HAPPY HALLOWEEN, and yes it is all true

A number of years ago after my husband and I were first married we went on the mission of buying our first home. We found a nice ranch on the NW side of Milwaukee and it was in our price range so we signed the papers.
We were very excited and we moved in quickly. I get up early in the morning so my husband was always the one to lock up at night. During the first two weeks of our residence, when I would get up to go to work, the door to the attached garage was wide open. I mentioned it to my husband Lew and he said that he was closing it. It continued and so did my accusations that he wasn’t closing the door. Finally, with no other solution, one night both of us decided to address the situation and together we stood in the living room and said out loud “Don’t worry, we will take really good care of your home”.
The next morning the door was shut.
Fast forward a number of months later. We were sleeping and I had a nightmare that something had happened to my father. I awoke to find a man standing at the end of the bed. I closed my eyes and shook my head and then re-opened my eyes. He was still there. He stood there and shook his head “no”. I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.
A short time later we attended our neighborhood block party. I was telling my neighbors of my experience and then described the man that I had seen. (I can still see and describe him today) My neighbors were dumbfounded and finally one woman said to me “That sounds like the guy(name withheld) who built the house. You know he committed suicide by sitting in his car in the garage.” YIKES
Lew and I lived in the house for a few years and never had any issues except for the occasional smell of cigars (we don’t smoke cigars).

It is impossible for me to wrap my head around the fact that it is October already. Where did 2009 go? I remember that it was just a few days ago that the crew picked up my sad, used Christmas tree from the curb. In just a couple of months I will be heading out on the annual hunt to find another perfect tree to put in my front bay window. Don’t get me wrong I love the tradition, but it’s just here too soon. I had a dream the other day that Christmas came and I had missed the opportunity to put up my Halloween decorations. HORROR!!!!
It seems that we just don’t have the time or make the time to slow down and appreciate the world around us. I’m not saying you have to smell all the roses, just a few.
My father(who would have been 98 on September 30th) always said it that the years went by faster as you got older, it wasn’t until I got older that I understood what he was talking about.
He’s looking down on me right now and smiling, amused that I have finally figured it out.
So here we are again facing another fall. It will come and go as quickly as the summer, so I guess I should stop writing and get outside to smell the mums.

It has been eight years since our world changed and it seems like yesterday.  I can’t believe that another 9-11 is here.  The images still haunt me and I know that many people will have trouble getting through the day as we will be reminded ,at every venue ,what happened that horrible day. 

I remember all to well as Dave and I were on the air and we were forced to call a play by play of what was going on when the planes started hitting the buildings.

I have been to the site many times since then and I am hopeful that the Freedom Tower will soon be finished and stand proud and tall. it will be  a testament to the human spirit.  The work will take time, but time is on our side. 

I will also take the time tomorrow to think of our brave men and women who are serving in the military to protect our freedoms. I cross my fingers they will all come home safe.

o.k. I’ve spent a number of weeks with the topsy turvy tomato plants and I have reached the conclusion that they don’t work very well. I have two and I planted tomato plants in the traditional manner in pots on my deck. The topsy turvey ones are just limping along while the pots are THRIVING. If fact, better than thriving. I am going to have more tomatoes than I will know what to do with.
I planted some herbs along the side of the topsy turveys and they are doing well. So, I guess that’s what I will use them for in the future.
It was a 20 dollar experiment. (I got in on the deal of buy one get one free)
I have not been able to harvest any of the tomatoes, but I’m hoping to in the next couple of weeks.
Anyway, save your money and use a pot.

A neighbor of mine just lost their dog. A glorious white and tan beauty, he was a true gentleman of a dog. I saw my friend just yesterday and my heart broke as she told me the sad news. It had just happened and she was sad to be outside walking without her companion. She was so so sad and I was sad for her.
Pets bring such joy to life and in the end such sorrow. We know that they don’t live as long as we would like, but we are willing to suffer the inevitable for just a few years of life.
I really believe that pets pick you. There is a special look that the animal you take home gives you. It says “Take me”,and they love you from the beginning. Never will you find anyone more sad to see you leave or happier to see you come home. I think it is unconditional way that they love their owners that makes it so hard to say goodbye.
I always wish that as my animals enter their later years, that I would just wake up one day and find that they have quietly passed. That has never happened and the likelihood that it will is slim.
It is that day that I dread. That day that I drive my animal for the last time.
There have been many trips like that for me and there will be more. Each time I say never again and each time I go back to the Humane Society waiting for another furry face to pick me.
The plesaure far outways the pain and I hope that in time my neighbors pain will fade and only the fond memories will remain.

My tomatoes are growing and doing well. I still don’t have any fruit, but they are at least living. I am hoping that I get something decent.
Once again though you have to make sure that you have them in a really stable place because the topsy turvy hangers get really heavy when watered.
I know that next time I will try to make my own instead of buying the planters. I just succumbed to the ad and the buy one get one free gimmick.

1,500 plus CPDRC inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Cebu, Philippines at practice! This is not the final routine, and definitely not a punishment! just a teaser.

O.k. so I fell for the ad and I went and ordered a topsy-turvey tomato planter.  Well, the tomatoes went in two days ago and so far so good.  I will keep you up to date on how the whole contraption works. 

It was easy to do, it’s just that I didn’t realize how heavy they would be once they were filled with dirt, plants and water.  WOW.

I know have a three pronged shepherd’s hook with two hooks holding tomato plants and one holding two large wound up hoses.  I need the hoses for balance.  It is white trash at its finest.

Ready or not, let’s garden

This is one of those days where I really don’t have anything to write about.  I’m always trying to find something interesting to blog about , but sometimes I just come up dry.  I lead a pretty normal life and I don’t really do anything super exciting.  It’s go to work, go home, walk the dogs, watch some DVR’d stuff and make dinner. Oh wait, very exciting, last night I had a MGD 64 calorie beer.  It was right after I took an hour bike ride to try and reduce the size of my behind. Right now it’s the same size, but really how much can one bike ride accomplish.

Summerfest is here soon.  I will be taking my daughter to see Bon Jovi. I mean why not It’s my life right.  There are a few more acts on different stages that I want to see, but we’ll see how many days I can get down there.

State Fair is coming up.  Bring on the chocolate covered bacon.  Every year they find something to put on stick and I am sooooo glad that this year it’s chocolate covered bacon. GENIUS

This weekend is the Blues Festival in Elkhart Lake.  If you need a little getaway that is not that far you should try it.  It is really a beautiful little place to go. There is a lake, music, tiki bars and great restaurants.   If you do make the time, let me know. I’d love to hear what you think.

Other than that, it’s time to start thinking about what the heck to make for dinner.  Ahhhh the good life.