HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

 Happy Birthday Daisy! Today is Daisy's 8th birthday.  We've had her for most of that time ... we got her as a puppy from the breeder in July 2017.  We had lost our other dogs ... Bella and Sissy ... by that point, although I don't remember exactly when that happened.  Since Bella and Sissy were Labrador Retrievers (or a mix as in the case of Bella) I decided to get another Labrador as they are friendly, good tempered dogs. Daisy has lived up to that! My other dogs have all been friendly, but I do believe Bella is the friendliest we've had. We love her lots ... she is the BEST dog!! 

MY TWO BABIES

Meet my two babies!  A lot has changed since 2009 ... one of those things being pets.  Then we had, if I remember correctly, dogs Sissy and Bella, both black Labrador retrievers, and cats Luna and Harry.  The dogs and Harry have died (the dogs some time ago ... years ... and Harry died last August at age 19.  Luna is still with us and the top photo is of her.  She is 20 years old this month ... old for a cat!  Other than a sore on her leg we have spent weeks trying to heal (it's much better so hopefully we will be successful soon) she seems pretty healthy.  She aggravates me nightly ... every night around 3 or 4 AM she decides she wants to eat.  She has convinced herself she can't jump up on the counter in the bathroom where her food is located (to keep the dog out of it) and so I must get up and put her up there.  The thing is she jumps on the bed, which is just as high as the counter, all by herself with no problem, so I don't know what the problem with the food is! Then, when she's done she wants to play with me ... so getting sleep is a challenge! Sometimes I get frustrated and put her out of the room.  But then she cries and I feel guilty and usually end up letting her back in.  Ah well!  She has been much more clingy since Harry died.  They were close and I think she misses him greatly (as do I!).  The second photo is out current dog, Daisy, a yellow Labrador Retriever. We've had her since she was a puppy. She turns 8 years old on May 23rd. She weighs around 95 pounds and is one of the friendliest dogs we've had (although truthfully all our dogs through the years have been friendly). She is no ones dog in particular ... I think she likes us all equally!! Paul usually walks her  so I suppose he gets points for that. She is quite spoiled ... she gets a box of treats and toys once a month and already has a million toys it seems. Every time something ordered arrives at the door she thinks it hers ... whether it is or not!
 

Time Flies While We're Having Fun!

 Haven't looked at this blog for years ... 16 to be exact!  In fact I had forgotten all about it!  I got a new computer today and the information popped up while I was reviewing my contacts information.  So I guess I should catch things up!  First, I should note that Larry died in a motorcycle accident 9 years ago on August 12th of 2016.  He wasn't killed instantly but died later at the hospital.  It seems both ages ago and only yesterday at the same time.  I miss him greatly!!  Also in the last 16 years the kids have all grown up. Laurence will be 32 on August 23rd.  He works at Walmart here on the island (as opposed to Super Walmart off island) and has been there 9 years ... since a couple months before Larry passed. He is unmarried and as far as I know doesn't have a girlfriend. He lives as home.  Paul is unmarried, just turned 28 and lives as home.  He doesn't work. Patrick will be 26 on August 9th. He is unmarried but has a boyfriend who lives in Michigan who he is I am quite sure, very serious about.  It wouldn't surprise me if they eventually marry, although he hasn't mentioned such to me about it ... just my observations of the situation. He currently is a teachers aid at an elementary school in Jacksonville, teaching 4th graders. He plans to go back to school and get his teaching certificate ... and ultimately teach Highschool science.  He graduated from Florida Tech (college) 3 years ago now I think (2022 if I remember correctly) with a BS in Marine Biology.  Natalie passed 18 years with us last November 13th and will be 20 years old on August 18th.  She was just shy of 11 when she lost her father.  She graduated from high school 3 years ago I think ... my brain isn't working great today!  She just received her associates degree (college) in general studies I think and plans to attend The University of South Florida in the fall to finish up her 4 year degree in Art History.  I don't think she has decided what to do with her life.  Right now she works at Walmart here on the island.  She and Patrick both live at home although she will move to a dorm or apartment in Tampa when school starts.  It's good to see her moving on with her life, but I will miss her.  As for me ... not much goes on ... I read a lot and watch tv and movies. Just celebrated my 32nd Mothers Day yesterday ... hard to believe ... time flies by so quickly!  Well I guess this catches us up for now. Will try to write more than once every 16 years from now on!

