Learn Something New Every Day

One small step for me... A giant leap for water pressure!? 

Good Afternoon All;
My hot water heater should once again be up and running, and it is high time for me to get showered.
I have a short. It has been found, rigged, but not fixed entirely. (Wonder if duct tape will work)? hehehe In the meanwhile I have used 2 larger fuses... They will work a bit- for a while; (until I feel like crawling down there again anyway)...

Pa always said it's a wasted day if we are not furthering our education in some way, shape, or form.

Through my readings today, I have learned lots once again.
Notably, and memorably, to have read Brian Richards letter.
It is that letter I wish to share with you today.

Here is his letter in its entirety:

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Dear Senator Brown,
You do not represent me, my views, the views of the people of the State of Michigan or the people of the United States of America.

You misrepresent your own importance. You misrepresent the will of the people. You misrepresent the Constitution of the United States of America.

You are a liar.

I have no time for your start over policy. It is a deadly policy.

Five months ago I was diagnosed with cancer.
Less than sixty days after that diagnosis I received notification that my health insurance was cancelled. After forty years of good health and paying high insurance premiums, it came time for me to collect on that insurance contract and the insurance company failed in their obligations to me. People like you support that kind of irresponsibility.

I am a dead man because of this.
I have no appeal.
A sex offender on death row has more rights than I do.
Imagine that, Senator -- you support laws that give more rights to death row inmates than to law-abiding citizens who are ill.

What a shame. What a sham.

Senator, you are a liar, a killer and a fiend.

Brian Richards
Kalamazoo, Michigan

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Brian Richards is not alone!
His response to the article below has me saddened; and hoping that the future of his health can be improved. Somehow.

"We are closer than ever to historic health insurance reform – reform that will extend coverage to more than 30 million Americans, provide security and stability to those who have health insurance, and shift power from insurance companies to consumers."
 
I ask you again, to tell me why we do not support this?
Someone?
Anyone?

Because for the life of me, and with exception to a few radical right wing politico's on Multiply, I have NOT heard from a single one of my non-blogging friends or neighbors that do not support the Public Option, or HealthCare reform.
Like I said in yesterdays blog comments, Washington's reluctance to pass this reform has made us the laughingstock of the world.
And that is an awful fact, Pa, but I learned it anyway.

Bring it.

Stay well my friends.
Love to all.

XOXO
Me

Fat Cats and Bitty Baby Bulges

I had to be in Green Bay the other day and snapped this photo as I crossed Hwy 172
While I am not in construction, I found it creepy to see them assembling a 4~lane highway bridge with WOOD!
The only conclusion I came to was that this was the support for the concrete?
I sure as heck HOPE so! 
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Good Morning All;
For me, there is good news?!?  ~and worse news...
I have learned that I do not have 3 fractures in my back. 
I have 5.
That sorta sucks.

Here's a heads-up for you...Some nasty news about the Fosamax I have been taking... Will have to find a link for you later, but heard that in the short term it helps- But in the long term it seems to be responsible for creating more brittle fractures.

Casey and Greg were out this past weekend. While she was here, I asked for her to bring a pitcher of water outside since we have had no precipitation lately.
I needed to water my chives... It's been a long winter, and I am sure they were thirsty.

Two days later, I took this picture...
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Mmmmmm.....    We will be having yummy potatoes within the next week or so.
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Casey brings her little snacks along with her since I rarely have anything too yummy in the house-
This time it was peanuts, and there were no two ways around the sharing aspect of it all.
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One for Punk, and two for Casey; one for Sput and two for Casey...
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Punk is always peeking around for snacks...
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Whatcha got there????   hehehe
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Our 'dry spell' has ended since we watered those chives- They are predicting rain through the weekend. (Sam and Katie sure know when to go on vacation; they are in Bermuda if I remember correctly).  At any rate they are missing the rains...

It has been warmish- daytime temps into the 50's- But when it is so damp, it's chilly still.

Last night, upon realizing that my toidy wasn't filling up at its normal rate, I checked the water.
Sure enough- It was down. AGAIN! what the hey?

I walked out to the pumphouse around 11:30 or so, through this darkness.

And this pea soup...
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Fog. Up close and personal...
Am hoping it really IS the fuse this time...

Casey had an appointment this morning, and said she will also bring a few new fuses for it, just in case.
The chicken warmer light was still burning in the pit, so it isn't froze. Besides, it has been much too warm for that silly noise. Methinks my water pit is possessed... hehehe
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Speaking of possessed, there have been a few comments on whether or not Sputty is fat
He is, and I now have proof!

Many of you remember Amos, (my Moose~da~Kitty)?

Here is Amos in his heyday...

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21 pounds of pure arrogance and "cattitude"
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And here is Mr Sputnik.

