The grey tie....

"Well you missed it....."  I have listened to those words my whole life.  It could be about a family member getting a new vehicle, kids riding four-wheelers, a visitor or just one of the many family members acting like a fool.  I will not hear those words in that tone of voice again.  It has been a very long week with my grandfather having an accident involving full thickness burns to around 40% of his body.  He gave everything he had to hang in there for a week and in the end his kidneys could not keep up with the demands placed upon them. 

It has been very hard.  All six grandchildren grew up across the road from him.  He was a part of out every day life.  A few moved a some miles away and I myself just recently returned home after living away for four years.  I am sad that we ever left our home across the street from him.  I know I missed a lot, but still saw him and talked at least once a week, but the last few months have been amazing talking over coffee in the mornings sitting in rocking chairs in the afternoon.  I am so thankful for the time we have had recently, but I am selfish and wish I had more time for those talks.   I miss the sound of his voice and the direction he would give me when I was worried about the simple things.  He always knew the answer. 

There are many stories to share that will be told and retold in our family.  Those are for us to use to remember him as well as continue to keep our large family close together, but I will tell my personal story of how I held it together though out his funeral service.  my husband was in need of a new tie, so after reading the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy I opted for a black and grey striped tie.  Looking at this tie throughout the day I would have a slight distraction thinking of potential uses.  I had to update one of my cousins on the plots in the books I had read, so we had our own little joke to get us through all of the public attention. 

The above tie will never be used for "kinky f@@@ery", but the crude thought kept me from being completely inconsolable in front of the many friends my grandfather had.  He will be greatly missed by many for his compassion and kind heart.  He always made me feel welcome in the home he built with his own hands.  I was more than welcome to come and go as I pleased and was never made to feel guilty for being too busy for a visit.  He was the most amazing man I have ever met along side my father that is like him in many ways.  He instilled strong values and love in his three boys, his six grandchildren and even in all nine great-grandchildren.  I am very proud to say that I see some of his character in my own six year old.  If my son grows up to become half the man he was, then I will be the proudest mother in the world. 

77 shadow...?

To begin with I love Dean Koontz.  He has made me aware of all kinds of terror over the years.  I am excited about the conversion of the Odd series to a screen.  He writes amazing stories from clowns to nano technology inspired beings.  His settings are always fitting and hold loads of detail.  I was so excited to read 77 Shadow Street when it first came out.

I had pre-ordered so I would be set for reading as soon as possible.  It begin a little different than most I have read from him.  There are many characters involved and each chapter is dedicated to specific ones and their journey through this maze of a house.

He provides easy to follow maps of the structure he is winding these people through.  everything was all nice and spooky until a the beasts were beginning to be unveiled.  Millions of tiny computers just do nothing for me.  Even if they are in the shape of something that sounds demonic.  So this nano technology made up these creatures and took over some of the living.  Basically I get zombie robots from Hell out of this.  It was completely different than any horror I have ever read as well as very original on his end.

I still love this author, but can not stand books on technology.  I love traditional monsters and just plain crazy people doing horrific things.

The Notebook......

My son has started writing in first grade.  I was so excited last year when he leaned over my shoulder and began to read a few line to me aloud from the book I was reading one night.  I was so excited and proud of him.  Like me he does not like to be forced to read, but loves to read things that he chooses.  So most homework is boring to him. 

This year he started writing.  He is learning about how to set up a story and the basic components to writing.  He loves this even more than reading because he can write anything he wants.  Usually it is about activities that make him happy or some kind of animal.  (He loves wild animals more than his mom I think.) 


Naturally, his first writing assignment was about a wild boar.  We had rescued two newborn hogs a year and a half ago.  He was so excited about his since they were so tiny and acted like little kittens.  His assignment was to tell a story about a time when he did not tell the truth.  He even drew a picture to match exactly complete with my dinning room table.  He wrote the following ~  "My daddy brought home two baby hogs from the woods one day.  They used the bathroom in the floor and I cleaned it up with a Kleenex."   He was afraid if he told me, that I would make the hogs go away.  I was more embarrassed by him telling the entire first grade and his new school. 

When we first got the hogs, they were so little they would fit under out little yorkie.

A lot of moms might get their feelings hurt by this next thing he did, but we are very open and honest with each other.  Plus I thought it was funny.  How am I going to get mad at my kid for writing and telling the truth?  He has loads of notebooks but this one is my favorite.

He started all sweet with I love you.  Then I told him it was bed time.  He went to his room while I talked to his dad who was out of town working.  A few minutes later he comes up too me and says, "See this notebook?  It is just for you.  It has all the things I don't like about you in it."  I just looked at him.  What do you say to a six year old about that?  He showed me the pages he had written.  There were already seven front and back.  He was mad about having to go to bed so it took everything I had not to laugh.  Finally I said, "Ok, Keep it where you can find it, and every time you get mad you can write in it."  He seemed happy with that and finally went to bed.

He completely cracks me up most days.  He always has a story or questions.  My favorite recent question "Momma, are there two kinds of stupid?"  The ideas he has are amazing.  I love this little guy. 

Finally Finished

I actually finished they last of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy a few days ago, but it has taken a few days to get my thoughts straight on this.  I loved the flow of the books, but again there was a wedding and of course my other despised topic... babies.  Yea, babies are wonderful.  I love baby stories and listening to a two year old talk, just not in the middle (or end) of a book I am reading that is about sex.  It just sort of ruins it for me.  Yes, I know that is how babies are made.  I am more into the practice aspect of the baby making.  Apparently I am not the only one who likes the practice or there would be less birth control options and way more babies.

I love reading and writing.  Like everyone I have a list of things that I do not like to read.  Robots or other technology as number one, weddings in at number two and babies at number three.  This slowed down for me in the final novel.  I had to keep reading to see how the characters evolved through their relationship.  I did like the fact that they both grew with each other, becoming what the other truly needed.  Christian overcame his past that had defined him and Anastasia became more confident and actually grew up with every page.

I did learn a few things, like what kind of rope to buy to tie my husband up with, how to properly use a flogger, riding crop and neck tie.  I also learned that my husband gets embarrassed by talking about said objects.  Now that I am finished with these books, I can move on to finally finish 77 Shadow Street.  I am not looking forward to this since I have just came upon the part where the creatures are described as basically millions of tiny computers.