Happy New Year, Y'all

Here I sit, on new year's eve, with my old cat Pixie, watching a rerun of Countdown with Keith Olbermann. You may remember, if you've been paying attention, that I wrote the first entry in this blog back in April with my old cat Pixie. We stick together, us old gals with no social life. My nutty husband is in Miami for the Orange Bowl. We sent our Hokies down there to play some ball. Our baby is at the river home of one of his buddies. Thus, the nest is once again empty.

I had lunch today with my big brother who can be a lot of fun when he is not acting like an ideological neanderthal. We were talking about the torrent of weird and wacky events of 2008 and how it just won't quit. The governor of Illinois comes along just when you think it's safe to come out of your cave. And all these Bush people are now stepping forward to confirm what we've thought all along about our hapless President. Life in the USA is like that carnival game Whack-a-mole. And we're the moles.

Did you read about the flood in Tennessee when the retaining wall around a coal ash sludge pit collapsed? Almost as fascinating as the mud volcano in Indonesia. Gee, could we have just a tiny bit more regulation from the folks in charge of mining? Could we put some folks in charge of mining?

Happily, here comes 2009 and a chance for us to straighten up and fly right. We can do better than this. Yes we can. Let's git-r-dun, y'all.

Berry Christmas

On Sunday the 21st, the winter solstice, I took photos of winter berries. I thought you'd like to see them as you celebrate the holidays.

Cheers to all.

Sinking in a Sea of Mud

I read a fascinating article in Friday's New York Times about a giant mud sea forming in Indonesia. It seems that exploratory drilling for natural gas set off a chain of geologic events resulting in the rapidly expanding sea of mud. Villages and towns have been inundated, with 60,000 people fleeing their homes. Scientists see no end to the growing volcano of mud. Because of a tremendous rise in respiratory illness in nearby residents, scientists fear that the toxic stew may be carcinogenic and lead to a health crisis in 5 to 10 years. The company responsible, Lapindo Brantas, blames an earthquake for the catastrophe, while a panel of 74 petroleum geologists have found that inadequate safeguards during drilling is the cause of the eruption. Payments to those who have lost their homes and jobs have been slow, and there are doubts that full restitution will ever be made due to the global economic downturn. Lapindo Brantas is indirectly owned by one of the richest families in Indonesia.

Since the first eruption in 2006, there have been more than 90 others, with mud bursting from the ground at unexpected times and places, including inside of people's homes.

I know you are thinking, why is she writing about this? Well, I have always been fascinated by geologic events like sinkholes, and this is one giant sinkhole with the added thrill of forceful explosions of mud. Did I mention that the ground is sinking by as much as 40 feet per year? Is this a sci-fi movie writing itself or what??

Maybe it's just me, but I can see parallels with our current economic sinkhole. Every day brings new distress signals with what feels like no end in sight. Rich people, and greedy people who wanted to be rich, kept drilling into the money supply with no safeguards, while the people who were supposed to be regulating were planning the purchase of their second or third homes or luxury vacations. Now we have what feels like a mudflow threatening to overtake our factories, our offices, our big box (and little box) retail outlets, our malls (maybe not such a bad idea), and our way of life generally. I realize this sounds hysterical, but I think the imagery is appropriate.

I'd love to include the photo of the eruption site but can't figure out how to copy it, so just follow the link above to see the article and photo. I guarantee you'll be fascinated too.

All Hail the First Born Son

hey fans, today is the day in 1979 that I gave birth to our first born son, Jacob Scott Woody. I'll spare you the gruesome details of that birth (actually not gruesome at all) and just say that being parents is the greatest joy of our life. Looking at the zillion photos of that first born child reminds me of what a great ride it has been living with him for 29 years, and with his totally awesome brothers. And their super dad. Yes, we are indeed award winningly fabulous people.

I have made a slide show of Jake's first year, realizing of course that the others will want their own slide show and I better start scrounging around for pictures now because after the first-born, you really cut way back on the picture-taking. Correction, one of the photos is of Jake and his new baby brother Pete. Life is sweet when you get your first baby brother.

