Jersey Boys!

I took some time off of work so Tony and I could go to Greensboro (3 hours away) to see "Jersey Boys,"  the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  We saw it in Cleveland a number of years ago and really enjoyed it.  Hearing songs like, "Ragdoll, Sherry and Walk Like A Man," really brought back my early teen years!!   I had no idea of the turmoil that the group went through during the high and low points of their career.  They were inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and it was a well deserved induction.  The original group got back together after 20 years to accept the induction and sing as one again. 

 

The singing and staging were really good.  The first "Frankie" we heard could hit the high notes better, but I think the story told in this version was better than the first. 

 

Before the show, we grabbed a burger at a place called "Hams," which was a really cool sports bar.  They had baseball memorabilia hanging on the walls and TV's all over.  Our waitress was a hoot.  A little vacant, but a hoot.  Years ago, at a restaurant, we were served water with cucumber slices instead of lemon.  It was really refreshing, so that's how we have been ordering water before our meal now.  Tony asked our server to bring him a glass of water, with cucumber.  She gave him a very strange look and repeated the order back.  She and Tony exchanged a few questioning looks, until the light bulb went off for Tony.  He said,  "I want a glass of water with a slice of cucumber in it, not a whole cucumber."   "OH!!!!," she replied, "I thought you wanted the whole thing."    We explained how much better water was with cucumber, but throughout the meal, she was a real ditz.  But, lots of fun!

 

We took Dixie with us in her new car carrier.  She wasn't happy because she was in the back seat, so she barked for about an hour.  After that, I brought her up in the front seat and she was excellent.  No barking, no crawling all over the place, no climbing up on me and looking out the window, no trying to get into Tony's lap as he's driving....no nothing....just sitting there, giving off, "Look how good I am up here in the front seat," vibes.  

 

On the return trip, we put her in the carrier again and she was pretty good.  She whimpered a few times, but stayed in the back until we got to a monument place we wanted to check out.   We have a few small statues in the foliage in front by the porch--a Pug, to remember Jack and a little tiny angel.  I always thought of that being for our niece, Katie.  They are nice, but they are low to the ground and hard to see with all of the flowering things we have in front of them.  I wanted something taller that would fit in with the house, the yard and the idea of the other two statues. 

 

The place we went to had hundreds of statues and all kinds:   funny ones, religious ones, scary ones, big, small, whatever you wanted.  We had fun looking around and Dixie had fun charming everyone.  We met a woman who has an 18 year old Shiz Tzu, who, like Jack, is blind and deaf, but still much loved.  She recently lost her son and was needing to talk to someone.  We looked at her pictures, listened to her dog stories and told her we were sorry when she cried about her son.  Maybe we were supposed to be there when she was.  She really enjoyed Dixie. 

 

It was a beautiful ride home--in the mid '80's and breezy with deep blue sky's.  We got home in time for me to do laundry, clean up a bit, give Dixie a bath and look forward to a "fondue dinner."  Donna got us a fondue set for Christmas and we are going to use it with cheese and bread tonight.  That should be fun.

 

Tomorrow, I am back in the Emergency Room.....for the next four days.  It has been especially stressful of late and I am hoping for cuts and bruises instead of what has been coming in.   I love what I do when I interact with the patients, doctors and nurses.  I don't like what I do when I see so much pain and death. 

 

Enjoy the memories of our trip!

 

Dixie in her car carrier...not really happy

Waiting at the motel door for Daddy to bring in her bed

Good sports bar....goofy waitress!

 

 

 

Jersey Boys Program

The Theatre

 

 

Hey, maybe I should have bought this guy for our front yard!

 "Friends, Romans, Countrymen.....here is my ear...."

Tony and "a Friend."  He was going to grope, but there were people around!!

 

 

 

Pink Flamingos!!!! we need Pink Flamingos in the front  yard...oh, wait, that's Parma, not Leland!

 

Our small memorial space.....

I call her, "Shelly," for the sea.  She welcomes and says goodbye. 

A cozy porch and garden

 

 

 

 

We Have The Most Beautiful Grandchildren!!!! (Scroll Down For A New Blog On Gardening!)

Here they are....the most beautiful children in the world......(Coleton, too!!!)

 

Ben, Zach, Sammy, Ellie

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coleton

 

The Colors of Spring

As a child, I was never allowed to "play" in dirt.  That included growing anything.  My mother considered gardening....or rather, yard maintenance, to be a man's job. 

 

After Tony and I got married, year after year, I watched him make the yard beautiful.  He planted things in the yard, had hanging baskets on the front porch and back deck and did all kinds of things to make our yard the best one on the street.   I got into "gardening" enough to fill a pot or two after a few years.

