Spitting Prohibited

Blog.Fail.

So I this little tag thing hanging around at my friend Lu's site(...lu do you go by your own name in the blogisphere?  I can't remember so I'll be safe and go with lu.  That's sort of how I met lu...) and at Tori's site and I thought I think I've already done that tag game.  But then I thought I could use it.

I could tweak it! 

And out of the remnants of that blog I could build a new tag. ...faster ...stronger ...better  ...will not apply to this game, but if you get that joke I know how old you are. 

 

7 things I have failed my blog.  7 things I meant to post about but didn't.  7 times my creativity failed me in spite of wonderful inspiration.  (And the best part is I can cross them off my list and move on with my life because now I have officially blogged them!  Yay!  Yes. They were weighing on me, how dare you doubt my sincerity.) 

1. The end of Dad and Kate's visit in December/January.  We had fun.  We saw stuff.  And then they went home.  This is Alex watching them from the window and Tom helping him not be sad.

2.  Tom calls a family conference.  Mysteries of the magically refilling toilet paper roll imparted.  Children now mostly change toilet paper rolls. ...or at least do their best to leave a scrap or two of tp on the roll so as to not be the last person.

3.  "Mom, do you think this will fool the Tooth Fairy?"  No, Alex.  I think you'll have to do better than a grain of rice...and telling me.  This is almost as good as Brooke getting up one morning when she was about 6, holding a feather in her hand and saying slightly disgruntled, "Well, I guess there's no such thing as the Feather Fairy.  Shoot."

4.   Don't let this happen to you.  Awesome vampire makeup ruined by failure to buy white powder.  It may be too late for me, but perhaps not to late for your little bloodsucker.

5.   We went to Disneyworld.  We saw Tom's family. We saw my sister and her husband.  We had fun.  We drove home.  I took 1,123 pictures this trip.  When I was going to estimate I was going to say over 500, then I thought I'll just go check.  And now I am stunned.  But happy.  I have such good pictures from this trip.

6.  We have a new kitty.  His name is Nightstar.  Don't blame me.  I did not name him.  We took a family vote.  Nightstar was Jon's suggestion because he is all black except for one white "star" on his chest.  If I would have named him he would now be called Morty.  I seriously considered bringing him home and telling the kids his name instead of giving them a choice. He is still all black with one star, but mostly I call him Puddin or Pud which started as Puddytat but is now Pud.  Sadly now for you he is now a little Pud anymore.  He is quite a bit bigger.  We got him in April.  He does still chase his tail though.  Does that make you happy?

7. We saw them.  It was awesome.  I highly recommend buying seats though, instead of hillside tickets.  Sure they cost more, but they are in the non-smoking/hopefully less pot wafting section.  I actually got far enough to put up a photo album of this delightful evening, but alas not far enough to actually write about it.  You may peruse if you so choose.  (I'm a poet and I know it.)

"Don't stop now, there's more! Much more!" 

(And if you get that joke, I know you have children or enjoy watching Disney movies at home in the dark by yourself...one or the other) Sadly it's true I could go on, I have way more than 7.  But 7 is the decree and unto that shall I hold.

So, 7 taggees, I'm not sure 7 of you are reading, but here goes:

1. Millie
2. Jan
3. Kathie
4. Nobody
5. RaNell
6. Michele
7. Carrot

Look what I found

In the continuing segment of why my family is so awesome:

Yes, that is my sister-in-law.  Thanks Russ for marrying well.

Moving right along

So then, if you aren't caught up with our journey to Savannah and our arrival at my sister's go here.  If you are all up to speed, well then, virtual brownies for you...mmm brownies...  And you get the treat of just jumping into this post.  See isn't it better if you just schedule your life around checking my blog, just in case I might post?

"I do not accept excuses, I'm just going to have to find myself a new giant."

Well, that was fun, wasn't it? (note: anytime you get to quote Princess Bride qualifies as fun.) But as this post is titled "Moving Right Along" I suppose we'd well, better get to it.

So we arrive at Rich & Lynzie's a day early according to them, right on schedule according to me. Regardless we are all soon resting blissfully on our pillows and awake ready in the morning for some beach fun.  Yay Beach!

