One more photo........

Here are a couple more photos from the Jazz Half Marathon that Brandi did last weekend! I just had to show them! They are of Brandi and her sister Dawn. I have never met Dawn, but I love her sister, and if she is anything like Brandi...(which I am sure she is), then I would love her too!!



What do you think? I would be saying "NOOOOO" if the weather first thing in the morning said I might get wet.....I'm thinking New Orleans Coffee and a Beignet. (I have never had a Beignet...but Brandi assures me she makes the BEST. Another reason I was very sad that we didn't get to GA.....I have always wanted to try one. I just know that I would be hooked...actually, just the thought makes me smile...so maybe I'm hooked already. Can that be possible? Thinkin' it might!)
But our Fearless Two...suck it up...and off they go.....running the streets of New Orleans..... OH!! Can you tell they are sisters?!!!

Happy Halloween!

This morning, I was awakened by a Text Message....It read 2:38:40!

It had come from Brandi...and the numbers? That is the time she ran...13.1 miles....Wow!! She has been running for a while now, and she has kept busy doing Marathons. Just lately, she did a 5k run, did the Buddy Walk (which they do every year as a family). She did a hear4hope, the Susan G Komen Run, and today the Jazz Half Marathon in New Orleans to benefit the Children's Hospital. (I hope I got that right). And, as you can see from the photos below...Alex is right there with her! When Jamie and Brandi were first together, Jamie said "Mom...you have to find Brandi a hobby". Brandi was fine with that too...I think...she never said "no", but then, maybe she couldn't? LOL

So, I undertook that mission...."Cross Stitch"? "Scrapbooking"? Well, Brandi found her hobby! That was where the Running came in!

Here is a photo of The Buddy Walk, which the family does every year:

From L-R...a friend, Brandi, Jamie and Alex in the wagon....(not sure who the other little one is)

Last week, it was the Susan G. Komen Run.....

Alex joins in.....(don't you love that head tilt?)

And here is a photo of Alex and her first 5k run with Momma...

Alex missed the run today...instead, she stayed home with Daddy....where I am sure that they spent the day watching football!

I am just in awe of her!

Meditation Rug

Good morning! Have you missed me?!!! I missed you all! I have been thinking that I needed to get back on and blog...(for all of you out there that have been holding your breath? You can let it out now! LOL).

I have been working on my hooking projects...(noooo, silly people...not on the street corners in my classic red dress and black fishnet hose.....), but on my RUG hooking projects. I joined the "10 Minutes A Day Rug Hooking" challenge...so far, so good. Not content to leave it at that? I also joined a "Meditation Rug" Challenge". April, who is in charge of the group....will give us a word on the 1st of the month, and we are to design and hook a 12" x 12" square. It lasts for 12 months, and at the end of the 12 months, we will all have a large rug, and it will be filled with items that mean something personally to us. I LOVED that idea! I said "SIGN ME UP"....and she did!!!

So, I needed to get some more fabric (bummer on that, right?), and then do some thinking, and then do some drawing.......we will be on square 3 on Sunday. So, I am right where I should be...fabric bought....and panicked and brain-dead......you see, I can think......I can (and have), draw out the lines and squares.....but I cannot make my mind up.....and I cannot DRAW!!! All of my hooking has been on pre-drawn Monks Cloth. So, last night.....with all the lines drawn on.........I put my pen to the fabric....and DREW! Yes, I did!!! And then, I CHOSE MY COLORS!! Uh huh....chose those puppies with nary a thought!!! (so, I will admit here...all the colors that I have? Are the Fall colors, my most favorite colors.....so really, it was almost a no brainer...., but I do like to think that I did more than put my hand in my basket of tangled worms, and yank out a handful....close my eyes and just grab one.....I mean really, why would I do that?).....Then, I put the hook to my backing...and I hooked....and while I hooked, I meditated about the first word, which is "Turning". Took a photo, as I promised one on the Forum I would...(a day late), and looked at the photo....it looked much better than the original work. You see.....I don't think I am a Primitive Hooker....or, to put it more bluntly...I DO NOT LIKE USING 1/4" strips......I have decided that I am a 1/8" hooker.....I just don't like what I did!! Of course, if I could just look at it through the lens.....LOL! What I have done previously is the 1/4", (or #8 cut), and I have done wool yarn. I will be studying this square....shall I keep it or not? I have just ordered lots of the smaller cut.....I may have to reverse hook it, as I just am not happy with it.....and I have lots more to do!!! Looking at the photo now...I probably should have trimmed the wool before taking the photo! But it is the general idea...although........sigh.......

