Ingenious, that's what he is . . .

Kiddo named his plane Blue Striker.

Puppy's Pop never ceases to amaze me. I came home Thursday after my Big Y shopping and there before my very eyes, on the flower side of the carriage house was the Dodge truck trailing the ugliest pop-up camper anyone could imagine. At a minimum quadruple ugly. It only cost $136 at the junk yard on Ward Avenue. What a find! What a buy! Leave it to Puppy's Pop to tear it completely apart to make a utility trailer for the mowers. He mows fields in Sterling and Brooklyn for flying so he's been looking at trailers and they are too expensive. Now, this is the fantastic part. He brought back to the junk yard all of the aluminum plus the original engine from the El Camino and some other metal odds and ends and was paid about $114. So he got his strong utility trailer for $22. But the work that went into the dismantling and carting away of the disgusting stuff from the camper was enormous. What a wonderful character I have as my chosen spouse. The brain never stops. He also built a flying wing for Kiddo and they flew it last evening at the Sterling School. Really cool men in my life.

Kiddo wanted to play one on one basketball with me yesterday but I didn't last very long. So I played fetch while he dribbled, tried fancy footwork, threw the ball up and then caught it, palmed it and made lots of baskets. He even kept the dribble going when it got away from him and was pretty much out of play. Big brother has been working with him. They play pretty tough for this Mémé. He's always in my face when I try to dribble and likes to bump me off of the ball! Don't think our game would past muster by the rules. I did manage to beat him two out of three in Bongo Ball this morning. Lucky throws! He is competitive but good natured enough if he loses. Swears he'll get you next time. He doesn't like to quit until he wins!

Quote: Childhood does sometimes pay a second visit to a man; youth never. ____Mrs. Jameson

Celebration . . .

Youngest child just sent this photo of the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle. They decorated it when the Olympic Torch was brought across on its way to London.

Puppy's Pop and I went out to celebrate my graduation! Yep, I graduated from Cardiac Rehab today certificate and all! 36 classes - it was well worth the time and effort. I think I'll be able to keep up with a minimum of working out three days a week pretty easily on my own. I expect to get in four or five days. I do have to push myself but it really does feel good when I get done. The workouts plus weights only last about 45 minutes. So it's really not too much. We went to the Top of the Bay at Oakland Beach. It was very busy and so was Izzy's but the food and service were fine. Went to Groton yesterday late afternoon and Kiddo reminded me that he didn't have any homework! What a clown! I asked him if he was trying to tell me he wished to remain ignorant. "No," says he. "I was just kidding!" We did read about some dinosaurs for a while but nothing too strenuous! He seems to like going to the Groton Rec so that's a big plus because they spend the day out of doors.

Quote: When you doubt, abstain. ___Zoroaster

What a day . . .

Started out this beautiful summer day with cinnamon crisp French toast dunked in hot apple juice at Old Tymes in Norwich before we headed off to East Hampton for a control line combat contest. We got to the Salmon River State Park early so we just walked the river's shore and some of the dirt roads. What a beautiful park. Wish we had brought some fishing gear. I saw a bug glide close to a trout and the trout snapped it up! I've never seen that before. You can catch the trout but they have to be at least 9" and if you catch any salmon they must be thrown back. I'm not certain when the salmon would be swimming around; we certainly didn't see any. You can wade into the river, go across on the stepping stones or fish from shore. They even have a very large deck from which you can fish. There were numerous bobbers and lures in the branches of the trees above the deck! One super experience at this park is the spring water that just gushes out of two copper pipes. Many people come and fill up bottles and bring the water home. Cheaper than buying designer water in the store and it is delicious. I kept our little bottle filled all the time we were there. During the power outages last year people from all over hell and damnation went to the Salmon River Park to fill up on drinking water. Very cool. Very cold.