Please enjoy the show, over on the right, click on a photo to enlarge to a full screen. Thank God for scanners ... and children.

Happy birthday, Jake.

love, mom

Roomba Driver

Hey everybody, the Crazy Cat Lady wants you to see this video becuz the cat looks just like one of her best cats, Rosebud (RIP). Notice the tail dragging ... I think this cat may be drugged. Enjoy!!

Saturday night blogging

I don't know about you folks but I'm getting whiplash from all the bad economy news. I walked into Home Depot today and wondered if it would still be there a year from now. I went into Circuit City yesterday and didn't wonder if it would be here next year. We bought a TV there; will that help?

About 2 weeks ago, I heard something very disturbing on C-Span's Washington Journal. It seems that my nutty husband and I are responsible for the collapse of our economy. Before I get to that, did you know that all the crackpots and wingnuts have C-Span's call-in show on speed dial? Oh yes, and I listen in the mornings between 7 and 7:30 am when they call in to alert everyone to the real agenda of that muslim fellow we just elected, and how hateful libruls are. It's important to know what that crowd is thinking. If you can call it that.

So, this fellow calls in railing about the cause of the economic collapse, which can be blamed totally on folks who bought Japanese cars in the 70s. Hold the phone, Gertrude. That would be us. Yes, dear readers, the purchase of Datsun B210 in 1976 has brought America to the brink of ruin. I'm so sorry. How could we have known? We were just dumbs kids looking for cheap, reliable transportation. A car that would last 10 years and not be gas-hoggy. We achieved our goal. I swear we weren't trying to ruin the country.

Here's a picture of the crime car:

The geese were not involved. The photo was taken in 1978 when we lived on a farm outside of Lexington, Ky.

Shop sensibly everyone. Don't buy any gift cards. Too risky.

The torch has flickered out

Today I had to remove my once-beautiful tithonia rotundiflora from the front yard flower bed. It is hard for me at this time of year to get rid of plants that have given me so much pleasure over the summer and through the fall. This is an annual plant, also called the mexican sunflower or torch plant. It was well worth the buck I spent on the packet of seeds. I had never grown it before and the picture on the seed packet captured my attention. The seeds were slow to germinate so I was pleased to have 3 or 4 plants make it to adulthood. They grew to almost 6 feet tall and attracted lots of bees and butterflies. I hope the mailman enjoyed them as they created a lovely backdrop to the mailbox. In an earlier posting I called them lithonia, but I found the remains of the seed packet and saw that I had mis-remembered their name. I always leave a seed packet or tag in the ground when I plant something new. When I cleared away the stalks, I left a bunch of seed pods in the soil to see if anything will come up next year. It is supposed to get cold this week so soon the nasturtiums will need to be removed. I couldn't bear to rip those up just yet. I did remove some dried hydrangeas and cut down some of the large branches remaining of the defunct rhododendron. I don't know what happened to it, but it put on a spectacular show this spring. Maybe that wore it out. I won't dig it up just yet; I am hoping for a spring rejuvenation. Please enjoy the tithonia rotundiflora one more time.

Thank a veteran today -- and every day

Election Day USA

As I told a friend recently, I have been as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs over this election. I am now back from voting and can say that I really do feel better now.

I have been imagining all the things that can go wrong -- misreading the ballot or tripping and accidentally pressing the wrong button or oversleeping -- all those crazy dreams you have about exams. Sheesh, I am way too old for this stuff.

At my precinct ,the wait was about 45 minutes. I have voted at this location for 21 years and have never had to wait. I arrived a few minutes after 6 a.m. As I looked at the other folks, I tried to guess which way they'd be voting, but I gave that up because anymore you just don't know who is really mad at Bush and taking it out on McCain, and who thinks Obama will bring on a reign of terror including killing all the white folks. No wonder I'm exhausted.

I feel pretty silly about all this emotion but then I talk to other folks and find that they feel the same way. It's a national craze apparently.