On to other things.....Bob came home for a quick visit. We had a great time! It was good to see him, and catch up on things! Here is a shot of Bob and Grandma:
And Bob with Dad:
Now, Max is 6'.....so you can see that Bob is tall!

What else have been doing? Hmmm....life just goes by in such a blur! I'm not sure what all has been going on!

We have had a fairly regular visitor......This is Watts.....and as you know...you can't have October without a black cat or two! We awoke to rain and wind this morning. I love a good storm! However, the rain ended and the wind laid down...so Max thought he would get his walk in. That was about 1/2 hour ago. So.....he should be about a third to half done on his walk. Guess what? It just started to pour and the wind just hit again. My man is going to be wet! So, I think I will close this, light some candles (after all, why have a storm with no candles?), and do a bit more on one of my rug projects. What better way to spend a stormy day?

Life.....

Another day in the life of the Franklin Clan. A very interesting day...one that has us thinking.....

Max and I were awakened this morning by a voice having a conversation. It was coming from the Monitor that we have alongside the bed. The other part is next door at Mom F.'s house. And she was the one having a conversation. And she sounded very alert. So, after a minute or so of listening and not making out what she was saying, I got up and grabbed my sweats and headed next door. I was very quiet as I unlocked the door, and then found my way to the kitchen and flipped the light on. As I walked down the hallway, Mom said "That light is so bright". So, I ambled on in, and asked her if she was feeling okay. She said "yes". So then, I asked her who she had been talking to. (Now, you need to know that she had her glasses on). She said that she had been talking to a "girl", but the girl wouldn't answer her, so she had just put her glasses on to see her better, and it was at that time I had turned the light on and come on down the hall. I looked around the room, and by the door, which is where Mom said the girl was. No one. Only the clock blinking the time. So, I told her what time it was, and told her she could get a couple more hours of sleep, if she could. And, I'd be over later to check on her. She laid her head back and said "isn't that funny"....

I came home, told Max and we both went back to sleep for an hour. I went over about 8:00, and she was up waiting for her coffee to finish. So, while we waited for the coffee to finish, we talked about it. She told me that there had been 3 women at the foot of her bed. But no one would answer her. They just stood there looking at her. She could see 2 of them very clearly, but not the "girl" at the far end by the door. And then when I came in "they left". She said it was the "weirdest thing".

So, I have been a member of this family for 30 years. And we have done lots of traveling with Mom, and then the years in AZ, where she slept in the living room.....she had NEVER, and I mean NEVER talked in her sleep. (Now, Max does......, boy, does he....).

I came on home, and sat down with my coffee. The phone rang. It was Larrie, Maxs' cousin. He called to tell us that Verna, (the wife of Dad F.'s cousin), had died. He had just got the call. So we had a nice long chat, and then he told me the time that she had died. My hair stood up on my arms. So, I told him about Mom's "talk". And what time it was. The hair stood up on his arms. Then he was quiet for a minute, and said, "Eva is the last of the three left". The three, born in 1917, were Larrie's Mom, (Aunt Winnie, who died in 1999, I think), Verna, who died today, and Mom F. The three had spent lots of time together in their younger years, (they were all married to Franklin's). And had corresponded regularly until recently, when Verna couldn't really see to write, and Mom wasn't able to write very much either.

I went over and asked Mom if she had recognized the two women she had seen. She said she couldn't remember. But when I told her about Verna, she got a funny look, but wouldn't say anything else.

So....here is the rest of the story........when I came home from town, Mom was over here with Max...(we got her to stay for dinner....YAAAAAAAAAAA!!!), and she asked me who that lady was that died. I said "Verna"? She said she guessed. But she couldn't place who she was. And how was she related, and how did they know each other. I told her it was Dad's cousin's wife. And said "you and Verna wrote back and forth for years and years....and we stopped to visit her when we were traveling. She said "really"? Then, "I have no idea who she was". Max's face fell. My heart started to cry. How sad is that. I know that we are going to go through all kinds of stages. And Dad spoilt us. He died at 89, and was sharp as a tack minutes before he died. Now, as I type this, Max has brought her a plastic bag full of hard candy to choose her piece. He hadn't undone the tie. She is trying to figure out how it opens. Lord, this is so hard..............

And Verna? We are so going to miss you....................

So, Here I am......Sniffing.........

Lavender...(gotcha!), and sipping on a cup of Chamomile Tea...trying to calm down, and reduce that nasty ol' tightness in my muscles......and boy, do I look pathetic, if I do say so myself, and I do!