As Lynzie is working, Rich is going with us up to New Smyrna (which my sister and brother-in-law pronounce "noo-sah-mer-nah", with the emphasis on "sah" so I was very confused about where we were going).  We got just about to that fateful Walmart down the road and Harry Potter (which we were listening to on the drive down) said something like..."Harry, Ron and Hermione merphshplitergumgerbah..." as we came up to a stop light.  Thinking that Harry Ron or Hermione would never say such a thing, I took the tape out immediately being afraid it was being eaten alive.  It looked normal.  I put it back in.  Nothing happened.  I thought, 'Maybe if I restart my car...' I turned the car off.  And Nothing but me getting really frustrated happened.

The light turned Green.

Rich and Tom (who was riding up with him) drove off.  I stayed where I was.  And stayed and stayed. Until finally they called me -- an interminable 2 minutes later.  They came back and got us.  Pushed the car over into that lovely Walmart parking lot and looked to see what the heck was going on.  First we think the battery.  Then we look at the alternator.  "Oh look, part of it is melted!"

Now if you've been reading this blog for more than 3 months and let's face it there has not been that much to read in those 3 months around here, so you should all be caught up.  You'll be thinking about now "Didn't your husband replace the alternator in your van a little while ago?"  And the answer is: yes, yes he did.  (I am just all about the web links this time aren't I?)

Apparently the automotive shop we bought the alternator from, let's call them "Hep Toys" sold us the wrong alternator.  There is apparently more that one version of alternators for 2000 Ford Winstars -- yeah, thanks for that Ford!  But we knew this when we bought it.  We to the old alternator in to Hep Toys so they could make sure we got the right model.  "Yeah, that'll work for you." I think was their exact response.

"That'll work" apparently means in this instance: well your car will go for a few months, but sooner or later it will start arcing and could potential start a fire, but at least you'll get those couple of months out of it.

Which you know, had I known I think I would have insisted on a different model of alternator.  I'm picky like that.

However, we apparently owe a huge debt of gratitude to whichever angel was watching over us because not only did it not start a fire (although there are a few scorch marks on the underside of the hood of our car from the arcing), it didn't even die somewhere in the hills of West Virginia somewhere.  We got all the way to Florida where we had a kind brother-in-law and sister to help us out.  Which is the way to go if you ever have to go through something like this I must say.

So.  No beach that day.

But the kids were OK with that, as much as I would have liked to be doing something else.  Mainly because Uncle Rich and Aunt Lynzie have a Wii.  Yes, they probably could have spent the entire vacation in Uncle Rich and Aunt Lynzie's living room.

Second try for the beach.  Now Rich has to work and Lynzie has a morning class, but the afternoon free.  So I decide to hit Walmart (again) for a couple of things I needed...and didn't get either of the 2 previous stops.  All goes well, except for when I get back in the car to leave.  It won't start.

I call Lynzie.  She comes to rescue me this time.  Jumps the car and we head back to her house.

Thinking that perhaps the battery did not get sufficiently recharged the previous day.  We charge it up for a good 2 hours this time.

It won't start.

Thinking at this point the batterery is just dead and we need a new one.  I hop in Lynzie's car this time, head back to Walmart and buy a new battery.  Get back.  Tom and Rich (who's returned by now) install the new battery.  And the kids play on the Wii.  Yay, all is well.

At this point Rich tells me that he thinks it was just the cables weren't tightly connected.  But I don't care.  The van runs and also fairly importantly, it will also start.  Sure we could have saved that $75.  And yes there are probably funner ways we could have found to spend it in Florida.  But the van will start.

So.  No Beach that day either.

Last day at Lynzie and Rich's.  We pack up for the beach and Yay!  We get to go!  Lynzie decides she wants to head to New Port Richey which she'd heard was "cute".  So we go.  And we cannot find a beach!  Thinking pretty much we should just have to head west and we would run into the ocean, was apparently not the best plan.  Finally, we find a private beach who gives us some directions.  And we see a tiny little sign that directs us to Clearwater Beach (or I think it does my memory is a little sketchy on this point) and we get to enjoy some white sand, finally!

Now this will sound odd, but it was as un-ocean-like and ocean I have ever seen.  See to me going to the ocean means cold water, and waves, and water you don't have to sit down in to get your ankles wet.  Somehow this just didn't fulfill my expectations.  But it was gorgeous.  And we had a lot of fun.  Even if it wasn't a "real" ocean.

Next stop...Epcot!

Your patience has been appreciated.

Good heavens, it appears that we have been back from our trip for almost a month!  I am willing to go almost a month apparently, but a whole month is just too long.  Really, it's like not sending your wedding thank you-cards out for over a year, not that I would know anyone like that...(excuse me a moment while I hang my head in shame).

