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!