A Picture

Two of my Dad's older brothers, Burton and Theodore, numbers 7 and 6, respectively, of the 12 kids.  Theodore was Mike's dad.  I don't have any pics of Mike.  By the way, we always pronounced Uncle Theodore's name Thih-door, with the accent on the first syllable.

Tags: Burton Dowell, Theodore Dowell

Awake and Feeling Blue

 

A first cousin of mine, Michael, died this past Friday.  He had had some heart surgery quite a while back, and had had some recent health problems, but I believe this was still rather unexpected by his family.  My sister, Lois, said she saw him not two weeks ago, working as usual.  But his kidneys failed after being hospitalized last week with what they said was congestive heart failure.

Mike was the middle son (one of six children) of one of my father's oldest brothers.  He was 61, 20 years older than I.  I actually grew up with his kids, one a year older than me, and another a year younger (and a daughter quite a bit younger).  But still I knew and liked Mike as a first cousin and as a neighbor, living about a mile from my parents for as long as I could remember.  His mother, who was a first cousin of my mother, died back in the late seventies, and his father, my Uncle Theodore, died in the early nineties, if I remember correctly.  A farmer, he was the uncle who once told me that I had "dimples deep enough to slop a hog in."  I can't remember seeing him and my Dad together where they didn't try to outdo each other with jokes or ridiculous stories, and I remember Mike as being much like his father.

My father was #9 of 12 kids, and I believe Uncle Theodore was #6 of the clan, so he wasn't too much older than my Dad.  At least he was just old enough for my dad to be able to follow around and close enough in age for them to pal around together some when my dad was older.  If my father were living he would be very saddened by this particular nephew's death.

And maybe that's why I'm up at 1:39 a.m. instead of sleeping.  I woke up and started thinking about Mike and his family, and that led me to thinking about more of my Dowell cousins.  Although I was closer socially to several of my cousins from my Mother's side, I was exposed to more of the cousins on my Father's side, even though most of them were older (sometimes much older) than I.   All but three of my Father's brothers, and one of his sisters, lived with their families in houses down the road from the house I grew up in and where my Mother still lives.  And although none of his siblings who lived on that road are still living, the road is still dotted with the homes of their children and grandchildren, and two of their widows.  The graveyard attached to the little Methodist Church barely a half mile from my Mother's house holds the graves of my Dad, his parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, most of those deceased brothers and both of the deceased sisters of my Dad. 

My childhood was spent riding the schoolbus with the sons and daughters of quite a few of my first cousins, and a handful of those first cousins themselves.  When I was a Senior in high school and our Uncle Harlan died, there were scads of Dowells checking themselves out early to attend the funeral, or at least it seemed so.  I can remember being lifted up on a big draft horse that Mike's dad, my Uncle Theodore, worked on his farm.  The horse's name was Shorty, and I can remember being amazed that he was so wide that my legs stuck straight out at the side when I sat on him.  I can remember being at family dinners at my "Mamaw" Dowell's house on Sundays (and I had to have been only 3 or 4 years old), and watching the uncles and the older cousins playing horse shoes and the younger cousins playing tag or hide and seek or kick the can.

Yes, even though my oldest sisters and brother were the ones who grew up with most of the Dowell first cousins who lived nearby, they were still very much a part of my life as a child.  Although I can't say that I was close to Mike, he has been a constant in my life, and I guess I'm feeling a little vulnerable because yet another constant has been taken away.  I never used to have problems dealing with deaths in the family, but since my Father died I do.  Mike is by no means the first of my first cousins to die.  There were some children of the oldest in my Dad's family that I never even knew.  One died in Viet Nam.  Several died while I was still quite young.  But Mike is the first in a long time, and the first of those cousins who lived nearby, whose kids I grew up with, who Dad would drop by to say hi to, who I actually do have a little bit of shared history with. 

