Suppertime!

photo by Joan

Isn't that a bee-YOO-tiful bell pepper? We grew it ourselves in our very own vegetable garden. Last night's dinner included said beautiful pepper and three other types (banana, cowhorn and jalapeno) as well as fresh tomatoes in homemade fajitas. Yummy! I just love summertime.

They called!

Got a call from the Community Theater yesterday...it was the director of the upcoming play, letting us know that she wasn't ready for us yet, but was looking forward to working with us. There is a rehearsal Sunday and we are welcome to pop in, just to meet folks and get a feel for the group, if we'd like. She was all apologies that we had not been contacted in the year since we first offered to volunteer there and wanted us to know we were no longer going to be ignored. We are not going on Sunday because we already have plans to visit a friend we met in Belgium who is visiting a neighboring state. But we'll meet those folks soon enough.

Pictures for Ryan

When I spoke to my grandson Ryan on the phone yesterday, he was very excited to learn that I had pictures of him taken when Grandpa was pushing him on his swing. Here they are!

This first picture shows Ryan's hat nice and low over his eyes. For some reason, he liked it like that.

Here he is again, waiting for Grandpa to do soomething exciting and fun, like an 'underdoggy.' Grandpa was very accomodating and did several underdoggies and even spun Ryan around while the swing was moving back and forth. Ryan would laugh and laugh, then get very quiet...we were a little concerned that he might be feeling nauseous...but he didn't want to stop!
This is my favorite picture, just because you can tell the swing is in motion. Ryan kept Grandpa busy with that swing for a long time that day...and Grandpa was happy to oblige.

AADD

Airmen Against Drunk Driving is an organization at the base that works to prevent drunk driving by their people by providing free no-identifying-questions-asked rides to folks who request it. I think it is a great program. It is run by volunteers - one really dedicated woman in charge and a lot of helpers - who give their time to save lives. Last night was Tom's first night as dispatcher. He decided to sleep on the sofa in the living room so I woudn't be disturbed. At first I thought he was silly - one or two phone calls would't bother me, I'd just roll over and go back to sleep. What I didn't realize was that each 'ride' takes three incoming calls, at a minimum -- the initial call requesting a ride, then an outgoing call to the driver, then the driver calls when (s)he picks up the passenger(s), then again when the passengers are dropped off. Tom was awake a lot last night. I was fully awakened once when I heard the phone ring twice, but that was all.

I know there are some people who would say these folks would not be going out and drinking so much if they didn't know they had a free ride home...so the program only encourages people to be irresponsible. Unfortunately, a lot of people do go out and drink, then face the issue of getting home safely, or their designated driver decides to have a drink or just leaves them. Who knows? The point is, this program provides a way to save the lives of not just the drinkers, but other innocents who might be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't know if other bases have a program like this, but I think they should. And I think the people who devote so much time to it deserve a medal and a great deal of thanks.

Those of you who don't have the benefit of a program like this, please, don't drink and drive. And don't get into a car with someone else who has been drinking behind the wheel. Call a friend, your parents or other relative, get a cab, spend the night in a hotel, or stay at the home of the party-giver. It can save not just your life, but others, too.

Auditions

We went to the auditions for the Sumter Little Theater summer production last night. I'm not aware of anyone else who volunteered for backstage work. They must have a crew in place already. Anyway, the director seemed pleased to see us and apologized profusely that it took a year to get us involved. She asked us to stay and watch the auditions, which we did. I am so glad I do not have to make the decision regarding who gets what part -- it would be too difficult! Anyway, when we left, we still had no idea when the work would begin, where to go or who we would work with...I hope they remember to contact us.

I've got my radio back!

~The dealership called last evening and we scheduled today for my radio to be replaced. I am so glad to have it back! I was surprised at how very much I missed having music in the car as I drive.

~In other news, the Intramural Softball season has finally started on base. Weather held up the season for a few days, but CE won their opener on Tuesday. They lost last night's game, but they sure made it exciting to watch. We were behind 8 - 1 when CE rallied for six runs. Then the other team scored two runs, we scored one more but finally struck out in the end.

