Saturday, July 17, 2010

July 17, 2010

I don't know about where you live, but here in Louisiana, it is way hot. Everything is just laying low trying not to breathe too much of that hot air into its lungs. I had to go to two different cities this week and just getting out of the truck and into the building was an effort. Then to get out of the building, back across the melty tarmac parking lot and into the oven-like vehicle was just about too much.

For about two weeks now we have had some violent lightning and thunder storms that produce probably a tablespoonful of rain, but you can't get into the pool for fear you will be struck dead. Just a typical Louisiana summer. However, I think this one is really hotter than most we have had in a long time. I can assure you, if I don't have to go outside, I don't.

Last time I wrote it was my dad's 90th birthday. Two weeks after that, we pulled off a surprise party for my mother's 85th birthday, which was also their 67th anniversary. We had a nice group of folks show up for her party. Only one brother didn't make it, but he and his wife took my parents out for breakfast on the actual day of my mom's birthday, so I guess that counted for them. We missed having him there to tell stories with one of my other brothers though. They are always our entertainment committee for family gatherings. They can have you rolling in the floor laughing at what all they did when we were growing up. My younger brother and I are probably their biggest fans.


I had my 2nd in line grandson, in age, with back surgery, which must not have taken because for three weeks he has been in unbelievable pain. He ended up having to be taken by ambulance this past Sunday back to the city to the hospital for another back surgery. He is doing much better this time with pain, but nothing like what he was experiencing before. His little wife is due just about any day with their first child, but I hope she can wait maybe one week until he is more mobile and can get around better.

My first born grandson is being transferred to Germany for a 3 year tour and he, his wife and Zoey will leave on August 11th. I think there will be some wailing going on around these parts. I just hope they will be able to come home on leave at least once or twice during that time. Zoey will be 4 years old by the time they do come home and she will have forgotten who her Mi Mi is by then. Thank goodness for Skype and I hope I can figure out how to use it and that our times work out to be able to talk and see each other.

Bill has helped me build, out of an old bedside table, a little "kitchen" for Zoey. I haven't taken pictures of it yet, but when I do, I will post them. It is kind of primitive, but it is cute. I had them mix what was supposed to be just a breath of pink paint, but it had quite a bit of pink in it once I brushed it on. Oh well, it is something for her to play with when she is at my daughter's house. It will do in a rush and she will never know the difference. It grates on my nerves though because that old perfectionist in me is growling since it isn't like the ones you buy. I just have to remember that it is homemade and that she is 15 months old. Now, if I just had a pink pot holder, I might be more satisfied with it.

My son's 13 year old son is in Knoxville playing in the world series and I am waiting on a phone call any minute to see if they are going to be 1st or 2nd place. This makes the 4th game they have played today with 15 minutes in between each game. I don't know how in the world they can even stay in the competition after that much ball gaming in one day. It has been like that all week long. Had they lost yesterday, then there was a possibility they would have had to play 6 games in a row. Good thing he is a kid with energy. Makes me want to crawl in the bed just thinking about it.

Bill has finally finished all of the cabinet work in my new kitchen addition. Now he has spent this week working on his bathroom addition. Actually, it is a brand new bathroom for him. His old bathroom will become a passageway/linen closet when he busts through the wall into the new section. I don't know how in the world he has survived out in this heat, but he is an outdoor person and at least has two fans blowing on him. If he can hurry and finish the overhead stuff and get off the ladder, then the rest should be smooth sailing. When that room is finished, then we will be able to put down new flooring. I want the same flooring in the new bath, linen closet/passageway, new/old kitchen, small dining room, hallway, and my bathroom. Right now, the new part just has sub-flooring and there are two different types of flooring in two of the areas. I want it consistent throughout.

When that is done, then the living room needs a face lift. That is the problem with living in a house that is around 100 years old. It is a money pit, but there is no way we could ever afford to replicate the space at today's prices. We couldn't even buy a broom closet at today's prices for what we paid for this house and four town lots back in 1974. I kid you not.

Stay cool and maybe I will not wait so long to post next time. Don't hold your breath though.