All these thoughts were running through my mind, and Istarted crying.  I didn't want to wake Thomas, so I got up and came into the living room.  I really feel right now for Mike's wife, Wanda, who I always liked so much.  And I especially feel for his kids, Micky, Mark, and Tracy, and their families. 

                                                                                              

I hope you guys don't mind that I needed to share this.

Tags: Michael Dowell

Welcoming Back The Sun

The sun is shining very brightly here today.  The temps are mild, but there is a chilly wind blowing.  I realized today what was good about having such a hot, dry summer -- not once did I have to use a dryer when doing laundry, only if I wanted to for some reason.  I hung most of my laundry outside all summer.  This past week was the first time I actually had no choice.  Today I'm taking advantage of the breeze and the sun, though.

Eler Beth and the dogs were certainly glad to see that sun today.  I'm not sure who was getting more pleasure from running around the yard, her or them!

I'm not dusting books today, but I do have a few more to do.  Guido reminded me in a comment about Library Thing.  Library Thing is a way to catalog your books online.  I started entering the info on my books a long time ago, but never finished it.  I should, though.

When I was a very little girl my regular cleaning job on Saturday mornings was to dust the living room and hall, and my older sisters, from whom I had inherited the job, gave me explicit instructions on how I was to do it.  I can remember dusting and lining up in rigid order some nic-nacs on a table, and my sister Lois coming by and fussing at me because I had lined them up in a straight line instead of achieving a more soft effect with their placement.  I can also remember being indignant because no one had ever told  me not to line them up straight, and I resented her fussing at me -- but I learned my lesson.

I don't know if Lois or Barbara had shown me how to dust the books in the book cases, or if I'd watched them or my mother dust them individually the way I described in my previous post, but that is how I dusted the books in our living room every Saturday morning, and that is still how I dust them today.

Tags: Library Thing

Dusting Off Those Pages

Last weekend I was in a cleaning mood, and I indulged that mood.  This wasn't just normal cleaning, but the mood to deep clean, sort, toss out, scrub -- a "Fall Cleaning", if you will.  One of the things I really wanted to do was clean all of my books.  That has carried over to this weekend.

My books and book shelves get a quick dusting at least once a week, but the books themselves don't actually get  moved and dusted individually on a very regular basis.  It is something that I enjoy doing when I can do it, but not something that can be done every week.  I have HUNDREDS of books!  And the problems with cleaning each one individually are many.

  To clean my books I take all of them off the shelf I'm cleaning, keeping them in the correct order, because, of course, they DO have an order.  After the shelf is cleaned, then I pick up the first book on that shelf, wipe it down, front, back, spine, top, side, and bottom of the pages (while the book is closed), then I open the front, dust inside the front flyleaf, open the back, dust inside the back flyleaf, then flip the pages in an attempt (probably a futile attempt) to "air out" the book.  Then one by one each book gets re-shelved.

While doing this chore I re-acquaint myself with books I haven't thought of in a long time; long-forgotten treasures from my childhood; vintage copies bought for the pleasure of ownership, if not for reading; well-thumbed copies that are read on a regular basis; new purchases that have been assigned their own places on a shelf, but that, for whatever reason, haven't been read yet; various cookbooks; an attractive copy of Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide, which I cannot remember why I bought; all of my school yearbooks, whose pages require a quick perusal, a smile at the pictures of me and my friends, a quick nostalgic reading of the autograph pages.  All of this is time-consuming, but so enjoyable.

I hope everyone else is having an enjoyable weekend, too!

Brrr!

Last night Eler Beth asked me, "Why don't you get paid to be a mom, Mom?"

I got all mushy and told her that I do get paid to be her mom, just not by something tangible like money.  I think that's what she wanted to hear!

Today we lit the furnace.  I guess it was time.  I don't like it being too chilly in the mornings for the kids and the birds.  Monday and Tuesday it rained steadily.  I think we've had about six or seven inches fall.  Because it has been so dry we haven't had any flooding, though.  Today we had misty rain and occasional showers, but nothing too heavy.

