Yep

Grabbed this badge from Facebook.  It describes my thoughts for the day.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

Dear Diary,
I wonder if my mom even knows.  How much I love her.  When she walks in the room I get excited.  When she asks if she can sit in her chair, I don't mind jumping down and letting her sit there, that's really why I'm there to begin with - so she will notice me... and ask me to get down.  When she sits on the floor with me and rubs my ears and looks in my eyes, I am comforted.  When she leaves her slippers on the floor, they become a part of her that I can be close to when she is busy doing something else.  Without my pack, I'd be lost.  Dad.  Mom.  Me.  We are inseparable.  (except when they leave me here all alone to do people stuff such as marketing, movie, shopping, visiting, etc.)  hey... wait a minute. that's no way to treat a pack member.  Poor me.   Gracie.

First Day of Summer

Don't let the heat get to you.  You don't want to be angry like Mr. Shark.

Or hot like Ms. Gracie.

Happy 1st Day of Summer!

The Way It Should Be

Once upon a time...  there was this man...

He was a kind and generous man...

Loved by many....

He knew how to laugh, relax, and take life easy at times...

He also knew how to work hard and provide for his family...

He wasn't perfect.  But he was perfect for me.

A kinder heart I've never known.

I wonder at times, why he was taken from this world so early in his life...

His sweet, gentle love is the legacy he left behind....  his quiet demeaner and giving spirit will always be remembered.   

In a day and age where kids are often led to believe that fathers do not matter much, I embrace my past and my own dad who gave me so little materialistic-wise but gave me so much more in setting an example in his kindness towards others and love for his family.

Today we celebrate Dad's.   We live in an angry and self centered age today.  I believe it is because of the lack of importance put on the role of father's in the lives of their children.  

My God says that father's are the head of the family.  Their importance is repeated in the Bible over and over again.  satan has worked diligently to prove the opposite... 

 Peace be with all father's today and may the love you give your children come back to  you one-hundred times over.  

Splash Splash Saturday

The camera setting was off in most of the shots...  but you get the picture...

We tried to lure Gracie to the water but she was having no parts of it.  I think she said something like... Open the gate, I'm outta here!

The Seeds of Love A Father Plants

I am Reposting this from Last Year in Honor of my Dad on Father's Day:

I wish I would have known my Dad better.  Often he would sit quietly, drinking a beer, and thinking about life.    Maybe he was thinking about how he would have enough money to feed his family of nine.  Or maybe about how tired he was after a hard days work.  Or would we ever be able to afford a bigger house than the 4 room house we lived in?  I was told a bathroom was added only after my mom encountered a snake in the outhouse one day.  I'm sure he had to borrow the money to do so.  
I don't know.

These things I do know:    He worked hard as an electrician, and often he would work for nothing just to help a friend or family member.  He was a kind, quiet man.  

********

     I sat on the hot macadam tossing a stone into the air and watching it fall onto the tarry road, waiting patiently for Dad to come home from work.  It was my turn for the bucket, and I hoped he would have something left from his lunch in there.  

     "Do you want to play hopscotch?" Rita asked. 

     "No, I'm waiting on Dad." I said.
     My stomach growled and I couldn't get my mind off what might be in the bucket tonight.  Yesterday had been my turn, but since Dad had eaten all of his lunch yesterday, my turn was carried over.  
     School had been out for nearly a month  and a calm, relaxed atmosphere had replaced the hectic one of getting up every morning and getting out for school.  My siblings and I were keeping busy with wiffle ball in the neighbors dirt driveway and picking berries along the hilly Cemetery Road where we lived.   There was lots to do, and the joy of it all was that we could do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted.  Because school. was. out.  I loved those summers, thick with green leaves and fresh smells.  But mostly, I loved bucket day when it was my turn. 

     Dad's truck appeared just above the hill and I rose to my feet and brushed the dirt from my hands.  

     I felt a blast of heat from inside Dad's truck as I met him at the side of the road.

     He looked tired.  

     "Is there anything in the bucket?" I asked.
     "I think there's something in there..." he said.  I pulled back, careful not to fall over the embankment just above our yard, and waited.  Dad got out slowly and handed me the hot, metal bucket and I ran down the hill and sat under the cool of the maple tree.  There, I carefully opened the bucket and finished what was left inside.

