Chronicles of Nani - Story Time: Norfolk & Western 611

It's not just a story I'm out though streamliner festival at Spencer North Carolina in 2014, what it is, is the connection of that festival to a fantastic family day riding behind the Norfolk & Western 611 steam engine in 1992. I have fantastic memories of both - one was a trip where I climbed up into the cab of the locomotive and one was being able to travel on the museums train trip in my wheelchair.

Two very special memories forever connected by one very special locomotive.

The Chronicles of Nani - MS & Heat

It's been a crazy week this week and I barely got the vlog done, let alone any reading of other blogs, and I'm so sorry about that! I hope I'm going to get a chance to catch everything up this weekend after recording day tomorrow. Video doctor appointments take less time away from the computer than a trip to Cleveland, but are also a distraction from things going on on the computer!

A couple of hectic days for David working from home kind of adds to the distractions too.

Please enjoy this weeks vlog

It's 2017

I got out of the house yesterday and went to Dayton with David and Mike for BORTrail. There were many great train shows, including David's, his first sound show since 2012. He's been showing pictures and talking about them for the last few years. In 2012 I edited the music video on Stupid, my old Windows computer, using the software that's considered raIlfan standard.

The problem with raIlfan standard video software is the average raIlfan concentrates on taking good photos. The show software is easy to use but not exact. But I am a former video professional. I can't help the fact that I see tiny mistakes in video production and "good enough" is just not enough for me. The accepted software can edit deceptively exact, but the file plays differently in every computer. That means the show I was up all night to perfect in 2012 played with the photos and music out of sync. Regardless of what anyone else noticed, I was totally embarrassed. It was simple enough software that I told David I'd show him how to use it, but I would never edit with it again. I was looking for a good Windows movie maker that I could make a finished program and save it as a complete movie file. Well, the past 4 years have been pretty involved in a not so great way for me. I've been a little too busy to search for new software.

David and Mike grabbing a last of the year train pic on the way the BORTrail.

Fast forward to last week. As of September 2015, I'm a Mac-girl again! The MacBook Pro came with iMovie already on it. That's the software that I used professionally when I had my own business back in 2004. There hasn't been anything that I needed to do a music show for so I hadn't used it. The latest and greatest updated version at the time that I bought the MacBook Pro has been updated since 11 years prior so there were a lot of things that I had to learn and get comfortable with the new features and new interface. After a few screams and grumbles I was able to do the editing and even enjoy putting together David's music bed and show. I daresay I was even proud to be in the credits as the editor.

So between train shows, getting to watch a show that I edited and spending the afternoon and evening with men and women I truly enjoy being with and have terribly missed it was a pretty great ending to the year.


Today I'm wrapping up the last of my 2016 and getting ready to start 2017. That's probably going to take a couple days but it usually does. I just usually start that closing one year and starting the next at the end of the previous year not at the beginning of the next year. But after the way I started 2013, I will always remind myself that it beats starting the year in the hospital.

Welcome to 2017! There's gonna be more to come soon including my goals and projects for the year, some new ideas and the first freebie of the year. Stay tuned

East of Toledo

At the beginning of last month I sent David on a break from being the caregiver vacation and to start this month he went on vacation and took me with him! He tries to schedule vacation time in the fall to take advantage of the fall colors for photography. We saw some beautiful scenery! The picture up top is a road view in Vermont from the passenger’s side. It was my first time in Vermont adding another state to my “states visited” list bringing me to 37 of the 50!

Here’s another Vermont shot; what’s more classic New England than a covered bridge with fall colors surrounding it?

Photo Credit to David on this one

I think I was most impressed with the colors in Upstate New York.

I love the added hay rolls, as if the colors weren’t autumn enough.

And of course I photograph many things when we travel, but “the train’s the thing!”

There was nice color on the east side of Northern Ohio too.

On the way home, on Monday the 13, there were a lot of clouds with an occasional peek of sun and we concentrated on Bicentennial Barns on the far end of the state where we usually are passing through without stopping.

Summit County

Taken by David who has a little more natural elevation from the roadside

And this one I took just because I like older post offices and this was just a breathtaking fall scene!

I’ve been taking it easy this week; vacation recovery, haha, but the yellows are looking very nice out my window, especially against the rain-darkened brown on the trees. I might get out and snap a few photos even though we have mostly clouds.

Seasons Change But They Can Stop Right Here!

We’re about a week away from the start of summer! I think all that snow this past winter left me mentally damaged. It still doesn’t feel like it was that long ago that we had all that snow locking me in the house. I know, I know, to those of you that were out in it trying to drive or walk on ice or in knee-deep drifts, I had it made not getting out of the house. To the people in the Deep South who slept in grocery stores with diapers for pillows being locked in at home must sound like paradise. But let’s just be totally honest; the polar vortex tortured all of us. Even our plow guys went from a couple very lean years to not getting a day off.

But now things are good. The spring flowers weren’t as robust as I’d have hoped and I think I might need to get more bulbs this fall because some of them just didn’t survive the mild winters or got munched by burrowing critters. But right now as I look out the porch windows next to the table I type at I see lush filled-in greenery and trees with blue sky peeking through all washed in the sun’s yellow glow. The colors of fall are nice too, but THIS is the sight that soothes me after months of white and brown outside.

David and I took a vacation south a couple weeks ago. We saw a Columbus Clippers game on the first night and that ended up being the only baseball game of the trip. We had tickets to a Kannapolis Intimidators game in North Carolina, but the weather did us in. We met Stephanie and Danni, friends I know from scrapbooking and met in person at the game. Stephanie’s husband couldn’t make it and David could join in a little on the baseball talk, although b Stephanie and I are friendly-foes doing a lot of Reds-Cardinals talking on that subject. But for the most part the three women were taking scrapbook stuff. After a two-hour delay with the grounds crew trying to squeegee rain from the previous day out of the outfield the game was called for the second day in a row. There was just too much water still on the field. It was cool that we were dry and had all that time to talk! We left with the promise that net time we are in North Carolina or if they make it to Ohio, we’ll actually see a game or at least plan a nice dinner!

Before "the game that wasn’t" David and I met his cousin and her husband for lunch in Salisbury, NC. This is one of the two cousins who urged me to try David Baldacci’s writing. Needless to say it was one of those long lunches with non-stop conversation

Now, you might wonder why, aside from meeting some wonderful people, we were in North Carolina. It’s a David and Nani trip and I haven’t mentioned the trains yet, have I? Look at this:

The North Carolina Transportation Museum hosted the Streamlines at Spence festival May 29-June1. Grounds and the roundhouse filled with gorgeous restored or in the restoration process engines from the 1930s-1950s Everything was all lit up for night photography sessions the first three nights and there were train rides at no additional cost as part of entry every day.

