I Think of You Every Day!

Even though my dad's been living in his heavenly home for 16 years, I still think of him every day when I see the things he made for me or that I brought in from his home after he died.  I have things he made in every room of our house except the bedroom.  

Living Room and Dining Room

The living room has a tiger needlepoint hanging above our TV that my mom made for me.  My dad made the frame!  Our dining room has the big swan puzzle the we all worked on together one week.  Again, my dad made the frame and mounted it for us.

Computer/Music Room

This room is filled with his handiwork.  First off is the secretary he made for me when I was just a young child.  Pictured below that is a cabinet he made for the church but took back when they didn't need it anymore.  I use it for my printer and it has three shelves inside.  In the middle is a armoire that he made, but which could also contain shelves for things.  We used to have this in our bedroom, but moved it to make room for our dog, Roxy's, bed.  In case you are wonder, no, he did not make the piano; however, he did make the piano bench that opens up so music can be stored inside it.  Finally, he made all the picture frames that are hanging up.

Easter Basket Hunt

My 1956 Easter Basket

I always did like chocolate and still do!  My mom and dad used to fill up baskets like this with marshmallow peeps or bunnies, chocolate rabbits, colored eggs and my favorite--marshmallow eggs.  I still like the marshmallow eggs best.  My aunt Della used to work for Tower chocolates so those marshmallow eggs were my favorite.  The above picture shows me with a big smile because I just found my Easter basket that was behind a chair.  My parents used to hide it so I had the fun of looking for it.

Do you hide your kids' Easter baskets?  What is your favorite Easter candy?

Christmas Parade of Posts

There are only so many Christmas memories I have so here are links to my past Christmas posts on this blog. Hope you will choose to read at least some of them.

Are You Decorating This Christmas?

What To Get Dad For Christmas

Harry's Tip--My Favorite Christmas Tradition

Save That Paper And Those Cards!

Are You Sending Christmas Cards This Year?

What Would Jesus Want For Christmas

The Nativity Project Of 1982 With Help From Harry

What's Your Holiday Wish?

My Funny Dad, Harry Makes A Nice Gift

I Am A Bit Of A Procrastinator--What About You?

Tashabud Got It (My Funny Dad, Harry) for Christmas and Reviewed It On Her Blog

We Were The Same Kind Of Shoppers--What Kind Are You?

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

Easter Was Great Except For The Stupid Hats!

I have all good memories of Easter except for one thing--the stupid hats we had to wear. I remember mine was white with a blue ribbon on it and some flowers. I wish I could have found a picture of it to show you, but I couldn't find it. I know I saw one somewhere. Apparently my parents thought it was cute. I never liked dressing up anyhow on Sundays, but Easter was the worst of all!

Anyhow, let's move on to the things I liked about Easter growing up. I remember going to my grandma's house on my mom's side where I was first introduced to delicious chocolate covered marshmallow eggs. My aunt used to work at Towers Candies and they always had some for me. I still love chocolate marshmallow eggs and and not choosy about the brand. The Towers ones were big and the marshmallow was always soft, never hard or stretchy. Those marshmallow eggs were the highlight of Easter for me growing up.

A Memorable Neighbor Who Scared Us Away (Writer's Workshop)

Growing up, we had a crabby couple on one side of us and my best friend on the other side. There were four of us kids and for some reason, the crabby couple next door didn’t like us. To this day, I really don’t know why. They were both heavyset with gray hair and frowns all the time, but they took great pride in keeping their yard looking nice. They didn’t want anyone walking on their grass so when our ball would accidentally bounce into their backyard, I guess they expected us to just leave it. Well, we walked on their grass to get it but went as quickly as we could. It’s not like we ran all over their yard.

Whenever they found candy wrappers in their yard, they always blamed us even though we never littered like that. Yes, we walked to the corner store often and bought candy and ice cream, but we never threw wrappers on the ground. They would complain to the elderly man across the street about us but his response was to be glad he had a nice family living next to him.

When my mom told me we were going to move, I blew my stack. After all, my best friend lived right next door! This was the only time I really was angry at my parents. I think I was a junior in high school at the time and didn’t understand why my parents would let the crabby neighbors chase us out of our home. My mom explained she saw the man with a rifle in his driveway and was afraid he might shoot one of us or my dad when he came home late from working third shift.

