The reception

Shady Hollow country club in Massillon, Ohio

My daughter and I arrived earlier in the afternoon to bag the buckeyes. Extras were laid out on silver trays. We then went on to the motel to dress for the wedding.

When we arrived after the wedding, the bar was in full swing. A huge television sat on one corner so that fans could watch the Ohio State Buckeyes play against Texas.

The buckeyes on the silver trays went like hotcakes. At the tables, most of the guests didn't even see or touch the gift bags with buckeyes in it. My sisters collected them at the end of the reception and took them home. As for me, my daughter and my niece - we don't want to see (especially smell) another buckeye for a long, long time.

The reception moved rather quickly. The entrance of the wedding party, the feast, the drinking, the toasts, the music, the dancing. The girlfriend of the brother of the groom caught the bride's bouquet. She made sure that her beau knew this fact. C'mon! Quit stallin' boy!

My web page appears to have bit the dust. Not my fault. It is my IP. They are in the process of changing over from Adelphia to Time Warner. Not sure if that has anything to do with it or not, or if the server crashed. They ain't saying. And, they don't sound positive. I discovered that I could not access my web page yesterday (September 11th). It is still down today.

I quickly setup a free account on myphotoalbum.com. To view more pictures of the wedding and the reception you can go here:

myalbum

I am going through and adding some of my older albums also. This free program is pretty nifty.

There was a lot of crazy dancing at the reception. I am happy to say that I was sane that evening. There were a couple of little babies there and I pretty much stayed in a back room away from the noise with them. My brother has informed us that they are "grand" niece and "grand" nephew. I am their "Grand" Aunt. Because my sisters are Grandmothers, I also get to be grand. Well, well, well. We were thinking it was "great" aunt and so forth. Nope. Grand!

The only incident was a couple of the bridesmaids got into a little tiff. This would be expected because after all, this was a huge event to pull off and people were tired, cranky, drunk and for nothing to happen would have been a minor miracle.

The fireworks passed and we all moved on to an enjoyable, lovely evening. Celebrate!

The formal updo's

My daughter's do on the left and my niece's on the right.

Most people would think that a headache the morning after a wedding would be caused by too much drinking. But what of the younger crowd? The teenage girls? Staying up too late? That one little sip of champagne? Nope. How about the updo?

While in the hair salon Saturday morning if you listen you can hear some very remarkable things. First of all, the receptionist talking on the phone made a personal call. Not only did she tell the person on the other end of the line that she had cervical cancer, but she told all fifteen people in the salon at the time. We all could hear her very "personal" conversation. Where are the telephone manners? Don't even get me started on people with cell phones.

Getting updos for two people and prom nails on one can result in two hours of sitting in the salon. The stylists chat with one another and they hold nothing back. Making the hair look nice is only half the battle. The other half is making sure the "do" doesn't collapse or fall out. Bobby pins are used and plenty of them. My daughter wanted chopsticks placed in her updo and her stylist stated there wasn't any room for them. She moved on to another customer.

Meanwhile another stylist began putting prom nails on my daughter. We spoke of the chopsticks. The stylist putting on the nails said that one stylist would get the chopsticks in and she called her over. The others agreed. This stylist could get any hair to stay in place. She was actually proud of the fact that all her clients got a "headache" after she was done with them. She was doing my niece's hair later that day. I called my niece and told her "not" to wash her hair - dirty hair is much easier to work with and I advised her to take 2 Advil before her appointment.

My niece took her hair down last night and I helped my daughter take hers out this evening. She wanted to wear it to school like that. My niece had about 30 bobby pins in and my daughter had over a dozen. At least my stylist used blonde pins in my hair. My niece and daughter had black bobby pins in their hair.

I have 110 photos to post on my personal web page of the wedding and the reception, but my IP is having issues. Technical difficulties. There isn't a thing I can do until they get their act together.

Tomorrow: The reception.

The Church

St. Mary's Church - Massillon, Ohio.

If the object of church makers back in the 1800's was to intimidate the mere mortal, they have accomplished such a feat with this massive church that held the wedding of my nephew and his new bride on Saturday.

One can only feel humble when entering this structure for the first time. For a real breath-taking view, take the virtual tour here.

The day was warm with a refreshing breeze. Formal wear made things a bit warm. The church was not air conditioned but it was far from hot and stuffy. The atmosphere was excited anticipation with a side of 'ready to boil over the rim' chaos. It was a large wedding (in my book).