I chose the first night for my night pass. Thursday would be the least crowded and photo crowds can tend to lead to lots of dark photos of butts from a wheelchair. David did all three nights and I got some relax time at the hotel on those nights.

Oh, talk about advertising and mental conditioning! On one of the nights I stayed at the hotel I ordered a sandwich for dinner from Jimmy Johns. All those commercials, I hit send on the order I placed online and immediately looked at the door expecting a knock. I laughed at myself because I realized how silly it was, but wow! The delivery was about 15-20 minutes later, yes very fast, but I think they edit a little of the wait time for the TV ads.

On Sunday, David and I rode the train. It’s the first time I’ve been on a train in the chair and I’m ready to ride Amtrak to Chicago now! The lift hadn’t been used that day and it took a little for them to figure it out, but they did. I enjoyed the short ride and felt really good because several people in wheelchairs lined up for the next ride. Well, SOMEBODY had to be first, right?

Now we’ve been home and I’m “recovering” from the trip. My legs don’t seem to have bounced back as well as I wish they would and I’m struggling a bit at home right now. I’m going to get an opinion from my physical therapist when I go in next week.

We had our first MS group meeting with me as group leader this week. It went well with some new faces and I’m hoping more of the regulars will make it for July.

June 1 was Marco’s birthday; we have no kittens in the house again. I have to admit though, Carla is just this past year starting to act like a cat more often than a kitten, but both Carla and Kaline still have their kitten moments too. Cats never 100% grow up.

My Calendar's Been Full!

It’s been a busy week, well the part of the week I’ve been home has been busy. It’s been just over a week of ups and downs. While the downs have been really down there have been enough ups to even them out and then some. So I’m a pretty happy Nani as usual.

To sum things up just a little bit after the water came back I got all those dishes done, I enjoyed nice showers and brushed my teeth twice a day. Yeah I know that sounds not even blog worthy but after almost 2 weeks without running water that’s a pretty bright star in my world. After my physical therapy appointment last week I was waiting for the bus and reading in my current book. I was about 50 pages in when the bus arrived. Later that night I grabbed the Nook to read some more and… nothing! After troubleshooting on my own and then calling Barnes & Noble customer service it was determined that the Nook had died. After the initial panic it was time to make decisions.

I’ve been researching different tablets since November and chose the one I wanted and what accessories based on all that research. I made that decision around the end of January, so it was three months of work. The whole point of wanting a tablet is to have my e-reader and planner on the same device. I also know me well enough to know that if that device offers more I’ll explore it and probably put some more on it. So I needed a device that could do both things I need to do, including that the reader MUST have a greay background with black print available because that combination is what made my dyslexia disappear when I read for fun. I’ve become a relatively voracious reader now and I can’t go back. As I got near point of choosing I needed to know not only that I could have the right reader and planner style but I researched the variety of apps, quality of photos and amount of storage I might need.

I choose the iPad. It has the added bonus of being an Apple product and I miss my Mac! I also already know how to get around in iTunes. I want the 32 GB one with 4G capability in addition to Wi-Fi. I’m saving money for it. I don’t have enough saved for the particular one I want yet. With the death of the Nook I had to decide between purchasing a previously-owned Nook, a different less expensive tablet or smaller iPad. When it came right down to it after spending three months choosing the tablet I wanted it would just be wrong to settle for anything less. So I replaced the Nook through Barnes & Noble’s “out of warranty replacement plan” for just over $30 which is unquestionably affordable compared to any lesser tablet than the one I want. The iPad I’ve chosen is worth the wait.

So the new Nook was on the way but David and I were taking a three day break to Maryland to photograph the Maryland Midland short line and I had no book! Some shots I’m just not able to get because the car or the wheelchair can’t get into a safe place to take the photo. Those are usually my reading times. I did have some magazines that I read for a while but it goes back to that black print on a white background and reading becomes a lot harder because of my dyslexia so I can’t read as much or as long. I can’t tell you how happy I was to see that box on the porch at midnight when we got home after driving home Wednesday. The first thing I did with it after registering the new device was to load my current book and get it the page I was on in my computer app. I can still read a little during the day that way but you can’t take the laptop to bed or in the car; too big and the battery just doesn’t last long enough.

David thought I needed to get out of the house and get some photographs the snow. I agreed to an extent although the thought of three days in the car and not being able to get out to stretch too often because of the cold and ice everywhere gave me some reservations too. My legs were very sore and absolutely rubbery when we got home but I do have some great photos in the snow.

Maryland Midland, March 4, 2014

That brings me up through Wednesday night. More soon, but right now I have a dinner-date with my new Nook!

Home Again

Last week was definitely not what I had planned. David was going on vacation and I was staying home with Kelly visiting to “babysit me.” By babysit me I mean that I just don’t feel mobile enough to safely stay home all alone for nine days. The truth is we were both really looking forward to a BFF week. But car problems and insurance mixups kept Kelly from making it. So plan B; Nani goes on vacation with her hubby.

We went south, ish. I think the original plan was to chase trains in the mountains. I’m not totally sure because I wasn’t originally going and prepared in a hurry. Nani’s brain gets a little scrambled when I hurry.  But clouds chased us out of the mountains and into West Virginia/North Carolina.

On our first day, last Sunday, we spent a good portion of it close to home in Fostoria. Norfolk Southern’s Lackawanna Heritage Unit was in town and it’s one of the four I still hadn't photographed “in the wild.” Now I’m only missing three!

Fostoria, Ohio

We also got Lackawanna again a few days later in Kannapolis, North Carolina!

Kannapolis, North Carolina

When the nasty weather started to close in on us we came home couple days early. That’s not so bad for me because after a few days in the car chasing trains my back and legs start to get sore and week; I like the break.

Now this week I have a few things in my planner, so does Marco. As David put it, "tomorrow Marco becomes a kitween," one step closer to mancat. I guess that’s an odd way to put it since after tomorrow he’ll be missing that which makes him unquestionably a mancat! Among other benefits spaying or neutering your pets helps keep them from wanting to bolt out the door so badly. Marco does have insatiable curiosity with the doors when they’re open. I hope this stay at the vet will curb some of his aggressiveness with his sisters and apparent wanderlust.

