Not much going on........

Now that the Dirt Late Model season has ended at Pa Motor Speedway, our life has become mundane for all intense purposes. Fall is here. NASCAR has 3 races left, then that season is over as well. Thank God for Steeler football and Penguin Hockey to get us through the winter months! At least we have bowling every other Saturday night! So, there is not much going on at the Rump household these days. But, I will bring you up to speed on the little events or whatever you might call them....
Dean burnt his arm with bacon grease at work. Bad burn, too. It was probably the size of an orange when it first happened, with 75% of it being a 2nd degree burn and 25% being 3rd degree. It is now a little over 2 weeks since it happened, and it is now about the size of a golf ball. But, due to health dept. regulations, the dr. will not let him go back to work since the 3rd degree portion is steal unhealed. He goes back to the burn treatment center next Wednesday, and I think they will clear him for work. Since he has been off so long per dr.'s orders, we were informed that he will get full worker's comp for the time he has been and will be off. So, that's good news!
Our deep fryer at home went bad, so Dean found a really nice one on QVC and bought it. It is called a multi cooker! It can deep fry, steam, roast, fry and slow cook! It it pretty cool!
Then, on QVC, he saw the TSV (Today's Special Value for those not up on the QVC lingo) and bought it! What was it, you say? A Wii! So, we are now in the Wii realm of gaming. I really got find things for him to do. If he keeps finding things on QVC, I'll never get the QCard paid off!
Tomorrow night is the Dirt World Championship Race at Charlotte. Dean knew he wanted to see it, so we rolled off for tomorrow nite's bowling. Ginny (Virg to some of you) and her boyfriend Nick are coming over to watch with us. So, today, while I was out taking Dee Dee to the dr., Dean went and did the shopping for what we needed for the menu for tomorrow nite. Pasta Bake, Kielbasa and Kraut, Veggie Tray, Chips, Pretzels, and Chips n Salsa. We always have a great time with Ginny and Nick, so I am really looking forward to it!
But, it turns out, that he forgot a few things at the store, and I forgot to put them on the note. And I was supposed to stop at Cibrone's and get freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and forgot that. So back to the store he went. The dogs are always waiting to go bye-byes, and since it was going to be a quick trip, the got to go! When they got back, Bitsy jumped out of the truck from the passenger seat and hurt her leg. She yelped and I though Dean had stepped on her. I run out to find him standing on the sidewalk holding her. I take her from him and try to comfort her. I wanted to check out what she did to it, so I put her on the couch and felt her entire leg and that didn't cause her any pain. Good. So, I stretched it out, and that was ok too. So, I put her down and she wouldn't put any weight on it whatsoever. So, I got the liquid baby Motrin I keep for the grandkids, and gave her a dose. She finally settled down and after she had dinner, she went to sleep. She is still limping, but it is better than when she first did it. The vet has told me that both her and Bailey have knee displacia in there back legs, and she might have knocked it out of joint. It has bothered her on occasion before, but not this bad. It was pretty high jump for her! She is only about 10 inches tall!
As for me, I am still unemployed, and getting unemployment. It doesn't pay much. After the taxes are taken out, it's close to half of what you made working. And you have no medical or other benefits. So, if you go away, and you're honest, you get nothing for that time. Luckily, I am still taking care of Dee Dee 3 or 4 days a week. It is supposed to be 5, but she always cancels at lest 1 day a week. And the President just announced this morning that he is extending Unemployment for another 20 weeks. When you first file, you get 26 weeks, paid bi-weekly, which means you get 13 payments of whatever your determined rate is. Then they have Tier 1 Emergency Unemployment for and additional 20 weeks. Then a Tier 2 is another 13 weeks. Now Obama is adding an additional 20 weeks! So, as long as I can take care of Dee Dee, we should be ok eventually. Christmas will be a bit lean this year, but we'll get through it. Dean will get his worker's comp, but we aren't sure how long it will take to come through. They really don't like to pay out that money, ya know.....The rep tried to push him into going back to work, but the dr. said no way. Only if he could do modified duty and that modified duty being a desk job. No preparing food, no cleaning the equipment due to the chance that he might get cleaning chemicals in the wound. So, there is no desk job for him where he works, so no work for him!
So, that about catches you up in my life. Seems I don't post as much anymore since I joined Facebook. And I love Facebook. I like reading the little snippets that give you a glimpse into the daily lives of your friends!