BEACH RAMBLINGS

This summer we have set a record ... at least for us. We have been to the beach (4 blocks or so from our house) 5 or 6 times already ... and the summer is only half over. For beach lovers everywhere this probably doesnt sound like much to brag about, but for us it is a great accomplishment. Why? Well ... I (mom) am not much enamored of the beach, to tell the truth. I hate the sand that gets all over us as well as our towels, beach toys, shoes, car, and eventually our house! And then there is the matter of the sun ... the heat of the day can be overwhelming. So ... mom tends to be a killjoy when it comes to the beach ... usually. The kids, as all kids everywhere, love the beach! They would go everyday if they could! This summer I decided time and activities with the kids are more important than my feelings about the beach, and to take the kids to the beach more frequently. Our last visit was this past Saturday. The weather was not quite so hot as usual and we ended up staying for around 3 hours! The kids of course had fun playing in the water, though the surf was a bit rough and care was taken. Also, the kids and mom and dad had great fun and used great creativity to build sand castles of various types and sizes, as well as to construct elaborate tunnels. You can see some of our handiwork in the included photos. It was a great time of family fun and togetherness ... to be admittedly sappy about it! Amazing what fun can be had when one loosens up ones attitudes! Enjoy the photos and look for more to come soon!
o

THE 4TH OF JULY

Today was a busy busy day at our house. In the morning we all went to Fort Clinch for awhile. It was incredibly hot, so we did not stay as long as we usually do. In the afternoon we went over to Mema and Bapa's house for watermelon, and the requisite seed spitting contest. Occasionally throughout the summer, we all enjoy this rite of passage. Everyone has a hilarious time eating the watermelon and then spitting the seeds at each other, or in contests to see who can spit the farthest, or over the fence, or whatever. Sounds weird ... and I suppose it is ... but this is a regular family event with us. The fireworks here were held at about 9:30 pm, which was too late for Natalie to stay up. Also, there would be humungous crowds and it would take forever to get back to our car and come home when they were over. So instead of going to the fireworks show, the kids had some fireworks of their own to set off in our driveway. And as it was, we got to see some public fireworks over at the beach, which is only a few blocks from our house. The kids had sparklers, snappers and various other things whose names I don't remember. We probably spent about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes outside, and the kids had a lot of fun. Enjoy some of the photos that I have included with this post!

BIRTHDAYS, PARADES AND PIRATES

I really meant to do more writing about the "goings on" in our family, but here it is 3 months since my last post! A rather busy 3 months I might add. As such I have included a few pictures that document some of these "goings on" since the last post. In the top picture, Natalie is pictured with a statue of a pirate, located near the docks here in town. We live in a coastal community and the docks are an interesting part of town which we frequent during some of our family outings. We like to go down to the docks and pretend we own some of the huge luxery private yachts that frequently tie up there. And of course, how can pirates not be associated with a coastal community! The statue is of a non-existent pirate, but the town's history includes tales of pirates early in it's history. In the second photo, we are celebrating Paul's 12th birthday with family, cake and of course presents. In this photo he is opening his favorite present, a robo sapien robot. The final 2 photos document the local annual "Shrimp Festival" parade. A huge parade for a small town ... something like 150 groups/floats. The yearly theme is of course something to do with shrimp ... a favored delicasy around here (though I can barely stand the sight of them, much less eat them!). The first photo is a group of "shrimp." The second photo is of 3 of the kids avidly watching the parade. And now ... it is late and I must go to bed. But I promise to try and be more frequent with these things. I am now doing a second blog, having to do with my artwork primarily, so keeping up with either blog is an even more difficult challenge! If you want to see the other one, go to: marlarcreatesstudio.blogspot.com

AH ... LIFE IS GOOD!