Marco is about to give up girls before he even discovers them!

I’m joining Heather and Wayne at Acting Balanced this week for the Halloween version of the Monday Quiz About Me.

1. When you went trick or treating as a kid; what did you hope people were giving out?

As I recall, I could have come home with an entire bag of Snickers and it would’ve been fine! (I don’t think they had fun-size Mr. Goodbar yet.) There are lots of Snickers and Mr. Goodbars in the treats we give out.


2. What radio station do you listen to while driving?

I don’t drive. :-)

When I did drive it depended on my mood but I usually listened to NewsRadio or Top 40.


3. How much do you think should be the maximum one would spend on a three year old's birthday party?

I think it depends on a lot of factors. In the party for family? Is it a party for other three-year-old kids? Is it dinner or just cake and ice cream? I’ve never hosted a party for three-year-old so I have no clue.


4. When do you know that you trust someone?

What I let them push my wheelchair downhill. Seriously, my husband and my brother both will push when I’m in the manual wheelchair and go so fast the wind blows my hair back. But I trust them both. If it was a stranger or someone I don’t trust going downhill I’d be terrified. If they let go, even as a joke, I would probably break all of my fingers trying to stop the chair.

So if I ask you if you help by pushing and were going downhill it means I trust ya!


And now my question for you is one I asked on Facebook but I’m not on Facebook enough for anyone to really notice when I ask a question.

5. What Halloween candy is available now that wasn’t when you were a kid that you would have loved to find in your trick-or-treat bag?

I won’t count the fun-size Mr. Goodbars, which did exist as one of my favorite candy bars when I was a kid, just not as Halloween treats. We have fun-size bags of pretzel and peanut butter M&Ms this year; I think I would’ve loved that! They also make fun-size Hershey’s Take 5 bars. If you haven’t tried a Take 5, it’s pretzel, nuts, caramel and peanut butter covered in chocolate, OH MY!

Blame It On The Sun

It was a fun and fairly involved weekend in these parts! I wasn’t around Blogland on Friday, blame that on the sun. David was off for a long weekend and we took advantage of the trainlicious weather. I added the Conrail Heritage Unit to my collection on Friday and the Virginian on Saturday. With those I’m up to 13 of the 20 photographed “in the wild.” David wheeled me out to a river-bank picnic table on Friday for the best shot of one of the special engines I‘ve taken yet.

Norfolk Southern’s Conrail Heritage Unit

Saturday it was well worth being late to my dad’s place when we caught the Virginian in Toledo before we left.

Norfolk Southern’s Virginian Heritage Unit

Yesterday was a cloudy midday, which was great for napping after getting home late Saturday night and then rising early with the sun. This was my favorite Sunday morning shot in Deshler, Ohio, newly painted water tower and all!

So that was my weekend. Every now and then I really need to take a break from blogging, scrapbooking and cleaning the kitchen to do some things to blog about and scrapbook while making no new dishes in the kitchen.


But now the week begins, easing into it in a social way with Heather at Acting Balanced and Wayne at Touristic and the Monday Quiz About Me.

1. May is National Asparagus Month - do you like it? Haves a favorite recipe?

I just bought a bag of precut asparagus spears at Kroger yesterday. They were on sale because they were nearing the sell by date. I love asparagus and recently discovered I like them raw in my Crunchy Veggie Bowls too. Mt favorite recipe is just steamed with a little vinaigrette. However, being that David like asparagus too, but doesn’t care for vinaigrette, I make them either with a little butter or I heat up a little bit of olive oil and brown minced garlic is in, adding bite-sized pieces of asparagus and cooking until tender; YUUUM-MEE!


2. May is also National Salad month... what's your favorite salad?

Favorite? Only one? I totally believe that anything is improved by putting it on a bed of lettuce. Yesterday we had lunch at Bob Evens and I had their cranberry-pecan chicken salad, one of my summer favorites. I also often eat chili on a bed of lettuce at home. I’ve even had salad with scrambled eggs and bacon on it. Seriously, a bed of lettuce is almost always better than a bun.


3. Laundry Question: Fabric Softener yea or nay? How do you keep your clothes soft and static free?

We use dryer sheets and that’s usually enough for anti-static and fresh smelling. But I really love the smell of Tide detergent which we use.


4. Do you speak more than one language? What language would you love to learn?

Je parle un peut de francais, enough that I can ask for directions or order in a restaurant in Quebec. I’ve never been to France, but I do know my French is sufficient to impress store owners to speak English to me as a reward for my effort. That was the difference after the dismal warning my grandfather had given to me about Quebec before I went with the high school French Club. I could hold a conversation with our host family, who did not speak any English, and read the newspaper then, which means that I could again with a little practice, but I’m not sure I could just pick up a newspaper in Montreal and read as fast as I do an American one now.

I read a little Italian, just a little, but I’ve kept with letting my “other country” knows where I am so I continue to get political stuff in the mail. That keeps me reading it, but I always bring things to my dad and tell him what I think the letter says to see if I got it right. My Italian average is about .750. I can construct and speak a few sentences in Italian, but I’ve never had a conversation in Italian.

Really, there are still so many English words I haven’t learned well enough to make them part of my natural vocabulary I don’t even know if I can really say I even speak one language!


And don't forget to add a 5th Question on your own blog so we can answer as we hop around!

5. Do you find that you blog/social network less when the weather is nice, or do you use mobile devices to keep up in the cyber world wherever you are?

When I travel for any amount of time I take my laptop, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I keep up with social networking, like my blog or Twitter. I often use it for weather and email while I’m away. Ido will take a morning every few days while David goes out to stay in the hotel and practice the water pill ritual because if I go a week without that and spending lots of time in the car, my feet will swell past painful. That’s when I take advantage of some time to cyber-socialize.

I know there are those who blog from a tablet by the pool or Tweet from their seats at a ball game, but not me. (Although I think I’m probably more likely to want a tablet than a smart phone, I’ll probably end up with the smart phone because they’ll quit making dumb phones)

The Monday That Was

David and I were out of town for a weekender this weekend. That of course means we got in last night since we have a Sunday/Monday weekend. Our original plan was that we’d ho to Pittsburgh to catch a couple of Norfolk Southern Heritage Units, but our hobby is so weather and railroad dependent! We ended up spending the night in the Akron Ohio area and got one of the Heritage Units and the F-Units on an empty business special train. Oh we got quite a few additional trains under some beautiful skies. No complaints!

