Remember Me?

Gasp!! It’s been more than two months! I really didn’t abandon the place, really I didn’t. But good grief! By the looks of things in here I should have sent the advance team in to get rid of the cobwebs and make sure there are no spiders hanging around under the dustcovers.

I guess I should start with the Class A, best darn excuses for not blogging all summer. Well, first of all spell check doesn’t like the word blog or blogging. So NOT blogging is a good way to avoid those aggravating red squiggly lines under your words. Another good reason is to have so many ideas of things to write about that it all becomes too overwhelming and going back down to the beach for the afternoon seems to lessen that stress of figuring all that out. Beyond that, I think that the sheer overwhelming technical aspects of it all scare me to death……all those tags and links and blog rolls and stuff. And darn it there is one of those red squiggly lines again.

My friends have been encouraging. Just get in there and write something…forget the technical things. “Stick your toe in. No great white shark is going to come along and make a canape out of it.” So here I come again (heh!) But I’ll be counting all my fingers and toes when I get out of the pool.

To clear up the terrible clog of things I wanted to write about….here are the past two months in the Readers’ Digest version.

Flew to Denmark. Drove to Stockholm. Met some nice Australian folks in Copenhagen. Flights were not too bad considering. New camera worked great. Landed Halifax on 07/06. Welcome home! Son still not working. Cut him off. Daughter working. Makes her feet hurt. Get out teeny tiny violins.

Daughter’s boyfriend’s mother gets stuck in Lebanon. Takes ten days to get evacuated via cruise ship. Daughter’s boyfriend broke up with daughter last week. But that’s okay. Daughter has new car and a new apartment.....lucky kid. Poor son, still not working and still cut off. Had lots of fun buying things for daughter’s apartment…..just because……shopping is fun?

*Takes a breath here*

Husband’s parents celebrate 50th anniversary. Have big party. Put up lots of lovely decorations. Son showed up in some sort of unusual get up. Hmmm. That’s all I better say about that. A good time was had by all. Hallelujah! Almost had to sit through another family portrait session. Got out of Dodge in the nick of time. Back to Texas. Sure is hot! House shopping. Husband went to India. He brought back lovely bling and pashminas. Spell check doesn’t like bling…….but Sally likes bling very much! How much house do two people need? Decisions. Decisions.

And that’s all that’s been going on around here. The slate is clean. I can start all over nice and fresh because there is so much coming in the next few months.

I’ll be hauling a load of unused furniture to Halifax next month for that aforementioned apartment and daughter’s 21st birthday. (I’m such a good mom.) Next week I’m going to sit down and make this all nice and up to date on the technical side. Add links and all those good things. I’m glad I finally ventured back in and found that the place is still just the way I left it.
Come to think of it. Maybe it would be a shame to mess it up again…

I tossed the vacation photos in a pile here.

But I’ll hang these few on the walls for the time being.

Part of a castle.

Part of A Carnival Ride

Party Animals

Boats in Digby

Annapolis Valley

Peggy’s Cove

Only the most photographed lighthouse in the world, so what’s another shot of it? 

Too bad it didn’t move or something.

Oh, right I almost forgot. I’m supposed to put this one up or else…..

One of these days I’m going to tell that dog to bite me.

Road Buzz

In order to get all of his stuff into his smaller suitcase, we had to deflate the soccer ball a little. I insisted that the bag be zipped and locked before I agreed to even put it in the car. For some reason he hasn't figured out, after all these years and trips together, that I can't kick the ball and pass transport trucks at the same time. Getting the ball away from him long enough to make it transportable wasn't easy. I think he remembers that day a long time ago when he went to sleep and woke up missing a pair of balls. Those were his favourite ones, too.

Of course, it was all my fault and am not, now, to be completely trusted.

In addition to one partially inflated soccer ball, he packed one forty pound bag of IAMS Weight-Loss, Chicken and Rice Formula, two large bags of Marrow Bones, and four pounds of hamburger. (Eeewww! I might need to get that out of the car soon!) When I asked him why he felt he needed to carry so much food when the exact same thing was available in Canada, he muttered something about not being keen on a remake of "The Incredible Journey" or "Homeward Bound." I am so very glad I never screened "Lassie Come Home" for him. I thought it might actually hit too close to home and give him nightmares. He twitches enough in his sleep chasing those imaginary rabbits!

