another "Personality" test...

***You Belong in Dublin***

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions.
You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.


What European City Do You Belong In?

FRIDAY'S FEAST

Feast One Hundred!Woohoo! One Hundred Feasts!

Appetizer
On average, approximately how many times per day do you yawn?

Probably about 100

Soup
What was your most memorable school field trip?

To the Los Angeles Music Center, the Chandler Auditorium, for an introduction to classical music by the LA Philharmonic. I was in 4th grade, I think. They, of course, played Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals. Loved every moment.

Salad
Fill in the blank: I was extremely sleepy this week.

Main Course
Which color do you think of when you hear the word "soothing"?

Sea green/blue

Dessert
What is something that, if you had to, you could save up the money to buy within one month?

A laptop, a new garage door, a new dining room set that matches, two nice chairs for the front room (these are on my list for Next Things to Purchase—The laptop may be easier to save up for than the others.)

A Shorty...

We just feel so lucky. This evening, we drove the six miles over to Disneyland, used our free parking pass to park, and just walked up to the top of the parking structure. Why, you ask? To watch the glorious fireworks!!

It was great--15 minutes, longer than usual because of the holiday weekend, and a bonus...we could see the fireworks from the college nearby as well as from Angel Stadium at the Angels/Dodgers game.

But Disney's fireworks are the absolute best ever. It was great. We're back home now and feel very fortunate.

10 Fun Games to Play at a Party

10 Fun Games...

1. pictionary
2. trivial pursuit
3. scharades
4. bunko
5. scruples
6. Questions (a game I made up that everyone seems to like)
7. quarters
8. Poker
9. Peejee Weejee (I have no idea how to spell that)
10. gossip/rumors/are you listening?

Picture of my Pop

This is a picture of my dad sailing (I took the picture) one summer day, well, several years ago, now. It was a much healthier time for him...before the broken back, the heart attack, the surgery, the strokes, et al. It's the way I remember him. In my heart, he never changed from this age or stage. It's the way he came back to me on that last Friday night when he said his good bye to me. This picture was the one used on his memorial card for his funeral service, too.

Ten on Tuesday

I thought this was a great one, tho I wish it had been asked 3 weeks ago...(My parents were my greatest living role models, ever)

Ten Living Role Models

1. Eddyth Ramsey - a wonderful gracious & talented woman who everyone loves
2. Tracey Kelvie - my obstitrician - I love her philosophy about life and children
3. Paul Newman - on another list, but certainly on mine too.
4. Joanne Woodward - #3's wife
5. Debbie Street - I love the grace with which she embraces people
6. Lorena Foster - I so admire her dignity and philosophy
7. Delores Thimlar - such beautiful woman, inside and out - She treats people the way I ought to do.
8. Bill & Melissa Gates - for their charitable -ness
9. Christie Hardey - I want to be her
10. HRH Sarah Ferguson

B'bye, Poppy

So, all four of our parents are gone (mine and Mank's), so we get to be parents and grandparents. The funeral service was very nice. It was small, but very loving. We received some beautiful floral arrangements at the funeral; now our home looks like a small florist. One arrangement I gave to my closest friend for the past 30+ years DH (not "dear husband"). I'll give one other to the Retirement Home where Dad spent most of the last 3 years. A third we'll give to the sea, my dad's other love.

I know people say it's hard when it's sudden, but it's also hard when you've had time to prepare. I honestly thought I was prepared, and at the moment of Dad's departure, I was. It wasn't until the funeral that I realized he is really gone, and let my emotions release. Yet, this morning, I wanted to call him, figure out when to visit him; hear from the hospital about his condition. I shall always remember his last word to me: "beautiful." On one hand, I realized that he really couldn't see 8^), but I preferred to accept that he meant I was beautiful.

Sorry to write so much about it. The negative stress is nearly out of the way (well, the known stress anyway) after my recovery from my gall bladder surgery tomorrow, we ought to be able to have a great summer.

On a more positive note, our summer plans will keep us busy! Sarah will go to several camps this summer...Song & Dance, Camp Scherman for the Girl Scouts (up in the mountains, rustic cabins, sleeping bags, the whole nine yards--for 5 days), and maybe a Jr. Marine Biology day camp for a week at the beach. Em will attend two weeks of Gymnastics camp--she is our little monkey!, and maybe a community play camp at one of the local parks for a week, too; plus she'll attend the Song & Dance camp with Sarah. They both will have swimming lessons twice each week beginning late June until mid-August. I'd better get this all on a calendar!!

