are some closeup head shots of a Red-bellied Woodpecker. This guy is a frequent visitor at the feeder. He moves pretty fast, and the second he sees me move at my desk to take his photo, he's gone. I've taken tons and tons of photos of him, and I'd say about 3% of them actually turn out half-way decent. I was pleased with these 3 photos.







I've posted plenty of photos of White-breasted Nuthatches, like this guy...



And actually, I usually just call them Nuthatches, leaving off the further identification because White-breasted Nuthatches are the only kind we've had. In fact, I didn't realize there were other kinds until my sister, JoAnne, told me how her favorite bird is the Red-breasted Nuthatch. Nuthatches are so cool anyway; I love how they hang upside-down. The Red-breasted Nuthatch is quite a bit smaller than the White-breasted, and as I recently discovered, very flighty and quick... because one showed up at the feeder! He's been around quite a bit, but since he's so fast, he's difficult to photograph...







We don't have an Oriole feeder out, but my folks' keep one filled at their house. They have a lot of Baltimore Orioles (aka Northern Orioles). I was super surprised to see this guy show up at the feeder... unfortunately, he stayed only for a few seconds, and I barely had time to get his photo, so they didn't turn out that well. But here's proof we had at least one at the feeder!





I had also mentioned previously about the Rose-breasted Grosbeak youngster that's such a vicious thing... here he is...



How do I know he's a youngster? Well, here is an adult male... notice the rich, rose-red color...



The juvenile Rose-breasted Grosbeak has a less vibrantly colored breast; it's more along the lines of rose-pink, not rose-red, and he's a bit spotty...



This year, there have been lots of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at the feeder, males and females...



And it's the youngster that's most ferocious about guarding his stash of seeds... I think he believes the feeder belongs to him. This is what he does often; he goes at any other bird that tries to feed near him...









And guarding one side of the feeder isn't enough for him... here he is noticing an intruder trying to invade the other side of his feeder...



and the attack!



It's entertaining to watch him. Silly bird. If he'd just ignore the other birds and concentrate on filling his face, he'd sure get a lot more eating done. As you can imagine, guarding the feeder is a never-ending, pointless battle. Give it up, baby.

I'm including this last photo just because I think it's awesome... gorgeous birds... love that color...

Ponderings, pesterings and preparations... and a joke!

It's been a long week... and it ain't over yet. On one hand, I wish it were over; on the other, I wish Sunday was days and days away yet. It's like I'm hearing a drum roll and the theme to Jaws at the same time.

I had my follow-up appointment with the neurosurgeon this past Monday afternoon. He took at look at my x-rays from the Friday before...





and said everything looked great. When I last saw him, he had mentioned possible physical therapy in May, and I don't have to do that. Thank goodness. I didn't want the appointments nor the bills. My range of motion in my neck is doing well. I can finally, finally start back to work in the office on Monday. But, and there always seems to be a but... only 4 hours 3 days each week in the office. He said I could work from home as tolerated. And... he wants me to stick to that schedule until I see him in 2 months. Though, I can contact him earlier to renegotiate... I hope to just get back full-time in the office and back to normal well before early July. I'm ready to have my life back.

Then I got a call from a person in our company's health services area on Tuesday; she was just checking on me. Last time she called me I told her I had an appointment with the surgeon on May 5th, and I'm pretty sure she made a note in her calendar to call me on May 6th. And then another call from her on Wednesday. Laid the ol' Big Time stress on me. I don't think this person meant to do that, but also, I didn't get the feeling her conversations with me were well planned out. On Tuesday, she discussed something about a 6-month time frame, how I may have to be put on long-term disability (WTF?!) and how she needs to talk with my boss, and how she's sure they'll hold my job for me (again, WTF?!!). On Wednesday, she was all about making sure I was doing ok and not overdoing things and thus, I would not be allowed to work from home, and that I had to stick to the schedule my doctor had ordered of 4 hours 3 days per week. Long story, short, I got a revised written return to work order from my doctor that includes "work from home as tolerates" so that I can get my job done. It seems incredible that I have to argue to put in more work hours.

