Mama's got a new set of wheels....

Fire engine red...Pretty, pretty...I see the bonus has arrived...Congratulations!

We Miss You, Jacob!

Even though we don't see you, Jacob, we are thinking of you.

These are some Christmas photos that Patsy sent to me.

Jacob and Bek! (Notice those beautiful hardwood floors.)

Who is that hiding there in the background, in the red and white checked pajamas. Is that MaMaw? I bet she's holding a cup of coffee. I would recognize that familiar coffee clutch anywhere!

Could that be dinosaurs? (Can you believe all those dinosaurs all over Bek's beautiful hardwood floors? I hope they don't leave any droppings.)

Cheese!

Look, Santa left a big boy bike, and I can ride it all over Mom's beautiful hardwood floors.

Would love to stay but I have a train to catch.........And a Merry Christmas was had by all.....

The Visit

Patsy, Jacob and Bek arrived a little after noon. It was so great to see them. Jacob loves where we live. There is so much for a boy to do here. Herman and Jacob walked down to the creek. They went fishing and caught a lot of things.....they weren't fish though. They found a toy truck, and two balls and fished them out of the creek.

Jacob climbed up on my father's red tractor.
He really enjoyed my brother's boat.

Pretend fishing turned out to be more fun than the actual fishing.

A very special candy cane...

Through thick and thin...

I love these two photos. Can't you see what good friends they are? When I was a little girl a very beautiful and wise woman once told me, "Men will come and go, Bonnie Ann, but a good girlfriend sticks." That's it, isn't it? Through thick and thin, their in!

Feelin' The Love...

Buddies forever...

Isn't she lovely?

"You don't look like my mama."

Pretty Woman!

Hot Babe!

Merry Christmas!

Jacob and his mom and ma maw came over to our house the night before Christmas Eve and we opened presents. It truly was an evening to remember, one of my most favorite Christmases ever. It's amazing how difficult things can be at times, and how friends can simply make it all go away for awhile. In the midst of everything that has been going on in my life, this particular evening was an oasis of joy.

Patsy and I got to see both our grandchildren in the same room. What could be better than that? Nothing! Jacob and Herman got to see each other for a while. They have missed each other since Herman and I moved to Newport News to take care of Dad. Of everything and everyone whom we miss, Jacob is the one we miss the most, and probably the one who misses us the most.























Presents were shared.

Jacob got a new skateboard. Mom and Herman helped him suit up....

Brandon couldn't resist...

Jacob and Ava finally got to meet each other,

and Patsy and I got to sit back and enjoy...

The Jack-O-Lantern

Patsy stopped by to pick me up after work and drove me over to get my car from the garage. It was being repaired. Two of the motor mounts broke and I was lucky that I didn't lose my engine while riding down the road. Don't ask.

.....but anyway, I followed Patsy over to Bek and Jacob's house in the dark. Both Patsy and I are blind as bats in the dark. That was appropriate since it was, after all, Halloween night, the biggest night of the year for bats. The only problem is that bats, even though they are blind little creatures, have sonar radar which keeps them on track. Patsy and I, however, do not have any sort of radar, nor can we read street signs at night. This can turn into a little bit of a problem if you don't know exactly where you're going, and sometimes even if you do. Needless to say, we got a little lost....well, shall we say, not lost but delayed. Patsy took a few practice turns down the wrong road and then I lost her. She found her way to Bek's, but it took me a few more minutes, and a few more wrong turns before I did.

We finally arrived safely and Bek and Herman took Jacob trick-or-treating while Patsy and I stayed at the house and gave out the candy. Later we went to Wendy's for chili and sandwiches. It was a fun night, filled with simple pleasures, something I haven't had for quite a while which made it all the sweeter. Love you guys.

Bek and Jacob did a great job on their Jack-O-Lantern. It was by far the scariest one on their block.
Bek's and Jacob's front step decorations...

The Alligator/Dinosaur Monster...

Jacob was an Alligator/Dinosaur for Halloween this year. Boo!

Happy Halloween

...from my web site to yours...

Howdy Partner...

Jacob was a cowboy for Halloween last year.

The Fun House

Herman and I finally got to see Bek's and Jacob's new house last week. It's great! Cute as a bee's knees, and it has hardwood floors. I'm jealous.

Jacob loved it. It's the perfect house and perfect yard for him. The back yard is fenced in (if ever there was a boy who needs a fence, it's Jacob) and it has a tree house and sliding board. Paleeze! When it was time to leave he said, "I want to stay here."

Take lots of pictures over the years, Bek, because he's going to make wonderful memories at this house.

After Patsy, Bek and Jacob came over to our house last week, we ordered pizza and brownie bits. Herman and Jacob made the man, and then Bek and Herman moved her mattress down from our attic, and we headed over to their house for the first time. Darkness was falling but I still snapped a few pix. Here they are.

Bek gazing at her new house while Herman unties the mattress.

Bek gazing at Herman's butt, and what a cute butt it is.

Bek's chrysanthemums, a mound of purple blooms are growing on either side of her doorstep. I just have to believe that purple flowers greeting you at your front door are a good omen, like butterflies and finding a bird's feather.

