Random Thoughts

43 years ago today, at 4:01 a.m., Jenna Rae Morgan was born.  All 8 pounds, 20.5 inches of her.  She had a red scalp with a small duck tail of red hair at the base of her neck and beautiful blue eyes.  When she cried, it sounded like she was singing..."la, la, la."  To this day, she was the most beautiful baby I have ever seen.  And, believe me, with 8 grandchildren, I have seen some really beautiful babies.  

We have settled into summer already with temperatures here getting into the high 90's and low 100's.  I'm guessing that Hilton Head will be the same.  We will be down there starting on Sunday, visiting with Donna, Bob, Chris, Shannon and Emma.  We're taking Dixie with us so she and Emma can spend some quality time together.  We are also doing a side trip to Savannah which should be fun.  I have to wear long sleeves because of my skin.  When we were in Florida, I got some sun and it caused some real problems with my skin treatment.  My dermatologist said in a very sarcastic (but caring)  tone..., "so are you TRYING to get skin cancer or what?"  OK, I got the message.  When she heard I was going to Hilton Head, she said, "long sleeves, right?"  Yes, long sleeves, no matter how hot.  

After Hilton Head, Donna and Bob will come here for a few days to enjoy the weather they don't get when they are here in January and February.  

My niece Sarah, and her husband will be down in July, as will my sister, Fritz and her son, Joey.  David is driving up and will be here part of the time that Fritz and Joey are.  Tony Jr., will come up after that and the 3 Swegle men will compete for the "3 Men and A Bond," trophy.  I'm hoping Tony Sr., plays well, as I like the trophy right where it is!

We are worried about Tyson, Tony Jr's., Boxer.  Tyson is 13 now and not in good health.  He has had bouts with cancer and his hips collapse so it is difficult for him to get around.  As Tony says, Tyson was our first "grandpuppy," and we remember him walking around with Tony Jr's., slipper in his mouth, whimpering when Tony wasn't home.  We know his days are numbered and know it will be for the best, but it will be a sad day for all of us. 

Dixie continues to bring us joy.  When we sit on the lanai in the evening, she is on "bunny alert!"  Several rabbits, of all sizes and colors, have taken to sitting (and pooping) in our backyard. Dixie spies them and starts to bark.  They just sit and stare at her until we put her on the leash and open the door. If we have the lock off of the leash, it zips forward and goes to the end of the line, unwinding like a fishing line going into the ocean.  She bolts out, tail wagging, tongue out and feet flying.  The bunnies all go in different directions and she isn't sure which one to follow.  We know she just wants to play with them, but they aren't so sure!   We also have a mother cardinal sitting on her nest in the jasmine vine right outside of our lanai.  So, with Dixie, the bunnies and the birds, we have much to watch while we are out there. 

I have added pictures that match my random thoughts.  Some of them may have been posted before, but they fit the day and the mood. 

Enjoy

My baby is 43 today!

Alex, a beautiful grandchild

Owen, Coleton and Tyson

Anthony, all smiles

Alex, walking and talking (look at her feet!)

My other babies....Ben, Sam, Zach and Ellie

The 3 Men and a Bond Trophy

Tyson, our first grandpuppy; old, but still beautiful

Dixie, sleeping in with bed head

Napping, her favorite thing to do, after being with Daddy

This used to be my  chair

Of course, this used to be our couch, too!

Just resting

This is Anthony, trying to "b-waid" Dixie's tail.  Dixie is not thrilled!

Sitting at attention for treats!

Helping Daddy build furniture

Dixie's latest haircut

It's Always Great At The Beach

We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on May 12.  Wow, a life time together.  Like all couples, we have had our ups and downs, but we remain on the path of marriage and that is a good thing.  

We went out to dinner at a very nice restaurant and took advantage of the nice weather by going to the beach.  It's good to go now, before "the season," when beaches are crowded with visitors from up north, all wondering why they don't move down here permanently!

Our nephew, Chris, and his wife, Shannon, spent a few days with us and we really enjoyed having them.  Their daughter, Emma, is a doll and very well mannered.  They spent some time at the beach and at our pool and we will see them in June when we go to Hilton Head.  

Because of my skin treatment, I have to wear long sleeves and long pants to the beach, but with the nice breeze, it was OK.  The water was beautiful.  The waves were active, rolling into a domino effect across the horizon and splashing toward us onto the sand.  We dug in and built sand walls with our toes, but had to retreat further and further back as the water claimed its space.  