I have enjoyed these dark, gloomy days because I've been in the mood to clean, and not being tempted to go outside has helped that mood along.  And I've got some really good books to read, and an afghan to crochet.  But it is driving Eler Beth up the walls!  She's accustomed to riding her bike every day and playing with the dogs whenever she wants, so I've heard the "b" word a lot over the past few days.  We did take another trip to the library today, so that helped.  When Thomas got home from work he needed to run to Wal-Mart, and he took her along, so that helped, too. 

The dogs are getting a bit tired of the rain as well.  They are outside dogs, although they do get to come in to visit once in a while (but not all at once).  We have a big back yard, and they have their kennels and houses.   They aren't suffering, but I know they're as bored as she is.

I appreciate the comments I got on my previous entry.  "Bullying" was on my mind yesterday, and I just felt like that is a form of bullying as well, and I just needed to write it.

I hope everyone is having a good Wednesday.  I wish we could have sent some of this rain to California.  I hate turning on the news because it is so frustrating to see something like that going on and not being able to do anything about it.

A Bit Serious Today

All over J-Land I am reading some (not most, but some) entries that are made out of frustration, sadness, anxiety, etc., and my heart goes out to these journalers.  So I thought I'd address one of the topics that seems to be worrying some of my on-line friends.

So regarding trolls and unsolicited emails of the hurtful or confusing type: 

-My thoughts -

I read, and am read by, a diverse group of people.  I don't expect all of them to be exactly like myself or to feel exactly as I do on all subjects -- or even on most subjects.  If I wanted to read (or be read by) people with my exact thoughts and tastes, it would be entirely possible for me to do so.  I would simply search out those profiles that fit my requirements, visit their journals and invite them to visit mine.  If I didn't want anyone else to read my journal or to comment in my journal I would make it private and open only to those of like-mind.  But since I read the journals that I like, and since it isn't a requirement for me to like a journal written only by someone just like me, I read very diverse journals.  I like being able to do that.

I don't open up here in this journal about my opinions on some controversial subjects, including, but not limited to, religion, politics, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, social problems, or nationality.  You may feel that you can get an accurate idea of my opinion on these subjects by reading my journal, and perhaps you will be able to do so.  But I wouldn't count on it.  The reason I don't usually open up on these subjects is this:  I don't have to.

This is MY journal.  I write about what I want.  I know that if I write about a controversial subject I may open myself up to having to deal with a comment from someone who would like to disagree, argue, preach, coerce, judge, or condemn me, along with comments from those whose opinion matches my own.  I don't want to have to deal with that.  And that is not what THIS journal is for.  There is nothing wrong with having a journal that facilitates that type of discussion, but it isn't the purpose of THIS journal.  There is nothing wrong with bringing up such a subject in due course of writing an entry or of sharing your life with your readers, but then you have to be ready to deal with the human element -- your readers' reactions.  And I don't want to do that.  So I have a fairly happy little journal with usually fairly happy little entries, hopefully funny sometimes, maybe even informative.  And I like it that way.

It upsets me when I see other journalers having to deal with emails, in particular anonymous emails, or comments that are meant to be hurtful or that try to push personal opinions or beliefs down the journaler's throat.  I don't think that there is anything wrong with well-thought-out comments that make a point, even if the point is in oposition to the journaler, and that are made using kind, intelligent words, thoughtful concern, and consideration for the one being addressed.  Those types of comments, even when they are in disagreement with the journaler's entry, can be read as sincerely-meant, personal feelings by the commenter, and there can never be anything wrong with those.