I don't have anything bad to report about my voting experience. I walked to the school where I vote and one of my socks slid down in my shoe; that was really the only unpleasant thing I have to report. As I was leaving after voting, the PTA mothers were arriving with their bake sale goodies, a tradition at this school. I hope they make thousands of dollars this year.

Enjoy the day and remember that long lines are a good thing, a sign of democracy at work.

On November 3rd, 1989 ...

... we were blessed with our third son, Christopher. Today he turns 19. We are proud of him for all he has achieved and for the fine young man he has become. He is off at college learning to make good choices and solve problems, and maybe study a little bit too. Oh, and have some fun in his spare time. Love you, son.

Here is an interesting historical note. Chris' first trip out of the house as a 4 day old was to the elementary school our older sons attended. We went for our parent-teacher conferences and to vote. In that election, Virginians elected the first African-American governor in our country. Who knows, maybe Virginians will do something equally historic at this year's election.

Early Voting Bad for Rich Crabby White Men

people, don't clutter up the polls with your whiny early voting. Fred Barnes knows you don't have a valid reason to vote early, so stay the hell out of his way.

Our new yard sign

I'm very excited to learn that there is a klan rally this evening at a high school not far from my house. I'd love to go (my robes are cleaned and ironed) but that would require me to get up off the sofa for an extended period of time. Not gonna happen.

I could take my "librarians against Palin" bumpersticker and see if she'd sign it for me. Now that would be a keepsake worth having.

I was amused to read that Ms. VP was upset that her first amendment rights were violated when reporters reported that her comments were received negatively by some folks. She felt that reporters were violating (violatin') her free speech rights. Silly girl. It's the second amendment that protects yer right to shoot off yer mouth.

She really will need to keep these amendments straight in her mind. Doesn't she know the VP is in charge of the constitution?

I'm going back to my nap now. Wake me in time to vote please.

Saturday night at the movies

good stuff here


some more good stuff


and one more for the road

Miscellaneous Thoughts

I should be doing other things but I've got some questions. Any answers out there?

*If we give that pretty lady from Alaska all the clothes and accessories, and whatever's left of the makeup, will she please go home now?

*Why is it that (most) people who go to an Obama rally come away excited and optimistic, and (some) people come away from the McCain/Palin rallies looking for someone to beat up?

*Alan Greenspan didn't know that humans are greedy? Huh? Where's he been? I'm searching for an Ayn Rand photo to insert here.

*Will the next president do anything to stop mountaintop removal in WVa?

*What will happen to all those signing statements after Bush leaves office?

*Is it OK to be pleased with Colin Powell's moving endorsement of Obama and scathing indictment of the McCain campaign, and still be mad at him for what he did at the UN? How can I hold these 2 thoughts in my head at the same time?

*Is there a downside to early voting? I like it but worry that somehow all those early votes might get misplaced.

*Does having a camera and mic in front of you make you stupid and angry? Sure are a lot of folks saying stupid things these days. I wonder how I would behave if a roving reporter asked me what was on my mind right now.

*Will the Commonwealth of Virginia know that I've got an Obama button on under my jacket when I go to vote? Do you think they'll have metal detectors?

*Will it be possible to get the foxes out of the henhouse? I'm listening to Bill Moyers interview James K. Galbraith about the sad state of our "corporate republic".

*Will my big brother read this and get mad?

Good night all, xoxo

Good Grief, I Forgot To Write About Pete

My favorite child had his birthday on the 17th and I forgot to acknowledge it. What kind of mother am I?? He's not really my favorite, of course, they are all wonderful. However, Pete does give the best presents of all my children. He's busy with graduate school and his social life, so he probably doesn't check my blog very often. It's not like he has the Empty Nest on his feed page where he can check it every hour to see what's new. Shoot, we aren't even friends on Facebook. And forgetting to write about him here isn't nearly as egregious as forgetting to pick him up from the babysitter's house one evening years ago. I wonder if he noticed.