The ocean sent an odd fish to the shore.  It was bloated and didn't seem to have any eyes.  I expected to see the birds attack it, but it seemed that they could sense that there was something wrong with it because they gave it wide berth and let it bake in the sun.   

We are in the time frame when it is cool in the mornings and evenings so we have started to have our coffee on the front porch and then sit in the backyard in the evenings.  Once mid-June arrives, it will be 90 degrees at 9:00 in the morning.  We have taken advantage of the weather by putting in plants and making the yard look pretty.  

And so, life marches on as we go into our 31st year of marriage and our 9th year in North Carolina.  We are lucky to be here and try to enjoy each day we have. 

Tony and Chris

Emma being creative

Carolina blue skies at the beach

The "odd" fish

The waves and domino effect

Tony smoking a special cigar

Me showing off my Vera Wang bracelets! 

 Two, count them, two!!

I Went To Church Today

I went to church today.  That, in and of itself, isn't earth shattering, but as I sat there, I realized I haven't been to church in over 30 years. Oh, I've been to baptisms and weddings and things like that, but I have not gone to worship.  Actually, I was in church 30 years ago today, getting married to Tony.  

My friend, Carol and I went to Grace Methodist church in downtown Wilmington this morning.  They had some water damage recently in the sanctuary, so we had service in the large gym area.   

Everyone was very friendly and there was a good mix of older people, young families and babies hanging out together. It looked like there were 150 people attending.  There were 30 people in the choir and the music was very good.  

The only "iffy" part of church was the pastor.  He was in his early 60's, balding and very short.   He started the worship service with what I considered to be a series of commercials.  He thanked various committees for things they had accomplished, thanked local businesses for their donations and asked the congregation to be sure to frequent these businesses.  He gave times and locations for various meetings and then thanked mothers in general for all of the work they do.  

The UCC churches I have attended had announcements too, but not at the beginning of the worship service.  It was kind of a mood changer.  

I was also not over the moon about his sermon.  I have heard some really good sermons--this was not one of them.  His was called, "Basic Things...Powerful Things."   He started out by reading a two person poem about children.  He would read an upbeat section about what our children have and do and then someone from the congregation read the "downer" part of the poem about how many children in the world don't have what ours do.  

From there, he directed us to a drawing of Mazlow's hierarchy of needs that was a bulletin insert.  He tried to tie that to the jobs that mothers do raising their children, but it wasn't connecting for me. 

Then, he told us about a time when he and his wife were in college.   They wanted to hear a rendition of the Messiah Chorus, but tickets were $9.00 a piece.  They didn't have the money, so they dressed warmly and sat outside of the venue to hear the music.  A security guard found them sitting there and shivering and didn't send them on their way because it was cold and they made the effort to hear the concert.  Again, not sure how that tied to anything else he was talking about. 

Finally, to end the sermon, he took a sad story from Dr. Phil, but inserted himself into the story.  I kept thinking...."you don't write your own material, do you?"

But, the church does a lot of ministering to the community and they support a mission in Haiti by sending clothing and school supplies for the children in a small village.  

The minister was standing at the back of the gym as the service ended and seemed really glad that I selected Grace church to visit.  He said even if I didn't come back, if I ever had any spiritual needs I could call him.  I thought that was nice (I also thought I should have put  more money in the collection plate!)

Next week, Carol and I are going to Pine Valley Methodist church to see what happens there.  Carol is looking for a home church, I'm not sure I ready for that step.  

But, I went to church today and it was nice.  Nice to be in a worshiping community of people with beliefs similar to what I know from the UCC.  

Visiting

It seems that April is a time for visiting.  David, Brenda and Alex went to Slovenia, as mentioned in a previous blog and are sending pictures of their time there.  It looks beautiful.  They started their journey in Vienna and spent time exploring the city, the food and even the wine. 

We had a visit from Tony, Marie and the kids this past weekend and had a great time.  By Tuesday, evening, however, after they left, Tony and I just collapsed.  No wonder old people don't have small children--they are a lot of work, especially when there are 3 of them!  Anthony, however,  was of a different mindset.  He and I were sitting together and he said, "Momo, how come you and Papa don't have a baby?"  Words like, "fixed, oh hell no and 30 years too late," flew through my mind.  I settled on telling him that Dixie was our baby.  