I don't believe the same way as all of the journalers that I read.  I don't necessarily agree with any or all of their religious beliefs, political affiliations, or personal lifestyles.  But obviously there was something about that person and the journal that they write that I was drawn to or felt I could connect to, or I wouldn't be reading it.  If someone writes something that I find in disagreement with my own personal beliefs I simply don't read that entry.  In my real life I am friendly with people of many walks of life.  I don't judge them, and I don't condemn them.  I am friendly with people who don't necessarily agree with me on all things and who may actually disagree vehemently with me on some subjects, given the chance.  But they still appreciate other things about me, and I them.  Anyone I know in real life who is or does or believes something that I absolutely cannot handle, knows this and we go along on equal footing of knowing where we each stand and just how far the friendship or acquaintanceship will go. 

I guess the point driving this long entry is this:  I think it's a shame that any one of us cannot write anything we choose in our own journal without having to worry about stressing out over a response.  I recently read with interest entries made regarding abortion.  In each one that I read I saw comments expressing the opposite opinion, but doing so kindly and with respect for the writer's own opinion.  That was impressive -- listening to someone else's opinions and responding respectfully, without compromising your own beliefs. 

It's a shame that "trolls" will always be out there.  The troll is looking for a reaction, and as long as he gets one, he'll return.  It's especially sad that some journalers are more sensitive to these types of aggravations, and cannot as easily as others shrug off these ugly varmints.  What's really a shame is that they would have to be put in a position to do so in the first place.  But this is, apparently, part and parcel to having an online journal.  One has to weigh the good with the bad, and go from there.

To those who are having to deal with this stress -- do what is right for you.  Continue to write what you want in your journal.  Ignore anyone who makes you unhappy.  We all have enough stress in our lives already.  We don't need to invite in more by giving any kind of credence to trolls.

Heading HOME!

Heading HOME! :

Another J-Lander with family effected by the California wildfires and needing some words of support and encouragement!  Please stop by.

 

Noon Mom Prepping For Evacuation

Kelly at Noon Mom is preparing for evacuation because of the wildfires in California. 

Her daughter's boyfriend, Sam, has been called up to fight the fires, and Kelly's husband, Rusty, is trying to find a safe way to get home.  Needless to say, the family is feeling a lot of stress right now.  Kelly may not be reading or commenting much as they get things ready in case they have to leave quickly.  But I'm sure she knows that all of us have her and her family in our thoughts and prayers.

 

A Rainy Monday

Since early this morning we have had a nice, steady rain falling.  It has been the kind of dark, gloomy day when snuggling in bed with a good book or a good movie is di rigeur.  This is good for our drought-stricken area.

We did make one trip out to the library.  I got the new novel from Cheryl Mendelson entitled Anything For June.  It sounds really good, and I can't wait to start it.  I just recently finished a biography of Charles Schultz by David Michaelis called Schultz and Peanuts, and I am currently reading Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen.

I had a few hours to myself yesterday evening.  Thomas had to work yesterday, and because they were fighting a deadline he didn't get home until almost 10:00 p.m.  VERY unusual for him on a Sunday, but once in a while that happens.  Andrew always joins a group of friends on Sunday evenings at a local sports center where they play volleyball or dodgeball or just hang out.  There are kids there that we know from teenage to young 20s, and a lot of the parents are there too.  Occasionally I go and take Eler Beth for a while.  Well, yesterday Andrew invited Eler Beth to come along, and she was on cloud nine.  Andrew's band usually does some practicing while they're there, and their bass player is only 14 and a favorite of Eler Beth's.  But more importantly than that -- one of Andrew's friends has a little brother who is Eler Beth's age, and she's had her eye on him for quite some time.  The poor boy doesn't know what's in store for him in the coming years!  He's cute as he can be but so far is immune to the girls chasing him.  He and Eler Beth kid around and tease each other.

So anyway, she got to hang out with the big guys (and their little brothers!).  She even got to go out to eat with them.  The lead singer/guitarist, Andrew's friend J, even asked for her opinion on a new song he performed.  They teased her about having rabies from her dog bite, and she got to tease them back as only a little sister can do.