We also got to have dinner at Eat N’ Park two nights, which meant I got to try something that wasn’t Nantucket Cod! I love Nantucket Cod and since Eat N’ Park hasn’t seen fit to put a restaurant in Toledo yet, I always get my Nantucket Cod fix when we eat there in our travels. It’s only when we eat there more than once in a week’s time that I try something new. I’ve never had a bad meal at Eat N’ Park and the Herb Crusted Chicken last night was no exception. Bonus that it was Monday, which is Stuffed Pepper Soup Day. It really was a terrific meal!


Since I have a few days that I can still post, I thought I’d try out Heather’s and Wayne’s Monday Quiz on Tuesday.

1. Who do you like to quote?

I’ve seen my personal credo: “I cannot control what happens to me, but I’m the only one that controls how I react to what happens to me,” paraphrased many different ways and credited to many people. So, I guess I like to quote them, or they like to quote me. I have a suspicion that it’s a good optimistic attitude held by many and while the idea isn’t original to any of us, it is original to all of us.


2. Have you ever made something you wore out in public?

Absolutely! I have always worn jewelry I make and in the SC I sewed most of my wardrobe.


3. When was the last time you used a telephone (not a cell phone)?

Golly, probably at Grandma’s house when we were packing things up? That would have been in 2010. Do I get extra points because it was a rotary dial??


4. What was the first recording you bought with your own money?

The first record I bought with money I saved from my allowance would have been Just A Game by Triumph when I was 14.


And don't forget to add a 5th Question on your own blog so we can answer as we hop around!

5. If you lost mobility in your legs would you still be able to do your job? What changes could you make to still perform our job duties or what skills would you build up in your resume to sell yourself for a new position?

I am asking this because I’m getting ready to rebuild my resume and start job hunting now that I will soon be able to actually get to a meeting at the Vocational, Rehabilitation Bureau and get to and from a job.

Due to the job market just before my physical condition started getting progressively worse and since diagnosis, while trying to figure out how to manage daily life, I’ve been out of the world of the employed for a while.

Honestly, had the job not been shipped to India, I can still perform all the duties of my last actual job with a few provisions made for a wheelchair and an occasional assist with the top file drawers. My job was mostly email and phone as an assistant to a group of field auditors.

I could not be a cable TV producer again, but with a few provisions and perhaps a few classes to bring my skills and software up to date, I do still have the design knowledge to do simple video editing for photo and moving video. The former is something I can put on a resume now, the latter is something to bring up meeting with a vocational rehab counselor.

What about you? What do you do really well at your job that you could use to outshine not being able to “walk” into an interview?

The Hodge Podge That Made Nani Cry

After the Spring Break hiatus, Joyce at From This Side of the Pond is back with Wednesday Hodge Podge questions!

1. Share one fun thing you did last week, while the Hodgepodge was on 'spring break'.

David and I went to Indiana Friday to photograph some trains. I just wanted to get out of the house for a day. The colors weren’t the pretty spring greens get, but the trip was nice and the company great as it always is!


2. April 10th is National Sibling Day...do you have siblings, and if so are you close? Share a favorite story featuring one or all of your siblings. If you don't have siblings, did you ever wish you did?

I consider John, Scott and Kelly the brothers and sister I found later in my life and they are as much my immediate family as David is; relatives I wasn’t born into, but loved into later.

But actual blood relative siblings, I have one. Dave is my baby brother, 14 months younger. We were close when we were kids, but I don’t think as close as adults.

Picture from my wedding reception, July 2009

When we were kids, the next door neighbor kid was a tyrant. He and Dave were 4, I was 5. He had a whip that he smacked the tires on Dave tricycle with! It made Dave cry and “nobody make my baby brother cry but me” so I punched him in the stomach and made him cry. He never made Dave cry again. I guess I do still try to make sure no one’s whipping his tires.


3. Is it important to you to 'buy American'? Why or why not? How much of an effort do you make to 'buy American'? If you're not American, insert your own country in the blank.

I don’t think it’s really so much an issue anymore. In a global economy so little is actually made in one place and I’m sorry to say we’ve become a county that comes up with ideas and sends them someplace else to be made with cheaper labor. It would be great to say “Buy American,” but what exactly is buying American? Is it buying American ideas assembled in Mexico? Is it buying from the small business selling items made in China? A local restaurant with recipes from Italy and cheese from Canada or handcrafted items made with fabric from India? I believe in supporting local businesses when I can and when it doesn’t break my budget, but I don’t think “Buy American” means what it once did.


4. Besides The Bible, what book has impacted your spirituality in some way?

I have a great collection of religious and spiritual books from many different beliefs. I think seeing what they all have in common and the many ways they are different has had a greater spiritual influence on me than any one book.


5. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Do you find rainy days calming or depressing? When were you last caught in a rainstorm? What's blooming in your neck of the woods today?

We had a thunder shower this morning and some momentary big fat loud rain drops. Aside from being more physically challenged with the change in barometric pressure, I find rain and thunder showers to be exciting and even a little sexy. Tornado sirens, however, are a little unnerving and sometimes scary.

Right now we have the last of the crocuses and beginning of the narcissus/daffodils. There are some trees just beginning to bud.


6. What's your favorite yellow food?

I like a banana every morning and various kinds of mustards are my favorite condiments.


7. April is National Poetry Month...what's a poem that holds special meaning for you, and why is it special?

Okay, I’m going to go out on a soul-bearing emotional limb here. I am not a fan of poetry; I write funny poems. My Mom wrote serious poems and I have a folder full of them. Still the poems with special meaning to me are the two serious one I wrote after she died. This is the one that I cried like crazy while writing and it still makes me tear up ten years later.

Always

It happened one warm July morning,
There was chaos and peace,
There was fear and anticipation,
You and I began.

I was your miracle. You were my everything.

You taught and I learned.
Then I taught and you learned.
We both grew
and that bond of love strengthened.

I was your work in progress. You were my foundation.

You held so many doors open.
I sampled it all and dared to fly.
You stayed far enough away to give independence
yet close enough to catch me every time I fell.

I was your adventurer. You were my safety net.

You led me back onto the better path.
You showed me ways to channel my anger.
When few had that option, I could tell you the truth.
I ran to you, not from you.

I was your major project. You were my guidance counselor.

I moved on earning awards and degrees.
I showed you first.
You beamed but expected no less.
You boasted to anyone who’d listen and challenged me to do more.

I was your pride. You were my strength.