So here's a slightly late shout-out to good old Pete, 26 years young. As I told him on the phone yesterday (see, I am not completely thoughtless) I am glad I gave birth to him, and I think it worked out well for both of us.

Princess Evie Comes To Town

I was going to write something about how sick and tired I am of bloviating windbags and this whole blasted campaign, can't we just have the damn election now and be done with it, but then baby Evie came to see me and for a few hours I forgot about cross burning and lynching and whatever else those crazy-assed rethuglicans are up to.

Evie is nearly 3 months old and starting to be a little more open to being sociable. Maybe, she's thinking, this crazy old broad leaning over me is not so bad. Evie seems to like it when my too-long bangs hang over my face while I change her diaper. That really tickled her. Or maybe it was feeling the breeze on her private parts that made her laugh. We'll never know.

Enjoy these photos if you aren't too wrapped up in figuring out who to vote for. It's tough, I know.

With big brother Peyton, right before their heads smacked together resulting in serious wailing from the Princess

Forget about politics, look at this:

Betty White On The Late Late Show, Craig Furgeson, 10-06-08

Betty White Rocks! You go girl!

Dear Diary

I am so ashamed to be such a bad blogger. But I do have a good excuse. I changed jobs and retired. Or I retired and got a new job. I don't know, I'm so confused. It all happened so fast.

Let me back up and start over. Last March I completed 30 years of service in the Virginia Retirement System. This means I could retire with full benefits. I have been rolling that idea around in my head for some time, as the benefits are kind of nice and there is no real reason to wait to collect; in other words, the monthly benefit does not increase if you wait to retire.

But, being a young-ish person, and having a child in college makes it kind of hard to be without full-time employment. I do like working. I just wanted to work somewhere else, doing something else.

I learned about a job as the records manager at a law firm. It sounded like a hard job, and I really was not looking for a hard job, since I have been working for 30 years now, doggone it, but my husband said I should go on the interview to at least find out about it. So I did. It sounded interesting and I was invited back for a second interview. All went well with that one. They made an offer, I said I need x amount of money and they said OK. Next thing I know, I am filling out retirement papers, and telling the people I work with that I am leaving. Golly, that was hard. By my last week on the job, I was an emotional and physical wreck. Also around this time, I hurt my shoulder, so I was not in good shape at all. And I only had 4 days off between jobs. People, if you do this, take as much time as you can between jobs. Trust me on this.

During my "retirement", I visited my son at college and 3 three grandchildren. Here are some photos:

I hope you will forgive me for not writing in almost a month. I promise to be regular after this.

I enjoy my new job and think it will be a good fit. I left behind some very fine people and that was much harder than I thought it would be. I thank them for their support and kind words during this time.

Enough with the Birthday Already

Hello, I was going to write something silly about the Woody family fleece competition, but with all the bad financial news today, it seemed disrespectful. Lots of people are getting fleeced, and lots more can't afford fleeces, so perhaps I should find another topic.

Briefly, since now your interest is no doubt piqued, I was shopping on Saturday (my president wants me to) and saw a nice chocolately brown fleece jacket, marked down, and thought "I'm going to buy this just to make Paul jealous. And it's kind of cute. And such a bargain."

My nutty, adorable husband loves fleeces and has a lot of them. Can't resist a bargain. Has more than needed in our temperate climate. And now he has me doing it.

I did buy it, and now I have the new chocolately brown one, plus my 2 reds, a lime green, and a dark green. Is that too many?

Just so you'll get your money's worth out of this posting, I'd like to share a writer I have discovered, Will Durst, whose work I found on a funny website called 23/6. Meet Will here.

Selfishly, I hope it gets cold soon so I can wear my new fleece.

9-9-53

Hello all, today is my birthday, the day we get to celebrate me. All things me. Me Me Me. Get your own blog if you want to celebrate you.

I made a slide show of .... me.

Have a great day thinking about me.

Happy Days are Here Again!

I feel that I should give equal time to the Republican National Convention, in the interest of fair play and of course to show that there is no bias at the Empty Nest.