World Tour

Well, September is over and here comes fall! I hate fall. Things die, or go dormant, and then winter hits. I don't like snow. I don't ski, snowboard, or snowmobile. I don't like snowball fights, sled riding, or making snow angels.
But I must say that we had a great September. It is my favorite month of the year. I wish I had been born in September like Shan. Her birthstone is my favorite gem (outside of diamonds)--Sapphire. Dark Blue and so beautiful. You would think it would be amethyst since my favorite color is purple!
We had a great Labor Day weekend. The kids were all here-Sara, Jordan, Wee Wee, and Alea. Sara's mom was here and Nick. It was really nice. The following Thursday, we went to the World 100 @ Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. The track was owned by Earl and Bernice Baltes until Tony Stewart of NASCAR bought it a few years ago. The racing was good. Camping was good and we got to see our friends from Iowa. Marty, Jason, and Kurt. Jason brought his fiance for the first time this year--Amanda.
The following weekend was the Pittsburgher and we always have a great time there! We camp with our friends, Tom and Lisa. This year, Angel and her son Andrew joined our camp! It was awesome! The food was incredible!
Last weekend was our trip to Deep Creek. We had an extra day this year! It really made it seem like a vacation rather than a long weekend! Again, we ate really good food! Every one makes something or brings something and it turns out so good! Friday, Tom and Dean did a fresh ham on the smoker. They pulled it apart and added BBQ sauce-Baby Ray's, the best there is-- and it was awesome. Saturday Dean did Prime rib. It was fantastic! We had salad and Baked taters with it. Just awesome!
This weekend, we went to Pumpkinland at Janoski's Farm in Clinton PA. We took Jordan and Wee Wee and they had a great time! They got their faces painted, picked their own pumpkins in the pumpkin patch, went through the petting zoo, and had funnel cake and kettle corn! It was a great day for them!

Something Sad; Something Rude

Patrick Swayze
August 18, 1952 -
September 14, 2009

Whether you saw him in Dirty Dancing, Ghost or Roadhouse, he had a persona like very few.


He was a great talent. Wonderful actor and even better dancer. I was really hoping he would be one of the first to beat pancreatic cancer. Now I hope that his death came and he was taken to Heaven just like he was in Ghost. It was a beautiful idea as to what a spirit sees when being ascended into Heaven.

Only 57 years old. It makes you wonder. Do only the good die young? RIP Patrick. You will be missed by many. Maybe you could look for my mom up there. I know she'd love to dance with you..........
________________________________________________

Okay. Time for this week's soapbox topic. I maybe a day late and a dollar short in posting this subject matter but, Kanye West. Rude, obnoxious, self centered, upstaging, attention seeking, spotlight grabbing jackass of a man. What other reason would you have to jump on stage from the audience of an award show and take the mic from Taylor Swift while she is giving her acceptance speech for winning MTV's VMA for Best Female Video and announcing that Beyonce' had the best female video in the world? Asshole. No other word for it. I don't like rap music, they lifestyle they lead or anything they stand for. Drug dealers and criminals that somebody thought could "sing" er, uh, rap. They are thugs and that's not a compliment.
Beyonce' was obviously mortified by the whole scenario by her reaction shown on tv while this was happening.
It turns out she won Video of the Year at the end of the night, which means she did have the best video in the world.....of the males AND females. Bar none.
Beyonce', being a class act, while making her acceptance speech, invited Taylor back on stage to finish her speech. Way to go Beyonce'! Classy move there.

This Week's Soapbox......61 Yr. Old Stranger Slaps Child in Walmart!

I do not like kids. I know, I know! I have 3 grandchildren that I ADORE! I don't like kids that don't belong to me in some capacity. By that I mean that they are related to me in some form and I have some control over their behavior, or they are kids of friends and I am comfortable comforting the child or children, or politely correcting them.
The kids that belong to strangers that are in the mall, grocery store, Walmart or a restaurant crying and the parents are ignoring them are the ones I do not like.

If you are within earshot of me and your kid is in the grocery cart crying because it wants something and you've said no, I'm the one who will say loud enough for you to hear me "Give the kid whatever it wants to make it shut up! Nothing aggrevates me more. I can't stand a kid that's crying or whining in public. Especially in restaurants. I want to enjoy the conversation and people that I'm with, even if it's only my husband. I want to enjoy my meal and relax. I cannot do that with a kid crying, whining, screaming or just misbehaving child or children at the next table! Take the child out of the restaurant, mall or store until it calms down, or give it something to make it stop!
HOWEVER, I do NOT condone the action of the 61 year old man who slapped this crying child in Walmart! The baby he slapped is 2 years old! He warned the mother "If you don't shut that baby up, I'll shut her up for you!" Apparently she could not get the toddler to stop crying and the man slapped the child 4-5 times! He is under arrest and charged with 1st degree cruelty to children! He could face 20 years. To a 61 year old man, that could turn out to be a life sentence!

Wee Wee Spent the Weekend; What a Monday!

Wee Wee was at our house this weekend. Here's the pictures. Isn't he a cutie?