Combat started around 10 so we grabbed our chairs and set up in the shade. We saw some amazing flying. Can't even begin to describe what it's like to see two men in the center of a very small circle with gas engine powered wings at the end of sixty foot lines towing red and blue ribbons trying to cut each others streaming ribbon. It is totally wild and if all goes well lasts about five minutes a match. Points are scored for most time in the air, cuts and I'm not sure what else. But we did see a couple of mid airs in which the pieces just rained down from the sky. It really is exciting to see them manœuvre the planes. I couldn't help laughing at some of the outrageous moves they can make. One man was flying his plane very close to the ground and the other guy actually flew even lower and came up under the first guys streamer but he only managed to get it to slide off of his own wing, didn't cut it. Screaming engines whipping around furiously, great fun. Stopped in Colchester for a bite to eat before coming home. Puppy's Pop had already pre-loaded the El Camino and is now on his way to Brooklyn International. Can't miss out on the Sunday fun!

Quote: Books should to one of these four ends conduce, for wisdom, piety, delight, or use. ____Denham

Wild weather . . .

This is what some of my flowers looked like before the winds and rain. Fond memories!

We went out early yesterday with Oneco friends and had to drive through torrential rains right across Ekonk Hill. After an excellent supper and a return to their home for a night cap we arrived in Moosup and my beautiful pots of summer color were strewn about the yard! We must have had some wild winds and rain. The garden grew a couple on inches overnight! We spent this afternoon watching American Legion Baseball at the highschool fields off of Shepherd Hill. The field they play on is very well kept but poor Moosup was mauled by New London 13 -1. It ended after 7 innings because of the mercy rule! New London was hitting the Moosup pitcher and his coach didn't relieve him until the damage had been done. The second pitcher kept New London from scoring any more but the Moosup batters struck out or hit pop ups. It was still fun to watch and we'll be going again. You can sit on a hill in the shade and have an excellent view of the field from behind home plate. We were going to go to the flying field after supper tonight but monster winds have come up, the temperature has dropped 10 degrees and I had to re-rescue my plants! So we'll be home for the evening. The sun is out right now and the sky to the West is blue but the Northern skies are cloudy.

Quote: Words are like leaves; and where they most abound, much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found. ___Pope

Soda, pretzels and beer . . .

Well not quite soda, pretzels and beer but have started summer with the high nineties, humid and sunny. Spent a lazy day after Backus rehab ( only three more sessions, yay.) Puppy's Pop was waiting for a call from the VA when I returned this morning so you know he's a hurting unit. About a week ago he hefted a 30 pack of Bud onto the counter and twisted his right thumb. Today it was bad enough to call the VA. He's now on ibuprofen therapy for at least a week and not supposed to lift anything heavy. But, naturellement, that doesn't mean horseshoes or planes, right? Tête de pioche! But at least he is doctoring so I'll not complain. We went to Hank's for ice cream this afternoon. Then an all out splurge for supper: a large pizza with everything on it and potato chips! This old house hasn't seen pizza in ages and it has to be at least a couple of years since it's had chips. Life is still good when you can enjoy ice cream, pizza and chips.

Quote: Good humor is the health of the soul; sadness is its poison. ___Stanislaus

Close to home . . .

The garage lily has survived the bugs!

Was sitting outside swinging my life away yesterday evening when I saw the neighbors from the little grey house across the street rummaging in the woods by the rock, brick, cement barrier past the garden. Went to check out what they were up to. They had found a purse that had been stolen from their car during the night. With Puppy's Pop's help they were able to recover everything but $170. It's getting pretty nasty when you can't consider your property safe in our small town USA. I'm guessing our neighbor had left her pocket book in the locked car with the window cracked open a little because of the heat thinking she was going out again but didn't go out. Grampa heard voices at around 3:30am walking by. I imagine these voices were some roaming teens who managed to open the car and steal the lady's purse and Kindle. What a bunch of creeps. There are a lot of people walking by here now that we've never seen before. I generally try to say hi to them just to be friendly and let them know that we're out and about. C'est dégoûtant!

Had a very pleasant Father's Day dinner at Riverview with middle child and family. Visited with younger brother yesterday morning before heading off to Groton and our Kiddo. The kid thinks he's a fish! Spent two hours in the pool! He would have stayed even longer if I hadn't made him come out. Since my bout with a UTI I just sit on the deck and throw balls at him! He, naturellement, sends them back at me and tries to get me as wet as possible! He does a good job of that. I planted the cleome kid brother gave me near the garage last night. I had to dig up 40,000 rocks, nails, clinkers and broken pottery before I could plant them in the one foot square patch I had prepared!

