Octoberfest

Okay, so there wasn't a thousand drunk people laughing and peeing all over the place. There certainly wasn't big chested blonde's carrying six large beers to people. And there wasn't a German polka band playing in the back ground. But I think we had just as much fun. This weekend The Misses and I had my Sister and her kids over to carve into those behemoth pumpkins we had be growing all season. Instead of having the boring old hot dogs and hamburgers, we had all the classics from Deutschland. My little niece Miss B said it perfectly. "We had Beer and Brats, but Uncle Mark drank all the beer". The German potato salad was a big hit, but not many ventured to try the red cabbage.

Here is some pictures of the event (yes, that is my basement. Don't you just love the Flower wall paper with the faux wood paneling. It is on a very long list of things to do).Miss B and her Pumpkin. She was the youngest so she got to pick first. Luckily Big D was around to help her clean and carve. I don't think she could reach the bottom.Big D's son Hunter drawing his monster. My nephew Little D had a hard time coming up with an idea. I think he bit off more then he could chew with his pirate, so Sis ended up cutting most of it.

My nephew T and his girlfriend Naomi had a good time. Naomi was the drawer and T was the cutter.

The Misses sister M Dawg and her friend Kat stopped by to get their hands dirty.It was finally my turn to complete my master piece. Its been a long time since I played with a pumpkin. I thought the Misses would help a little more but she was busy playing host. She is just like my mom that way.This picture didn't turn out the way we wanted but you get the idea. My good friend Little Dickie and his wife Mrs. Little Dickie stopped by to have some food and hang out. To top the night off in true drunken Oktoberfest fashion we watched the UFC fight. The kids didn't make it to the end.

P.S. Jeda I'm not trying to make you feel bad, but I really wish your family could have been apart of this. You were missed.

Great Weekend

Have you ever had a week where nothing went right and by the time the week was over all you wanted to do was get away. Well, that was my week last week. So me and the family (The Misses and Jeter) packed up the car and went to visit The Misses Grandparents in Idaho. The Grandparents live on 3 acres in the middle of potato country. Nothing to do but visit, eat, and catch up on your HGTV programs.
I think I feel so at home there because Grandma reminds me so much of my late Grandma Bawden. There isn't anything she wouldn't do for you and she truly makes you feel at home around her. I know it has been 10 or 11 years since Grandma passed away so the memory of what she looked like isn't fresh, but I would swear they could be sisters.
When I say there is nothing to do but visit and eat, I am in no way saying this as a bad thing. You can guarantee when you arrive there will be a hot meal on the table. It doesn't matter if it is 10 o'clock at night, it will be there. It isn't like it is left overs either. Grandpa is the first to sit down and dish himself up, because Grandma wouldn't allow him to eat until we got there.
Meanwhile Jeter I'm sure believes he has died and gone to heaven. Not only did he meet his new best friend Coco (their old black dachshund), but was also introduced to the feline species. There has been a couple of times he has noticed them form across the road or behind a fence. But he had never been close enough to get knocked on the nose by a furry paw. I really thought he was going to have a heart attack form all the running and playing. That night was the first night he slept the whole night through.
The first night is usually a catch-up visit. We talk about what has been going on in our lives and the lasted news around the family. Then it is off to bed. Grandma knows I am allergic to animals so she cleans her room and insists we stay in there. While Grandpa and Grandma pull out the bed in the couch. I could argue and insist that they don't do this, but there is no point. She wouldn't allow me to sleep out with all the cats.
Mornings are my favorite time in their home. There is always a big pot of coffee on when we get up. Then breakfast last for 3 to 4 hours. This is when we hear the stories of them growing up, and how they came to be the great people they are. Around 9:30 Grandma gets up and starts preparing breakfast. These past 2 or 3 years she has begun to loose her sight. But that doesn't stop her from doing what she loves. We always ask if we can help, but are always answered with a no. The food is wonderful. All Grandpa can say is "this is better then Christmas". Not much is said, it is like thanksgiving. It is always so loud before the food is placed on the table, then silence. After the food is gone, or I should say when we can't fit anything else in our stomachs we sit and visit some more.
There home is as welcoming as it gets. Their walls are filled with Grandmas beautiful artwork. Grandpa has hung them all over to show off how good she is at capturing the great outdoors. There just wasn't enough walls in there house, so Grandpa hung the rest of her paintings in his workshop in the garage. It is a bit sad to think of how hard it is on Grandma not to be able to paint like she use too because of her sight. There is a standing rule in her home. If you see something you would like when they pass away simply write your name on a piece of tape and place it on the back of the item. I just wish I had met them sooner to get my name on a couple of her painting. I shouldn't complain, The misses has been given her treasured china, much to the chagrin of TP (Sorry sis, you should have never told me the story. I us it with much love).
In my parents home in the hall is a picture frame full of all my dads military medals and pictures. In Grandmas home the hall has been decorated with the same theme. It is there hall of heroes. There is no question theirs is a military family. There in simple frames is the pictures of all the soldiers in their family when they first enlisted. Starting way back with Grandpa and ending with The misses. I like to look at the faces in the picture and see the pride and excitement in their eyes.
During the day you can do what you want. Lunch is usually a snack, we are still trying to digest the breakfast. Then there is more laying around relaxing (as The Misses calls it, I call it being lazy). This is the only time lately we can sit and do nothing. Then dinner and more great food and conversation. At night we sit and catch up on our HGTV and STYLE. I would choose to watch something different, but The Misses and Grandma like to sit and make comments on whether or no they like what they are seeing.
Finally, its off to bed. Knowing the next day will be more of the same. What a great way to spend a weekend.

