Alexandra

What energy a child brings into the house.  David, Brenda and Alex are here and it's been non-stop action ever since.  Alex turned 2 in September, but to listen to her count to 20, say her ABC's and sing songs in English and then Spanish, you would think she's a lot older.  But, she is just as petite and beautiful as she has always been.  

Her vocabulary is amazing and entertaining.  She will say a word or phrase and if you say, "Espanol" she will repeat it to you in Spanish.   She is the only bilingual child in her class and she often tells her teachers what shapes and figures are in Spanish.  When they try to correct her and tell her the English word, she says, "no!" and tells them in Spanish again.  I think that's her way of trying to teach them another language--they already know the word in English!

She watches Brenda do yoga in the morning and she can do some of the poses.  She starts out by taking in a big deep breath--I mean a big deep breath and then she puts her hands over her head.  She can do "downward facing dog," but she calls it the Mommy pose.  She does the warrior and then proclaims, "I am strong!" and she stands on one foot, touching her toe on the other foot that is stretched out in front of her.  

We went to an Italian restaurant last night and she was very well behaved.  She had a cheese pizza and some bread and watched cartoons on Daddy's phone while we ate.  When we got back into the car after dinner, she announced, "Alexandra farted."  It was a simple fact and she wanted us to know.  I had to laugh, we weren't allowed to say that word in the house when we were growing up and here she is announcing it to anyone who wanted to know!  

She brought her Elmo potty with her and sat on it in the living room.  Keep in mind she was fully dressed, she was just practicing.  It also makes a flushing noise, so she enjoyed "flushing" her non-existent pee!

After dinner today, we are going to decorate our small tree on the lanai.  That was the very first thing her Mommy and I did when Brenda came to share Thanksgiving with us before she and David were married. I can't wait to see Alex decorating!

More adventures and photos to come.....

Enjoying a breezy day with her hair bow in her eyes

Watching Dixie

A beautiful face

Practicing on her Elmo potty

Fun with Mommy

Going to dinner

Tony and I bought her a table and chair so she could color. 

 She says, "this is my chair!"  Yes it it, baby!

Helping Daddy cut bread for stuffing....put a piece in the bowl, eat a piece

Opening her gift from Aunt Rose

Listening to the letter from Aunt Rose

Holding her treasure box from Aunt Rose

Reading the book that Tony and I did for her

Getting Ready

I have always felt that this time of year puts us in a "getting ready" mode.  

We're getting ready for David, Brenda and Alex to share Thanksgiving with us and we're getting ready for Christmas. 

But, we are getting ready for other things too.  For once, Tony has had more doctors appointments than I have.  Most are routine, but he does have a few aches and pains.  I am stable at this point.  No news is good news.  So, we are getting ready to go into 2020 with good health and well being.  

We are getting ready for Dixie to turn 7 in January and hope that her "puppy behavior " doesn't change once she matures.  We love to watch her run in circles around the office, or run to get her toy so we can throw it for her (we are very well trained!)  The other day I was in the office and had the door closed.  From out in the hallway, I heard Dixie; she had her red squeak dog in her mouth and was making it squeak.  She was scratching at the door and wanted to come in so we could play.  The longer I left her out there, the more the toy was making noise.   

As soon as I let her in, we were running around, wrestling on the floor and the squeak toy and flying thorough the air.  What Dixie wants, Dixie gets!

We are also getting ready for our grandchildren to be getting older. Our oldest, Ben, will be 14 next year and our babies will be toddlers.   In a way, that's sad--it's so nice to have a baby to cuddle!

And finally, I'm getting ready for my 50th, High School reunion that will be held in Westlake in October.  I only went to my 10 year reunion and realized that the cool kids were still the cool kids and the reunion was theirs.  Hopefully, time has made them less cool.  

I was both sad and surprised to see the Memorial list for my class.  My dear friend, Felicia (we called her Fish) apparently had a short life and I hope to find out what happened to her.  In 1970, I was the Maid of Honor at her wedding and every year, on December 5, I remember Fish.

It's time to go back to cleaning and getting ready.  I will end this post with pictures of Dixie--getting ready for and doing lots of things!!

Getting ready to start the day...in Daddy's robe

Getting ready to nap with puppy dog!

Getting ready to help us play cornhole

Getting ready for another nap with puppy!

Getting ready to play "fetch the puppy!"

Getting ready to get out from under the covers and greet the day!!

   

Fun Days, Busy Days

Sunday was a fun day.  Fun, mostly because the Browns won against Buffalo (sorry, David.)  We went to the Reel Cafe, who hosts the Browns Backers Club.  We go most Sundays, but when the Browns lose, it's not as much fun to be there.  Tony said it wasn't that the Browns played better than Buffalo, but that Buffalo had bad luck.  I agree, but a win is a win!  Go Browns!!

On Saturday, we had the Friedman's over for a clambake.  It was a beautiful night with a big, white moon and warm enough to sit on the lanai without jackets.  The clambake was really good.  The clams were cooked just right and the chicken was so tender, it fell apart.   Tony had a fire going outside and the air smelled of fall weather and Cleveland memories.  Jan Friedman made the best cherry cheesecake for dessert which enhanced the evening together even more. 

