Sunday In The Park

We took Archito to the park today. He really seems to enjoy walking there much more than walking around our neighborhood. Poor little guy is really afraid of cars. I guess I need to walk him at 4am when there isn't much traffic!

Here he is with Carlos:



And here's me with the little guy:


Gotta luv those orange shoes!

While we were heading back we were caught in a pretty bad thunderstorm. Carlos said something about turning off our air-conditioning at home and opening all the doors and windows because our last electric bill was pretty high. Well his wishes were granted, for when we returned home we had no power for several hours. It was raining buckets and the water in front of our house was ankle-deep when I emerged from the car with one wet, stinky Archito. He looks like a little puff-ball now.

Well, that's all for now. Hope to find some time to post during the week. I have to return to work tomorrow :o(. Wouldn't it be great to be a kid again and have the entire Summer off?

Hello Again!

Bless me Father, for I haved sinned, it has been more than four months since I last posted here! I hope to be blogging again on a regular basis. So much has happened in the past four months. I survived my 18 weeks of grand jury duty. It was pretty interesting. I'll talk about it in a later post. but first I have some sad news.

I lost my beloved canine companion of nearly 13 years earlier this month. Raven had been battling lymphoma and having her "put to sleep" was the most agonizing decision I ever had to make. It was truly one of the worst days of my life. She was a big, gentle girl with a heart to match and was loved by all who knew her. If there is a doggy heaven she is most surely there. I miss her terribly. Here is one of the last pictures I took of her:



That's our obese kitty "Jeter" pictured with Raven. They were best friends. I think he misses her the most. Sometimes he sits by our gate waiting for her to come home. So sad.

We do have a new puppy. I'll post about him soon, hopefully before he eats the computer.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.

Hello There!

Yikes!! It's been so long since I last posted that I couldn't remember my password! I will try to post more often, things are gradually getting back to normal around here. Carlos was sick with the flu the past two weeks and he is doing much better now. I don't know how I managed to escape that nasty bug; it seemed like everyone around me had it. I guess I was one of the lucky ones that the flu vaccine actually worked for this year. I also have a glass of oj and a cup of yogurt every day as a mid-morning snack and I do believe it helps boost my immune system. I can't remember the last time I had a cold.

Anyway, not much new here. I turned a year older last Sunday. I also have grand jury duty one day a week for the next eighteen weeks. So let's see....that means I'll be serving until the first week of July!!! Should be an interesting experience.

Well that's about it for now, I hope to be blogging on a regular basis again. I have lots of catching up to do and I miss my friends in blogland. See you all soon!

I'm Still Here!

Boy, I sure have been away for awhile! Both my computer and my blog are collecting dust. I'm still trying to adjust to some new routines in my life, nothing major, just a lot of little changes happening all at once. I used to think of myself as a pretty flexible person, but as I have gotten older, I realize I'm pretty dependent on my routines. And when life calls for changes in them, I tend to panic a bit.

So that's where I'm at right now, trying to get my life organized (what else is new) and really focusing on what's important. I do miss blogging and intend to post more often, I seem to think about it a lot when I don't have access to a computer. And there have been many times when I'm here, staring at the monitor, and I can't think of a single thing to post!

So, thank you for stopping by, I hope to be visiting you all very soon, I really do miss my friends in blogland!

No Dumping!

Our garbage men sanitation engineers must really hate us with all the stuff we've been tossing lately. I've been recycling and giving away as much as possible, but a lot of it is just plain junk, so out it goes. Dumpster divers are welcome to "rescue" anything they want to!

In between all this purging, here are some other "exciting" things that have been going on around here:

Woke up to no heat on what was probably the coldest morning of the year (doesn't it always seem to happen that way?) It was a minor thing and we are now again warm and toasty.

Had a major fire in the neighborhood today; a warehouse went up in flames and burned for six hours. I was at work when it happened, so I don't have any photos. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

And yes, THE NEW JERSEY NEW YORK GIANTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!
Hooray!!!