So without further ado, I present to you The Great Disney Adventure, 2008:

Thursday, March 27.  "What do you mean you have to work tomorrow?????"

Friday, March 28.  packing...cleaning...packing...cleaning...pick up kids from school early...pick up husband from work (grrrrr)...driving...driving...driving...driving...driving...and so on.  Arrive in Savannah, GA approximately 1:00 am.  Tom at this point I should mention has been up for nearly 22 hours as he got up really early to go into work.  (Please forgive my griping.)

Saturday, March 28.  Drive down to the heart of Historic Savannah.  GORGEOUS!  We explored Forsyth Park, snapped pictures, paid too much money to a man from Trinidad who made me a Colonial Rose from some pine he had cut somewhere.  Probably out of the many trees in the park or near it. Snapped pictures.  Found a playground (for which the children remarkably revived, during the walk they were so exhausted they could hardly stand up, and when I say "children" I really mean Alex).  Snapped pictures.  Snapped pictures.  Snapped pictures.  Snapped pictures...  Get it?

And still there is more...

After walking and snapping we grabbed the cooler out of the car and made lunch. Although let me give you one tip if you ever stop to picnic in Beautiful Historic Savannah.  Savannah-itonians love their dogs.  Really love their dogs.  And most of them carry those little dog poop baggies when they take them for a walk, but not all.  Be warned.

Later that day, when we hit somewhere near Jacksonville, we thought we should call the fam. (PS: thanks Rich and Lynzie)  Just to let them know we were a little a head of schedule.  And instead of arriving somewhere late that night it would be closer to dinner time.  No answer, leave message...finally get a hold of Rich.  He explains they have some church commitments that will keep them away from the house until 9pm.  So we determine we will find something interesting to do and meet them around then.  We pass lots of interesting things.  We don't stop.  We pass more interesting things.  We don't stop.  Tom wants to find their house, and then find something to do near them.  Not a bad theory.  At least until you get to my sister's house.  Really there is not much to do around them.  How odd.  We end up at a Mexican Restaurant (a little more Cuban influenced than we're used to, but still yummy) and then, wait for it...Walmart.  Wooooot.  On the plus side, we found the kids cute little plastic canteens they can take around the parks.  On the negative side, Walmart.

And then we go see the fam!  Hugs all around.  We get the kids sleeping arrangements set up, and then as we are talking find out they weren't expecting us until Sunday.  Wha?  You mean I didn't communicate very well?  Yeah, sorry about that guys.  I think the problem was we kept talking about what we could do Sunday.  Me thinking, "that will be our first full day to do anything."  Her thinking, "they're not showing up until sometime Sunday."  But I must admit they were entirely gracious about our early arrival.  It's good to have sisters by the way.  I was told however, that if we'd arrived when they were planning on us we would have been treated to a view of my sister's dresser cleared off and the cat box having been cleaned.  All in all, I think we would still take the free beds as opposed to another hotel stay.

Well, it's getting late and I'm anxious to post.  (Yah, I know, *almost* a month keeping you waiting and now I'm anxious to post.  But get over it.  You all should know me well enough by now to know you can't really count on when the blogging muses will inspire me.)  (that almost read, "...when the blogging bugs will bite me." but I didn't want to give you any additional reasons to make clever comments at my expense.)  So more to come!

Great-Grandma Davis

This is my Great-Grandma Mary Shelley Davis.

She died when I was 15 or 16, so I was one of her very fortunate Great-grandchildren who got to know her.

Grandma Davis is what I usually called her dispensing with those troublesome greats, or perhaps I just mimicked my mother.  I had a cousin who called her "Big Grandma", which was ironic, though he wasn't really old enough to understand why, because she was a tiny little thing, the only thing unfortunately that got passed down to me were my little hands.

And apparently my love of the dramatic.

Grandma was definitely an artist.  She was an actress, of which I've only heard stories.  And she wrote stories and poetry, of which I am blessed to have much evidence.

Here is one she wrote for her dearest love, her husband Francis Davis, whom she "flipped for":

IF

"If you go first and I remain,"

Secure me a spot in some fertile plain.

             Where roses grow.

And then sometimes in your busy life

Of organizing worlds, with their care and strife,

You will take a night off -- perhaps a day

And fly down to the plain, with an hour to stay --

             Where roses grow.

Great-Grandpa died before I was born, not long after my parents married.  And yet some how, probably through her poetry, perhaps enhanced by stories my mother and Grandmother told me, their love shines brightly for me.  The stuff of legends.