_________________________________________________
Then Monday, I took Dean to work in the morning. Came home and went back to bed. When I got up, I found myself really wishing this menopause thing was in full force already (you can figure out what happened). Not pleasant. I go to the lady's house that I help. And she has a bug up her butt about something! She want's me to straighten out her closet. So, I open the door and everything she has bought recently is just thrown in there. It's a walk in closet and she has decided that she doesn't want the half million shoeboxes on the floor. "We" are going to put them up on the shelf. So, I take all the boxes, open them one at a time, and show her the shoes. She would then tell me if they stayed in the closet, or when to the basement for storage. After 3 hours of that, I go to Arby's and get lunch. When I go to open the front door, I dropped my iced sweet tea all over the front stoop!
Finally, it's time to go home. I hear a noise coming from the tire and feel a vibration. Dean checks it when I get home and finds I have a nail in my right rear tire. So, Tuesday, I have to have it fixed.
Monday! What else could have gone wrong? So, I went and did that on Tuesday, went and a battery put in the remote for the truck, and to the grocery store. A good day, but I still hear that noise and feel the vibration when I drive the car. I figure it's just my imagination working overtime cause they fixed my tire..........
Wednesday, I have to be at the lady's house at 7:30 a.m. because the electrician is coming to hang 2 chandeliers and a ceiling fan for her. She doesn't like to be alone in the house with strangers, so I go. I end up helping him--handing him pieces of the chandeliers and fan so he doesn't make 80 trips up and down the ladder- so it helped pass the time. We decided on Subway for lunch. I go out, and I have a flat tire! Not the same tire that was fixed the day before, the other rear tire! Straight up the street I go to the tire place again! This one has a piece of metal in it and I have to be another tire because that one's irrepairable! Go to Subway and get lunch and everthing is fine!
Yesterday, I spent the day cleaning and getting in touch with old friends via Facebook! The music for the song "Foot Stompin" always goes through my head. Except it's "Facebookin"! So, that was my week. I know I'm not the only one who didn't have a good one!
I'm glad it's now Friday!

It Really Pissed Me Off!!!!!!!

Get a big ol' tall ladder! This soap box is a biggie!!!

Today, the lady I aide, who I affectionately call D D cause her grand kids do, and I went to South Hills Village. She is an elderly lady who uses a device we call the wheelie cart to walk with. It's a walker on steroids, really. The rear wheels stay straight, but the front ones pivot. Much like those on a shopping cart. It even has handbrakes!

Anyway, she has the handicap placard that hangs from the rear view mirror as to legally park in the handicapped spaces. Well, the mall was very crowded today and there were no vacant hc spots available. But, the 3rd space from the door is open, and it is right next to the hc spaces, so we take it. After I get the wheelie cart out of the trunk and she gets out of the car, I see that the one occupant of a hc space is sitting in the vehicle with the motor running! He must be just waiting for someone who just had to "run in" the mall. Why he had to actually take a space is beyond me! Why couldn't he have waited at the curb, or in one of the aisles till his party came out?
Oh well. Whatever will be will be.
After doing our shopping, we come out to get back in the car and head somewhere for lunch. Isn't there a different vehicle in the other hc space doing the exact same thing as the guy that was there when we went in? OOOHHHHH! I was furious! 2 of the same offense in a matter of the 2 hours we were in the mall!!! To make matters worse, the car that was parked on the right of us (the hc spots are to our left) has left and somebody with a big ol' honkin' silver M300 has parked there and is extremely close to my car! And when I had parked, I hugged the left side where the yellow lines mark the space where the handicapped people should walk! So, you know that 300M parked close! There is no room now for D D to use her wheelie cart to get to the front door of the car. She has to abandon the device she relies on and go hand over hand on the car to support herself in order to get in.
People have no consideration!!! Don't take a hc spot if you don't really need it. Don't park so close to other cars that they can't open the doors to get in. Manners, people. Where are your manners?
I know the handicapped spots are the closest to the entrance of where ever you are going. The dr's office, the grocery store, Walmart, The mall, whatever. And you think, ah, I'll only be a minute. I just park here and hope I don't get caught. But don't do it. In that minute that you are inside, someone such as D D may need that space. That's why the sign is there. That's why the fine is so steep if you get caught. You are able to walk the extra distance. People like D D cannot!





RESPECT THE SIGN!!!!!!

A Recommendation.......

This afternoon, the lady I aide and I went to see the movie "Julie and Julia". It was wonderful!Funny, enlightening and very entertaining!

Meryll Streep wonderfully plays The famous Julia Child. Her husband, Paul (no, not the soccer player-wrong era) is portrayed by Stanley Tucci.

In 2002, a Queens woman named Julie Powell decided to
make all the recipes in "Mastering the Art of French
Cooking", co-authored by Child, and blog about her Herculean and epicurean efforts. Powell imposed on herself a year's deadline: 524 recipes in 365 days. She was drowning in her mundane job, and cooking and the blogging saves her! Her dream is to actually meet the famous Julia Child, who was 90 years old in 2002.

Julie Powell is played by Amy Adams and her husband, Eric, is played by Chris Messina.

The tale twins the two women's lives, even though they are decades apart. It was well done, and did not lull too much at anytime.

It shows Julia and Paul Child moving into a flat in Paris, where he is assigned a 4 year gig as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Julia has apparently quit her job as a gov't. worker, where she met Paul, to be a housewife. But, she is bored with that and needs to find something to do. She tries her hand at hat making, but is completely miserable. So, she decides to go to cooking school. She ends up being the only woman in the class at the now prestigious Cordon-Bleu.
The disagreeable owner of the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, for instance,
informs Child: "I must tell you, you have no real talent for cooking, but the Americans will never know the difference."

