7/31/2014
Yesterday, as I said in my post, Benjamin and I were heading to a local water park. I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, if the town had a pool - they had a pool - nothing else. No slides, no sprinklers, and the pool depth went quickly from about 2 feet to the definitely have to swim or sink part of the pool.
I packed a bag with the usual assortment of junk you have to carry, sunblock, tissues, hat, towels, change of clothes. Well you get the idea. Let's just say that the bag was heavy with a capital H. Unfortunately, since I had never been there before I parked at what looked like the main entrance, but it wasn't. We walked and walked, turned right at the putt-putt course, continued to walk and when we finally made it to the pool entrance, stood in line!
I must say that the water park was fabulous. There were small and large slides, two heavy plastic toys that were anchored to the bottom of the pool, but still allowed the kids to turn over the crocodile or the log.
There was a pole with revolving buckets that if you weren't paying attention, would give you a good dosing of water. Fake palm trees surrounded the pool with little islands that they kids could climb on and then jump in the water. Sprinkles were everywhere. The kids and adults were all having a really good time. Benjamin and I stayed around 3 or 4 feet of water (since I don't swim). He floated on his back many times and really enjoyed the water moving him gently around.
There is a concession stand, so of course Mom-Mom's peanut butter crackers and a bottle of water wasn't going to cut it (surprise, surprise), so I bought Benjamin a corn dog and we shared some very tasty french fries. Okay I know - not healthy - but aren't grandparents supposed to indulge a little - or a lot?!
When Benjamin's teeth were beginning to chatter and we had been in the water for about 3 hours, we went to the bathroom, took a shower and got into our clothes. There was a small playground that Benjamin played on - after we had ice cream - of course.
All good things have to come to an end, and I know that he would have liked to stay a lot longer, but after setting a time on the clock that he could see, we went back to the car and headed home. Once home, Benjamin while not sleepy, settled in on the sofa and watched a Disney movie and went to bed early.
One thing that I noticed was that while I'm walking in the water, I am completely pain free in the left hip area. Once back on "land", the brief bit of respite I had enjoyed, was unfortunately gone which didn't surprise me.
I don't know about Benjamin, but once I went to bed I was GONE!
P
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Water Park
7/30/3014
Today is entertain Ben day. Unlike his last visit where we took him to the beach and then had the weather turn ugly on us, I'm taking him to a local water park. The park has multiple slides, fountains and floating animals. There is also a concession stand where you can buy food and drinks. By the time I pay for admission, and you know we'll have to eat something from the concession stand, it will turn out to not be the most economical activity. BUT on the other hand, a day spent at a water park will certainly cost a lot less than aviation fuel!
Since I don't swim and while I like water, you will never find me getting my face wet or horrors actually going underwater. I have an unhealthy fear of water and as a child was never given the opportunity to learn to swim. As an adult I simply haven't tried to learn. A fear that I've given into for this many years, is hard to break.
I know Ben will have a good time and I know the place will be crawling with children, so perhaps he can find someone to play with.
What I do know is that after a few hours of playing in the water, I suspect that Ben won't put up much of a fight about taking a rest this afternoon.
P
Today is entertain Ben day. Unlike his last visit where we took him to the beach and then had the weather turn ugly on us, I'm taking him to a local water park. The park has multiple slides, fountains and floating animals. There is also a concession stand where you can buy food and drinks. By the time I pay for admission, and you know we'll have to eat something from the concession stand, it will turn out to not be the most economical activity. BUT on the other hand, a day spent at a water park will certainly cost a lot less than aviation fuel!
Since I don't swim and while I like water, you will never find me getting my face wet or horrors actually going underwater. I have an unhealthy fear of water and as a child was never given the opportunity to learn to swim. As an adult I simply haven't tried to learn. A fear that I've given into for this many years, is hard to break.
I know Ben will have a good time and I know the place will be crawling with children, so perhaps he can find someone to play with.
What I do know is that after a few hours of playing in the water, I suspect that Ben won't put up much of a fight about taking a rest this afternoon.
P
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Aunt Ruby's Attic
7/27/2014
Years ago when the boys were in elementary school, we took a trip during summer to visit his Aunt Ruby in Arkansas. When we had broached the subject of a visit to Aunt Ruby's house, she assured us that she had room for all of us and that her house was air conditioned. Think of the money we would save if we didn't have to pay for a hotel room. Perfect.
The drive to Arkansas takes about 15 hours, so we stopped one night before continuing on our adventure/vacation. We got to Aunt Ruby's house after dark and when we stepped inside, the house was blissfully cool and the temperature outside was melt chocolate hot.
