A few photos from the farm

It was a gorgeous day today in Mid, Ohio! Just a tad too hot for my taste... but it cooled off rather nicely as the evening started to set in.

While driving back to Mom's house we saw a BUNCH of deer (at least a dozen!) running across the lane. Since Mom was in front of me in her Jeep, they pretty much scattered. I hung back in my truck & watched some of them go from one side to the other.... & others went up the hill.

As I got closer to where they were, one of them decided it wanted to go back with the other bunch... then a moment later it turns around & runs across the lane for a second time. It was being silly, but was such an awesome site to see!

I wasn't close enough when the all started to scatter to count or to even see if there were any bucks... However, the one silly one decided to stick around long enough for me to get it's photo. You have to click on the "view full size" to really see it... but you can see him behind the geese. I'm so glad it turned out, because I couldn't tell if you could even see the geese on my little screen on my phone.

The one up top is just the start of the beautiful season of Mom's flowers!!

Then I had to get pics of the creek... Oh how I loved to play in the creek when I was little... Then I developed an allergy to Poison Ivy... the creek area is loaded with it... & usually hidden among all the other weeds.

I have other photos from tonight, but they're just more of the flowers. If you all want, I can post more tomorrow. I just didn't want to overwhelm you.

G'd Night!! :o)

Success at the Farm!!

Well the Celebration At The Farm (C.A.T.F.) was a huge success! :) We had a couple VERY minor glitches... but nothing we couldn't figure out a different way to handle it.

(P.S. No, we didn't have a fly over from the Blue Angels, though that would have been SWEET, ... the blog photo is from a link that my dad emailed me today... & this one picture just fit the patriotic theme! Side note... my dad & I enjoy the Blue Angels and The Thunderbirds! When I was little he would take me to air shows!)

Anyhoo, there was lots of family I hadn't seen in many many years! Many from out of state... I think Uncle Terry & his new wife Linda traveled the farthest from Florida... & then Aunt Sherrall came from Georgia... My cousin Mark (Uncle Terry's boy) came from Tennessee. And Uncle Art came from West Virgina (close to the Maryland border, I found out!) ... many relatives from the Cleveland (or surrounding areas.)

Oh, I forgot mention my hubby had family from out of state too... From South Dakota... They gathered together on Friday & I didn't get to see them because I was at the farm. But that's ok... It hadn't been that long ago that I was able to see his side of the family. (It was due to a death in the family, though.) It would have been nice to catch up with them... however, I was just too frazzled & thought it best I relaxed before the big party at the farm.

The C.A.T.F. started around 3:00p as planned... The pork from the pig roast was delicious & so was the rigatoni! Oh & can't forget... one of my cousin's brought Greek Pasta salad! SCRUMPTIOUS! (Oh, Ginna, if you're reading this... I need that recipe!!)  My sister Renee brought down from Michigan a huge Frosted Brownie sheet cake! Talk about YUMMO! (said in her best Rachel Ray impression!)

Oh, yeah... the fireworks did NOT arrive.  However... Mike, my son, had a huge bon fire set up... & neighbors down in the valley had fireworks going off... They lasted a LONG time! Very good show... (had to be to get past all them trees for us to be able to see too! LOL)... My understanding is that my mom is thinking of getting some fireworks of her own & setting them off next weekend. I don't know if I'll be there for that... It would mainly just be for Mike's benefit anyway.

I'm already thinking of ways to make next year (or when ever we do it again) even more organized. I think we should do it every year now... (because a lot of the "Tyson kids" are getting up there in years... making harder & harder to travel) ...but more like a pot luck... than to have Mom shell out the majority of the money for food.

We did have those who could, bring side dishes... however, my mom still bought a lot including the Pork (I think). Oh... don't worry, I won't have any pictures of a pig being roasted... it was roasted in a pit by one of the neighbors of the farm & carved back at the pit. THANKS RON!!!

So, how did I do? Well, during the heat of the day I kept escaping into the house to keep cool. Though it was only about 80° (thankfully not any hotter!), it didn't take long for me to get over heated. (How the older folks (like Grandma Fulton, who will be 90 years young in December!) dealt with it, I don't know!) All I know is that heat & I do not mix!!! I must had been standing or walking around to much because my back was sore most of the day. (Nothing a day or two on the couch won't cure! LOL) HOWEVER, I did not have a headache except at one point & I laid down on one of Mom's love seats for a few minutes whilst the pain & nausea subsided.

As I reflect back on the day... I did get around to talk to just about everyone. If I missed anyone, sorry... it wasn't intentional. Even though conversations were cut short most of the time... it was great to be able to chat with all!

One thing I didn't get completed in time was the guest book... however, I did create a make shift one... & it worked out fine. Though a couple people may have missed ... all & all I think the total number that showed up was 110. (Give or take a few! LOL) & Yes, majority of them was there at one time.