Jacob's slide and tree house. As you can see, the slide has gone for some time without a boy's bottom sliding down it. Bek assures me that it's a lot cleaner now than when I took this photo last week.

The Making of 'The Man'

Once again the leaves are falling, the temperatures are dropping, and those colossal orange globes are lying in the fields, inviting children, young and old alike, to claim them and take them home. They will be painted and carved with ghoulish expressions, and carefully placed on porches, steps and stoops throughout the land, in hopes of keeping those tiny, mischievous goblins away.

These familiar signs of the changing season can mean only one thing at our house. It's time for the 'Making of The Man'! Yes, the 'Making of The Man' is an autumnal tradition at our house. Jacob is three years old, and anyone who knows anything, knows that once you do something more than twice in a row, it's tradition. So, here are a few pictures of my very favorite tradition, 'The Making of The Man.'

Ooooh! He lost his head!

Jacob helping!

Notice that seemingly unremarkable piece of burlap lying on the ground. It will soon be transformed into the unique but charming (in it's own way) head of 'The Man.' It's the same old story every year; we try to make The Man's head to scale with his body, but year after year he ends up with a hydro-head, way too big for his exceedingly buff body.

Jacob and Herman, making The Man's head. The big question looms, will they make it to scale this year, or will he once again have a swollen head?

Help, I've fallen, and I can't get up!

Then ... On goes the magic hat, and there you have it, 'The Man' is made. After all, didn't Mark Twain say , "Clothes make the man." Hydro-head or not, don't you think he's a pretty good looking guy? If he had a steady job I bet I could find at least a dozen women who would like to get to know him. I feel confident that he will keep the goblins away from my door, at least the unfriendly ones.

Don't you just love tradition? It may not be the actual fabric of life, but it is one of the threads that weaves the fabric, and it enables you to make your very own fabric as rich and beautiful as you wish. The Making of The Man is a simple tradition that only takes a few minutes and cost nothing, but it sprinkles our lives with anticipation, it marks a beautiful season and the passing years in a boy's life, and best of all, it's just plain old fun. I love it. BOO!

~ Jacob and The Man ~ 2006

~ Jacob and The Man ~ 2005

~ Jacob and The Man ~ 2003

Gotta Luv It

Moving on down the road...

Soon Bek and Jacob will take the first step on a long and adventurous journey. Congratulations on your new house. God speed.

Yipee! Congratulations, Bek!

Jacob's giraffe

Jacob wanted a giraffe. This is what Herman came up with. He also wanted a zebra, but Herman said his rendering was so bad that Jacob threw it away.

One of a kind soup...

I have a friend. We've been friends since we were 19; that's 37 years, but who's counting? Herman and I wouldn't be married if I hadn't met her first. She set us up on a blind date.

Over the years we have helped each other through many rough patches. We've shared sorrows about our kids, husbands, losing our parents, divorces and on and on. We've attended weddings, funerals, graduations, birthday parties and exercise classes together. We've gone on more diets and self improvement programs than I care to remember. We've rocked and diapered each others babies, and scolded each others children. We've gotten pedicures, gone apple picking, taken our kids trick or treating together, and bided our time in hospital waiting rooms, waiting with bated breath for children and grandchildren to come into the world. Once we were even loaves of Wonder Bread together. We have called each other in the middle of the night to share our fears and joys. We have cheered each other on and cried for one another.

You don't make a friend like this over night. It takes years of simmering and slow cooking, with many additions over the years, until you have a soup that has layers and layers of subtle flavors. It is a soup that will comfort your soul, sustain your will to go on, and warm your heart when the cruel world has turned it cold. The aroma is so unique that it can never be duplicated by anyone else. Eventually the stew is so complex that even the chefs themselves no longer remember all the ingredients that made it what it has become. They could never give anyone else the recipe. It's a very rare thing, indeed, and everyone has to make their very own.

Most of the time during our lives, through some miracle, we have managed to only have one crisis at a time. She has one and then I have one. We have always had the time to devote to the other's crisis. This is not the case now. We are both going through a very difficult time. Life is hard for each of us right now. We will live through it and come out the other side, but life is more difficult now because we are not able to give each other the full time support that we usually do. We give each other a quick call or send an email, and then each of us goes about our day with the knowledge that we are in the thoughts of the other. That is the best we can do for each other right now.

Still, I know she's there and she knows I'm here.

Better days will come again.

Until then, I'm thinking of you.

As for anyone else who reads this today, I wish for you a soup with an aroma as sweet as mine.

As Alice once said.....

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date....but I have just enough time to write a short post.

Last night Patsy, Bek and Jacob came over for dinner. It was wonderful to see them. It has been far too long. Jacob and Herman were so happy to see each other.

Bek cooked dogs on the grill, and we had deviled eggs and baked beans that I made. We mostly just talked and watched a little television, but it was nice to be together again. Herman and I have truly missed our weekly dinners.

We love you guys.

Shout Out .....

A shout out to Christina, Donna, Patsy or Bek.....please try to leave a comment on this post. I've been told by others that they have experienced difficulty when attempting to publish comments on this blog. I think it has been corrected but I would like to test it. Thanks!