So, what about that convention!! My heart is still racing. Woo wee. Where to begin??

Oh, WTF, this says it all.

Janet for VP!

Well. I have been wondering lately what other kinds of work I might be able to do. I have worked as a librarian for 30 years and as wonderful as that has been (no, really) it might be fun to do something else.

I learned last week that I can be Vice-President of the United States.

How you say?

I was active in the Crestview Elementary School PTA for 15 years. I was president twice. I took just about any job that needed to be done, as we were a small but devoted group. I managed the Reading is Fundamental program for 15 years and did other PTA stuff simultaneously. Heck, I managed the school halloween carnival a couple of times, which must be equal to commanding a state national guard without the advantage of carrying a loaded weapon.

On the pro-life front, I declined to have amniocentesis as an elderly expectant mother. Thirty-five makes you elderly and at risk. Amniocentesis is scary business; they stick a big needle into your baby place at 20 weeks along. That is halfway to having a baby. The test itself has risks. I thought at 20 weeks, we are having this baby and we will deal with any complications as they are revealed. We were blessed with another healthy baby who just went off to college. So, come on, don't I get some family values credit for that decision?

So how about it: Janet for VP!

What's that? I have to be republican?

Never mind.

Dispatch from the Sofa #2

I did not plan to watch much of the Democratic National Convention. I thought I might check in once in a while to see who was speaking. After all, I am fine with all the candidates and surely I would have better things to do.

Well, it seems that I spent at least 20 hours watching the doggone thing. Now that my nest is empty, I have strong affinity for comatosity on the sofa. There's a big dent in it that mirrors my distinctive shape.

Here are my thoughts on this subject:

-Thank God for C-SPAN

-nutty husband and I agree that it would be fun to be delegates. Maybe in 2012 ...

-Uncle Teddy Kennedy paid a high price in physical discomfort to make the trip and walk up on that stage. That is one serious Democrat. I hope he is able to attend the inauguration with a big fat smile on his face.

-Caroline Kennedy makes me sad, although she is certainly accomplished and poised. How much tragedy should one person have to bear?

-Mark Warner was better than I thought he would be, as was Tim Kaine, although I missed most of his speech when I took a break to floss my teeth.

-Who said it: "that's not a maverick - that's a sidekick." "No way, no how, no McCain", "I want a president who cares more about Barney Smith than Smith Barney." "Before he debates Barack Obama, he should finish the debate with himself." "I thought I'd be standing here with Floyd Little"

-a mass of American flags waving in the evening breeze is quite lovely.

-it was the best lovefest since Woodstock: kissing, hugging, white people dancing crazy dances

-If I were to have a little girl, I'd name her Sasha

-I may have a crush on Michelle Obama. Photos here.

-I really do need to get a life now.

School Supplies

For 23 years I have enjoyed shopping for school supplies. That's right, folks. Twenty-three (23) years of wandering the aisles looking for the perfect ink pens, notebooks, backpack, pencil case, whatever the teacher told us to get. The teachers are all powerful when it comes to following the lists. Not only do I like messing with office supplies, I treasure the time I get to spend with the child whose list we are working on. So, I admit to being a bit sad about being out of the school supply business this year.

The young lad going off to college finally acknowledged a few days before departure that perhaps there were a few things he could use. I grabbed my keys and debit card. "Is there a list?" I asked sarcastically, knowing that there's no list in college. Duh. Wait ... why yes, he had received a list from his major land grant Division 1 university. Yippee! Happy days are here again.

We went to Target because other things were needed, so Office Max alone wouldn't do. I was not impressed with their selection of school supplies, but you know, by this time in the college prep process, I have only a finite amount of energy left for shopping. Whatever we didn't get today can be gotten in Blacksburg.

We didn't find fans at Target (forgot to look actually, my bad), so we stopped at K-Mart near our house. I really really hate this particular K-mart, would rather have a colonoscopy than go there, but the boy needed a fan. We got 2 dinky ones and escaped quickly from this den of retail inequity.