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**** I can plainly see the resemblance, don't you?!?
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Casey had a doctor appointment on Tuesday. Punk couldn't wait to go!

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She has to wait for me to take that picture! hehehe
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CaseyAnne has been feeling awful- And for the past few days had nasty pain when she had gone to bed.
She has what appears to be a hernia, by her scar. But it has nothing protruding through it. Just an itty bitty bulge. About the size of the top third of a softball...
Soft too. Nothing hard to the touch.
Even the doctor found this odd. We will keep an eye on it and see what happens.
The good news is that her white blood cells have finally returned to normal-
(And that's a big "yay")!

But, she is also quite anemic, and he gave her a script, iron, for that.
If I was rich I would feed her $teak every day. Too bad for her that pills are cheaper.
Come to think on it, it's too bad for me too.
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Dr Szabo and his little pancreapneumogastro Casey! hehehe
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Casey has just gotten here- Time to head out to the old milkhouse and play with water and electricity.

Hope all is well with everyone!

Love to all

XOXO
Me

One Mo' Blog. Thank you to my Friends.

This bear, received as a gift from a like~minded woman;
I believe that these were Brandy's exact words last Saturday!
-hehehe-

Good Afternoon!

So much going on at once-

Last weekend was a gift from Heaven, weather wise. It was in the 60's and even a low 70. Very welcomed weather for November. As I type though it is 48° and it isn't to get much warmer any more.  Yes, I will be mowing my lawns today with earmuffs on.
Sad/True.


Some of these pics were taken last week, some this week.

Casey has shortened class periods on Tuesdays and Thursdays- She generally drives out before or after those.
Of course Mr. Sputnik comes outside with us now... There are no two ways of getting around that unless I want to come back inside to a cat that actually "hollers" at me. (Too funny he is)! 
The weather matters not to him...

...As long as he is getting someones undivided attention!
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And what does Punk think of sharing her Casey's attention?
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HAHAHA!  
Maybe she ate a rotten crab~apple while she grazed?!? 
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She still loves the rubber Frisbee...
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Casey threw that one!  Way up high!
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Later that day to have Miss Kelli leave work early so there was still a bit of daylight left at the end of her day.
They chose to walk the dogs to the woods...
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Krazy Koko had run ahead and was nowhere to be seen anymore...
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Coco had gotten fixed 2 weeks earlier; and the vet had "grounded" her with her outings.
Having gotten her stitches out, that rule no longer applied!



Kelli had gone to a trade show and is showing off her new sweatshirt...


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I couldn't agree more!
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Kelli got to go to her trade show. I got to go to WalMart. (Such is life). hehehe

I bought 2 of these bird-feeders. I set one up out the south side of the kitchen; and the other to the west. I can see them both with just a few steps around the kitchen.
I love watching the birds in the middle of the winter. (Ok, anytime). & it never fails to amaze me that the birds can even live when the temps get so far below zero.
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Notice the squirrel shields up there. 
They work well, so far, too. I haven't had to refill the feeders for over a week!

Perhaps the pillaging varmints have died...

...Seeing as I had to "feed" them too...

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Mmmm!
It is out in the shed.
Punk and Sputnik are away from it.

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Last weekend I literally begged for help.  Yes, there ARE some things that my back is not capable of.
As you may know, the damned drains were not fixed yet. And while it bothers me none where the tub and the sink drain, it might bother a potential buyer. (I received a phone call out of the blue last week from a man whose son might be interested in my place. Nephew to Greg who already owns the 25 acres behind me).
So the silly stubborn drain had to be fixed.
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First to roll out the red carpet...  hehehe
.Then to free the stinkin' & stubborn "tee" that was plugged up.


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John Pryes rolled up his sleeves and dug in. (Thank God for friends)!


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While he was cussing up a storm in the crawlspace, Brandy, Casey, Sarah, and Ashley were busy elsewhere. My little dumpster was full to the brim yesterday!


John had to ask "The Boss" what to do next though...

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Fair is fair- As appointed Supervisor for the day, Sput had to get dirty too!
Notice this foreman is wearing a necklace made of cobwebs!  eeeeeekee!
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Finally getting the old pipe off, John, Casey, and Sarah, made a beeline for Pulaski to get a new one. (The old one being trash by the time it finally gave way).

So you ask, who ended up getting the dang thing off?
That would be Miss Brandy herself!
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You GO, Girl!
She might have been cussing my camera in this picture.
Of course she may have been explaining her work too.

Either way, the job was done!  The following day, Punk and I showered and it all went down to the septic, via the correct drain!
Say "YAY!"

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Yesterday Sue and Glenn came to get another truckload of apples!
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I swear there'll be more too
~because I don't know where the heck all these came from to begin with!