Both my parents had a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ and so I didn’t understand why they couldn’t trust God to protect us or work things out by having the crabby people move. It didn’t seem to me like they were exercising much faith by moving. We moved, but not far. It was only about a 20 min. walk away and at the time, I could make it in just about 5 minutes if I ran. The crabby neighbors also moved away about a year or so after we did.

What would it take for you to move? Was there a time when you got angry at your parents? Did you ever have a crabblepuss for a neighbor?

This is in response to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompts: "A Memorable Neighbor" and "What Would It Take For You To Move?"

You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.


To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here.

Be Careful, Don't Fall!

Toddlers fall a lot and it seems so do the elderly. I think I'm getting there but am only 57--this is not good!

Dad Goes Boom

My dad used to fall quite often once he hit his 80s. The beginning of his falling seems to be when he fell in our driveway one day and broke his hip. He recovered nicely but didn't want to go to the hospital. Oh, what a fuss he made!

After that he would fall often it seemed to me but didn't break any more bones. He got the Life Alert and sometimes it was very useful when he would fall and couldn't get up, but after it went of accidentally a few times, he quit carrying it with him which got me mad. One Sunday in particular I remember he feel in his hallway and just waited for us to come by at our usual time after church. When he fell while grocery shopping pushing his cart to the car, he cut his head and we got a call from the paramedics saying he didn't want them to take him to the hospital but he hurt his head so he really should get it checked.

Now I'm Falling!

Since my lumpectomy, the doctors told me I should be very careful about not bumping my right arm. I also found out that my bone density is a bit below average. So far, I've fallen once at work tripping over the carpet and sliding into a file cabinet, once playing tennis I was backpedaling and just sat down, hitting my head on the concrete but was okay after rubbing it. Every time our phone would ring at an odd time, I'd think, "Uh oh, now what happened?"

Yesterday, I fell again while changing clothes! My foot got caught in my pant leg and I lost my balance and toppled over, bumping my head on the dresser once I was down. I thought about how dad used to fall all the time and I felt like a klutz. I just read Left Neglected recently about a lady getting brain damage when she was in a car accident and hoped my brain was still okay. I thought about that commercial where the lady falls and can't get up. I'm not that bad off yet, but if I was knocked unconscious, I wonder how long I would lay there. The stuff on the dresser made noise but my husband was watching TV in the living room and heard nothing. My cat, Spunky Doodle, came in to check on me, but by then I was up and just rubbing my head. No broken bones and no brain damage, whew! It's ironic that I fall in my bedroom when I've managed to stay upright walking on all the ice every day to and from the bus stop.

Tips About Falling

Here are some tips to remember when falling or things to do to help prevent a fall:

1. Just roll and try to protect your head. (I am still working on this one.)

2. Always hold on to something steady when standing on one foot.

3. Use the handrails on stairs.

4. When on ice, take small steps and walk on your toes first and not your heels first.

I've been very fortunate with my falls. How about you? Have you fallen or know some elderly people who have?

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

A New Year Means A New Calendar

Customized Calendar I Got From Work For Christmas

I am a big fan of calendars and like how they keep me organized. I like calendars about as much as my dad liked thermometers and flashlights which he had in just about every room. I use calendars throughout the house and have two at my desk at work.  It used to bug me when I visited my dad in his later years and his calendar would be on the wrong month.

What To Put On A Calendar

My dad only had one, but he used it for everything. If he got a new roof on the house, he marked it on the calendar along with the year. If he had a Dr. appointment, he marked that on the calendar. If he bought a new furnace, that would go on the calendar along with the year. For birthdays, he would also include how old the person was, not just put their name on that day. (I liked that idea and started doing that on my calendars too.)  The problem with this though was that it would take him forever to change to a new one because there was so much information to transfer over that he kept putting it off.  It must have taken him all day to get his information transferred to a new calendar but when it came time to sell his house after he died, it made it easy for me to find out how old the roof and furnace were when the realtor asked.  