Quote: That which is won ill, will never wear well, for there is a curse attends it which will waste it. __The same corrupt dispositions which incline men to sinful ways of getting, will incline them to like sinful ways of spending. __M. Henry

Almost a three disaster day . . .

The day started in salubrious fashion when Kiddo got up late and after breakfast we all went to the Sterling School for some flying. Kiddo had the control handle, Grampa started the plane and then went to help with the takeoff as I held the very beautiful see through yellow plane. With a wave of Kiddo's hand I let go of the plane, turned to get the camera and heard "crunch, crash, jimminy crickets." I turned to see the poor yellow plane on the asphalt with a crushed wing. Not fixable. There was no fault to be found with the pilot, the plane was flawed and not controllable. But Kiddo revived when we got home and he was invited next door to play with the kids in a monster bounce house they had set up for today's birthday celebrations.

After we left Groton we went to LensCrafters in the Waterford Mall to pick up my replacement glasses. I really didn't like the original pair I had chosen and gave them some leeway to make me a pair of rimless which are the only kind I like and have worn for years. And . . . the bifocal was more than half way up the lens! Yikes. Impossible to fix. The lady agreed that they weren't right. She said they were breaking in a new lens person and he insists on making everything standard even though there is no standard pair of eyes! So I may get lucky and have my glasses in ten days.

We decided to go to an early Father's Day dinner. I gave Puppy's Pop the choice of Arturo Joe's or the Corner Bistro and he chose The Outback. The beer was flat, the chowder was cold, the salmon no longer comes with their formerly special sauce and it was a small chunk, centered on an otherwise empty plate. Because he had chosen to have chowder and a Caesar salad he didn't get any sides! They did bring out the vegetable of the day and a sauce of some sort to pacify but it didn't work very well! My rack of lamb was good but no where near as good as Sullivan's in Baton Rouge. The kitchen did warm up the chowder. I do believe that will be the last time at the Outback. We'll give middle child the card they gave us for a free blooming onion as there is an Outback in Groton.

So all in all it's nice to be home watching the races on TV! Son called for Father's Day and Grampa and Father's Day cards are lined up on the marble table. All is well in this old house.

Quote: Slight small injuries, and they will become nothing at all. ___Fuller

Finally wearing shorts . . .

Day started out grey and dampish but turned sunny by afternoon, dry and clear. At this moment it is glorious. Puppy's Pop will be leaving soon for horseshoes at the Jogues Club but I'm planning to stay home and do nothing. I did manage to change all the beds, dust, vacuum and scrub the bathroom so I'm taking the night off!

Had a few nice visits this week. Saw younger sister Monday and we shared our traditional lunch and went to the farm for ice cream sundaes. Perfect day. Stayed in Groton for a while Tuesday and helped Kiddo make a place in his room to show off his Legos. He loves to build and does them all himself. He's working on the 8 - 14 age category. I'm pretty impressed. It's too bad they're so expensive. Besides fixing up his display we played badminton, well, we really just see how long we can keep a volley going. Our best is 7. Definitely need improvement. A neighbor boy stopped in and I tried to show him how to play. That was tough! He's just a little guy, maybe six years old and tried to use the racquet as a baseball bat! Serving is very hard that way! Wednesday I stopped in to see younger brother who has been busy planting beautiful flowers on their property. Their home is wonderful and so are the grounds. His old puppy, Sassy found some critter in a wall and she was busy all the time I was there trying to get at it. When I left the cat was helping her out. And lastly I got beat 2 out of 3 games of cribbage today. Susan beat me handily. She had some fantastic cards.

Think I'll break down and have some Lemoncello di Créma and cranberry juice. Good for what ails me.

Quote: The most painful part of our bodily pain is that which is bodiless or immaterial, namely our impatience, and the delusion that it will last forever. ___Richter

Humbled . . .