I have a few strong memories of Grandma Davis.  I remember her living with my Grandparents for much of the later days of her life.  Or rather I suppose my Grandparents moved in with her.  I think my Grandparents bought the house from her.  Once I remember talking to her about her poems and how she wrote them, where did she get her inspiration from? She told me "Some days I can sit with my pen in my hand and paper on my desk for hours and nothing will come.  And I think 'people are expecting me to write something, get writing pen!'  And I sitting at my desk and all that comes to me is 'My those bookshelves are dusty, I really should get to dusting one of these days...'"  And she laughed. 

I wish I could have captured that laugh.  It makes me sad to think that I can't quite remember it.  Its more like stage direction now.  I remember she did it, but I can't quite remember how.  And a laugh tells you a lot about a person I think.

In that same conversation I told her that I was writing poetry.  And she asked me to send her some, and she would help me.  So when I got home.  And remembered.  I wrote her a letter and sent her a few of my favorite poems.  She wrote me back and sent back my poems with some notes, marked up with ideas and choices.  We did this a few more times until my youthful energy focused elsewhere.  I wish I'd saved the letters though.

Another time we went down to visit, all of the grandchildren were out playing in the yard.  One of Grandma's brothers or had bought the house next door and allowed us to treat their backyard as an extension of my Grandparent's.  Grandpa called me over and told me Grandma Davis wants you to go and sit with her.  I wasn't very thrilled to leave my fun cousins and siblings at the time.  At this point, Grandma was much less able to do things, let alone write poetry.  Mostly she sat and watched TV.  So I went and sat by her and held her hand.  It had that stretched feeling across her fingers and knuckles.  We watched "Little House on the Prairie" a show I had given up for babyish a few years ago.

At one point during the show, "Pa" was in a fight!  I think 2 punches were thrown.  My sweet grandma pulled her hands up over her eyes in shock!  "Well!  I don't know that we needed to see that!"

But my favorite memory is sometime in the 1970s we had a big family reunion, and it's the one I chose to highlight in the first layout above.  All the descendants of John F. Shelley gathered home to Shelley, Idaho.  I remember they had a talent show, which we sang in, and at the end they honored Grandma by reading a tribute to her and some of her poetry.  But the best part of the reunion happened the very first day.  When we first arrived.

We walked into Grandma's house (we always used the back door, never the front door. You always knew it was a stranger knocking if they used the front door) through the laundry room and into the kitchen.  Grandpa and Grandma Oak were up first hugging and kissing us, welcoming us.  Great-Grandma was sitting at the table.  Somewhat dutifully and carefully we hugged and kissed her.  But she was having none of that!  She hugged us firmly and tightly, I remember being surprised at how strong her hands were.  And she kissed us firmly on the cheeks, so firmly that it hurt my cheek a little bit. And she exclaimed with real joy and delight.

"Oh I don't know how I can love you all so much!  But I do!  I do!"

                                                                                                                       I love you too, Grandma.

Now tell me a story about one of your favorite relatives...

All things pink and precious!

<<<insert fanfare here>>>

                                        

My brother and sister-in-law had their baby girl yesterday!

                                                                 and here is your requisite Sketchy sneak peek:

Go on!  Tell them congratulations, I know you want to!

PS:  Years ago when Alex was just born, and this same bro&sis-in-law had had their first girl 2 months earlier, I sent a whole bunch of baby girl clothes down to them via my parents with the explicit instructions that they not be returned.  According to my mom, my dad made a comment that was something like this: Does Sketchy think she won't ever have a girl again?  And then much laughter at how that was tempting fate. 

And because I am always so patient and understanding while dealing with sleep deprivation and post-pardum issues, I told my mom she could tell him (because we always communicate like we're in 6th grade, it makes things awkward sometimes, but you know, once you get used to it it's not so bad): Sketchy thinks she has 4 children already and everyone else has contributed no more than 2 to his grandchildren tally.  So if he's looking for more grandkids he can just tell them to hurry on up and catch up.  Once they've all passed me, he can bug me again.

   ummm, oops

I would like to now clarify that comment, if I may, Dad.  Let's expand that to now include Russ and Lynzie.  I'm sure I always intended that comment to include them.  And speaking of inclusion, we really ought to include all my step-sisters and brothers too, we wouldn't want to show any favoritism would we?  Yep, I'm all about inclusion here.