One thing I really messed up on was not keeping track of any of the hours I've been working from home all this time since my first surgery. I felt, after that conversation, like I would need the proof. And that sucks.

This person also kept saying how she wouldn't want me to have a relapse. Um... hello... I had an infection. Serious, sure, but an infection. Not a disease. My blood test Monday shows it's ALL GONE. Once it's gone, it's gone. No relapse potential there. The only thing I have to worry about seems to be pain management.

Things have kinda been crappy at work lately, meaning the shit's hit the fan on some of my stuff... Consequently, I worked from home yesterday from about 6:30am to 6:30pm with very few breaks. So today has been all about pain management. I sure did overdo it on Wednesday, but that health services chick stressed me out Tuesday morning and it was all downhill from there.

Anyway, I won and can get work done from home. I'm hoping to take a couple of weeks to ease back into it and then charge ahead. Fingers crossed.

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We built our house 15 years ago, and yesterday we finally got our downstairs (basement) carpeted. YAY! We have a big room down there, about 42' x 18', plus the stairs going down. We got a gorgeous piece of carpet with a wonderful thick padding, all very expertly installed, plus an edged 15' x 12' carpet remnant (rug) which I'm putting into our laundry room, for about $1,500. And that, my friends, was a spectacular deal. Turns out that Mike's family is super good friends with the folks that own Magic Carpet in Bay City, so he hooked us up. If you're in the Tri-City area and need carpet or any kind of flooring, check out Magic Carpet, 1112 Garfield Avenue, Bay City, MI, (989) 894-2857. The installation was excellent, too.

After the guys put the pad down, Kevin said he could tell a difference downstairs... quiet and nice.

I kinda freaked Kevin out on Sunday and decided we needed to paint the walls before the carpet was installed on Wednesday. Kev had previously painted the walls Eggshell White or some other Standard White Blah Color. Joyce and I picked out "Apricot Butter" and bought 4 gallons on Monday. Kevin, Joycie and Sammy got it all done in good time before Wednesday, and it looks wonderful. Warm and wonderful.

Now they have to move the furniture back out from the laundry room and my craft room, along with the ping pong table and the air hockey table, and... the piano (ugh). I can't wait to see it all put back together... but first, Kev has to finish putting the trim up. He had planned to work on that today, but he ended up working a 16-hour shift yesterday, so all he did today before going back into work at 3:30pm is sleep. There's no big rush, anyway. My 10-pound lifting limit is no longer in effect; I have no restrictions... but I'm gonna let them move all that stuff!

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I finally got a clear glaze coat on some pottery projects that I did way, way before my first surgery. I picked them up at Space Studios on Monday, and I'm so happy, happy, happy. I'm looking forward to getting into pottery again. Space Studios started a new thing called a Clay Club. I'm so excited! And of course, I'm already a member. I'll post photos of my stuff that's done soon.

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The beavers have recently been at it again, and they plugged up the tube at the end of our road causing a flood back there. Our ditch was getting really full, and I kept forgetting to call the Road Commission... but someone noticed, and the big trucks were out there Monday. It was amazing how quickly that water flowed out and the ditch level and creek level dropped. I don't know for sure how many times the beavers have done this, it's been enough that I've lost count. They love to plug up that gigantic tube.

The road commission did a great job, and then they smoothed out our dirt/lightly graveled road. Then some dumb asses on ATVs spent a lot of time Monday evening tearing the road up and doing brodies up and down it, and at the end of our driveway. Nice.

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I have been taking tons of bird photos again. Or still, I should say. I have been enjoying that bird feeder so much. I'll be posting some pretty cool photos soon... just have to sort through the hundreds I've taken. Ha! What I've really enjoyed lately is watching the birds go at each other, it's like a constant sparring contest out there. A comical sparring contest. Though there is one baby Rose-breasted Grosbeak that's positively vicious.