When To Flip A Calendar

Sweet Thing, my favorite of Dad's cats

Most people flip the calendar page at the end of the month, but not Harry. One year I made him a customized calendar with his cats and he didn't realize they were his cats on it until I pointed it out to him. His eyesight wasn't so good. He was very surprised and quite impressed with it! Throughout the year though, when the months ended, his calendar would still not be changed. I thought he just forgot so reminded him and he just nodded and said he knew. He always had business cards and stuff hanging from it so he had to transfer it all to the next page and just put it off.

What good is a calendar if it's on the wrong month? And the year I got that customized one with his cats, I really wanted him to flip it to the next page because that was Sweet Thing, my favorite one! I remember being very aggravated about that. I am very good at flipping the months on time on all my calendars so just had a hard time understanding why he didn't.

What do you mark on your calendars? Do you change yours on time?


To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

Going Back In Time--56 Years Ago

Today is my birthday and I am so thankful for the lovely present my dad gave me by taking so many movies.

I feel like I'm in a time machine when I watch these old movies.  My dad took pictures of my first 11 birthdays, skipped my 12th and got my 13th.  That was a pretty fancy cake spinner that played "Happy Birthday" as it turned the cake around.  My mom used to come up with some cut cakes even though she wasn't big on cooking or baking. 

My mom never liked her picture taken so this video is pretty funny of her holding me telling my dad to stop taking her picture. I'm glad he didn't listen to her though because I think it's funny and love watching her.

I finally decided to go ahead and get them transferred to DVD's. Some I did through CVS but now I found that I can get them transferred and stored online at iMemories. The CVS ones cost $30-$55 each.  I had 13 movies converted to digital at iMemories for $391 and ordered two DVD's at $9.99 each.  The cost depends on the length of the movies.


Unlimited storage at iMemories is just $5/month but I can upload pictures, edit film clips and order DVD's or just download them to my computer.  Now I can store all the videos I make with movie maker on iMemories and free up space on my computer.  I can set up galleries with just certain things and share them with others by giving out the URL.  For example, here is the link to my pet video gallery there.  In the upper left corner you can click on the all gallery tab and see I have some password protected that you cannot view unless I give you the password.  The "How To Video" gallery is available for you to watch if you wish.  I can cancel at any time.

Just thought you may like to make a DVD for someone.  It's probably too late to do it for this Christmas, but it's something you may want to look into.  You can also have them convert slides and photographs to digital.

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

Catalog Shopping vs. Hitting The Stores On Black Friday

I'm the one on the right in the brown plaid flannel shirt.

Back in 1965 when we were growing up, my parents were never big on taking us four kids all shopping very often but we always looked forward to when the catalogs from Sears, Penney's and Montgomery Ward arrived in the mail.  We would each be able to go through them and check up to a certain number of things we would like in each one.  I think it was somewhere like five to ten items but I really don't remember the exact number.  I know we had a limit so it was a very serious task, but one we all enjoyed.  I wonder if we grew up in these times with the Internet if my mom would have gone online and requested catalogs so we could mark the things we would like.

Today, I shop by catalog too.  We get them from L.L. Bean, Whales and Friends, Brookstone and a bunch of others but I like to actually get out and go to stores too.  When I was a teenager, I went for the first time on Black Friday.  We went early in the morning and it was so much fun!  As an adult, I always look forward to getting my Christmas shopping mostly done that day and when I married Gerard, we both go now about 7 a.m. and get home around 2:00 or so.  In my younger years, I used to go all day long but then I had more shopping to do and more energy.  I do remember being wiped out though by the end of the day.  We like seeing all the holiday shoppers, hearing the Christmas music in the stores and finding some good bargains.  The only part I don't like is hunting for a seat at the food court to eat lunch.

What about you?  Do you love to shop on Black Friday?  What shopping traditions do you have?  Do you still order from catalogs?

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

A Thanksgiving Day Memory (Writer's Workshop)

When I saw one of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompts this week was to "Describe a memorable Thanksgiving," this immediately came to mind. It is an excerpt from the book I wrote in memory of my dad.