The roles reversed and I encouraged you to push a little more.
You never took advantage, though you knew you could.
The bond of respect and trust was unbreakable.
The love was unconditional.

I was always your precious child. You were my mother.



8. Insert your own random thought here.

Poetry, shmoetry. I told you it still makes me cry. I don’t know if it gives anybody else the mental pictures or emotional impression it does me and maybe that’s why I really don’t get poetry; it’s personal. As much as I love Shakespeare I'm not into his sonnets. But, anyway, thanks for indulging me.

To make sure you leave on a happy note. My blubbering is not because she’s gone. They are happy tears because she was so much to my world for 37 years.


And for a smile, I put this on my Facebook page last week with this caption:

Where are the other 174 heads???

A Hop and an Award

Cluster made with A Book of Me by Aprilisa Designs

 I do know how little of Friday is left compared to everyone else who posted the Friday Fill-In this morning at Feeling Beachie. I’ve been working pretty much all day trying to unlock the secret of getting a video that actually syncs up the way it does in the work-window. In December, I was up until 5 AM the day of Bortrail editing David’s show to make it just so with precision edits, like I’ve always done when I edit video. I was mortified that night as the show played and the edits I’d worked through the night on were so badly out of sync you’d think someone who knew nothing about video opened the software for the first time and threw some stuff in the editor. I’ve tried the executable file, creating a free-standing video, burning a DVD direct from the editor, all out of sync. I spent some time on the phone with tech support. I cleared the cache and cleaned up the program and my file, I rebooted the computer before rendering. Still, out of sync crap. I did a show for Tori and Rina’s Sweet 16 with an editor half the price and it was perfect. So now I’ll be recreating the show on that editor and I’ll find out if it’s the “standard” railfan software or the still new enough that I haven’t done video on it computer. If it’s the software I won’t be at all happy. The newer crappy software is twice the cost. But if is the software, I’ll be singing the praises of Wave Pad to every railfan I know!

So anyway, aside from a day wasted with that software that puts me starting the month off behind on my Sugar Cookie comments at Ginger Scraps and about a half a day late in posting my blog…things aren’t bad. I started today with chocolate hazelnut oatmeal! That’s a nice start. ½ cup of quick oats with a tablespoon dark chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon crushed hazelnuts and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Set the Keurig maker for 8 oz. hot water. Cover the bowl with a plate while you make a cup of coffee in with the Keurig, Free Trade Vermont Blend this morning, and by the time I stirred in a tablespoon of Coffeemate the oats were ready and the chocolate melted. MMM! The oatmeal, which I was too busy loving to photograph, was a little more than I usually have for breakfast, 9 WW points, but every now and then you have to do something special for yourself. It was worth every point. And since the creamer is a point and the apple I had was 0 points, I still strayed in my 10 point target for breakfast anyway.

Okay, now finally the fill-ins, Chatty Nani I am tonight.

This week’s statements:
1. I was probably the only kid in the world who ____
2. ____ is my favorite juice
3. I never thought I would____until I___
4. I have always wanted to_____ but_____

My Answers:

1. I was probably the only kid in the world who liked squid! Tastes change and I am so NOT a calamari fan now, but I liked it as a kid, the fried tentacles were my favorite.

2. Pineapple-orange is my favorite juice.

3. I never thought I would get married until I started talking silly wedding talk with David.

4. I have always wanted to hang glide but now it is the one thing the stupid MS stands in the way of.

I'll be checking out everyone else's fill-ins tonight and tomorrow!



My First Award of 2013!

Okay, on SUNDAY, way back in January, Edna presented me with a wonderful award. I managed to stop by and thank her, but I’m just now posting it. Like I said to her in comments yesterday, good thing it’s not a punctuality award!

But it’s better than a punctuality award. In fact the occasional lack of punctuality is in there because it’s the REALITY award!

Isn’t it sweet?

The rules are pretty easy:

(1) Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you.

Did that, even twice thanking again yesterday.

(2) Acknowledge that blogger on your blog and link back to them.

In case you didn’t put the 2 and 2 together, Edna is my dear friend the owner of Miss Edna’s Place

(3) Answer the five simple questions. See below

(4) Nominate blogs for the award and notify each of them. Also see below

(5) Display the award on your blog somewhere.  See above




Here are the questions:

1. If you could change one thing, what would you change?
2. If you could repeat an age, what would it be?
3. What is one thing that really scares you?
4. What is one dream you have not completed, and do you think you'll be able to complete it?
5. If you could be someone else for one day, who would it be?



1. If you could change one thing, what would you change?

I’d make all diseases that attack people who have done nothing to put themselves at risk disappear. Autoimmune disorders, cancer, diseases of the brain; all gone, poof, those afflicted everything the disease made happen, back to normal.

Okay, and if I can’t have it that way for all diseases, then selfishly, I’ll cure MS first.


2. If you could repeat an age, what would it be?

Edna said she’d stay where she is now, and in many ways I’d say the same. I’ve never had trouble with my age and being happy with my world just as it is right now. I have demons, but I also have wonderful things that have entered into my life.

I could say 28 because it was before my mom got sick and she’d still be with me. But if I look to go back to still have the riches I’ve lost in my life, wouldn’t I want to go back to early 1994 when my grandfather was still with us? But my Papa and my nieces never knew each other. In order to have Papa in my life I’d have to give up Tori and Rina. Even getting Mom back, Mom and David never met.

One time I was asked that question and I said 39 because It was before the MS symptoms got bad, after David and I got together, we’d found Kaline and we had all four cats between us. But Carla hadn’t been born yet. So you see, to pick one age from my past, I’d have to choose who to keep and who to give up. So because I really don’t like decisions, I’ll pick slightly closer to 47 than 46.


3. What is one thing that really scares you?

Stairs. I crawl up the ones at home, but I still have to get to a standing position for the top 2; scares me half to death every time. Fortunately, succeeding without falling thrills me half to life!


4. What is one dream you have not completed, and do you think you'll be able to complete it?

I have always tended to have goals rather than dreams as far as things I want to attain. Current dreams include a job and a new home with David’s train layout taking up the whole basement, a ranch with easy accessibility be it walker or chair, laundry on the main living floor and a modern kitchen with appliances that work and a pantry that’s not in a corner over a corner section of counter. Oh yeah, and smooth no grout countertops. Both are attainable, jut not sure how many months/years down the line.