Night before last I woke up about 2:00am, with a horribly tight chest. So I laid there a bit, barely awake, trying to separate all the pains and aches....now, bear in mind...I truly was barely awake. After separating everything, I decided that I must be fine, as my left arm didn't hurt or go numb. Now, as soon as I reasoned that out....my left arm started tingling. I laid there a bit longer, and decided that the arm was waking up.....I must have laid on it wrong. I took another deep breath, and decided that if I was having a heart attack, I didn't particularly care, and settled down to go to sleep again. A couple minutes later, I knew I had to hit the bathroom, and no heart attack could stop that...so I dragged myself out of bed, down the hall, and into the bathroom. After that, I decided I was thirsty, so I shuffled to the kitchen, got a drink, and then went back to bed. By then the chest had loosened, and I dropped right back to sleep. I woke up, feeling fine, but with tired muscles in my chest. Yesterday, I was tired, and achy, but no more chest pain. I mentioned it to Max and he about had a heart attack, but I assured him it was NOT a heart attack. Last night, went to bed, and slept the night through. Then within about 3 hours of waking up, here came that nasty ol' tightness again. So, I called the Dr., and had to leave a message as no one answered the phone. Jackie called back right away, and wanted to know WHAT was wrong....the message that I had left was that "I have a spot that needs to go, and I hadn't been feeling too sharp lately". Turns out I had never called and said that I hadn't been feeling well....so, it struck alarm bells with Jackie....(I used to talk to her daily, when I was in Radiolgy). The Dr. was gone, and so Jackie told me that the Triage Nurse would call me right back....and she did. Tina called, (I used to work with her too) and asked what was going on...so we had a lovely, long talk. I told her not much, then said that the trip had ended right after it started, and then, with a little (actually, very little) prompting, the last two months unfurled, and...well.....wow......I was and am stressed. So, I have a dr. appt for the 12th.....if I have any more 'episodes', I am to go right in...and I needed to 'calm down'. So, I asked, "any ideas on that calming down thing?" "Chamomile Tea before bed, and maybe some lavender by the pillow". HELLLLOOO.....I am the Homeopathic person in the family. What do I tell everyone? Chamomile and Lavender Tea, and a sachet in your pillow or next to the bed.....and "Turn It Over To God"....."Share with a friend", what was I thinking? Oh, obviously NOT thinking!! And the second I stuck a Lavender Dryer Bag under my nose.....ahhhhhh...tightness gone......

Now, I just have to "Turn It Over", and "Share with a friend"....and I consider you all "friends", so I am sharing this with you.....

Our Family has had lots of "happenings" lately. Without hauling it all out, and stressing myself more......

Our Christy, had a Bi-lateral Mastectomy a week ago. It was her choice, and a wise one. But, my heart still cries for her.

Our Lauren.....and the whole family....are facing terrible stresses right now...our Lauren is about to have her world ripped apart...she will be meeting a Birth Father, that she didn't know about. She is 5. (He didn't want her, and has wanted nothing to do with her, but now.....it's a bloody mess). Along with her, Brad and Livvie, who are trying to keep it all together, and pay for all the lawyers, and keep the family as "normal" as possible. Brad is her "Daddy", (he's had her her whole life), and that will never change, and she will know that, but in the meantime......

Brandi and I spent the last two months planning our trip....that is what has held me together the last few months, whenever I would hit "overload", I would think about the trip South, and things would calm down for a bit. It was my safety net this Summer and Fall.

And there is more.......and, we are not the only family that are dealing with bad things right now, and so many more families are worse off.....and my thoughts go to them.....

Life will settle down, and things will be fine.....and me falling apart will certainly NOT help! Whew!!! Thanks for listening! I promise to not post like this again!!! Well, not for a long time, anyway!!

We are Finally Home!

Oh, yes, and what a trip it was!!! We finally got the car on Thursday morning, and headed home. We were both tired, and thankful.....okay, I must admit, until we got the car, we were both rather cranky. But after a test drive or two, we loaded our stuff and and hit the Interstate. Where we cruised home....both of us really upset that we were headed North instead of South. We stopped at Canyonville, and had lunch, then a little bit later we went off of I5 and headed West on 138....which is a beautiful, if a bit narrow at times, drive. There are very few pull-outs on that road, and most of them, if you don't know that they are there? Well, you notice them as you whiz by.....which by that time is too late. Unless you are one of those talented drivers that can whip the car around in the lane....which I am not....and while I have mentioned it to Max a time or two, he doesn't seem to feel strongly enough about that particular pull-out to do it. So, to be honest? I've always wanted to be in a car that does that.....as long as it is a policeman, who knows what he is doing....(Oh, Bob...hint, hint?)