Today I remember Dad who has been gone for close to 40 years. I remember the tremendous amount of love and sacrifice behind his saving a part of his lunch for us every day.  

My Dad

 Who would have thought that half eaten, soggy, minced ham sandwiches, baked by the sun, and a melted lunch cake in a tin bucket would become the best of memories?

I remember less and less about Dad as time passes on. There are, however, memories that are a part of who I am.  A part of who I have become because of the love that was showed me back then. 

I never really looked at Dad’s face when he handed me the bucket.  If I had though, I have a feeling I would have been looking into the face of the greatest man I'd never known... 

Dad, I miss and love you and thank you for all the sacrifices you made for us.

She Needs To Get A Life

A nosy jealous concerned neighbor took it upon herself to call the zoning board to make sure we had a permit to have our pool put in.  Funny she hadn't noticed it until now.  But I did find her  behavior the other day a little unusual.  Gary was on the deck installing the ladder and I was catching some rays.  She kept pacing in her yard and watching us.  I'm pretty sure she is the same unidentified caller that commanded me to take Gracie inside when she was barking (several years ago) in the yard.  Funny how she will never leave her name.  Just, "a neighbor".   Lets call her mystery woman.   Some people are miserable...  and they want to make everyone else that way too.  How is my pool hurting her?  And what does she care if we have a pool permit or not?  The pool is behind a 6ft privacy fence and if she hadn't seen us on the deck the other day she would not have even known a pool existed.

The pool was installed in 2013 and yes, the contractors were to file for a permit and I'm quite sure we have that permit.  Somewhere.  Zoning must have lost it.  Another mystery.

We searched high and low.   We found receipts for everything from the king size bed we purchased several years ago to  a ten year old computer.  But no pool papers.  

And so we needed to contact the contractor who installed the pool.  We paid cash... so no canceled checks nor credit card statement with the purchase.  

We cannot even remember the name of the contractor!  

So, we let our fingers do the walking through the yellow pages..  or rather..  online.  No luck.

It seems the pool permit is just as much a mystery as the mystery woman concerned about the permit.    As is the name, address and phone number of the contractor.  

Somewhere.  In this home of disorganization.  Lives a large, clear bag with a receipt, warranty, and permit and with the letters POOL on the outside.  

We sent the $25 fine to the zoning office and signed a paper with the pool plans and now we will receive a permit in the mail.  And hopefully Ms. Busybody our concerned neighbor can rest easy and enjoy her life as we will be enjoying ours.

Why can't people be more like dogs?

Answers to Prayers

I pray for my grand-angels every single day.  This weeks Bible School journey for the girls is an answer to prayer.  More than anything else in life, I want them to know Gods love.    

Dear Diary,

Went to a new doctor yesterday.  Mom says it is an answer to prayer because he concurred with my regular doc.  All the bumps and lumps and such all over my body seem to be harmless but mom needs to watch.  This doc scraped a big ol' chunk of plaque off my back teeth.  Honestly, if I were the mean dog the nag says I am, I would have ripped that guy to shreds the minute the muzzle was removed but hey.  I was just glad to have that thing off.  And, I wanted to prove her wrong.  Mission accomplished.  Oh, and BTW ..  both docs also concur that I look pretty darn good for my age.  Just sayin'  Gracie.

THINGS ARE HEATING UP!

Springs transition into summer is proving to be a bit...  shall we say... heated! 

And with summer just around the corner...  (Well, Summer is actually present all year round in our neck of the woods *wink*wink*)

Anyhoooo...  we are preparing

First, some good business happening at my office.  It's been a great year so far... thanks to many God-given, satisfied customers who I love.  Below, a glimpse at some of my newspaper advertising.

 I thought I might splurge.  And so UPS brought me these two big boxes last week which I had to sign for.  Can you guess what's inside?

Ahhhh... spring summer  whatever this season is that I am living in right now....  It is a time of preparing to kick back, grab a good book, and have a picnic lunch on the new deck.  But first.  Shopping for patio furniture for that deck.  Found a good buy at Sears for only $380 something...  I love the swivel chairs, they are so comfortable.  Glad I found this on sale.   Now to find an umbrella.

Spring summer ....  Spummer.  Yea.  That's what I'll call this season.  Spummer.   It's giving me fresh flowers daily.

A nice view looking out my bedroom window. 

The very best in entertainment....

And new things to explore.

  I think I like this new season of Spummer.