5. If you could be someone else for one day, who would it be?

Just for a day? As much as I always say I’d give anything for just one day with no pain and the full abilities I used to have, I think I’d choose to be someone with greater physical disabilities than I have so I could better appreciate how good I actually do have it. Bet I’d never say the “I’d give anything” idea again.



Now I would like to pass this award on to:

Kelly at Coffee Cups and Christianity
Debby at Just Breathe
Josanne at A Chocolate Bouquet
Jen at Grown In Southern Ground

As usual, I realize everyone has busy schedules, even me sometimes!  So, this award is a ift without requirements.  I'd love to read your answers, but don't feel obligated to answer the questions, just know you've been acknowledged as one of the blogs I love to visit!

A Fragmented Mind With Blanks To Fill In

So this is the one day that tells the retail chains if they will make a profit this year. I’ve read in a few places that Black Friday’s name comes from the fact that the day after Thanksgiving is the pivotal point where stores can forecast the rest of the year’s sales. Considering that most corporate fiscal years start November 1, that’s pretty impressive. I’m not saying I doubt any of it; marketing has become quite a science.

  
Since I have a few of them, we’ll call that tidbit that I believe to be true, my first fragment this week. I’ll add that the “I believe to be true” is because I think I remember reading it on the Internet and you can’t trust things you read on the web abut Black Friday because it might be a Cyber Monday shopper just trying to make the crazy Friday shoppers look silly. Of course, carpal tunnel and camping out on your own porch might be considered cra….

………………………………………………

I’m back. Sorry, doorbell; I had to go get a package off the porch.


Where was I? Oh yes, Fragments! So here’s some more!

*  A Facebook friend did some questioning of employees at Target about working on Thanksgiving. At Target, working on Thanksgiving was volunteer only, they were paid time and a half and got a $100 bonus for taking the shift. I’m actually kind of glad for that because I usually find a thing or two at Target and I like their novelty Christmas candy selection. I’ll again consider them a store I’ll shop at this holiday season.


*  This is mostly a photo-fragment: Last week when David was working nights and there was some sun, enough sun, because Norfolk Sothern’s Southern Heritage Unit was in the area! (I’m wearing my Southern t-shirt as I type this) Isn’t she beautiful?

*  As 2012 draws to a close, there is a little somethin-somethin I for me. I bought my first real Smash book!

I know, I know, why would I want to buy a Smash brand book, when I’ve already put my “smashables” from all the years up through 2011 in binders with repurposed scrapbook paper? Well, first off the stock of scrapbook paper won’t last forever and the price of decent weight 2-sided paper pus a binder and glue starts to get near the price of a Smash Book, but not bound quite as solidly.

There’s also what I call the “London Fog Effect.” My Joey Votto jersey has the London Fog Effect too. I am really not a champagne taste kind of gal. I like nice restaurant now and then, but going out for dinner at Cracker Barrel is a fine treat to me. Kelly made me that beautiful Pandora-styled bracelet and I love it. I love looking at Pandora, but if I’m buying beads and a bracelet, Pugster is a lot less expensive and I have no gnawing desire for an actual Pandora. (Although I often still use Pandora wallpapers on my computer) But London Fog was one of those things for me. I had a few okay raincoats over the years, but in the back of my mind I wanted a nice real London For dress raincoat for work/interviews. When Mom and I saw a London Fog tent sale at an outlet mall we went to, we stopped to look and there was a beautiful taupe double-breasted trench with a button-in lining for winter. It was my size and Mom told me to try it on just to see how it looked. It looked great, it felt luxurious! Tent-sale prices, Mom is the one who told me it looked good and very professional and I ought to have it. She made it a gift. That coat still makes me feel like a million bucks when I wear it.

The authentic Joey Votto jersey with his name and number and all of the official Reds accents has the same effect. You can just feel that it’s the real deal. So I wanted a Smash Book for the same reason. Yes, I bought into the branding. The pages are thicker than the ones in my books, more durable, especially for thicker or heavier items I put in it and the way it’s put together is sturdy, quality. Of course, it feels special with nothing in it. Time will tell if that feeling stays as I use it if it truly is in the class of my London Fog coat or Joey Votto jersey. I have a folder full of 2012 smashables to help me find out!


I’m going to take a fragments break to visit Hilary’s Friday Fill-in.

This week’s statements:
1. I put ___ on a hot dog
2. when it___ I ____
3. If my house____then I would be able to___
4. If I was getting married tomorrow I would _______________ differently so we could ________________differently now.


My Answers:

1. I put mustard and nothing but mustard on a hot dog unless I’m having a Coney, then it’s chili with onions and mustard. I usually add yellow mustard when I have chili to enjoy it as a “dogless Coney” too.

2. When it snows I am happy to stay indoors with a big mug of mocha.

3. If my house was self-cleaning then I would be able to get more accomplished in a day!

4. If I was getting married tomorrow I would approach the photos differently so we could enjoy the scrapped pages differently now. My only regret is that I didn’t go a professional photographer or at least a dedicated photographer with a list of shots to get for our reception weekend. I would have loved to have 2-shots or 3-shots with each of our guests and a few of the balloon release we did. I would not have done anything else differently. :)


*  Windows 8 is Windows moving toward the smart phone, tablet and computer all working the same. There are touch-screen laptops out now and Windows 8 really is made for those! There are things I really like about it and one thing I really hate. I can’t stand the fact that if I move a window too close to the edge it instantly becomes full screen. I also don’t like the way windows will snap to either side for 2-window viewing that fills the screen. I know that’s supposed to be a “cool” new feature, but I’ve always used three to five windows open, sized and spaced so I would see the contents of all of them to select elements for scrapbook pages. That takes having windows in the corners, but if I get them too close, snap they go and I have a full screen of one of them instead of five. It messes with my organization. I’m slowly getting used to it, not dragging things too close to the edge and when I do, I curse under my breath and pull it away to snap it back to where I wanted it. That’s a pain, but for the most part, Windows 8 is pretty user-friendly.

David will give you quite a different opinion!


*  I have been too lax on tweeting and scrapbook gallery commenting! That’s a project I’m going to work on! I find I use Twitter a lot more during baseball season because a lot of my tweeps are fellow Reds or Tigers fans and I follow a lot of baseball players, who also tweet less in the off season. We’ll see if I get to tweeting more.

I know I‘ll be sure to be leaving more gallery comments at Ginger Scraps because I was invited to join the praise team there, essentially the cheerleaders who make sure every layout gets some love. There are perks in the form of scrapbook kits for meeting comment goals. Yeah, that sounds like copping out and using the freebies to encourage myself to do the polite thing I wanted to do anyway, but it does mean I’ll be commenting even more than the minimum I’d set for myself, so I consider it a win-win.