Powell, meanwhile, is a secretary at a government agency charged with rebuilding the World Trade Center site and as she tells a caller, "I'm just a person in a cubicle and I'm doing the best I can." That goes double for her home, a 900 square foot apartment above a pizza parlor in Queens, where she's trying to flip omelets without flipping out.

With the help of help of high heels and unnaturally low kitchen fixtures, Streep appears closer to Child's height of 6 foot 2. She also adopts or mimics a thicker midsection, frowsier brown hair, a lower voice and the ability to be moved almost to tears by superb food.

When Julie's husband, Eric (Chris Messina), accuses her of being narcissistic and forbids her from writing on her blog about a tiff they have, he comes across as unreasonable ... and a bit of a jerk. However, he convincingly devours bruschetta as if he were starving; neither ever seems to gain any or much weight, however.

As Julie's blog gains readers and media attention, Julia masters the art of French cooking with a little help from her beloved husband, an American Foreign Service officer, Paul and friends and co-authors, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. It took the 3 women 8 years to write the book!

The ending, which I will not give away, is a great one but did make me tear up a wee little bit. I would go see this movie a second time.

I learned so much about Julia Child it was amazing. She and Paul didn't marry until she was 40 and he was 50. She was a virgin when she got married. She had a sister, taller than she, who also married a man shorter than herself. She started out making women's hats. Thank goodness for all of us, she hated it! She pioneered television cooking shows. Because of her, (indirectly) we now have the food network!

But tell me. Why do they list the start time of the movie as 1:30, and the previews don't start till 1:35 or so, then you have 25 minutes of them?!!!

The next movie I want to see is The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock..............

Ah, The Weekend........

Dave wonders why the weekends disappear so quickly. Everyone that works M-F wonders that same thing!

We camped at the racetrack this weekend with Tom and Lisa.

Friday nite, after we had set up camp and ordered hoagie and pizza from the bar up the street, (literally, you can see it from where we camp. I don't think it's a half a mile away), we decide we were going to take a nap just as Tom and Lisa pulled in. So much for the Zzzzzzz's! They got their camp squared away and they went to get some grub. They weren't gone long when our friends Virg and Nick showed up. We hung out and when Tom got back from dinner, he started the campfire. we sat around a good while BS-ing and just enjoying each other's company! Since Dean and I had been up since 4 a m, (and the lack of that nap) we decided to hit the sack. Virg and Nick had left and Tom and Lisa weren't far behind us.
Saturday we got up and went to breakfast. We treated Tom since Lisa had left to go help a friend's mom with "catering" her wedding. Then we went to Janoski's farm market to see if our friend Deb was working. No. We joked that we think she doesn't really work there, she just steals boxes to help start the weekly campfire at the races!

Clinton's ( little town not far from the track) had it's annual community day Saturday. How do they kick it off? With a parade! So, when we left the farm, we had to detour around the parade route to get back. Long detour. You can't just go around the block out in the country!

We got back to camp and Dean snuck in a nap. I stayed outside and hung with Tom. Then I went to the store to get stuff to put on the ham sandwiches we were having after the races. Deb called and said she was going to stop by cause she had our pickles. She cans them herself and always has a couple of jars for Dean and I. We actually fight over them they are soooo good!
We laughed about her not really working at the farm and it wasn't long after I got back that she was there.

Tom smoked the ham and I had brought macaroni salad, so that was dinner. Then the rest was cut down for delicious ham sandwiches for later! Then into the track for racing! It was a fun wild night of racing! Fast cars, alot of passing, and some wild wrecks! Lisa got back from doing the wedding and had procured some of the extra food. It was still in the chafing dishes, so she put the sternos back under them to keep it hot till after the races. Yankee pot roast with potatoes and carrots and rigatoni! We had quite the spread and fed close to 50 people. Yes, we have alot of racing friends! Billy, Us, Mike, Dave, the Kachubas (pronounced KA Chew BA) I always do the thing from cars--ya know where Chick Hicks (the green racecar) says cachuga cachuga cachuga when wooing the crowd. Well I say Kahcuba Kachuba Kachuba when he's on the track! The Kugals, some of the Simmons', Joe Richards, Bryant Hank, and so many others! It was quite a spread and enjoyed by all! And no one got punched this year!
After going to bed about 4 a m, we got up about 9 and packed up camp and headed for home. It was a great weekend, but it went awfully quick!
We get WeeWee this weekend, then we race for 2 weekends and then it's our big September! Eldora in Ohio the 9th-13th. Pittsburgher (our big yearend race here) the 17th-20th. Deep Creek the 24th - 27th! Whew!