The bells of St. Mary's chimed throughout the green wooded area all around the church. Small groups of people arrived, parked in the enormous parking lot and began to gather at the front of the church steps. They admired the wedding party dressed in their beautiful scarlet gowns and black tuxedo's. Aunts and uncles ooh'd and ahh'd over the little girl's dresses. Rarely do we dress up any more. Some of the farmers on the grooms side of the family had arrived in their best pressed clothes. In jet black and beet burgundy their dark tanned faces and arms set a contrast with the cold stone of the church steps. Without their hats, they almost looked like strangers.

Tomorrow: The updos.

Here a buckeye, there a buckeye

I've got buckeyes coming out of my ears! My daughter picked up the corded phone and yelled "Why is there peanut butter on the phone?!!!" Well, it is everywhere. I have used up every ounce of peanut butter I have in the house. I have one jar of honey peanut butter that we never ate. I didn't have to dig into it. Total count: 700. Whew!

The 3 rats arrived today in their glass aquarium. They are downstairs on a table. May they rest in peace with a house of 4 cats.

Puppy dog tails

Snaps and snails, and puppy dog tails.

Photo Friday Challenge: Boy

Buckeyes - 380!

Mmmm... creamy peanut butter. Reminds me of the movie Meet Joe Black. Where the Joe character eats peanut butter for the first time. I love peanut butter as long as it is creamy. I can't stand the crunchy. I don't like peanuts in my chocolate bars, either. Or, on my ice cream sundaes! NO! NO! NO! But, I love salted peanuts out of the can. I had to give those up because of stomach problems. Boo hoo.

One of the trickiest parts of making buckeyes is not mixing too hard when you first start out. Powdered sugar is very light and if you slip the spatula you get sugar everywhere. A big cloud of it will explode out of your bowl. So, you take your time. I have lost count of how many batches I have made. I am thinking six that survived. (We all know what happened to the first batch.)

The mutt is doing fine, though. In Sable's behalf I must mention that I did just purchase her a Kong when we were at the vet's office last week. I filled it with peanut butter a couple of times to try to keep her busy and not scratch her sore. So, I guess Sable figured anything with peanut butter in it was fair game. The entire house smells like peanut butter, powdered sugar and chocolate. It must be driving her crazy.

Nothing disastrous happened today. Almost, though. I almost dropped an entire cookie sheet of buckeyes onto the floor. Sigh. That would have been a wonderful follow-up to the fiasco yesterday, but it didn't happen. I caught myself and the little peanut butter balls rolled around a bit but remained on the tray. I am not sure I would have posted that if it did happen. You guys would probably think that I am a real klutz. Or accident prone, at least. I am none of those things. I am very sane, and practical. In fact, I am boring.

I felt a migraine coming on at about 2:00. I had 5 hours of sleep last night and two pots of coffee. Way too much caffeine. (Note: small 4 cup pot). I nipped it with one of my Relpax. I have no time for headaches this week.

So, I still have all day tomorrow and I re-stocked on supplies today. I have it down to a science, now. I am a lean, mean buckeye-making machine! Oh, and just for the record - I have eaten a total of two buckeyes. TWO. I cannot stomach any more. I am wondering if this would be a great way to rid yourself of a food addiction. Maybe? If so, I will be making pizza all next week. LOL!

Rolling of the Buckeyes - Day One

Here are the ingredients. Forget the granular sugar. That wasn't an ingredient I needed for the buckeye candies. There are buckeye trees in Ohio that produce this nut that is poisonous to eat. It (the tree's nut) was named after the eye of a deer Buck.

The candy is quite delicious. Peanut butter balls dipped in melted chocolate chips.

After mixing the ingredients, you roll the dough into little balls. Chill them for at least an hour and melt the chocolate chips into a double boiler. I use two pans. The bottom (bigger) pan I boil water in and set the smaller pan down into the water and melt the chips in it. I add paraffin wax to give the buckeyes a clear coat. In the above picture I didn't add enough wax, so I made up for that in the next batch. Use toothpicks to dip the balls into the melted chocolate. Set them on wax paper to dry. My niece and her husband came down to help, she also wanted to see how to make them so she can make her own.

There are many recipes. Just google "recipe buckeye candy" and you will get lots.

Now, for the bad news. My daughter's boyfriend is not feeling well, so after our company left we were going to run him over some herbal tea. I placed all of the buckeyes on a high counter in the kitchen and folded the wax paper over top of them so that if any cat decided to get frisky, they wouldn't be able to get to them. I had 54 buckeyes on the dining room table in a rubbermaid container with the lid on it. My niece and her husband each sampled a buckeye out of this rubbermaid container. What I didn't know is that they didn't snap the lid shut. They just sat the lid back on the container. Big mistake.