Owen is walking now and still eating well.  They call him, "Garbage Disposal."  Coleton is doing well in school and sports.  Both he and Anthony were awarded the game ball in recent games they both had.  Coleton, for an unassisted double play at first base and Anthony for hustle, determination and slamming a pitched ball instead of hitting it from the tee.  

We spent time in the lanai and Coleton impressed me by reading all of the signs we have hanging there.  Anthony seems to have developed my love of rocks so we spent rearranging my rock garden.  He took some of my rocks home to start his own garden.  

Tony took Tony Jr and family to the beach where Owen decided to eat some sand while the other boys made "sand angels."

It was a nice visit and good to see how the kids have grown.  Next up, Chris, Shannon and Emma!  More good times!

   

The Swegles at Basics Restaurant

Anthony and Coleton playing tic tac toe

Coleton shows off an airplane picture he made

This is Owen at the beach...to me it looks like he is refereeing a tennis match!

Owen and Papa....you be the judge, who is having more fun?!

Bangin' hair!!

Beach Boys--Anthony and Coleton

Owen plays in the sand

Tony shows off Dixie's hair cut, complete with purple bows and an Easter bandana

Want to know what puppy love is?  Check out the look on

 Dixie's face as Tony pets her--that's puppy love!

A cool sunset

The new Lazy River is open.  It has buckets that fill up and dump water on you!

First turn on the Lazy River

The indoor pool (building in background) just opened

Final turn on the :Lazy River

A Life Well Launched

We went to Florida to see David, Brenda and Alex.  The weather all the way down was picture perfect--bright, pretty clouds, breezy and comfortable temperatures. 

We stopped in Lake Mary, Florida, to see Joyce, our sister-in-law and her family.  Joyce raises and trains Golden Retrievers and introduced us to her new puppy, Rhys (pronounced Reese.)  He is a bundle of energy and is a beautiful sunny color. Dixie stayed with her Godparents, but I wish we could have seen her interact with Rhys.  She may be smaller, but I think she could have given him a run for his  money.

And then we saw Alex!!!!  (OK, David and Brenda too!)  She is just as beautiful as we remembered and still quite small and feminine.  She speaks well now since she got tubes in her ears.  She is a walking, talking little question mark and approaches new things by saying, "Wuz Zat?"   She loves books and constantly points to the pictures with her question.  Once you tell her what she is looking at, she will try to repeat the words.  

Alex is learning English and Spanish at the same time.  Brenda told us that one day in school her class came in from outside playtime.  All of the kids were thirsty and the teachers were giving them water.  They kept asking Alex if she wanted water, but she didn't answer.  Then she saw the water and pointed and said, "agua!!"  

She knows the alphabet to the letter "D" and counts in English and Spanish when she and Brenda get to the steps at school.   I understand that "six" is her best number.  Not bad for an 18 month old!  She is just a little doll. 

Tony, David, Brenda and Alex went to the "Fun In The Sun" airshow.  It's the second biggest airshow in the country.  All of the Swegle's had their eyes in the sky and had a great time.  The Blue Angels performed and there was a cool dog fight with the Red Baron.  It was 92 degrees and a perfect day for an air show. 

David did a great job feeding us--doing a pasta dish from the restaurant where he worked so many  years ago and then doing ribs and chicken with his steamer.  

They have some really great ideas about finishing the backyard, including an extended enclosed lanai, fire pit, tropical and colorful plants and tile flooring.  

Talking to Brenda and David about their future plans, it occurred to me that they have a life that is well launched.  They have short and long term plans and goals.  They know what they want in their careers, their individual lives, their marriage and for their child and future children.  They work hard for what they want and have positioned themselves for success.  They support each other unconditionally and it is truly heart warming to see.

They are off to Slovenia soon to explore the Swegle side of the relationship (after recently going to Texas so Alex could meet her extended Ramirez family.)   It sounds like a wonderful adventure.  I only wish Alex was a bit older so she could remember the trip.  Knowing Daddy, he will take lots of pictures so she can see the sites later on.

And so, we get ready for Easter and a visit from our nephew, Chris, and his family.  

Here are a few pictures.  We had so much fun with Alex, I forgot to take volumes of her every move!

Reading with Papa, "WUZ ZAT?"

A beautiful girl 

The Slovenia traveling outfit!!

Oops, this is supposed to be a heart from the airshow...I forgot to turn

 the picture (just turn your head to the right!!)