My hubby even commented when I got home... (he rode his Harley... & If I hadn't needed the truck & I didn't have a messed up back... I would have rode mine... It was a GORGEOUS day for a ride.... (Thank you Lord!!) ... "Were they all your family? Where did they all come from?" I'm like... "Yep! You have to remember my mom had 6 siblings growing up. (1 has passed away long ago.) Then add in their kids & their grand kids & friends of the kids & grand kids... & a some of my mom's friends & neighbors... Oh & can't forget... The Kenyans (as my mom & sister calls them)!! That would be my brother-in-laws family from Africa. They are just as sweet as Aloys (my brother-in-law) is!


This picture is of my mom & her sisters & brothers. (L to R: Aunt Sherrall; Aunt Billy; Uncle Terry; my mom (in front of him); Aunt Lynn; & Uncle Greg. (Now do you see why we had such a big turn out??!!!)

I'll have link to more photos later. I had them all ready with descriptions & all... but due to operator error... they didn't upload to Flickr as planned. I will either post another blog or a review with the photos link. (But don't expect it tonight! I plum worn out!!!)

So, yeah... it was a huge success!!

It was fun for the most part & enjoyable to see all the relatives... however, just like Mama Di is today from her family outing... I'm "paying for it"! But you know what... IT WAS WORTH IT!!!

Time to lay back & relax now!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

P.S. If you haven't seen my front / home page here... you best be taking a gander at it very soon... because it will be changing as early as tomorrow!! (Wouldn't want you to miss out seeing the other cute kitties!!)

C.A.T.F. is ready to go...

What is C.A.T.F.? It is the acronym I gave to our party we're having at the farm... Stands for Celebration At The Farm. I know, I know... not that clever... but it was the easiest thing I could think of on short notice.

So, I used it for my signs... speaking of... I just got back from the farm & all 28 signs are up... yep, you heard right... TWENTY-EIGHT. Not all of them went on garden stakes... but most did. My mom was quite pleased at how they all turned out.

Ever since I arrived home, about an hour ago, the neighborhood has been crackling with the backyard fireworks. So, I've been sitting here with the TV off & $hiba's external fan unplugged so I could listen for Mansfield's big display. They just started about 5 minutes ago. I was hoping I could see a little bit of them from my front porch... Unfortunately not. However, I sure can hear them! & I knew for sure they were the city's show... Sounded like thunder when they 1st started.

I love that sound as they are coming out of the cannon... My dad loves the big BOOM! Oh how I wish I could see them... Mainly because the big fireworks show that we were supposed to have... well, it doesn't look like it's going to happen. My cousin who does it for us, (bring them with him & etc.), had to bail out because of work. So, he said he was going to ship them to us... but as of today, they have not arrived. We're hoping they arrive tomorrow. I have a feeling they won't show up until next week.

Well, I has to get going... long day ahead of me tomorrow! (Please keep me in your prayers... Please pray my back doesn't give me any trouble... like it is tonight... hopefully I won't be doing too much tomorrow, except mingling, chatting, eating, & having a good ol' time.)

Oh, yeah... I do plan on taking the camera... & Maybe we'll have a great sunset like we did tonight!! :)

Nighty Night! :)
(Sounds like the Grand Finale is happening.)

All Aboard...

Hello, it's been a while since I've blogged much about nothing! Ok, it's not nothing to me... & some of you may just be interested in this ride aboard The Rambling Train...

Well, I won't keep you in suspense... CLICK HERE for the photos of my 1st tattoo! (It will open in a new window!) Click on each picture to see more info below the picture!
If someone reminds me in a few weeks, I'll take another picture & post it to show it after it's healed. Passion Wolf says the colors will really be better once it's completely healed. & Yes... I LOVE IT!!

It was a little rough at 1st... the outline is what hurt the worst, but it didn't last. That's pretty much about it for that...

Though my day started off with a bit of a startling phone call... I was 1/2 asleep when my mom called & asked if Gina (my sister) had called me yet.

After I said no... she said "Well we had a bizarre day here yesterday. Everything is fine now."

Of course, my mind started going all over the place as to what could have happened... So, Mom continued.

"Grandma died for about 20 minutes yesterday." With that the towel I use to cover my eyes came flying off. Then I was fully awake!!

She goes on to say how they & the nurse that stays with Grandma during the day were all just talking & Mom looks at Grandma & said, "Are you getting sleepy?"

Before they could get an answer, Grandma slouched over in her wheel chair. At this point my sister shot up out of her seat & tried to wake her. Then started singing & praying in her ear.

(Grandma is DNR (do not resuscitate) because her bones are so brittle now, that if they tried to, it would break many bones in her chest & would make it worse for her.)