~Tom finally got a response from the local community theatre. They are having auditions for "Oklahoma!" tonight, and we can stop by and sign up then. The man apologized for the long delay in responding - although there was no real explanation for the yearlong wait.

Weekend issues...with the car radio

Tom and I headed north for Father's Day on Saturday morning at 5:00am. Leaving that early in the morning gets us to our daughter's house early afternoon, giving us more time with the little ones. The drive was fairly easy, just a few areas of heavy traffic and no real backups. We did, however, run into a problem with the air conditioner that unltimately affected the radio.

To explain: I took the car in for an oil change the day before we left. It was time and it makes sense to do it before a long trip like that. The air filter was also changed. They took it right in and the work was completed in less than 30 minutes. All well and good, right?

So we're driving along the highway. I took a nap, covering my legs with a towel for comfort's sake. When I woke and moved the towel, there was a cold wet spot at the bottom...hmmm. Later, I felt cold water dripping on my foot. I was concerned, but not worried. At one point, Tom turned off the radio and we both heard gurgling in the dash. Gurgling in the dash? What? Then I took my turn at driving and felt more cold water dripping on my foot on the driver's side! It was probably dripping on Tom, too, but I noticed because I was wearing sandals. Now we are both concerned. Then when Tom got back behind the wheel, the water on his feet was more of a flood than a drip, and we noticed there was no sound from the radio. We thought we'd lost the radio station, but changing channels did nothing. The clock display still worked, but we decided to turn off the AC anyway. At the next rest stop, Tom checked fuses and tried to find where the hoses were being blocked. Fuses were good and he couldn't find the hose problem. We also had lots of water on the carpeting. We did the final hour or so with the windows open.

When we arrived at Jen's, Tom pulled the car partially into the driveway. I didn't realize it at first, but he was positioning it so he could get underneath. He asked for the flashlight from his back and got to work. What he found was that the AC hose was pushed up into the frame of the car, causing a kink in it. This blocked the flow of condensation, causing it to back up into the coils, which eventually expelled it the same direction as the cool air. We cleaned up the car and left the windows open so it could dry. Later that evening the radio worked, but Sunday morning -- no radio.

When we got home Monday afternoon, I dropped Tom off at work and took the car right to the dealership so they could check the radio. I explained the situation, and the guy said "As far as I am concerned it's still under the warranty. I'll order you a new radio. When it comes in, we'll have you come in and we'll swap it out." They called today. The radio is in. I'm taking it in tomorrow. I'm so glad, because I really miss the radio!

I'll post more about the weekend and Father's Day soon.

Happy Anniversary, Jen and Jay!

Our daughter and her husband have been married four years, now. They started married life with three-year-old Zach (now seven) and have since added Ryan (two years, nine months) and Lily (three months) to the family. Also in the household is family dog, Daisy.

We wish Jen and Jay a Happy Anniversary, with many, many more the come. All the happiness in the world to both of you!

Alberto's influence

What is it, anyway, a Tropical Storm, a Tropical Depression? Whatever, it has brought us lots of rain the past two days. All the plants are very happy with the natural moisture and the grass seems to have grown inches overnight. I wonder if those obnoxious moles that have been making their home in our yard drowned? The raised areas where they make their tunnels seem not to be raised anymore... The pool is overflowing and there are a few more leaves in it than usual.

The vegetable garden is none the worse for the wind, and it looks like we are finally getting some zucchini started and the yellow tomatoes are turning yellow. The cucumber and squash are not yet producing, nor is the cantaloupe. We have two bell peppers that are almost ready to pick, and an abundance of jalapeno and banana peppers. Even the gypsy peppers are getting big, and one cowhorn pepper is turning red. I used a jalapeno, banana and a gypsy pepper in last night's fajita dinner. Tom said none of them had any heat to them, but I found my lips burning afterward.

Happy Birthday, Bobby!

Those of you paying attention will notice more than one family birthday being celebrated today. Bobby is my brother Rob's son and, if my math is correct, is celebrating his twenty-third birthday. Joyeux Anniversaire, Robert! I hope you have a fabulous year!

