14 09 24

Josh and Tori got a dog! Her name is Zoey. I don't know what kind of dog she is.

The temps are dropping. Barry is taking care of the cooking. I finished month end.

Angela sent me an email with pictures of the wedding dresses.

Mama cat came over here with me but then decided that she wanted out.She was gone for about twenty minutes, and then I heard a scratching at the door....

14 09 15

Tori said she must really have Josh attached to this family. He was really sorry he couldn't come.

My turkey turned out really good. I just hadn't roasted a turkey in years. I hadn't ever brined one. I followed Alton Brown's instructions, and really turned out the best roast turkey I think I've ever eaten. The crock pot stuffing was good, too. Not exactly the way I remember my mothers, and not quite as good stuffing in the turkey, but very good. Used a Jazz apple in the turkey, by the way. The Summer Pudding was the biggest surprise of the night. The Meyer-Lemon cake may be my new favorite dessert. 

Juicing night. Served left overs on paper plates to minimize after-supper cleanup, and then we started juicing. Beverly and I got a little system going on the carrots, and when JA came home from work he joined us in the kitchen, even before he ate supper. Barry showed us how to fold the stuff up into the bags, and showed JA how to work the press. Shawn came and hung around the kitchen, curious about the taste of things, and maybe about the laughter that was happening. 

14 08 28

Text from Angela, accompanied by a picture: "Humming Birds have been checking out my feeder and pink hibiscus lately! I wasn't fast enough to snap a picture w him in it but hopefully he will keep coming back like our little humming bird friend did  (smile)"

Ryan and Barry talking. Really quite a while. Working together on some kind of a project for Ryan ... power washing. Comfortable with each other. 

Facebook Email from Kennedy:" Due to an unfortunate (but awesome) schedule mishap, I get to take drawing AND PAINTING this semester!!!!! I'm so excited and I love my art teachers! I did find out that I actually do have to take Drawing 3: The Figure though...

I'm not too thrilled about that, but I figure I have awhile before I need to worry about that. Hopefully some of my art from this class will be back on the walls and you can come see them! I love you both and hope you're having a good week!!!"

Swimming with the boys. I finished Thursday in the office without a lot of ... or any that I knew of... Wonderland Friday panics. Still an enormous load of things to do. Still a slew of undone things in the household sector --- like getting the phone line checked .... but no scary Thursday night thoughts. After "tea and the news" I asked Barry what he wanted to do, and he said, "I think I want to go get in the pool." I told him to get Tyler, because Tyler would love that. I had to hang up some jeans, but that didn't take long. I put on my bathing suit and joined them, but I sat in the rocking chair at the\\\\deep end of the pool. A few minutes later, Chris and Shawn came out and joined them in the pool. I sat in my rocking chair. I rocked. I settled. The evening temp was nice. The stars came out. The boys --- all four of them --- laughed. The had competitions ---- who could hold their breath the farthest, who could do jump the highest, who could do the most spectacular dive, could Tyler catch them? I tried to take a picture of Chris diving, to use for his contact picture in my phone, but just couldn't get it. So I got him to come to the deep end of the pool where the light was. "Be still, " I said. "It's hard to be still when you're treading water," he laughed. I just settled. I just enjoyed. 

Miss Belinda to Beverly: "You know,  you have a very willing heart. " Miss Belinda has a very sick son. He is mentally and physically overwhelmingly handicapped and cannot do anything for himself. The doctors have told her that he has reached the end of his life expectancy. She told Beverly that when she was at the hospital the night before, she at least did not have to worry about about the stacks of things that had not been done, because they had gotten caught up on everything. I think that is because Beverly is such a willing helper, and said so. Beverly said, "No, it is because of her work, but she did say the nicest thing to me. She said, "You know, you have a very willing heart." 

So Tori and JA have a thing about meeting famous people. Her contribution last night was to tell him that when she walked into (?) she saw herself .... a picture of her on the brochure for the Computer Science department. She told Beverly that she went ahead and grabbed one. :-) 

We pulled the wedding dresses out, and found the sixpence that Barry put in Beverly's shoe. 

14 08 18

Barry said, "It is fun to cook for Beverly and Tori." I feel like they don't have a lot of good vegetable choices. 

