The Deck is Painted....Hip Hip Hurrah

Mom and Dad's deck is finally painted.....and they are very glad. We still can't use it as it needs to sit for a couple days before the rug and the glider and the chairs and end tables are arranged, but it has been a long haul because of the weather. Faithful sons-in-laws, Jeff and Joe, were sanding the deck getting it ready to be painted months ago. They never thought the deck wouldn't be in use still into the second week in July. When the painter finally started the weather turned wet and trying to find a time when there was no rain at all for several days became a challenge. Espeicially because there had to be two coats. Then the painter went on a family vacation and was gone for several days. It just became frustrating....along with the fact the whole back yard had to be dug up in order to fix a leak NEXT TO......which seeped under the foundation of the house. Soooooo now at least the deck is painted and the stairs off the back deck ....which the excavation caused to cave in.....are back in place and the yard has been graded and seeded and straw put down and now they are watering. It should be just a few more weeks and things will be back to normal. Like Rosanne Rosanna Danna always said, "It is always something!" Hopefully this will be the last "something " for a while.

Mourning Tony Snow

Today is a sad day. Like so many other Americans I am mourning the death of Tony Snow. I have known about Tony Snow since about 1991 or 1992 when I heard him sub for Rush Limbaugh on his radio program. We were glad when he went to work for Fox News and we could not only listen to Tony but watch as he interviewed people from both sides of the isle. We liked Tony because he didn't "cave" and he asked the tough questions and exposed those who were trying to "snow" him and the public.

So who exactly was Tony Snow? Maybe you are not a news watcher and are wondering why I might feel so sad about his passing. Tony was a patriot. A great family man...great husband and father. His optimistic personality was infectious. Tony always saw the glass half full and even when he disagreed with people he didn't attack them or take away their dignity. He didn't get personal and showed respect to others. Tony was a great communicator and probably why he was chosen for the White House Press Secretary in 2006. I just learned he rarely used a script like many news commentators. He was quick witted and intelligent.....a former philosophy major. Tony was a gentleman and was known for his humility. He was a conservative and had good logic to back up his beliefs. Most importantly he was a Christian and because of that fact my mourning lacks that hopelessness I feel when a person who doesn't know the Lord dies. Tony is with our Lord in eternity right now and he is no doubt smiling that big smile. He has stepped into eternity and his love and energy will continue to glorify the Lord in heaven just as he did on earth.

So why am I mourning? It is because he has left a huge void in the media. There is now one less clear head and one less great communicator to convey the conservative message. Also, I know his family is in pain. They are going to miss him so much. I will be praying for them. Tony was exactly my age and maybe I am mourning because it is a reminder that my days....like yours... are also numbered. I hope to be able to demonstrate the same faith and the same hope Tony had right up until he died.

Here is a tiny bit of an article he did for Christianity Today.... almost exactly one year ago:
The entire article can be found at:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/july/25.30.html

I don't know why I have cancer, and I don't much care. It is what it is—a plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly, great and stunning truths begin to take shape. Our maladies define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out.

But despite this—because of it—God offers the possibility of salvation and grace. We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.

Lookout!

Here are some cute items found at the Lookout today. Mom saw a pretty Fenton Glass candy dish and there is jewelry and antique model trains. All sorts of interesting things.

Here is a fairy suit Judy created for a festival they had in Keating Summit.

Check out the Lookout at: http://www.thelookout.biz/


After we went to the fitness center Mom wanted to go pick up a couple jackets she was having altered at the Lookout. Cousin Judy, who has always been a phenomenal seamstress, was doing it for her. I remember when I was in high school Mom would tell me where Judy was and different jobs she had using her talent for sewing. Trying to put a zipper in during home ec. was such a trauma I was always wondering why I didn't get the same sewing chromosone....after all we were first cousins. Judy has not always lived around here. She and Bud have always done life their own way and worked very hard. I know they used to sell antiques, jewelry they made, and just general flea market items. They were doing eBAY on the road before there was an eBay on the web......they traveled a lot of miles.

