home sweet home . . .

Let's regress here a bit. Long before I was happily married to the 9TS and had a 21 year old. I was a college student on a small bucolic campus. It was a stunning place. I remember it fondly if hazily. As a matter of fact, I liked it so much, I stayed on in town for another three years before heading south to my present location. Often in my late night meanderings through the net, I come across a gem. This one almost got away from me. I looked at it several times before the light bulb went off.



This I filched from Jim Patterson's Post Cards from Snyder County. See that little arched window on the upper left side of the house? That was my roost for a year. One of two attic apartments in a 100+ year old farm house. I loved looking out that window down the end of the Isle and off into the river. It was from my neighbor's matching window that I looked out and saw a "plastic bag" on the ground a little ways off. The bag was moving. As I went down to investigate, I grabbed my landlord, Mrs. Burgard, who being much more savvy than I, grabbed a towel. The baby lamb was in perfect shape. Awesome.

That front door was also the site of my slipping on ice and finding myself flopping on the ground like a landed pike. Sigh.

The summer after I vacated the premises, hurricane Agnes came roaring through and decimated the area. I went back to visit Mrs. Burgard to see how she and the family had fared. Mud and yuck dribbled out of her kitchen drawers as she opened them one by one to clean. Simply awful.

It was an odd but wonderful place to live . . . that aerie of mine.

a slight ewwwww factor . . .

years ago, I drove to the elementary school to pick up Katie and found a whole congregation of kidlets hanging around laughing with the abandon only 2nd graders can manage. When she didn't come running to the car as she usually did on those rare days I got to pick her up, I parked the car to investigate. There they all were . . . lizards in hand . . . hanging them off each others ear lobes. Yep, you read that right. Apparently, it is a rite of passage for Florida youngsters. Being from the frigid north, we had pollywog egg fights, but this was new territory for me.

Apparently, it was new territory to Ryan as well. Katie was determined that he should not miss this ritual. When I heard her scream, "Mom, get the camera!" I knew she had cornered a chameleon and went out to watch.

I have to give Ryan credit. He never blinked an eye when she attached the beastie, nor when the camera balked at night shots. He stood his ground.

So we had this . . .


turn into this . . .



and finally, this . . .



and so it was that Ryan was initiated and granted his honorary Florida playground diploma. You're a good man Ryan. A very good man.

WHOOPIE . . .

The 9TS had his last radiation treatment this morning and we packed our bags and headed home. Hooray!!! The world is good. No more commuting.

Todays blog has been brought to you by the letter B as in a BIG sigh of relief.

IRL . . .

last night the 9TS and I went back for our last pizza at the Broadway Ristorante, but unlike our previous visits, this time we had company. We were joined by a friend I had "chatted" with over the years, but never met in real life, and her husband. That is the beauty of the internet. You can garner friends from literally all over the world and never have to step out of the cave.

But step out we did and noshed with Sue and her husband John.



It was fun. I had a good time. Maybe I should venture out of the cave more often. Ya think? Thanks Sue! For coming all that way, for bringing John, for all the cards that cheered the 9TS. Thank you.

last day . . .

certainly not the last day I will ever be thankful for something but the last day of this project. Now I just have to turn it into a spiffy mini album. Or that would be the case if I were not so desperately behind in the course. ACK! Any who:

I am thankful for this glorious day. It is cool and crisp and drop dead gorgeous. And after a L O N G hot summer, it is like an oasis. A rejuvenation. Color me happy, happy.

I am thankful for the rotisserie chicken that is going to be our dinner. A) They are very good, B) it means I don't have to cook. Something I don't want to do today but am looking forward to getting back to once we are home for good. I miss the daily pattern of my life that has been so upended lately.

I am thankful that we have met all the people that entered our world the last six weeks. Each in their own way, have left foot prints in our lives. I will, however, not miss the Lodge. I am grateful for it, just won't miss it. Especially those who were recently evicted. Another story.

On a different note, I have a new phone. Mine was hard to text on and this one was free after rebate so why not? Why not, indeed. I haven't even learned how to turn it on yet. I am so techno challenged. Katie, please come help me out. I'll bake you cookies? Crock pot chicken? Chicken that smells good when cooking?

cool weather . . .
beef stew over noodles . . .
cotton sweaters . . .

we are finally out of the 90's. high of 73. paint me happy.
cold weather food. garlic, onions, lean beef, carrots, taters, peas.
long sleeves. comfort. tactile bliss.

yertle . . .

credits: Paper, leaves, dots; Julia Makontinsk, Brackets: Meredith Fenwick, Staples: Pattie Knox, Mask: Jessica Sprague, Fonts: CK
Journaling, Everyday Ghost