Cooking Thanksgiving Day Dinner (November 25, 1999)

            My mom had been quite ill that month.  She was in and out of the hospital but was having a good day.  We all knew it meant a lot to her to have a nice Thanksgiving so my dad, me and Gerard all decided to pitch in and make it a good day.  Mom had made waldorf salad and the turkey roll was in the oven when Gerard and I arrived.  (I thought about bringing the camcorder, but didn’t because I knew mom wouldn’t want me to take her picture.  She was always camera shy, especially when she didn‘t think she looked good enough.  This was the last time Harry‘s oven was used--as an oven, that is.) 

            Mom supervised the dinner preparations from her favorite comfortable chair in the living room, telling dad and me what to do next.  (I am deficient in cooking unless it’s heating up frozen dinners.)  We were going to put the stuffing in the oven next to the turkey roll and the rolls on top, but dad had the cookie sheet with the turkey roll turned the wrong way so he had to spin it around.  Then the lid on the stuffing was too high, so dad had to make the rack lower.  Mom’s wondering what’s going on because I am laughing by now.  Instead of taking the turkey out, dad tried doing it leaving it in and just lifting the rack.  The turkey started sliding into the oven!  Gerard was back from CVS by then, so he was laughing too.  I caught it with the potholders in time before it fell into the oven.  Dinner was good. 

            Mom was feeling good and seemed back to normal like before she went to the hospital, recovering nicely.  She ate good too.  It was a nice Thanksgiving and, as it turned out, was a very good last memory of our time with mom.  I really wish I had brought my camcorder that day!

We wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for!

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

Playing Dress Up and Learning To Skate-An Old Time Movie

Growing up our dad always liked taking movies of us.  Back in 1961 it was much harder to do than it is today.  We didn't have video cameras then and no digital.  It was on film and for indoors, big flood lights were needed to make it bright enough.  There was no sound back then either, but he did have a title set that he used.  I remember him spending hours splicing film together to make larger reels. 

This is a short clip of us kids playing dress-up.  I thought it was pretty funny and my readers may enjoy seeing it.  I had this movie transferred to a DVD at CVS and it allows you to save and edit clips to the computer.  My dad told us to put some action into it so I am the one who pulled out the Kleenex and pretended to blow my nose at the beginning.  My brother was always self conscious about his ears.  As you can see, they are pretty big.  This clip of us playing dress up reminds me of "The Golden Girls." 

After the dress up is a short clip of Pam and I learning to skate in our driveway. We have big clunky coats on which was good because we fell often. I never did get to like skating. It just seemed like a lot of work to me and I was always afraid of falling. Pam's fall at the end got cut off on this video clip. I'm still trying to get the hang of editing these things.

Do you take video of your children at play? Sorry for the quality but hope you can see it well enough to enjoy it.

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here.
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A Title I Am Proud Of: " Why Wash Your Car?" (Back2Blogging Day 3)

For the SITS Back2Blogging challenge, today's is to re-post a post with a title you are particularly proud of and explain why. I chose "Why Wash Your Car?" because it's a question that prompts people to wonder if they know or not. Also, doesn't that peak your curiosity a little bit to come and look to find out? Then, when you read the post, you will find a funny surprise about my dad. I hope you enjoy this one:

Why Wash Your Car?

Harry never washed his cars. I remember when I was a kid, we used to write things with our finger in the dirt on the car sometimes. He didn't care. For one Father's Day, my husband offered to wash my dad's car for him and he didn't even want Gerard to do it. He just said, "I don't need to wash it, I just wait for the rain to wash it off." He didn't want Gerard "wasting" his time washing it either.

I really cannot recall one time when my dad washed his own car or even went to a car wash. Although I only remember washing my car once myself, I did go to the car wash now and then. My husband loves a clean car and likes to wash it himself every week. In the winter though, he'll run it through a car wash. He does mine for me too.

How often does your car get washed?  

Related Posts:
Challenge Day 1: First Blog Post I Ever Wrote
Challenge Day 2: Important Post To Me That I Wish More People Had Read
Challenge Day 4: Inspired by Marva Collins
Challenge Day 5: Why Do I Blog? Good Question!

This post originally posted June 21, 2009 is in connection with a giveaway going on in connection with "Back To Blogging." The giveaway is a washer and dryer from sponsors, Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliances.