We'll Never Know Why

Tanya Flinner
1993-2009



Another young--very young--life has been lost in my racing community. Tanya, 16 years old, was in a car accident on August 12th. She was treated and released at the hospital ER. Went home, went to bed, woke up and told her dad she had a bad dream. Her sister, Taylor, went into the room and found Tanya not breathing. I don't know why the hospital released her, what they didn't find, what the bad dream was, or how long she had been not breathing when Taylor found her.
Why are the young people dying? Is it when your number's up, your number's up? Why did my dad die? Why did my brother in law die? They weren't in bad health. But things happen and I guess we'll never know the reasons. It just makes me so sad that a young, beautiful girl like this has been taken from this earth.









Taylor, John (Dad) and Tanya
Flinner

A hero is gone........

Tim Folmer Katterson
1984-2009








Tragic to think that ones so young die for whatever reason. He seemed like a good kid, but I didn't know the real Timmy, I guess.
Dean and I only knew him a year. Last year when that guy sucker punched Dean and split his lip, then I punched that guy, Tim stepped in front of me cause he saw the guy cock back to hit me. He said to the guy,"If you hit her, I will f***in' knock you into next week!" From then on, I called him "My hero". I barely knew him when that happened, but after that, we saw him at the track every week and he would hang at the camp or at the fire with us. He was even with us at our after race party at the end of June up in Lernerville (Butler).
He never caused any trouble around us, he always had that smile on his face and was always glad to see us!
They said he OD'd. I have to think it was accidental. There was no note or anything. Just too much of whatever and his brother found him in their mom's backyard and he was rushed to the hospital. They did everything they could for him and he was on life support. He had bodily functions for a while, then they did a brain scan and there was no activity. His mom, of course was hoping for a miracle. The doctors did some tests, but nothing stimulated any brain waves.....
They were advised to pull the plug on the life support. Timmy passed in a very short time after that. I was deeply saddened to have lost a friend who was so new.

Details, Details

Our truck (we call 'er Blue) is now 5 years old. From that many seasons at the dirttrack, she had track dust in nooks and crannies that even I couldn't clean. So, Dean wanted to have her detailed. We took her just up the road from our house to a little place called "Attention II Detail.
We had them Clean, degrease and Armorall the engine compartment, clean the interior, including carpet and upholstery, wash, claybar and wax the exterior. Claybar is cool. It gets rid of all those imperfections in the finish. It even feels different. The only word I can use to describe it when you touch the paint is soft. It makes it sooo smooth! We had a $25 off coupon from the Clipper Magazine! Dean had gotten his Deep Purple CD stuck in the truck's player, so they charged us $25 to get it out. that meant they had to take the dash apart to get inside the player. Apparently the gears that insert and eject discs are stripped. So, it only cost $149.99 plus tax! We thought it ws a deal! And the guys are nice and professional!

______________________________________________

The lady I have been "taking care of" since getting laid off is in the hospital, so I've had yesterday and today to tend to other things. Yesterday, I went to the hospital to see her among other things. Today, I finished up the laundry and was watching the tube. QVC had a purse that I just loved! So, I bought it! Then I felt guilty for spending money on myself. I'm crazy, I know. I usually don't buy myself anything. I hate to clothes shop, so, it has to be real bad for me to buy myself clothes. We always pay our bills first, then if and when there is money left, we either put it away or it needs to go for a vehicle repair, gas, some unexpected home repair or something. Spending money on ourselves is always last. The most frivolent thing we've ever done is have the truck detailed. And big purchases, like the camper, was bought with our income tax return that year. I guess it's just me. It's not like my husband EVER says anything about me spending money on myself. I know some husbands ask their wives what did that out fit cost, or "another pair of shoes?" but not Dean. Never. I sent him a text after I ordered the purse and he text back "Cool!" How many husbands do that? It's just me. I know it's me. Maybe my sister's not the only one with a defective gene!

Here's a Cutie......

We had Jordan this past weekend. And what a busy one it was! Friday nite, we stayed at home and he played with toys. He loves his Handy Manny that he got from Aunt Darlene for his birthday! After playing with his train and fixing things with Manny, it was bathtime. We made it a bubble bath! What fun!

Saturday morning we got dressed and went to breakfast. Then after a few errands, it was time to head to Zach's graduation party in Carnegie Park! He had a big time there! Playing with big kids and little kids! He got everyone's attention. He played on the swings, the merry go round and the slides. He sure got tuckered out! He even took a nap in the park on the sleeping bag!
Then we went to the races that nite. They had fireworks after the Late Model Feature, but he was scared of them. Maybe that'll be different next year. Then, home and to bed!

Sunday we took him to Chuck E Cheese! He was thrilled! He road rides and climbed in the tubes and down the slide! He played games and got his picture "drawn" by Chuck E. Nani was in the drawing too! Then he drove the car with Chuck E. in it, and they took his picture. I figured, what the heck, I'll take one too. Mine is much better, tho. But it was fun for him, so why not? So, here's the slideshow of the weekend. Enjoy!

Another Icon Passes.......