 

Now, I look forward to our trip to the nursery to pick out flowers and discuss what our color theme will be this year. 

 

To be perfectly honest, after I put the plants in the pot, Tony takes over the maintenance, but I enjoy looking at the color palette I put together and contributing, in a small part, to the beauty of the yard.

 

We went today to pick out our flowers.  I picked out a pink lily, that will look nice against the green of the yard.  Unfortunately, I'm terribly allergic to it and spent the ride back from the nursery coughing and sneezing.   Every year, we get a deep red Ti plant and I got  variegated  green plants to go on either side of it.  The most fun thing I bought was a flat of succulent flowers that look like spiraled pasta noodles.  They will stay low to the ground, but grow out.   I got a square pot to put them in and I have a few yard ideas.  We have to be careful because of the lawn service.  We can't just put stuff anywhere (which really annoys me) because it will slow down their cutting efforts.  But, I'm sure, this year again, our yard will be beautiful.

 

In other news...Dixie has destroyed another "Stretch."  Stretch was a yarn animal that Lynn got her for Christmas.   It looks like a blue dog and there is a thing in its head that makes it squeak.  Dixie just loves it.  She destroyed the one that Lynn got her for Christmas, so Lynn sent her two more.  Well.....as we say (quietly) in the Emergency Room....another one bites the dust. 

 

I got my hair cut and colored the other day.  As I was riding down the elevator, I noticed that I looked like Beverly.  When Tony saw me, his reaction was kind of slow.  I said, "I look like Beverly."  He responded, "yeah, I know, I was thinking the same thing, I'm just glad you are the one that said it."  Don't get me wrong, Beverly was an OK looking person, but who wants to be told that you look like your husband's ex-wife?    Next month...we go back to blonde.

 

We are counting down the days until our vow renewal and getting the details out of the way.  We are going to Greensboro next month to see the show, "Jersey Boys."  We saw it in Cleveland years ago and really enjoyed it.   It's all about Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons...OK, I know you guys don't know who that is, but the music is really good. 

 

Other than all of that, things are quiet.  The weather is warming up and I am working my butt off at the hospital.  15 days in March and another 15 days in April.....mostly 3 to 11 p.m.  But, the money is good.

 

We're off to art gallery walk tonight with a stop off at the City Club.  Busy, busy, busy and I'm glad we are.

 

 

The  spiral noodle flat is in the upper left, the lily that makes me sneeze in in front, the variegated green plants are in the back, to the right and the rest are flowers and tomatoes that Tony will plant in the yard. 

 

Our "Swegle Family" sign will be among the new flowers.

 

Here is the before and after "Stretch."  The before is the one Lynn recently sent Dixie that we haven't given to her yet.  The other one is the one Dixie loved to death...again.

 

Here she is stealing "Stretch's" head to make it squeak.   So long, Stretch, you were loved....a lot.

 

 

 

Trip to Cleveland

Tony and I went to Cleveland last weekend and got a lot accomplished.  But, I forgot the camera.  Do you believe it???    We went to see Coleton and Jenna/Jon's kids and I didn't have the camera with me.  It was like I didn't have an arm.  But we had fun anyway.  Coleton is SO cute and getting more verbal everyday.  Ben, Sam, Ellie and Zach are getting big.  Ben has lost some teeth and Ellie and Zach are talking better.  Sammy is Sammy, still a brick and a rocket who bounces off of everyone and everything.  If you ask Sam for a hug and a kiss, look out because he's going to knock you over in the process!

 

We saw Emma, too, and if it's possible, she is even prettier than the last time we saw her.  She got really good at saying, "no Dixie!"  Since they are the same size, Dixie did a lot of licking Emma's face for food crumbs. 

 

Thank God, we owed nothing in taxes and managed to get a small refund.  That was good news. 

 

We met with the Pastor that is going to do our vow renewal, Vicki McGaw.   What fun she was!!  I wish I could talk her into starting a UCC church down here.  We are going for a simple ceremony and she was so accommodating.   From there, we went to J Bella's and finalized the menu for the reception. 

 

The most fun was picking our cake.  It's going to be blue, just like the water!!!!  There will be sea shells and waves on it. 

 

I should say that picking out the cake was the most fun before we saw the kids.  Tony got a "Ben-ism,"  which we always enjoy.  While Tony was giving Ben a piggy back ride, he told Ben that one day, he would be doing the same thing with his own grandchildren; to which Ben promptly replied, "yes, but you'll be dead by then, Papa."  You have to give Ben credit, he tells it like he sees it!!!

 

Dixie took the trip well....she should, she sat on me for 10 hours up and back!  She likes to be in the front seat so she can look out of the window and jump from my lap to Tony's. 