Big Blue Meets The Big Chill

New York Giants

Go Giants!!!! I don't follow football much, but when your home team is in the playoffs (they really do play in New Jersey) you can't help but get a little excited. The big game starts in about an hour so I'll be taking a break from this weekend cleaning marathon and indulging in some unladylike behavior like swearing screaming at the TV and consuming way too much food and drink. I see the parking spaces on our street filling up quickly as EVERYONE around here will be watching this game and a lot of parties are starting to take shape. The police and pizza delivery men are sure going to have an eventful evening.

It's supposed to be like 4 below in Green Bay, Wisconsin for the big game, but it's also pretty bone-chilling cold here. I pray that Big Blue doesn't actually turn that color from the frigid temps!

So good luck to the New Jersey New York Giants-hope to see you at the Super Bowl in two weeks!

Yammer Yammer Yammer!!!

I'm back -for a little bit anyway. Had some upgrading and downloading to do on the computer and also lots of downsizing to do at home. Need to do some painting here, the bedrooms need it so badly. Found this pretty light blue called "Vintage Map" in the Martha Stewart collection at Lowes for the master bedroom (no that bottom photo is NOT our home-far from it!) Anyway, there's still a lot of preparation that needs to be done, so I'll be spending a lot of time with that in the coming weeks. We have a three day weekend coming up and I'm actually hoping for bad weather, so I won't be tempted to sneak out of here to avoid what needs to be done. I'm sooo bad sometimes.





The actual shade is a bit darker than the above picture.

I have a gut feeling that 2008 is going to bring many changes to Carlos and I. We may lose our jobs soon and if that happens, we will probably sell our home and move to another state. I'm also working some extra hours so I can pay off our debt and squander away what's left. Anyway, I do have a positive feeling about all this, because I know God will lead us in the right direction. Meanwhile, I'm praying and working my butt off, and making the most of my medical benefits while I still have them!

Only In New York....

You just can't make this stuff up! I don't know if this story has made it's way to you yet, but I just had to post about it because it is just so bizarre! Anyway, I did get a chuckle out of it, but I truly do feel sorry for the deceased man. Some friends!

And the weather here has been unseasonably warm this week-ewwwwwwww!

A Taste Of Spring

Absolutely gorgeous here today! Sunny, mid 60's, people outside everywhere enjoying the day. More like early spring than mid-winter, but I checked the calender and, yes it's still January. Just a few days ago it was bone chilling cold and I was all set to hibernate with my comfort food and catch up on some reading. But instead I found myself outdoors, walking Raven, and watching kids play kickball. Sure looks like spring to me. But by 5pm, it was getting dark outside, a little reminder of what season it really is. But I really don't mind the winter, it's a good time to catch up on things that need to be done indoors, and believe me there's plenty that needs to be done here. But I will take advantage of any "spring break" that comes my way.

My Benefactor

Someone where I work has been posting these Morning Reflections on our bulletin board for the past several years. It was a mystery as to whom was doing this, for their email address had been deleted or cut off at the bottom. These reflections would appear almost daily and no one knew where they were coming from.

Well, this past Friday it was quite a different story. Not only was the Morning Reflection in its usual place on the bulletin board, there were extra copies placed on every table in the cafeteria. I brought one home because it really spoke to me. And I now know who my "benefactor" is, for this time he left his name and email address at the bottom. It was quite a surprise, for I would never suspect that it was this particular person. Anyway, here is part of the Morning Reflection for that day:

Lamentations 3:22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Thought for today: Regardless of what happened yesterday, there is hope for tomorrow.

Reflection for the day: God is a God of hope

The company I work for has been bought out buy another and the deal officially went through yesterday. There are going to be some big changes ahead and my future with this company is uncertain, but I've been strangely at peace with this. Maybe it's God's way of telling me that He's with me and every thing's going to be okay.

And if you haven't already done so, please check out the Morning Reflection site. I plan to visit daily, maybe I'll "see" you there!