And I got to stay home and catch up on reading and commenting in journals.  I didn't even have to cook.  The kids ate out, and I fixed soup and a sandwich for me and for Thomas when he got home.   Today, though, I believe chili is in order.  I hope everyone is having a good Monday.

 Graphics by Donna at This and That and Hockey

Itty Bitty Chickens, Crochet Lessons, and Galivanting Grandmas

I have some catching up to do, don't I?

Let's see.  Eler Beth's dog bite is healing very well.  I don't even think it will leave much of a scar.  Yesterday Eler Beth and her friend B went to a crochet class at the public library.  My niece M was there too (M is the one with diabetes).  There were only two other girls in the class.  They were home schoolers like Eler Beth, and M is on homebound, so B was the only public school student there.  They had a great time.  The lady who was doing the class (one of the librarians) had so much fun with them that she asked them if they'd like to all meet together again to continue the lessons -- not as a formal class with registration like this one, but just meet together informally.  She kept our phone numbers and gave the girls hers.

I had taught Eler Beth some basics of crocheting last year and she had played around with it a little, but I'm very much a beginner myself, so I thought it would be good for her to learn from someone who was actually good at it.  This lady had a lot of examples of her work there on display, and she is good.  So tonight I took Eler Beth and B to The Hobby Lobby, and we stocked up on yarn and hooks and other goodies.  Now I'm in the mood to do some crocheting myself.  (An afghan is about the extent of my ambitions, though.)

Last night was very stormy in our area.  We had tornado watches and warnings here and surrounding us from late in the afternoon to the wee hours of this morning.  I know the wind and rain were pretty bad in our neighborhood and there were some very ugly clouds out there, but we didn't have much damage.  The tornados stayed to the South and East of us.

Wednesday was Eler Beth's day to plan and cook dinner, so that morning I asked her what she'd like to try.  She said, "How about those itty bitty chickens!  Remember those itty bitty chickens we had one time, and we each had our own?  I can't remember what they're called."

So we had itty bitty chickens (also known as Cornish hens), stuffing, French cut green beans, and salad.  For dessert we had homemade peach pound cake that I'd made the day before.

My Mom is in Florida for a month or so.  She went down with my eldest sister, Dee, last week.  They visited Dee's daughter and her family in Ocala, and Dee's youngest son, Jacob (the one who was an assistant cameraman on Survivor), and his girlfriend.  Her middle son and his family, who live in Kentucky, couldn't go, but their oldest son went along.  Then they spent a few days with my second oldest sister, Maxine, in St. Augustine.  Then Dee and her grandson went back home to KY, but Mom is staying with Maxine for a few weeks. 

Maxine is a teacher and won't have a break from school until November, so Mom is on her own during the day.  Maxine's son and his family, or her daughter and her family, come by to see her, though, and have made plans to get her out of the house some days.   Mom said she's going to work on a quilt while she's down there, so Maxine took her out Wednesday night to get fabric, batting, and backing.  And Maxine took her to Curves on Monday, so Mom won't be missing her weekly exercise routine.

Well, there.  That's caught everyone up a bit.  I'm still catching up on entries, but I think I've at least visited everyone and left a comment in the past few days.  I'll try to write some more over the weekend.  I'm planning on doing some major cleaning tomorrow, so I'll probably be taking breaks on the computer to either read journals or write in my own.  I hope everyone has a good weekend. 

Briefly

I really must get caught up on my journal reading.  And I have a lot of things I want to write about, too  e.g. this past weekend was our annual camping trip to Sycamore Springs Park;  our weather is finally cool and Fall-like (my system was shocked when I stepped outside this morning); oh, and various other things that I just haven't taken the time to write about.  It probably won't be this evening, but soon, I hope.  Til then, I hope everyone had a nice hump day.

Dog Bite

We have had a bit of excitement this evening.

