The Last Time Larry Lost His Keys

The last time Larry lost his keys we were in Germany.  We lived in a fourth floor walk-up, but once you got up there it was worth all the stairs!  We had big rooms and lots of windows and beautiful wooden floors...

One afternoon Larry came bounding up the stairs and ran inside and said "I forgot my keys!!"  I turned around and looked at him and immediately felt glad that the kids were all down for naps because Larry was all done up in his battle gear...helmet, canteen, gun belt, actual pistol at his side...


Whew...

I had never seen LT dressed up as GI Joe before and now I could understand why my Barbie dolls always skipped over Ken and went directly to my brother's military guys.

"So, what's your hurry???" I whispered seductively....

"The convoy's waiting for me downstairs!" he hurriedly said as he pecked me on the cheek and raced outside.

I looked out the window from the fourth floor and darned if there wasn't a line of trucks and jeeps and Larry streaking toward the jeep in the front.

Well, lightening never strikes twice and Larry never did come back home all gussied up for war again.

Too bad....

Here he is in Korea....

Resisting Temptation...???

As I've pointed out before I am trying to be a better person.  I have little people watching me that just don't know any better.

When I was younger, I wasn't very good at resisting temptation.  I remember one banner WEEK when I was nine - I put a plastic spider in my new stepmom's chocolate pudding (hehe), then when we had a babysitter that I didn't care for, I dipped my hands nearly to the elbows in red tempra  paint and ran upstairs screaming that I'd cut my hands. (heeheehee).  While I was upstairs scrubbing my hands and arms, I saw the  bottle of Prell shampoo and remembered the 'drop a pearl in the bottle of Prell to see how thick and luxurious the shampoo is' commercial and I thought - well, why not - there was my new stepmom's pearl necklace and I was already in trouble....

Good Lord, my dad almost beat me to death.

And lately, I've again been facing a few moral dilemmas....  Let's see how you would handle these.

1)  My big cat Raliegh is a beautiful but very jumpy cat.  I mean, you can sometimes just move your foot and he trips all over himself trying to get away.  The other day I was folding laundry and Big R decided to check out the drier.  I was torn.  Should I....

 A)  Stay beside him so he won't be scared and let him look as long as he wants?


B)  Think to myself, Jesus, how long is it going to take that cat to get out of the drier, get bored and wander off until Raliegh climbs out?


OR


C) Snicker to myself as I slowly shut the drier door with R-buddy still in there??

2) We bought a Barbie dressing table for Neve at a yard sale on Saturday.  It was only $5.00 and as we got out of the car she didn't ask for it so we left it in there. When we brought it up after Neve left, Audrey shuddered and said why is that god-awful thing???  (Just a bit of background here...When Miss Auds was 7 she swiped her brother's tape with all the Chucky movies on it and took it next door where she and her friend watched it even tho they were both forbidden to.)  Audrey has been afraid of dolls since.  So.. Should I...

A) Put the doll table out on the curb?  It only cost $5.00 and Neve doesn't remember that it is here.  Audrey would feel so much better.

B) Put the doll table in the car and take it to Neve's house?  I mean, it costs $5.00!! And Audrey should get over herself.

OR

C)  Figure out how to twist the doll's head off the table, assure Audrey that is it long gone, then sneak it into her room one night whilst she is sleeping and leave the doll on her pillow?

And.... 

3)  When Larry and I go to a Sunday game at the Nationals, I always get a chili mac or a chili frito pie at Glory Days, grab a table and two chairs, and then I have about 45 minutes to myself while Larry is out in the hot sun getting his hat autographed by random Nationals team members.  I always bring my budget book, and the paper and my Kindle.  Should I...

A) Be virtuous and work on my budget?  Maybe work up a menu?

B) Learn more about the world and study the Sunday paper?

OR

C) Say screw it and just go ahead and read 50 Shades of Grey???  um..again...

See my dilemmas??

(By the way, the answers are 1 -B, 2 -B, and 3 - C. <I can't be good ALL the time!!>)

More Conversations with the Grandkids

We had a busy weekend this weekend.


Neve decided to 'read' some of my vintage books: "Neve", I said, "which books are you reading?"  "The RED ones", she replied.


We were getting ready to head out to the Nationals Stadium and Neve came running, holding my mini pink Nationals bat. "Mimi!" She said breathlessly, "Don't forget your football bat!!"


We spent two and a half hours driving to the game in heavy pouring rain.  We were three blocks from the stadium when they cancelled the game.  We told the kids that we weren't going to go after all.  "But Mimi!!  I put on the T-Shirt!!"  Neve wailed.

Neve all Nat-ed up.