To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here.
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Fun Times At Memphis Kiddie Park (Parent Tip)

Although I do not have children, I suggest that parents take their children on surprise fun outings once in awhile.  I remember going to a tiny amusement park that just had rides for little kids.  Sometimes I remember my parents just surprising us and saying “We’re going to Memphis Kiddie Park today.”   It first opened in 1952, a year before I was born and is still going strong today! 

I remember liking to ride in the Ferris wheel cages, the carousel, the cars, the boats that went in a circle and how hard the one ride was that you had to keep turning a wheel to make it go along the track.  Here is a picture of all of us four kids by the trolley car ride.  (I am the one farthest on the right--I don't remember those awful peddle pushers though and don't know why we are wearing tennis shoes!)  It even had a small roller coaster that at first was kind of scary, but that I got to like a lot!  I believe by going to the Memphis Kiddie Park and being able to experience the fun of going on different rides when I was very little sparked my love for amusements parks when I got older.   They even had a miniature golf course with fun obstacles where I often played when I was older.

I remember thinking as a kid that working at Memphis Kiddie Park would be a fun job.  The ones running the rides get to make kids happy and collecting the tickets,  turning the rides on and off looked like an easy job to me.  I never did apply for a job there though.

Years later, when I was youth director at our church, we went there with 5^th-8^th graders for a miniature golf outing which my dad helped me with. 

When I was commander of our AWANA Club at church, one year I organized an outing for all the Sparks (boys and girls in K-3^rd grade) who had finished their handbooks.  They had a great time and so did I.  I could even still fit on the Little Dipper roller coaster and still enjoyed it!  I’m the one right in the front!

I have many pleasant memories of this little fun place.  If you live in the Cleveland area or visit with young children, I highly recommend to take them here.  It’s very family friendly!  

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here.

Stop by Saturday Samplings for highlighted posts of the week.

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What To Do BEFORE Rearranging Furniture

When my parents decided to rearrange furniture in our house growing up, Harry would pull out some graph paper and make a scale drawing of our room and then cut out pieces to scale of the furniture they would have in that room. I think the scale he used was one square on the paper equaled one foot in reality.

I remember my dad made a scale drawing of the rooms in my house and all our furniture to scale on little pieces of paper so I could try different arrangements before moving in. It really is a great way to make sure things fit without having to keep re-measuring and without wasting a lot of time and effort moving things back and forth. It was fun trying different arrangements on paper without any effort.

One thing to keep in mind when doing this though is to measure furniture with drawers open and mark on your room drawing where the windows, doors and outlets are located so you can see if your furniture pieces will cover them up or not. This also helps you get an idea of the walk space you will have between the pieces which especially comes into play for small rooms with lots of big pieces, like our bedroom.

I was reminded of this when I came across Housewife Eclectic: Rearrange Your House Virtually. It never ceases to amaze me what things one can find on the Internet. Somehow, I think dad would still get out his graph paper and make his own scaled drawing and furniture pieces. He just enjoyed doing that sort of thing. For me though, I think I’ll bookmark that site and use it the next time I do major furniture rearranging.

(I told you he was smart even though he did not graduate!)

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

I'm Getting More and More Like Dad (Writer's Workshop)

My dad and I used to always get comments that I looked so much like him. Probably because neither of us smiled very much.

We were both very stubborn and always felt our way of doing something was the "right" way.  Often times, we would butt heads because we already had our mind made up how to do something and were not interested in other alternatives.  I have worked at being more open to other ideas, and my dad even started listening finally to at least some of my ideas in his old age.

We are both reserved.  My dad was never much at making small talk and neither am I.  I much prefer just being with people I know well rather than meeting new people.  Neither of us are "social butterflies."

Neither of us are very interested in buying new clothes. We both wear our clothes for years, whether they are still in style or not. That's why I mostly just buy classic, traditional things that are timeless. Neither of us like dressing up. I am happiest in jeans, sweatshirts or t-shirts.

We both Like To Keep Our Blood.  Yesterday when I went for my annual check-up, they had a problem drawing my blood. I remembered how dad used to have to try to find a finger to prick for his diabetes testing every day and sometimes he would hardly get enough blood for it. He would rub it some before he tried to warm it up. Remembering this, I suggested running some hot water on my wrist to warm me up. Yes, it is summer and was a very nice warm day; however, the office had air conditioning blowing so hard it felt like 60 degrees in there. The technician even wore a fleece jacket!