 

Donna and Bob were great hosts and I managed to fit in sister lunch, which is always fun.  Sarah didn't join us this time because she's not a "sister."  We decided to change the name of lunch to "Wild and Crazy Lunch."   Lynn wasn't really up for that title, but we're going with it!

 

Not much else is going on.  I'm working 6 days straight from 3 to 11, with 2 days off and then back on the schedule for 6:30 a.m. to 3 and a bunch of 3 to 11's again.  I'm getting tons of hours, but I'm really tired. 

 

We got the first edition of "The Pointe" magazine for the development and my articles were published as written.  No revisions at all.    I'm working on the feature for the May edition which will be on diversity at this point, but I have to meet with the Committee and sketch out my ideas.  I'm really enjoying my work on the magazine and hope to add photos next!

 

The weather is getting warmer and for that, I am thankful.  Both Tony and I came back home with a bit of the "crud."   I'm mostly over it now, but Tony still has it.  We sat on the patio for the first time this morning and caught up on things.  Since I don't get home until 12:15, I don't get to see him until the next morning.  It was sunny and breezy on the patio and we enjoyed being out. 

 

I'm off to work again.

It Was Just A Button

I firmly believe that what negative things happen in your childhood scars you as an adult.   I recall a situation in high school that I think formed, in part,  who I am today.  Home Economics was a required course for "girls" when I was in high school.  You learned how to cook, sew, iron a man's shirt, put together a grocery list, and in general, make "the man's" home a serene castle for him.  I bristled at that, even at 17.  Not that you shouldn't do all of those things, but they shouldn't be forced on you and you shouldn't be made to feel that the only contribution you can make in a marriage is washing dirty laundry and doing dishes.  Funny, men are men, but women are girls.  ARG.  But that was the '60's and '70's to some degree.

Anyway, I had a home ec teacher that I couldn't stand.  She was vacant.  I think back now and think she was just dumb, but back then, she was just lost.  I didn't learn much from her.  One day, she was out sick and an older home ec teacher took her classes.  I didn't like her either.  We were ironing that day and had to take turns.  When it was my turn, I didn't realize that the person using the iron before me had unplugged it.  It was still hot to the touch.  I started to iron and the teacher came over and held up the plug and in front of everyone asked me, "are you stupid?  You have to plug the iron in before you use it."   Well, needless to say, my home ec experience was not a good one. 

I was getting ready for work yesterday and realized that the pants I was putting on didn't have a button.  Somewhere, in the depths of a drawer in the back of the closet, I have sewing "stuff."  I went into the bedroom to search this out and realized I didn't have a replacement button.  Time was ticking, I had to leave for work a little after 2 and it was already 1:45.  I found a button in my jewelry box, go figure, and proceeded to try and find a needle and thread.        

Thank God, I found one that was already threaded with black thread, the problem was, the length of the thread was about as long as my index finger.  Swell.  But, I had a mission, so I went with  it.  I placed the button on the pants and promptly dropped it.  I tried again.  This time, I held it in place and stuck the needle in one of the small holes in the button.  Feeling like a winner, I pulled the thread through to anchor the button and it went right through.  The button fell on the floor again and I realized, I had neglected to put a big enough knot in the thread.  I re-knotted the thread, which significantly reduced the size I had to work with and plodded on. I placed the button on the pants again and it quickly fell on the floor again, this time, rolling under the bed.  Swell.  I crawled under the bed and found the button.  Once more with feeling, I attempted to sew on the button, realizing that I was quickly running out of time. 

With vigor, I held on the button and managed to put a few stitches through the holes--just enough to keep it on during my shift at work.  With my last stroke of the needle, I stuck the needle in the nail of my index finger on my left hand, right down to the skin, making it bleed.   The blood, of course, got on my blouse. 

I put the pants back on and tried to button them.  The button was too big for the hole--after all, it wasn't the original button and who in the world would actually measure the button first?  OK, everyone but me. 

Now what?  It's 2:04.  I took Tony's scissors and cut the buttonhole--too much, of course, so I spent the entire evening, re-buttoning my pants..  But, I sewed on a button and for that I was proud.

The entire experience made me realize that there are two paths I could take going forward.  In my downtime, instead of playing computer games, I could audit my closet and look for missing buttons and practice sewing, or I could do what I usually do in times of stress and frustration........

"TONY, CAN YOU SEW A BUTTON ON FOR ME?"

I did not do well in Home Economics, but I certainly married well...and for that, I am extremely thankful.