We visited with Aunt Ruby and Jeff's grandparents for a short bit, but we were all really tired so Aunt Ruby showed us the way to her spare bedroom. My shock and horror was that the spare room was in the ATTIC - and it was hot - really hot. There were two beds and no a/c. But, Aunt Ruby had a metal fan that had to be eons old and there was no cover over the blades. I looked at the fan and knew I would worry about the boy's putting their hands into the spinning blades. Obviously, you might be wondering why I would even think about that, but if you are a mother of boys, then you understand. Danger means nothing to boys - big or old!
But our visit got worse when Aunt Ruby told us that the only bathroom was on the first floor, but there was a chamber pot underneath both beds, oh and one of them had a hairline crack, but should be fine. How comforting. After she left the room, I hissed (literally) at Jeff that he/we must be out of our minds spending not one but two nights in a suffocating attic, with whining children.
Before the boys went to sleep we showed them the chamber pot and told them that in the interest of not making a "splash" on the floor, they would need to kneel on the floor. After getting the necessary instructions over with, then the next problem was how to set the fan in the right area so that everybody could during one turn or another, get some cool air. Astronauts have gone into space with less difficulty than trying to appease whining children!
During the night, Jeff poked me and said that he was going to need to use the "pot". He pulled the pot out from underneath the bed, thankfully the boys didn't wake up, because by the time the deed was done, and the pot slid back into place, both of us were hysterical with laughter. The next morning, Jeff had to bring the pot downstairs to empty it so that it was ready for the next night. Not exactly what most of us imagine ourselves doing. I'm happy to say that in all the years since we've never encountered another chamber pot!
I think it was in Aunt Ruby's basement where there was a shower with a toilet inside the shower area. How efficient. You could take care of two things at once! This was a novelty for the boys (okay and me too), and it was the first time that they were actually anxious to take a shower!
The stairs leading to the basement were absolutely full (with a capital F) of Sears catalogs that were old, really old. If, I hadn't had the boys who needed entertainment in a small town, I would have been in heaven going through all of those catalogs.
There was something else at Aunt Ruby's house that was beautiful beyond words. I love glass and she had china cabinets filled with glass sorted by colors. There were red, green, blue, yellow, as well as other colors all lined up like a rainbow. At that time in my life, Ebay hadn't been created nor did I have any money to indulge myself into buying decorative glass. Years later I searched for unique glass pieces, mostly Murano from Italy and like Aunt Ruby's house, but on a smaller scale, have beautiful glass throughout the house.
I no longer add new glass pieces to my collection., not that I don't want to. But the rational side of me knows that I'm not going to be able to take these beautiful glass pieces with me and it seems doubtful that my sons will find them as special as I do, nor do I expect them to. I'm also aware that if we ever downsize our house, I might not have room for all of my treasures, and I'm okay with that. I have enjoyed the "hunt" on Ebay for my treasures and love looking around at my curio cabinets (and yes I have more than one).
When I was actively bidding on Ebay, I was a force to be reckoned with if I found a beautiful and/or unique piece of glass. Luckily for those buying glass now, I'm no longer in the game. I look, but I don't buy!
P
Years ago when the boys were in elementary school, we took a trip during summer to visit his Aunt Ruby in Arkansas. When we had broached the subject of a visit to Aunt Ruby's house, she assured us that she had room for all of us and that her house was air conditioned. Think of the money we would save if we didn't have to pay for a hotel room. Perfect.
The drive to Arkansas takes about 15 hours, so we stopped one night before continuing on our adventure/vacation. We got to Aunt Ruby's house after dark and when we stepped inside, the house was blissfully cool and the temperature outside was melt chocolate hot.
We visited with Aunt Ruby and Jeff's grandparents for a short bit, but we were all really tired so Aunt Ruby showed us the way to her spare bedroom. My shock and horror was that the spare room was in the ATTIC - and it was hot - really hot. There were two beds and no a/c. But, Aunt Ruby had a metal fan that had to be eons old and there was no cover over the blades. I looked at the fan and knew I would worry about the boy's putting their hands into the spinning blades. Obviously, you might be wondering why I would even think about that, but if you are a mother of boys, then you understand. Danger means nothing to boys - big or old!
But our visit got worse when Aunt Ruby told us that the only bathroom was on the first floor, but there was a chamber pot underneath both beds, oh and one of them had a hairline crack, but should be fine. How comforting. After she left the room, I hissed (literally) at Jeff that he/we must be out of our minds spending not one but two nights in a suffocating attic, with whining children.
Before the boys went to sleep we showed them the chamber pot and told them that in the interest of not making a "splash" on the floor, they would need to kneel on the floor. After getting the necessary instructions over with, then the next problem was how to set the fan in the right area so that everybody could during one turn or another, get some cool air. Astronauts have gone into space with less difficulty than trying to appease whining children!
