Reunion time again...

Well it was the second Sunday of July once more which means the yearly trip to my uncles farm to gather around the “pig pit” or BBQ pit and enjoy the smothering heat together. I of course cooked a small casserole so not to show up empty handed and look like some sort of useless dweeb. This year I stopped by G and PG s home to pick them up, it also looks like I really went out on helping for the picnic. PG has been having issues with his back lately and shuffling a full ice chest and countless dinner boxes couldn't make his back any better. I was there an hour early to help out and load up the truck, he seemed grateful but in a pesky mood.
Some always would gather up the night before so the older guys can watch the pit and share ghost stories and old family tales. When we three were younger I couldn't wait for that night, mom would let us take a sleeping bag and stay up as long as we could manage. I would inhale fried apple pies and sweet tea to keep me going until the sugar rush would finally hit me into a crash. Some times Trace would have dared to hang out that night with us as well and bring his guitar.
My Pops had already made it over to the farm and plopped down in a chair sharing stories of his youth with whomever would listen. All the older ones seem to enjoy hanging out under one of the many silver maple trees planted around the house with those industrial sized fans blowing about. All the men my PG age would occasionally comment on how they didn't have these fancy fans blowing about, “we just stood out here and sweated it out”. Of course no one points out you wouldn't catch any of them more than a meter away from the cool air now.
My uncle that sponsors the land for the picnic passed away last year just before that years reunion. I decided not to attend and fiend “a headache”. I cant take everyone being sad and down from the lost of a beloved relative. He has four sons who now have taken on the yearly task.
This year not as many people were in attendance, possibly because we are going through some of the hottest weather in decades. No matter how many huge fans we had blowing about it wasn't going to help much. The lemonade that's made every year couldn't cool you off, I of course opted out for the sweet tea.
The kids are getting bigger as well, the twin boys that I helped with a few years ago now have a baby sister and those boys ripped and romped around the yard chasing each other. I found it amusing to watch them when each family “group” did their yearly family photos. Just like our twins they found each other and wrapped their arms around their necks with heads together and stood to smile for the picture. When I was that young at picture time I wanted to be as far away from Jacks and Luke as possible, I disliked the “Oh they all three look so much alike” remarks.
The one child everyone was sure not to survive past 5 is now in the sixth grade. He is slow in walking and talking, head awkwardly shaped and topped off with shock bright red hair. He has the sweetest disposition in life and loves football sadly is unable to play, the school lets him coach. Friendly beyond friendly, he cruised the pods of families saying hi and getting whatever conversation he could out of them. He, my Pops and I had a long chat on his plans for his team. You go little man.
Lori is at the age now where she doesn't really care to be with family, it isn't cool, she couldn't wait for the storm clouds to come blowing in so we would have to scatter and run home. She wanted to hit the beach and be with the girls. Girls yeah right, I know what she wanted to be with, I was the same way at that age and I did want to be with the girls.
I kept my eye out for G, the heat wouldn't do her much good so she planted herself in a folding chair near a fan under one of the tents and chatted most the day away. I half expected someone to stand in the line to get her lunch but after the prayer she hopped right up and took her place to make her own plate. She seems smaller to me now, her white hair even whiter and silver blue eyes even bluer. She had a small patch on her shin from the surgery still, that damn staph infection hasn't totally cleared up there.
Subject topics haven't changed one bit, the older tell you all about their aliments and doctors visits. Then you have the ones that talk about who is and isn't married and those that talk about work and children. When the “why aren't you married yet” subject comes rolling in my direction I tend to slip out and play with the kids or suddenly get dry and in need of more tea because the next I hear is
“You need to come over to the house I have someone you should meet”. I swear every one of my aunts could get a job at Match.com. I like how things are now thanks.......
Fortunately for Lori, around an hour after everyone stopped with the food the clouds rolled in, of course that doesn't last long but makes it for a quick excuse to pack up and run home to nap. Which we did.