Speaking of shared birthdays, I read an article in Reader's Digest years ago that discussed mathematical probability and coincidence. The one thing I remember from the article is that if you have a gathering of twenty-three (same as Bobs birthdays..) people chances are more likely than not that two will share a birthdate. I have checked this on several occasions and always come up with dual birthdays. Interesting, is it not? By the way, on both sides of my family there are two shared birthdays. Cousins Bobby and Paul are one, and mother and son Cathy and John are the other on my side. Brother-and-sister-in-law Bill and Linda share a date, and sister-in-law Sue and myself share the other on Tom's side.

Anybody out there have a birthday twin who is also a relative without being a true twin?

Happy 18th Birthday, Paul!

Today, my sister's youngest child turns eighteen. Sorry, Hat..they eventually grow up. And hey, Paul is turning out pretty good -- so, Paul, many happy returns of the day. I hope you enjoy being eighteen. The world is waiting. Go get'em!

Pool Visitors ***updated with photos***

Hannah Photo by Joan

Yesterday was HOT so I wasn't at all surprised that the neighbor children wanted to swim. Usually they visit across the court, but that family was not home yesterday morning. The kids had their hearts set on swimming, so their Mom asked if they could use our pool. That makes her sound a bit forward, but we have invited them in the past, so they were welcome. They spent about 45 minutes to an hour playing in the water, thanked me, and were off to home, lunch and naptime.

Here are some shots of the fun. The little guy was something else -- he had no problem jumping off the ladder and going under water as long as he had his water wings. Benjamin Photo by Joan

First use of the pool this season...

Yay! Although the pool has been usable for a few days, last evening was the first time we actually got in. Tom was nice and warm after working in the garage for a bit, and I pulled some weeds just beforehand...and the water felt lovely and cooling! The thermomemter showed the temperature to be just about 88 degrees, which is great - just a second or two to get used to it, then it feels marvelous. See? The water doesn't look murky or green anymore.

Productive weekend

Tom has been far more productive than I, but we have both actually gotten a few things done this weekend. Yesterday morning I got the laundry going first thing, and Tom helped the next door neighbor remove some branches that were interfering with the swing in their tree. Then Tom and I went out on our bikes hunting yard sales. I got a little color from the sun, but no burn, thank goodness! Once back at the house, we gathered yard debris, recycling, trash and Tom even removed the termite-chewed railroad ties that surrounded our vegetable garden. We took all this, along with the neighbors cut-down branches, to the dump, then continued to Columbia and the Harbor Freight Store. We wanted to get one of their 'Mole-Chaser Windmills' to try to rid the yard of the pests. We only got one to see if it actually has an effect. We'll get more if we need them. As I told Tom, he never objects to another trip to Harbor Freight! Tom found a few other items that he wanted as well, among them wings for his remote control airplane. The wings were broken during the maiden flight when the plane crashed into a tree. Whike in the area, we also visited the Goodwill Store and the Closeout Store. We each made a small purchase at Goodwill, and admired all the neat stuff at Closeout. Another stop at the Base Exchange for pool chemicals and the commissary for groceries, then home for dinner. Not a bad day.

Today after Mass, Tom decided to accept one of the many volunteer opportunities there at Church. He is going to try to repair an outdoor spotlight that hasn't worked 'in a while.' The priest does not know anything about it, like where it is fed from, etc., so it might be a challenge. We shall see. Since then, Tom has been trimming some branches on our own trees, then trimming dead branches from shrubs I pointed out to him. Now he is working in the garage, refurbishing an antique table we brought back from Belgium. I have been weeding the vegetable garden and fertilizing the many different plants and gardens in the yard. I can already tell that we will have a lot to do come fall -- trimming, shaping, weeding, separating. I guess it will keep me busy!

During the coming week we will be preparing to visit my Dad for Father's Day. That means the grass will need cutting beforehand...I'm hoping it cools off a bit -- it's in the mid 90's today, headed for 100 degrees, according to the weatherman.

I hope y'all had as good a weekend as we did!

CONGRATULATIONS, PAUL!

Today, our nephew Paul graduates from High School with the Class of 2006. We're very proud of your accomplishments, Paul, and wish you well in the future.

