NYR Stanley Cup Playoffs

Nooooooooo!!!!!! Going on about my fifth vacation in my whole entire 41 years of life and the NYR Stanley Cup game at home is Wednesday night.....the night before we get there.  Then there is a game on Sunday night if needed, night we leave........  Ugh.

Car tag I got in 1994.  I also ordered the whole
NYR Stanley Cup win collectors set--video, hat, etc.

(This disappointment is just one more NHL tragedy this year.  First the lockout. Now this.  But number one on my list is the Nashville Predators not making the playoffs.)

Squirrel trying to beat traffic....

Little squirrel running across the road, if you are going to commit to something, commit.  Don't stop half way......

Roses

Rose I started last Fall.  Not very big yet.  Probably take couple of years to be decent size.  Going to plant soon.  Hope it doesn't die!

Finches and Hummingbirds

Finches and hummingbirds are here.  And buddy, they both eat a lot!

Hummingbird

Relay for Life

Relay for Life
Hiwassee College
April 26, 2013

Great niece Mallie Belle

Yes, I got in the bounce house too.

NYR Stanley Cup Playoffs

New York Rangers have clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs!!!  Here's hoping they have a home game the weekend we're in NYC.  Oh please.......

Relay for Life

Relay for Life is tomorrow night at Hiwassee College in Madisonville.  I'm wanting to go.  In a way.  It's a great cause and I need to go.  Last year it was at SQHS, I think.  It's the first year I attended and I was very, very uncomfortable.  Relay for Life is for survivors like me and those who have cancer and those who may get cancer.  I'm just silly I guess......

Whippoorwill

I heard my most favorite sound in the world tonight......a whippoorwill.  In Hopewell and Corntassel where I was raised, there were many, many whippoorwills.  If I can think long and hard I can almost hear them, the crickets, the frogs and feel the warm summer night air on my face.  I loved sitting outside and listening to the whippoorwill call to one another.

We now live in Madisonville, which seems so very far away from the communities I was raised. (Actually it's only about 20 minutes.)  When we moved there was one lone whippoorwill I would listen too.  The next year it was gone.  Couple years went by and heard another for a while.  Silence the past few years.  Until tonight.  I'm so excited to what spring and summer may bring.  Hopefully many more whippoorwills.  

Whippoorwills nest on the ground and are susceptible to attacks by cats and coyotes.  We don't have many cats around, that I know of, hunting in the woods at night.  But there are a lot of coyotes on occasion.

Oh, please let us have a few at our farm this year.  That would be the perfect summer............

Wonder what I could do to attract Whippoorwills to our farm?  And keep them safe.

Best NHL Playoff Beard

NHL regular season play is over this weekend.  What a horribly short year of hockey!  To top off a short year is the fact that we'll not get to see the best Stanley Cup playoff beard since the Predators were eliminated.

Oh well, next year we'll get to see Shea Weber's beard because the Nashville Predators are going to have the best season ever.  I think our rookie talent will be ready to win it all in 2013-2014.

UFC 159

Yep, watching......

Third Day

Third Day concert tonight with my niece Amber and nephew Colton in Hixon, TN.  We all went a couple of years ago to see the band in Knoxville.  My other niece Chelsea was along for that trip but shafted us this time.

Cannot believe Third Day has been around 20 years......I can remember seeing them in concert, way back when, at Six Flags in Atlanta.  That was early 90's.  I've seen them in concert several more times through the years and always leave with a smile on my face although I'm always quite disappointed they never play "Thief".  (Never mind that it was a hit in probably 1995.)

Haven't heard of them?  Make sure to take a listen and make sure to take in a concert.  Third Day is no studio creation and need no background tapes.  Mac Powell's voice is always perfect and the band, well, the band is a real band.  That's the thing about being a 80's girl.  We appreciate bands.  Real bands who play real instruments real good.

My nephew Colton and niece Amber

Me, Colton and Amber

Colton and his J103.1 sticker. I think he was
more excited about the sticker than the concert.

Aunt

I love be deduced to "I'm with my Aunt" instead of "I'm with Marna" when the nieces or nephews are on the phone with someone who asks,
 "who are you with?"

Lynette's Retirement

My sister Lynette's retirement officially starts tomorrow.  Today was her last day at the Monroe County Health Department after 30 years of dedicated service.