Eler Beth was riding her bike around the neighborhood, and stopped in front of a house two streets over to speak to a friend who was riding by.  A dog came from the back yard of the house she was in front of and stood watching her for a minute.  She looked at the dog and was thinking what a pretty dog it was when it suddenly rushed out and bit her on the back of her calf.  It then ran back into its back yard.  She called for help, and the lady and man of the house came out and got her.  They took her inside and the lady checked out the bite. 

Meanwhile, back at the farm ....

The phone rings.  I don't recognize the name on the caller ID.  I answer, and hear my daughter's voice.  "Um, Mom, I just got bit by a dog, and I need you to come get me.  I'm at *street address*."  She sounded so calm!!

I threw on shoes, grabbed my purse and keys and flew.  She walked out smiling, along with the man who was holding his baby son.  She lifted her pants leg and showed me a bite on her leg that was much better than it could have been, but still bad enough.  The man said that his dog (a Doberman) is up-to-date on her shots, and that they keep it penned in the (fenced-in) back yard, and he didn't know how she got out.  He and the lady were so very nice and just devastated that it happened.  He told me he was putting the dog down.  I told him I hated to hear that, but he said that the dog is fine with family, but if anyone else is over it is aggressive.  It had gotten out before and he'd been afraid that if she got out again she'd bite someone.  Now that she had, he was going to have to put her down.

Well, we got in the car (getting her bike in my back seat, as well, by the way), and on the drive to the house that's when my baby broke down and cried.  She said, "It was so scary!  And it hurt so much!"

I took her straight to the bathroom and scrubbed the wound and looked at it closely.  It is right where the curve of the calf muscle begins.  There is a small area, smaller than a dime, where the skin was torn off, and I can see the flesh, but it doesn't actually look like a puncture there anywhere.  Above it is a scrape that didn't even bleed.  After scrubbing it and rinsing it I watched it for a minute, and it continued to bleed a bit, but just more of a seeping out of blood. 

I called the 24/7 nurse line that our insurance provides.  I answered all of the nurse's questions and gave her a description of the wound.  She said if I know for sure or can find out within six hours that the dog is up-to-date on its shots, then she told me to call Eler Beth's pediatrician in the morning, and she told me how to care for it in the meantime.  However, if I don't know for sure about the shots, then within six hours I would need to get her to an urgent care center, just to be on the safe side.

While I was talking to her Thomas came in from work, so he drove back over there to talk to the dog owners, and they were able to show us proof that the dog had had its shots.  While he was gone I  had my little breakdown!

I called our sheriff's office to see if it was a state law that any animal bite had to be reported.  She asked me what happened, and I told her, and she said that it was really up to me.   If the dog owners were being cooperative and they usually keep the dog confined, then it was entirely up to me.  Well, I know they keep the dog confined.  Eler Beth knows every dog in the neighborhood, and she said that this one is always in its back yard.  That's why she was watching it so closely when it came into the front yard.  And both the man and the woman were practically in tears.  If for some reason I did want to file a report I can do it tomorrow.   Anyone's dog can get out now and then, no matter how careful you are.  Anything can happen, and you just have to take as many precautions as you can.

Well, anyway, Eler Beth is doing fine (and so am I).  We'll keep neosporon on the wound, and put some ice on it for a while for swelling.  There is a particular infection that the CDC warns about when it comes to dog or cat bites which usually presents itself within hours, the nurse told me, and she said the doctor may prescribe an antibiotic just to be on the safe side even if there is no sign of infection.  I guess we'll see.

More Monday Ramblings

It's a good thing we didn't really have a super studious day planned -- the phone kept interrupting me all afternoon! 