All this packing took place on Sunday night. On Monday "Killer" and I embarked (arrf! arrf!) on our less than incredible journey, a 2700 mile trek from Houston, Texas to Halifax, Nova Scotia. His real name isn't "Killer", it's Kenai......pronounced Keen-eye. "Killer" is a persona he adopts when we take these little trips alone together.....or when the pizza man comes to the door. He makes sure nothing happens to me, and that no one steals my camera or my laptop from the car when I run into McDonald's to use the restroom. To morph from Kenai into "Killer" isn't all that hard, really. We lay off the brushing and grooming for a week and then remove the cute little red hankerchief from around his neck. We replace it with a thick leather collar studded with half inch spikes. You can't see them in the photo because of all that fur but trust me he has spikes!


So far we've been driving four days. Our first night was in Little Rock....*waves to Jill and Norbert, the cat.* (I hope the garage wasn't too hot for ya' Norbie!) On the second night we made Knoxville. Should I have known that we were not in a very good hotel when Mr. Bang This Empty Bowl Across the Kitchen Floor Because You're Too Slow Fillin' It refused to eat his food there? Gini took one look at the place and concurred. *waves to Gini* The hotel she found us was much more to his taste. He ate five pounds of food for breakfast in that room before we left on Wednesday! He even folded his napkin correctly.

We made it to Harrisburg in time to catch the beginning of the hockey game from Raleigh. "Killer" got a little bored with the game after the second period but found ways to amuse himself in the room while I read the message boards and kept one eye on the TV. He played......"Look Mom! I Can Turn Your Sheltie into a Boxer"


He looks more like Mother Teresa to me.

I ignored him and gave him my camera to play with for a while. He took a bunch of pics and proved that it isn't all that hard to amuse yourself when alone in a hotel room.









Eventually, all that picture taking took its toll.


He's asleep right now, just like I should be. That road buzz feeling just left me about an hour ago and I am beginning to get a little tired. Tomorrow will be a short day....only 450 miles, a border crossing (No officer, I don't have anything to declare. Why is my car sitting so low in the rear? Oh, that.....I'm hauling the decorations for a 50th wedding anniversary party.....and thirty-four pounds of dog food. Would you like to see his health certificate? Isn't that a pretty frame? We call him "Killer")

I get to see my kids (who are no longer kids) for the first time in 6 months and they'll get to see their dog again. And that is going to be a big surprise!


**Note to Self** Next time keep both eyes on the hockey game and forget about what your silly dog is doing.

Technorati tags: Shelties, Road Trips, Pet Travel, Clay Aiken

Brad and Angelina

Brad and Angelina stopped by for the first time about six weeks ago. I had a hunch they were looking for a nice, quiet, safe and private place to prepare for the latest addition to their family. At first I wasn’t sure if I really wanted them setting up house on my baker’s rack. Likewise, I could tell they weren’t too sure about me either. They came and went several times during the next few days. Angelina would settle herself in between the resin lighthouses on the second shelf and sit for a few hours. Brad would pace back and forth on the railing…….he kept a watchful eye on the goings on in my living room ……not too sure if we were to be trusted or not it, seemed.



There certainly was enough noise passing through the screen door to frighten them off for good, but when I saw Brad carrying bits of straw in his beak I began to think that maybe they did plan to take up residence after all. Over the course of that first weekend, six weeks ago, they built a nest on the top shelf of the baker’s rack. It’s a nice shady spot, under cover and partially hidden from outside view by a big pine tree. I thought for sure that the barking of Killer *g* or the crowd noise from hockey games on the TV would scare them off. I left the screen door open so they’d get a taste of what daily life was really like at Casa Sally.

Every once in a while I like to use the balcony to sit out…… to read a book or the paper. When my mother calls, I take the phone out there and park myself in a deck chair. I guess my idea of living dangerously is having the neighbors know all of my business. The prospect of being balcony-less for the gestation and nurturing period of baby birds wasn’t all that appealing and I KNEW that once that nest was out there, I wouldn’t have the heart to go out there and risk disturbing it. I was half tempted to start using the balcony even more……kind of stake it out and let them know it was MY territory and that they were welcome to join me, but they weren’t going to run me off either. Mother nature seemed to take of my little dilemma when they both disappeared and I didn’t see beak nor feather for almost a month. I maintained my usual balcony routine, forgot about staking my claim and went on with my indoor existence.