Happenings/a catch up/updates

So I've been here and there the last week or so, with work of course. Its really picking up and throwing me for a loop. Memorial weekend is upon us, so the start of warmer days have cranked up.
Lori has graduated from her class and spending most of her summer at the beach. Shes almost a teen now. A teen!! She will also be helping with G and PG on the their farm for some spending cash.
My parents seem to be getting along, probably because the three major issues have moved out of the house and out of their hair. Another reason is my Pops is going to a counseling and the much improvement of my moms health. --- sighs a breath.
Mom is doing so much better with her health, she has some low days now and then but that's just the blood disease doing its damage. She goes for her tri-yearly treatments of new blood and shes perked up for a week or two.
Speaking of my Pops and his chats, how I would love to be a fly on the wall to understand what exactly it was that turned him against us. Well, not so much all of us just Jacks and I. Luke was spared the majority of his wrath and Lori only witnessed it on Jacks. I spoke to my mom a couple months ago and she mentioned he was attending something to help him. In my heart I knew it wouldn't last, he proved me wrong. She also mentioned that he would be at some time getting in contact with me to attempt to reconcile our differences. He did, on a few strained occasions. (something I really need to hit in depth later)
Luke is driving down with Kyle this weekend while Julie and Camen and the twins stay at home, surprising to me. Luke says that he and Kyle really haven't had time to spend together. I don't know if Luke is trying to over compensate from the way he was raised or what. Kyle is on his little T-ball team, which of course if hes anything like is aunt means that hes in the outfield rolling around in the clover.
I would like to spend a day or so with the two and get a laugh here and there. Luke wants to start him on a boogie board this go round. I hope I haven't let the cat out of the bag when and if Julie reads this.
Jacks is ever busy at work and school and that's all I know, at the moment hes cut himself off from everyone. Which pisses me off because I cant spew whats going on in his life.
Trace and Michelle update: they had that little rug rat. I wasn't supposed to really mention it until much later but its been nearly a week now. A little girl with sweet big wide eyes and named her Joy. Trace wont put her down so I imagine in a couple of weeks her name might be changed from Joy to something a little less happy.
Traces little sister, Julie is in heaven shes a big grown aunt now, actually shes grown now. I see her driving - oh wow, driving - down the road now and then. Remembering her cute little dances and her and Loris attempt to drive Traces truck through their garage.
I had to go buy PG and G a new BBQ due to the mishap with the newly purchased one that just so happened spilled out on the highway from their trek home. I wont even mention how angry G was with PG and his insistence of not listening to her when she suggested laying it down in the bed of the truck. I thought he knew better to lay something down that had wheels but I guess not.

In the news...

Not only have I been keeping up with the weather in general but also the Casey Anthony case.
The weather appears to be getting worse as the days progress. Jacks still says he hears sirens from the police and ambulances racing up and down the highways. Also the slightest change in weather he loses his power and sits around waiting for that to come back up. To hear stories of families losing other members and all of their possessions and trials and tribulations and the courage to go on is inspiring to me.
The trial is interesting to say the least, very sad on the bigger side. I'm not sure where this diatribe is going, just something on my mind so bear with me here.
I'm seeing a young single mom who appears to claim she was molested by her father and her brother as a child. In turn being, after the accidental death of her 2 year old daughter she chose to block it out and party for I guess 31 days.
First of all I have to say the little girl is a total doll, the videos show her as a typical two year old rambunctious and rowdy. Big round brown eyes and toothy grin. How someone could purposely kill this precious child is beyond me.
The defense is stating that it was a possible drowning and Casey was overly distraught to come to the police to admit what happened because of her abuse by her father. The prosecution from what I manage to understand is saying Casey killed her daughter, stashed her in her car trunk for a while and then to bury her close to her parents home.
Right now they are questioning her father, boy was he really stern on the stand. I, of course couldn't fathom how I would react there. In some sense he appeared defensive and argumentative but I could see the defense badgering him as well. He appears to be tired of all the drama and for the odd reason the smell of gasoline and wants it settled.
Question: If George had control of the duct tape and he was aware the Casey was drowned, why would George have the need to cover the kids mouth with duct tape of an already dead child? Maybe I missed the point there.
Secondly she dated some real winners, one guy sold a picture of the mom and daughter for just a little over 4k to a tabloid.
When I first heard the story I thought: Oh another mom that had a kid super young that wanted to get out and party a little more and her daughter was holding her back. Her jailhouse video conferences showed her as a selfish brat with a bad temper, who in my first impression had control of her parents.
We will see where this one ends.

Whether its the weather......