*  Finally, I’d like to take some suggestions for Friday memes. I kinda like doing three smaller memes but sometimes I can’t really answer the 5 Question Friday questions in any serious way because the questions assume I am a mom. And I am a cat-mom and was sort of a fill-in mom when my nieces were growing up, buy I really can’t answer questions about being with human kids every day, so I’d like to do one or two others too and choose the ones that have the questions I’m best capable in answering on any given Friday. Does anyone host a trains meme?? :) Just if you have a suggestion, I’d love a link!


And so I’m ready to post on this day after Thanksgiving. In the Nani-David household It’s not Black Friday, but dark gray Friday for sure; lots of serious wind and some rain. I’m glad to just be inside blogging, smashing and scrapbooking…oh, and I guess a little laundry too.

Photoblog Wednesday

Norfolk Southern 60T in Stryker, Ohio on Monday 8/26/12

The lead engine is the Illinois Terminal Heritage Unit and the second one is the Conrail Heritage Unit.

I'm Not Supposed To Be Here

 Good Monday morning! The truth is I wasn’t planning on posting a blog today. The plan was that my computer would be in Toledo and I’d be in Pennsylvania. David and I left before sunrise Saturday intending to chase some of those beautiful Norfolk Southern Heritage Units that were going to be in Pennsylvania this weekend. He had an extra weekend day off and we planned to get home late tonight. Daylight time is still early and late enough in the day that I’m too tired to even check email at the end of the day, so there was no sense in adding the laptop bad to the luggage.

So why am I home and blogging? Let’s talk about the weather! When we left the forecast said one thing, but it changed somewhere between sunrise and Lake Erie! It seemed like puffy clouds from the lake were going to obstruct the sun, then the sky was cloudy on the horizon as we faced east and Pennsylvania. Keeping n contact with railfans on our route and in our destination, we weren’t imagining those PA clouds. “The liar’s club strikes again” David growled referring to his usual dissatisfaction with the accuracy of weather forecasts. Depending on the 72-hour forecast is a major part of our weekend travel planning. But being able to adapt plans is essential to having a successful trip; something planner-Nani is learning. I’ve learned to enjoy “seat of your pants” travel as long as it’s the seat of David’s pants. If I’m the one orchestrating the trip I still have to have my rough plan and notes.

The biggest difference in the way we do things is that when I plan a trip, I have a rough itinerary of where I’ll be and a dozen things I might be doing there. David has a dozen places he might be. I always have “plan B” in my notes, David makes up plan B on the spot. We’ve learned to travel together. For our longer summer trips, he gives me the dozen places we might be and I assemble the schedules of all the baseball games we might be able to see and any attraction we might see at the afternoon high light or in case of cloudy skies. We started doing that with our honeymoon and it turned out to be a great way to “plan” a trip.

Lake County Captains game Sunday

For weekenders since we’re going a smaller area away from home, we don’t necessarily have a full plan, but this weekend turned out great, weather notwithstanding. We stayed in Ashtabula on Saturday wert we got some great shots and spent the night in Mentor, OH. Waking up to clouds and a cloud-filled forecast for PA we went out for a sit-down breakfast before we went home. After breakfast a ray of light was shining and we staked out a few trains. A couple hours later it was nearing game time for the Lake County Captains. We knew they were home but didn’t plan to find “something” to do in the clouds before game time and had planned to just head back west. The ray of light gave us a couple of trains after all and the opportunity to go to the game! With lots of clouds in the forecast there for today, we still came home after the game, a few more trains and dinner at Eat N Park; we still really need and Eat N Park in Toledo!

1. If you found a $100 bill on the floor at the mall, what would you do?

When I was about 6 or 7 I found a $5-bll on the ground in the parking lot at church. I didn’t see who dropped it and I put it in the collection plate. That was not a suggestion from my parents or anybody. Mt parents said if I didn’t see who dropped it and there was no one I saw looking for it, I could keep it but it would be stealing if I knew who dropped it. I stayed where I found it for a few minutes with Mom and she told me that I could keep it. I told her that since it was in the church parking lot, it belonged to the church and I put it in the collection plate.

40 years later and in a mall, I don’t think I’d donate it to the place I found the $100 bill (which at a 46-year old today has pretty much the same monetary value as a $5 bill to a 7-year old in the early 70s) I’d initially do the same thing I did then; If I saw who dropped it, I’d make sure they got it back. I’d stick around to see if anyone was looking for something on the ground. I’d ask if they lost something and could I help. If they said they dropped a hundred dollar bill, I’d give it to them. If they said they lost money, I’d ask how much. Again, if they said a hundred dollar boll, I’d give it to them. If there was no way of identifying who dropped it, I’d keep it.


2. What is one thing a friend could do that you would considering ending your friendship upon finding out?

Sadly, this one has happened to me before.

A friend could end a friendship with me if she new I was planning a huge party for her and had already spent a lot of money on that party and she packed up and moved to another state for a man without telling even her own mother she was leaving. Just poof – gone. She can solidify ending that relationship if when she does finally answer desperate emails because her cell phone is disconnected too and I'm worried sick about her, she replies with a casual apology that she won’t make it to “your party.”

(It did turn out that she was in no distress, just deserted all of us to follow a guy. She wasn’t a silly 20-something at the time, the party was for her 40th birthday.)


3. When was the last time you had to say your 'sorry?'

Yesterday! One of the similarities David and I share is how we react when we do something that makes us mad with ourselves. I misplaced something and I’d been looking for it a while. I had a temper-tantrum, emptying my tote bag on the car floor. He made a suggestion. I snapped at him.

It ended up I left the thing at the hotel. When we went back, housekeeping had turned it in at the front desk. (no it wasn’t a hundred dollar bill) I apologized for snapping at him.

We realized that when either one of us is mad at himself or herself the thing the other one of us should do is just let the other one have their tantrum. Making any suggestion to someone who has become irrationally upset with themselves is essentially saying, “yes, you’re an idiot, I can handle your problems better than you can.” Remember the key word in that state of tantrum is irrational.


4. In your words, define 'perfect.'

Some perfect things are absolute; a 300-game in bowling or a pitcher that faces 27 batters and never has a base runner is in a state of perfection for one game. An all-A report card is perfect. However, in most things, perfection is a matter of opinion.