While we were gone, my dog (Sable) ate all 54 buckeyes. When I walked past the table and glanced at the container, my first thought was "where in the heck did I put those buckeyes? I don't remember moving them." Then it hit me. I saw the top layer of wax paper laying next to the container. I didn't move them. They were gone. OH NO!

I looked at Sable. She seemed fine. I showed her the empty container. Big sad brown guilty eyes. Christ dog! Do you have a death wish? I was angry. All that work! And, what in the world is going to happen to my dog? Should I call a vet? Should I look on the Internet for what to do? I was so mad I told my daughter that I didn't care if she did die. Well, she did something worse. She threw up melted, foamy buckeyes all over my living room carpet. I rushed her outside. She continued to throw up out there.

Gagging, I cleaned up the carpet mess. Let's just say I think I pulled that muscle in my neck/shoulder all over again. It was already stressed from stirring three batches of stiff buckeye dough!

Later: I called my vet. She called back about 30 minutes later. She said that a dog can safely eat 1 oz of chocolate per pound of dog. My dog is a barrel. One batch of buckeyes uses 1 12 oz bag of chocolate chips. Sable is at least 80 lbs. She kept throwing up and drinking water so we moved her outside. It is a beautiful night out. Cool and a full moon. We walked her around a bit. She is not convulsing. She is not foaming at the mouth. She is not shaky. She is in fact wagging her tail and begging our forgiveness with her big round soft brown eyes. Aw, geez! Okay, I'm not mad any more. At least not until I see the other mess the vet said to expect in the morning. Coming from the other end!

Buckeyes: zero

One of the many beautiful lakes in Eastern Ohio.

My daughter received a lot of positive comments on her hair. My niece is adjusting to the fact that she is going to move ahead with her life. I am on vacation. I bought sugar, powdered sugar, peanut butter, chocolate chips, butter, vanilla and paraffin wax. Number of buckeyes made today: A big fat zero.

Do you think it makes a big difference if you use real vanilla extract? I just finished up a bottle of the real stuff in my banana bread yesterday. Today I purchased imitation. I don't bake a lot so I have never really experimented with the imitation. My Mom used imitation.

I do know that rainy weather affects fudge and I swear it ruined my buckeyes one year. I am hoping for drier weather. I have not checked the weather. I guess it will be what it will be.

I just hope that the wedding reception does not end up in one huge buckeye throwing fight.

Cheap sunglasses

It's never too early to protect your eyes.

This is my great-nephew. His parents are getting married this week-end. Cart before the horse and all that stuff. They purchased a house a month ago. Then they are off to Nassau for a honeymoon. I forgot to ask my sister, but I suppose she is watching the bambino while they go.

The wedding is out of town so a lot of family will be staying overnight in a motel. The rooms were going quickly so I reserved all they had left. Which was three. My other sister asked if we should check into the motel room and then go to the wedding. I said "Definitely, because if they are that booked they will probably give our rooms away!"

My niece called me today crying. Her boyfriend told her to "Get out." They have been living together for 18 months. I read a book a long time ago that if couples co-habitating aren't married in 18 months, it isn't going to happen. This is the niece that stayed with me from 15 to 18.5 years. She is heartbroken.

Not a one of her friends like(d) her boyfriend. Her Mother didn't like him. I don't care for him, he can be nice - but I didn't like a lot of things that I saw. But, I believe that everybody has to learn for themselves. Nobody can tell you. She works two part-time jobs, goes to school full time and took care of most of the cleaning and cooking at his house that he shared with his dad. We (the family) felt that she was being used. Nobody could tell me anything at 19, and I feel that she is pretty much the same way. Blind to love. Love conquers all. Love at all costs. She doesn't eat very well, and I can't imagine that this is going to be very good for her.

Over the past year, she has let all her girlfriends go because of him. One recently re-newed their friendship, but she is leaving for Columbus this month for college. Maybe 2 jobs and school will be good for her. She can keep herself busy.

My daughter is bouncing around with her new haircut. She loves it. I am worried about when her roots start growing in. I swear when I combed it out for her today after her shower, the hair was pure white on the top of her head. I know it will tone down. This coming from somebody who has now dyed her hair for close to 30 years.

My daughter's style is a cut that needs some fixing up in the mornings. Not something she is very good at. We like that wash it, comb it and go hairstyle. I never use a blow dryer. My hair is dry before I am done combing it out. Well, okay - not that fast but pretty close.