Ouch!

Maybe I just need pain in my life!

I wont go into the details, but....it involves a big hammer, a large stake, and a swing that I put my all into.

And Yet Another!

In case anyone is wondering, I did have the pleasure of having my very inflamed Gall Bladder out. Going into the surgery the Surgeon had said in 95% of her cases, she was able to remove the gall bladder laparoscopicly. And as you all know with my luck I was sure I was going to fall into the 5% that had to have an open surgery. Well, I must have done something right in my past because she was able to take it out easily. I was out of the hospital the same day, and back to work the next week. Okay, not really work but at least answering phones and a little paperwork.
I really don't know what I did in the past that has lead to all this crap I am dealing with. Sure I have broken a few young girls hearts, but I have had mine broken too. I was a good kid growing up (except for those few little fires and a certain fit I threw in the Black hills). I don't do drugs (at least not the ones used without a prescription). I drink, but never as much as I could. Which gives me hope that I'm not an alcoholic..... Okay now that I think about it. Maybe there are a few things that have lead me to all this. I'm not going to mention them now, because to some of you I am perfect and don't want you to think otherwise.
At least I think I am finally on the mend. Last night I drank a beer and had a few slices of Pizza without feeling sick. Due to the overdosing of Lomotil and Metamucil my stomach problems are getting under control. I really think I am finally done with all this (knock on wood). I am sure my life is back to normal, if I actually knew what normal was. I was talking to my future brother-in-law Big D last night. We were talking about how I was doing and he said "You know I have never known you when you didn't have something wrong." He was right. He has been around now for 4 years. I think it is time for this to be over.
Since these blogs are mostly used to catch people up on what is going on in our lives. Here is my part. The Misses is busy. She is back to going to school full time, working full time, and playing army reserves full time. Which means I slip into her life for only part time (I'm really not complaining). I do what I can to help her out by doing everything I can around the house. It will all be worth it and much easier once she has finished school. Unfortunately there are way to many years left before that happens. Jeter is on the mend. It took him about 5 days before the cantaloupe was out of his system. What a rough 5 days. He just graduated from Puppy Class. He graduated at the top of his class (when there is only one dog in the class how could he not?). Everything we have tried to teach him he picks up very easy. Now if I can only teach him to shit in the toilet, life would be good. I think that comes in the intermediate class.
That's about it. I guess I should get back to my game of Spider Solitaire. Until next time GO YANKEES!