The doctor gave up and decided to just do the one test for anemia. I sure hope I am not anemic! I don't need that problem yet. He was concerned because I lost a couple pounds, but I think it was because I just got finished doing sports camp in hot weather all week which was way more activity than I normally do.

I have some of my dad's good qualities though too.  

We are both organized.  My dad was quite organized even though his desks, tables, chairs and floors were a mess.  He knew where his things were most of the time.  I too have a place for everything and usually remember where my things are too. 

We both are list makers. My dad always had lists going of projects he wanted to work on, grocery lists, and even lists of what he ate. I do the same thing except I don't write a grocery list every week. I just print out a list of items we usually get and check the ones we want. I did this for my dad as well when I was his primary caregiver and started doing his grocery shopping for him.

We are both very generous and helpful. He used to teach boys in Sunday School and now I do. We both get so involved in working on projects we care about that we can work for hours and forget to eat. Neither of us have any trouble sleeping and are both early risers and neither of us are night owls. Hoot! Hoot!

My dad told me over and over he didn't know what he'd do without me when he was in his 80s and I was his primary caregiver. I know he was very proud of me and loved me very, very much.  I am glad I am so much like my dad!  He was such a good person and got along with everyone.  (Mostly because he kept his mouth shut.)

This is one of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop posts in response to: What does your child do that reminds you most of yourself? How does it make you feel?

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

Cameras and Kids

My dad was always taking pictures—mostly slides and movies. I remember how I used to hate getting my picture taken, especially when he had to bring out the bright flood lights to take movies indoors. We'd all groan but later enjoyed watching them! I remember my parents got a little family tree photo stand that had all six of our pictures in it and none of us kids liked it. We kept turning it backwards and my mom kept turning it back when she would notice it. Maybe that’s why I got to like taking pictures because then I was behind the camera where it was safe.

A camera can be a good gift for a child. I had a lot of fun taking pictures with mine. I took pictures of goofy things, like my dad’s bristles on the back of his head. My parents let me take pictures of anything I wanted and never said I shouldn't take something because it would be wasting the film (like I'd be tempted to say if roles were reversed). I wonder if the camera would still work.

I don’t know how old I was when I got my first camera, but it wasn’t fancy. It is an Imperial Mark XII Flash but I don't have the flash attachment anymore. It just snaps open to load the film but I don't even know if they still make the kind of film it uses. The film went in there and after each shot I had to wind the film forward. I looked it up on eBay and found one exactly like it with an asking price of $103! Ha, ha. Good luck getting that, I say! There were no bids on it. I thought of trying to sell mine on eBay except I printed my name on the bottom of it in marker so doubt if anyone would want it, not to mention the fact that I don't even know if it works. I'd be happy to get $5 bucks for it!

Taking pictures is fun! I went through a long line of different cameras including the disc, the Polaroid, the 35mm and now my digital. Cameras sure have changed a lot but I believe my love for taking pictures started because of my dad and that first positive experience I had taking those silly pictures.

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here.
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People Actually Stole From Me--That’s Not Nice!

When I was going through grieving for my dad, cleaning out his house to get it ready to sell and basically putting in long hours every day while trying to maintain time with my husband, a few people helped me out a lot.

However, some of the neighbors came around offering their “help” only to get stuff, which I was mostly okay with if they offered to buy it; but I wasn’t okay with them stealing from me. How can people be so mean? Here I was still grieving and overwhelmed with so much to do, running myself ragged working at my dad’s to get the house ready for sale and still trying to get home to spend some time with Gerard. It was a very hectic and emotional time for me. That’s when I really decided that the sooner I sell, the better.

I had a lot of knick knacks and some other small things set out on the dining room table that one of the neighbors from up the street came to look at. He offered to buy a lot of the knick knacks that he planned on taking to the flea market to resell, but after he left, I notice the small scale that we used at the AWANA Grand Prix to weigh in the cars was gone. It had been on the dining room table with the knick knacks and was something I had wanted to keep. I should have brought it home with me sooner, but didn’t. I never saw it after that day so assume he must have taken it.

