sadness and happy memories

I took this picture back in April...but I don't think I shared it on here. I needed a picture of something but nothing seems to fit how I'm feeling right now.

I just got back from the hospital visiting my friend Sharon who was diagnosed with cancer this time last year. She went through chemo this past year and seemed to be doing better. Now the cancer has spread. They operated on her day before yesterday and the doctor said it had spread too much and there was nothing more they could do. Her oncologist is out of town until Tuesday and she is hoping he has a magic pill (her words) to do something. She said if he doesn't she will go with hospice care. Doctors say probably just a few weeks left. She is so positive. She said everything has to be okay because there is no other choice. She has twins, a boy and a girl, they are 14 years old. I can't imagine what she is feeling about leaving them. Please keep her in your prayers that she and her family find peace in this situation. She and her sister are best friends and I sure can relate to that. I pray that her sister can hold up through this and afterwards. And her whole family is very close and that's such a blessing.

I was so scared about seeing her and then leaving knowing I probably won't see her again. I just held her hand and talked. Her memory is not too good at the moment, I guess because of the drugs they have her on to help her through the pain she is feeling. I am so very glad I went to see her. I did not go see my granddaddy before he died, and I am sorry to this day that I didn't do that. So if you ever get in that situation and you're scared, please just try to go see whoever it is that means so much to you. I prayed the whole way there that God would give me the strength to go in and talk and not cry and let me say the right things. But it's okay to cry. I got tears but I didn't break down and cry.

She was my first friend when I moved her 21 years ago. We worked together all through the years until I left my job at the courthouse 5 years ago. She helped me through when I got a divorce many years ago. She took off from work on the day I got the divorce and we went down to the beach and had lunch and just spent the day keeping my mind off that as much as she could. She was such a good support during that time. We drove to Orlando and back for a court reporters convention one time. That was fun. We dressed up for Halloween one year and went out to a local club. I was Carmen Miranda and she was a witch. I wish I had a picture of us together that night. I'll have to look around and see. I had a bridal shower for her here at the house and Aunt Sue and I prepared her wedding reception six years ago when she married her husband. She has been a wonderful mother to her kids and like her sister told me yesterday, "She's an angel on earth who does not deserve this."

My heart goes out to her and all her family.

babysitting and snakes ... two things I don't do real well

Thank you for the nice comments on the twins. I still cannot tell them apart by myself. I don't get to see them enough to know which is which. If I were to babysit them, they would need a shirt with their name on it! But luckily I'm not babysitting real human babies....because I have never changed a diaper.

When I was young, I babysat two kids across the street one time and one was about 4 and the other a little baby. He needed a diaper change, so I called my mama and she came over and changed it...Thank you mama! I only babysat a handful of times when I was young. My main thing was looking to see what the people had to eat in the house. The same folks with the baby had a freezer in their laundry room. It had tons of Mallow Cups. Oh my my my....I don't even know if they noticed that I had eaten quite a few of them.

About 15 years ago, I spent the night for a couple of nights with a friend of mine's children while she went out of town. The kids had to go to school while I was babysitting. I let them tell me what they wanted in their lunch box. I let them have Little Debbies...more than I should have. When they acted up, I had a notepad and I told them I was writing it all down and would tell their mother. I never wrote anything on it...just faked it.

When I was married to someone else, I had a stepson who was 3 when we married and 9 or 10 when we divorced. He was a good kid. He lived in Alabama and would visit here during the summer. I'd take him to the big water park in Destin and then we'd ride bikes in the neighborhood and go to the beach and the Navy museum. But I was always a bit nervous that something would happened and he'd get hurt while with me. I felt like I was watching him like a hawk. Aunt Sue would babysit him when I had to work. He's grown now and has at least one child that I know of. Time flies!

This is what I saw out the kitchen window this afternoon. I think it wanted to drink some water out of the pool. It must have been five feet long. I don't know what kind it is...but I couldn't even let the pugs out after that. They had to go out on the front porch area. Someone near here found a 5 foot rattler in their back yard recently.

The Twins a year old

The twins turned one year old in July....time sure flies. I can see changes in their faces and their hair is getting longer.

Jaws II beach scenes filmed here

Are there any "Jaws" fans out there? Aunt Sue and the husband here are major Jaws fans. I think they both have seen those movies 100 times. Aunt Sue can quote the lines. I don't think I've ever watched any of the Jaws movies all the way through. But I know now that I will not get out in that water above my knees. Years ago, we used to go way out on rafts dangling our legs and making all kinds of racket....No way would we do that now...not after the movie came out.