She and Bud decided to settle down and bought the Lookout , which when I was a little girl was a gas station.....then it was empty for a long period of time.....then Mrs. Crane made it into a Doll Museum. (I loved looking at all the dolls...but all those little eyes staring at me sorta creeped me out. That was about 15 years ago. I am pretty sure Josh went there with me.)

Around 6-7 years ago ( I am guessing at that) Judy and Bud bought it and opened their store of unique and varied wares. The place is full of interesting collectibles Judy sews daily and it is the original home of "Cool Ties"....

You ask, "What in the world is a cool tie". Here is the explanation from their web site:

A Cool Tie is a cool wear accessory containing scientifically designed crystals that work effectively to cool the body when you work or play in the heat.
To charge your Cool Tie simply soak the dry Cool Tie in clean water for 20 to 30 minutes and it's ready for the day. Each polymer crystal installed in the tie will absorb 200 times it weight in water charging the Cool Tie. The fabric dries to the touch but stays cool and keeps on cooling by the process of evaporation, and it's reusable day after hot day. Only short soakings are necessary to recharge your Cool Tie after the initial soaking. When not wearing your Cool Tie just store it in the refrigerator or hang it over a towel bar and the crystals will dry to their natural state, waiting to be used again and again.

http://www.cooltiesareus.com/text.html

She has sewn thousands of these and they are neat and they really do keep you cool. She sends them all over the world. She made a lot of them for the last summer olympics. She and Bud were working on a shipment of Cool Ties when we were there today. I should have asked her how many she can sew in a day. I bought one for Jim with music notes on it for him to wear when he mows the yard.

Judy and Bud have a new dog, Lex. Their faithful dog, Fleck, passed on and she was so sad. She found her new dog Lex on the internet....they drove to State College to pick him up. They really wondered if they were doing the right thing. He was a former show dog and is so well trained and just the sweetest dog. He is shy and stays right with Judy wherever she goes. The Lookout is right on the highway and he has never worn a leash or a collar. She said he sticks so close she doesn't worry about him getting hit. He looks so scary until you look into his eyes and you realize there is a sweet gentle spirit behind those eyes. I am so glad they found each other.

When she looked at his papers, after they had gotten the dog, she saw that his legal show dog name is Penny....something. (I can't remember the whole thing.) Her little sister, who passed away, was named Penny so she took at a sign that this dog was suppose to belong to her. I agree. There are no accidents. She said all different sorts of pennies have a way of finding her and always remind her of her sweet sis.

Bud is N. Central Pennsylvaina's Mac repair guy. People bring them their Macs from all over. Today he answered a bunch of our questions concerning Mom and Dad's new iBook G4 Marcia gave them. Eventually, they are really gonna like this iBook when they get used to using it.

Bud is not only an expert at fixing MACs he has also totally remodeled the Lookout. They have several bathrooms now and living areas and kitchen areas. He built a balcony off one of their livingrooms and the picture above of the mountains is taken from that balcony. It really is a beautiful spot. All the new windows on the back of the building show off the view and lightens it up so much! I love looking out and seeing rolling hills all around.

Lex (Alex) was at the vets yesterday getting "fixed" and they called Judy and told her she needed to come get him cuz he was so upset....he had Mama Separation Anxiety. He calmed right down when she came.

My blog heading is a picture I "lifted" of Judy and Bud's web site. It is a beautiful fall picture from the Lookout. I am just borrowing it until I go back to Louisiana.

Shoppin' for....

Needless to say I didn't need too much for dinner.....no smart comments about the bavarian creme....they had two left and we nabbed them. They were almost as good as the ones at the Donut Hole in Destin. I have never had any that yummy.