Anyway, they said she was turning purple & getting cold. At that point Mom went to call her ex-husband (See, Grandma is HIS mom!!).

Then Mom told Jackie (the nurse) & Gina to take Grandma to her bed so that she appears to be more peaceful than being slouched over in her chair.

So, they get her back to her bed & at this point she's lost ALL her body functions (I won't go into details!)

Jackie keeps telling Mom & Gina, "Girls, she's gone. You're just going to have to accept it."

Gina then called the Hospice & requested someone to come out to confirm & to call it, I guess.

During this, (about 20 minutes later) my ex-step dad is driving down the lane.

While on the phone with Hospice, Grandma's legs started to twitch... They said that's normal. But then her eyes fluttered. Being startled Gina drops the phone & it dropped on Grandma's face.

Here's the bizarre part...

Then Grandma opens her eyes, looks around & says "Oh what's going on?" Gina asks her, "Grammy, you ok?"

She replied: "Oh, yes. How are you?"

From what Mom & Gina told me, they started laughing so hard that when my ex-step dad came in the door he asked "Are you laughing or crying?"

Needless to say, they were shocked & so they looked up on the net all those symptoms... it's called a "pre-cursor to death". I guess this happens among the elderly (She's 89 years old.) & that it may happen several more times before she actually dies... Which could be 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 month or even 2 years.

Mom joked they'll have to wait several days to be sure she is gone before they call the funeral home!

Another joke was made by one of the neighbors... "She just got up there & saw her bed wasn't ready & said... 'Heh. Call me back when you're ready!'" LOL!!

In all seriousness, she's fine... & in some points Gina said she's better than she was before.

As not to frighten her, they're calling it her "fainting spell"... Oh, Gina did say that for about 10 minutes or so, she could hear a faint heart beat through the stethoscope, but she was not breathing. Then for more than 5 minutes was nothing ... & that's when all the rest happened.

So, my comment was... were you smacking her (gently, of course) to snap her out... & Gina said she was doing everything they could. I guess when she lost all the functions & etc... is when they were sure she was gone.

My other thought is... I sure hope it doesn't happen again. I really would hate to hear any of us going through that again. For I am sure it was traumatic on Mom & Gina... Not to mention my ex-step dad, having to race from work over to the farm.

I told my hubby about all this & he's like "So." I'm like... "You're not surprised?" "Nope, that's your family... you'll probably do the same thing!"

I'm laughing... "Just remember Grandma is not blood related!"

"Yeah, but you act just like her!"

"I guess that's just from growing up with her!" I replied.

One final thought about this all... Mom & Gina said they're glad Jackie was there, because they had a "witness"... someone who's not family! LOL

Well, that does it for this trip... Hope you enjoyed your ride aboard, "The Rambling Train"! :)

Blizzard of '08 (from Ohio)

Time to hop aboard for another ride on The Rambling Train!! Where she stops... only God knows! LOL
(maybe this should be my ... well can't be a tag, because it's in the beginning... I'll think on it!) LOL

Anyway, I wanted to share with you the radar by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) showing you what I personally am classifying as "The Blizzzzzard of '08"!! (love them z's! LOL)

It shows the past 24 hours of satellite... it may take a few moments to load, so be patient, because it's well worth it!! :) As you will see.... it's NOT over yet!!

That is also a great link for when there are other storms... like hurricanes... to watch. Very very interesting!

I'm going to try to get a screen shot of these... because some of you may not have the ability to see this... due to dial up or slow connections...

Or for those who view this blog later on... because I do believe that link will load current images. I think!! (Please comment below if you need to see them... I may not post them right away... unless someone asks!!) :) Thanks :)

Anyway, I have this bookmarked in my Wx (sorry, that's broadcasting short cut for Weather!) Folder. So, if anyone is looking for it again later on... feel free to contact me! :)

(Yeah, I usually have neat things like this bookmarked!) :) :)

OH... by the way... I have uploaded more pictures into my "Winter in Ohio" album. I only wish I wasn't laid up with this back injury... because I'd love to get down to the farm to take some shots... but even if I could... well, the lane has not been plowed... so they all are SNOWED IN!!!

Oh, FYI - The Farm is where I grew up, in Lucas, OH... it's only about 10 miles away from where I live now. (But 20 minutes to get to... Country roads, you know! LOL)

It now consists of my mom, & my son - Mike, up at the farm house, their 4 dogs (Buster, Todd, Sassy, & Bianca) & many cats... don't ask me to name them all!