A good (elderly) friend of ours called to see if Thomas could put her mailbox back up on its post -- some nice, considerate person knocked it off.  Then the wife of one of Thomas' nephews called regarding the camping trip we're going on this weekend and then had some other things to talk about.  Their oldest daughter, 13, is a diabetic, and they've been having problems with the nurse and other staff at her middle school.  I'm not sure of exactly all the details, but whenever she checks her sugar if it's high they don't take proper care of her, not making sure she gets whatever it is she needs at the time, or calling her parents or whatever they're supposed to do.  One day it was extremely high and the nurse left her in her office for almost an hour before doing whatever it was she was supposed to do.  The principal has an attitude whenever the parents talk to him about it.  So now her pediatrician has signed orders that she be homebound.  A homebound teacher will spend five hours a week with her.  They had considered home schooling, but didn't feel they could meet her needs educationally, so this is a good solution.

Anyway, this afternoon Eler Beth watched an educational video, and then we did word puzzles all afternoon, played outside with the dogs, and fixed dinner together.  We just had leftovers mostly.  Last night I fixed barbecue elk ribs, and we had homemade pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing, made from a fresh cushaw pumpkin.  I can only eat a bite or two now and then because of the eggs in it, but it was very yummy, if I do say so myself!  So dinner was easy.

Thomas worked a little late, then after dinner he and Eler Beth fixed Jewel's mailbox for her, and I ran some books to the library.  Andrew came in from school and went straight to bed.  He didn't want dinner.  He doesn't have a fever and no other symptoms, he's just tired.  He did have a pretty busy weekend, so I think he's just worn out.

I think I'll make an early night of it myself.  Sorry to bore everyone with my super slow, super boring day, but at least you get to hear from me!    Take care!

 

Monday Rambling

Wow!  I got a lot of votes on the poll in my previous entry! 

Good afternoon all!  Here in Southern Indiana it is a sunny and beautiful first day of October.  Our morning actually started out gloomy and overcast, but now the sun is out.  We had a gorgeous weekend, and I took advantage of it and did some yardwork.

Eler Beth and I started school a little late this morning, so we had our lunch break late.  She's watching old Tom & Jerry episodes on Cartoon Network and I decided to check in here.  I don't usually let her watch TV while she's having lunch on a school day, but we're kind of playing the whole day by ear today.  Who knows what kind of rules we may break!!  (I kind of like seeing those old cartoons, myself.)

About six weeks ago Eler Beth got a new cockatiel to join Lucy and Louie.  He was only four months old (still a baby, really), is gray and yellow, and his name is Schroeder.  When we brought him home she couldn't decide on a name.  When we introduced him to Lucy and Louie I was amazed at their reactions.  Louie totally ignored him, but Lucy was fascinated with him!  Lucy is the dominate one, and I was a little nervous about how she would accept a new bird in the house.  She loves him!  She would get right up in his face and start singing a love song to him.  If you got him out, she'd throw a fit to go with him.  Wherever he was, that's where she wanted to be.  So I thought of Lucy of the Peanuts cartoons, and how she's in love with Schroeder (whose thoughts are only for Beethoven), and suggested we go with Schroeder until we came up with something better.  Well Eler Beth liked it, and it seems to fit him.  He's a sweety, too.

He's just over five months old right now, and he has been wolf whistling for the past couple of weeks.  I've heard Lucy do a wolf whistle once in a while, but he does it all the time.  It has been rather flattering and good for my self-esteem, because for a solid 20 minutes this morning he was doing a wolf whistle!  Of course, he was looking out the window while he was whistling, but I could pretend he waswhistling at me. 

Well, I will probably be back to visit journals soon.  I think I'm going to let Eler Beth watch a National Geographic video today that fits in with our Science lesson, and let that be it for the day.  It's just one of those day, you know?  Actually, she had a low-grade fever last night, and though she doesn't have one today, I think she's still feeling a little sluggish.  I'm a bit sluggish myself.  So I'll sign off for now and wish everyone a happy Monday and a great week ahead!

First Of The Month!

Once again it's time for a friendly reminder to schedule your mammogram if you've never done so before, or to make yourself a reminder if your annual mammogram is coming up soon.  And don't forget those other yearly exams, as well!

 

Tags: Breast Cancer Awareness, Mammograms