Brain Droppings, Part Three

Bits and pieces of randomness...

1. My dad turned 77 on Tuesday, July 14th. On the Saturday before his birthday, the family got together to celebrate. My sister and her husband just had a pool installed, so we spent the afternoon swimming, soaking up the sun, and sipping the kick ass piña coladas my stepmother made. That evening, after a meal of barbecue pulled pork, corn casserole, baked beans, fried zucchini, and jello poke cake, we played a few rounds of Codenames. It was so much fun!
2. My local YWCA re-opened after the July 4th holiday, so my best friend Kelly and I started back up with our twice weekly water aerobics class. I'm hoping that the extra activity will help jump start my metabolism, as I'm currently dealing with my first weight loss plateau. It's frustrating as hell.
3. I bought new living room furniture. The new couch and armchair are scheduled to be delivered on July 20th, so I'm now faced with the conundrum of how to get the old couch moved out of the house and disposed of. The store saleslady gave me a list of charitable organizations that offer free pickup of furniture donations, but every single one I called turned me down when I mentioned there was slight damage on one of the couch's arms. Are you freaking kidding me?!?! My brother said he could help me this weekend, but I don't see how the two of us are going to be able to move it without giving ourselves hernias in the process. We might have to take it apart first to get it out the door. Stay tuned.
   
   
   
4. My pug Backes had an appointment at the vet office to get his nails trimmed and I was horrified to learn that one of his back dew claws had become ingrown and infected. I had seen him chewing that paw incessantly, but just assumed it was his allergies making him uncomfortable. No wonder his Apoquel wasn't bringing him relief...poor baby! He's doing much better now that the claw has been trimmed and he's taking an antibiotic. I'm such a bad doggie mama😢
5. I wasn't going to announce this until they were home with me, but I can't wait any longer! Meet my new kittens, Emmet and Gideon. They were born June 25, so it will be late August or early September before they’re fully weaned and ready to leave their mama. I've never had more than one cat at a time...any experienced multiple cat moms or dads out there who are willing to share tips or advice with me?
   
   
   

Thursday 13: 1927

Play along here.

Yesterday, my beloved Nonna (that's grandmother in Italian) celebrated her 93rd birthday! In honor of her special day, here are 13 facts about her birth year, 1927.

1. The President of the United States was Calvin Coolidge and the Vice President was Charles Dawes.
2. May 20-21: Charles Lindbergh makes the first solo non-stop trans-Atlantic flight from New York to Paris in his single-seat, single-engine monoplane Spirit of St. Louis. A ticker tape parade in his honor is held on June 13 in New York City.
3. January 7: the first transatlantic telephone call was made from New York City to London.
4. The average income was $1,313, a gallon of gas cost 20 cents, a dozen eggs cost 30 cents, and a movie ticket was 30 cents.
5. Popular songs were My Blue Heaven (Gene Austin), Singin' The Blues (Frankie Trumbauer), and Stardust (Hoagy Carmichael).
6. April 22-May 5: The Great Mississippi Flood affects 700,000 in the greatest national disaster in U.S. history at that time.
7. October 8: The New York Yankees sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning the World Series in 4 games.
8. October 6: The Jazz Singer movie opens in the U.S. and becomes a great success, marking the end of the silent movie era.
9. November 13: The Holland Tunnel opens to traffic as the first Hudson River vehicular tunnel linking New Jersey to New York City.
10. September 18: The Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System (CBS) is formed and goes on the air with 47 radio stations.
11. August 23: After six years of appeals, Italian migrant anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are executed for their part in the 1920 murder of a guard and a paymaster at the Slater and Morrell Shoe Company.
12. October 28: Pan American Airways' first flight departs Key West for Havana.
13. Celebrities born this year include: Eartha Kitt (Jan.17), Harvey Korman (Feb.15), Erma Bombeck (Feb.21), Sidney Poitier (Feb.20), Harry Belafonte (March 1), Coretta Scott King (April 27), Jerry Stiller (June 8), Neil Simon (July 4), Janet Leigh (July 6), and Rosalyn Carter (Aug. 18).

