Catching Up

What's this, you ask? This is what happens when Mother Nature gets all mixed up and decides that we should enjoy numerous 50+ degree days in January. This is - a sign of SPRING! Quite of few of my perennials have begun to perk up and sprout little bits of green. And many, many of our bulbs are already poking up from the soil thinking it must be March. While I'm glad to see the promise of spring I know these poor little guys are in for a shock when, inevitably, we suffer through a snowstorm and freezing temperatures again. We still have quite a way to go before the weather breaks, and I know that sometime in the next 6 or 8 weeks we'll all be cold again. So it's a good news/bad news sort of thing to see green in the garden.
What else? We enjoyed yet another balmy walk in the park with the dogs last Saturday, on our usual path in the usual place. The dogs know the route from memory and just run and run and run, ahead, behind, off into the woods and back out again. It's a wonderful relaxing 45 minute walk for all of us.

Matt got a new (used) car - I need to get a good photo of it. It's a beauty - a dark green 1992 Firebird, well-cared for, seems to be mechanically sound (knock on wood repeatedly!). We're all relieved to have him in his own car again. Still no news from the police or otherwise about who demolished his Tracker - looks like that's a lost cause. Matt and his buddy Kris continue to take parts off the Tracker to sell on e-bay. He's started a new job, working with a man (and a crew of others) remodelling a house that's going to be flipped. He's also looking for another part-time job to bring in more pay now that he's got a new car to look after and make payments on. In spite of all his recent unfortunate circumstances (and there have been numerous...) he's keeping his humor.

Kelly is planning to go to her high school Valentine's Dance in a couple of weeks. She and I went out shopping the sales last week to find the perfect dress (not too expensive, not too revealing, not too vampy) and we got lucky at the first store we visited. Gotta love those January sales! She's going to look beautiful in this - it's a couple different shades of purple/lavendar, very fairy-like. She'll be going with a group of girlfriends - no dates - and I know she'll have a great time. I'm so glad kids do that now - go to dances in groups - they never did back in the day when I was in high school. All the ugly ducklings like me missed out on every dance in high school. (Sigh) I'm glad she's having the time of her life!

A Trip to Venice ... Antique Mall, That Is

One of my favorite things to do on a chilly winter weekend is visit an antique store or, even better, an antique mall that houses rooms and rooms of old things. We drove to Ross, OH this afternoon and spent a couple of hours roaming through the Venice Antique Mall. It's an old building with several floors worth of antiques, collectibles and junk. We'd never been to this particular place before but we'll definitely visit again. It had quite of bit of Blue Ridge pottery scattered throughout the different rooms and booths - something I've begun to collect over the past couple of years - so I'll have to go back when I actually have some cash in hand so I can buy a couple of pieces. Here's some of the Blue Ridge that we saw today - don't know the names of the patterns but will be looking them up.



We saw all the predictable items - old kitchenware, tools, knick-knacks galore, jewelry, furniture, china and dishes of all sorts, books, toys and on and on. The things that I usually tune in to are books, stitchery pieces, pottery (McCoy, Blue Ridge, Fiesta) ... and anything else that catches my eye. Chris has his own style when we go to a place like this: he prefers to make a quick trip through all the rooms and booths looking for specific items, then he makes a second slower trip around, returning to the spots that were of interest to him. My style is just the opposite - I like to go very slowly so as not to miss a thing. I'll stand in one spot and survey everything in sight not wanting to overlook that one special treasure ... it drives Chris crazy.

As I wandered about the various rooms I noticed an elderly lady walking around very slowly, stooped over, peering into the display cases at all the old things. I couldn't help but wonder what her perspective was on these "antique" and "collectible" items - things she had most likely used, or seen, or owned.... at some point perhaps in the 1920's or 1930's ... it must have been quite a trip down Memory Lane for her. There was something sad - and odd - about seeing this woman examing the very things that were undoubtedly a part of her life when she was much younger. I know how old I feel sometimes when I see things that I had when I was little, like old metal roller skates or vinyl records or the old Nancy Drew books - things that are maybe 40 years old. But for her, the things that are 70 or 80 years old must take her way back into the past. I wish I could have known what she was thinking as she worked her way around the displays. I was tempted to photograph her but didn't.

Is this what life boils down to, in the end? Complete strangers examining our "stuff" in a flea market or antique mall? I always have to wonder about the really personal items that I see - old photographs, hand-embroidered linens, marriage certificates (I saw one today, could hardly read it, but could make out that it was certifying the marriage of 2 people who had evidently lived in an orphanage while they were growing up - it was validated by the Director of the orphanage). How do they make their way from someone's home onto a display in a store? Note to self: make sure the kids know they may never sell my personal belongings!! I'd rather they be thrown away than scruntinized by shoppers!

