Happy Birthday, Norah

Today is Norah's birthday. As my babysitting duties wind down I can take pleasure and pride in saying the past 20 months of babysitting has been...well, everything. I'm not cut out for it, I'm sure, but besides the whining, crying, diaper-changes, too short naps, the tumbling down the stairs, the broken glass, the food thrown in my face, the constant anxiety of simply being responsible for someone else's kid, were the hugs, kisses, fun chases, pillow forts, sleeping on my shoulder, dancing, walks outside, swimming, and the indescribable but forever bond that we now share.

First picture of Norah.

Super Baby!

"I showed you I don't like corn. Must I show you again?"

"Here's a nice warm spot to take a nap."

"Plates? Plates? We don't need no stinkin' plates at Grampa's daycare!"

Playing Hide and Seek.

Norah and I working on "Shhh." And as you can see, as long as she is in the vicinity, she takes care of other matters.

Today she turns 2. She will grow up and if Grampa isn't here she won't remember the early years or the fun we had. But somewhere on a ledger will be written that these two souls shared a time with each other, and all the future living and all the future adventures won't be able to erase. It is written with permanent ink, and next to that entry will read, "Grandaughter and Grandfather - He took care of her with all his Love, and she took care of him with hers."

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Flashback Friday

Class, Or Lack Thereof The Dwight Vice gravestone in Oquawka, Illinois. I bring this old chestnut out every so often just to remind me that class is classless. Dwight Vice was killed in his home near Oquawka in 2001. It was one of those things that can generate crime: two guys thought Dwight had a lot of money stashed at home because of his pot-selling sideline to supplement his fishing job. Not really one of those big drug deals gone-bad things. Marijuana was, according to the trial, about the only stuff Dwight sold. But these two guys barge into the house and killed Dwight and attempted to kill his 11 year old kid, Darryl, before they took off with what money they could find. His son, now 23, was stabbed in the back and left for dead. He survived and is wheelchair bound and has undergone several surgeries to repair his wounds. He will be paralyzed for life. None of this is pleasant. Reading the facts of the murder and attempted murder are most unpleasant

Summer Swim

It's Monday and the start of another work week. Except for me. I have the week off because the parents of my daycare charges are taking the week off, too. This is one of those wordless posts I love on Mondays so I can put my laziness in full view of loyal readers. These pics need no words. Why muddy the waters? They were taken at the pool at Sinkhole Estates aka Death Valley. The nice thing about this pool is it is heated in winter. If one must find positives in one's situation, I suppose that is one. But, please, no more.

Florida Air Museum - Part 3

Welcome back to a pretty neat tour of the Florida Air Museum in Lakeland Florida. There's a lot to see and a couple of the old Geezer Gold Wing guys are already sitting down instead of walking around looking at the exhibits. That's John who is wore out and making a call to his wife. In all honesty, John was pretty well bushed before the ride. He told me his daughter's family was down from one of the Carolina's with the grand kids and he must have played with them too much. He's about to take off on his own and head for home, but he's going to miss a couple of neat things out on Hangar A. But, before we walk over there, we have lots yet to see here. If you saw The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio playing Howard Hughes, you'll remember that he went up in a plane during the filming of one of his movies to prove a point about flying. He crashed trying to execute a roll and this is a picture of the plane he crashed. Note the propeller

Existing In BFE

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