Saying Goodbye to Dad

On August 9th, around 2:30 AM, my father passed away in his sleep, comfortably and peacefully. The link is to my Dad's Obituary. I still find it very difficult to write or talk about this. I have so many memories of him that they swirl around in my head like a kaleidoscope. Everything I have, I owe to my father.

Here he is in Florida, holding up a nice size Snook. It took us a dozen fishing trips to catch one of these elusive fish. His smile says it all.

I've have been overwhelmed by the caring support of my friends and neighbors. I cannot begin to say how much I appreciate all of you. I received beautiful cards from Chicago Lady, my older brother's in-laws, my mom's niece that lives in Maine, Far Side, Soul Comfort, my dad's first cousin's wife, A Bench With a View, Alice Kay, and Lady Styx and her husband. So many texts and emails I can only hope to answer them all eventually; visits from neighbors, some bearing plates with food, and some marvelous flowers - including one from a client that sits on my office desk beside my keyboard.

On his last day with us, I wheeled my dad out to the porch where we watched the birds at the feeders. We had dozens of visits from Hummingbirds. At the other feeder were Cardinals, Woodpeckers, Goldfinches, Purple Finches, Tuffed Titmouse's, Sparrows, Blue Jays, Catbirds, Mockingbirds, Orioles, and even a Squirrel that the feeder spun off to the ground three times before he or she gave up. It was a calming time for both of us.

I still can't believe he is gone.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Over the Thanksgiving Day holiday, my older brother and I were out for a walk on the Delaware Canal towpath - it was a very nice late autumn day. The sun shone brightly against the white bark of the Sycamores.

My brother and I got to talking about a Thanksgiving a couple years ago, when my father was very ill and spent the holiday in the hospital, coming home only to have dinner with us on Thanksgiving day. We added up all the "life-threatening" moments he has had in the past few years - since his quintuple bypass surgery - and the tally stood at once every other year - for well over a decade.

This year, Dad celebrated his 80-th birthday with a trip to the Kidney Doctor, where he was told to go on a very low potassium diet. He being diabetic, he can actually eat very little as it is - and now it is even less. But...

On a dreary day, he and my mom were surprised by their Church and they had a nice celebration with folks that care about him (and good folks that they care about in return). He got some funny cards, some small gifts and a huge cake! Mom and I looked the other way while he enjoyed a small bit topped with creamy, sugary icing.

Happy Birthday Dad! Keep plugging away!

The Office Move Is Over

The old office a couple days before settlement was nearly empty. The day before settlement, we got 10 inches of snow. Fortunately, I had spent the weekend prior to that moving the remaining "big and heavy" items! I was and am also tremendously grateful for the kindness of the one of the old office neighbors that helped clear the snow from the parking lot and walkways on the day of settlement - making the "walk through" go very smoothly. He is a gem and a real gentleman.

The books all moved, weeded out, sorted and arranged on shelves.

The provisioning of the phones and Internet services went smoothly even though there was 5 inches of muddy slushy snow on the ground. Verizon gets an A+ for this.

The servers were in a rack but the rack was too tall to fit on in this room (being 8 feet 4 inches tall. So I placed the servers on a mobile cart. I think this arrangement actually works better since I can push the cart away from the wall to get at the wiring behind the servers.

The new phone lines (voice and fax) went in seamlessly, and the new Internet connection was quickly "configured" for the new IP addresses.

One of the moving days was hampered by a 1/4 inch glaze of "black ice". Oh joy! No injuries to man or cargo occurred though.

After the "sorting through" all the all stuff, I actually ended up with a bunch of empty shelves. No fear, we will fill them soon! I raised the painting about 8 inches - and hung a lot of the other "artwork" so the new office seems more comfortable. The blue lighted gizmos on top are routers and computer backup devices.

UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supplies) getting tested - the last time I tested some of them was 2007. 4 of the 5 still work properly. These things have lead batteries in them and weight 20-30 pounds each and are a pain to move!

There are still some odds and ends to "find a home" for and some sorting, sifting and (hopefully throwing away) to do - mostly my unorganized brother's "stuff."

Thanksgiving Weekend

This Thanksgiving, I went down to the seashore with my parents. I always enjoy the "winter beach" and the lack of crowds during the off-season. We left just before a Nor'easter storm left 4 or 5 inches of snow in my neighborhood and I only saw only some cold wet rain as the snow was gone by the time I returned home.