Today is Veteran's Day.  We are going to the beach, possibly for the last time this season.  I can't wait to see the waves, smell the ocean and have a nice picnic.  I really appreciate it when Tony wears his Air Force Veteran hat and people thank him for his service.  He is a proud vet, and should be.  When I went with him to Fayetteville for his DAV physical, his contact there just raved about him.  Tony is a "give back" kind of guy and he enjoys driving other vets to their doctor's appointments and chatting about their military experiences.   

Now that it's "fireplace" weather, we like to ease into the day with a fire in the fireplace, coffee and music on Alexa by Ann Sweeten.  Today, we didn't exactly "ease" into the day--it was more like a woof and a paw kind of day.  Dixie got us up early and then relaxed on the couch between us.  I think she enjoys the music as much as we do.    

We are already working on Christmas ideas for "the kids" and can't wait to see David, Brenda and Alexandra for Thanksgiving.    For the last few years, Brenda and I have decorated our small Christmas tree after Thanksgiving dinner.  This year we will have Alex to help and I'm hoping to get some good pictures of her efforts.   I wonder if she will recognize the ornament with her picture on it as being her when she was a baby.   I went shopping and got her some "cold" weather clothes for her time in Leland.  Cold weather clothes translates to stuff with long sleeves and long pants! Gee, it should be in the 50's when they are here!  BRRRRR!

And so, the beach is calling.  Too bad Dixie would rather lounge on the couch than go to the beach.  I wonder what she does when we're gone...

Getting into the treats

Hiding her treats so we don't know she found them 

Messing around with Daddy after being busted (with treats)

Napping after treats

Having a bad hair day

Wondering why I don't have a Dixie bumper sticker

Resting in the office

Taking over Daddy's chair

More resting!!!

After the spa day

Watching the world go by

The Writer's Conference At UNCW

I have wanted to be a writer since I was very young.  I remember telling my parents what I wanted to do and my father told me that writing wasn't a real job.  

Yes it is.  

On Monday, I attended "Writers Week" at UNCW.  It was the first day of learning about the craft, talking to published professionals, having your work audited and listening to lectures on various types of writing.  

It was wonderful.  Just to be a part of writing conversations and thinking about ways you can express yourself was really great.   

We wrote short essays in 3 separate genres, heard different perspectives on writing and got to ask questions about the publishing and editing process. 

One of the speakers was Melody Moezzi.  She is an Iranian American Muslin author, an attorney and political activist.  She's written several books and is a United Nations global expert.  She spoke a lot about rage.  It seemed funny to me at first, but she told us that many writers got their start by being really, really angry about something (usually social injustice.)  Rage in writing puts emotions on a page--and if done correctly, can be very powerful and moving to the audience without creating havoc.  

We also heard from Clyde Edgerton.  He has published 10 novels, many about living in the Wilmington area.  However, according to him, one of his proudest accomplishments is being banned from the New Hanover County school system for writing and talking about the shortcomings in the system, especially in the financial area.  He, too, had a lot to say about rage!

I sat with a lady named Betty Belle Brown.  She published a book called, "Pretty Much," which is about her relationship with her mother.  She did it through a vanity press, which basically means she paid to have it published with the hope that selling it on Amazon would get it picked up in major bookstores.  She was fascinating.  It turns out she is 83 years old (I thought we were the same age....) and has lived a very interesting life.  She is also a painter and teaches at various venues.  She was motivating and funny!

I enjoyed the day so much.  The writing seminar at UNCW happens only once a year, but I found that there are a few other writing avenues I can explore.  This has opened a door and a place for me that I can't wait to enter and explore.

Today, Tony and I had a lanai picnic at the Grand Lanai.  Another fun day!

David, Brenda and Alex will be here in 2 weeks.  More fun!

The brochure detailing events

Our lanai picnic

Tony getting ready to pour the wine

Neighbors

I don't care where you live, if you don't have good neighbors your house can become your prison.  It's no fun being out in the backyard because there they are giving you the hairy eyeball, you have to worry about your pet possibly getting hurt because they can be nasty to small animals and sometimes, they even trespass and make themselves at home on your property.  

And, what can you do about it?  You can't or don't want to  move.  You can't force them to move and usually, you can't reason with them.  So, what do you do? 

We are pretty lucky.  Our neighbors are fine.  But, our friends, Carol and Beecher, who recently moved to a development a few miles away, haven't been so lucky.  They were recently introduced to their newest neighbor, a few streets away from them and they weren't happy.

So, what do you do?  The smart thing....call the animal warden......

   Who in their right mind would make a living putting ropes on the mouth of an 8 foot 
                                  alligator?  And look at the size of those feet!

                   A really fat, angry, 8 foot alligator!  Beware small pets, children and midgets!

I was happy to hear from Carol that the alligator was in their development and not ours until she said, "well, if we have them, you probably have them too."   Swell.  

At least this one was moved somewhere miles away from here.  Good thing for the alligator that Dixie wasn't around, she would have showed it who was boss and kicked some serious alligator butt!