Livin’ Her Best Life

When it comes to summer fun, my 2 1/2 year old niece, Jolene, don't play.

Throwback Thursday: Children Of The Corn

Being photographed while standing in front of a cornfield is a rite of passage for all Midwestern children. My brother Bart and me, circa 1975. Check out my flares!

13

This fierce beauty, my middle niece Claire, turns 13 years old today. 13! Where the heck did the time go?!? I can’t believe she’s now an official teenager who will be going into eighth grade this fall. Seems like only yesterday she was running around in Justin Bieber pajamas,  telling everyone she wanted  to be a professional wrestler when she grew up😆

Well, she’s gotten over Bieber (thank God!), and while she still enjoys wrestling and the WWE, her current focus is on gymnastics and cheerleading. Perfect outlets for her abundant energy! Claire has competed in statewide gymnastic meets over the past 3 years and has won several awards and trophies, but now that she is into cheerleading, that has taken precedent. It would be too stressful and time consuming for her, and her parents, to keep both activities. Not to mention expensive.

No matter what she does in life, proud auntie here will always be there cheering her on. Love you, sweet girl!

Balls Of Steel

I hope my brother won't mind me writing about this, but it's too damn funny not to share...

A few days before Christmas, Bart was at his son Garett's basketball game and was sprawled out in the stands, sitting like most guys do, with his legs spread apart. At first, he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary because he was so intent on the game, but he gradually started to feel, in his words, "drafty". It wasn't until he looked down at himself that he noticed that one of his...*ahem*..."boys"...was hanging out of a hole not only in his jeans, but also his underwear.

I don't even want to know how the holes got there in the first place. Thank God Mom bought him some new boxers for Christmas.

I'm Jealous

My cousin Sarah has the Christmas Vacation shirt that I covet the most! I must get one for next Christmas, in addition to this beauty from A Christmas Story:

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Hilarity

My cousins, Montana and Maxwell, modeling their Clark Griswold-inspired holiday shirts. I wonder if I can find one that reads "Hallelujah! Holy Shit! Where's the Tylenol?"

Thanksgiving Recap

I only had to work Monday and Tuesday last week, so I devoted Wednesday to putting up the Christmas tree and decorating the house for the holidays. I had planned to deck out the kitchen in all things gingerbread people, but after looking at how much gingerbread crap I actually have, I vetoed the idea. I don't want to be saddled with putting it all back in storage after Christmas is over. Yeah, I'm lazy.

Mom and I spent Thanksgiving Day in Springfield with my brother Bart, my sister-in-law Dawn, my nephews Garett and Cameron, and Dawn's mother, Pat. Pat graciously invited us to her home for a wonderful meal of turkey (of course!), stuffing, corn, sweet potato casserole (our contribution), cranberry sauce, rolls, and blackberry pie. After eating, we just sat around and talked, and I spent time playing with Pat's new, 9 week old black and white kitten Patches.

Isn't he adorable? I wanted to take him home.

The rest of my Thanksgiving break was spent taking it easy. I started reading Stephen King's new novel (11/22/63), watched a couple of movies and some stuff I had on DVR, and cheered on the Blues as they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2, the Calgary Flames 2-0, and the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1I even managed to get a few Christmas gifts bought and/or ordered. Go me!

18 more work days til Christmas break.

April 15, 1909- November 18, 2011

Rest in peace, Great-Great-Aunt Anna. You had an amazing 102 years here on Earth and will be greatly missed by everyone who loved you. I hope God is prepared for your antics, you cheeky old gal

Hilarious!

My cousin Samantha, who is the newly elected President of the Rhode Island College Democrats, posing in her Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann Halloween costume. Love the tea bag earrings!

Happy Birthday To A Very Special Lady

My beautiful Grandma B. celebrates birthday #96 today! Doesn't she look fantastic for a 96 year old? I can only hope and pray that I inherited the "aging gracefully" gene from her *fingers crossed* Mom and I are planning to visit her at the nursing home this coming weekend when we stop in Farmington for the Spoon River Drive. I miss her so much!