So, we meandered West, admiring the turning leaves, and trying to talk ourselves out of the blues. We finally got to Elkton, and Max pulled over so we could switch drivers. It was MY turn!!! (I do love to drive!) As I walked around the back of the car, I noticed this trail of drops....and they seemed to lead under the car....hmmmm....so, I mentioned (okay, waved my arms and screamed like a banshee...the whole town of Elkton probably thought that Death to all had arrived).....to Max, who looked at me like I was insane....(he's had a LOT of practice at that). Then he calmly said..."Move the car forward so I can see if it is leaking under OUR car". So, I did.....he looked, and then reached down to poke at the PUDDLE where the car had been. And it was oily. Now HE looked like he could scream like a Banshee...but of course, him having more restraint than I do, he just clenched his jaw....(I love it when he does that....just gives me the shivers..though of course, that is not the time to tell him...sigh). We pulled onto the gravel parking lot, and he checked the transmission fluid level...it was almost non-existent....time for a call to our Personal Transmission Builder, (here-after known as PTB) which Max made...(still clenching his jaw)....who told us to find a station and fill up the transmission fluid. When I heard that? I reached into the back and grabbed the Beer Nuts......(remember, stress eater here).....so we carefully and slowly drove to the station which was across the street. Spoke to the guy who owned it, and then called our PTB, so he could talk to the station guy. Within about, oh.....1 minute, the station guy HUNG UP on the PTB. Seems our Ashland Dude had made the station guy VERY angry. So, I reached back to grab something to drink with the beer nuts.....no beer. Darn.....so, I grabbed the next best thing....Pepper Jack Chips and started in on those. As I sat in the car, watching the discussion going on in front of me....I thought, what a shame....no popcorn......WAIT....there WAS popcorn!!! Another quick grab to nab the popcorn and Pepsi (gotta have Pepsi with Popcorn), and I was all set to enjoy the rest of the show. By then, however, things had quieted down, they added the fluid...and the plan was to head for home. Checking the fluid on the way....so, again, off we traveled.

It occurred to me, as we started the twisty curves that maybe I should call someone, so that if we didn't show up at a special time, they could come and find us. So, first a call to Mom and Dad...no answer...no machine....next a call to Craig....no answer.....before the machine could cut in, we had lost the signal....I'm ready for home...the beer nuts are gone.....Chips are gone....Popcorn has lost it's appeal...and the Pepsi? I now had to find a bathroom.......

A half an hour or so later, we got to Reedsport, where Max pulled off at a station that he used to deliver fuel too...they checked the fluid....we're good....just then Craig called....so I told him why I had called. He said that he had figured that was why we called....(Like I never call just to say "hi"?), so we set a time, and he said he'd head South if we hadn't checked in by the set time. Of course, now that we had a set time? We ran into construction....so we made it to the lake with five minutes to spare, so I called him, said we would be there in about 15 minutes. Made it there, got the keys, ran to our mechanics, where they set up an appt on Monday at 8:00....so we'll see. So far, no leaking. That's what so great about life at our house...you just never know what is going to happen!!

It is all a matter of Perspective....

Today was another day in Paradise.....well, for a few minutes anyway! We stopped by to see how the car was doing......unfortunately, the mechanic was not thrilled to see us. In fact, he mentioned to Max that he felt Max did not trust him. Hmm....anyway, not getting into that, except to say that my fairly mild husband took exception to that.....and did possibly mention something to him concerning trust....and then he got into the car, and we headed into Ashland to the Wild Goose for breakfast. Now...the story gets even MORE exciting. Are you holding onto your knickers?? Not to keep you in suspense, but do you recognize the item in this photo?

Yep, you got it!! It is a ticket!! I cannot believe it, still. And here is my story, and I am SOOOOOO sticking to it...(I know, everyone says that...but really....)

Max and I are driving through downtown Ashland, we pass a police officer on a motorcycle....who looks at me...makes eye contact, and chases me down. Really......I was sure he had mistaken me for someone (anyone) famous.....well, he didn't even ask me for my autograph...instead he asked me "do you know why I stopped you"? "Not a clue" I replied...maintaining a calm voice....(it pays to be a Drama Queen sometimes). "Well, I stopped you for doing 37mph in a 25mph zone". My husband, you know, the one I mentioned above? says "why did you stop her....she was with the traffic"? My policeman says "She was leading the pack"......"She was not leading the pack...she was following". "She had cars behind her"....came the reply from my personal officer...(indeed I did).....Seems the gentleman chose to see me as leading, instead of following......Now, I could be pleased...I never see myself as a Leader.......soooo.....to look at the bright side...I have given MY favorite cop something to tease me with....(our son, Bob)......what with me being the proud owner of a $145.00 ticket.....

Now, I am leaving you with a photo I took while I was waiting to pick up the car today....(his wife just called....it might be ready tomorrow.......