I've been talking to my brother the last few weeks, his town was nearly obliterated by a series of tornadoes. He was said he saw funnel after funnel blast past his home over head and heard the rumble as things were flung around him as they eventually touched down, multicolor clouds along with rain and hail.
It appeared the majority of the destruction was in one part of the county. He said about 2 weeks prior he was in that very area helping someone move a new bed in, now you wouldn't be able to locate the house or the neighborhood.
The weather men had been predicting some nasty weather days before and suggested schools to close early so either parents and or children wouldn't be on the roads. The storms started early that day and near evening he lost power, that's all nothing more.... He was lucky. Figuring that the power would return sometime in the next day or so, he planned on waiting it out. One night possibly two without electricity couldn't be so hard. Later the utilities company said it could be up to a week before power was restored. For entertainment and information he had a battery powered radio a huge book he planned on reading, the phone lines were either damaged or flooded with other callers. One radio station decided to use as an information grid instead of music, they some how had power. Apparently the main electrical towers had been damaged causing a massive outage of his county and the surrounding ones.
He said the first night was nothing much of him sitting there listening to the radio station and people calling in to report they had no electricity or what damage they might have had or seen. He laughed at some of the repeat calls of people asking when the power would be on. Worried about the elderly that called in asking how they would keep oxygen or other medical equipment running.
The next day he had planned on going to the local market to purchase some ice to keep the frozen items fresh in his freezer, nothing was open. The stores that were open by generators quickly ran out of supplies, there was a slight panic and a run on a few items. Then things began to get a little sketchy, there were reports of long lines at the gas pumps. With no power there was no way to run the pumps or cash registers. Some wanted gas for the home generators, some just wanted to top off their gas tanks. He decided not to venture out. Later that night they informed everyone there would be a curfew from sundown until sun up. The police patrolled the streets, there was two reports of burglaries and one ended badly.
His second night he began to get bored and finally got a call through to my oldest brother. They wanted him to come and stay until things improved. He wouldn't be able to leave until morning and really didn't want to, some of his friends were going to volunteer to help clean up and he wanted to do that. That night people were calling in the radio station suggesting where you could get gas or hot food or generators, still the reports of damage came in as well. People would call in asking where to purchase an item close to them and in a few minutes someone else would call in with the information. The whole town was pulling together, the DJs would cheer if they heard of a town or street that had their electricity returned. He would think “Hey that's not too far away and his hopes would rise”.
On his third day he decided that things were improving enough at least so he could drive out and get to our brothers home for a nice hot shower and food. He felt like a cheater leaving, normally it takes him three hours to drive out but this time it took over seven. Traffic was at a stand still in many areas. His attitude changed as he reach their home to food and decent rest.
That night we spoke on the phone a while and you could hear the concern in his voice over the families that had absolutely nothing, his meager three days without lights would be nothing in comparison to their lives. Without television he really had no idea of the destruction that was around him and was amazed to see what damage was really out there.
Now hes back home and making a plan of attack, next time he would be totally prepared. I cant wait to hear what hes got planned.

Ahh I suck!

I've been so caught up in redoing the cafe and new accounts and running here and there I've totally forgot about my blog, I've so dismissed this thing.
Everything seems to be running along smoothy with me, not to jinx myself. We some how managed to grab five new big commercial clients to keep us even more busy. I like that.......
Some have e-mailed me and asked about G, she seems to be doing much better. Her “bugs” as she calls the infections in her leg and chest are almost cleared. She has been excused by the surgeon and now is up to bi monthly meetings with her heart doctor. I give them both the doctors and her thumbs up. In fact she was is much warmer than normal so now she doesn't burn me out of the truck anymore or the house.
Mondays have resumed once more with my G and mom dragging me about the city doing what not, now I've semi got in the act with them insisting they help me with food purchases. I want to learn how to cook so they have offered to help me in that department. I'm sick of take out and overly salty foods. This year I don't want to sweat gallons and feel rotten about it later.
Lori is the typical nearly teen blonde female. Its all boys all the time. I look back and think when Jacks and I used to trade up rocking in her in the rocker, making sure she was out of the ocean or the pool. The occasional nights of feeling little cold feet on you when a storm would blow up and she couldn't sleep. Shes a good girl and better stay that way.
Speaking of the cafe I have been hanging out there a lot eating and learning the tricks of the trade on some cooking. We shuffled tables around and the menu a bit, I try to get my Monday ladies to stop in but they insist that's a Thursday adventure. Bah One day I plan on giving them a surprise and cooking for them in the cafe.
I'm happy that summer is coming along so soon, ready for the beach and surfing (ha ha Jacks). I think and have been thinking that this is going to be one wild summer. With the winter being extra wild, extra cold and tornado's in the past few weeks of spring. I have no doubts that the summer will be hot and possibly a lot of flooding.
We shall see........
Bin laden you knew your time was up............

Technology.....what!??!!