Lordy, Lordy, Look Who's 40!

My brother, Bart, became an official quadragenarian on Friday, Sept. 30! His co-workers helped him mark the occasion by gifting him with a cake, a black balloon bouquet, and all kinds of middle age staples, such as Preparation H, Tucks wipes, Metamucil, and a bag of marbles (in case he started to lose his!). I hope he enjoyed his very special day! Love you, bro.

P.S. I'm not trying to suffocate him or perform a neck adjustment in the photo above. I was just going in for a hug.

Puppy Power!

Meet the newest member of the family- an eight week old chocolate lab puppy named "Doc". My brother, Bart, wanted a new hunting dog for his upcoming 40th birthday and fell head over heels the second he laid eyes on this little guy. Isn't he just adorbs? I can't wait to meet him! Nothing cuter than a chubby puppy belly and warm puppy breath.

Joyeux Anniversaire!

My lovely mother celebrated her 65th birthday on September 11th. I meant to post something about it on the actual date, but we were busy her entire birthday weekend because of our hometown's annual Marigold Festival. We attended the parade Saturday morning (my goddaughter Elizabeth performed with the junior high marching band) and spent most of the afternoon browsing the arts&crafts booths at Art In The Park. My brother and nephews came up later that night and stayed with us until Sunday afternoon. We all went out for lunch at Steak N Shake, and then came back home to enjoy some of Mom's Chicago Bears birthday cake. By the way, thank you Bears for giving my mom a win on her special day!

My kid sister, Sara, turns 31 today. 31. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that. I can still remember how excited I was to get the phone call from my dad the morning she was born. Now she's a 5th grade teacher and the mother of two little girls. Time sure does fly.

Much love to two of my favorite Virgo ladies!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

68 years old today and still causing trouble :)

Easter Weekend Recap

How was your Easter weekend? Did you save any Cadbury Mini Eggs for moi?

I had Good Friday off and was hoping that the weather would be decent so I could start the monumental task of searching the storage shed for my spring/summer clothes. Of course, it was cold and rainy all day, so there went that plan. After lounging around the house most of the day, my mom and I went to the local AMC theater and caught a matinee of Madea's Big Happy Family. Hands down, Big Happy Family is the best Madea movie to date. We laughed, we cried, we both enjoyed the crazy antics of Madea, Mr.Brown, and the eccentric, pot smoking Aunt Bam.

The weather cleared up Saturday, but instead of doing the things around the house that needed to be done, I went shopping. Bought capris and a couple of shirts at Kohls, and then stopped by Bath and Body Works to stock up on Wallflower refills. I ended the day at my best friend Kelly's house, where we helped Nathaniel dye eggs and then watched the delicious Ben Barnes in Dorian Gray.

I was invited to an Easter Sunday luncheon at my dad's house. My step-mom and sister went all out with the food: ham, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, sweet potatoes, and (my absolute fave) homemade red velvet cake. The highlight of the day was watching my nieces and my step-cousin Leeann's three children participate in a chaotic Easter egg hunt. I forgot how much fun it is to watch little kids run around after ingesting shitloads of sugar.

I just wish that my brother and my two nephews could've spent the holiday with us. It costs my brother around $100 to fill up his truck, so he decided to stay home this year. Thanks a lot, greedy oil company bastages.

My Great-Aunt Anna

Last Friday, my great-aunt Anna (pictured center between my mom and my Nonna) celebrated her 102nd birthday.

Yes, you read that right. Her 102nd birthday.

The staff at her nursing home held a small party in her honor. I think she deserved a freaking parade or at least a birthday shout out from Willard Scott.

She was born April 15, 1909, when William Howard Taft was President of the United States. The Titanic sunk on her third birthday (just to give you some perspective).

I can't even begin to imagine what life would be like at 102. To be honest, I hope I never find out. As much as I love being alive, I don't think I want to be around in 2071 (the year I'd reach Anna's milestone).