I did some overdue maintenance work on a garden shed, Superstorm Sandy had blown off some roof shingles and I set about cleaning out the shed and mending the roof. After getting the shed in order, I went down to the beach to listen to the surf. I took a half dozen photos, and I like how the seagull in the foreground might look like he made some footprints.

About a month ago, I was rooting through some old boxes with stuff my Grandfather left behind, and in with the "debris" of a long life (i.e., "trash") I found a family heirloom.

A silver plated carving set. I was immediately transported back 40-45 years in time to a Thanksgiving Dinner at my grandparents, parents, brothers, and my Uncle Jim, Aunt Mary, and their son Paddy. My grandmother had spent the day setting the big table in her dinning room, and now we all sat down to give thanks and to eat a feast fit for kings. My Uncle Jim, in his booming voice filled with laughter, saying, "Well, Harry! Bring on the bird!!"

My grandfather would then bring the huge (usually a 25 pound plus) turkey from the kitchen through the swinging door to the end of the long table. He would then make a few swipes of the carving knife on the sharpener (it really didn't need it, as my grandfather had fully sharpened it an hour or two beforehand) and set about carving white meat for those that wanted white meat and dark meat for those that wanted dark meat, and always gave me and my younger brother a drumstick apiece too.

This Thanksgiving, my parents and I ate a much smaller turkey carved with the carving set my great-grandfather first used in the 1920's. You might notice someone got a drumstick.

We talked about the many delicious meals we shared with my Uncle Jim, Aunt Mary and Paddy, and how much we always enjoyed being with them. It was hard to believe it has been over 30 years now since we last ate with him.

And as fate would have it, hungry for something warm after a cold day spent outside, we ran short of mashed potatoes, which reminded us of the time my grandmother spent hours peeling and boiling potatoes and mashed them by hand only to find the heaping bowl full only went 2/3ds of the way around the table! She was visibly mortified - and no amount of telling her, "there was more than ample food to make up for it," would make her less embarrassed. Through the hub-bub, my cousin Paddy* pipes up, "Boy these mashed potatoes sure are good!" It turns out that he had innocently taken half the bowl, so Aunt Mary rescued some of them and we all had some mashed potatoes after all!

*Cousin Paddy, James J. Dunn the III had Down's Syndrome and was a big, gruff, but wonderfully big-hearted soul. He spent many hours setting up his huge HO train set and tracks so that his cousins (my brothers and I) would be able to play with them when we came to visit him.

The long delayed arrival of Spring

Early "wire rope" bridge - Reigelsville, PA - Friends of the Delaware Canal Luncheon

When the American Shad come up the river from the Ocean to spawn, you know it's Spring. These fish are credited with "saving" Washington's starving soldiers at Valley Forge. Alosa Sapidissima are the guests of honor (so to speak) at the local Shad Festival.

The farmhouse for the farm that was made into a housing development that my parents live in.

A tree downed by the ice storm blocks the Delaware Canal towpath near Washington Crossing, PA.

My neighbor finally put his Christmas tree out at the curb for pickup the last day of March. Another sure sign of Spring.

The eatery at the side of the Perkiomen Trail is once more open for business. A nice sign of Spring - I'm kind of attached to this one.

Hard to see in the photo - but the surest sign of Spring to me, are the "return of the turtles" that climb onto logs to sun themselves!

In the past week, the Daffodils have exploded into bloom. I was overjoyed to see these guys!

A Forsythia bush at the Morris Arboretum.

Pots filled with Tulips greet the sun at the Arboretum.

And, yes, the migrating Orange Cones are back...

Terribly Late

During this long, cold winter, I was blessed with some sunshine in my mailbox. Anne, of PhamilyBlog sent me a package, a giveaway gift several weeks ago. I am ashamed to say it took me so long to get this entry posted. The gift had some sleepy time tea in it, so perhaps that is why? The cold weather definitely makes me want to go to sleep ala Rip Van Winkle, until Spring arrives!

Also inside the package were some Colorado-themed playing cards, a 2014 lighthouse calendar, a big bag of Boyer's coffee (perhaps I need to drink more of this to "counteract" the sleepy time tea?) and you know, it might sound odd, but the items were packed with newspapers from Colorado - and I found a few "funny pages" with comics, crossword puzzles, and Sudoku puzzles!

You may have noticed in my Flickr account, a fair number of lighthouses - well, my parents are "lighthouse fanatics" and will go to great lengths to see and visit them. They have even traveled to England, Ireland, and Wales to see some of them. Most recently, they visited the lighthouse in Jupiter, Florida.

The wonderful giveaway gift!

