I just heard the "S" word in a forecast...

Yeah, pretty chilly here. All leaves down, almost swept away. Can see those naked black skeletons of trees against the sunset. "Time to come in for supper."

And the Cape actually got some "ocean effect" snow. Not a good sign in my book. Have a feeling we are going to get walloped.
Last year, we in Brockton managed to be in this corridor that, while we got our share, we didn't get what was dumped west, north and even south of us.

I am home "sick" for the millionth day with one of my stupid things. This time looks like staph in my eyes that has been coming on for almost two years. Imagine that?
Julie can break several bones in her body and barely miss a beat and I get stopped in my tracks by raging rashes. (Albeit, pretty severe, but still... sheesh.)

So, if we can get Mom/Gamma to Peg's for T-day, (which, if I could, I would MAKE happen barring anything unforeseen on Mom's end of course,) I can't be around her until after my next eye visit. Bummer.
I also don't dare really make anything to send down either. (Another bummer.)

(Can anyone tell that I am rolling around in the pity-pit?) (Ok, climbing out...)

Hey, today is Colleen's B'day! And she will NEVER catch up with my wrinkles, no matter how old we get.

I know I didn't do anything to acknowledge Dan's and Breck's last month, but each was with me on their day, some things never go away.

The word is that both my left-coasters will trek east for Christmas. While I'll be thrilled to have them around, I hope we come up with do-able stuff for fun. I could just cook suppers, watch movies, visit folks and blab with them, but they may need a little more along the entertainment lines.

Mom/Gamma is maintaining in her holding pattern, in the pipeline for St. Joseph's Manor. We are ALL looking forward to her having a more comfortable surrounding soon.

My job is great, (in between torn tendons and mystery outbreaks, that is.) I really love it and can't wait to be 100% again. It will come though.

I just wanted to reach out to the family far and near today to help me "see the light."
Another great antidote for my depression is my Simon. While I'm sure all of you feel that your pets are the best, mine is the funniest and gets me laughing like no other. So, he was meant to be mine.

Hope everyone is doing well in spite of the poor economy and if we can just hang in, things will slowly stabilize.

I wouldn't mind seeing this so-called "bail-out" money put into infrastructure programs like the WPA so that we can become wage earners again and get some stuff fixed in the meantime. (OK, this is me jumping OFF the soapbox...whump!)

Love to you all and it was nice chatting to you...
K8

Update

HiHi all,

Just a quick update on Billy and I.

The house has finally been jacked up. That was the easy part. Now comes the hard part. The walls in the bedrooms are cracked real bad. At least one of the bedrooms will need to be gutted, and there is plenty of patch work to be done in the other. The rest of the house is pretty good, they just need to be redone in general. Now, the better news.....Billy and I went to the jeweler yesterday, and did ring shopping. I picked out a 1.2 ct., with a platinum band. Not sure when it will be ready, and when I get it is now up to him. Just need to keep the ball rolling, rolling, rolling....I'll keep you guys posted(if my mother doesn't first!).

Dina

And now for the Zombie ...

Brrraaaaiiinnnssssss!!!!!

Look .. It's Halloween!

I just had to share this link

My kids laugh at me and roll their eyes when I laugh, but this site just always manages to make me feel better!

Enjoy the giggles ..:>


http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Okay, cut and paste, I can't figure out how to add as a link.

Let the games begin...

Well, school is underway for all our students and school personnel in the family. I, for one, am looking forward to a leveling off of overtime and pressure. (I know it's out there somewhere.)

Texans, been thinking of you BIG time. Hope you came through IKE in good shape. It seemed as though it was going to skirt you, but I also know there is always surrounding weather, and I thought I saw that some evacuation plans had Austin as a destiniation.

Sara and Jeremy lived to see age 26!!! Yay!

A little catch up on Mom/Gamma;
It has been determined that Mom is going to need a permanent residential placement somewhere and Colleen, Peg and I have been doing some scouting.
Surprise! One of the most appropriate settings we've seen is... (drum roll...) St Joseph's Manor!
The doc's to make this happen are in the pipeline, but there are no openings at this moment. It has been indicated that there are pending ones, though, so it shouldn't be toooo long.

Just going through there brought me back to the times that Mom made us learn a few holiday songs and then she would have us dress us up and go over there and sing to the assembled masses.
Not a bad memory.
In this situation, Mom will most likely get a private room, which would be nirvana for her. They offer a Mass twice a week, which I think Mom might want to attend now and again.