This should be interesting. Lucky for me I am off all week for the buckeye marathon, and can give her hair some "style" time. But when I go back to work, she is going to have to buckle down and do it herself. She wanted the hair, she can deal with it.

So we are back to a three girl family again. My counsellor is going to raise her eyebrows at me for not telling my niece "No, you can't come back." How can I turn my back on her? I helped to raise her for crying out loud. My niece has 3 rats. I have 4 cats. This should be very interesting.

Hair cut

Daughter's new haircut and color.

My daughter has been after me to let her get her hair dyed black underneath and bright blonde on the top. We did that today. The beautician talked us into going with a rich coffee brown on the bottom layer. My daughter doesn't think it is dark enough, but I told her with all of the black she wears, you wouldn't even be able to see the underside. She also had it layered. Her chore list is pretty long for this bill.

She is very happy with it. I have to admit, I was a bit anxious about it, but it turned out really nice. It has improved her self esteem enormously. She doesn't look like my daughter. I have to adjust.

This week I will perform a new endeavor. I have titled it "The Rolling of the Buckeyes".

Pondering

What gets me, is if this 'headache' episode is from a pulled muscle during my "rage" incident on Friday the 25th, why didn't it hurt on Saturday, Sunday and Monday? Other than lack of sleep, I was fine on Saturday. Sunday I had my usual migraine behind my left eye. My prescription medicine took care of that. Monday I was tired, but okay. Tuesday morning I had another 'thunderclap' headache. Wednesday a dull ache. Thursday day - I was fine. Thursday afternoon another 'thunderclap' headache. Friday - dull ache. Saturday dull-ache. Headache woke me up this morning, that is why I am sitting here on the computer.

Changing the subject (Thank God!). We have had a big cold front move through the Ohio valley. A bit of rain, too. School started, work picked up. I get to make buckeyes and I hope I don't eat too many of them. They are my favorite candy/cookie. If I find my camera (house is still in a semi-Atomic explosion state), I'll take pictures of the "rolling of the buckeyes". The plan is to make 1,000 of them? 500? As many as I can, I guess. I am thinking that they will end up just being thrown at other people at the reception. A huge buckeye cookie fight. LOL!

Pain or something like it

Something swirled in Paint Shop.

A few years back, maybe a decade or two, Kenny Rogers had a song out that had the line "Love or something like it's got a hold on me." Pain or something like it's got a hold on me. Not so bad today. Thursday afternoon we took Sable to the vet's office. She had scratched a sore on the side of her face under her right ear. I suspected ear mites, but again the vet said it was her allergies.

I had to hold Sable down while the doctor shaved the hair from around the sore. Sable didn't like it one bit and she is a big dog. The exertion of holding her down brought me a headache that slams into the back of my head like a crowbar. Again, it lasts five minutes and then retreats to a dull ache. Friday night, Tuesday morning and now, Thursday afternoon.

My description is like somebody taking a crowbar and sinking it into the back of your skull. Then they begin to pry it towards them in an attempt to pull your head off.

I researched on the Internet. The closest I could find to what I was experiencing is called a "Thunderclap" headache. The doctor went through the normal examination. No numbness, dizziness or tingling. Thankfully, it doesn't appear to be an aneurysm. She diagnosed a pulled muscle and sent me home with a prescription for muscle relaxers and the name of a masseuse. "Say what?" Yep. Giving her (the doctor) the benefit of the doubt, maybe the pulled muscle is causing the exertion headaches. Maybe she realizes the same thing I read on the Internet. There ain't much you can do for a "thunderclap" headache. Wonderful.

Oh, and the masseuse is $120.00 for an hour and a half. First visit must be an hour and a half. You know insurance won't pay. They said 99.9% don't. That would be too wonderful. I am debating the massage.

Meanwhile I am on day two of the relaxers. Big deal. Doctor told me to relax for the next week. I have been sick for over five days. Do you know what kind of state my house is in? Major atomic bomb site. Relax, my butt. Maybe she has a maid. I wonder just how in touch professionals are with the rest of us out here in the real world.

I also wonder what life would be like without all of these headaches. I have had some good days and sometimes I stop and get real quiet. What would it be like to feel this way every single day? I wouldn't be so grumpy. I wouldn't be so mean and nasty. I would make crafts and paint again. The smell of paints or glue wouldn't bother me. I could stay outside and work. The weather changes wouldn't bother me, either. Oh, get real.

