Roger Williams Zoo

Well, today three women from Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, brought some animals for an outing to Hebert's. Nana was all excited, but it turned out it wasn't exactly what she had planned. The first little guy was a white Hedgehog....which Nana couldn't even SEE.....then we had two white rats.....she didn't see those either. They did bring a really cool type of lizard from Austrailia, that she liked, but unfortunately she could not see the beautiful BLUE tongue he had! They also had a big constrictor snake, which I was just dying to pat, but they would not let anyone touch the animals. (Partially, so that the animals don't get stressed out....and partially because the snake and lizzard have samonella sometimes on their skin, and they didn't want to put the residents at risk.) All in all, I think most of the residents enjoyed the afternoon. Nana said, "Well, they could speed it up a little! My bum hurts!!!" heheheh....

Rescued from Bingo

Well, we got to Hebert's a little later than usual. By the time I had signed into the "Guest book", Grampa had already located Nana in the activities room, and had gotten himself a chair right next to her. When I walked in, and put my arms around Nana.......she said, "Oh good, you're here! Get me out of here!" So, laughingly I said, "What, you don't want to play Bingo today?" "No, absolutely not!", she said. So, as I was pushing her down the hallway, in her wheelchair, she said, "Oh boy, am I glad to see you guys! I've been rescued!" When I said to her, "Would you like to go sit in your comfortable blue recliner?" she answered, "That sounds wonderful!" And so it was, that the little group limped and rolled into room 83 and spent the next 90 minutes chatting and trying to keep Nana awake, if for no other reason than she would have one heck of a good nap when we left! She was happy today, and comfortable.

When it was time to leave, I went through all of the daily rituals.......checking to be sure her drinking water was within reach.....klenex...the TV on the Ellen Degeneres show...alarms hooked up to alert the nurses if Nana attempts to get out of the chair alone....etc. When I kissed her, she said "Where are you going?" My every day answer is, "Oh, I have to drive Dad home, so he can take HIS nap." She always smiles and says that's a good idea. But today, she said, "Do I stay here?" That's always a tough one, and I ALWAYS have to fight back the tears. I've learned if I bite on my bottom lip really fast and hard, it stops any tears (for the moment) so I can spit out "Yes, this is where you sleep, but we'll be back tomorrow to visit again." So, she smiles, we wave and it's back in the car for the ride home.

Nana's room mate has "the bug" and so lets all hope that Nana doesn't catch it. Irene was in bed for the day, and the two women don't cross paths often, so just keep your fingers crossed. I'm still surprised that Nana didn't catch my cold, or Grampa's cold. She's still a tough little Irish woman!

No Title Day

Well, there! That settles THAT problem! I won't title this.......and nor should I HAVE to.....it's my blog, and I'll do what I want! Now that we have that issue resolved....hum.....

Tuesday is not my favorite day of the week. By Tuesday, the rush of the weekend fun is wearing off.....and it's a long way to payday. The weather up here in New England is warm (for us in winter) but overcast. We managed to melt quite a bit of snow yesterday, as I believe the temperatures went up to around 50 degrees.

My two favorite birds are back with us, and that would be the two Wrens who live under our porch. I was getting worried that they had maybe found a new home......but they're back. I was watching them, while I was washing the breakfast dishes (and listening to my iPod on my new speakers, that came in yesterday! What an awesome treat!!!) Anyway, what makes the Wrens so special is that they are slightly bigger than a hummingbird and are the most spectacular sable color! My friends.....

Other than that, there's not much going on around here today. Nana was good yesterday when we visited. She's happiest when she's sitting in her recliner chair, with Grampa sitting on one side holding her left hand, and me sitting on the right side holding her other hand. Running out of fun things to talk about yesterday, Nana and I started punching around the Valentine's helium balloon. We got quite violent, and kept it up for so long......Grampa gave me the evil eye! Hahaha. "But DAD! We're not done yet!!!" Nana laughed and said, "Yeah, DAD!" Hey, it's the little things. Needless to say, we're all anxious for warmer weather, when we can go outside and explore the new patios and walkways.

Recharging batteries.....

I just realized that a "day off" is like recharging my batteries. Silly, I know, but that's what it feel like. I didn't do anything spectacular.....just did what I do best, which is WANDER and EXPLORE. I love the feeling of being FREE when I just meander through the area. Yesterday, I chose to meander in Wickford, still one of my favorite places in the area. News for those of you who know them, JULIE and PALMER are pregnant! She looks wonderful, and tells me it's a girl and she's due in May. What great news for them!
JW Graham is still the most popular store in Wickford and always fun to explore to see what's new. Wickford Flowers was a bit of a disappointment, but I suppose this is the slowest month of the year, so I'll forgive them.
My goal was to find the quilt shop that was supposed to be in Smithfield, on Rt 5......but I never did find it! (I left the exact directions at home, along with the name of the shop.....duh......) Maybe the directions I found online are old and outdated. Oh well......staying out of quilt shops saves me money!
UberNana was quiet and seemed sad yesterday......that was the report from Grampa. I'll have to check that out today. Maybe she was feeling a bit under the weather, as there are lots of colds going around.
Well, back to "work" today with all of us! Yes, even YOU, Kate. You have the HARDEST JOB of all.........trust me, I know!

