Went to Staples before 9 am and got Norton Internet for $60 w/ two rebates totaling $60. So if/when the rebate checks come in, it was free.
Left J Christopher's in Sandy Springs before 10 am. No traffic through downtown on 75. Gas at Costco in Morrow was 1.63. Also made two pit stops (before and after). And of course minutes later there was a station with 1.57.
Shortly thereafter it started to mist, then rain. Rain on and off until FL welcome station, where it poured while I ate. I had gotten my usual take-away salad w/avocado ranch and put it in the back of the car.
Called Bill before leaving.
Traffic everywhere was fast. In GA except when rain was pouring ~80. In Fl, where there was no rain after the welcome station, 80-90. At 90 I was still 1) getting passed, 2) getting tailgated. Crazy.
Got to exit 275 before 6 pm. It took 20 min to get to New Port Richey. Then 10 min to find the address in the development. They have address numbers on the units that were not lit. They have numbers/letters on some mail boxes which are easy to read but mean nothing.
I have heard of living on a golf course, but Bill and Marie's backyard is the golf course -- the eleventh fairway. The hazard on the other side of the fairway is a creek w/snakes and aligators. on the edge of it are orange, lime and grapefruit trees, w/fruit in all stages of existence (fresh fall to rotten) on the ground. Also a few strange oak trees w/Spanish moss in the branches.
In Houston, oaks grow mostly straight to 20-30 ft tall. In Atlanta, less oaks but taller (30-40), as are all trees there. Probably because of the shallow clay layer in Houston vs hard clayey soil but no clay layer.
Here, in sandy soil/sand, the oaks are up to about 15 ft but branch out in strange and beautiful ways.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Florida pt 2
Went to Mass this morning at St Thomas Aquinas church in New Port Richey. 2200 families. Large, relatively new (1 decade?) building with moderately large, excellent quality, stained glass windows. $1.5mil budget. Staff of 24.
Excellent homily. Fr Michael Lydon started from the current news -- terrorism in India, protests in Thailand, war in Congo -- then moved to US news -- the worker trampled to death by Black Friday shoppers in WalMart store. Tied it in well to readings for the 1st Sunday of Advent.
Cantor was too good not to be paid -- or at least deserve to be paid. Keyboarder excellent. Choir weak and not miked -- mostly women.
Excellent homily. Fr Michael Lydon started from the current news -- terrorism in India, protests in Thailand, war in Congo -- then moved to US news -- the worker trampled to death by Black Friday shoppers in WalMart store. Tied it in well to readings for the 1st Sunday of Advent.
Cantor was too good not to be paid -- or at least deserve to be paid. Keyboarder excellent. Choir weak and not miked -- mostly women.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
A poem out of rhyme
The internet may be a wonderful place with a lot of information but it does not have the lyrics of poem/song from which the title was taken.
Memories
Like a poem out of rhyme
Misty water colored memories
of the way we were
Of course maybe the song is The Way We Were
* * *
My father's (Andrew George) parents were named Louisa and Joseph. I remember he called her Lou.
They lived on York St in Covington. The street was/is short, one way from Pike St to 9th St, not wide enough for a car to park on one side and yet to allow another car pass. They lived on the right side of the street.
The current Yahoo satellite image shows that a number of houses on their side of the street from Pike have been torn down and replaced w/a parking lot.
The house was the northern version of a "shotgun" house - three rooms front to back arranged to use the least amount of front footage. There was a basement, a least part of which had a dirt floor. The basement was not heated.
I think the furnace was coal fired but I also remember a lumber yard delivering a load of small wood pieces in the fall which had something to do with the heating system.
Facing the house from the street, the left side of the house appeared to be the property line. Ditto for the house on the right. The side yard was paved from the front wrought iron fence to beyond the back corner of the house. The front yard was about 10 ft deep in grass. I don't remember any bushes or trees.
The back yard was about half the size of the full lot. It was before I was born a garden for roses and peonies. When I was young, I remember an old compost pile in the far right corner of the yard that still had citrus peels, not yet decayed, sticking from its top.
I remeber hearing a story that grandpa bred the roses and peonies. When he was done, he would rip out what he had produced and start a new breeding project. This infuriated grandma. All she wanted was pretty flowers.
The front room of the house had a covered porch which ended with a door. The door was not used in my memory. That corner of the room had grandpa's chair, possibly a rocker.