Walter Cronkite, the most trusted man in America dies. So, who do we trust now? He came into our living rooms every evening on CBS and reported the news. On many occasions, he reported world events. NASA Space Missions, the 1st landing on the moon, JFK's death and funeral. The Beatles' first trip to America! The things this man not only reported on, but had seen in his lifetime! Amazing!

I remember when he retired from the news anchor desk. The news was never the same after that. Now he's gone and nothing will ever be the same. "And that's they way it is......."








Walter Cronkite
as he appeared in 2004








There seems to have been so many celebrity deaths lately. Is it just that time in our lives when these people have reached their ends all at one time? Coincidence? More than likely. But it makes me wonder about when your number is up. I don't know. No one knows. It just makes me want to "Live Like I was Dyin'" Thanks, Tim McGraw.

The Man in the Mirror............

"If You want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change"..............

1958-2009













I am a fan of the man and his music. I do not have all of his albums. I never had pictures all over my room. No memorabilia. I must say, Like I am a fan of Elvis, I am a fan of Michael.
I liked the older Elvis. The '68 Comeback Special and Jumpsuit Elvis. The older Elvis. I have to say the same is true of Michael. I like the older Michael. The Michael that was the solo artist. yes, I thought he was adorable when I was a preteen. But, so was Donny Osmond. Both only 2 years older than I, it made sense. I got into Elvis cause my dad liked Elvis. With Michael, I was just wowed by his talent.

Was it Human Nature that people are so easy to believe that this great legend was a child molester or was this man really a Smooth Criminal that was Dangerous to children? I think that that was gold diggers looking for money. Yes there was a $20 million settlement. But that doesn't mean he did anything wrong. What it probably meant was that he couldn't prove nothing happened and the prosecution didn't have enough evidence to prove it did, so the attorneys decided 20 mil would make it go away.

His father, who none of the kids ever called dad, they called him Joseph, abused him as a child. He got severe whippings and was told he was ugly and had a big nose. There were even some that said Joseph molested the kids. I think that he didn't want to be like his father and be what his father said, so he was always changing his appearance. This picture, in my opinion, was the best he ever looked.....

Whether he was Black or White at any interval of his career, he was a fantastic, talented entertainer. He was a Thriller on stage and in his videos. A Bad - ass Dancing Machine that told us We Are the World, You Are Not Alone!

Throughout History, people have idolized this one or that one. None, except maybe Elvis, were as big as MJ. Elvis is bigger posthumously than he was during his life. It will be the same senario for Jacko. They are already reporting that his record sales are through the roof in the last 12 days.

He taught us our ABC's. He loved a rat named Ben. He told us to look over our shoulders, I'll Be There. But now he's gone. Maybe I speak for most of the world when I say I Want You Back because the world was a better place with your music and charity in it.

If Billie Jean wasn't his lover, maybe Debbie Rowe and the other woman that gave him such beautiful children were. Neither of which were Dirty Diana, or were they? Did he bring on the ridicule himself, or was the media looking at him through a microscope to the point that he said just Leave Me Alone and Beat It?

I, for one, appreciated Michael's talents. Singer, songwriter, producer. Wow. Mega hits and a career the spanned decades. I remember seeing J5 on Ed Sullivan. I was 7. I thought that kid was so cool. Energetic. But not till Off The Wall was awe not even close to a word to describe The Way You Make Me Feel. I watched the J5 cartoon every Saturday morning. Along with the Osmonds cartoon. Did I just admit that? Man! I can remember Grandpap Rush being at my parents' house one day, and Nick had on his little red leather (vinyl) zippered MJ Bad jacket. Grandpap wanted to know why he would dress like that blankety blank n-word. He was an old school racist he was. We were watching something about Michael on TV. I told grandpap I'd marry Michael if I got the chance. He wanted to know what for? I said, he's gentle, kind, very talented, rich and famous. What more do you want?! That shut him up and he never used the N word in front of me again!

They say that if you ask anyone who was old enough to remember, that they can tell you exactly where they were when they heard the news that John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I was too young for JFK (not quite 3) but I do remember watching the funeral on TV. Elvis' and Princess Diana's too. I even remember where I was and what I was doing when the news came that they had died. Like my brother in law. I'll never forget being at the diner, just finishing breakfast when I got that dreaded phone call. We had Jordan with us. Michael Jackson's death and funeral will be the same way. Not just for me, but for billions of fans. I watch anything and everything on TV about Elvis and Princess Diana. Now it will be Michael too. Is it weird? I don't know, but if it helps the fans to grieve, then I say Don't Stop Till You Get Enough. I guess the need to be watching over and over, I really Never Can Say Goodbye.
_______________________________________________
Others we have recently had to say goodbye to are:
Ed McMahon. Johny Carson's longtime sidekick on the Tonight Show. Bloopers with Dick Clark. Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes.
Report the following images as offensive. Confirm CancelThank you for the feedback.

Farrah Fawcett. The blond Charlie's Angel. The girl in the red swimsuit on the poster. The Burning Bed. Married a 6 million dollar man, but spent the happiest time of her life with Ryan O'Neal.