Since the game was shot we decided to go to Famous Daves.  On the way Grey informed us that while Neve could 'move like Jagger', he could (ahem) fart like Jagger.

It's true.  Neve is a whirling dervish.

The next morning Grey woke up out of a dead sleep, went into the hall and came back with two toy golf balls in his hands.  He then requested that Neve stop stealing his bowling balls.


Later we went to a couple of yard sales.  Neve scored a Hello Kitty magic wand.  We later heard Grey irritably tell Neve:  "Neve! Don't poof me into a frog when I am talking to you!!"


Words to live by.

4 Months 'til the Wedding - Lets talk China

One of the things that Mary has let me do for her wedding is collect vintage china for the reception.


Remember the scene in The Shining - 


Lloyd: What will you be drinking, sir?

Jack Torrance: Hair of the dog that bit me, Lloyd

.

 I have been like a kid in a candy shop.

When my friend Sue and I went on our annual trip last August to the Bouckville Antique Flea market in New York, we picked up a few dishes here and there....

And when we got home I bought a few more....

Oh, and a couple more...

And several more that I am not going to share right now...

China Town

And now Lance, Mary's fiance, calls this corner "China Town".   And he shakes his head whenever I mention any new exciting purchases....

But I can quit.  

Anytime.  

Really.

Does Betty Ford have a vintage china section????

Conversations with the Grandkids

Audrey and the babies and I were wandering home from an emergency trip to Fashion Bug on Friday. 
Auds and I were having a deep and in depth conversation about airplane safety.  Specifically about the usage of car seats on aircrafts and how we bought all new car seats for our trip to Germany and how PanAm wouldn't let us use them even tho they WERE rated for airline use.  
I was talking about how in one plane crash an unsecured baby was found in an overhead luggage compartment when I was suddenly interrupted by a voice in the back - "Actually Mimi, that was me", says Grey.  
"Whaaat?" we said in unison.  
"Yes", Grey said, "it was me.  I'm always getting stuck in luggage compartments when we go to Misconsin."  


Ok then.

Would you put this little guy in a luggage rack???

Watching Austin and Jett Play

Austin and Jett are my boss's two younger sons.  I have been watching them play games for years - baseball, football, basketball, and upon occasion  - Hooky.  


And when Larry gets a chance, he comes along too.

Living so far away from our families, we've missed getting to see our nieces and nephews grow up, so this fills a big gap for us.  
We also figure that you can't have too many people cheering you on from the stands, so we all win out.

I'm fairly good to go for baseball, but football and basketball - and now lacrosse?  I learn something new every year!

Last fall was  big for football.  


Austin made the middle school team and it was decided by all that each game would be fully attended by the home office...i.e. Laura and me.  Except for the game she had to miss when she was in the Netherlands.  My job that night was to let her know what was going on.  By texting.  And man, was it a nasty cold, drizzly night!  To add to the fun, I left my phone in the car, so for the first half, I was texting from Larry's PRE-HISTORIC phone.  But thank God Larry was there.  He'd say tell Laura this!  and then about half way thru my torturous texting he say now tell her this!!! and this and this!!  I was texting words that I had no idea what they meant!

Jett's team made it to the finals and Laura had to miss the next to the last game.  This time, I took Mary with me because Larry was at a horse show.  Mary knows her football, which is good because I was a texting fool that day too!

Jett with the Grizzlies

(And since it was an Important Game, we went out to the Cheesecake Factory for a late lunch afterwards.)

I think that that was the week that I watched  FIVE of their games.  Me!!  Football!!

And now it is baseball season.   Austin is on two different teams this year, so we are trying to see as many local games as we can.

Austin - practicing with the Richmond Braves

Man was it dusty that day!!!!

Yesterday Larry and I enjoyed a totally new sports experience - we went to Jett's Lacrosse game!!

Jett with the Brigade Lacrosse team

It was so cool!  Jett and his team put on a great show.  AND it was a timed game with only a few time outs.  Just my kind of game.


It is so amazing to see how these guys have grown and matured over the last six years.  We can't wait to see where they go with all this.


And when they get there, we will be happy to say oh yeah, we've been watching them for YEARS!  
We think they're GREAT!!

Finding Raleigh and Sminky

Grey and Neve were upstairs this morning running back and forth and squealing with glee.

As I went upstairs Raleigh, my big gray cat, streaked down the stairs as if his life depended on it.

"What are you guys DOING?"  I asked.

"Finding Raleigh and Sminky!" they answered.

I looked at Sminky, trapped behind a lamp on Larry's desk.  She was not amused.

"See Mimi, Sminky's talking to us!!" Neve said excitedly.

Oh, she was talking alright.

I have personally never heard a cat hiss so loudly.