During the night, Jeff poked me and said that he was going to need to use the "pot". He pulled the pot out from underneath the bed, thankfully the boys didn't wake up, because by the time the deed was done, and the pot slid back into place, both of us were hysterical with laughter. The next morning, Jeff had to bring the pot downstairs to empty it so that it was ready for the next night. Not exactly what most of us imagine ourselves doing. I'm happy to say that in all the years since we've never encountered another chamber pot!
I think it was in Aunt Ruby's basement where there was a shower with a toilet inside the shower area. How efficient. You could take care of two things at once! This was a novelty for the boys (okay and me too), and it was the first time that they were actually anxious to take a shower!
The stairs leading to the basement were absolutely full (with a capital F) of Sears catalogs that were old, really old. If, I hadn't had the boys who needed entertainment in a small town, I would have been in heaven going through all of those catalogs.
There was something else at Aunt Ruby's house that was beautiful beyond words. I love glass and she had china cabinets filled with glass sorted by colors. There were red, green, blue, yellow, as well as other colors all lined up like a rainbow. At that time in my life, Ebay hadn't been created nor did I have any money to indulge myself into buying decorative glass. Years later I searched for unique glass pieces, mostly Murano from Italy and like Aunt Ruby's house, but on a smaller scale, have beautiful glass throughout the house.
I no longer add new glass pieces to my collection., not that I don't want to. But the rational side of me knows that I'm not going to be able to take these beautiful glass pieces with me and it seems doubtful that my sons will find them as special as I do, nor do I expect them to. I'm also aware that if we ever downsize our house, I might not have room for all of my treasures, and I'm okay with that. I have enjoyed the "hunt" on Ebay for my treasures and love looking around at my curio cabinets (and yes I have more than one).
When I was actively bidding on Ebay, I was a force to be reckoned with if I found a beautiful and/or unique piece of glass. Luckily for those buying glass now, I'm no longer in the game. I look, but I don't buy!
P
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Capital Punishment
7/26/2014
Don't worry, I'm not going to get up on my soap box and debate the pros and cons of capital punishment. I had always believed that if you did the crime, you did the time. Even if you have committed a horrible against someone(s), you are (though some might protest), that he/she is still a human being.
What grabbed my attention in the paper a few days ago, was the execution of a murderer in Arizona. I don't know the facts of the case, nor do I care. Here's what I do care about. This convicted murderer wasn't pronounced dead until an hour and 57 minutes after the execution began. Witnesses, including the man's lawyer watched him gasp and breathe heavily for more than an hour and 40 minutes. Why?
The director of the Arizona Department of Corrections claims that Wood did not suffer during the execution. If he wasn't suffering, then I guess I don't know what suffering looks and feels like.
You know as well as I do, that when you are having surgery, medicine is put in an IV and you go to sleep pretty much before you can count to ten. Were they not able/willing to put him to sleep before the lethal combination of drugs killed him? We'll never know the answer. I just can't
imagine how awful it must have been for the witnesses to watch this man die slowly and presumably painfully.
I've had my say and now I'm getting off the soapbox.
P
Don't worry, I'm not going to get up on my soap box and debate the pros and cons of capital punishment. I had always believed that if you did the crime, you did the time. Even if you have committed a horrible against someone(s), you are (though some might protest), that he/she is still a human being.
What grabbed my attention in the paper a few days ago, was the execution of a murderer in Arizona. I don't know the facts of the case, nor do I care. Here's what I do care about. This convicted murderer wasn't pronounced dead until an hour and 57 minutes after the execution began. Witnesses, including the man's lawyer watched him gasp and breathe heavily for more than an hour and 40 minutes. Why?
The director of the Arizona Department of Corrections claims that Wood did not suffer during the execution. If he wasn't suffering, then I guess I don't know what suffering looks and feels like.
You know as well as I do, that when you are having surgery, medicine is put in an IV and you go to sleep pretty much before you can count to ten. Were they not able/willing to put him to sleep before the lethal combination of drugs killed him? We'll never know the answer. I just can't
imagine how awful it must have been for the witnesses to watch this man die slowly and presumably painfully.
I've had my say and now I'm getting off the soapbox.
P
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Bedding Tags
7/24/2014
I just bought a new pillow that has not one, but three tags hanging from the side. All the tags give you the warning "do not remove tag under penalty of law". The tags on bedding and pillows look like little wings hanging off the sides and yet, for whatever reason, most of us leave the tags on.
Do we leave them on because we really believe that the tag police are going to raid our house and turn over every pillow and mattress to make sure that the tags are intact? Apparently after doing some research, the tags are not meant for the consumer, but for merchants and manufacturers. .