Billy Mays. The most famous pitchman in the ad business. From Mckees Rocks, PA, just outside of Pittsburgh!


Gale Storm. She was a 50's TV star on the show My Little Margie. I remember my dad talking about her.


Steve McNair. Quarterback of the Tennessee Titans. Superbowl Champ.



They say deaths come in three's. We've had 2 batches of 3's. Within days. No more for a while, okay?

Patriotic Baby!

I just had to show you how cute Alea was on the 4th of July! We had a great weekend with her over the holiday weekend. I got her outfit at Gymboree. Isn't it darling?

As Promised........

I had trouble getting Slide.com to work, but finally here are the pics of the kids. The captions tell the story, so 'nuff said!

Catching Up

If you watched the slide show above, and moved your cursor onto the pictures, you can get the gist of what's been going on around here. As you read in a previous post, Dean and I had gone to the club for the AFC Division Championship game, which the Steelers won and that put them in the Super Bowl. So, we decided to not mess with the Karma and went to the club again for the Super Bowl Party! Must have worked, cause our Steelers are the Super Bowl Champs!

Then, on February 10th, my sister came to town to be here when her friend had open heart surgery. A week later, I took my sister to the ER and she was admitted! 2 days later she had surgery for a bowel obstruction! She was sick for a long time. She was in the hospital for a month! Her friend's surgery was postponed because she had gotten a cold. The friend got the cold, not my sister. So, they finally figured things out for my sister, she was discharged right in time to go be with her friend on the day of her surgery. Things happen for reasons we always say. On April 9th, my sister went home to Arkansas. She wound up in the hospital 3 times I think as of this writing, and finally they figured out that her crazy drugs were not the right drugs and were making her more crazy instead of better! So, that's figured out and she says she is gaining weight and she sounds like her old self again when I talk to her on the phone!


During that time I got laid off from work. I was shocked. But everything happens for reasons, and I know the reason was so that I could take care of my sister.

More on that later. For Valentine's Day, Dean and I went out to dinner and to see the Gunslingers play. We always have such a good time when we go see them. A great bunch of guys and their wives/girlfriends are just as great. Then was the annual trek to Doodles' house for the Daytona 500 Party. It's a great way to kick off racing season. No snow this year, though. The last few years, we had tons. And going to Doodles' in the snow is something else cause he lives in the sticks!

On February 26th, we got a baby girl! Sara delivered Alea Ann on that cold morningand she weighed in at 7 lbs., 3 oz.! She has dark straight hair, and brown eyes and is just beautiful!

On March 9th, I got laid off from work. I am still unemployed. Business must be really slow. I know my boss felt really bad that she had to do it. After I got my sister squared away, I used my time off from work to deep clean my house. Washing all my knick knacks, crystal, cleaning cupboards and closets. Then a friend asked if I wanted to assist her mom a few days a week. Her mom is elderly and doesn't get around too well. So, I would be doing chores around her house and taking her to dr. appointments, shopping, and stuff like that. It's great money and it's under the table. The bad part? She cancels alot, so you can't always count on that extra money. Then another friend asked me if I wanted to help her sister clean some houses in Peters. Her partner had a mastectomy and would not be able to work for a few weeks. So, I did that for a while. Her friend came back to work, and I was out. So friend #1 asked me if I wanted to clean her house once a week every week. Absolutely! She never cancels and she has a beautiful home that now that I gave it some initial tough cleaning, isn't hard to maintain. Gotta love her! Her mom has gotten to the point where she knows she can trust me and likes my company, so she doesn't cancel so much anymore. It is very cool!

Nick had moved in with his buddy Josh in the middle of January. He went to the hospital with me to see his Aunt Dar a few times. And came over when she was here and not in the hospital. He came for Easter dinner and it was a nice quiet day. Just him, Dean and I.

Since Easter, Dean and I went to dinner for Mother's Day,got the camper ready for the season and took it out for the first time on Memorial Day weekend to the racetrack. We got the gardens ready for the plants. Finally had nice enough weather with no chance for frost and went plant shopping and put all that in. I went another time and got the other things for the side of the house. I got perennials and put those in. They will come back every year, so, I don't have to do all that planting every year! I painted our utility boxes in the yard and the gas meter and it all looks sooooo nice! I'll get the pics uploaded asap. Dean wound up in the hospital after a bad sleep apnia episode. He woke up trying to catch his breath and couldn't. He has had a sleep study about 3 years ago, but he wasn't able to tolerate the mask you need to sleep with for the CPAP machine because of his clausterphobia. So, he needs to try it again. New sleep study on July 31st.

And the Penguins won the Stanley Cup! How Cool is that? Now, if they could do something about those Pirates..............

We had Jordan and Alea for the weekend a couple of weeks ago. It was great. Pap took Jordan to the races. Alea and I stayed home. Two weeks later, Mikey came over. Sara doesn't like us to call him Mikey. His name is Henry. Jordan couldn't say Henry at first, so it came out Wee Wee. So they all call him that. He is named Henry after his dad. The mikey was for His middle name Michael which is also Dean's middle name. While he was here for the weekend, I started calling him Bubba. I don't know why, it just happened. So, he's my little bubba.