But it is done for another year. Thank you Sue and Glenn!
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While Punk did calisthenics with her Frisbee, Glenn fired apples into his box.
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     "The Suspended Apple!" hehehe
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Suzy Q brought my now empty dumpster back up the driveway!
Punk thought she was stealing it?!?  Goofy dog!   

Time for me to get outside shortly and do the final mowing. After all, I have to get that done before I have to beg John and Brandy to come over again and get the snowplow on the little tractor.


Hope all is well in your little corner of the world.  My love to all.

XOXO
Me

PS  Contrary to what some believe I do not sit around all day long. You should KNOW me better than that by now. As my back allows, I am sitting, standing, or laying down.  Does that afford me time to read? Yes, but only after my work is done thank you very much!
That one truly hurt...

Oh-Bla-Di ~ Oh-Bla-Dah

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Good Afternoon;
Methinks I am almost caught up with my blogs for a while.
We were to be headed to Sault Ste. Marie today. (Didn't work out that way though).

I am sitting here after trying to get all of my wash done before leaving.  Little things that I just want clean for when we get back. 

Randy came out yesterday-
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Punk needs this rough and tumble play so badly

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He also said he would finish up my drains today.
And here I am, just cooling my heels, and waiting.  Grrr...   MEN!
Oh well.
To know we wanted to leave though- (Just p*sses me off, big~time).


We had court last week on Master Gabriel's behalf. 
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Casey arriving at the courthouse...

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Same as last month when Chuck was given all rights to Baby Sam, Roberta chose to not even show up.
While it helps everyone's cause (especially Gabriel's), that she didn't show, I am still astounded how parents can just leave a child...
I do believe there is a special place in hell for those with the "out of sight, out of mind" thought process.

She has given birth 3 times. 
She has had her parental rights terminated with all three, deservedly so.
Is it right for a grandmother to feel this way? Probably not; but I am actually happy for the boys.

With the exception of Master Gabriel, they live with their dads-
These men have stepped up to that proverbial parental plate and have done right by their sons, my grandbabies.
I am very proud of these young men.

Master Gabriels foster parents want so much to adopt him. I pray they succeed.
They are good and decent people, and he has been welcomed into their family, truly loved and cared for, and finally knows what a real family is about. 

We stopped by their home after court by to tell Miss Kristin how everything went.
The next step will be to ensure he stays with them on a forever basis. I believe they have all the proper papers already in order.

Everyone was outside!
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Here she is with their "triplets"  hehehe

.She reminds me of my mom.
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The following day I did something I should not have done-
(But all this "taking it easy" and "complete rest", etc. is driving me freakin' batty).

Casey and I had found some mulberries up here-
(I have 3 trees up here, and more back by the woods). 
There were a few berries that the deer had not touched, the rest for the birds being too high up to reach.
But there were just not enough left from the deer for our watering taste buds.
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So we piled in the car and headed for the woods-  
-(insert sigh)...  The tree back there wasn't even close to being ripe!


So... As long as we were to the woods, and as long as Casey felt well enough to go down the ravines, then by God, so did I.

We have had little rain for a long time. Not only do we need it for the crops, but even the river needs a bath too.  That does TOO make sense!
(Everything, including rivers, kinda gets a little icky with no fresh rain).
Casey found a skeleton to something or another...


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But stinky there too, so she threw it back.

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She played a very cute peek~a~boo too.

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A ton of water spiders...
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Punk feels it her 'duty' to chase them too.
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But she doesn't always get them either...
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HAHAHA

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For obvious reasons, I didn't want to have to go back up either. 
Somehow, Punk knew this.
(If Casey had not been along, there is NO WAY you would even believe what I am going to write next):

Punk went up to the top as I slowly made my way up. Odd because she is generally right at my side. She even left Casey's side to go to the top!

She came back with a stick.
I had no idea what she was doing as she kept forcing that stick in my direction...

But,

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She proceeded to pull me up the rest of the way!

With God as my witness, that is exactly what she did.
I am so blessed by this little dog.
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The weather has been raunchy-
Chilly- and yes we did get a few spots of rain. (We need much more).

Uh-Oh, Randy has just pulled in...

*** WARNING!
All of you with the 100+ temps might want to look away for a moment...
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So that is what we have had in our neck of the woods.
That it feels strange to not be complaining about the heat is an understatement. I am always the 1st to whine about the heat and humidity; and here I am saying it is chilly in July,
(and praying for 100% humidity to fall on our heads for a few days).

I honestly don't remember the last time I mowed the lawns- They are brown, dried, and shriveled, except for the weeds of course. 
And those weeds need mowing.
There is no grass.
....... Not that I care to be on the rider anyway.




I made some stuffed green pepper casserole yesterday...



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(Nope. Didn't use this one)...  

I was completely nauseated when that one slipped out of its bag.
The 'splat' and the splatter just sounded SO gross!.