Poor Boy, Our First Experience of Parenting

I have heard that dogs can get their moods from their owners. If the owner is sick, the dog can acts lethargic and down in the dumps too. I just wasn't prepared for what happened yesterday. I should have know he wasn't going to be feeling well when I saw him in our Jungle chewing on a cantelope. I figured out what he was chewing on minutes to late. He had already tore into half of it. That was two days ago.
Yesterday morning when he woke me up to go out. He looked as stunned as I when the diarrhea came. He jumped as if something had just bit him on the ass. He ran straight for the door and I thought nothing more about it. At lunch the same thing happened. I thought back and remembered the cantelope and shrugged it off as a small case of the shits.
As I drove up our driveway after work, the misses was hauling Jeter out the door. She was up to her elbows in the soupy mess. I had neglected to tell her of Jeters problem. He had an accident in his kennel while we were at work. When she reached in and picked him up, it was already to late. She was covered. Our boy was sick. She sat him down and went in to clean up. He immediately made a dash for the lawn. As I stood watching him I noticed his poop was a deep red. Chills went down my spine. I called for the misses and told her about it. She took him to the vet.
While they were gone I thought about my pooping problems. Now I know they can tell if you are sick or in a bad mood, but there is no way he could sense the pain I am having there. A few minutes later they came back. The vet didn't think there was much to do. "It was like we had eaten 8 lbs of cherries at one time." They recommended a diaper to save our carpets and watch him for a few days. I didn't like the answer, but figured they knew what they were doing. I just hope it is a bad case of the shits and nothing more.

September 9th

For the past week I have been trying to come up with something to say about September 9th . It is now and will forever be the day I escaped from the grasp of the grave digger. This day I am sure is far more important then a birthday or anniversary. So how should a person celebrate such an event. A party? Maybe a nice dinner with the family? No I thought I would go and have another part of my body taken out. Yup, looks like another round with the Surgeon.

Time to say goodbye to my crippled Gull Bladder.

Made me think

Sunday night as I was watering the jungle the Misses and I call our garden. I started thinking back to when my Auntie C used to watch me while my parents were at work. My Grandpa Eddy use to plant a garden in their back yard. Most everyday he could be found with a wide brimmed hat and long sleeves bent over picking weeds. He always had a smile and a pleasantness about him you don't find in most people anymore. As I sat there watering I remember the trips we took with him. We (the three musketeers, better known now as the drunk cousins) took a couple trips up to his property to "help" fix up the place. I say "help" because we mostly spent our days shooting our BB Guns at whatever poor unfortunate critter came by. Grandpa didn't approve all the destruction we caused, but couldn't really tell us no.

Earlier in the day I was out to Grandma's to have a barbecue (I think this is why he was on my mind so much that night). The barbecue wasn't as big as they used to be. It used to be that any reason we could come up with was a good one to go out to their house to have some food and hang out. You could always see it in Grandpa's eyes, he was proud of what he created. A huge family with lots of love. Now days his kids have grand kids of their own. They are busy sitting being proud of what they created at their homes. Now Grandpa's house is reserved for Mothers Day and Christmas Eve.

Some of my fondest memories of Grandma and Grandpa was when me and my Cousin "The Cutie" would head out to their house on a Friday evening. Sometimes we would take a pie, sometimes flowers, or sometimes nothing at all. It was such a great way to spend an evening sitting and listen to the stories of how Deon fell in love with her Eddy. They would always tell stories of the church dances they attended and how good of a dancer each of them were. I can still see him when I shut my eyes sipping on a coke. At the end of ever sip he would say "AAaahhhhh. A coke and a smile is all you need." And it really was.

After the barbecue I excused myself. I made an excuse about my stomach and told everyone I had to leave. Truthfully I was sitting there thinking about Grandpa and how much I missed seeing him in his chair. I have never dealt well with death. I can remember very well my Great Grandma in her final resting bed. And everyone that was there remembers the painstaking time I had trying to speak at Grandma B's funeral. I wish I had closure when it came to the great man that was Grandpa Eddy.

I was fortunate enough to come home for leave the two weeks prior to him passing away. I spent a lot of time with him. At that point it was hard for him to talk and get around. I am so thankful I had that time with him. He passed away the day I flew back to the Army. In my little world I like to think he waited for me to see him one last time.

As I finished up watering and looking at all the plants. I know I couldn't have done it without him. Sure I was far to young to remember any words of wisdom he had for me on gardening. But I have my pops and I am sure a good deal of what he tells me came from Grandpa.

To be honest I couldn't tell you where he was placed to rest. The tape with his funeral recorded on has never been played. I just hope when me and the Misses are old, our grand kids will stop by like The Cutie and I did (even if it is just for a coke and a smile).