Aunt Margaret

Today is the first day of fall. Soon the weather will start cooling off and the holidays will be here before we know it. For some reason this got me to thinking about my mom's sister, Aunt Margaret. She was a very cool aunt. She would send me expensive cards that had puzzles and games. I remember one thanksgiving card that she sent, where there was a punch-out section that had you build the Mayflower. There where also pop-up Halloween cards with ghosts and black cats jumping out to say, Boo" and big felt Santa Clauses, some of which we still put out during Christmas. My Birthday is six days before Christmas and she would send me big fun birthday cards, too. She signed every card with a green felt tipped pen with her precise script.
Aunt Margaret served in World War II. She was in the WAVES and was stationed in Florida. There is a funny story about her. She was leading the ladies in a drill, marched them right around the corner, and straight into a wall. When she got out of the WAVES, she decided she wanted her pilots license. So she learned to fly a plane. Then she moved to California and bought a motor scooter. She drove this to and from work every day. She always wore bright red lipstick. She was visiting my great uncle who served on the local volunteer fire department. While she was there a call came in signalling a fire. As my uncle was rushing out the door, Aunt Margaret said, "wait, I want to go with you, but I have to put on my lipstick!" Aunt Margaret passed awayed the first week of September 1998 four days after her brother. She was 74 years old.

Mom and her sister, Margaret

Ho Hum

After work yesterday, I went to the plaza art fair. My sister and my niece came along, too. We saw all the tents and went to Panera Bread for some coffee and diet cokes. When we left it was pouring down rain, so we hoofed it to the car and drove home. There is not much of anything else going on. I work all day today.

My Nephew Jacob

About Jacob:
My sister and I went down to watch our nephew, Jacob, do his "coaching" job at the college he is attending. Right now, he is an equipment manager. Last year he washed the teams' laundry. Next year he moves up to another position. When he is all finished he will be placed at a college level coaching position. He's a good kid and we are all very proud of him.

Dorky History/Lit Geek

Ha! I'm a dorky history/lit geek and I work at a library...how surprising!

Good Morning

I'm up early every morning now, because I have a new alarm clock and her name is Mrytle. Our new kitten likes to wake me up every morning by licking my face and hands. If I turn myself into a mummy with the sheets she will take her head and with all the the might she can muster pushes on my neck until I move. Then jumps in and starts licking me again! She starts in a six thirty in the morning. She will eventually give up and fall asleep across my head!

Last night my sister Karen and I babysitted our great niece and and baby great nephew. They are so cute! At one point in the evening we couldn't get baby Kevin to settle down and stop crying. So, Valerie grabbed his binky and shoved it in his mouth and gave the two us a duh look, like "don't you guys know anything! This is the plug to make him stop!" It was pretty funny, too. We finally got him settled and Valerie and I played with her Barbies.

This afternoon we are going to watch another nephew coach college football. He is attending a state school here in Missouri and is in some accelerated program for coaching students. Once he's graduated they will place him in a college level coaching position, but for now he helps coach football where's he's attending school.

Autumn

I'm so excited that the temperatures are finally dropping. My favorite season is autumn. This is the time of the year when summer’s hot fury comes to an end. We are greeted each morning with a cool, crisp kiss of fresh air. Our trees finally show their true colors and we are blessed with nature’s bounty of freshly harvested produce. All the flavors and colors of the season become richer and we are allowed to enjoy the sensations of the changing season. With this change comes the pleasures football, campfires, apples and pumpkins, and cozy sweaters. We open our doors and windows to enjoy the cooler weather. We curl up on the couch with a fuzzy blanket and wrap ourselves in the warmth of the new season. We invite friends and family over for soups, chillis or hot apple pies. We take country drives to see the foliage and enjoy the crisp breeze on our faces. We warm our hands up with cups of hot chocolate and coffee. Our children come home from school smelling of sharpened pencils, chalk, and sweat and it brings to mind our old school days. They talk of old friends and the new friends they have made. We take long walks and catch up with old friends. We enjoy the outdoors and bring part of it with us when we come home. We make fun fall crafts with leaves and acorns, pick pumpkins to put by our doorsteps, and place scarecrows in our front yards. Fall is definitely a fun season to be enjoyed by all.

We're Home!

We all got back from our vacation safe and sound! Mom has fallen in love with the ocean! I enjoyed both the Smoky's and the ocean, but this was Mom's first time to visit the beach! I've got to get back into the old routines again! It was nice not to have to do all the chores for a while. Well, I was the pack mule on vacation. Everything was loaded onto my back and I carried it in and out of all the hotels. That's O.K., though, because we also ate a lot of food and I sat in the van for a very long time so, I needed the exercise!