I have reviled the Bishop of Norwich, in the person of Bishop Côté. He has closed many Catholic schools and sends too much money out of the Diocese. I accidentally ended up at the Confirmation Rites for All Hallows. I thought of leaving but decided to take my glasses off and pretend the Pope was officiating. But . . . here's the kicker . . .Bishop Côté spoke elegantly, simply and well. To paraphrase he explained that living a Christian life is not natural. "What I want to do, I don't. What I don't want to do, I do." That is rather an interesting take on living a Christian life. I stayed for the entire service. I reflected on the age of the Roman Catholic Church and felt as though I were back in medieval times. It was simply fulfilling.

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are: Wisdom, Understanding, Right Judgment, Courage, Knowledge, Reverence and Fear of the Lord.

The Fruit of the Spirit is: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control.

Certainly words worth pondering.

This is the day the Lord has made . . .

Let us rejoice and be glad. This is a phenomenal morning in New England: bright, dry, clear, blue sky above, one hundred shades of green, my outdoor violets in riotous bloom, the Live Oak sprouting, the deep rumble of a Harley, the chittering birds. And . . . with all this peaceful, calming beauty Puppy's Pop chose to go to breakfast at Cozy Corner in Wauregan. It was an excellent choice. My egg beaters omelet with peppers was colorful, hot and delicious. Stupendous start to a week of enjoying home and husband. (I should probably lay off the Bactrim.)

Quote: He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home. ___Goethe

Oddly productive day for three . . .

We were on the road to Sterling Community School before nine this morning. Kiddo did so well yesterday with the little plane that Grampa gave him a chance on one of the big ones. They worked well together and I was so impressed. I was the stooge and camera helper. I hope to be able to upload a couple of photos and a video but . . .it has taken me from 10am to almost 3pm working with a live Microsoft Certified Technician to fix whatever was driving me crazy on the HP. Grampa had to bring Kiddo home without me! Kiddo was quite pleased with his flying and Grampa was impressed with how well he handled the controls. Upon Puppy's Pop's return he headed off to Brooklyn to wrestle with the Club's riding mower. Hours later he returned and it looked as if the mower had won the bout. Each part he attacked just kept getting worse. He was surprised at the amount of worn out belts. The mower is no longer being made and there is nowhere to go for parts. It sounds like the Flyers will have to get a new one. To top off the day we did have a great dinner. I cooked up the two ribs of beef left from Easter and they were just fine.

Quote: At evening, home is the best place for man. Goethe

The right stuff . . .

It seems that the Bactrim is the right stuff for this infection. I am hyper but feeling better. Went for a slow walk at the Yankee Flyers' field yesterday and found some very beautiful flowers everywhere: fleabane, white clover, purple clover, crown vetch, Queen Ann's lace and the prettiest almost red tiny phlox. I think it's phlox but am not certain. All of the flowers were in full bloom and blowing in the tall grasses. The farmer will probably be cutting them when he hays. The reddish phlox was growing in a recently bulldozed spot and I ventured across the sucking mud to pick it. I really did try to get the roots but it broke off. Once I started to get a whiff of the miasma I had crossed I decided to go back to the worn path. When we returned home I put my best sneakers through the wash!

Weather is improving. The sun is bright. The deep blue skies are clear. Nary a breeze.

Quote: Exaggeration, as to rhetoric, is using a vast force to lift a feather; as to morals and character, it is using falsehood to lift one's self out of the confidence of his fellowmen. --There are some persons who would not for their lives tell a direct and wilful lie, but who so exaggerate that it seems as if for their lives they could not tell the exact truth. __Paget

Guess we can call it a "Yay Day" . . .

When we returned from our lunch date at Oakland Beach I had an urgent call from the Medical Center to call them tout de suite. I did. The antibiotic I was originally given was not the right one for the bacteria I had running around so Puppy's Pop gallantly went to pick up the new prescription. Hopefully this one works. I was feeling a bit better but knew I wasn't really well. Now I should start to pick up. Will lay low for another day and expect to pick up Kiddo from his last day of school tomorrow. We have a date with another grandmother to bring our kiddos to lunch at Pizza Palace after an hour or so in the playground. Then he'll be home with us.