Jaws 2 was filmed here along Pensacola Beach, Gulf Breeze and Navarre. The local paper has a three part series on it. It was fun reading it and learning how things were way back then. Here are the articles in case you want to spend some time seeing how they made the beach here look like a New England beach!

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

Four years later

Miss Trouble got her name from daddy. If daddy is reading this, maybe he will comment and tell us how he decided on that name. She really is a sweetie. She gets along well with all the doggies. Belle, her sister, was pouting about her living in her space at first but now they chase each other and even sit up on the bed together. Last week someone who saw a flyer called and said he saw that dog running around his yard for a week but didn't know who she belonged to. She just wants to kiss you and sit on top of you. Any kind of crinkling noise, she thinks it's something to eat for her.


The other day when mama and daddy came over, we rode over to see the new condos that have been built in place of the ones that were damaged in Hurricane Ivan. They used to own one of these and it was such a nice place for them to come down and spend time. Back in 1995, Hurricane Opal hit and it flooded the first floor of these condos. They had a car that they kept down here in the garage and it was ruined along with the washer and dryer. But nothing compared to the damage that was done to these condos in 2004. They all had to be demolished and rebuilt. They just now finished the complex and people are moving back in.

Here is a picture of the damage to the condos after Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

Here are the new condos.

A little Trouble

This is Trouble...

My parents were going down a country road near their home and this dog ran out in front of them and they were afraid they had hit it. So they stopped and then saw that the dog was not hit but was still following after some young boys that were walking. Mama asked if the dog was okay and they said yes. She asked if it was their dog and they said no, that it followed them from the gas station nearby. So they picked the dog up and put it in the car. It had on a collar but no tags. So they took it home...this was a weekend about two weeks ago. They bought some flea shampoo because she was covered in fleas and gave her a bath. On Monday they started calling local vets and the humane shelter and the dog pound. They put out flyers at the gas stations and pet stores and grocery stores and convenience stores. They put an ad in the lost and found of the paper. No one was looking for the little dog. The longer the dog stayed with them, the more they were falling for it!! So they decided that if the owner calls and wants her back they will give her back...but if not, they will keep her.

They came over on Monday to visit with Aunt Sue and I and brought Belle and Trouble! She is a little, sweet, cute baby. She is probably under a year old. So she will have to get spade and other medical things pretty soon. She is just so sweet. I'm glad the parents picked her up and she sure is a lucky dog!

I ordered a few books from Amazon recently. I haven't been reading as much this year as I usually do. I've started Waiter Rant and it's interesting. I recognize some of the stories from reading the blog.

The Winner Is.....

Leah in Denver!

Congratulations, Leah....I'll have this in the mail soon. I always love to see everyone's decorations and I'm looking forward to seeing them all in a couple of months.

I video'd the husband picking the winner and uploaded it to UTube and copied and pasted here, but when I try to play it, it says "Video no longer available." I'm not sure why. I don't know if I have to start paying for videos after so many? Does anyone know?

giveaway time

It's time to give something away. I thought these items were so cute. They are dish towels, some chocolate-coated sunflower seeds and the pumpkin decoration. All from T.J. Maxx! I don't decorate for Halloween but I know some of you do or you know of someone that does ... so just leave a comment under this post and I will be drawing names Monday evening when the husband gets home to do the honors. I'll videotape it so you can see that he's not cheating when he picks the name.

I finished all the books in the Annie's People series. I enjoyed reading these stories of the Amish life.

I also finished reading the Alex Rutledge crime series by Tom Corcoran. These are all set in Key West. I really was sad to read the last one because I enjoy his writing. He has another in the works, but looks like it's a couple of years or so between books.

Angel wings for The Sausage

Pugsley aka The Sausage grew his angel wings and is now with all the other beautiful loved ones that are playing in the fields over the rainbow bridge. He has been a loving little boy for Lori for 14 years. My heart goes out to her now.

Camp Chichi

I found this web site while I was looking at some of the card making web sites that I like to visit. This couple and their children live in China and are enjoying all the excitement of the Olympics. I just looked a little bit on her site and it's really amazing what they are experiencing over there.