Harry had a garden hose hanging on the front of the house which I used to wash off the porch. Ricky, a junk dealer who helped me the most and was pretty much an all-around handyman who worked for himself, told me the garden hose was gone. Someone just took it! I couldn’t believe it. Who would take a garden hose right off the front of the house?

Ricky cleaned out the 3-car garage for me which I really appreciated. I had no idea what to do with all that junk that was in there but it was such a big job that he asked another guy to help him. I was paying Ricky for his help, but Ricky told his helper from up the street that he could borrow my garden weasel. It was an great tool for getting out whole patches of weeds and I had planned to use it and keep it. Too bad I never saw it again. The guy never returned it and Ricky never got it back for me.

Why didn’t I report it to the police? Truth is, I didn’t need any more hassles and just didn’t think it was worth my time. I’m sure the Cleveland police had bigger crimes to solve and probably wouldn’t have been able to get my things back anyway. There’s no way I could prove they were mine. Some people just see a weak vulnerable female as an easy target and don’t hesitate to take advantage even though stealing is wrong, wrong, wrong! Thou shalt not steal.

Did anyone ever steal from you? What did you do about it?

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here.
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Photo Tag Challenge--Number 8 It Is

I've been tagged by Home to the World to do this photo tag challenge. Here are the rules:

1) Go to your photo files, select the 8th photo folder.
2) Select the 8th photo in that folder.
3) Post that photo along with the story behind it.
4) Then challenge 8 blogging friends to do the same!
Easy peasy!

Okay, this is a picture of me from 1964 in our backyard.  While others were in the pool, I acted as lifeguard.  I rolled up a newspaper for my horn to announce rest times--yes I did.  You see, I didn't like the water, or going barefoot.  Look close and you will see I am wearing socks with my swimsuit!  My dad got us a 3-ft. pool and we had a lot of fun with it.  Although I didn't like to swim or even go in it, I did enjoy playing with boats and army men in the water from outside the pool.  Go ahead, laugh.

Now, doesn't this sound like fun?  Feel free to copy the rules and participate in this photo challenge if you wish.  Of course, a link back here would be appreciated.  Oh, and if you laughed at me when you read this or looked at my picture, consider yourself tagged and do this challenge!

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

Loving Memories Of My Grandma Arlettaz

Grandmas are the best! My Grandma Arlettaz (Harry’s mother) was always active. She became a widow when my dad was only three years old and never remarried. She was a very thin old lady when I knew her who loved me very much. I found some old slides of us together which was the inspiration for this post. She helped my mom take care of me when I was born and got the blame when I needed glasses in first grade because she let me sit too close to watch TV when I had the chicken pox. I used to love staying at her house over night sometimes.

A Poem For You, Dad

This is the 3rd year anniversary of my dad's death. It is getting easier but I still miss him and wish things had been a bit different.

I love that you made so many things for me
And that today many of them in my house I see.

I love that you let me mess up your black hair.
I hate that it turned gray and isn’t there!

I love you giving me piggy back rides.
But oh, I hate how fast the time flies.

I love that you were so nice to my friends.
Even though you wished the noisy parties would end.

I love that you accepted my husband, Gerard,
Even though he finds making and fixing things hard.

I love that you took in all those cats,
Loving them in spite of their elusive acts.

I love that you helped me complete my projects,
Whether in science, Awana, paintings or other objects.

I love that you were so protective, driving us all over the place,
Although at the time I preferred to ride with someone with a different face.

I love how you planned fun family outings,
Including my friend coming along with us always!

I love the pictures of when we were younger,
But also sweet memories of us growing older.

I love you were able to make or fix anything—just great!
Even eager to learn the computer at age 88.

I love that you were honest, generous, and kind,
Helping others without charge, paying no mind.

I love how you took care of mom when she was sick.
Insisting that by her side you would stick!

I love that you were self-sufficient to the end,
But hate that I found you in the bathroom dead.

I love that you didn’t have to go to a nursing home to die,
But hate that you died all alone without me close by.

I want you to know long ago I decided if I ever did have a boy,
I would name him Harry!

I hate that you’re gone, and still miss you terribly!

Check out these Related posts: Day Dad Died

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here.

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