Archive for category Family

Back from the Brink and a Defeat

Oct 12

Sort of a dramatic title isn’t it? Considering we thought that my wife had contracted the dreaded ‘H1N1‘ or as it’s more commonly known: Swine Flu, it fits. But all was for not as the Shakespearean types might say. She didn’t have it.

This actually began on Friday evening with her getting home from work coughing and all that. Then began the nausea and a high fever. This ran through the weekend up until this afternoon when she became much better and more herself again.

What did she have? Dunno. A bug of some kind. With her being a teacher there’s no telling what she got from the kids at school. Right now, me an a can of Lysol are best buddies. A fella can’t ever be too safe ya know!

: Image by Getty Images via Daylife

On another note, our favorite SEC team got their butts kicked this past Saturday. Yes, Auburn got beat by Arkansas and I’m only now able to write about it. I don’t think the guys really had their hearts or minds into the game because Arkansas might have won on points from our penalties alone. Yeah, there were that many penalties on us.

We face Kentucky next Saturday and hopefully ‘Mean Gene’ (Auburn’s head coach) will have our Tigers by the tail and ready for them. Right now, we’re 5-1 which considering last year’s horrible season, is an awesome turnaround. We’re still building though so that’s a good sign and we have coaches that seem to have a good grasp of what’s needed in Auburn to put a damn good team on the field. War Eagle!

Tags: Auburn, Swine influenza

33 years and counting!

Aug 28

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Today is our 33rd anniversary. Yes, I said 33rd. Surprising in this day and age of throw-away marriages but so far, we’re hanging in there with a bright future ahead of us. At least we like to think so.

So, as she left for work this morning, I got busy getting her present ready (that she asked for herself) and some other things that she knew nothing about so when she gets home from work later on, she’ll have a nice surprise waiting on her.

You hear of folks being together for many years longer than we have and it seems hard to believe to some. To us, we think it just depends on how much you want to put into it. Obviously, we’re putting a lot into it because we enjoy each others company, we rib each other endlessly, help each other without question and most importantly, we support one another. That to us is the key. Must be working because so far we still have each others best interests at heart.

Hmm, wonder what the big 5-0 will be like when we reach that landmark? Anniversary-wise that is. It’s only 17 years away. Eh, no problem.

* The photo above is an older one from last year. I’m much cuter now! Ha!

This photo was taken of the spread we laid out for our ‘dinner’ Friday evening. Wasn’t dark yet but we lit the candles anyway.

Tags: anniversary, life

A/C worky – A/C no worky

Aug 25

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Late August is not the time to start having air conditioning problems here in the Deep South! The heat tends to be stifling most of the time and the humidity only makes it worse. An A/C unit crapping out doesn’t help either.

So it goes that starting sometime this afternoon, the unit stopped working for reasons unknown. After checking breakers everywhere possible and finding them all in their ‘on’ positions (not tripped in other words), I began to wonder if this was the thermostat acting up again. It was replaced back in February with a new unit so, who knows other than the A/C repairman, right?

Well, being the curious type that I am, I found a small opening in the faceplate of the thermostat that was labeled ‘reset’. So I pushed it a couple of times and waited. Bingo! After a few minutes, the A/C began to work again! Yay! Alright! Way to go!

Eh? A few hours later….the A/C quits once again. Back to the drawing board. At least I placed a call to the folks we have a contract with before 5 pm. They’re supposed to be out sometime tomorrow. Supposed to be, that is.

Gotta love the timing I guess. Our anniversary is Friday. I sure hope she isn’t getting a new A/C unit for her anniversary present! Ugh!

Update! 8/26/09

Thanks to a good friend in the H&C biz, the A/C was fixed this morning! Took just 15 minutes. Valiant H & C was still a no-show even with a service contract. Guess who’s out while the search begins for a new H&C company?

Now, I can go ahead and pick up that anniversary present for the wife instead of thinking we were going to buy each other a new A/C unit! w00t!

Tags: a/c, heat

Extorted by a young’un!

Aug 21

Posted by ScottW in Family | 1 Comment

My daughter called me yesterday to ask if I had time to talk with my grandson. I thought this an odd request at first and told her ‘OK’ expecting who knows what to happen. What did happen was hilarious. I’ll provide the conversation as it went below:

Me: Hi Michael, what’s on your mind?
Michael: Hi Papaw, I need to ask you something.
Me: OK, shoot, I’m listening.
Michael: We’re having this fund raiser for my school soon and I’m needing a sponsor. Will you sponsor me Papaw?
Me: Sure! I’d be glad to sponsor you. What all is involved?
Michael: I’m going to run laps and when I’m done, my sponsors will pay by the lap. Still interested?
Me: Sure, I’m game. How much are you asking per lap?
Michael: Oh, I think $1,000 will work out real well.
Me: What did you just say?

About this time my daughter gets back on the phone while I hear my grandson telling his Dad that he told his teachers that Dad will pony up $5K for the whole deal! I got off easy…I think. Either way, my daughter is laughing so hard by now that no one can talk or be understood.

I think the moral of this story is to keep asking questions before accepting an offer or deal or a very young fella is gonna walk away with your wallet!

BTW, I did keep my word to sponsor him…just at a very reduced rate!

Tags: Family, grandkids

R&R never felt so good!

Jul 29

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We’re in beautiful Savannah, Georgia now for a few days R&R before heading the rest of the way home. We had driven to Jacksonville, FL to hang with my brother during his surgery which turned out well.

So after making sure he was going to be in capable hands with his lady friend, we headed out to Savannah to see the sites and enjoy some good food. So far, it’s been a great experience.

We went on the Paula Deen Tour this morning which wound up with us eating at a place called Uncle Bubba’s. This is Paula’s brother’s place and is a great place to eat. We ate off a buffet that had everything that you could imagine.

Hopefully, tonight’s meal will be equally good. We head home on Friday to finish off our trip so I’m planning on enjoying as much good Southern food as possible.

Tags: food, Savannah, surgery

Grandkids – life’s little pleasures

Jul 7

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Title pretty much sums this up. Our grandkids are our lives. We love them, love having them over to spoil (love sending them home later all sugared up!) and love watching them grow up. They are our future as much as we are their past. I only hope that the future they inherit will be what they make of it and not a result of the corruptness of our present.

Michael is into soccer now and all things Star Wars, Wii and cartoons whereas, Emily is more into dance, looking cute and dressing up herself and her dolls. They both like candy over the food on their plates and will readily try to bargain with you over how much they have to eat in order to gain access to the candy/cookie jar. Con artists both.

They love their ‘Nana’ and think their ‘Papaw’ is nocturnal for some reason as I’m usually asleep when they get here. They love going to Mickey D’s so they can play in the play area, Cracker Barrel for the pancakes, and pretty much anywhere they can get their ‘Nana’ to take them.

Yup, grandkids are life’s little pleasures!