Back in the old days when business people were not as high-principled and as scrupulously honest as they are today (I question that), some manufacturers were not too picky about the materials they used to stuff mattresses and the like. So you might have ended up sleeping on vermin or stuff that could make you sick or a dead cow or something. Well, probably not a dead cow. I don't know about you but I've never read the tags so I'm not even sure what they say. But being a good citizen I leave the tags on.
Anyway, the government stepped in and required them to put a tag on the product listing its contents, and it carried the warning "Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law." That never applied to you, just to the manufacturers and dealers, but lots of people didn't understand that.
Nowadays the tag says, "This tag may not be removed except by the consumer." So people go about your house today and freely cut or rip the tags off of every pillow and bedding in your house.
I'm going upstairs to take care of my new pillow. I feel like such a rebel!
P
I just bought a new pillow that has not one, but three tags hanging from the side. All the tags give you the warning "do not remove tag under penalty of law". The tags on bedding and pillows look like little wings hanging off the sides and yet, for whatever reason, most of us leave the tags on.
Do we leave them on because we really believe that the tag police are going to raid our house and turn over every pillow and mattress to make sure that the tags are intact? Apparently after doing some research, the tags are not meant for the consumer, but for merchants and manufacturers. .
Back in the old days when business people were not as high-principled and as scrupulously honest as they are today (I question that), some manufacturers were not too picky about the materials they used to stuff mattresses and the like. So you might have ended up sleeping on vermin or stuff that could make you sick or a dead cow or something. Well, probably not a dead cow. I don't know about you but I've never read the tags so I'm not even sure what they say. But being a good citizen I leave the tags on.
Anyway, the government stepped in and required them to put a tag on the product listing its contents, and it carried the warning "Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law." That never applied to you, just to the manufacturers and dealers, but lots of people didn't understand that.
Nowadays the tag says, "This tag may not be removed except by the consumer." So people go about your house today and freely cut or rip the tags off of every pillow and bedding in your house.
I'm going upstairs to take care of my new pillow. I feel like such a rebel!
P
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Wilma
7/23/2014
I think most of you are familiar with my fictional heroine Wilma. I've been "writing" her story for several years, but am gathering momentum. Wilma is no longer a librarian, simply because I don't know anything about the workings of a library, except to check out books.
Wilma is now a legal secretary and that is something that I do know lots about. Not to worry, Wilma is still old and cranky. While letting my the "next great novel" sit around and gather computer dust, I've come up some new ideas.
I've done a lot of research lately for history in and around Baltimore. What I have found is very interesting. Baltimore was one of the stops on the Underground Railroad and slaves were apparently shuttled through tunnels to the harbor where they took ships to Canada.
There was also a freed slave, Trueman Pratt, who founded the Orchard Street Church in 1837 still stands today in Baltimore. The picture shows the building after restoration.. The church had been vandalized and stained glass windows, banisters and furnishings were removed possibly to be restoration projects for private individuals. I've put in a picture that is the original Charter Record of the original church in 1882-1883.
Constructed in 1882, this church is actually the third on the site dating back to 1837. It is a monument to the efforts of a former slave sometime between 1837 and 1840. The Orchard Street Church may have served as a hiding place for the Underground Railroad.
In the Business Directory published in 1842, the Orchard Street Church is listed under Methodist Churches. Also I've included the page for the Consensus of the United States in 1840. You will see, if you enlarge the page that there were over one million slaves in Baltimore in 1840. Doing the research and finding these statistics was eye opening for me.
I think most of you are familiar with my fictional heroine Wilma. I've been "writing" her story for several years, but am gathering momentum. Wilma is no longer a librarian, simply because I don't know anything about the workings of a library, except to check out books.
Wilma is now a legal secretary and that is something that I do know lots about. Not to worry, Wilma is still old and cranky. While letting my the "next great novel" sit around and gather computer dust, I've come up some new ideas.
I've done a lot of research lately for history in and around Baltimore. What I have found is very interesting. Baltimore was one of the stops on the Underground Railroad and slaves were apparently shuttled through tunnels to the harbor where they took ships to Canada.
There was also a freed slave, Trueman Pratt, who founded the Orchard Street Church in 1837 still stands today in Baltimore. The picture shows the building after restoration.. The church had been vandalized and stained glass windows, banisters and furnishings were removed possibly to be restoration projects for private individuals. I've put in a picture that is the original Charter Record of the original church in 1882-1883.
Constructed in 1882, this church is actually the third on the site dating back to 1837. It is a monument to the efforts of a former slave sometime between 1837 and 1840. The Orchard Street Church may have served as a hiding place for the Underground Railroad.
In the Business Directory published in 1842, the Orchard Street Church is listed under Methodist Churches. Also I've included the page for the Consensus of the United States in 1840. You will see, if you enlarge the page that there were over one million slaves in Baltimore in 1840. Doing the research and finding these statistics was eye opening for me.
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