14 08 12

Josh to Tori: I love the way you have your icons arranged. Just a little something I overheard on our trip from the airport to Mobile. 

Blake's voice like Rodney"s. I don't even remember what he said, just that he said something in a tone that sounded just exactly like Rodney. 

14-08-12

Really enjoyed my little road trip with Josh. When we got to the airport, and were out of the car and walking in, he said something to the effect that to be honest, he'd worried a little about our trip --- about how we'd do, what we'd talk about --- and I interrupted with, "Me, too! But we did good!" And we did. It was a chatty, easy visit, and I enjoyed it.

When we were at the cafe, my contact started to give me trouble, and after I struggled a few seconds, he said gently, "Do you need to go to the restroom to fix it? I don't mind sitting here and holding down the fort. I've worn contacts before --- I know what that's like." It occurred to me this morning on my swim that he is just instinctively considerate.

When Tori came through the gate, I stood a few steps behind, and after they had a big hug, but while she was still looking at him, he said, "I'm sure your granny wants a hug, too."

A few minutes later, when he stepped away to look for the elevator, she gave me another hug and said, "Thank you for going to get him!"

He said that she is pretty clear that she wants to raise her children close enough to Angela's for the them to get to know each other, and that he is fine with that. That he had thought for a long time that you should just move away from family, but that he sees now that both ideas are valid, and it is about whatever makes you happy. He said that his grandfather, who lives in Florida, has invited both he and Tori to come stay with him after graduation, if they are still looking for jobs. He said graduation will be the hard time --- when what if their dream jobs turn out to be in very different places. We talked about graduate school, and he said, "If Tori wants to go to graduate school, I'll just get a job wherever she goes."

Morgan took $500 out of her savings to get a secured credit card. When she told me that, I said, do you realize what you just said? Do realize how few human beings who are your age can say, "I took $500 out of my savings..." I think she made a wise move, and told her so, because at some point, she is going to need credit.

She took the bed frame from here and has it all washed up and painted and looking good!

Rodney called to say that Blake might be coming to visit us.

Angela brought A Sharper Image t-shirts for Barry and me.

Beverly is loving her new job. "Okay, Miss I Have to Do Everything All by Myself," --- "Well, it's always been that way." (Her to her new boss.)

14 08 05

Had a nice phone visit with Annette.

Tori saw Orcas yesterday. Said it made her so happy she probably won't ever be sad again.

Brittany is having fun at her doll-making class.

Beverly had a good first day at work.

Beth posted funny things about turning her hair blue.

14 07 17

Tori goes to Alaska!

14 07 19

Saturday. Neither one had to be at work on Monday. Out loud, they agreed that if they saw anything that interested them, they would stop. Unspoken, they agreed that they would be driving through. Home, a magnet.

Tori josh Bentley canoe.  Beverly said that Tor, Ange, Josh, and Ryan were going to go out in the canoe, but Bentley changed that. Josh said, "He's mad at me for taking his seat," so they set up an inner tube for Josh to float in. And then Tori got out of the boat and swam to Josh. And there was some kissing, which prompted Ryan to say, "I don't like that." Beverly said protective, as he is of his own little sister.

July 14, 2014

Angela hugged me likes she misses me.

Angela, "It's good that Willo is talking to us all."

Willo looking for Tori when she got here. Telling Tori something about her being a big kid and a little kid. A big kid at the table and a little kid when she's outside, I think.

The little kids gathering up first at their table in the reading room.

Evan, Zak and Shawn, hanging out.

Laughing and listening to the kids.

Annette, that one of her favorite memories is sitting by Kim at Mardi Gras.

I asked Annette if she needed me for anything when she called me while I was in Chicago. She said, "No." Called just to talk. :-)

And so we did.... have almost everyone here. Beverly and JA, Kennedy and John, did not make it. We pulled out the stretch table and the older grandbabies sat there. I did that because we were also having a lot of grandbaby boyfirends, and I knew they wouldn't all fit at the square table. I set the little table up in the reading room, but with only four chairs. I wasn't even sure we'd need them. The little kids tried to pile in there, but we told them they could sit at the square table. It took them a minute, but they did move in there.

The macaroni and cheese was a lot better last night. I don't think I'll do that boston butt again. It just wasn't that good. The boys gave me a kind of a blank look when I suggested it might be a substitute for the roast.

