Mz. Virginia was happy to receive two special visitors this weekend, Carol Lee and Alan. She was especially appreciative because it is a four hour trip each way, "A lot to make in one day." As always, she was so glad to see them and visit with them and reports that the cat stayed right at her side the whole time, eyeing the visitors warily. She looks forward to seeing them again in May when she travels to Kansas to see the baby.
Physically she is feeling as well as can be expected. She managed to dodge a bladder infection that tried to take hold last week and is glad to see spring is coming. "One more week and spring ought to be here," she says. Of course, spring in Oklahoma likes to make a grand entrance, with tornadoes often threatening. But Rick had a storm cellar installed a couple of years ago and has a survival kit~complete with flashlight, radio, first aid kit, etc.~ always ready to go should threatening weather approach. Sometimes when I come in the morning after a stormy night, I will find Rick's survival kit sitting by the back door at the ready.
Grandma tries to stay ready during stormy weather as well, keeping her clothes on at bedtime rather than dressing in her gown, and keeping her medicine and purse ready to go. "I won't take the cat down if we have to go though," she reports. "Becky's dogs would be down there." She knows the cat would be more likely to survive on her own, as it would take an act of Congress to get the creature to go down into that hole in the ground.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
A Virginiaism
Mz. Virginia is a very witty person and is always making us laugh with some unexpected, dryly humorous comment. We are calling these Virginiaisms.
Mz. Virginia watches a local news show every morning. About once a week, they drag in local talent to showcase for area viewers and most of that talent is dubious at best. I commented on that fact this morning as Mz. Virginia sat having her morning muffin and green tea and wondered aloud why they would think these acts were good enough to put on television.
She swallowed her bite of muffin and said, "Well, I think when they were all drunk enough, they probably appreciated it."
Mz. Virginia watches a local news show every morning. About once a week, they drag in local talent to showcase for area viewers and most of that talent is dubious at best. I commented on that fact this morning as Mz. Virginia sat having her morning muffin and green tea and wondered aloud why they would think these acts were good enough to put on television.
She swallowed her bite of muffin and said, "Well, I think when they were all drunk enough, they probably appreciated it."
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Goodbye, Grandfather!
Mz. Virginia has often shared a funny story about her granddaughters, Rebecca and Kim.
When Mz. Virginia had either Rebecca or Kim by themselves, she had absolutely no trouble with either girl. But when the two got together, it was quite a trying combination, according to Mz. Virginia.
One time, when the girls were around nine or ten years old, Mz. Virginia had invited them to come spend the day with her. She had all kinds of plans to entertain them; she planned a big outing to town, where they would shop and eat out and perhaps even see a movie before she brought them home for a sleepover.
It wasn't to be.
From the beginning, it was obvious that things were heading downhill fast. As soon as the girls got together, they became loud and boisterous, tearing a path through the house, giggling and screaming and acting "nuttier than fruitcakes." They were into the cupboards in every room, leaving towels and dishes and books and magazines--in fact, everything they touched--lying around on the furniture and the floor. "Looked like a herd of cattle had gone through there," Mz. Virginia recalled.
Mz. Virginia thought perhaps if she sent them outside, they would burn off some of their excess energy while she got ready for the trip to town~which she was beginning to dread. This only served to make things worse, as the girls ran in and out, in and out, tracking in dirt as they came and went and making even more noise and messes. They seemed to feed off each other~"what one didn't think of, the other one did...there wasn't a thing in that house they didn't touch and move," Mz. Virginia says, waving her hand at the memory. "In and out and up and down~oh!"
After about two hours, Mz. Virginia had had enough. She called Carol Lee and said, "Come get these brats! I can't stand them."
The girls were stunned and deflated. "They had cheated themselves out of a movie and all the money I usually spent on them," Mz. Virginia recalls. "They were not happy about it at all."
Kim's mother, Carol Lee, came to pick the girls up. They both drew their shoulders back and threw their noses into the air with a completely injured air. Ignoring Mz. Virginia, the girls stalked to their grandpa's chair. "Goodbye, Grandfather," they each said primly and flounced from the house.
Glen thought this was delightful and cackled openly. Mz. Virginia admits she couldn't help but laugh as well.
When Mz. Virginia had either Rebecca or Kim by themselves, she had absolutely no trouble with either girl. But when the two got together, it was quite a trying combination, according to Mz. Virginia.
One time, when the girls were around nine or ten years old, Mz. Virginia had invited them to come spend the day with her. She had all kinds of plans to entertain them; she planned a big outing to town, where they would shop and eat out and perhaps even see a movie before she brought them home for a sleepover.