A Snowy Sunday...

Woke up to our first snowfall today. It was the "cute" December kind of snow-you know the type that covers the ground, but doesn't stick to the roads. The really fluffy stuff that you can just sweep aside with a broom.

Here's a photo of our little "casa". Those are our Christmas lights hanging from the gutters, not icicles. And if you look closely, you can see that there is still a painted Halloween pumpkin sitting on the porch-maybe I should put a Santa hat on it! Or if we get a little more snow, I can build a snowman and use it for the head!



Raven loves the snow, our kitty, Jeter, not so much. She seems to be wondering "Where did the cherry tomato plants go?"



And here's my Jeep, sporting a frosty mustache. The darn thing appears to be smiling and saying "Got snow?"



I've been feeling pretty lousy since Thanksgiving with a nasty head cold-sinus infection kind of thing. I still dragged my sorry self to work all last week and really ran myself down, and that's why I haven't been around lately. I did manage to get out to the mall this weekend and here are a few things I learned about Christmas shopping:

1. Keep away from the stores you love or you will end up buying YOURSELF a lot of Christmas presents, instead of gifts for your family and friends.

2. Visit Bath and Body Works AFTER Yankee Candle and not vice-versa! You don't want your hands to be slippery from all those yummy hand lotions that you sampled if you are going to be opening and sniffing housewarmer candle jars.

3. If you are shopping with your hubby or boyfriend and lose him, most likely he can be found in a department store near the large screen HD televisions.

4. When you are exiting a store and the security alarm goes off, don't think "it's not me." Chances are, it is YOU, because the cashier forgot to remove a security tag from one of your purchases. Unfortunately, you will not discover this until you are home (don't ask me how I know this.)

Looks like I will be making another trip to the mall very soon!

Coffee Talk

Last night I tried something that I have never done before. I know you people are going to think that I have been living in a cave for the past ten years or so, but I had my first Starbucks coffee yesterday.

I've had several doctor's appointments and tests done in the past two weeks and last night I had one with a cardiologist. Something abnormal had shown up on my stress test, so I had to go for a follow up. It turned out to be nothing serious.

Anyway, my doctor's office is located in the same parking lot as our local shopping mall, so Carlos and I decided to take a little stroll inside. As we walked by Starbucks I said "You know, I never had a coffee from here." So Carlos offered to buy me one.

What a way to celebrate having a healthy heart-a jolt of caffeine!

We went inside and I scanned the menu which seemed to be written in Latin. Then I saw some words I was familiar with.

"I'll have a pumpkin spice coffee."

"Tall, Grande, or Venti?"

"Which one is the smallest?"

"That would be the Tall."

"Okay, I'll have that size." By now I was getting funny looks from the artsy fartsy twenty-somethings behind me on line.

"Do you want a latte?"

"Yes please." (I honestly had no idea what that meant-I figured I would go for the true Starbucks experience.)

She mixed together my "latte" and handed me the "tall" cup which was actually pretty short. Carlos handed her $3.75.

That is one pricey little cuppa Joe! It's a good thing I had already seen the cardiologist!

Anyway, it was a pretty good cup of coffee, but coffee always tastes better to me when it's made by someone else. Carlos made sure I drank every drop.

So I may visit Starbucks again in the near future, probably while doing my Christmas shopping. That usually puts me in a zombie-like trance and a caffeine buzz should zap me back to life. But first I must brush up on my latte lingo so I can order like the true coffee addict that I am. I might really splurge and get the Venti.

Christmas in November???

Today along the east coast we are bracing for the remnants of hurricane Noel. High winds, rain, and high tides are expected for part of today. Guess where my wacky hubby is? Down by the waterfront fishing!!!

I've chosen to stay home and do laundry in case we lose power later. And it is kind of nasty looking out there. Anyway, I'm also "test driving" the new medication my doctor has prescribed for me. I'm reading the warning labels on the side and they say things like "May cause dizziness, do not operate heavy machinery".