They came back about two weeks ago. Angelina sits on her nest all day and all night with occasional relief from Brad. It’s funny how things are in nature. Angie sits low in the nest, looks very comfy and happy to be there. She fluffs out her feathers and seems to be very Zen about the whole thing. When Brad takes over, the shift change is obvious. He is the epitome of a nervous father. He sits higher in the nest and he watches the clock on the mantle above the fireplace. It looks like his biggest fear isn’t so much outside intruders, as it is being caught in the middle of a hatching and not knowing what to do……I definitely get a “I’ll sit here as long as you get your tail feathers back here pronto.” vibe from Brad. "No, stopping by your sister's for a worm.....not even an itsy bitsy inch worm."



One would naturally assume that a pair of fine feathered doves like Brad and Angelina must have several homes. That month they were gone…..could have been an extended honeymoon or maybe they were trying on other neighborhoods for size. I guess the fact that they’ve chosen to share the birth of their babies with me, exclusively, makes me feel kind of proud. So far I haven’t noticed any circling vultures but there is a large contingent of pidgeonazzi hanging around on nearby roof tops waiting for their first shot at the newborns. Killer’s job is to take care of any cats, so it's a good thing I’m not expecting any.

In lieu of the use of my balcony for the next couple of months (I’m not going to be here anyway…..but they don’t know that yet), I’ve worked out a little deal with the pair. I can use the new camera I got this week to snap the first shots of the babies. Peeper Magazine has offered me $400.00 for them. Trouble is, if they aren’t born by tomorrow morning, I’m going to be out of luck……..

I wonder if I set out some leftover Taco Bell would Brad bring it to Angie and help move things along a bit. In the meantime, I’d better go figure out a way to introduce the new Nikon to John. It wouldn’t do to have John and the D50 to get off on the wrong foot….’specially since I didn’t buy the Canon point and shoot I had planned to, but got the dSLR instead. So he isn’t exactly expecting it…….and when he sees the size of the case he has to tote around Denmark for me……he’s going to have a bird!

Gosh, maybe if Brad went out and got himself a new Nikon camera on their Visa card, Angie would have a bird, too. Come on , Ange......I'm leaving in the morning!

Technorati tags: Brad and Angelina, Doves, Baby Birds

Pick Up Milk, Buy Stamps, Make Dentist Appointments......and Oh, Yeah, That Other Thing

Well, howdy do. Nothing new here....'tis a very very nice day, though. So nice, in fact, I thought I could do Walmart and still be in a good mood by the time I piled all those bags of things I didn't know I needed into the trunk. Somebody told me once that Walmart gives money to the Republicans. I sure hope that isn't true.....or maybe it's just a wee bit of money. That purse I bought today was only eight bucks. How much money can you give away if you only charge eight bucks for a purse? Come to think of it...... It probably only cost a dollar to make it, so I guess they do have some spare change sitting around. I knew I shouldn't have bought the darn thing! I would buy great shoes from the Republicans, but a little straw purse, I could do without for the sake of my principles.

So, I did Walmart and I found a really cool travel set for toiletries, makeup and jewelry and such.....all the important items that one needs to tow behind the car on a nice long road trip. I haven't opened it up for a complete examination yet, but I know it must have retractable wheels in there somewhere. Luckily, I got the towing package option when I bought the new Jetta last month. No one can actually be expected to fit all that stuff in the trunk, can they?

Okay, so this isn't why I'm here. But it was a nice warm up, anyway. I find this writing thing a little hard. Down there, in my first blog, I just pinched my nose tight and jumped right in. The water was fine......but I had this terrible feeling that my bathing suit drawers were about to come floating up from the bottom of the pool. I, finally, was able to look down this morning, reread what I wrote, and see that I wasn't as exposed as I thought I was. Whew! One good hike and everything is back in its place. Well, kind of......I've got this little wedgie to remind me that there's something important I'm supposed to be doing.

Things came up. I did stuff....did Walmart, picked up my new glasses, paid for Carolyn's gym membership over the phone, got her a new car insurance quote and arranged for the payments on my Mastercard, paid for Rob's work boots on my Visa, and called "Parents of Spoiled Children Anonymous". Okay, that wasn't fair....neither one of them called and ASKED me to do those things. I volunteered. Let's see....where would I find the number for "Guilty Parents of America?" *Sigh*......I guess that all comes with tossing the birdies from the nest and moving to another country. Thank God it's a country where 50% of my mail is credit card offers....and I sure do miss those little critters.