It wasn't to be.
From the beginning, it was obvious that things were heading downhill fast. As soon as the girls got together, they became loud and boisterous, tearing a path through the house, giggling and screaming and acting "nuttier than fruitcakes." They were into the cupboards in every room, leaving towels and dishes and books and magazines--in fact, everything they touched--lying around on the furniture and the floor. "Looked like a herd of cattle had gone through there," Mz. Virginia recalled.
Mz. Virginia thought perhaps if she sent them outside, they would burn off some of their excess energy while she got ready for the trip to town~which she was beginning to dread. This only served to make things worse, as the girls ran in and out, in and out, tracking in dirt as they came and went and making even more noise and messes. They seemed to feed off each other~"what one didn't think of, the other one did...there wasn't a thing in that house they didn't touch and move," Mz. Virginia says, waving her hand at the memory. "In and out and up and down~oh!"
After about two hours, Mz. Virginia had had enough. She called Carol Lee and said, "Come get these brats! I can't stand them."
The girls were stunned and deflated. "They had cheated themselves out of a movie and all the money I usually spent on them," Mz. Virginia recalls. "They were not happy about it at all."
Kim's mother, Carol Lee, came to pick the girls up. They both drew their shoulders back and threw their noses into the air with a completely injured air. Ignoring Mz. Virginia, the girls stalked to their grandpa's chair. "Goodbye, Grandfather," they each said primly and flounced from the house.
Glen thought this was delightful and cackled openly. Mz. Virginia admits she couldn't help but laugh as well.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Two Budding Artists
Once long ago, when Mz. Virginia's girls were around 2 and 3 years old (Myrna Sue and Carol Lee were only 12 months apart), Glen decided to paint the screen door green. When he finished, he placed his leftover paint in the bedroom/bathroom closet where Mz. Virginia hung all the family's clothes. He had placed the lid on the paint and laid the brush across the top, but somehow the girls still managed to get the lid off the can. As Mz. Virginia hung out clothes to dry, the girls were busy painting the closet, clothes and all. When Mz. Virginia came into the house, she smelled the paint immediately. She followed her nose to the closet to find two paint smeared little girls in a completely paint smeared closet. The little girls had missed nothing~they had painted the walls, the clothes, the shoes, and of course, each other.
Mz. Virginia wanted to throw it all away~clothes, kids and all~she was so aggravated. But being the good mother and moral soul that she was, she set to cleaning the children up. When Glen arrived home, however, he heard all about it...and was expected to help clean up the mess, too.
It was, after all, his paint.
Mz. Virginia wanted to throw it all away~clothes, kids and all~she was so aggravated. But being the good mother and moral soul that she was, she set to cleaning the children up. When Glen arrived home, however, he heard all about it...and was expected to help clean up the mess, too.
It was, after all, his paint.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sweet Story
Today we reached the chapter in Marley and Me where John Grogan's wife experiences a miscarriage and the usually hyper Marley is a completely calm comfort to her. This caused Mz. Virginia to recall a very sweet story about her two dogs, Shadow and Lady.
Mz. Virginia had to underog a right inguinal hernia operation and appendix removal. The surgery only required her to stay one night in the hospital and she was allowed to return home with bed rest. She instructed her husband Glen to have the fold out couch ready for her, and she rode home with him, a pillow held tightly to her abdomen to protect her stitches.
When they arrived home, she went straight to the sofa bed. As she laid down, the dogs approached, but not in their usual bounding manner. Both Lady and Shadow seemed to sense her sickness and came toward her, climbing gently onto the bed and belly crawling toward her. One dog placed her head on one shoulder and the other on the opposite shoulder. When Glen came into the room, he saw them lying quietly there and started to insist that they get off the bed so as not to disturb the patient.
But Mz. Virginia said, "Leave them alone...they know what's going on."
Mz. Virginia had to underog a right inguinal hernia operation and appendix removal. The surgery only required her to stay one night in the hospital and she was allowed to return home with bed rest. She instructed her husband Glen to have the fold out couch ready for her, and she rode home with him, a pillow held tightly to her abdomen to protect her stitches.
When they arrived home, she went straight to the sofa bed. As she laid down, the dogs approached, but not in their usual bounding manner. Both Lady and Shadow seemed to sense her sickness and came toward her, climbing gently onto the bed and belly crawling toward her. One dog placed her head on one shoulder and the other on the opposite shoulder. When Glen came into the room, he saw them lying quietly there and started to insist that they get off the bed so as not to disturb the patient.
But Mz. Virginia said, "Leave them alone...they know what's going on."