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I heard a super funny gay joke the other day. Normally, I hate jokes that target one specific group of people because those jokes are typically degrading in some way. Except blonde jokes. I mean, yes, they're usually degrading, but I don't hate those... coz they're funny! Although I feel compelled to point out here that a very good friend of mine is a true, natural blonde; she's an accountant and very analytical and very, very smart (Hi, Tami!). So I'm not saying those blonde jokes are stereotypical of natural blondes, mostly bleached blondes, methinks.

Anyway, the town I live in is the usual middle America thing. Conservative to a fault. In fact, at our local mall, which is not that large, there is a kids' play area in the middle of the mall near the food court. The Victoria's Secret store is moving from one location in the mall to a store whose front is near the center of the mall. Oh, the uproar! Because it's near the kids' play area. They called Victoria's Secret "soft porn." Oy. Our town is also known as "The City of Churches." For good reason, there's a lot of them.

The company I work for does something great, though... it offers employees the option to cover their "domestic partners" under their medical insurance. This would include whoever it is they are in a long-term live-in relationship with but are not married to... which could be a gay partner or a hetero partner who chooses not to marry. I applaud this heartily. Some folks don't. Of course, Michigan doesn't allow gay marriage, like most states. I think that is such a huge load of crap. I believe if 2 people love each other and want to get married and enjoy all the benefits that legal agreement implies, then they should be able to do so, no matter who or what they are. I also know I'm in the minority on that opinion in the town where I live. I also know some friends and family likely don't agree with me either, but... I'm right. It's not fair to deny a person the same legal rights as everyone else simply because they have a different thought process and emotional response than you may have. It reminds me of the struggles the African-Americans had back in the 1960's to get their rights. I wasn't that old, but I remember the riots in Detroit and being very afraid it would come to our town. It made an impression on me, and basically it sucks that it had to take riots to get the job done. Hey, here's a thought... maybe parades aren't enough?... (just kidding!, I'm no advocate of violence)

If one can believe the statistics, then our town has plenty of gay people. There are some that are open about it. But there has to be a lot more that are not... because a good percentage of our town isn't holding it's arms wide open to embrace the gay lifestyle. I am, c'mon over for dinner! And bring your mom's ex-husband's half-brother's daughter's adopted child with you, ok?! As long as they're not a porn star, that is. (I do have some hangups. Apparently porn stars are not welcome at my house for dinner.)

Anyway, back to the joke. To my usually inept recollection, it goes something like this... and what the heck, I am localizing it just for fun:

There were 2 gay men walking along the Rail Trail together near Emerson Park. Coming towards them was a jogger; a young, gorgeous blonde built like a brick shit house. The 2 men watched her. One of the men was especially attentive, and after she passed by, turned to his partner and said, "When I see a woman like that, it makes me wish I was a lesbian!"

This can't be good

You can't fix stupid

My sister, Janet, sent the story below to me by e-mail, and it's awesome... enjoy!

First-year students at Cornell University Vet school were receiving their first anatomy class, with a real dead cow.

They all gathered around the surgery table with the body covered with a white sheet. The professor started the class by telling them, "In Veterinary Medicine it is necessary to have two important qualities as a doctor: The first is that you not be disgusted by anything involving the animal body."

For an example, the Professor pulled back the sheet, stuck his finger in the butt of the dead cow, withdrew it and stuck it in his mouth. "Go ahead and do the same thing," he told his students.

The students freaked out, hesitated for several minutes, but eventually took turns sticking a finger in the anal opening of the dead cow and sucking on it.

When everyone finished, the Professor looked at them and said, "The second most important quality is observation. I stuck in my middle finger and sucked on my index finger. Now learn to pay attention. Life's tough, but it's even tougher if you're stupid."

All about our Mike

Joycie's boyfriend, Mike, finished a project he's been working on since last October. He has rebuilt a 1999 Chevy S10 Blazer that previously belonged to his brother. Mike's brother had rolled it & totaled it. The roof was crushed and just about every other major body part was damaged. I didn't get to see it in the "before" stage, but here it is after all of Mike's hard work...