Not sure if anyone put out the info that Mom took a pretty good nose dive from the bed, (trying to reach something on the floor, silly girl) and got a nice cut on the back of her head. THIS did not phase her! Peg did the middle of the night duty and joined Mom at the hosp until the wee-est of hours. Mom has since had the staples out and she seems unscathed.
I think though that this fall cemented the reality for her that she needs more care and attention than she could ever get living back on her own.

The transition won't be fun, but I really think she will enjoy not feeling like she's "in flux" and can probably settle into a routine that is healthier for her than the current situation.

Simon also had surgery recently and came through with flying colors. Little sebaceous cyst, water cyst and and abcess in his poor neglected mouth. Now his teeth are all shiny white except for the ones that had been crooked and had to be removed.

State Rep Tommy Kennedy was recently at an event I attended and we chatted awhile and he asked about Dan (classmate). Wonderful chat.


I think that's about it from my corner.
Best wishes....K8

The next new kitty

I know, it wasn't on my game plan either.. but after the shock and sudden loss of Kael from aortic clots (seriously a stunning blow ..) the family realized we needed another kitten for Autumn to play with. Kitty (or KitKat, for legal "you can't have a cat named Kitty" reasons)just wasn't cutting it. She wanted nothing to do with Autumn at all.

So, here is Odin, a tiny little boy who just fits in perfectly with this house of crazies.

His markings are perfectly symmetrical too. And a stunning black and silver combination.








Just added this to show how tiny he really is...:>

Party Like a Rock Star!

Hi all! Mum and Kate said I just had to post this one....Tracy took Isiah to the Marshfield Fair, where they ran into Steve Tyler and got a quick pic! Hope all is well cross country! TTFN!

SO Im back in Sunny San Diego

The weather is great, I'm back to work, and I am loving being able to go swimming whenever I want again. I really missed my Kitten Snickers he is so sweet. I am sure he missed me as much as I missed him because he is all over me none stop. So things are good, I got to go downtown on Sat night with some friends which was fun, and this weekend I am going to my Best Friends sons 7th b-day party on Saturday, and a place called the "Rock" on Sunday to see a friend from work preform in a concert. I hope I can fit the beach in there somewhere.
Although it sounds like a ton of fun believe me it not all wonderful. Like I have said before when I first moved I miss you guys more then I thought I would. I am so glad I got to spend some quality time with everyone. Hope to see you again soon. Take Care all.

Please welcome Autumn ..

Em and I picked her up today from our favorite animal shelter. I have only ever had one other calico so she's a whole new look to this house.

I am in love .. :>

coming back to visit!!!

kay so I bought my ticket for July 21st arriving the 22nd REd EYE. Sooooo see you all soon!

Input Needed!!!!

I'm thinking, that instead of a 4th of July bash, switching to an August bash the weekend of the 2nd/3rd. So I need Sara's dates, Bren, Becca,Emily & Brian, Dina's schedule too! Who knows, maybe mom can make it to an August bash. Soooo, since the 4th is next week, please get back to me soon.

Of course, if the weather is good, the pool is always open.

Otherwise, things are pretty good here, Gino got a great report card & getting tall, the puppies are fresh, construction/remodeling is continuing at the usual snail pace, Jerry is doing well & I am still loving my job.

Let me know!

She did it! And I am so proud of her ...

The pictures say it all ..:> Oh and Becca took the shot of Em and me. I even like it.

The girl posing with Em is a really good friend of hers!

PICS!!

Hello All,
While I am not any Photoshop wizard like others in this family, I would love to see some photo-archiving going on. I think Emily made, like...,a..., what..., "photo-bucket" site, as in: a network storage well with family access for any and all photos that we may choose to share.
I've got the 320GB external "save" drive and thought this would be a pretty good location for all and any fam photos to be off-loaded.
I will be scanning Mom/Gamma's collection onto the drive and can certainly send it to the share site that Emma created.

Please let us know if that photo-site is still available and if so, I need the URL again.
And if the site is still alive, please resend any logon info and e-mail this group.

If all families could scan, send, and share photos, we could be creating a visual family history for those who may come after us. hhmmnn?

A picture IS worth a thousand words.

I really want to know

1. if that photo-site account that Emily made is still available
2. how do we get there.
3. can all photos be shared from there?
4. can I save from this site?

That's all.