"Tristan and Yseult"

If the three plays I have seen during the Piccolo/Spoleto Festival in Charleston are any indication, the plays shown during the festival aren't staged in a 'straightforward' way. That is, instead of a simple, straight telling of the story, the shows have a 'hook' -- something to make them stand out from other performances. Some people would call this 'artsy.' Others would call it 'artsy-fartsy.' I just find it interesting to see the result of someone else's vision for the play. For example, the play we saw on Sunday used a deck of cards to determine the order of the scenes in the play. Last year's "The Doll's House" staged the play using a miniature set (the doll's house) and male actors who were Little People. The females were 'normal' sized. Because of the small set and the size difference with the men, the women seemed out of place -- which I think was one of the things the director wanted us to take away from the play. "Tristan and Yseult" was also done in a very unique way. The story is your basic love triangle with complications. Not being an expert, I am not sure of the correct terminology to describe the staging, but I will do my best. The story was narrated in a fashion by a (for lack of a better term) Greek Chorus of seemingly sexless people who wore waterproof jackets, glasses, and balaclavas (we Americans might call them hoods). They also carried binoculars around their necks and used these to peruse the audience from time to time. The story is tragic, but this group added some real comic relief. They also doubled as part of the Tech Crew, using pulleys and ropes to help the actors acheive the objectives of the play, etc. Before the show started, the Chorus was entertaining with some well-chosen songs. I found it funny to hear Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart" sung in a British accent. Very funny. One of my favorite uses of the Chorus was the way they showed that the characters were sailing across the ocean -- a Chorus member would hold a model of a masted ship, carrying it across the set. Sometimes it was quite comic. All in all, I enjoyed it, although we did notice a few people left at intermission. Such a shame, they missed a lot.

Happy Birthday, Lynn!

Happy 31st Birthday to my niece and goddaughter, Lynn. It has been a joy to watch you grow up to be the loving woman, wife and mother that you are. God bless you always!

Those of you who know her, don't forget to wish Lynn many happy returns!
Here is Lynn last Christmas, sitting between brother Bob and Mom Lisa. She is holding her son, Colin. Photo by Tom

Thoughts on the day

I read on someone else's blog that "I'm sure everyone is writing about 6-6-06." I didn't even think about it! Seriously, the world didn't end on 6-6-1906, or 6-6-1806...so why expect it today?

I spent the day catching up on some paperwork. Tom called with a request that I double-check our tax payment on our car. He remembered getting the bill, he didn't remember printing out the LES that excuses us from paying state taxes here because his state of legal residence is elsewhere. One of his colleagues was dealing with the same thing today, and he got concerned. Luckily, we had already handled the issue and got our new stickers.

This evening when Tom got home, we did yardwork. He mowed the grass and I moved the things that needed moving, then dead-headed and weeded the flower beds. Whew! Lots of deadheads out there! Then Tom grilled the steak and I made the salad and we had a nice dinner.

Tomorrow our grandson is having his arm set and casted. He has to be at the hospital by 6:30am. Poor Zach! Poor Mommy and Daddy! They have to get him up and ready in time. Good luck to all concerned.

Happy Birthday, Joey!

Our nephew Joey is twenty-six today, just about seven weeks younger than our son. We hope you have a great year, Joey!

Charleston

The weather was beautiful for our visit to the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston yesterday. Tom and I left home late-morning in order to arrive close to opening time. Upon arrival, we walked through the outdoor art show in the park, followed by the displays at the courtyard of the Presbyterian Church on Meeting Street. We saw lots of really good stuff along with lots of stuff we just don't 'get.' Other people get it, though, as we could hear them exclaiming over the pieces. Tom seemed to especially like the work of one particular photographer. He did a lot of 'macro' stuff - close ups of flowers and the like. The effects were gorgeous. I didn't find anything I couldn't live without, though. We also shared a soft pretzel with mustard. Yummy.