14-07-01

Tori planning to help the mattress movers.  Just kind of tickled me. She was talking about them having the mattress delivered, and how she worried that the one person was going to have to try to get up the stairs alone, the one her daddy sometimes does, so she had gone out so she could be ready to help them,but they sent two people. 

I made it through all the laundry yesterday, and most of the HH bookkeeping. 

Chris got another moving job booked on his own site. 

Tyler's shoes came in. 

Little text conversation with Kelly. 

Went for a swim. 

Barry called just to hear my voice. 

14-06-27

Cause when Grannie needs me to do something, I'm always there. I asked Tyler and Noah to do something .... I've forgotten now what .... I remember ..... to get the things out of the pool that had been left there by the last group .... some fins, etc. .... Noah started. Tyler said, "You don't have to do that right now. And then Noah said, "Cause when Grannie needs me to do something, I'm always there." 

Late summer afternoon. .. sipping root beer.... watching the boys swim. And I got through my work, and got a bottle of root beer and a magazine (Tyler: Are you drinking a beer? Noah, have you ever seen Grannie drink a beer?) and went to sit on our shaded deck and watch the boys swim. 

Papa bubbles and squeak. So then we decided to see if Noah wanted to come and spend the night, and that we would cook dinner at the house. And Barry said, "So that means I"ll be cooking for Tori, then?" And he set about getting the ingredients for meatless Bubbles and Squeak. He was so happy preparing it all, and so happy when she liked it so much. 

The boys liked their grilled cheese sandwiches. And then Tyler and Noah were hungry and I asked if they'd like Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. They were pretty impressed with the grlll pan.Wondered who was the best at making grilled cheese ... me or Noah's mom. Went on and on about how delicious their sandwiches were, and each wanted a third sandwich.

We seem to be doing more things together. Barry at the end of Saturday, after we'd worked on my writing shack, and gone to Lowes and Office Depot, and Rouses.

We put the floor in my writing shack. Yes, we did. We most certainly did. And I am writing in it now. I don't know what i'll do in the cold of winter, and I hope we aren't sending too much cold air out through the cracks. and I don't know if I'll ever be able to leave a computer in here, but today is good.

Visiting with tori and josh. Tori coming to sit beside me. Papa staying at the table and us all visiting together for about an hour.

Choosing a puppy: Tori and Josh, side by side, looking at puppies on the computer. 

Willo. Got a lot of attention yesterday. Floated in the pool with Tori. Played with me a little. 

"Again and again and again --- Willo

Noah. . Lay off on the hamburgers.

And so Annette and I made chocolate chip cookies together. She took notes. We relaxed. We visited. We had a good time. She said, "I love you." 

Josh and Ryan playing with the little kids in the pool. 

Willo: "I need you, Uncle Rodney." when she hurt her finger. 

14-06-03

Annette had her doctor's appointment yesterday. Cancer surgeon, re: the melanoma. The day she told me about the diagnosis and appointment, I called her back, and told her I didn't want to be intrusive, but if she didn't need me for anything else that day, I'd like to go to the appointment with her and Andrew. She said, "You can come! I don't mind at all!" As it happened, Andrew had an emergency at work and had to leave after the appointment, and I stayed with her while she had her pre-op tests done. She sent me a text aftewards and said, "Thank you for coming with me today. It meant so much. Love you." And that made me happy. I'm never exactly sure when and where I am supposed to be, but it seems I made the right choice that day.

~Beverly sent me a message and said, "JA and Tori are on the phone right now, talking about how important the joy journals are."

14 01 10

Had a good time cooking with Tori.

14-01-14

So, there isn't anything that says that just because I CAN do this from my phone that I HAVE to do this from my phone. This keyboard is easier to use you know. And just because I usually do other things from my netbook, doesn't mean I can ONLY do those things from here. So...

~Tori and I got to play Canasta last night and she had supper with us.

~Morgan, making our supper vegetarian, just in case Tori was still here at supper time. (Matt was coming to pick her and take her back to LSU, but we weren't sure when.)

~Tori's "mmmm" when she first tasted it.

~Beverly sent us a Facebook voice message.

~The Facebook Joy Journal is working well.

~Morgan, happy, talking about Brandon and her bowling with Angela, Ryan, Tori, and Jennifer.