I hope it's okay to babble aimlessly to one's self in one's own blog. (Who made that name up BTW?) Does it have a meaning beyond the fact that it sounds like you're just dumping words on a page? If it does mean dumping words on a page, then I am a damn good blogger.

Alrighty then. This hasn't gone anywhere at all so I'm going to give it up for now. So that this whole thing hasn't been a complete and utter waste of everyone's time, I'll try to post a picture. I'll learn something and you'll be glad you came.


And as for that other thing.....I'll think about that tomorrow. I've got my smugmug account open now and I won't be good for anything for the rest of today.

Fiddle dee dee......

One Of The Bigger Things On My To Do List

I have a phone number, here. It’s typewritten on the twelfth page of the genealogical record of my father’s family. The phone number belongs, I think, to my aunt, Elizabeth. Its seven digits are typed next to her name. The name of her husband is listed next and the names of her four children, my cousins, follow his. There is no other family information provided….no marriages, no births of grandchildren….just the phone number. Everyone else who was interviewed for this included those kinds of details and the absence of them, in this instance, has always made me wonder. Was she saying, if you want to know more, call me? Was she saying that to anyone or was she hoping that I would call? Or my sister or my mother? For a long time I was sure that Elizabeth put her phone number there just for me. Just in case my branch of the family was found and added to the record. But in hindsight, that was a long shot.

I should have tried this number years ago. It’s been saved in a file folder for eleven years. Mom sent it to me in January of 1995, a few weeks after the Boxing Day phone call she made to say, “Guess what? Your father’s dead. He died two years ago in Victoria.”

I always wondered if I would ever find out if he was dead or alive. I suppose I figured that if I did find out, it would be through some official channel. A phone call from a British Columbia law firm to inform me of my inheritance would have been nice. My childhood fantasy was that he was rich and would someday return, take us back and make me a princess. Not to be…..no lawyers, no inheritance, no tiara…..okay, I wore one once at a Clay Aiken pre-concert party…..it was a joke......I think! It is funny how this information did get back to Mom…..a totally small world experience, in which a long time neighbor had a cousin who was related in some way to my father’s family. During a visit that Christmas, the cousin showed the neighbor his family tree project and the neighbor recognized my mother’s name on it. He told his cousin that she lived a few houses down the street and the rest is……well, family history.

When the cousin returned to his home in New Brunswick, he mailed my mother two things…..a copy of what information he had already compiled and my father’s obituary. The obit didn’t have a cause of death. It really only had two pertinent bits of info……buried in Greenwood Cemetery and predeceased by wife Linda in 1974 (who the hell was Linda??)….no mention of surviving children. What about me? And Patty, my sister? And the girl who was supposed to have been twelve when I was sixteen? And the one who was four when I was seventeen? I think there was another one after that, but maybe they were all just rumors and not sisters after all. Are they all at the end of my dialing finger? I bet Elizabeth knows. The chances are good that one of these now grown women have come seeking their birth father and they’ve found Elizabeth. Even if they are nothing more than rumors, I still have a million questions. I have this link, this number, I need to try it….really. Eleven years is too long to wait. A lot can happen in eleven years. Maybe this number no longer works. Maybe nobody wants to open up this can of worms. Maybe nobody up there cares. I guess they all think I don’t care….eleven years is a long time to wait. Why has it taken me so long to get up the courage to test the strength of this link to my father's family? Hell, I know why......it's a pretty big door to open and probably more than a roomful of emotion behind it. Yup, bottled up emotions in a pottery jug. Haven't a clue what's inside.....I hope it's something that will wash down a plate of big chicken.

I’ve left the folder from the file cabinet on my desk. I swear I AM going to try it. I’ll try really hard not to interrupt their dinner, or the season finale of what might be a favorite TV show. I pray that she is still alive……most sixty-six year old people are alive, right? Well, unless they died at sixty-five or sixty-four or sixty, like my father did……twenty-nine years since I last laid eyes on him. A man I never knew, barely remember, and am supposed to resemble.

If I’m going to do this tomorrow I’d better go check the liquor cabinet and make sure my favorite brand of courage is in stock. Of course, I don’t HAVE to do this tomorrow……the voices in my head have ADD they might be onto something else tomorrow.

Technorati tags: Family