There was also a fireplace on the outside wall of that side of the house. I don't remeber it being used, but I do remember early on seeing a creche in it at Christmas. I remeber there being a mantle.
I remember the front window being large and a single pane of glass.
The front room contained a large bed with the footboard cut off to accomodate greandpa's height (6'3"). It also had a massive wardrode. Don't you got that when the house was shut down.
Besides grandpa's chair, I remember two "couches" in the middle room. They were pittiful to sit on. They may have been convertible into beds so the four brothers (Marcellus aka Bud, Andrew, Eugene aka Gene, Joseph) could sleep there. I don't know where Irma(linda) slept.
The back room was the kitchen: stove on the back wall and sink on the right wall. The table, a beautiful round wood one with claw feet, was against the left wall. The far left corner had a door to the back yard. The near left corner the door to the bathroom. The near right corner had the main entrance, with several (4?) steps down to the ground. I don't remember an inside entrance to the basement just the outside one. If there was one it was somewhere on the left wall of the back room.
The bathroom was the length of the middle room and narrow. The tub was free standing, again with claw feet.
The only kitchen story I remember is this:
Covington had a very large German popualtion. Where there are Germans, there are posperous sausage makers. Grandpa had a "favorite" sausage. I suspect it was cheap. I don't know its name but I was told it was made at the end of the day but chopping (not grinding) left over peices of meat (not the god stuff but the leftovers like organ meat) and stuffing it in a large casing, probably an animal intestine. Don't know if it was prok or beef.
It looked terrible. You could see the different pieces of meat used to make it - they were different colors and textures. It smelled when being fried in a skillet. Grandma would fuss about the smell while frying it.
Just remmebered another story. Around the end of WWII, Irm came home with a new hat. I took one look at her modeling her new hat, wnet to the kitchen, got a pot out of the cabinets and placed it on my head. There is a picture of it somewhere.
[to be continued]
Memories
Like a poem out of rhyme
Misty water colored memories
of the way we were
Of course maybe the song is The Way We Were
* * *
My father's (Andrew George) parents were named Louisa and Joseph. I remember he called her Lou.
They lived on York St in Covington. The street was/is short, one way from Pike St to 9th St, not wide enough for a car to park on one side and yet to allow another car pass. They lived on the right side of the street.
The current Yahoo satellite image shows that a number of houses on their side of the street from Pike have been torn down and replaced w/a parking lot.
The house was the northern version of a "shotgun" house - three rooms front to back arranged to use the least amount of front footage. There was a basement, a least part of which had a dirt floor. The basement was not heated.
I think the furnace was coal fired but I also remember a lumber yard delivering a load of small wood pieces in the fall which had something to do with the heating system.
Facing the house from the street, the left side of the house appeared to be the property line. Ditto for the house on the right. The side yard was paved from the front wrought iron fence to beyond the back corner of the house. The front yard was about 10 ft deep in grass. I don't remember any bushes or trees.
The back yard was about half the size of the full lot. It was before I was born a garden for roses and peonies. When I was young, I remember an old compost pile in the far right corner of the yard that still had citrus peels, not yet decayed, sticking from its top.
I remeber hearing a story that grandpa bred the roses and peonies. When he was done, he would rip out what he had produced and start a new breeding project. This infuriated grandma. All she wanted was pretty flowers.
The front room of the house had a covered porch which ended with a door. The door was not used in my memory. That corner of the room had grandpa's chair, possibly a rocker.
There was also a fireplace on the outside wall of that side of the house. I don't remeber it being used, but I do remember early on seeing a creche in it at Christmas. I remeber there being a mantle.
I remember the front window being large and a single pane of glass.
The front room contained a large bed with the footboard cut off to accomodate greandpa's height (6'3"). It also had a massive wardrode. Don't you got that when the house was shut down.
Besides grandpa's chair, I remember two "couches" in the middle room. They were pittiful to sit on. They may have been convertible into beds so the four brothers (Marcellus aka Bud, Andrew, Eugene aka Gene, Joseph) could sleep there. I don't know where Irma(linda) slept.
The back room was the kitchen: stove on the back wall and sink on the right wall. The table, a beautiful round wood one with claw feet, was against the left wall. The far left corner had a door to the back yard. The near left corner the door to the bathroom. The near right corner had the main entrance, with several (4?) steps down to the ground. I don't remember an inside entrance to the basement just the outside one. If there was one it was somewhere on the left wall of the back room.