This weekend, we go to the big race in Butler. Lernerville Speedway in Sarver. 4 days, 3 nites for $40 + race tickets. Can't beat it! Of course, we do take our accommodations. the $40 is for the camping spot!

So, now you are caught up. I will get the pics of the kids' weekends asap. Probably sometime next week. I will not be so lax on my posting now that I have some sort of routine again. Life was crazy there for a while. I know you blog readers wait with baited breath to see what my latest adventures are!!! LOL people. LOL!!!!

Yeah, Yeah, I know.......

I am just checking in. I didn't fall off the face of the earth or anything. It's been crazy around here since my last post. And I mean CRAZY! I will tell you all about it later. I am fine, just unemployed at the moment. but, Like I said, I will tell you everything in my next post, so get ready for a long stroll down memory lane (if you can call it that). Actually it's a long stroll through recent events. Come on. 3 months ago is recent. Right? I just want to get the pics from my camera uploaded so I can give visual aids through a slide show...........

Be back soon. I promise!............

Love them Stillers

Ah, the city at night. A breathtaking view!

The moon shines over a glorious city with the Steeler logo beaming like the Bat Signal. The river flows as gold as the Terrible Towel. Troy Polamalu. Heath Miller, Big Ben and Hines Ward are larger than life. And the city shines..........

Someone, a while back, asked me why Steelers is pronounced Stillers by alot of Pittsburghers. I don't recall who this person was, I think it was John at work. He is quite a bit younger than I am. So I relayed to him the story I thought I heard somewhere: Our Steelers are named for the men ( and women) that worked in the industry that Pittburgh is famous for: Steel Mills. Due to the laziness in pronunciation of steel mill, it was made to rhyme so it was said that it was a still mill. It's all part of Pittsburghese. "Yinz just get done working dahn at the still mill? jeat yet? No. Ju? Even true Pittsburghers don't pronounce Pittsburgh correctly. It's Pixburgh. Or Picksburgh. Not sure of the spelling on that one. Our friend Tom from Carnegie says Picksburgh. You can see him doing a jello shot below in the slide show!
But, what ever you say Stillers or Steelers, Gotta love that Black and Gold!
Pittsburgh's goin to the Super Bowl! Here we go, Steelers, Here we go!
________________________________________________

Pittsburgh's goin to the Super Bowl!!

Last Sunday, Dean and I went to the club we belong to for the AFC Playoff game. If you are living in a cave, the Steelers were victorious and are going to Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals. Here is a look at our party!

We are kicking around the idea of going there for the Super Bowl as well. It so much fun to have that Steeler Fan atmosphere! I'll let ya know how that goes.

What I did on my Christmas Vacation

On the first day of Christmas vacation, I got up and went downtown to look for a job. No, NO. That wasn't me. That was Cheech and Chong in Sister Mary Elephant. Claaaassss!
Anyway, The first day I was off was Christmas Eve Day. It is the normal custom that I go and buy the stocking stuffers that day, but this year, I already had it done, so I went to the grocery store for some last minute things. Christmas Eve, we went to Dean's brother's as per tradition. In the slide show, you will see Angela, Rick, Brooke, Vince Jordan and Mikey.
Christmas day, Dean, Nick and I opened our presents and it was quiet and calm. WE cleaned up from all that and then Dean went to get Sara and the kids. Then it started all over. But we had fun! Take a look.................... (if you put your cursor on each photo, it will show you the captions. click on the - or + to slow or speed the slides)

The rest of time I was taking Nick back and forth to work and the studio, and just enjoying my time off to recharge the ol' batteries. On New Year's Eve Day, Dean and I went to see Valkyrie. I like things that are WWII, true stories, and involve some kind of conspiracy. This one was all 3, so I was in! Tom Cruise in the starring role didn't hurt either. It wasn't Dean's kind of flick, but he said he liked and was a good sport about taking me to the movies. Something we don't do much at all.
New Year's Eve, we stayed home, the 2 of us. Nick had gone to a party at Josh's house and had to work New Year's day. Dean and I watched some of Dick Clark's with Ryan Seacrest, and then we watched some guy from Australia, I think, jump his motorcycle up on the top of the Arc de Triumphe at Paris Paris in Las Vegas. Then he free fall off the other end, bike and all, and sticks the landing. He landed harder than expected and brake his hand. But other than that, it was a success! Pretty cool, Too!
Friday was another recoop day. Saturday we went to the Hot Metal Diner for brunch, got gas and came home to chill out til it was time to go bowling. Today is the last day off and it's back to the grind tomorrow. I am ready to go back. People that don't work during the day, I can't imagine they watch much TV, cause it sucks during the weekdays!
So, it's been a long vacation, and it now winds down to the last few hours..............
But.............

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!!!