After that we did some window shopping along Meeting and Church Sts. I didn't realize it, but Tom was looking for a drugstore or someplace to buy sunscreen, or, as Tom called it, 'slime.' I had asked him at home to do the top of my back exposed above my shirt; he planned to do it when he finished what he was doing...but we both forgot. Tom was feeling guilty -- he felt if I got sunburn it was his fault. I just stayed in the shade as much as possible. I'm fine. Anyway, we stopped in at a few shops, among them one called "Oops" which sold overstock and discontinued items, and "Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville." Fun place. We found the theater where we had reservations for the 5:00pm performance of "52 Pick Up." The play is described like this: "There are 52 scenes from a relationship in this play. There are 52 playing cards in a deck. On our deck, we've written the title of one scene on each card. The performance you see today will be unique, as the order of scenes will be dictated by random chance -- however we happen to pick up the cards this time. REALLY. There is no effort on our part to control the order of the performance. We can, and do, jump in any of the 52 directions at any moment. So, hold on and enjoy." Tom and I were both intrigued by the challenge presented to the actors by the format. In the end, we both thought the actors did a wonderful job. They were g r e a t. Tom wasn't thrilled with the play itself, though. He felt it showed too much of the negativity of a relationship. They didn't show the sunshine and flowers of a relationship, but the problems? I thought they nailed it! Heck, in some instances, they were pretty close to portraying us up there!

The drive home was a bit long. I guess we were tired. We are going back Wednesday for another play--"Tristan and Yseult." Two and a half hour play that starts at 8:00. I'd better come up with something to relieve the boredom of the long drive home...

Happy Birthday, Lindsay Anne!

Today is our niece's birthday. If my calculations are correct, she will be taking her first legal drink sometime today. Lindsay, have a wonderful birthday and a fabulous year. The world is your oyster ~ go find yourself some pearls!

Saturday

Last evening, Tom and I attended a retirement party for the squadron's First Sergeant. It was a nice evening, although I felt it lacked a woman's touch. Being a single Dad, our host had a keg on the patio, with plenty of glasses available. Food was in the kitchen, most of it still in the styrofoam it arrived in...it took a suggestion from a woman for someone to put some chicken wings on a plate a put it out on the patio for the enjoyment of the folks out there. A woman also had to ask for something to drink besides beer. We all managed to enjoy ourselves, though. I drove home because Tom really enjoyed the keg on the patio.

Today was either rainy or overcast all day. We went to the pool store for some information on maintaining the pool, which was helpful because now Tom has spoken to the person directly instead relying on my account of what was said. Tom did some garage work and I got some paperwork done. We went to Mass tonight so we can go directly to Charleston for the Piccolo Spoleto Arts festival tomorrow. We are seeing a play called "52 Pick Up" in the evening. During the day we will explore the art displays and more of Charleston itself.

Zach comes home from his weekend visit tomorrow. Jen is arranging to have some balloons and candy waiting for him from us. I think I might ask her to include a set of markers for signing his cast, too. I know one of his classmates has already asked to sign it.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Speedy Recovery, Zach!

Our grandson broke his arm at school today. Details here. Jen's whole family has been unwell this week -- Jay had strep throat, so did Ryan, Jen was generally ill and achy with a fever, and Zach had a little cold. Even Lily wasn't 100%...now this.. Was it Winston Churchill that said 'these are the times that try men's souls.'? I think that fits.

So, Zach ~ I wish you a speedy recovery, along with the rest of your family!

Love you guys.

Cancellation

I just got a voicemail message from Tom. The Colonel isn't coming tonight after all. I wonder why my cell phone didn't ring? I tried to call him back, but there was no answer at his work or on his cell phone...I guess he'll tell me more tonight.

Thursday

My day is all set out for me...since we are having company tonight, I will be sprucing up the abode throughout the day. Besides that, I have several errands to run, which include picking up the food for tonight's dinner and having pool water analyzed.

Tom left the house by 04:15 this morning. He and a colleague were going to the airport to see off some deploying personnel, then they went straight to work. I don't know how he manages to do this so often and still be awake during the day. I hope his people appreciate what he does. I am so proud of him -- some folks have no one there (family or friend) to say goodbye at the airport. Tom takes a gift bag from ACES (Association of Civil Engineer Spouses) that includes some goodies for the flight (water, gum, crackers...). If there is no one else there, he will stay until the flight goes. If there is a spouse or friend, he takes a few minutes with them, then leaves them together until the departure. In other words, he doesn't get in the way of an emotional goodbye. I think he is so thoughtful!

I'm off to get those errands going. Happy first day of June, everybody!