Well, it was a fun afternoon for me, though Chris didn't find much to look at except for the occasional container of old tools. I could have spent hundreds of dollars on other peoples old stuff but didn't - maybe next time!

A Snowy Day

Am trying really hard to find something good about winter. We had a light snow overnight after a cold rainy day yesterday. The good news is that tomorrow will bring 50+ degree weather so I can pretend that Spring is just around the corner.

Meanwhile, Chris has been puttering around today spending time on the computer and rounding up items he's going to post on e-bay. Matt and I went out for a while so he could do some job-hunting and other errands. He and I also helped our next door neighbor this morning when she called us for help. Her dog (her baby) had been diagnosed with cancer last month and she took a turn for the worse this morning. Between the 3 of us, we picked up D.O. in a big blanket sling and carried her out to the car. We rode with them to the vet and waited while the Dr. got the dog comfortable in the back. The plan was to keep the dog overnight to determine what was going on - either pneumonia or heart failure, as her lungs were filling with fluid. A couple of hours later, Kim called me in tears to say that D.O. had died at the vet. Bummer for Kim, but thankfully the poor dog is no longer struggling. **I shudder to think that we have this kind of thing to go through with 7 pets in the years to come.**

I decided to place an ad in a local newspaper, asking for help in identifying the person who hit Matt's car - maybe we'll get some answers that way. I'm requesting that the ad be run in the front-page section, not as a dinky classified ad buried in the back of the paper. Pray with us that the truth will come out!

All Fixed Up

We spent part of the day over at the Evendale Surgery Center yesterday; actually only about 5 hours from arrival to departure. Chris got through his hernia repair without any problems - it's over and done! He's all repaired and ready to go - in a couple of days, anyway, if he'll give himself a little time to heal. He was a bit nervous as we sat and waited to be called back, and once we did get called back we had to wait an extra hour because the surgeon was running behind at another facility (a long lunch that delayed him, we wondered?)

So we waited and waited as 1:00 came and went. All the while Chris was very hungry and thirsty because he hadn't had anything eat or drink since the previous evening. The nurses finally rolled him back about 2:00, and by 2:30 they were calling us from the waiting room to tell us he was fine and in recovery. Very quick, very simple, thank goodness! No more hernia. We visited with him in the recovery area for about 45 minutes and then he was pronounced ready to go home.

Chris ended the day tucked in bed, Tango at his side (she was very worried about him), watching TV with an ice pack on his tummy. He consumed an extra large bowl of chocolate chip ice cream, a bowl of Raisin Bran and finished with a dose of Vicodin. He didn't sleep very well but it looks like today will be a better day!

In Its Final Parking Place ...

Matt and his buddy Kris took a good look at the poor Tracker this afternoon. We had it towed home since we need to review our options and figure out the next step in the saga. What we do know is that the insurance company says they will pay us ZERO dollars for the accident because we only had basic coverage ... they will only pay for the car if the person who did this damage is located ... which most likely won't happen. I intend to call around to towing companies tomorrow or Wednesday in hopes of talking to someone who can help identify the loser who did this hit-and-run. They had to have their car towed somewhere to have it worked on .... and I plan to hunt 'em down and bring them to justice. They can run but they can't hide.

Oh, and to add just a little more stress to our lives, the van developed mechanical problems today. I went out the front door this morning, hopped in the van to go to work and the key wouldn't turn in the ignition. Completely jammed, just like that. Chris tinkered around and got it to work for a little while, but later in the morning it jammed up again. Out of our 3 vehicles only one is in working order now. What next?

A Beautiful Day

Another cold but sunny winter day in our world. The dogs were begging for a walk in the park, so off we went. We visited with several other doggie friends (Sasha and Harp) and their people as we walked a couple of laps around the big field. A very peaceful afternoon walk enjoyed by all!

Not many new offerings from Mother Nature, though I did see a glaze of ice on some puddles that was interesting. I keep looking for some small signs of spring, as foolish as I am, but of course there are none.

The weekend draws to a close. All three dogs are sound asleep in various rooms - such a big day! This'll be a short work week for me since Chris is having his surgery on Tuesday. I'm taking off Tuesday and Wednesday to be with him through the first 48 hours, then back to work on Thursday.

We should talk with the insurance company tomorrow about Matt's car - no further news from the police (no big surprise there). Once we know how much they're offering us (assuming they agree it's a total loss) Chris can start shopping for a new car for Matt so he's got wheels again. I can't wait to put this part of our troubles behind us so we can focus on other more pressing issues. Life sure can get complicated. All we can do is take it one day at a time, having faith that things will get better soon. 64 days 'til the First Day of Spring!

Goodnight, Moon

When I noticed an enormous full moon glowing in the sky tonight I knew it was time to play around with our new camera. In the course of a couple of hours we shot dozens of pictures, many not too good but a few were in the "OK" range. Here's are a couple ...