RSVP, TYVM, K8

A few quick pictures from Emily's prom

Tonight is the night and Em and a crew of girls all gathered at a friend's house before heading out.
Because it's "the web", I cropped the girls out, but will show them all when we get up to Mass.

Meanwhile, here are a few of my girl .. she looked amazing!



And:



She's carrying one of my vintage Whiting and Davis clutches and her shoes are the same silver mesh.

Happy Birthday to Mom/Gamma!

It was a lovely day last Saturday. Mom/Gamma and her 5 kids (yup, that's be us..:>) all congregated to spend a little time and have cake and ice cream. (Thanks Peg and Colleen.. great stuff!)

Being the photographer I didn't get any pics of me (darnnit!..:>) but I did snare a few of the rest of the celebrants:







Happy Birthday Mom!!!!!

I gotta share this ...

I received this gift in the mail today from a net-friend who knew things have not been all beer and skittles around here..:>

She did this in charcoals, having seen one picture of Gwen. She is a fellow greyhound owner, but her Bella is white and fawn colored.

It just /made/ my month!

8 Months !!!

Hi Everyone,
I'm sooo sorry I have not kept up with the blog, so I'll do my best to get you up to date.
January was very busy at work with longer hours, because the Men's Wearhouse winter sale runs from Mid Dec. till the end of January. January is also Bridal show season which usually means every weekend but they only did one big one, we booked 1400 weddings at one weekend show.
The girls started their new classes, Ariel stone setting and more repair and Joelle in drafting and storyboarding. They are still at their jobs part-time. Dan started sorting and tossing in the garage.
We have not had to shovel any snow. Winter around here gets a little chilly. Turtleneck season is about 6 weeks.
In February, I got to fly to California for a big MW meeting at a resort in San Jose California. It was very pretty there I could see the Pacific as we flew in. I had a little trouble flying out and back because my reservations had beenaccidently cancelled, so I traveled by myself out and back. I got to see Las Vegas for about 15 minutes on the way home. In March, Dan and I went on our anniversary(25th ) trip to Washington,D.C.. We went for 8 days, so we could have 6 days of museums. The night we arrived I fell(wet cobblestones) walking back to the hotel and we made our first stop in DC the emergency room of George Washington University Medical Center.
I made Dan take a picture, if I can figure out how to add pictures I'll include it. Then we were off to the Natural History Museum. By the way the doctor, and the three almost a doctors said I sprained my ankle , they wrapped it and I requested crutches and we were on our way. More about that later.
We met my girlfriend Denise (Grohe)Dorn, Ret. Lt. Commander US Navy. Denise showed us around a lot and she also took us to the second Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport, where they house a space shuttle , theEnola Gay, and many other important aircraft, it was very cool.
We had a great time getting to know her daughter Rachel and husband Richard. He is a Commander for the Navy. We had a terrific time seeing as much as we could in the time allowed, but there is so much there you would need a couple of months to see it all. We saw 2 Air and Space, National Galleries, Natural History, Native American, The Spy Museum, and monuments.
Washington a really beautiful city, even on crutches. FYI if you want to get on an airplane first or get ahead in the security line bring crutches, they let you go first.
I went back to the doctor on April 3rd they x-rayed my foot again and I have been walking on a fractured 5th metatarsal, for a month. Now I have a large boot that goes up to my knee immobilizing my foot so it can heal. Oh well....
Ariel's best friend Mallory came down for her semester break to spend the week with Ariel, they had a blast. Mallory left on Sat. then my friend Maria Roy (MR. Tux) came on Sunday for a 3 day visit to get away from the snow. It was nice to see familiar faces. My sister and my dad have the computer cameras so we can have a face visit. It really helps to see people. We have seen Kynna and family a few times but we've all been very busy. I can't wait for them to open my new store and I can go back to doing just tuxedos, I haven't worked this hard in years.
Love,
Julie

Getting better...

Just found out that my "paid" time ends Monday. 4/1, so, I'm better enough to get back to work. Gotta admit, I've never been so sick in my life. For someone who is fiercely independent, I felt very vulnerable for a little while there. Glad to be back.

I hope that this spring finds everyone healthier (maybe wealthier?) and possibly even wiser.

Best wishes to all.

(Sara, thanks for the pics. Love 'em.)

K8

Make Me @ Oakland Museum

I think these are great pictures, the most professional I have seen of Make Me that is. This was a huge show I guess. Reopening of the Oakland museum. They were also mentioned in an article about the grand reopening in the Oakland Express. Big deal for the band!