Does a washer and dryer qualify as "heavy machinery"?

Also don't forget to turn back the clocks tonight. I wish there was a way to "re-program" my dog and kitty as well, for I know they will be waking us up super early in the morning.

Anyway, enjoy your extra hour tomorrow and have a great weekend!

Where's George?

Ever get one one of these Where's George? dollar bills? Well I was holding one hostage for about two weeks because I wasn't quite sure where I should release "George". I thought about bringing him to New York, but then another idea hit me. Since my dad and I usually make a trip to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania in the fall, why not cross the Delaware River with "George", just like the real President Washington did many years ago.

I had wanted to use the bill to pay the toll at the bridge. It's funny how in New Jersey they let you in for free, but you have to pay to leave! Anyway, "George" managed to hide himself from me, so I ended up using another bill, since I was holding up the line at the toll booth.

So it was time for plan "B". Some lucky waitress at this diner in the Poconos is now the proud caretaker of "George". He was part of her tip.



Then Dad and I went to this nearby flea market to look at antiques and other "treasures". Notice that man walking the dog? He's wearing a "NY Mets World Series Champions" jacket. Now that's what I call an antique!



We then went to a few antique marketplaces where I found a few interesting things. You may see them some day soon on "Show and Tell Friday"!

It was just a bit too early to see the area in its autumn finery. Soon this mountain will be a pretty patchwork of fall colors.



I would really love to move to this area someday. It's much more laid back than where I presently live. And quieter. And cleaner. And less expensive. Sounds like a no-brainer to me!

The Postal Service No One Hears About...

My sister sent me this email and I thought it was the sweetest thing. I'm not sure who wrote it, but it's always uplifting to hear about acts of kindness like this. Enjoy!


Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her.

She dictated and I wrote:

Dear God:

Will you please take special care of our dog, Abbey? She died yesterday and is in heaven. We miss her very much. We are happy that you let us have her as our dog even though she got sick. I hope that you will play with her. She liked to play with balls and swim before she got sick. I am sending some pictures of her so that when you see her in heaven you will know she is our special dog. But I really do miss her.

Love,
Meredith Claire

PS Mommy wrote the words after I told them to her.

We put that in an envelope with two pictures of Abbey, and addressed it to God in Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith stuck some stamps on the front (because, as she said, it may take lots of stamps to get a letter all the way to heaven) and that afternoon I let her drop it into the letter box at the post office.

For a few days, she would ask if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch. Curious, I went to look at it. It had a gold star card on the front and said "To Meredith" in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith took it in and opened it.

Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers, "When a Pet Dies". Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God, in its opened envelope (which was marked Return to Sender: Insufficient address). On the opposite page, one of the pictures of Abbey was taped under the words "For Meredith" We turned to the back cover, and there was the other picture of Abbey, and this handwritten note on pink paper:

Dear Meredith,
I know that you will be happy to know that Abbey arrived safely and soundly in Heaven! Having the pictures you sent to me was such a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. You know, Meredith, she isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me--just like she stays in your heart--young and running and playing. Abbey loved being your dog, you know.

Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets!-- so I can't keep your beautiful letter. I am sending it to you with the pictures so that you will have this book to keep and remember Abbey.

One of my angels is taking care of this for me. I hope the little book helps. Thank you for the beautiful letter. Thank your mother for sending it. What a wonderful mother you have! I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I am in heaven but wherever there is love, I am there also.

Love,
God and the special angel who wrote this after God told her the words.

As a pet lover, this is one of the kindest things that I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is some very kind soul working in the dead letter office. Just wanted to share this act of compassion.

Lord of the Miracles Procession

I live in a very culturally diverse neighborhood and there are many different kinds of festivals and religious events held throughout the year. A nearby church has a large Peruvian congregation and today they held their annual Lord of the Miracles procession.

This was literally going on outside my front door this afternoon. The devotees dress in purple tunics and carry this large frame with the image of the Lord of the Miracles for hours. It weighs at least a ton. A band playing solemn music follows the procession. Women walking in front of the procession carry large incense burners and sing hymns.