Pretty freakin' amazing, isn't it? Mike did an excellent job. Not a bad photo, either, considering it was overcast and raining lightly at the time.

Mike still has a few more things to do on it, like put on a new front bumper, detail cleaning, adjust the headlights... but the bulk of the work is finished. Kevin and I were so impressed, and we're so very proud of Mike, too. Joycie was very happy for him; she knows how much work it was for Mike and how much it has meant to him to get it done. Mike is happy, too, and those 2 lovebirds are pretty happy together...







Mike did the work on his Blazer at the Bay-Arenac Skill Center, where he also used the tools there to build this beautiful metal-work stand for Joycie.





Note the lovely hearts on the top. These 2 photos are before Joycie and Mike primed and painted it. They got a round glass top for it, and Joycie will put it in her bedroom next to her big, comfy chair. It's a beautiful piece that she'll treasure always. Mike's workmanship on it is excellent, especially considering it was his first experience with the tools that bend the metal. The boy has a natural knack, working with tools, using his hands and his creativity.

The photo below was one that Joycie sent to me from her cell phone when they were on their vacation in Florida in early April. When I received the photo from her, I had a little, tiny heart attack... for a split-second there I thought Mike went and got a tattoo in Florida, like so many young adults do! My Joycie girl can be a little stinker sometimes. It was fake. Whew.



I don't know why, so I cannot explain it, but I don't want Joycie, or Mike, or Sammy, either, to ever get a tattoo. I know it's a super popular thing to do, but as for me... I'm agin it.

Fox update

I was at my folks' about a week or so ago, and the momma fox had her pups outside the den. They're getting so big and feisty. While I was taking photos, the pups were running around and wrestling with each other. Occasionally, they'd try to wrestle with their momma, but she wasn't having any of it. I spent about a half hour just watching and taking a kazillion photos, and it was awesome. My camera's zoom is 12x, which is ok, but I didn't want to get too close to the den... so following are a few of the best shots I got. I like the 2nd photo below where I caught one of the pups mid-pounce at his brother...









My Mom told me that one time she watched the momma fox climb up to the top of the wood pile while her pups were out and playing around. Mom figures, and rightly so I'm sure, that the momma fox was trying to stay close to her offspring but also get away from them for a bit just for a break. A mother would understand that feeling (especially my Mom who is the mother of 5 kids!).

I talked with my Mom yesterday, and she said the pups are looking like foxes now. Kids, they grow up so quickly...

Promenade 2008

My nephew, Michael, is a senior this year, graduating from high school... in ultra grand style. I've mentioned before that he won a prestigious scholarship; he is also Valedictorian of his class.

Michael has not been one for attending the formal dances at his high school, usually just not his style, but I was happy to learn he was going to his senior prom. And oh my heck, did the boy look good in his tux...



My sister, Kathy (his momma), and I got to join Michael and his friends at his friend, Rachel's, house before the prom to take photos. It's a really good group of kids, and don't they all look beautiful...



That staircase shot was fun. The boys all lined up from tallest to shortest on the steps (notice that Michael is at the top), and so the girls did, too, so they weren't necessarily standing with their respective dates. None of them cared. I think most of them were going with a friend as a date, not a romantic interest. Michael and one of his best friends, Aiyana, went together...



Aiyana's dress was beautiful, and she looked gorgeous...



Michael was in a good mood and took all the photography & posing pretty well, for the most part...



This is Michael and another very good friend, Rachel (at her house). Michael and Rachel, along with other friends in the group, are on the high school Forensics team. (They have state finals this weekend.) Both Michael and Rachel have done very well in Forensics.



I even got Michael to pose with his momma...



And with his insistent, pesky aunt (me)...



It was fun to go take photos there; all the girls looked beautiful. The boys did, too, but the girls and their colorful dresses and fancy up-dos and sparkly jewelry are what makes a prom.