The bathroom was the length of the middle room and narrow. The tub was free standing, again with claw feet.
The only kitchen story I remember is this:
Covington had a very large German popualtion. Where there are Germans, there are posperous sausage makers. Grandpa had a "favorite" sausage. I suspect it was cheap. I don't know its name but I was told it was made at the end of the day but chopping (not grinding) left over peices of meat (not the god stuff but the leftovers like organ meat) and stuffing it in a large casing, probably an animal intestine. Don't know if it was prok or beef.
It looked terrible. You could see the different pieces of meat used to make it - they were different colors and textures. It smelled when being fried in a skillet. Grandma would fuss about the smell while frying it.
Just remmebered another story. Around the end of WWII, Irm came home with a new hat. I took one look at her modeling her new hat, wnet to the kitchen, got a pot out of the cabinets and placed it on my head. There is a picture of it somewhere.
[to be continued]
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
a grand bit of excitement
Hey Mary, their was a fire in our building last night in a vacant unit on the 2ND floor.. we live on the 7Th.... No one was hurt but when we went to evacuate there was a lot of smoke and the girls were pretty scared because I was flipping out.. of course... :)
Anyway, A keeps waiting for an alarm to go off.. We were back in our place by 7 but she didn't fall asleep until 12.. If you guys could just talk to her about it if she wants to and reassure her that she is safe.. Their were about 20 different trucks, ambulances and police with lights going for about 2 1/2 hours.. She was very aware..
The lights are still out in certain parts of the building and it smells like smoke everywhere including our place.. Their is also smoke that collected on dust all over our apartment and A See's in and is worried.. J was going to try to take care of most of it today before she got home...
I am going to contact the fire department down the street from school to see if they can visit kindercare and see if that helps..
She will probably be very tired and a little upset..
Thanks,
T [my daughter]
p.s.
A is my granddaughter and J is my son-in-law
Anyway, A keeps waiting for an alarm to go off.. We were back in our place by 7 but she didn't fall asleep until 12.. If you guys could just talk to her about it if she wants to and reassure her that she is safe.. Their were about 20 different trucks, ambulances and police with lights going for about 2 1/2 hours.. She was very aware..
The lights are still out in certain parts of the building and it smells like smoke everywhere including our place.. Their is also smoke that collected on dust all over our apartment and A See's in and is worried.. J was going to try to take care of most of it today before she got home...
I am going to contact the fire department down the street from school to see if they can visit kindercare and see if that helps..
She will probably be very tired and a little upset..
Thanks,
T [my daughter]
p.s.
A is my granddaughter and J is my son-in-law
Friday, November 14, 2008
for the mothers of my granddaughters
Raising teenagers is a challenge, so my hubby and I came up with the following rules to help the kids understand what was expected of them during their pre-adult status.
Rules of This Household
1. If you are not here for dinner, too bad. This is not a fast-food place where the cook is on duty at all times. The cook works full time and does not need a second job.
2. If you make a mess, clean it up. The dishwasher is open 24 hours a day to service you as are the vacuum, broom, and sponge. Please help them to help you by using them. If you need assistance, ask the cook -- she will be happy to give you training on any of the equipment.
3. The taxi service for this household is not on call 24 hours. You must make reservations at least 12 hours in advance. You have two good legs, skateboards, and bikes that are somewhat operational; one of you has a vehicle that works. Use them. By the way, skateboards are to be used on the outside of this house and are never to be used in the living room just because the landing is softer when you fall.
4. We are not a bank and you have no collateral to offer us. Face it: We own everything you have and I have receipts to prove it, so don't ask us for loans. Get jobs! We have them. Try it and you might like it (not so much the work as the money).
5. Curfew is negotiable, but try not to be late too often because it could go either way.
6. Tell us where you are going. GOOD GRIEF! I am way older than you, and I still tell my mother where I am going when I am at her house. Leave us a note or try to form words describing where you are going while we are in the room with you. Honestly, we don't bite unless provoked.
7. You know how to use a phone. Some of you even have cell phones. We like to hear your voice if you are going to be late. You can use a phone to find out what's for dinner, to let us know you made it to wherever all right, or just to let us hear your beautiful voice.
8. No food in your room, the living room, the bathroom, or anywhere in the house other than the kitchen or dining area EVER! How many times do I have to say this?