Blogging Time

Not much time to blog the past couple of weeks with Chris's mom getting ready for, having her surgery and now recovering from it.  Lots of ideas for posts but no time for follow through.  I'll probably forget all my thoughts when it comes down to having time.

The 80's

What was great about the 80's?  
...........................There were bands.  
..............................................Who played real instruments.

Soupy Potatoes

Made soupy potatoes for Chris's mom today.  I got a little too much flour and too much milk but she said they were good.  Nurse said his mom didn't eat very much dinner and hardly any dinner so they were a good evening snack.  

High Plains Drifter

Love old Clint Eastwood westerns.  They are the greatest.  In "High Plains Drifter" there is an interesting conversation between The Stranger and Sarah Belding

Sarah Belding "Be careful. You're a man who makes people afraid, and that's dangerous."

The Strangers: "It's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid."

Always thought this was an interesting quote.  

Highlights

Saw this on a table in the ICU waiting room when visiting Chris's mom this weekend.  Momma got me a year's subscription to "Highlights" when I was really little.  I loved going to the mailbox and having mail of my very own.  Made even better that it was "Highlights".  Now that I'm a grownup it's not so fun to pick up the mail.  Bills just don't stack up to "Highlights". 

Peanut Butter

Chris brought some peanut butter home from visiting with Brandon and Cathy in Ohio.  He told me to taste it. 

I said, "I really don't like peanut butter that much."  Chris said "It doesn't taste like peanut butter. Here, try it, it's really good."  

I asked him, "Well, if it doesn't taste like peanut butter what does it taste like? Chicken?"

Power out in Storm

Our power was out for about 8 hours last night during the storm.  About the third hour in I heard Chris say from the kitchen, "Maybe I should hook the generator up to the refrigerator to keep things from getting ruined."

I said, "Well, you might not have to worry about that if you wouldn't stand in the kitchen with the fridge doors open."

Chris's Mom

Chris's mom came through surgery well.  She is being moved to ICU right now and will be there a couple of days then a regular room for about five days.  The surgeon took out the upper left lobe and lymph nodes down the middle of her chest and her side.  The pathology report will be back by Monday.

Monroe County, TN......there is no better place to be........

Where else can you meet a truck with a dog in the bed, boats being pulled to the lake, horse trailers headed to the trails, kayaks on roofs of cars, motorcycles of every shape, size and color heading for Cherohala and Deals Gap, "The Dragon", four wheel drive trucks muddy and/or hauling muddy four wheelers, road bikes racing down the highway, mountain bikes strapped on the backs vehicles, jeeps with doors and tops off, wagon trains on the backroads, tractors being dusted off, fishing licenses being snatched up....Spring is here and this is the best place to be.  How lucky we are.....

New York Rangers

Found this old car tag from the New York Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup win in a bunch of my old stuff.  It's a little ratted and tatted but still in pretty good shape considering it's age.

  My how time flies.  Sorry NYR, the Nashville Predators have replaced you in my heart as #1.  

But you'll always be #2.

Emma Lee

We've known about a month that Chris's mom has lung cancer.  Luckily tests have shown it's just confined to one area of her lung.  She'll have surgery to remove that portion of lung Friday.  Please keep her and the family in your thoughts and prayers.  This will be a tough surgery and recovery.

She is a special, special lady to so many.

Photo from Mother's Day 2011

Some call her Emma Lee, some Emily,

 others call her "Put"

The lucky ones call her momma or nana.

Jack's "second" Second birthday party

Jack had his friends and family party the Saturday after his birthday.  The party was at Lynette and Greg's house and was so good!  Everyone seems to have a great time.

Jack's uncle and my nephew Tanner

Love Jack's chair

Tanner

Momma Jessie

Birthday Boy

Me and my nephew Tanner

Daddy Jason bringing the pizza

Jessie and her friend Dani-watched their friendship since high
school. So neat to see them as mothers now.

Jack at the painting table

Jason and his sister and her two kids

Painting table

My sister Lynette and her daughter, my niece, Jessie

Even the Easter Bunny made a visit to Jack's party

Shannon

Jack getting ready for presents!  Love Jack's chair that sits on
my sister's porch

Finished painted canvas' that kids made of their names

Jack loved his power saw

Jack's sis Mallie Belle

Jessie and Mallie Belle

Jack and his birthday bike