IF you want to see pictures of some of them... I believe I have some uploaded to my Flickr site... I'll try to find the link, just leave me a note below if interested! If enough are... I'll add a link on my front page!! :)

Moving on down to the start of the lane (by the way, it's a 1/2 mile long. If I can find a good satellite image of it... I'll post it somewhere.... & Yes, we had to walk it to get to the bus! Mike does too!) Ok, anyway... at what we call "the other house / or Grandma's" is... Grandma, my sister Gina & her hubby Aloys... one of the newest citizen's of the USA, as of yesterday... WOO HOO!!! (Oh, I'll have to do a review on that!! LOL)

Anywho... I just wanted you all to know what I meant by "the farm" because I don't think I talked about it since my 360 days & I know I have new readers!! :)

Ahhhh, the memories! (I mentioned them some where else... & I may again later on... but right now I'd like to post this blog for you all to see... before the radar images change! LOL)

Time to disembark now. Hope you enjoyed the ride! Stay tuned... more rides aboard The Rambling Train soon to be posted!

(Man, this was a GREAT idea... the name change! I'm having SO MUCH FUN with it!!! LOL!!)

Boogity Boogity Boogity - Let's Go Racing

For me football season is over... (except for the Super Bowl)... On Saturday, the Steelers lost their Wild Card game. Tonight, the Buckeyes lost the BCS Championship game. So now I turn my focus toward the countdown of the Daytona 500 & the start of the NASCAR season!!

Winter has taken a hiatus here in Ohio. It was up to 63 today & tomorrow looks to be the same... (It's SO warm in the house that I have a small box fan running.)

HOWEVER, the forecast shows a cold front will blow in, with some major gusts (40 to 60mph). Late tomorrow we should be back into the 30's!!

glitter-graphics.com

Back into a writer's block as far as the book goes. But, I'll get there.
So, if I've not been writing my book or blogging... what have I been doing?

Well, when I haven't been sleeping, I've been playing "Pop It" on Pogo.com. It's a fun game... but the draw back is since I am just playing on the web it decides to shut down after several games. Oh & also after every game there is an "intermission" in which they have an advertisement that plays. I do have to say I don't mind the breaks... plus I know that's how they're making their money so they can offer us the games for free!

On the farm front, my mom not only is hobbling along with a broken foot... now she's battling pneumonia. She was in the hospital over night & was pumped full of antibiotics & given breathing treatments once every 4 hours, then sent home this evening.

When my sister called I thought I was coming down with the same kind of cold my hubby has been fighting with the last week & 1/2... but I think I've won my battle with sleeping so much this past week & today.

Anyway, I feel bad I didn't go stay the night with Mike. (It sounds like he had a good time with my sister, though.)

Actually I think it will work out, because tomorrow I am going to pick him up to get his shot (of Risperdal). So, I'll be able to help out that way.

With that said, I guess I best get to bed.

Quick Thank You...

Sending kudos out to 3 tears for the beautiful background I have used today. (The picture included, is the bottom of the background.)

I have to go to the farm today to stay with Michael, while my mom goes & sits with my sisters while their dad is undergoing the heart cath. (I mentioned it in a prior blog... as a prayer request.)

Anyway, Mike just called & said "Mom you've got to be here by 3:30 p.m. Grandma has things she wants to go over with you." (It was 2:00 p.m. when he called!)

Thankfully, I've already have my bag packed & ready to go! I just need to get the energy up to get the dogs out & get over there.

Hmm... I have a incentive... Mom's Marzetti!! Mike told me she's making it now. It's DELICIOUS!!!

Ok, got to run. Have more to do before I leave! Have a GREAT day!

P.S. If I can, I may blog while I'm at the farm.

Late 6-22, early 6-23-07... what ever part of the world you're in! :)

Ok, it's after 2 a.m....I'm here at the farm... sleeping at Gina's (my sister); Aloys' (my brother-in-law) & Grandma's house. (That's her in the pic!)

Gina & Aloys had to go away... so I was nominated (at the last minute) to stay with Grandma. (She's 88 & supposedly has Alzheimerss... I'm not so sure... if it weren't for the memory thing... I think she'd be fine... just old age!) Anyway, she is old & sometimes can't do certain things... so someone has to be here, especially at night.

But it's fine, since they have a computer here to keep me busy (& make me sleepy) :)

So, for last one for tonight, I wanted to leave you with another one of those "Blogthingss"... I think these are so true, when you answer them truthfully. Now some on their site are kind of weird... so, it's just what ever is your style :)

I thought this one was quite apri-po (huh? LOL) for the upcoming holiday...

So, try it out & let me know... How american are you?!?! ENJOY! :)

You Are 80% American

You're as American as red meat and shooting ranges. Tough and independent, you think big. You love everything about the US, wrong or right. And anyone who criticizes your home better not do it in front of you!

How American Are You?

ENJOY! :) Here's another I found on this blogthings website

Your Brain's Pattern

You have a dreamy mind, full of fancy and fantasy. You have the ability to stay forever entertained with your thoughts. People may say you're hard to read, but that's because you're so internally focused. But when you do share what you're thinking, people are impressed with your imagination.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Night! :)