We Went To Lunch Today

I

 know that we haven't had nearly the bad weather that Cleveland has had, but for down here, it's been a problem.  Schools and businesses close and no one has a snow plow to do anything about digging out.  Now, true, we haven't had a lot of snow--it's been more ice storms, but I continue to wonder why people down here are not better prepared? 

But, and I say that with great hesitancy, I think the worst is behind us.  Today we left our cabin fever behind us and went to  Wrightsville beach to have lunch and walk around.  It was beautiful.  We had lunch in a hotel where we could see the water and talked to the wait staff about the 12 foot waves they saw last week.  Today was calm and mild and there were plenty of people and dogs (no, not Dixie this time) out enjoying the weather.  We had a light lunch, walked on the warm sand and watched the birds, with their ruddered feathers flying about.   They swayed and dipped and just glided across the cotton ball, blue sky.  It was amazing. 

We came home and got out the corn hole game for the first time this year.   Good for me, I bested Tony two out of two games....something tells me that he was holding back, but it was good to have a few wins under my belt because as the season goes on, those are probably going to be the only two I have!

But we had fun.  Dixie was with us for awhile, but when she started to charge the corn hole boards  and eat the bean bags, it was time to put her in the house.  We spent time enjoying the sun and each other and talking about our upcoming trip.  We can't wait to see the kids and find out how much we owe the government this year.  Some things never change!

I still can't post pictures on the blog, so you will just have to take my word for it that the sky was a brilliant blue and the wind was soft.  It was a beautiful day all around.

Next week....on to Cleveland....yippee!

Update--No Pictures, Just Words

Well, I am still having trouble uploading photos, so this will be a word blog.  It seems like so much has happened since I last wrote.  I now have my own official hearing aids, not test demos.  I am slowly getting used to them and feel funny when they are out.  I have to laugh, because now it is Tony saying, "what did you say?"  I know one day he will join me in our hearing journey

When I was a teenager, the big thing to have was a transistor radio with a headphone.  Just one.  You put the radio in your pocket and had your headphone stuck in your ear.  My mother used to yell at me and tell me that I had the radio volume up too loud.  She would tell me that one day, I would need a hearing aid because of all of that "rock and roll noise I had screaming in my ear and I shouldn't come crying to her for one."  Well, I'm not sure that the music did it, but hear (notice the spelling!) I am. 

We have had two ice storms in Leland  so far this winter.  During the last one, we were in Charlotte.  We got about 4 inches of snow and ice in Charlotte and were pretty much stranded.  People in the south really freak out when they get snow, but I can see why, as they don't have snow removal equipment.  They use a liquid salt brine to put on the highways that is equivalent to the salt used up north.  All of the (few) snow shovels sell out pretty quickly in Lowes and Home Depot, so you see people trying to shovel with garden shovels and short, plastic shovels that people keep in the trunk of their cars.   Pretty funny to watch!

We were in Charlotte because Marie had to travel to Dallas.  Even though they work for the same company, and Tony Jr is in Russia on company business, Marie still has her own people and accounts to take care of.  So, off she went to Dallas (she almost got stuck in Charlotte because of the weather) to interview new hire candidates and do her thing.  We stayed behind and babysat Coleton, Tyson and Dixie.  I lost almost 3 pounds, so you know how it went.  Coleton is non-stop and really funny.  He cracks himself up, which makes me laugh.  He is a great eater and likes to run laps around the inside of the house.  I got some good shots of him that I will post once I figure out what is wrong with the blog connection. 

We watched the Olympics, mostly Tony Jr's events, but also saw the ice skaters, luge, curling and women's skeleton races.  One of the athletes that Tony was representing got a bronze metal...he was disappointed because he was favored for gold in the snow boarding (?) event, but that's the Olympics--can you deliver your best performance doing the moves you have done perfectly a million times before, when it really counts?  His second run was really good and I wish he would have captured the gold, but he is only 19, so he has 4 years to keep practicing and mature. 

Work is going well.  We  have had a few people quit so I am getting more  hours, which is good.  Unfortunately, it's mostly weekends in the ED from 3 to 11.

I am a contributing writer for our development magazine and hope to have a few articles published in the first issue coming out in March. 

Tony went to see David a few weeks ago and played some golf.  He had a  great time and will be going again, I'm sure.  David is getting more into wine and Tony is  having a good time helping him explore it. 

I  recommitted to Weight Watchers and have lost 4  pounds in the past two weeks.  I look forward to going on Thursday to see how I am progressing. 

Tony and I will be in Cleveland in March to get our taxes done and to meet with the minister who will be doing our vow renewal.  We hope to see the kids and family while we are there.

I look forward to the weather getting warmer and getting back into corn hole, sitting on the patio listening to music and watching Dixie chase birds and try to fly.