My mom and dad on top of Crooked River River Lighthouse, Carrabelle, Florida

My mom standing next to a light house made from glass beer bottles, Carrabelle, Florida

Thank you Anne!! Your giveaway gift is super! Thank you so much!!

A Welcomed Phone Call

After a week in the hospital, a minor heart attack, congestive heart failure, edema, and an episode of massive internal bleeding - my dad called me on his cellphone saying "I'm on my way home."

This past Thanksgiving was "interrupted" and found the family gathered together, including my brother and his family from out of town, scrambling about and supporting each other as my dad was very much under the weather. The Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving, he suffered massive bleeding, and ended up having an emergency in the ER (he passed out while going to the bathroom). Many units of blood transfusions later, he developed edema and that triggered a heart attack. The doctors implanted a pacemaker a couple days ago (was it Tuesday? forgive me things are a blur) and then treated him for the aftermath of the edema treatment (apparently the drugs for that temporarily (hopefully!) messed up his kidney function).

No phone call has ever been more welcomed.

I thank all of you for your kind words - your prayers - and your unstinting support. I am truly blessed with the best of friends.

On Thanksgiving, my family understood - really understood - what being thankful really means... it's not for "stuff"... it's for blessings. We were thankful for the hospital ER staff that saved my dad's life. We all want him to be able to pull in more Red Drum and other fish like the one pictured - on another day.

Halloween Swap Goodies!

I recently got some really "good mail" - a package with goodies from my Halloween Swap partner Francine at Primitive Stars!  Thank you Francine!

The swap was arranged and coordinated by wonderful Parsley at Seasons of My Mind. I am thankful I know her!

Francine sent a wooden Smiling Black Cat wearing a pumpkin-themed witches hat "door greeter". I think that expression is so "me"!

The handmade, primitive candy corn pillow is a delight as is the homemade Halloween greeting card!  Francine finds and creates some of the most interesting "primitive" items, like starts, bowls, and other things.  They are most eye-catching.

The box with the smiling black cat on it contains big candy corn kernels and the rectangular box contains pure maple sugar candies! Those will be a treat for sure!

The little pumpkin candle smells to nice, I'm thinking I won't ever light it up!

The 'cinnamon fire' Jolly Ranchers are a boyhood favorite - I always loved how the intense flavor exploded in your mouth! As an aside, I also found it interesting that the Jolly Rangers were made in at Hershey, PA, just "down the road" from me, went all the way to Francine in Canada and back again!

Thanks again Francine! And thank you, Parley for doing the hard work of setting this swap up! It was so very nice!

Boston On My Mind

Sometimes, timing is everything.

My mother called me this morning and said, "I was standing in front of the hotel where that bomb exploded, just a couple weeks ago."

My mother was born and raised in the city of Boston. Her grandfather was a streetcar conductor from the poor neighborhood of Paisley, Scotland who came to this country seeking an opportunity.

Somehow, through a turn of fate, his daughter met a sailor boy from the wild, exotic "Indian Territory" that became Oklahoma and a few years later, my mom was born.

Yesterday I got a package in the mail from a cousin in Arizona. Inside where some photos I've never seen before.

A short while later, I heard the news of the Boston Marathon bombing.

I found myself wanting to escape all the ugliness of the world, into the soft flowers of the coming spring... like I did this past weekend...  but my mind kept dragging me back... but... I can escape backwards in time. At least briefly.

A Christmas holiday in Jamaica Plains, Boston, Massachusetts, 1949.  My mom is holding a guitar on the far left, her older sister holds an unknown little girl with a doll.  My grandmother sits behind my grandfather who is playing with one of my cousin's toy.  My boy cousin looks like he has a ray gun or something aimed at the camera.  My cousin Belle (Isabella, my grandmother's sister) sits with her father and my great-grandfather Robert McPherson on the sofa. ...Pondering who the mystery girl was... another photo fell out of the package...

A simple scene.  But so powerful to me.  My mom's mother stands in the snow, having shoveled out to the clothesline behind the farmhouse in Milton Mills, New Hampshire.  My best memories of her are from this very place.  The field behind the farmhouse, heading out to the trees (and a stone wall) were not farmed, but held wild clover and strawberries that smelled so good in the basking heat of the summer sun.

My grandmother had a twinkling eye and a low chuckle she would use to express her obvious glee and delight she took when me or my brothers did something "cute."