For me, “perfect” defines a moment; a moment where there is a state of happiness or contentment with no negativity is a perfect moment.



And don't forget to add a 5th Question on your own blog so we can answer as we hop around!

Everyone travels in a different comfort zone. Some like a strict schedule of how they’ll spend their vacation time to get the most of it, some like a flexible schedule to have an outline of where they’ll be and what there is to do there, others like a rough outline of their destination and make changes along the way and still others like to plan nothing except a destination to stay at and just relax.

What is your preferred style of travel?

Contrary to the belief of relatives who prefer to do nothing but relax when they travel, I am NOT a strict schedule person at all. I like to have reservations made for things that are necessary like hotels and any attractions that are an absolute for the trip like a concert or ballgame that is possible going to sell out. Reservations are important if you’re planning a sightseeing boat cruise or a dinner train. But in general I like to know that I have someplace to sleep and a list of possible things to do so I can plan my travel budget. Then I can do what I’m in the mood for on any given day including discovering things that aren’t in the travel guides.

When I do group trips with family, especially relatives, and not just my husband, the ability to plan a travel budget is important so people don't end up not having enough when they are there or having to cancel at the last minute – last minute cancellations increase the finances for hotel and gas for everyone else. (My experience is that relatives seem to think it’s more okay to leave everyone hanging than friends)

Happy Black Cat Appreciation Day!

Carla in 2009

According to Black Cats Are NOT Bad Luck on Facebook, today is officially worldwide Black Cat Appreciation Day. David and I both have pictures of Carla as our ID photos on Facebook today, replacing the ones of Kaline we had to celebrate her birthday last weekend. It amazes me how many people are still so backwards in intelligence that they still believe that a black cat is a bad omen. It breaks my heart that so many black cats are abused, even tortured, by people so mindless, so cruel. Carla is the sweetest, most cuddly cat you could imagine. Ritchie, my black cat in my teens, was just as loving and cuddling. I can’t imagine that anyone could ever cause any animal harm, but my experience with black cats is that they are loving and faithful than some dogs I’ve known.

Black cats are the least likely to be adopted in a shelter. If it’s not a no-kill shelter, that also mean they are the most often euthanized; killed for the color of their fur. How can anyone be so stupid in 2012 to believe or pay any sort of homage to ancient superstitions created by frightened simple-minded people?

This day was created to make people aware and celebrate the most affectionate and personable cats there are! Here’s to the feline black beauties everywhere!

Now, on to the Friday Memes!

This week’s statements:
1. I ___ so much __ in a day
2. I don’t like ____ but I love ___
3. When I watch_______ I ¬¬¬¬____
4. I have ________in my wallet.

My Answers:

1. I accomplish so much more in a day when I wake up early.

2. I don’t like cookie dough ice cream but I love cake batter ice cream!!

3. When I watch political ads on TV I feel scared and sad.

4. I have very little cash in my wallet. (on purpose)

1. What's the one thing you buy every time you walk into the store?

Salad. We prefer to use the bagged salad because it’s easier to serve while cooking something else. Trouble is it doesn’t keep well enough to buy in bulk so we pretty much always need another hag of salad.


2. If you had a day all to yourself how would you spend it?

Scrapbooking


3. Are you a speed limit driver? If not, over or under?

Depends on where I’m driving. If I’m on the freeway, it’s left lane all the way because I want to get to my destination and out of the car. I hate driving! If it’s surface streets, under the speed limit in stop and go traffic with less predictable other drivers.


4. What's your favorite dessert to make, homemade or from a mix??

The usual favorite planned dessert here is cake and ice cream. Sometimes the cake is homemade from scratch, sometimes for a box and sometimes we buy a cake at the store. I don’t make ice cream at home.


5. Would you rather have a spider or a mouse scurry across your face (no copping out and saying "neither!!")?

Not even a temptation to say “neither” here! If I can see the critter running across my face; “Here mousey, mousey!”

**  Yesterday morning when David, who is on the night shift this week, asked me if I wanted to go out and chase some trains with him in the morning, I was leaning to the side of “no.” But he tempted me with the Jersey Central Heritage Unit in the area and I caved to that temptation and went anyway. I’m so glad that I did! I got probably my best shot of a Heritage Unit “in the wild” yet!

Jersey Central in Wauseon, Ohio

August 16, 2012

**  I finally found the widget I wanted for my current book! I try to remain current with my reading on Good Reads and I’ve got several friends I share what I’m reading/have read with. It’s a good place to get recommendations for books too! I’m Nani_Reads at Good Reads. If you have an account there, feel free to add me to your reading network!


**  Sunday was Kaline’s 7th birthday. Birthday cake tie was somewhat of a lead balloon though. David opened the “cake,” Meow Mix tuna and crab Market Selects, and she wasn’t even interested! I was concerned that there was something wrong with it because she didn't even scratch the floor to mark the territory as “I’ll come back later, don’t touch.” She just wasn’t interested. She ate kibble and her crunchy treats on Sunday and Carla ate all the birthday cake. Kaline just didn’t seem to find the tuna and crab appealing. Her favorite is salmon and crab, so maybe she’s just being a snob. Azzie didn’t like tuna as a main flavor either. Her medicine came in tuna flavor and we had to order the chicken flavor for her. Maybe she taught her niece that snobbish tendency when Kaline was a kitten. So no tuna birthday cake for Kaline for number 8! We’ll stick with salmon and crab.


**  We’d planned on going on a fall vacation next week, but that plan changed and David is working so we’ll be staying home. No week of extra baseball and trains this year like we had last year. But on the bright side, there won’t be a hurricane and floods changing our trip plan either!


**  It’s officially Pumpkin Spice season because had my first pumpkin-something yesterday! I start craving Pumpkin Spice edibles about mid-August every year, but it’s usually the last week of August/beginning of September before I find anything Pumpkin Spice in coffee places, convenience stores or even donut shops. We stopped during railfanning yesterday because I wanted coffee. I hadn’t had breakfast op coffee yet and my fading energy really did want breakfast. We were thinking about making a stop for a sit-down breakfast and David was just getting me a coffee. When he went in to the gas station, I told him “16-ounce coffee with 2 creams, 2 Splenda, unless they have Pumpkin Spice cheat-a-ccino already!” He said, “Yeah right. 2 cream 2 Splenda.

He came back with a huge cup! I was wondering what part of 16 ounces he missed. He figured I’d want the big cup for my first Pumpkin Spice something of the year! Mmmm…..