I've been watching the News, well not local News but those popular News/Weather channels on cable. I've decided they are getting on my last nerve.......
You sit in your favorite chair, turn on the one eyed monster, the News blips on and what happens?
Reporter 1” Welcome to tonight's local live weather report in down town Detroit. In just a few I will tell you about record snow”
BAM the screen flips
Reporter 2 “I'm about to show you what 20 inches of snow in Charleston can do as soon as we return”
BAM the screen flips
Anchor” Yes that's right, we have snow, snow and more snow to talk about soon as we return”
BAM the screen flips showing you highlights of weather stats and 3 seconds of flip shots of different weathers in different states. To keep you glued to your seat.
Commercial breaks, after you get sick of the volume being raised on those bad boys the show returns and give you these short MTV type reports with the shake-o-cam and flip and triple split the screen so you really don't know where to point your attention to. A good 3 minutes of that and BAM back to commercial/s, the volume pops up for those once again and a return of previews of the news to come.
I'm thinking they have sucked themselves in the all-day dramas such as shootings or the latest Lohan gossip or heaven forbid we don't hear about the rare occurrence of snow (shocker) up north. Maybe they have forgotten how to sit down and actually give a good in-depth report about a newsworthy subject. My favorite "Lets all be quiet and listen to the celebration" No, how about we get up and get out there and get a report? Maybe chat it up with the locals.
Are we really that much of an ADHD society that we need this much brain stimulation while wanting to get the latest weather or news report? That we need the dancing bears and screen scrolls and tri-split screens to keep our attention.
To add to this in this day and age of "new technologies" we can send a man to the moon but can't get a clear video or voice across the world?


Well I guess the one option is to flip the channels or just go back to the newspaper......

Ah excitement about this weekend!

We have the Superbowl and then we have G who decided at four thirty this morning to start having chest pains. Nothing bad really, the doctors are thinking its her gall bladder. No more surgeries please!! In fact, they aren't going to do one until she recovers from this last one in spite of the infection she cant seem to rid of right now. Shes at home resting well.
I'm excited about the Superbowl not because of the teams in fact we really don't care about the teams. Julie and Luke and their bunch came in early Friday, not for the games but are helping in a wedding that's next weekend and wanting to spend a little time with my mom a bit.
I get to spend a little time with the monkeys, Kyle is showing off his new cast he received on his left arm this week. Julie said she saw him jumping on the chairs and told him to get off or a time out would be coming his way. He did jump off and right back on to fall on his arm. He has one of those cool colorful casts, we didn't have that kinds of casts when I was younger. If they did, I'm sure I would have broken more things to wear them. His is decorated with stickers from friends at his school. Camen insists that it is possibly the coolest in the world and wants one as well, I think she likes the stickers the most.
The twins are full blown football hounds running around in diapers and Jerseys. Screaming “Tuff down” and raising their arms in the air with a little dance. Luke taught them those moves for the game.
Lori wants to bring her latest victim....boyfriend to the house to watch the game. Shes such the queen right now and threatens all of us to be nice “or else”. I guess off with our heads. Shes doing great in school at the moment but started off with a rocky start in skipping. That was nixed after she was cold busted by my Pops, mom would have been bad but Pops caught her. I've never seen the house and yard and garage so clean in my whole life. I don't get spammed with stupid emails either...odd
Jacks is here as well, God I've missed him. I've been in need of some entertainment these last few weeks and hes the right one to fill it. He drove down here to see us, also he and Pops are going to knock heads this weekend hopefully in a good way. Jacks says its time to straighten matters up so that he can go on with stuff in his life peacefully. Whatever.........
Trace and Michelle, who is looking more lovely in her present condition are coming. Trace has cut down singing at the pub and spends most his time with her or at work at the garage. They bought a house and I plan on landscaping it for them as a baby present. Hey, what else could I do?
Last night we set out a barrel full of steaks to be grilled out and plan on making pizzas with chips and dip and bucket fulls of liquid libations. Luke, Jacks and I made tray fulls of jello shooters and going to boil some shrimp. All this is going down at my house, with countless numbers of friends I'm sure this will be an epic weekend and a start of great year.