In the back there is an image of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus:



This gentleman was lifting up babies and small children to touch and kiss the image:



I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo, but a few ladies and teenage boys were also helping to carry the frame:



Carlos preferred to watch from the porch:



You know, when I first saw this procession about two years ago I thought it was a New Orleans type funeral. I even told Carlos that it was the kind of funeral I wanted when the time came. He looked at me like I was crazy (he does that quite often) and said "Lynne that's not a funeral, that's something the people from Peru do!" I am such a dummy!

Well it's starting to get dark-I'm going to see if this procession is still going on. I think I still hear the band playing. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed this little bit of Peruvian culture.

Psssst-you can also click on the photos to see the beautiful details especially the first two pictures.

Oprah Update....

Well today was the big day. I was at the afternoon taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show in NYC and it was about the children of September 11th. It will be aired tomorrow and it is a pretty emotional show, so if you plan on watching keep the Kleenex nearby.
My sister and I spent a few hours waiting on line because although we had tickets it was general admission. So here's my advice to you if you ever think you'll be in that type of situation: make sure you take along some bottled water and something to eat! Or else you may find yourself eating breath mints and sugarless gum for lunch. Nothing like scrounging around your purse looking for something edible. But I have to say it was all worth it-Oprah is awesome!!!

A bit Of A Dilemma....

I know I haven't been around much-I've been very busy both at home and at my job and I'm trying to savor these last few snippets of summer (although I'm REALLY looking forward to autumn). So imagine my surprise when I arrived home today and among the bills and assorted junk mail was this:



I have in my possession 2 of the hottest tickets in NYC!!!!
But here is the problem-I don't know who to take with me. I have three sisters, but only one extra ticket. My hubby has already told me he doesn't want to attend and suggested that I bring my father. YIKES!! I can't fathom bringing the "Popster" to that sea of humanity known as Manhattan-I'm afraid he'll wander off and I'll lose him. And then I myself will one day be featured on the Oprah Show when the topic is "Adult Children Who Abandon Their Aging Parents At Train Stations In Major U.S. Cities".
Anyway, I'm thinking of asking a friend at work who desperately tried to get tickets and was unable to because her computer decided to crash while she was attempting to access the site. I hear that the show may be about 9/11 and this friend of mine was the first person who informed me about that horrible tragedy. So right now I'm kind of leaning towards asking her. But I don't want to upset my other friends at work. Boy, I really need to pray on this!!!

So I'm wondering what should I do?

I feel like I've been such a naughty blogger not posting for a few days :o(. I've been pretty busy lately both at home and my job and by the time I get around to using the computer it's almost beddy-bye time and I'm so sleepy. I attempt to leave comments at your blogs and I usually end up mis-spelling words or hitting the wrong key and deleting everything. I have a lot of catching up to do both in my home and cyberspace, but I just want you all to know I'm still around and appreciate all your kind comments.



I've also started reading this book, The Sunny Side, Short Stories and Poems for Proper Grown-Ups. It's by A.A. Milne (yes the Winnie the Pooh author) and it sounded like an interesting read. When I'm finshed reading it, probably about ten years from now, I'll give you all a little review. The print is also adult friendly, larger than normal, which is right up my alley.
Well my eyelids are getting heavy and I'm starting to babble so I'm gonna go while I'm still somewhat alert or I just may accidently delete my entire blog. Good night and God bless you all.

A Little time Out...

I need to take a little blogging break as I've gotten a bit behind on things from both the high temps here and I have been spending a bit too much time on the computer. I do work full time and things are beginning to look a bit shabby around here!

I need to do a lot of this:





And some of this:



And who knows-if this heat wave comes to an end, I may even spend some time in here:




Plus both hubby and pets are feeling a bit neglected.

I also have lots of reading to catch up on and a pile of papers (bills!) to attack.
See you all soon!