Today started rainy but turned into a nice day. Mom and I went to Olean to check out the mall and do some grocery shopping for bargains. (The local grocery tends to have prices which are off the charts so we always have to get some groceries when we leave the boro.) It was a fun day with lunch at Tim Horton's. That coffee is delicious and their lentil soup wasn't bad either. We spent all day wandering hither and yon so both of us were pretty tired when we got home. Mom's feet were really hurting her and she was wearing her good Easy Spirit walkers. My feet were fine in my crocs, but I was just sick of shopping. (Jim won't believe that when he reads this.)

One store I wanted to check out was Steve and Barry. They are caring Sarah Jessica Parker's new line of clothing...."Bitten". "Get Bitten" is their tag line. I bought a big blousey shirt....Katherine Hepburnish...for only $9.98. ($11 something with the tax) Mom thought it looked too much like a maternity top, but I have a belt in mind to wear with it. It is super comfy though. I must admit it is a bit strange....but I just liked it. Nothing in that store was expensive at all. It sorta reminded me of Old Navy.

Came home had dinner with Jim and Rudy, played a hand of cards then took Sophie for a really looooong walk. She ended up crying and wanting me to pick her up and carry her. Poor little sis, she just isn't used to walking a couple miles. I carried her for the last 1/4 is all. I thought she did very well considering her widdle legs are about 7% as long as mine. If we were to figure this out by scale....she probably walked about 25 or 30 miles. Her tongue was hanging out. We had to stop and sit on the steps of the Lutheran church for a while for her to catch her breath. She really needed some water. When we got home she drank two bowls of water. After a little rest she was blitzing around the living room with her bear....so I guess she wasn't too worn out. I would hate to get PETA on my case.

Jim is locking up the house and turning off the lights. Sophie is jumping up and pawing me to come upstairs. She has become VERY bossy lately....telling me when I need to go to bed, get up...etc. I guess it is a good thing she is cute.... I need to stop this before she leaves some serious scratches on my arm.......

Music on Old Baldy

Jim's high school buddy, Joel Anderson, invited us up to his house for a jam session. He had friends coming...there were burgers, Texas hots, smoked trout, salads and deserts gallour. This is a photo before they started plotting their course. Jim knew all the songs they were planning, but he usually plays them in different keys so he had to do some readjusting. He is very adaptable.

Above: Naturally, Howard was there with his saxophone. He also did some of the singing for them. We always love to hear Howard's melodic musings floating on the breeze as we sit and chat and munch on some good food.

Above: This was a perfect day for this. The cool PA weather is so delightful to us. As southerners (well psuedo southerners anyway) we are used to hiding out in the air conditioning all summer.

Above: Joel had a two story portion added to his home many years ago by Jim's Dad and his Uncle Jim. They did a beautiful job as usual. Inside is a huge two sided fire place. It is smaller in the living room, but on the other side one step down it covers one whole wall in the family room. It is the same gray stone that is on the outside of the house. The second story is a big master bedroom with a balcony that looks out on the woods. Just a beautiful spot with a fish pond fed off the mountain by a spring. Spring water is COLD. We used to drink it right out of the side of the mountain when we were kids. Best water ever!! ....especially when you are hiking up the hill and so thirsty you thought you would die. Now I am too afraid of all the bears to even go up there.

Above: Jim's son, Jerry, is a great drummer who loves to play jazz and drove over for the occasion. We appreciated Jerry coming. It is hard to find a good jazz drummer. Jer is good with the brushes.

Hopefully we can do this again and Jer will bring the rest of his crew with him. We missed Jeanie and the kids.

Above: Jim graduated from high school with Joel and Rudy, Jim's Dad (in the hat) graduated from high school in 1934 with Joel's Dad, Alvie. Here they are talking about having another class reunion. There are three people still living from their high school class. This reunion shouldn't be too hard to coordinate!

Above: Wives, neighbors and parents were the audience for this session. My parents were not able to be there because they went to a family reunion on my Dad's sister's in Canton.

Jim was having a good time. It is so much more fun to play when you are playing with a group.

Below: That is Joel on guitar and Jack on the trombone and Jim on his keyboard...we brought it with us for this very purpose.