Alex in her "bubble" fish outfit

  

Tails, Wind and Doctors

I can't believe that Tony's birthday was in February and we are looking at April already.  As always, the time has gone quickly by and we seem to be running, running, running to catch up with it. 

Donna and Bob left on March 1, making every effort to beat a winter storm warning that could have left them driving in rain, sleet and snow.  I have been looking for an economic report for March for this area, as I'm sure it will show a downturn since Donna and I haven't been shopping.  

Tony and I have been doing a few things.  We went to a night club in downtown Wilmington called Tails, where our friend, Greg, from the City Club, works.  Stepping into Tails is like stepping into old Hollywood.  It's grand, over the top, and richly decorated.   We enjoyed our time there and I'm sure we will be going back. 

Last week, we went to the beach for the first time this season.  The temperature here was around 60 degrees and the sky was perfect.  We got to the beach which was basically deserted and were greeted by 15 mile an hour winds and flying sand.  It was 57 degrees there and really cold.   But, the beach is the beach and we had fun.  We saw a woman walking on the beach with a winter coat and right across from her, was a woman in a wet suit surfing.  How's that for seeing both ends of the spectrum?

The other thing that has been taking up our time, is of course, doctor's appointments.  Mine mostly, but Tony did see our primary care doctor and was deemed healthy.  My skin therapy treatments are back up to 3 times a week and yesterday, I had a CPET.  That's short for cardiopulmonary exercise test.  You start out doing a breathing test (which I have done before) and then move to a stationary bike with an oxygen tube attached to your head with a helmet and bars.  It reminded me of old orthodontist equipment that was used to straighten teeth.  After you get hooked up with that, they put a fancy "clothes pin" on your nose to block your airwaves.  

Decked out with all of this, you are supposed to peddle the bike, getting the pedal level up to level 60 for a sustained period of time.  My peddle level kept dropping to 53 or lower, which extended the time of the test, as you have to maintain 60.  While all of this is going on, the test administrator is increasing the the level of resistance on the bike peddles so it is harder to get them to move.  And for 6 minutes they are measuring your heart, lungs and muscle reactions.

Needless to say, after getting off of the bike, your legs are like jello, you need water and are very, very sweaty.    

Hopefully, this test will finally answer why I am short of breath all of the time.  Everything else in terms of medical stuff is on hold for now.  I had a biopsy in October and will return in April  or early May for a follow up and next steps.   

We are going to Florida in April and will see our sister-in-law, Joyce as well as David, Brenda and Alex.  After that, various family members from Cleveland start to arrive from Easter to the 4th of July, and we will be in Hilton Head in June. 

Enjoy the photos...more later.

As you walk in, you see a white piano, 

comfortable seating and decorative lighting

In the middle of the room is a beautiful, elaborate chandelier 

The entrance is draped with heavy curtains

Here I am in one of the back rooms enjoying some wine

Here's the lady on the beach with the winter parka!

72 And Still Going Strong

I didn't know my grandfathers.  One died when I was very young and the other wasn't in our lives.  Watching Tony and his grandchildren makes me realize what I missed not having that relationship in my life.  

Tony tells nonsense stories to Coleton, Anthony and Owen. He reads to them, face times with them, plays games and draws pictures for them to color.  He used to play with Ben and Sam when they were little by having them sit at the top of the steps and roll a ball down the hand rail.  He would turn around so it would hit him in the butt.  Now, that, was entertainment!  "Papa said butt!!!"  They would giggle!

And with Alex, it's all about the mustache!  She loves to feel it.  She can say, "Papa," now and that makes him very happy. 

Tony turned 72 on Sunday but I secretly think he is still 50.  He plays golf, works at the golf course, still does yard work, small home repairs, puts things together, is still painting beautiful pieces of art and drives to Fayetteville for disabled veterans taking them to doctors appointments at the VA hospital.  

Tony got all kinds of cards, good wishes and gifts for his birthday.  All of the kids and grandkids called or face-timed him for his birthday, which was his favorite gift.  

We went out to dinner with Donna and Bob again this year and on Sunday, I took him to Tarentelli's, one of our favorite Italian restaurants.  

He is 72 and still going strong--and we all love that.

Playing games with Papa

I can say, "Papa" now!

They all still laugh at Papa's jokes

Papa and his girl

Papa takes time away from Dixie to face time 

with Tony Jr and the kids.  She's not happy

Dixie is examining Tony's birthday gift from us

Here's Dixie reading Tony's birthday card with him.