We loaded the car:













Said goodbye the cats:

And took off for college.

All went well. We left him there on Thursday and went to Roanoke to spend the night. After dawdling all Friday morning and visiting my nutty husband's uncle, we called the college boy to set up a farewell visit. "You need anything?", I asked. "Yes, hangers." "They have those in the book store, I saw them yesterday". A long silence ensued. "Do you want me to bring you some hangers?". "Yes".

There are some things best left to mom. Thank God I am still good for something.

Why not cows?

We go to college tomorrow. Yesterday we saw some nice cows. Life is just one thrill after another for us. Please enjoy my bovine subjects.

Red State Update: McCain Can't Work Internet

Dunlap's got it goin' on. This is why I love the Internets.

Dispatch from the Sofa

This morning I am at home, as I don't go to work until 12:30. I am teaching a class this fall for Catholic University's graduate library school, so I am supposed to be working on that. I have done one or two little things, but keep getting stymied as passwords don't work or files aren't where they are supposed to be. My course is mostly online, so all the files have to be online. When I got discouraged with this enterprise, I decided to lie on the sofa for a minute or two. I have recently, and very wisely, decided to locate my office in our living room, which happens to house a fabulously comfortable sofa. Lying there, with my grand-dog nearby, was very pleasant. Until ... WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SMELL? It's making my eyes water. Damn it. The damn dog has gas.

The damn dog is here with us for a week while her parents (my son and his wife) take their 3 precious bundles to the beach. Jake called about 2 weeks ago to tell me they'd rented a beach house. I thought to myself, gosh, he's going to invite us to visit them! Wrong. Could we keep the dog?

My nutty husband loves the dog, and I don't really mind her, so I said yes. Well, the nutty husband is off doing his job which involves watching professional football players knock each other over for fun and profit, which leaves me to deal with the dog and her highly toxic gastrointestinal system. Man, this dog needs one of those nuclear radiation warning signs.

Since I'm not getting any work done, I thought I'd photograph the dog. She is impossible to photograph as she never stays still. Meet Buttercup, radioactive chesapeake bay retriever:











I had to hold her still with my feet.
I was on the sofa.







Hah! Now the crafty dog is on the sofa!

Dispatch from Boat 200

I went kayaking today, at 5:45 am, with my seal team regatta. All of our boats have numbers; mine is 200.

Today we learned some new strokes and just paddled around a bit. There were also seal team swimmers nearby, so we watched what they were doing. We had to get out of our boats and get back in, and go underneath our boats. I had to cheat a little bit. A lot actually. Don't report me.

We rowed over to a scruffy little island and got out of our boats. Actually we got out before reaching the island and pushed the boats to the shore. We left our boats clustered together but not secured. We swam away from them and learned to do the gator. The instructor yells gator and we all scramble to get out of the water as though being chased by a gator. There isn't a beach, mind you, just some shore line without trees. We did pretty well at this (even me, the senior member in the kayaking group); we saw a rope hanging nearby which was very tempting so we swung off of that rope to get back in the water. One at a time, of course. We aren't crazy you know.

hey, look over there ... those swimmers had stolen our little boats and were most of the way to the opposite bank. We swam towards them and guess what, it was gator time again. Back to the shore to scramble out. I was starting to feel my age by then so I was relieved that is was time to get back into the boats and row towards the boat landing. But first we had to learn to turn our boat in circles. I was quite good at that.

We paddled to shore and the sun was coming up over the downtown skyline, making a nice pink and yellow glow over everything. You don't get that at the gym.

Have a great day, no matter what you do.
Janet

It's Official - The Dog Days are Here

If I were a flower, I would look like this:

I feel all whiny and disagreeable, yet I must carry on. My people need me, even when my hair is damp and I've lost the power of coherent thought. Everything in my yard looks dead and crunchy. But wait, maybe I should take a closer look. Could there yet be life amongst the ruins?

thanks, I needed that

July 28 - Happy birthday honey

I am glad you were born, so I could have such a nice husband. I like your hipster glasses and your half-popped collar. You are a cool daddio. Happy birthday to you.