Random Thoughts

I say this every year, but I can't believe that 2019 is almost over.  Tony and I were talking the other day about family events and I realized that my father died 20 years ago.  It doesn't seem that long ago.  How I wish he could have seen his great grandchildren.  He would have loved each and every one of them. 

With the new year just around the corner will come a whole new set of doctors appointments.  Our heart doctor retired, so we will be seeing someone new, Dr. Winslow, probably in December.  We will have our annual physicals to see what new thing we need to worry about and I'm sure we can count on new ultrasounds, especially for my thyroid stuff, and x-rays and who knows what else for people our ages.   

My skin is doing much better.  I have an appointment on Wednesday to talk about next steps.  My arms are clear and my legs are significantly better than they have been in a while.  The open wounds have healed and the redness has subsided. 

In other news, I am officially a registered voter.  I was registered several years ago, but in Ohio juries are selected by voter registration records.  I never thought that I should be on a jury and judge others.  Who am I to judge?

When we moved to North Carolina I was called to jury duty because down here, juries are selected via DMV records.  It took awhile, but I finally got around to registering again and will vote this week on local issues.   I am hoping that Elizabeth Warren secures the Democratic nomination, as I like her views on several of the issues.  

Speaking of powerful women, Dixie will celebrate her 7th birthday on January 6.  I'm trying to decided whether or not to rent a hall for the celebration--the Grand Lanai might work but it's sure to be standing room only!  Dixie seems to be getting younger, not older.  She is full of piss and vinegar and continues to rule the house.   She listens to music with us in the morning as we are easing into the day, watches TV with us, shares pieces of our dinner and sits in the office, in what used to be my chair, as I work on the blog.  She is a people dog and we love her. 

News from Charlotte is that Coleton's baseball team made the playoffs, ranking second overall.  They play this week and we hope they are successful in becoming the champions.  Anthony's season is over (they don't do playoffs)  and he did very well.  

Our next big event, other than Dixie's birthday, is having David, Brenda and Alex for Thanksgiving. Tony and I went shopping a few days ago and got a few trendy looks for Alex to wear while she is here.  Leland needs some style and Alex can certainly provide it.  

We are having the Friedman's over for a clambake in November and that's always a fun event.  Other than that, life goes on and on and on--and aren't we glad. 

I'll be publishing my birthday list soon--and I like expensive stuff--just so you know!

  

Rose and Joe

We have finally come to my favorite time of year.  The leaves are starting to change colors, the air is cool and the breezes are fresh and clean smelling.  I love being outside when it is like this.  There are still birds flying around and the other day, a cardinal landed on one of the Jasmine vines outside of the lanai.  It was big and red and we wondered if it was part of the family of  cardinals that built their nest in the high part of the Jasmine bush earlier this year. 

In addition to visiting birds, we continue to host family and this time it was Rose and Joe.  It was a quick visit, and hopefully a relaxing one for both of them.  Rather than pack the days with trips and events, we opted to go to Brunswick town--a museum that tells the history of area.  It also has remnants of an old church and pieces of the foundations of homes that were built in the 1700's.  

From there, we went to Southport for some shopping and dinner at Oliver's, one of our favorite restaurants.  

On Saturday, Rose and I went to the Compass Pointe Craft Fair and sat at the lazy river, just talking.  After that, we all went to church (I went to a Catholic church, but claimed dispensation if the Pope suffered a heart attack as a result of my visit!)  When we got back, we played an outrageous card game, "Cards Against Humanity."    

I enjoy this type of visit.  We did a lot of talking, laughing and remembering.  I don't think that Rose and I have ever  spent this much one-on-one time together and it was nice to take our relationship to a new level.  

Joe continues his cancer treatments and looked very well.  I finally figured out what a "dry" sense of humor was when I first met Joe.   He can be looking straight at you, not cracking a smile, but he is saying the most off the wall stuff.  He is quietly and creatively funny.  Joe has kind of a crusty shell, but is really a very caring person.  

Dixie, of course, had a great time with two new people here to love her.  Since Rose and Joe stayed in our guest room, Dixie made sure they knew that this was her alternate bedroom and spent as much time as she could sniffing their suitcases and sleeping under the suitcase stand.  Rose and Joe have two Golden Retrievers and are big dog lovers.  Unfortunately, I am terribly allergic to them so when we visit Cleveland, I can't spend any time at their house.  

In other news, I am planning on attending a writer's conference at UNCW in November and am looking forward to exploring writing possibilities again.  I am happy when I am writing and creating written memories. 

And so, the year draws to and end with Thanksgiving coming up and a visit from the Lakeland Swegle's.  

Donna and Bob will be in Sunset Beach in January and February and our cycle of visitors starts all over again. 

It will be good to see everyone again next year. 

Joe and Rose enjoying the weather out on the lanai

The Jasmine vines where the Cardinal visited

New roses near our palm trees

Wispy grass on the small island

A really, really dark picture of us at Oliver's Restaurant

The Christmas wreath/centerpiece that Rose 

bought me from the Craft Fair

Dixie took over my chair in the office since Joe and

Rose took over her other bedroom!