9. You do not contribute financially in any way, shape, or form to this household, so try to pull your weight in other ways: Clean something, put something away, surprise us by doing it before we ask. Otherwise, you may find yourself financially supporting yourself on the OUTSIDE of this house. - Casey
Rules of This Household
1. If you are not here for dinner, too bad. This is not a fast-food place where the cook is on duty at all times. The cook works full time and does not need a second job.
2. If you make a mess, clean it up. The dishwasher is open 24 hours a day to service you as are the vacuum, broom, and sponge. Please help them to help you by using them. If you need assistance, ask the cook -- she will be happy to give you training on any of the equipment.
3. The taxi service for this household is not on call 24 hours. You must make reservations at least 12 hours in advance. You have two good legs, skateboards, and bikes that are somewhat operational; one of you has a vehicle that works. Use them. By the way, skateboards are to be used on the outside of this house and are never to be used in the living room just because the landing is softer when you fall.
4. We are not a bank and you have no collateral to offer us. Face it: We own everything you have and I have receipts to prove it, so don't ask us for loans. Get jobs! We have them. Try it and you might like it (not so much the work as the money).
5. Curfew is negotiable, but try not to be late too often because it could go either way.
6. Tell us where you are going. GOOD GRIEF! I am way older than you, and I still tell my mother where I am going when I am at her house. Leave us a note or try to form words describing where you are going while we are in the room with you. Honestly, we don't bite unless provoked.
7. You know how to use a phone. Some of you even have cell phones. We like to hear your voice if you are going to be late. You can use a phone to find out what's for dinner, to let us know you made it to wherever all right, or just to let us hear your beautiful voice.
8. No food in your room, the living room, the bathroom, or anywhere in the house other than the kitchen or dining area EVER! How many times do I have to say this?
9. You do not contribute financially in any way, shape, or form to this household, so try to pull your weight in other ways: Clean something, put something away, surprise us by doing it before we ask. Otherwise, you may find yourself financially supporting yourself on the OUTSIDE of this house. - Casey
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
fuer katze und kinder
My mother was recently on a flight returning from Utah. As the plane was a small puddle jumper, the flight attendants were required to demonstrate the life vest, the oxygen mask, etc. instead of turning on a video. After they finished their presentation, one of them said
~~~
Several women appeared in court, each accusing the others of causing the trouble they were having in the apartment building where they lived. The women were arguing noisily even in the court. The judge, banging his gavel to quiet them, said,
~~~
At the company water cooler, I bragged about my children's world travels: one son was teaching in Bolivia, another was working in southern Italy, and my daughter was completing a year-long research project in India. One co-worker's quip, however, stopped me short.
my borthers and I my represent this remark
To those of you who listened, thank you. To those of you who ignored us, good luck.- castle91
~~~
Several women appeared in court, each accusing the others of causing the trouble they were having in the apartment building where they lived. The women were arguing noisily even in the court. The judge, banging his gavel to quiet them, said,
We are going to do this in an orderly manner. I can't listen to all of you at once. I'll hear the oldest first.The case was dismissed for lack of testimony. - Thomas Ellsworth
~~~
At the company water cooler, I bragged about my children's world travels: one son was teaching in Bolivia, another was working in southern Italy, and my daughter was completing a year-long research project in India. One co-worker's quip, however, stopped me short.
What is it about you," he asked, "that makes your kids want to get so far away?- Thomas Ellsworth
my borthers and I my represent this remark
Monday, November 10, 2008
memory
Son
I having been cleaning out closets and found a t-shirt from El Rancho Cima - Sam Houston Area Council.
Do you remember going to scout camp there?
I remember driving you there. I stayed the night on a cot in a tent but didn't get much sleep.
The tents were pitched on concrete slabs on the side of a hill leading to water (creek? lake?)
The next morning, as I stood downhill from the tent, I chanced to look up at it. The flaps were open. The bed appeared to be shimmering. The underside of the bed was covered with an incredible number of "daddy long legs."
love
dad
I having been cleaning out closets and found a t-shirt from El Rancho Cima - Sam Houston Area Council.
Do you remember going to scout camp there?
I remember driving you there. I stayed the night on a cot in a tent but didn't get much sleep.
The tents were pitched on concrete slabs on the side of a hill leading to water (creek? lake?)
The next morning, as I stood downhill from the tent, I chanced to look up at it. The flaps were open. The bed appeared to be shimmering. The underside of the bed was covered with an incredible number of "daddy long legs."
love
dad
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