Snow

We are getting some SERIOUS snow right now. Usually I enjoy it a lot, but since we've had so much spring like weather lately, I'm kinda in a different season in my head! The snow is really light, and I'm thinking I can beat the system, by going out with my broom and swooshing it off the walk every half hour or so! That should eliminate the bulk of the lifting. That's my theory, and I'm going to test it out. I'll keep you posted. Other than that, the snow gives me a day off from our routine, and lots more time to work on Maureen's quilt! Maybe I'll get it done today! Let's hope!

Lunar Eclipse

.It's 11p.m. and I just stepped outside to view the lunar eclipse. It's almost full and quite a spectacular sight. However, I find it to be quite creepy and it falls into the "that's not right" category in my brain! It looks too much like the Hollywood versions in the horror flicks!

St. Patrick's Tree

Sometimes things just HAPPEN. I seem to have started a new tradition. Since my elderly mother could not bear to see her little Christmas tree be put away......I decorated it in reds and pinks for Valentine's day and the month of February. Well, it's official.....it's now a St. Patrick's Day Tree. It, of course, has green, sparkling shamrock garland on it. I also painted two dozen stars green, and put glitter on them. The ribbon this month, is a light green sheer, with white polka-dots. I also bought, and painted six words to hang on it. "LOVE'', "LIFE", "FAMILY", "SMILES", "LAUGHTER", and ''WISH''. It looks really cute. .....sort of a sophisticated St. Patty's tree. Well, think about it......I could have put Guinness Stout beer bottles on it! Nana really seems to enjoy looking at the tree, which is all I really care about.
I'm counting the days until I have another day off again! Friday I'm due to drive down to CT to meet Amy and the monsters. The weatherman seems to want to send some snow to us on the same day, but I think I'll be home by the time the excitement starts! We'll see.
Other than that, it's a quiet day at the old Fort.

Carol's wake

This evening I said good bye to my cousin's wife, Carol. She finally looks peaceful, after gasping for breath for years! She has two adult children, who were doing well. As I sat in the living room of the funeral home, and observed everyone, I was saddened for "the kids". My cousin Buddy died five years ago, leaving two kids and a few grandchildren. Now, his wife, Carol...my cousin Alfred died four years ago leaving two kids also. My brother Don died five years ago, also leaving two kids and grandchildren. All of these young people, in their 30's have lost their parents already! I'm sixty, and still have mine! I've been blessed with an extra 30 years of having parents. Hum....

I hope I've inherited the longevity genes from my parents, because I hope to be around for a long time! I still haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up! There's still THAT......whatever it is!

Sixty Two degrees

Just a short little note today.......Sixty Two degrees! AH......it felt like SPRING! Sadly, the sun went into hiding late morning, otherwise the temperature would have gone even higher! I remember years when we had major snowstorms on Presidents' day! so, NAH....NAH.....to all you people in warmer climates! We're catching up to you!

My new speakers have been shipped so will probably arrive in the next day or so! I just can't wait to have music in the kitchen! I live such a simple life......hehehehe.

Other than that, it's been quite the uneventful day.

Fofana

Well, this morning I met my friend Fofana down in East Providence, for coffee. It was nice to see her and be able to sit and talk for a couple of hours. When I was getting ready to leave, she went to her car and came back with a gift for me. It was a "skirt" from Africa, where she is from. It's this really huge piece of brightly colored fabric, with two ties coming off of both of the top corners. When I thanked her and then said, "I don't know how to put it on...." she laughed and said, "Hold it in your hands, and then just spin...there's lots of different ways to wear it." This afternoon, I brought it with me on my visit to see my mother in the nursing home. She got the biggest kick out of it, and my demonstration of how I assumed it was worn. I did drape it over my Mom's legs, while she was sitting in the chair, and she seemed quite amused by all the color. Considering she is now classified as "legally blind", I suspect she could see the colors fairly well, as she sure liked it!

Who knew so much spinning took practice, but I plan on perfecting my spinning, and I'll wear it at home, and maybe out when the weather is warmer.