Her last 10 years spent with failing memories as her numerous strokes to away her personality and in fact, her very being, were very hard - especially on my mom - who visited the nursing care facility she was in, faithfully week after week.  My seeing her with such life in her eyes was a special moment and a treat indeed.  I can't thank my cousin enough for this...

What my great-grandfather would have thought of the bombing of a race on Patriot's Day, I do not know.  I scarcely know what to make of it myself.  I hear that many of the citizens of Boston have opened their homes and wallets to those that are far from home and stunned and shocked by this ugly event.  I saw in the videos shown all over, over and over again, a large number people running towards those that were hurt and maimed to offer help and aid...  Knowing Boston as a "removed Bostonian," I'm not at all surprised.  The people there are "Yankees" in the best and most admirable sense of the word.

Going To Try...

I'm going to try to post something today.

I've said that daily for about 4 weeks.

Then the motivation dribbles out onto the floor... and runs down the drain.

Deep breath.

Gonna try to "do it" this time...

It's been hard, really hard to find energy and motivation... one could blame this awful heat we've been having it... but I know that's not it...

Recently, I've been contacted by a "never met, distant cousin" who wrote to me saying, "Hey, would you be interested in some old photos we were given (from the settling of an estate) that appear to have the 'Mousley Crew' in them? We received several old boxes full of albums."

Of course, I said, "Yes!"


From the bottom, Franklin, Marshall, and Elmer. I've written about Franklin before, he with the diary dating to 1910-1912, and Elmer, an electrical engineer that helped set up one of the first trans-Atlantic radio stations in Tuckerton, NJ.

These gentlemen were my cousins, 3 times removed or my great-grandfather's cousins. They must have been a handful while growing up.

Which brings us to the connection between me and my "never met cousin" that sent me the photos.


Sarah "Sadie" Mousley was the wife of Thomas Charles Mousley and the mother of Franklin, Marshall and Elmer. I think I would have liked Sadie... there is something in her expression that hints of fine humor.

Thomas C., ran a brass foundry his father (my 3rd great grandfather) started in Philadelphia back around 1860.

Sadie's brother George Hammond had a daughter named Grace, who apparently assembled all of the recently uncovered photo albums. Sadie was Grace's aunt.


In the album are photos of Franklin, Elmer and Marshall as young boys and later men, in various locations like "down on the farm" "at the beach" (Wildwood, NJ) and what looks like somewhere in Philadelphia, likely the Mousley or the Hammond home.

Above we see in the back row (left to right): Marshall, Papa (George Hammond), Elmer, Thomas C., Leon(?) and in the front: Jas. W.(?), Mrs. S(treitz?), Sadie Mousley, Florence Sailor(?), and Franklin holding George (Hammond Jr.?)

I don't think Franklin changed much in his appearance over the years. I'm going to sort out the other photos and figure out who these other people are - hopefully soon.

There. I did it. I posted something. I need to give myself a high-five. Now to tackle several hundreds of unread posts you've written the past 6 weeks or more.

Got to try...

Memory Hole

I sit in an empty and quiet office this dreary afternoon. It's been a busy couple weeks with numerous 12 hour work days work and having some doctor recommended testing done - the work has been mentally exhausting, there being a lot of new "things" to learn, the testing has left this human pin cushion, black, blue, and yellow.

The results of the testing was good news - the old ticker was unharmed by the blood clots that knocked me off my feet last October - the EKG trace nice and regular with no sign of abnormal valve noises or miscues. The blood thinners continue to do their thing, and the blood remains at a steady "just thin enough" state (which apparently is not usually the case).

This rainy but warm morning, found me at a funeral home some miles away - where my former Scoutmaster Joe Hartman laid in rest. The minister gave a nice talk and asked for people in the audience of about eighty or so to help her celebrate Joe's life by recalling a favorite memory or two.

My brother recalled times long past - events from the mid-1970s... a camping trip in Maine that the Troop took in two vehicles, one van and Joe's orange and white VW micro-bus. To pass the time on the way, we played chess between the two vans via CB radio (there was no such thing as cellphones back then). One of the boys in the troop was a Chess Wizard - he was one of the smartest guys I have ever known.

Once, I took a shuffled deck of 52 cards, and showed him the cards, one by one, but only for a second or so each... 5 minutes later, he said, "Okay, the cards are... and promptly and correctly rattled off the 52 cards, both number and suite, in the right order.

Anyway, he played a chess board in the "Creamsicle," as the VW micro-bus was called...and my brother and I and 5 other Scouts played a board in the van. He beat us all - four consecutive times...and if that wasn't bad enough, when we pulled over at a rest stop, we learned that they didn't even have a chessboard - he did it all from memory!