My oldest brother and sister's migraines stopped when they retired from their jobs. They rarely get one any more. I still use the relaxation CD. Two years, now.

I am rambling. I am tired. Can headaches be recognized like a major illness such as diabetes? Or, arthritis? When somebody says they have diabetes, people kind of know what they are speaking of. Take your medicine and you should be okay. When you mention migraines, you kind of get a look like "Uh huh." Sometimes people like to think they know what causes your headaches. You must be eating too much cheese, chocolate and red wine. You need to take vitamins. You're breathing wrong. You must be allergic to some foods. You sit wrong. You walk wrong. You wear the wrong type of shoes. You need to walk more. You need to drink more water. You take too many 'over the counter' pills. Oh, there are more. Many more. I've heard my share.

Over the past 30 years with my migraines I have discovered the major triggers (for me):

1. Hormones
2.Weather change
3.Change in sleep patterns
(I don't care what they say about going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time each and every day. Sometimes you have to go out on a week-end and stay up late! I do like to socialize, you know!)
4.Smells such as perfume and cigarette smoke
5.Stress, I guess.
6.Onions, I think.

I never know when I am under stress. I have become so conditioned to saying "I am fine" when anyone asks me, I don't give it a second thought. A lot of migraines come after the stress episode.

We watched "Eight Below" today. About the sled dogs. I can't believe we waited this long to watch it. My daughter really likes the husky-type dogs. I don't. I can't stand a blue-eyed dog for some weird reason. I don't trust them. My Sable has the big soft brown eyes.

We have "Failure to Launch" to watch for tomorrow or Monday. I am trying to relax but I can't stand to sit in the living room and watch a movie when I look around and this needs done and that needs done.

At least this holiday week-end I am free from get togethers. Well, a birthday party last night but no cook-outs. Since last week-end was the graduation party and next week-end is the big wedding, I guess everybody needs some breathing room.

I hope I kick this latest headache episode before the wedding! That would certainly be a damper.

I know that I have to mow the grass soon. I can't let it go very much longer. Just give me one good day, and hopefully on that good day it is dry enough to mow.

Silky

Shasta sitting on the grass.

Friday's Photo Challenge: Silver.

Green on green

Green dragon fly in Sherrodsville, Ohio - Carroll county.

Another blogger posted theirs and I remembered mine.

Well, I am not laughing today. My headache managed to go away for two hours this afternoon. I had taken two Advil. The school had their hall doors open and the breeze was very pleasant. I thought to myself "Ahhh, the cold front must have finally moved into the area."

It was a short reprieve. The headache came roaring back. Only this time it was gone from the back of my head and moved to it's usual place. Behind my left eyeball. Sunglasses back on. I broke down and took a migraine pill at 4:15. I went to the grocery store. I began to feel much better. I bought some much needed supplies.

I brought the groceries home and fixed my daughter and I a vegetable pizza and chicken salad on fresh croissants. We drank milk with our meal. I choked on my milk and took a coughing fit. That was all my head needed. Right back to the throbbing. I threw my food and plate in the sink and tried to lay down. The coughing had loosened up everything in my head and I kept on coughing for about twenty minutes.

I just said the heck with it and sat up and am posting. Some days you just can't win.

Only when I breathe

Today was not a very good day. I awoke and took my shower. I bent over to pick up my wet towel and instant pain shot up the back of my neck. My head began to throb. I have had a headache on and off for about four days. It does not seem to want to respond to medication. There has been stormy weather around here.

I had an educational office down (without Internet) and I drove there to reboot the equipment and swap out the power pack to the unit, hoping that would fix the problem. I walked with my head stiffly bent to the side. I kept my sunglasses on. I talked through gritted teeth. I was short with co-workers. I apologized to them and explained that I was in pain.

At 10:35 I called my doctor. The receptionist stated that the doctor had a cancellation at 10:30 and I was too late to make that. I was trying to explain this headache to her. I mentioned that I had a "rage incident" on Friday night that started a severe pain in the back of my neck. It went away after about fifteen minutes. I said "You know how you hear people talking and they say after road rage or a serious argument they get a severe headache pain..." I went on trying to make sense. When she repeated it back to me she said "You hear people talking but they really aren't there..."

OH. MY. GOD.

Okay. I WAS on a cell phone. I reluctantly started to laugh. I didn't want to laugh. It was going to hurt something awful, but I really couldn't help it. Even now I am smiling and it feels like someone is taking a can opener to the back of my head. I bent over I was laughing so hard. It hurt like the dickens. I re-explained things to her and after all was said and done she must have figured that if I could laugh, I didn't need to see the doctor. She fit me in on Friday morning. Whatever. I went home sick at lunch.

