Favorite Travel Photos

While we are not traveling this summer, we are finding the time to scan older photos we took before the digital camera age. There are a lot of them from many countries, so we will post the shots of Ireland first (including a shot of my mom drinking a beer at the Guinness Gravity Bar!). Actually, I just noticed that most of these photos involve alcohol. Notice the sideways photo of me (sorry about that) when I was doing the required course-work to get my Official Irish Whiskey Taster certificate!

There's A New Kid In Town

As you know, we had to put two of our beloved kitties to sleep: Renfield on April 30 and Hugh on June 24. We had no desire for a new cat. We were going to say "no" to anyone offering kittens. However, a friend asked if I would take a 13-year old female cat whose owner was diagnosed with COPD. I said "YES"! What made me do that? When I called Walt, he said "yes" too! Somehow it felt completely right. So, without any further ado, I'd like to introduce sweet-as-pie Evey (previously named "Violet" but now named "Evey" after the character in V for Vendetta):

And Here's The Mirror

Did I mention in the last posting that Walt is making 1970-era mirrors? I wouldn't make that up...here it is:

A Dictionary Definition

ESTIVATE:
Verb: Zoology. to spend a hot, dry season in an inactive, dormant state, as certain reptiles, snails, insects, and small mammals.

We are officially summertime hermits, and we love it! We sleep late (sometimes VERY late) and we wear sloppy, comfortable clothes. I put my hair into a funky pony tail each day and go without makeup or a bra (there, I said it!). We are loving this lifestyle, and don't even really want to venture out into the real world. While the myth of teachers having a whole summer off (we have a ton of prep work, some meetings, and only about 1 month away from school), we do manage to relax and do nothing a lot of the days. We don't even answer the phones (truth is - they are set to not ring so we don't even hear them) Did I mention how much we enjoy being hermits? We are nurturing our creative side daily. Here are my two latest cards, using the new paper colors from Stampin' Up! If you want a new catalog...email me! And, here is one of the projects Walt works on. The birds were actually finished before school ended, so he could put one into each teacher mailbox at his school. He made about 75 birds (does anal-retentive have a hyphen?) Check back later to see the 1970s era mirror he is making!! Oh, by the way, if you want to make your own birds (and lots of other paper models), here is the 3-eyed bear website where they came from: http://www.3eyedbear.com

Loss

It's amazing how small things can mean so much to so many. Every day in the United States about 8,000 people die. For the most part, we don't even notice, unless we happen to know one of the people. A few days ago Michael Jackson died, and it seems that the world stood still. There was no other news. A few days earlier, on June 24, we had to take Hugh to the vet and ended up having her euthanized. This was the second cat in six weeks. Renfield had to be put down on April 30. Both cats had cancer. Both of these deaths had a greater impact on us. it's amazing how that works.

The fact that we lost two cats in six weeks affects us far more than the death of a famous singer, or even the deaths of dozens of people in other parts of the world. It is all relative. The closer you are to the one who died, the more it hurts. So why is the world so worked up by the death of Michael Jackson? It's hard to say, but I think that people feel close to celebrities, even if we have never met them. It's a common point we have with other people. It's a way of connecting with folks around the world. We also feel we know this person, even if we have never met them.

No, I'm not crying over the death of Michael Jackson, as some others have done. I did take a minute to say "Damn, that was unexpected!" and I followed the news like lots of other people did. He had problems, for sure, but his talent was undeniable. I'm not going to do a tribute to him, but I must say I did like some of his stuff. "Thriller" is probably my favorite music video of all time, but "Captain Eo" is something special. If you have not seen it, or it has been too long since you have, here it is:

(It's in two parts, be sure to watch them both.)

THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

It's the last week of the school year, so we don't have enough time to blink, let alone post. Please check back after June 12...

What A Great Mom!

My mom is wonderful for so many reasons...but, she is especially wonderful because she makes the best fried okra in the world. You might have to be from the south to truly appreciate it, but I could eat a whole plate full and get sick before I'd stop because it is so tasty. My mother and my grandmother taught me how to cook, which I appreciate more than they will ever know, but I'll never be able to make okra as good as my mom's.