Layla at Camp

The last week has been exhausting. Not only is Jackie in the hospital, but John and his family headed to the beach for a baseball tournament that Zack was in, so I had the pleasure of Miss Layla's company. For those of you who don't remember, Layla is a Jack Russell, who loves to bark and play hide-n-seek. Well this week she thought she was the queen of "Puppy Porn". She had her way with both Harper and Winslow. Harper was having no part of it, Winslow on the other hand became her "Boy Toy".  She used him up, and he still had a smile on his face.



I better suggest to John & Chris that they start closing the bedroom door. :)

On A Lighter Note.....

Due to Jackie's dementia, she is under the impression she is in the hospital because she is about to deliver her 9th child. Rather than explain the real reason (for the 100th time), I decided to help her pick out some names. She loves Thomas and David for boys, and Anne for a girl. Who knows.... maybe triplets.

Jackie's in the Hospital

We have all been aware for some time that Jackie has not been herself, but when Donna went to take her to a Doctor's appointment on Tuesday, she found Jackie was bleeding from her bladder. Donna called 911 right away, and Jackie has been in the hospital since.
Donna called Kris, Kris called me and the testing began. When she entered the hospital they put a tube in to flush and cleanse. At the start the discharge was the color of (Kris's description) Merlot. By the time I left Wednesday, it was the color of fruit punch. Not as dark as earlier, but still enough blood to cause concern.
She had an ultrasound on Tuesday, a sonogram on Thursday and a cystoscopy on Friday.
Unfortunately, Kris was at the hospital alone when the news was brought to her that Jackie's bladder was infested with cancer. Kris called me with the news and broke down. I have been at the hospital for the last 2 days, and believe me when I tell I wish I had been there today when Kris got the news. I'm sure I would have made some off color joke to have made us both laugh.
Instead Kris got the news, and she was alone. It is so unfortunate that I have been there the last 2 days and my mom is probably totally unaware of my presence. Today, when Kris could have used a shoulder the most I wasn't there. For that I am truly sorry.

Idle Hands.....

Do you ever let your bangs grow just a bit too long? Not so long that anyone would notice, but just long enough to drive you crazy. Well mine were at that point, and how hard is it to trim bangs anyway? The secret is not to use a dull pair of scissors. After the first trim with the scissors from Dullsville, the end result was not one I was happy with. Maybe if I wet my bangs the dull scissors will go through them easier. Nope, actually made it worst. Okay, after that major mess, anyone with any intelligence would go next door where 15 professional hairdressers work. You know how I hate to ask for help, I can do this. Just a little here, and a snip there. My bangs now look exactly like they did for my 2nd grade photo, which I still haven't forgiven my mother for. Oh well... It'll grow back.

A Must Read

One of the great things about Terry is he has a passion for reading that almost matches mine.
He recently loaned me a book that I enjoyed thoroughly. It is "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
This is one of the passages, but in no way one of the better ones. It goes out to all us readers.
"The art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that the book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read , we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.
I am now putting "The Shadow of the Wind" in my Top Ten. Try it you'll like it.

Out of the Closet

My switching out winter for summer clothes was long overdue. Friday I got a phone call from Purple Heart looking for donations. It was just the jump start I needed. Opening my closet door is like walking into a teenager's room after she has tried everything on for a 1st date with the guy she has had a crush on since her freshman year. If a hanger doesn't avail itself, the piece I'm wearing usually ends up on the closet floor. When I run out of drawer space, you guessed it, a nice pile on the closet floor. So now that you have the picture in you head 10 times it and that is what I tackled this weekend.
I made 3 piles. Consignment, Purple Heart and dust rags.
The consignment pile consists of all the dresses that I got from a catalog for the perfect soiree.
Well, the soiree either never happened, or the dress looked alot better on the skinny-assed model then moi. Some of those items still had the tag on them. Those days are over.
The Purple Heart Items are gently used items or the size 14's that I plan never to be in again.
The dust rags are self explanatory. So far I have 2 large garbage bags for Purple Heart and 7 nice dresses for consignment. Next week maybe I'll tackle my drawers.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game.

All of the Colonel's children were taught baseball at a very young age. The older 4 grew up on the "Angels" in California, and the younger 4 with the Baltimore Orioles. Kathy, Brian and Jimmy actually were bat kids for the Orioles. Now this was back in the day when you could take a family of 4 to a ballgame for under 20.00. To take a family to a pro ball game now you need to get an advance on the next 2 paychecks. I think that is very sad, because when I was younger I remember it being a very special treat. Dad taught us how to keep score the old fashion way. Of course all I remember now is K=Struck out and E=Error. You hated putting those marks on your team's score card.

Well Saturday night Terry and I went to see the Bowie Baysox. I was a little hesitant at first, because it was "Super Hero" night and I thought every screaming meanie in the tri-state area would be in attendance. We talked briefly about going to see a movie, but it was so nice out we decided to give the ball game a shot. The evening was made to order. Tickets were only $14.00, and Terry may have gotten a senior citizen discount, which put his ticket at $9.00. Our seats were 3rd row, in between home plate and 3rd base. The perfect seats for a foul ball broken nose. The Baysox won 10-6, and it was the best time I've had at a ball game in some time. What I love about the Baysox is they still play with their hearts instead of their wallets. They go that extra step to make a play, unlike the multi-million dollar player, who don't worry about stoping short. What do they care that you've just spent $200.00 to have your family of four watch them play. Their paycheck is guarenteed. Anyway... my point is, the game was baseball how it should be played, with heart.
Oh did I mention, Terry and I had a hotdog, popcorn, chocolate chip cookies, ice cream and bottled water served by the Arundel HighSchool Band, for less than 15.00. And you just haven't lived until you've seen college kids in padded "SuperHero" costumes.

San Fran Wedding... Cliff Notes

Fly into Oakland. Rent Car. Drive to Ross. Lunch. Drive to Terry's brothers house.
Meet Terry's mom. Get ready for wedding. PUT ON NEW SHOES. Ooh LaLa!! Go to outdoor wedding ceremony. Oh my God, I can't walk in that gravel. In these shoes, I don't think so.
Tip toe through gravel. Ceremony. Eyes water, sniff, sniff. Photos for hour. Get to reception. Beautiful Country Club setting. Forgot Camera. Feet start hurting in OhLaLa Shoes. Eat recognizable food. Yippee! Kick stupid shoes off to dance. Gather up all the people who can only stay awake as long as Terry and I. Drive to Michael and Barbie's house to crash. Wake up to catch flight home. Drive across Golden Gate Bridge to get to airport. Had Camera.