I have been in pain before with a headache. In my late teens and early twenties I did not carry medical insurance and I never went to the doctor. I rode my migraines out laying in bed with a bowl of ice water to dip my washcloth in and then lay it over my eyes. It usually took 8 hours of sleeping fitfully, throwing up and another 16 hours before it was gone for good. My body was freezing cold but my head would be as hot as an iron.

It is just that back then I didn't have a child. I didn't have pets to take care of. I didn't have dishes stacking up in the sink. I didn't have noises in the house. My Mom was very quiet and I was the youngest - the rest of the siblings were gone. The phone rarely rang back then.

Now it is easier for me to keep myself busy when I have a headache. It seems that if I lay still all I dwell on is the pain. Throbbing, throbbing pain. And I get physically sick. Anymore I move around quietly doing this and doing that. I wear my sunglasses. I listen to the television but keep my eyes covered with a sleep mask. The story keeps my mind occupied and distracts me from the pain. My legs and feet are rubbing together moving a mile a minute. The swaying motion rocks my body and keeps the throbbing at bay so I don't reach up and try to rip my head off.

I used to scratch myself all up when I had these headaches. It transferred the pain elsewhere. For a while. (It may have released endorphins, I don't know). But, the gritting of my teeth while I scratched my arms or face made the throbbing start again. But the absolute worst was throwing up. The exertion made my head feel like it was going to shoot right off of my shoulders. A lot of the time I wish that it would have. There was one time (only once) that I considered ending it all because of the pain. I just wanted the pain to stop.

I imagine by Friday I will be pain free. My regular appointment is in September and I will probably cancel Friday and keep the one next month.

Persistence

Protractor

What is normally abundant in stores all across America becomes evasive and eludes the school shopping Mom. I do believe that some sick Math and/or Science teacher goes along the stores all summer long purchasing every single protractor and compass on the shelves. And, he or she is laughing that strange weird laugh that Pink Floyd laughs during their song "Brain Damage".

The lunatic is in my head....Ha..ha..ha..ha..ha..ha..ha..ha.....!

My daughter and I saw other classmates with their Mom's struggling from store to store this evening also searching for the all elusive protractor. We got the last compass at Staples. Needed was a spiral sketchbook diary and a protractor. Staples had neither. Wal-Mart had neither. Driving home wondering if I had any stashed in my endless supply of "stuff" I decided to turn up the road to Rite Aid. Twenty minutes before closing time. We found the spiral sketchbook, but the hanging stem for protractors remained empty. Sigh. We moved toward the checkout counter. Out of the corner of my eye I saw another aisle with folders. I turned. Hanging were two protractors. Buy one get one free. I grabbed them ($1.99 total) and told my daughter to sell the spare one to the highest bidder tomorrow. LOL!

Catching my breath

Little imp

It has been a long week-end. Big family college graduation party on Friday, company all week-end, and the first day of school is tomorrow. And, I was blessed with a migraine today. Too little sleep, too much rich foods and a lot of "UP" time while helping out with the get together. Drains me.

Circle

Photo Friday Challenge: Circle

One of my little plastic ice cream dishes scanned in and given a burst of light.

Anybody home?

Two story red brick.

Sometimes, while driving along I will take a picture of a house. Then, later when I download it onto my PC and zoom in and look at it, I will wonder about the house and it's occupants. I am not even sure the above house is occupied. The photo was taken in June of this year. The grass has not been mowed although it isn't completely out of control like a field would be. There are curtains hanging in the windows.

Maybe there are two elderly sisters living there. Puttering around in that big old house with just their memories to keep them company. There is an old television in the corner but neither of them watch it. (Hence the tower antenna).

They have knick knacks galore. One of them may go along and dust them every so often. Picking up an old picture and staring at it for a few minutes. Remembering the old days and wondering where have they gone? Was it really sixty years ago that we used to kick up our heels at that ballroom and kiss the soldiers when they came back from the war?

From the back of one of the pictures an old and yellowed tattered piece of paper will fall out and once again she will read his handwriting. How much he misses her and how lonely it is all the way over there in a foreign land. Fighting for our freedom. He never came home. She carefully re-folds the paper and places it gently back into the picture frame. She reaches for her tissue which is always bunched up in her dress pocket and wipes her eyes. Another place, another time.

Gone with the wind - shield wiper

I don't know which is uglier. The dead bug or the arm of my windshield wiper.