Aunt Sue and I were over at mama and daddy's and I took this picture of our trip to their storage unit. It's climate controlled and I was impressed with how clean and neat it is kept. Here's the door going into the building.

Here is the hallway!

Here is their unit with too much stuff!

Here is little Belle, mama and daddy's dog. She is such a good girl. She doesn't mind other dogs, but will not really have much to do with them. She slept in the bed with me but would not get on the same side with the pugs...so I had two pugs on one side of me and Belle on the other.

Cowboy and Big Casino's parents sent us a basket of goodies for keeping them...I only want to keep them...no goodies needed. Send those boys back over here! The goodies in the basket were good...and two rounds of golf for the husband in that basket!

Here is Big Casino and Cowboy at their home out by their swimming pool. Pictures of them and their human siblings came along with the basket!


I have officially decided to name my babysitting business "Camp Chichi." It's just a big dog house over here so everyone is welcome to drop their kids off here and guaranteed to have a good time....beware they might come home with some bad habits...Norman, that includes you! I'll cook special diets and give medications. I have reservations for Winston and Sela in a few months! Only requirement is you can't pay me for having a good time here at Camp Chichi!

I've seen this around recently and Kristie did it yesterday so I'm giving it a go...especially since I've not updated in over a week and have not been anywhere much to report anything fun! Work work work and glad for it but would like a break soon.



1. Do you like blue cheese? I used to dislike it so much....but now I love it.

2. Have you ever smoked a cigarette? yes

3. Do you own a gun? NO

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? cherry lime

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? no

6. Do you like hot-dogs? sometimes

7. Favorite Christmas Song? Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas...and last year I heard "Little Jack Frost Get Lost" but I can't find it anywhere.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coke Zero

9. Can you do push-ups? I can push myself up out of the bed in the mornings. Ha!

10. What’s your favorite meal? steak

11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? I have several that are favorites for different reasons. But the ones I wear the most are my wedding ring and a pair of silver earrings.

12. Favorite hobby? now it's card making if I ever get time...

13. Do you work with people who idolize you? No...but they are glad I'm there when they need me.

14. Name a trait that you hate about yourself? overeating and addiction to sugar/carbs

16. Middle name? Gail

17. Name 3 thoughts at this moment: I should go to bed, I have a lot of work to do, I wish I had a few days off

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday: Books from Amazon.com

19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Coke Zero, water with koolaid mix, Diet Gingerale

20. Current worry right now? weather during this summer/fall season

21. Current hate right now? That it's so hot

22. Favorite place to be? In my bed reading a book

23. How did you bring in New Years? in my bed reading a book

24. Favorite place to go? Asheville NC

25. Name three people who will complete this? No idea

26. Whose answer do you want to read the most? It's fun to see anyone's

27. What color shirt are you wearing? dark blue "Biltmore" Asheville t-shirt

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Don't think I have and don't think I want to

29. Can you whistle? I call it a whistle but it's really blowing air through my front two teeth instead of a real pucker up whistle

30. Favorite color(s) purple green

31. Would you be a pirate? no....I have to take a shower every day

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? Christmas songs and Peter Cottontail and a verse from a song in the Carmen opera.

33. Favorite girl’s name? Holly

34. Favorite boy’s name? Scott

35. What’s in your pocket right now? Nothing

36. Last thing that made you laugh? I looked at a picture of Aunt Sue in a picture book the other day from the '80s and she had a "Flock of Seagulls" hairdo. She said I could not post it on here...too bad because it was so funny.

37. Bed sheets as a child? pink and green, white

38. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Fell down in San Francisco and fractured bone in my foot...it really really hurt...had to fly home the next day and got to ride in a wheelchair through the airport.

39. Do you love where you live? Yes, I am really blessed to be living here...even though it's so hot.

40. How many tv’s are in your house? 3

41. Who is your loudest friend? The lady that cleans the house is really loud ... it makes me laugh to myself when I think about it.

42. How many dogs do you have? two at the moment but always willing to babysit more

43. Does someone have a crush on you? my dogs

45. What is your favorite book? The Bible really is my favorite book. Just got a new one tonight with large print. I do like a lot of different books and I love to read.

46. What is your favorite candy? Reeses

47. What is your favorite sports team? I don't do sports....I like NASCAR

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? don't want a funeral

49. What were you doing at 12 AM last night? in my bed reading

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? I want to go back to sleep