Babbles..the weather.... fun

Well this week is almost spent and gone, its been a pretty productive one on my end. I'm debating on whether I should take my last year of schooling now or wait just a bit longer. I vote wait.....
The ladies in the office are once more at odds, kid trouble I suspect. Diane has her way of raising kids and Cari hers. Its sort of comical they always rub each other wrong about 3 times a year and this time its coming a little early. I know its going on when I suggest one of them pair up with the other on a budget or project and they roll their eyes. Girls.........
Mom is doing well these days, I've been asked a few times how she is doing. She had a little problem with her blood pressure bouncing around there for a week or two but I suspect it was from all the tension with my G. Women........
Speaking of G she dropped in to see me after her antibiotics IV for the morning, yes, shes still having to go every morning for those treatments, so much for a few visits. She and PG has a little time to waste before she had her next heart doctors visit and instead of traveling home and back again she spent a little time with me, arranging my desk..... Women.......
Luke is still snowed in and in a grumpy mood from being in cased in his house all week long by the mini blizzard in Atalanta. He was complaining that the Weather Channel reporter standing on the streets of New York would be cleared in the Am for the kids to go to school. “What an idiot, Id like to kick him in jingly jewels right now” Atlanta's last snow of any real measurable about was back in the 70s. How would it benefit a city to invest in snow removal equipment and use it every ten years or so.
Lori is jealous and wants to trot up for a visit to play in it. Hopefully by the weekend I might start a slow melt. I told her to be happy its just rain here and a little cool. Shes planning on a spend the night party at the house, apparently there's a lot of new boys in her class so the girls need a gossip home base to talk to them and what not. Girls.......
Jacks is in the same predicament with the snow and ice and lack of snow equipment to remove it as well. He's had the good common sense to get out and enjoy it all week long. I guess they allow 4 wheelers on the streets when its bad there. I asked him how his better half is and he said “Who?” Apparently they haven't had time together since the holidays. Girls.......
PG and I are planning on trip up to Charleston either this weekend or the next to see some family. I don't want to make any plans on travel till the roads are semi clear. I really despise driving in ice or snow. I remember when we were all younger my mom was in Nashville driving home from a nail appointment or something of the sort. It was a light snow on the ground and we three sat in the back seat of the car play fighting with our G I Joe figures when the car started spinning around. I guess mom had to find a patch of ice and lost control. We of course were on one of the many hills in town and the car banged into the side of the mountain with the front two wheels hanging off into a ditch. We weren't going any where after that.

New Years and beyond.....

Well that first of last night of the year has come and gone. (According to “The prediction” just one more New Year to go.) I've been pretty busy these last few days working on budgets and plans for the coming season. The cafe needs upgrading with more tables and seating areas, also the green house requires new products to present.
Its funny how the market shifts, at first landscaping was the main part of our business but it appears that the do-it-yourself folks are out in masses and swarming the greenhouse. Luckily we still have our contract with the city to keep us busy on the landscaping end.
Our new year night was up to par, everyone drank in excess but chose to stay at the hotel. I like that hotels here have packages you can purchase for that holiday so you have your party, party items, liquor, entertainment and room right there in one building, so no driving. I missed having Trace and Michelle out with us this go round but since she is expecting they decided to stay home and bring in the year there.
Just like every year since I was eight or so my grandfather taught us to reflect on the past year and think the best way to improve the new one to come. My mission is to get along with my father, this will be a huge task.(I've tried this before) Jacks says I'm an idiot for even approaching the idea, he and good old dad are still at odds with each other. Partly because Jacks still refuses to go to work for him, at times I think its a good opportunity for Jacks. Since dad is moving along in his business and branching out not only in commercial development but residential. I have a feeling that keeping your sanity is higher on priority line to Jacks.
Luke called me the other day wanting to go on a bike ride this summer. He rarely has the time to do something on his own. This apparently was his Christmas gift from Julie, she received a 10 day cruise. I jumped on the chance, soon we will plot out our course, I've been wanting to go out west and so has he. Watch out Alamo!
His brood is growing and prowling around. Kyle has the motorcycle itch just like his dad. I guess they have something called Tot bikers or something like that, for the younger set -- 6 year old and older kids with their parents. Julie isn't a fan of the idea but of course Luke is excited as well as Kyle. I think its better plan than what we did as kids with hopping on a bike and just going. Sorry Tennessee for all the damaged trees, barns, fences and sides of houses we caused.
Mom is doing well, she plans on getting the shopping Mondays up and running again. This means my nice quiet first day of the week is about to go into full force of bag carrying and door opening once more (not that I'm complaining). G is still disgusted with the staph infection in the incision of her chest and slight case she had where they harvested the vein in her leg. She says its improving but the doctor popped her with a new antibiotic which is making her sick.