I'm still pretty grouchy about the way my phone call was not returned at the Backus Medical Center and am debating calling the office manager. I may hold off because I know I'll go off the deep end. Not looking to get someone fired just want the office help to respond properly to a call. I called the Center Monday at 8:35, they open at 8:30. I left a message on the answering machine explaining that I was really, really not well. Their message said they would return my call. At 9:10 and no return call, I called again, this time for the nurse. Her message said she'd return my call at the end of the day! Brash person that I am I called the receptionist again and lo and behold she answered. I explained I was waiting for her call so I could get a squeezed in appointment to see Jessica. She just flatly said, "No appointments open." That if I were really sick I should come as a walk-in.I asked if there would be a time that was better than another and was rudely told , "No." So I dressed and got there immediately. After that it was pretty smooth sailing. I only had to wait about 15 minutes. But I found the two office workers loud and after I stood up to see what could be making them so obnoxious they closed the sliding window. I guess age is starting to show. I despise callousness and the uncouth. Maybe this rant will suffice.

Quote: Behavior is a mirror in which every one displays his image. ___Goethe

Still feeling like garbage ( prononcé à la française) . . .

Wow, I haven't felt this awful since . . . never. This is a new low. Being treated for a UTI and possible Lyme Disease. I think it's just a horrendous case of a UTI which I haven't had since 2006 and this one takes the cake. I've had to miss seeing my younger sister, taking care of our Kiddo and going to see Mame at Goodspeed. Today I actually did some exercises, put on my face and took a walk around the garden so I know I'm getting better. Found out that we have some honeysuckle bushes growing behind the garage. Also believe we have at least one bat living in the overhang on the garage. Puppy's Pop doesn't believe me yet, thinks the scat is from toads but there sure as heck is something crapping down on the asphalt near my swing. The scat is also up on the swinging doors, therefore, not toads. Many years ago we had a bat right above the Hot Rod garage door and Puppy's Pop put up two boards to give it a proper place to hang. Of course it never returned. But something is now living up there and even with a flashlight I can't see enough to verify my contention that we have bats. But the guano is there, no doubt about that. I'm guessing that they must be healthy or they wouldn't be hanging around. (Pun intended.)

We have so many birds feasting out on the feeders under the spruce tree they have become downright noisy: gold finches, purple finches, nuthatches, cardinals, blue jays, rose breasted grosbeaks, titmice, doves, downy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, sparrows, juncos, chickadees. Of course the humming birds are having a blast and so are the bluebirds. A lot of fun just watching and enjoying their sometimes rollicking bickering. I just had to scare off a grackle and some squirrels. We allow the squirrels to feed on the ground but when they get on the feeders we scare them away.

Puppy's Pop went off to fly in Brooklyn and I'm hoping I feel well enough when he returns to take a ride to Oakland Beach for a light lunch at the Top of the Bay.

Quote: A man's ideal, like his horizon, is constantly receding from him as he advances toward it. __W. G. T. Shedd

Oh what a beautiful morning . . .

"Indiana Jones in the Cretaceous Period" by Kiddo with a little help from Mom and Grampa.

All is right in my world. Sixty-one degrees, slight breeze, bright sunshine, clear blue skies, every seed planted has sprouted, older brother is slowly mending from a horrible bout with Lyme Disease, older sister who managed to disappear herself for a few weeks has been found! younger sister and I will get to go to lunch tomorrow, younger brother doing well in Preston, what more can one ask? Kiddo and Grampa have spent lots of time these past two weekends building and painting a small control line plane. They've also gone to the flying field to see some of the guys flying helicopters while Mémé just stayed home and did rien, absolument rien. This dry, sunny weather makes me euphoric!

Puppy's Pop is on his way to the Flying Field while I get to read the Bulletin which is not supposed to be delivered on Sundays! I did call again to tell the paper that we don't get the Sunday edition. This is only the fourth communication they get from us on this subject. Perhaps by Christmas they will cease and desist delivering the garbage (pronounced in French) on Sundays. Oh how I miss the Baton Rouge Advocate. It had real, in depth articles. It was enjoyable, literate, bright interesting to me, Yankee that I am.

Quote: In moderating, not in satisfying desires, lies peace. ___Hebert