We've got a lot to learn about this camera (I do, anyway ... Chris digs right into reading the manual and learning about the features). I tend to just "want to have fun" with it, and he attacks it like a science as he studies up on it. Another Mars-Venus thing, I guess. Here are my favorite shots from tonight:

Nothing against the Man in the Moon, but I love my people and my pets more than him! Grab some hot chocolate and a warm quilt and stay warm on this chilly winter night.

Friday the 13th

I'm not a superstitious person, really I'm not. But here's what happend to us on the evening of Friday January 13th:

This is (was) Matt's car, a 1995 Geo Tracker. Before last night, it was a fun little vehicle for him to drive, very reliable, got him where he needed to go. Then along came an idiot ....

Last evening, Matt drove over to a friends house to meet up and then drive together down to Louisville to visit a college buddy who was home on break. He parked along the curb in front of Chris' house so as not to block anybody coming or going in the driveway. This is in a very nice neighborhood on the east side of Cincinnati (Anderson), so normally no problems arise with parking along the street. About 11:00 p.m. Matt called to tell us that Chris' parents had called them, reporting that someone had hit Matt's car while it was parked on the curb. We didn't expect to see the amount of damage that was apparent once we arrived on the scene about 11:45 p.m. Whoever was driving the hit-skip vehicle had hit the Tracker so hard it pushed it about 15 feet over the curb and into the driveway. The right front end is demolished, the frame is bent - it could barely be pulled up onto the towtruck because the fenders were scraping the tires. There's little doubt that the car will be a total loss. The officer who responded was very helpful though he holds little hope that the offending driver will be located. Their car must also be very damaged on the front end because the officer estimated that they were probably travelling about 35 miles an hour (on a quiet residential street, in the rain) when they blasted into the Tracker - their car must have had a huge amount of body and engine damage as well. How they drove away is a mystery, and without anyone seeing it happen.... especially if their airbags deployed (and they probably did). As we waited in the rain/snow we took pictures and gave the officer all the information he needed, all the while wondering how in the world this could have happened to Matt. He's been struggling recently with school and work issues, and his depression .... so this is pretty much the icing on the cake. Pray for him! And us too.

*** The vehicle we're looking for is mostly likely a silver or gray Hundai with a lot of front end damage. (Based on debris at the scene) Offender probably lives in the Anderson (Ohio) area! ***

P.S. Just to clarify - if anyone in the family reads this - Matt was not in the car when this happened. He was in his friends car, on his way to Louisville, having left his car parked at Chris' house for the night.

Did You Miss Me?

I’ve been out of town on a business trip for several days, in Dallas. I believe our actual location was Frisco, Texas and it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. I noticed a lot of road-building and new retail construction, and communities of cookie cutter houses just off the highway and now I know why:

According to the census, Frisco has been one of the fastest growing cities in the United States in the late 1990s and early 2000s . This is due to the fact that Frisco is currently at the edge of the development in the fast growing suburbs north of Dallas . With the amount of land available within the city limits, Frisco will likely reach an ultimate population of over 250,000, similar to its neighbor to the south, Plano, Texas. Like other Dallas suburbs, Frisco is accumulating a tremendous number of retail properties including Stonebriar Centre, a 165-store regional mall. In addition, the Dallas area is home to a large number of corporate headquarters. Just south of the Frisco city limit, several major corporations are headquartered in Plano, including Frito Lay , JC Penney , and the Ross Perot -founded EDS . Frisco has notoriously strict codes for property development.

The Texas League minor league baseball team Frisco Rough Riders is based in Frisco. The Dallas Stars National Hockey League team practices in Frisco. The Dallas Burn, a Major League Soccer team currently in Dallas' Cotton Bowl, plans to move to Frisco in 2005.

Because we arrived well after dark on Monday evening I couldn’t see much out the bus window as we rode (or should I say we were herded) to the Westin Hotel (excuse me, Westin Stonebriar RESORT). What is the difference between a hotel and a resort, you ask? Evidently it’s the fact that there’s a golf course located on the property. There wasn’t a pool, mind you, but there was golf available. (Obviusly catering to business people, not families with kids!) Anyway, it was an interesting place to visit (very flat, no trees), we had decent food, I met some new people and most importantly, had uneventful air travel to and from. But there’s no place like home, and I’m glad to be back in my own bed.

While I was gone Kelly had first semester exams – she studied SO hard leading up to this week, and kept on going during the week, re-writing notes, reading and re-reading notes and hoping that she was studying the right things …. She was most worried about A.P. European History and Chemistry, and a little bit about Geometry. Her hardest class by far is the Euro class, and to make matters worse she just really does NOT like history of any sort. But its all over now, and she waits impatiently for grades to be posted on-line. We hope she comes through with high grades because she has worked incredibly hard and certainly deserves them. I am so proud of her study habits – she’s self-disciplined and driven, no nagging needed. Way to be, Kelly.