Does the baby have a daddy?

Several viewers of baby Evie's slide show wondered about the whereabouts of the father of the precious bundle. In my excitement I forgot him. And how often does that happen with a new baby? Poor dads get shoved to the side.

Here's Jake, an excellent father and son. (Jake's the older one on the left.) My goal for the day is to get a photo of mom, dad, and baby, all in the same frame.

my son Jake holding his new daughter Evie, next to his older son Jackson

The new baby arrives safely

Eva Claire is here now. And she is a girl. Mother and baby are doing well. She was born at 1:46 pm today, 7/23/08, weighs 8 lbs. 14 oz. and is 21 inches long. Why, that is nearly 2 feet tall! I can't wait to make her height mark on the pantry door.

Enjoy the slide show. As you will see, the big brothers are pleased with the outcome. As are the rest of us.

Here is a photo in case you can't stay for the whole show.

Grandma

We're Going to College

did you hear, Chris is coming to VT!

Just back from orientation at Virginia Tech. Hot there. Lot of walking. Good thing I'm not the one going to college.

We have an anxious child, and of course he was nervous when we got there. And who wouldn't be a little nervous about going to college. When we arrived on campus, I tried to lighten the mood by saying, as we looked across the big, big campus, "It's all yours, son." He didn't look like he thought much of that idea. I am happy to report that when we left, and he had his class schedule in hand, he looked and acted confident and assured. He'll be fine.

I was impressed by the beauty of the mountains in the early morning sun. I have ridden up and down I81 millions of times, but on this trip, the mountains made a big impression on me. All around were beautiful views, and at one point, I glanced in the side view mirror and was thoroughly distracted by the view behind us. Wow. We really do need to take better care of the planet, so these views are available for generations to come.

Tomorrow I go to take care of my two grandsons while their parents give birth to a new baby. They tell me it's a girl. We will know for sure soon. Wish us luck.

Kayak Update

On Thursday I ventured out on my little boat again. You will be happy to learn that I had a much better time and handled my boat with something close to competence. Yea me.

I have included a photo of the group of us who work out together. I participate in a fitness group called Seal Team Physical Training. We work out at 5:45 am on weekdays in various locations, including the James River. Our leader and CEO is a former Navy seal and this is the business he created after he left the Navy so that he could continue his own fitness level and have lots of people to yell at and boss around. We do a lot of pushups, situps, running, jumping, skipping, and we do things like buy kayaks and paddle around together. People of all ages and fitness levels participate, so don't be thinking I am buff or particularly fit or anything like that. I just slog along at the pack of the back and remain cheerful and reasonably obedient. Believe it or not, it is much more fun than the gym. It's amazing what the body can do.

Here is our photo; I am likely to be near the back of the pack, as always.

Willie Mays Blasting Caps Warning PSA

My old man and I were regaling the young lad at dinner with humorous accounts of our youthful television experiences. Naturally, Willie Mays and the blasting caps public service announcement came up. Here it is, from Youtube to the Empty Nest, because I want you to be extra careful when you are playing around construction sites.

Joni Mitchell-Chelsea Morning (1969)

A nice video of a nice song by a young and brilliant Joni.

Ups and Downs in the Garden

I haven't been back out on my little boat, so I have nothing to report other than I have not drowned.

It has been very hot and dry here and many of my plants have suffered. However, the last few days have been rainy, so perhaps there is hope for them after all.

I was thrilled to find 3 pumpkins growing on my pumpkin vines. The rain has caused them to grow right before my eyes. The two vines are growing toward each other, so maybe they will meet at some point.

hooray! pumpkins!

I was crushed to discover this evening that all of the nectarines are gone. Without a trace. As though they never existed. Whoever got them was very neat. What do you think: squirrels or birds? I am new to the nectarine business so I just don't know what to make of this.

no more nectarines!

Tomorrow I will take some more pictures so you will know the status of the nasturtiums, lavendar, and whatever looks interesting out there.