Recently in News Category

All eyes on Gustav here. Our plan here in Bush is about the same as it was for Katrina. I surely hope public officials and essential service providers are better prepared this time, though. There is still time (And quiet hope) for it to weaken or veer off elsewhere.

Very saddened to hear of the death of Harvey Korman. He's being remembered as a comedian and the ultimate straight man although I don't think he ever kept a straight face with Tim Conway. I'd wager a few bucks that no one could have. Korman's attempts to do so became part of their shtick and it will be sorely missed. Below, I offer a bit of classic comedy this morning.

R.I.P., Harvey Korman.

And some other stuff from the backyard.

CrabAppleLane walkway - June 1, 2008

CrabAppleLane Mirlitons - June 1, 2008

We have resisted going over there today to hold and lovingly gaze upon his sweet, adorable face. It has not been easy! Kellie and Stephen were up with Baby Barrett every hour to hour and a half last night. He must have felt that he was all alone in that big crib in that big bedroom. Stephen introduced him to the pacifier at some point in the middle of the night. Barrett kept it in for an hour and cried when it fell out. Stephen put it back in and they all slept for another hour. Kellie and Stephen dozed most of the day today when Barrett slept. He is really a very beautiful baby and we are slightly (?) FREAKED out that we are old enough to be GRANDPARENTS!

Baby Warren (Barrett Scott) - With Grandma Sue

Baby Barrett was born at 43pm, on January 25, 2008. Both baby and Mom are fine! I'd love to write about the whole experience right now, but I am having to help breast feed.

Baby Barrett was born at 43pm, on January 25, 2008. Both baby and Mom are fine!

Baby Barrett was born at 43pm, on January 25, 2008. Both baby and Mom are fine!

I need a job at MSNBC.COM. Wonder what kind of contrack I can get?

Wonder if they'll have it corrected anytime soon?

Zack shot this deer opening morning. He and John still have more tags to fill and the season goes until Sunday.

Well, my big pecan tree is out of my yard. Not the root ball. That requires a different piece of equipment and a different crew with a different set of skills. They will show up in a few days or weeks. The young men closed off my street in order to accommodate their super-sized equipment and set to work. It was a pretty amazing display of hard work. They cut the tree into 3-foot pieces and then with the giant crane, lifted the pieces to my front yard where the bobcat waited. He scooped everything up and hauled it ACROSS THE STREET to my neighbor's public access (the space between the street and his yard). The pile is tremedous and blocks his "for sale" sign. He came to my front door last night and asked me -- with a sweet smile never leaving his face -- to call Express Tree Service and have them come to remove all of the tree to my front yard where it belongs. He has consulted with them; he has called his lawyer, and now he's ready to call the police and get them involved. I talked to Express Tree Service this morning and was told that the material is legal where it is and that it will be picked up by FEMA as soon as they can get to it. Since FEMA has already cleared my street twice, I fear it may be some time before they get here, and I asked Express to see if it could be expedited or could they come back and put it on my property? That would be all right with me and I do sort of agree with the fellow that it should be here and not there. Except that when it was being done, the logistics dictated that it be dealt with as it was. If they set those huge pieces of trunk in front of my house, there would be no maneuverability for the bobcat to pick up more. Going across the street was the only thing to do, but it did embarrass me a little. I wasn't prepared for his smiley face last night though.

Today Angela and I are going across the lake to have a picnic lunch at Janine's. Elizabeth can't come because Polina came down with a fever yesterday. No other symptoms and today she's feeling fine and getting into things but she believes in waiting 24 hours for the fever to be normal before resuming social activity. Katie will meet us there. Today is half-day at school, so Aaron and Julia will be home and maybe Amy will come with Katie. I'm sure Lars has either work (McDonald's) or something more interesting than picnicking with children and elders. Isn't he 17 though?

And that's my Friday, November 4. A beautiful fall day. If we were anywhere near normal down here, I'd say come for a visit.

Due in late September.

Congratulations, Mary, Eric, and Murphy

Mary Catherine has two very fun pieces of news that she would like to share with everyone. At 10am this morning, she got her braces off. Her orthodontist presented her with a big bag of chewy candy, gum, balloons, and a wine bottle of apple-grape juice. Her smile is so pretty now that she is minus all of the hardware. She wore her braces for two years, six days. (I didn't remember how long she had them on, but she had the exact date filed away in that steel trap mind of hers.)

The second major news item is that Mary Catherine made cheerleader!!! 72 girls tried out and 24 were selected. She worked very hard. She had to learn a dance, a cheer with all kinds of hand movements, a few jumps, and how to "spirit out". I didn't know that the cheerleaders danced. Their dance was a lot of fun!! I think she is going to have a great year! I can't wait to see how darling she looks in the cute little uniform!! After she was selected, I got to see her perform with the whole squad and it was such fun!!

While I was busy with Mary Catherine, Scott was entertaining Joe and 4 friends who came over for his birthday party. I had planned his birthday party before we knew about the tryouts. I didn't know until yesterday that if she made it, I would need to be there for an informational session and performance. Immediately after the performance, I raced home to meet Scott and the boys to take them to Funland. (I was supposed to leave Scott the van and I forgot.) Joe and his friends rode go-carts, played golf, and laser tag. We also gave them each a $3.00 card to play the games at the end of the evening. We thought they would blow through that really quickly and then we could leave. One boy went through his in no time. The rest took a while, but JACKSON took forever. I think somebody was ADDING money to it when my back was turned. I didn't think he would ever be through!!! They were all so cute (and a bit wild) and had such a good time! I am exhausted!!

I am so drained! I have been on an emotional rollercoaster this week and (as Scott kept pointing out) I wasn't even the one trying out!!

I hope that y'all get to read this. This is my fourth attempt to post something and I think if this doesn't go through, I'm done.

I went to the Bike Zone with a figure in mind. It ended up being just about twice what I expected. See why here.

Haven't we all said, " If we had money, we build a new house. "? These guys came into some money and did just that.

Today I had a small mole removed from the crown of my head. It was quite easy, much quicker than they had suggested, and it turned out they were able to remove all cancer cells. I can't bend over and I can't wash my hair but otherwise I'm good as new. There was a square of hair removed so they could see what they were doing, but I've developed a certain expertise in covering up a rambunctious cowlick, so I think I'll manage to keep this covered as well. In two weeks, I'll return to have the eight (!) stitches removed and after promising to stay out of the sun, I'll be finished with these particular doctors.

Patsy and I are taking advantage of this unseasonably cool summer weather to do what is fast becoming a weekly routine. We go to our favorite restaurant in old Covington for dinner and then walk from there to the little coffee shop on Boston afterwards. We love old Covington.

Love to have others join us. If interested, call or email.

No cheating