Ever wonder why it's called a "prom"? I figured it was short for promenade, and Wiki agrees. It was interesting to learn that calling it a "prom" is a very American thing.

At our high school, the Prom is always held in the Spring, prior to graduation. We don't have a "junior" and a "senior" prom; this is the Senior Prom. I believe to purchase tickets, one must be a junior or a senior, so if a freshman or sophomore attend, then they must be a date of a junior or senior. It is usually the junior class that "hosts" the Senior Prom; so it's up to that class to handle the fund-raising for the event... which they are supposed to do throughout their high school years. Michael's class hosted Joycie's Prom last year. His class didn't do very well at fund-raising, and that prom took place at the high school. Usually, it is a more elegant venue. Michael's Senior Prom was at a The Skyroom at our local airport, and that's a nice place to hold a prom. Our high school names only a Prom Queen, not a king. Nominations are made and voting occurs the week of prom, with the Queen announced at the event. Our high school also holds another formal dance during the school year, and that one takes place in Autumn; it's called "Homecoming" and it's held during football season. Homecoming was always usually less formal than prom, but it seems lately it's become just as much of a formal event as prom.

With Joycie's senior prom last year, I thought her prom days were over... but her and Mike are going to his senior prom next weekend. Her dress is beautiful; it's a gorgeous shade of kelly green. I told her yesterday that she looks like an elvish princess in it; she told me to be quiet. It is a good color on her, though. I'm looking forward to taking more photos. Mike and Joycie are joining a big group of Mike's friends, and Joycie knows some of them. I would think it would be a little nerve wracking to go and not know most of the people at the prom, but Mike's high school is so big, no one knows everyone there. (Unlike our high school, where everyone knows everyone!) Anyway, as long as Joycie's with Mike, she'll have a good time.

And as for the Forensics finals, I wish I could go! But it's being held in a city that's a few hours' drive away, and I just can't make that kind of road trip yet (with my neck still causing me pain, especially since I'm almost completely off the Vicodin... yay! but the pain is worse for it... boo hiss). I didn't get to see Michael do any of his Forensics competitions this year, and he was taking first at every event. He has a good chance of doing super well at state finals. I think he's also planning to be participate in Forensics at CMU; hope so, because then I can hopefully see him compete again. I'm so proud of my nephew, Michael!

Congratulations, Alana!

My niece, Alana, graduated from Alma College on Saturday, April 19th, with a Bachelor of Science, major in Biology... pre-med with plans to be a Physician's Assistant. Alana was Valedictorian of her high school graduating class, and I believe I heard that her GPA at Alma was either 4.0 or darn close to it. She's a smart one, my niece, Alana. And beautiful, too...





This is my brother, Jim, my sister-in-law, Sue, Alana's parents, and my nephew, James together.



James is a senior in high school this year, so we'll be having another graduation celebration soon.

Alma College is a private college and very well respected in this area. Very expensive, too, but Alana's excellent scholarships helped to cut the cost. A Bachelor of Science degree from Alma is no small accomplishment. Kudos to Alana!

My sister, Janet, and my brother-in-law, Bob, hosted a family barbecue to celebrate Alana's graduation. Janet is super great that way... she's an excellent party planner, and their home is perfect for a family barbecue. The weather was perfect, and the party was so much fun. Since Janet & Bob had the party at their house, 2 minutes away from our house, I was able to go to it (my brother and sister-in-law live an hour away, and I wouldn't have been able to make that long of a road trip back in mid-April, since I was really sick that week). Lots of food and lots of laughter...





I'm not really sure what point Janet was making in this photo below, but you can be sure it was valid... and isn't she just so cute... and notice Bob in the background with that grin on his face...



This is my eldest niece, Susan, Janet & Bob's daughter, for whom the cell phone was invented...



and this is her son, Rogan, who is adorable beyond belief...



All in all, it was a really wonderful day, and I can't believe it took me this long to do a blog post about it.