Meet Luna ... aka PRINCESS! You can see by the picture that Princess clearly knows her place in this family ... and that she expects the rest of us to know our places! Every morning the routine of Princess Worship is the same. Princess winds herself in and out of Mother Bunny's legs while Mother Bunny tries to get ready for her shower. If Princess had her way, there would be ONLY Princess Worship! However, because Princess cannot cajole Mother Bunny into a program of total Princess Worship, she settles with the expectation that Mother Bunny stop everything and pet her highness whenever attention is demanded. During the shower, Princess demands repeatedly that Mother Bunny finish immediately. Once Mother Bunny FINALLY finishes, Princess expects her to lavish undivided attention on her ... petting, scratching her chin, rubbing her tummy. When Mother Bunny stops petting and goes to her dresser to get her clothing, Princess jumps up into the drawer immediately and demands more attention and worship! Mother Bunny is of course obliged to continue with Princess Worship as long as Princess requires it! Life is indeed GOOD as far as Princess is concerned!

Mugshots

The kids are always "mugging" for the camera ... and I am always telling about their exploits. Thought it appropriate to show you their mugshots! Unlike their mother, they are all very photogenic! Hope you like these pics! This weekend their dad and I have a bit of a breather ... the 2 oldest are off to a church-sponsored event for the weekend ... "Rock Star Weekend." It's a weekend of home-based mission work helping elderly and poor in our church with various home repair projects they've needed but have been unable to perform themselves or pay someone else to do ... but also lots of head-banging to music provided by a Christian Rock Band hired for the occasion. The group of teens/near-teens from our church, including our 2, have been staying with host families, so we have not seen them since yesterday. It's been a whole lot quieter around here today! And I think the 2 youngest have enjoyed the extra attention from mom and dad!

"Once at the Zoo"

The wildlife at our house are an amazingly creative bunch of critters!! The following post features a story written by 9 year old Fish as a school assignment. He received a perfect grade of 5 points and a teacher comment: WOW! WHAT A GREAT STORY! Hope you enjoy it!
Once at the zoo the zookeepers go see the monkeys, but they left the door open. All the animals are out because of the monkeys. Then snap snap, an alligator is behind me. I run in a zig zag motion. Boom, a time machine blows up. Then a bunch of ancient animals appear. One of them is a 20,000,000 year old crocodile. It chases other animals and catches a monkey and eats it. It then catches a puss moth catepiller but does not eat it because the caterpiller sprays its acid at the crocodile. Suddenly the monkeys run for their lives because a giant eagle is trying to catch them and eats 3. I go to catch the eagle and go with a tranquilizer gun. It disappears back to it's time with the monkeys. So I start shooting the ancient animals which go back to their time but it doesn't work. It eats the rest of the monkeys. It goes to it's time. Then I get all the animals back to their cages except the monkeys, because 3 of them went back in time and the rest were eaten. I had saved the day at the zoo. Then I decided to leave the zoo because it was time to leave. Bye everybody, I shouted.

"Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree"

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Oh wait a minute ... just a little late with my Christmas wishes! I always tell people that I "was born early and have been late ever since!" In this case, I don't think you will mind! Being Florida Wildlife, we have frequent opportunities to visit the famous wildlife in Orlando ... you know ... Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and other friends! And in December every year, another treat is in store for those visiting Disney World ... The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. This is a Christmas Light display at Disney's Hollywood Studios Park that this year was some 5 million strong! We have had the privilege of seeing this magnificent display for a number of years now, and it just gets better every year! It's awesome ... inspiring! The photos included here give just a taste of this year's display ... we hope you enjoy them! And if you get the opportunity to come visit the Disney wildlife sometime ... we recommend you come in December!