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Casey stopped at the store on her way out and picked up some fresh green peppers.
Dang. Now I am hungry ~as I hear the leftovers calling my name~
hehehe

Love to all

XOXO
Me

PS
I think I should enclose this picture for my sister-
Sorry Barbara, I kept forgetting...
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Bobbé, at the same age as Big Sam is now.

Written on the back by my mom:
"Bobbé, on her favorite diet!"
hehehe

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Here is Big Sam now
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You might be right!
(I am old and I might have forgotten). 


Do you think they look the same?
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Little Boys Fit Where Dogs Can't Go

 

What kind of flower is this?
They are all over, blooming little spots of color!

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Good Morning All;
I have not blogged, and fear this might become a bit windy for you. (Sorry about that).

First, know that my back is much better than I had anticipated. Am very happy for that.

Punk is a bit ill.

"Peaked" as Mama would have called it.
We have an appointment with Dr. Spires for one this afternoon. A bit of a fever, very very tired all the time, and she barely wants to eat. (This, in direct contrast to yesterday morning as she'd kept begging for more food).
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As she had lay at the side of my chair on Monday morning; asleep and quiet, she had suddenly "ky~yiked" and all 110 pounds of her had shot straight up in the air!
As she had risen so quickly so I did too... hehehe

I believe she had been stung by this little guy who had met his death in quick order.
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Yes, this is the actual wasp that stung her.
(No, my floor is not that white)?!

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I do not think her little sickness is related to the sting, as she has been on Chlorphiniramine 3xday since February for her allergies. I shall know more this afternoon.

Memorial Weekend...

Sunday, even as predicted by the weatherman, was the absolute best day of the weekend.
I had company-
Namely, Casey and Greg, and Kelli and Tim

and,
and,
and,

Master Gabriel too!

I took this shot of Miss Kelli and Master Gabriel as soon as she'd walked in!
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They are BOTH adorable if you ask me!

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When Casey, Greg, and Gabriel got here, the first thing he wanted was his trike!
(Gabriel, not Greg).
Maybe Greg wanted it too, but had to content himself to fixing the John Deere.
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Mama K has just gotten him a "Big Boy" Bike, and at home he isn't to ride the tricycle anymore. (He is partial to the trike because he can go faster on it). hehehe
I shall have to rectify that myself for here one of these days too.

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We played on the lawn for a bit- Chillier out there as that breeze was coming from the Northeast. Besides, Punk wasn't too big on sharing her green balls with Gabriel.
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Hey Grandma, Punk has BOTH balls in her mouth!

By the back door, it was so very warm. Gabriel's warm clothes didn't last long- Like the rest of us he sweats good.
So out came cooler clothes.

And the sunscreen...
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And he happily busied himself playing in the sand.
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He was laughing so hard at the cat (in the background).

Casey had brought Sputnik outside just moments before, securing him with a puppy collar and tying him to Punks cable. At that exact point, Sputty had just learned how far the cable went.
I heard the gasp, and noticed both Greg and Gabriels very serious faces. (While Grandma is laughing hysterically. How's that for compassion)?
As soon as they saw Sputty fighting with the puppy collar and the cable they both started to laugh too.
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Sput, not so much...

Imagine!
A cat with ZERO sense of humor.

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HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-!

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Later of course he also had to see how far that cable went the other way...

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Thinking maybe if he hissed at it that it might be very afraid and let him go!
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Meanwhile, Greg had gone in the house-
Tired of me whining about a drain that only works when it wants, he took to making the bathtub and the sink in there work right.

He'd had a bit of a seam problem with his jeans earlier. (To preserve his dignity, the picture is in black and white).
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Sheesh, I'd even lent him a few diaper pins so he wouldn't get hurt!

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Tim helped Greg out- My tub drains now! Thank you, Men!!!
Too funny that just yesterday Kelli said THEIR tub wouldn't drain now.
Must be contagious! hehehe

Time for Gabriel to get a push on the swing while supper was being thrown on the table.
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They had also tried the big swing...
Scary that, he swung a few times and thankfully supper was served.

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After chowing down, it was time to go back outside and play ball for a while.
Even the dogs wanted to play but kept losing their toys ...
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...where boys can fit, but dogs can't go.

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Miller tired of this all and found himself some shade by Casey's car.
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(He looked about as amused as the cat was earlier).

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Sorry dogs, but there is not a furkid in the world that can compare to any of my grandbabies.

We got Master Gabriel changed back into his other clothes, and we did try to remove the top 14 layers of dirt and sand.
I rather imagine he is still soaking in the tub at his home... hehehe

For me, and for now, I must close.
I am not even dressed yet, and I don't think The Animal Clinic would appreciate me showing up in my jammies.

Hope your weekend was as "wunnaful" and as nearly perfect as my own!

XOXO
Me

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Posted to my Y! 360, Wednesday May 27, 2009 - 11:12am (CDT)