In addition to that, all four of us are going to Pennsylvania--Hershey, and Washington DC for 10 days. Don't ask me why we are going to those locations during the hottest, muggiest time of the year. Maybe we'll sweat some pounds off our chubby bods. Then in August, the girls and I will end the summer trips with a camping excursion to Big Sur with two other families. Scott is unable to get the time off; not only because of our previous 10 day trip, but because it's "crunch" time with his latest production, "Meet the Robinsons." Did you see Chicken Little? We hope so--we thought it was pretty good. We still get excited to see our Daddy's name in "lights."

Until next time...

10 Favorite Childhood Toys

from the Ten on Tuesday folks:

• bicycle
• stuffed pink poodle
• small tiny wooden magnetized train set
• etch-a-sketch
• Ford cars--a Galaxie 500, a 1964 Mustang, 1961 convertible Thunderbird, a 1962 Galaxie and a 1962 Metal VW Bug with changing gears, all to scale and no more than 8" long.
• skateboard
• my Kodak instamatic REAL camera
• My one Barbie and one Tammy doll
• Thumbelina doll
• Chatty Cathy doll

Poppy

Well, it has happened. Poppy took his last breath at 3:35 this morning. I'm so glad I got to see him in a coherent few moments on Friday night, and got to see him again last night to wish him farewell.

He wasn't famous, or rich. He wasn't a celebrity. He was my hero, though. He helped me through some painful times, and celebrated my joys and accomplishments as if they were his. My dad taught me so much.

I wrote a poem to him and about him; when I find it I'll post it. He was a very, very good man.

Not So Good News

Dear friends and family,

This will be just a note about Poppy, with an apology for not writing in the past few months.  

Unfortunately (don’t you hate it when a sentence starts with that word?), our dear Poppy’s health has deteriorated significantly in the last week.  I don’t know how to say this, so, I’ll have to be somewhat blunt.

It seems as if he’s actively trying to pass away.  For the past four days, he has refused all medication, and most all of his food. He won’t eat but maybe a teaspoon of food at each meal.

Last evening, I visited with him for a while, and he uttered two words.  One was “beautiful.”  A few minutes later, he said, “chocolate.”  I couldn’t get it out of him whether he wanted a chocolate bar, some other kind of candy, a malt, or cake, or what. He has had a good-sized sweet tooth for many years, and knowing the “old” Dad, it might have been a Snickers bar.  Sadly, he can’t chew the peanuts in that candy.

So, I told him I’d be right back, and jetted over to the nearest grocery, where I found bags of “bite-sized” versions of his old favorites—3 Musketeers, Hershey’s kisses, Mounds, and a few others.  When I returned, I gave him a kiss, and then a chocolate Kiss.

He whispered the word, “beautiful” again. I sat with him, told him that Emily would have a graduation next week, when she finishes preschool.  The teachers plan to have them march to “Pomp & Circumstance” in white gowns and caps—it will be so very cute!  He smiled, kind of.  I made a few jokes, and he did actually give me a full smile.  I knew he was alert.  He seemed safe for that moment, and it had been 1-1/2 hours, so I thought I’d better get home, and planned to go back tomorrow (today.)

I visited him this evening, and he was so much worse.  I tried to get him to look at me, offered him some more candy, asked him if he could speak at all.  He would not even make eye contact with me.  Four days without food or his meds (for blood pressure, stroke prevention, heart aids, etc.) will have its effects, won’t it.

So, it will be day to day, or hour to hour for the duration.  I’ve loved the letters and cards, and I still read them to him.  I will read them to him until he can’t hear me anymore.

There are regrets, of course, that I couldn’t get him immediate care when he had this last stroke, that I couldn’t visit him at least every other day, that I couldn’t do things he wanted.  I just hope he forgives me.  

He has been such a good man; he’s kept his faith all the way, and has always been a loving, compassionate minister.  I just hope that when he goes, it will be peaceful and not painful.

Enough of the morose for now. Who knows; maybe he’ll meet a cute nurse tomorrow, perk right up and surprise us all!  He’s been known to do that before, after all!

Please keep your good wishes and prayers going his way.  I thank you so much for the comfort and support you’ve given us.