On the other hand, there was a boy that was, shall we say ... loyal, and dependable... but he really struggled with things. One of the few requirements for "advancement" in the ranks of Boy Scouts is learning First Aid and getting the merit badge. This poor kid just couldn't "get it".

Scoutmaster Joe pulled him aside one camping trip "down the shore" and said, "We really need to get this thing worked out." So the infamous (to us) Calamine Lotion All-nighter was held.

You probably know that Calamine Lotion is pink and is used to ease the itch from Poison Ivy. Well, so did this Boy Scout. But his first aid knowledge began and ended there. Every first aid-related question asked in the First Aid merit badge exam, he answered "Calamine Lotion."

"What is the treatment for Shock?"

"Calamine Lotion...nn?"

"What do you do for a sprained ankle?"

"Umm... You use Calamine Lotion. I think."

...and so it went. My Scoutmaster assigned older boys to drill first aid questions and answers... at first it was two boys, 15-20 minutes each... and then 2 more... and 2 more... and then the rotation started and each boy did 30 minutes....

The sunset on the bay to the sounds of "No, no, noooooo... forget Calamine Lotion!! Think!! Think!!!" and the same sun rose hours later over the ocean to the hoarse whispers of "Oh my gosh! He got one right!!!"

I left the troop that year and it was several years later, when I came across this boy's name in the newspaper. The headline read, "EMT Saves Life of 5 Year Old" and my interest piqued, I read on and found that the EMT had pried open the door of a burning car, pulled the young girl out, and revived her with CPR. I gasped out loud when I saw the name of the EMT... you guessed it, it was none other than Mr. Calamine Lotion. I think I sat there in a daze for quite some time with the newspaper fallen from my hand.

One of my memories was of Scoutmaster Joe having a "who can make the hottest Chili contest." I prided knowing my way around a campstove and made up a batch. Joe sampled it and smacked his lips and said, "Hmmm... Meh... barely warm but no... that's not Chili." I said, "Oh well, more of whatever it is for me!" and about burned my lips off eating it.

Other boys made batches, and my brother, who had cooked a pot of jalapeno peppers and navy beans that left me unable to taste anything at all for 3 days, got a, "Hmm.. getting warmer... that's almost edible chili..." Finally Scoutmaster Joe decided to show us all how it was done. Even though I only had one spoonful, I don't think I could even speak for the rest of the weekend except to ask for a ice cold glass of "WAATT-AHHH!" You've hear tales of coffee being strong enough to stand a spoon in... well this chili was strong enough to melt the spoon! Scoutmaster Joe sat there with a big steaming bowl of the "stuff" and chowed down on it. I don't think there was a single boy in that Troop without wide opened eyes and admiration of his "unique talent"!

Some of the other folks at the funeral were neighbors of 45 years... recalling rides my Scoutmaster had given them when their cars broke down; and snow plowing help; and being offered dozens of plump red tomatoes from his garden; and help finding lost dogs and dog sitting at a moments notice and all the things only the best neighbor in the whole world would do...

Some of the folks were members of the local RV club - and recalled RV trips over 15 years - where the story was the very same - ever dependable - always available to lend a hand...

I was honored to be ask to be a pallbearer. The ground was wet and muddy. The rain came down. It mattered not at all... I was privileged to have been there for part of his journey through life... and truly honored to be there to bear the burden of his final one.

I've been mentally worn down of late - and as I sit in this empty office... the sun has burst through the clouds... and I feel less worn and will in a few days, be ready to get back into work... and hopefully catch up with what all of you have been up to.

Secret Penpal Revealed!

When Parsley of Seasons of My Mind organized a secret penpal for anyone that wanted to join in with writing letters to someone, I decided to join - We were to write around the first of the month for several months and then, this month, write and tell our secret penpal and tell them who we were.

I knew a couple things - one, writing someone a letter for several months would be difficult for me. I'm not a "creature of habit" and I rarely doing anything on a schedule - including, much to my Doctor's despair, taking pills and eating at a fixed time. On the other hand, I knew that whoever I would be writing to (I can't reveal that, or at least not just yet!) and whoever would be writing me, would be really nice people.

So I took the plunge and a couple months, had a struggle with "getting the letter" out the door. One of the things that kept me going was "I promised Parsley" and the other was the awesome letters from the secret person writing to me! Gosh, they were so nice - and so inspirational.

And at long last, I know who my secret penpal is!