Sad news today is that my cousin's wife died. She had been sick for years, suffering from a lung condition as a result of years of smoking. She gasped for every breath she took for the past few years, and had to wear an Oxygen tank 24/7. If any of you out there are still smoking, I just want you to know that's pretty much WHERE you are going. It's a long, and horrible way to die. STOP SMOKING! If you don't want to do it for yourselves, do it for your future children.

Nano's speakers

Well, my children and grand daughter will be proud to know that I've made yet another commitment to technology. After quite a bit of reading, and price comparing......I ordered speakers for my beautiful little Nano. Primarily, I will be using them in the kitchen, when I do dishes, laundry and floor washing! Eeeeks, wait.....maybe music in the kitchen will actually make me spend MORE time on these things! Oh dear, I didn't think about THAT before I ordered them......

Oh well, I can't wait for the package to arrive and for the music to spread from my ears into the surrounding room. I wonder how my elderly father will take to Latin Lounge or Electronica! Hum......if I keep the volume down, he'll probably never even hear it! I guess I'll have to download some big band sounds for him.

Have a happy day!

Spring weather in Winter

For all of you Florida and California people (and you know who you are!) I'll have you know the weather up here is absolutely beautiful today! The temperatures are supposed to hit the mid 60's. The skies are crystal clear, the sun is shining and the breezes are light. I think I might even go for a walk!

Anyone out there care to give me a suggestion on a docking system for my new iPod Nano? I've decided that would be nice to use in the kitchen, when I'm doing the dishes and cooking, since we only have a cheap, little radio out there.......and I don't enjoy listening to it. Now if I could get some of my own music out there, it would be great! I don't need a Bose system, and I also don't even need a radio/alarm, etc. So, with that in mind, any suggestions?

Nothing new here today. I guess I talked to all of you yesterday. Hope you all had a nice Valentine's Day. (Mike and Liz, I hope your pizza was heart shaped!)

Rain on the East Coast

The weather on the East Coast has been so crazy this year! Global warming, I suppose. Anyway, we had about two inches of snow during the night, but now the temperature is 42 degrees and it's been raining for a couple of hours.......so there goes the snow. That's fine with me, as I don't seem to be in the mood to shovel snow this year, anyway!!!

Maureen's quilt is moving along. I worked on it quite a bit yesterday, until I hit some snags and could not quite figure out what to do next. I saw on my bed, and looked at it on the design wall.....and wondered.....hum.......now what! I hope my brain figured out the solution to that question during the night, and I'll be ready to finish some more of it. Maureen, you've been sooooooooooooo patient! It's really coming along, HONEST!

Mike is starting his new position at the new store this week. I'm excited to see it!!! He'll go a great job, and it'll be one more notch in his belt! Go get 'em, tiger!

Liz must be thinking, just about now, that this school thing will NEVER END! It's sort of like the ninth month of a pregnancy!! Time just seems to slow down! Hang in there girl!!! You are getting there!! I'm sure you have started to do a countdown in weeks already!

Well, I have absolutely nothing deeply profound to say today, so I guess I'll go quilt!

Time flies when you're having fun!

Time flies......I can't believe I have not blogged since before I left for California! I had a wonderful time out there! Kate and Mark, thank you so much for the plane tickets and the vacation! I really needed it, and had a blast! It was wonderful to see you both and of course, the little Miss Mina! She's so wonderful and it's hard to believe how fast she's growing! Yeah, yeah......I had three kids, but funny how I don't remember any of you growing THAT fast! I suppose you did, but when you're with a baby every day, maybe you don't notice it as much.
Everything about a first baby is an education. Some things are by trial and error......well, many things are. Or maybe we should call it "trial by fire". Anyway, it's a time of extremes. On the one side, it's all about this intense feeling of love for this little creature........and on the other side, it's the pains of knowing your nice, quiet, comfortable life has been changed forever!
For any of you who might be in THAT situation (and you know who you are!) I have one viewpoint for you to consider! Everything in a child's life seems to go in stages, and if you are in one that is not the easiest.....FEAR NOT.....it's only a stage, and you WILL get through it! The secret is to read as much as you can, and self educate yourself about your options for parenting. The second most important thing is to communicate, especially when things are the hardest. Parenting, and raising kids works best when it's a team activity. That's not to say that it will be easy because of that...but it will be easier than if each parent tries to go it alone. Don't be afraid to admit you need help....do not be afraid to admit that you're crawling up the walls! Sometimes all it takes is a free afternoon off.....a trip to a friend's house.....a spa......the movies.......out for coffee....or a nap (not all in one afternoon, though. That would be too much to pray for!)
And finally, staying home with a screaming baby is NOT EASY and will shake anyone's nerves after a while! Just take a deep breath. And if none of this works, it would not hurt to have a conversation with your doctor for some new suggestions.