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Cat
We were going to write some more about Mz. Virginia's past pets today, but she has received a phone call, so I believe I will write about her present pet, a cat named Sassy~who we call Cat.
Right now, Cat is curled up in the chair with her bottom pressed firmly against Mz. Virginia. She is staring at me from half closed blue eyes. Mz. Virginia says she watches every morning for either mine or Rebecca's appearance. If we are a wee bit late, she seems to know it. As a matter of fact, Cat seems to know exactly what the schedule in this house. When Rick gets up in the morning, she insists that Mz. Virginia wake up, too, making her desires known by butting her head up against her mistress as if to say, "Get up! Get up!" She loves to be with Mz. Virginia all of the time and will even jump on her walker and ride to the bathroom or the bedroom when a trip is necessary.
Cat definitely has a queenly air about her, but she is a good and benevolent queen. She rarely grows angry with me...but she does not like it when I drag out the vacuum cleaner or a broom. When she sees either of these, she darts off into the bedroom, and I am liable to find her peeking out at me from behind Rick's bed, her clear eyes narrowed at me as if to say, How DARE you!
Cat isn't very demanding, but she does like the food in her cat bowl to be mounded up just so, and she especially likes Rebecca to do this task for her. But if Rebecca has been gone for a couple of days, she will deign to consult me, switching her tail, rubbing up against my legs, and letting out a plaintive meow. Just having food in the bowl is not enough. It MUST be mounded so that she can take her paw and scrape it onto the floor before she eats it.
Cat has very few vices, but one is that she likes to eat plastic. Plastic does not like her however ,and we will often find a mess. We won't gross you out with the details, we will let your imagination do that work for us.
I believe Cat and I would be very good friends if I weren't allergic to cats. Since this house has mostly hard floors, I don't have much of a problem here, except for when I dust or sweep. But no matter how temptingly soft Cat's fur looks, I cannot pet her or my hands will swell up and God help me if I touch my eye after touching her. Cat seems to understand though, and so we just admire one another from afar.
Mz. Virginia says that Denny's son, David, gave Sassy to her, and Mz. Virginia says, "I don't ever need another gift...it's my Christmas, Fourth of July, birthday and everything." After spending time with this lovely animal, I can certainly see why she would feel this way.
Right now, Cat is curled up in the chair with her bottom pressed firmly against Mz. Virginia. She is staring at me from half closed blue eyes. Mz. Virginia says she watches every morning for either mine or Rebecca's appearance. If we are a wee bit late, she seems to know it. As a matter of fact, Cat seems to know exactly what the schedule in this house. When Rick gets up in the morning, she insists that Mz. Virginia wake up, too, making her desires known by butting her head up against her mistress as if to say, "Get up! Get up!" She loves to be with Mz. Virginia all of the time and will even jump on her walker and ride to the bathroom or the bedroom when a trip is necessary.
Cat definitely has a queenly air about her, but she is a good and benevolent queen. She rarely grows angry with me...but she does not like it when I drag out the vacuum cleaner or a broom. When she sees either of these, she darts off into the bedroom, and I am liable to find her peeking out at me from behind Rick's bed, her clear eyes narrowed at me as if to say, How DARE you!
Cat isn't very demanding, but she does like the food in her cat bowl to be mounded up just so, and she especially likes Rebecca to do this task for her. But if Rebecca has been gone for a couple of days, she will deign to consult me, switching her tail, rubbing up against my legs, and letting out a plaintive meow. Just having food in the bowl is not enough. It MUST be mounded so that she can take her paw and scrape it onto the floor before she eats it.
Cat has very few vices, but one is that she likes to eat plastic. Plastic does not like her however ,and we will often find a mess. We won't gross you out with the details, we will let your imagination do that work for us.
I believe Cat and I would be very good friends if I weren't allergic to cats. Since this house has mostly hard floors, I don't have much of a problem here, except for when I dust or sweep. But no matter how temptingly soft Cat's fur looks, I cannot pet her or my hands will swell up and God help me if I touch my eye after touching her. Cat seems to understand though, and so we just admire one another from afar.
Mz. Virginia says that Denny's son, David, gave Sassy to her, and Mz. Virginia says, "I don't ever need another gift...it's my Christmas, Fourth of July, birthday and everything." After spending time with this lovely animal, I can certainly see why she would feel this way.
Friday, February 20, 2009
We fixed it...
Some family members have reported that they have had trouble commenting or have been unable to comment. We are happy to report that we have fixed the problem...or at least, we think we have. Please let us know if you have any further difficulties and we will take it "back to the drawing board."
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