She not only has beautiful handwriting and makes beautiful cards - her blog is beautiful too! Shelley's Artsy Fartsy Life. I found some photos of her enjoying her vacation with her family (here) and hey! Who can resist a Tow Mater And Lightning McQueen fan!

Had I know about her birthday which was December 10th, I would have given her a "Happy Birthday" shout out!

Thank you Shelley! I'm pleased to "meet" you! Thanks for all the Cones!

Thank you Parsley for organizing this whole thing!

And don't forget... "Talk To The Cone!" (The Orange Cone Museum is going to love him/her/it!)

:)

Thanksgiving Holiday

It might be a little early for the Thanksgiving holiday - but it's never too early to be thankful. I'd like to share some recent mail and e-mail and express my thanks.


A beautiful Thanksgiving Day card from my secret penpal! I can hardly wait to find out who this person is! They have send some wonderful mail over the past few months! I hope to be able to link to their blog soon! My thanks to Parsley for organizing the secret penpals!


A touching Thanksgiving Day and Get Well e-card from Pamela of The Dust Will Wait. I don't think there is anyway to say it better!


A touching "thinking of you" photograph from Betty and Koda of A Corgi in Southern California. A genuine Barbershop Cone-tet! And two big green boxies (the ultimate bass singers!)


Betty and Koda hit the jackpot! Dozens and dozens of brand new, never been in the wild, cones! This sweet sounding Choir is going to give the Harlem Gospel Singers and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir a run for their fifteen minutes of fame this holiday season!

And lastly (for now), I wanted to share some pages from the eclectic book ChicagoLady sent me. You can probably see why I find this book delightful!


Those Darn Squirrels! by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri Calrion Books, New York.

The story is about a grump named Old Man Fookwire. I clipped the page off when I scanned it in - the text reads:

"The only thing he liked was birds.

All summer long, the old man painted pictures of the birds that visited his backyard. There were whirley birds and bonga birds, baba birds and yaba birds. Even a rare floggle bird came by once or twice.

Fookwire's paintings weren't very good, but the birds never said anything."



"Not many people know this, but squirrels are the cleverest of all woodland creatures. In fact, they're fuzzy geniuses! They can make a house out of a tree, a bed out of a bunch of leaves, a box kite out of twigs, dirt, and squirrel spit. They are also excellent at math."

Old Man Fookwire does not like squirrels - in fact, he doesn't anything at all - other than birds. So you can imagine what happens when the crafty squirrels visit Old Man Fookwire's carefully tended bird feeders.

:)

Extra Special Good Mail

As you know, I had a love seat full of extra special, good mail when I got home from the "Spa" and inside the boxes and envelopes were some of the nicest thoughts - and oodles of laughs. I can't say thank you enough. I hope I've not missed anyone - if I have, please feel free to kick me in the rump.


Left-to-right, top-to-bottom: birthday card from Cindy, birthday card from my older brother and his family, A very cute get-well from Betty and Koda, get-well card from Rebecca, get-well card from an anonymous Orange Cone, autographed Tom Baker photograph, the Fourth Doctor Who, from Tori and Kelly.


A beautiful handmade get-well card from Punkn...


A hilarious audio card from LadyStyx... Don't forget to play the video!


A "double rainbow" card from my younger brother (inside it says, "I think I drank too much coffee")...


Life is Good t-shirt from my younger brother; a nifty handmade card, dog lover mug, and a British bird identification book (so now I'll know what those strange birds are in the photos that Tori sends me!) from Tori, Kelly and Kero; Hilarious Squirrel card and a way cool Spongebob nightlight from LadyStyx and Ranger; beautiful handmade card from Deanna, birthday card with super cool "invisible ink" letter from Rita; orange mints and York peppermint "flying saucers" from Parsley...


An eclectic "Those Darn Squirrels" book and some very nice cards from ChicagoLady; An Area 51/Roswell Space Alien and Welcome to Roswell with Orange Cones postcards and four "affirmation" cones (one of them Orange!) from Parsley; a very nice birthday card, comfy Camp Brule cap, an Orange Affirmation Cone (hey look! twins!) and some maps and news stories from upstate Pennsylvania from Alice Kay...


A closer look at those oh-to-cute affirmation cones and awesome Welcome to Roswell postcard!


A very nice Camp Brule T-shirt from Alice Kay and the Scuba Dude...and it fits perfectly too!


The Spongebob nightlight in action! It's so cool! It turns itself on when it gets dark!

I had the best "Spa" homecoming and birthday! Thank you! Thank you! Thank YOU!!!!