Month: June 2009

  • I don't remember....did I mention that we're getting another kitten?

    It's one of Jessica's.  Male, white, and she swears it bears a startling resemblance to a bat.  Dmitry's insisting upon naming rights and has chosen - for reasons I cannot imagine - "Eisenhower".

    The hope is that Magellan (aka:  Kannibal Kitten, aka: Devil Cat, aka: Mr. Bitey) will find a playmate in Eisenhower, as Zeus refuses categorically to fill that role. 

    Of course, what Zeus's response be will to yet another foreign feline moving in, certainly gives one pause. 

  • It's my fervent hope Melissa D'Arabian wins TNFNS.

    First, she's from Keller, where Kirstin lives (and is in Tarrant county).

    Second, she's a SAHM of four.

    Third, for the most part her food looks excellent (okay, barring the chicken-and-maraschino-cherry fiasco) and tasty.

    Fourth, it'd be a pleasure to watch her whup up on that Teddy person who "helped" her get her meals for the holiday-food competition plated, along with Brett.  The two of them made faces and rolled their eyes at each other during the judging segment, insinuating she couldn't have done it without them and that she didn't deserve the kudos she was receiving.  Okay, she's not a professional chef and unaccustomed to commercial kitchens and hard deadlines, so was running a bit behind.  She'll learn.  That's fixable, goodness knows.

    It pleased me mightily when Brett got his bootie kicked off.  Hah.  Now if they'll just send Teddy packing, that'll be stellar.

    Nasty creep, offering to help then using it as a stick with which to beat her. 

  • I am turning into quite the dilatory blogger, am I not?

    Not a whole lot going on of note, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Quiet times do make for stagnant blogs, though.

    However, there's been a few things going on.  On Sunday was the first meeting of the Joy Fellowship, aka: the widows' group at Christ Chapel.  Barbara and Jo Helen did a super job arranging it.  There was a wonderful chicken salad (there was also a shrimp salad but I didn't eat that....blech), fruit salad, and Barbara's absolutely decadent brownies. 

    One would think people would make sure there aren't conflicts, wouldn't one?  The next event is on July 8th:  a bus trip to a restaurant in Roanoke and a visit to Sam Moon's (or something like that).  Trouble is, that's the day of July's Women in the World salad luncheon, so one can either participate in one or the other.  Argh!

    Today Jessica took me - along with Kirsten, Brianna, and Bridgette - to the Chili's on University for lunch to celebrate my upcoming birthday, as this is the only day she's free this week.  I threw dietary caution to the wind and had a Mushroom Swiss Burger.  Um, um!  Love those! 

    Here's Kirsten and Brianna:

    And here's Bridgette, who was a squirmy wormy of a high order.  It's easy to tell she's almost two years old! 

    Kenny has been hard at work (and in this heat!) on the front porch; he's hoping to have it completed by this weekend:

    The bushes in front caused him a bit of trouble, as he needs to be able to get to the front of the porch, so we went to Lowe's (my current home-away-from-home) to pick up some lumber and he devised a platform to run across the top of them.  I thought that was right clever.  My Donald couldn't have done better. 

  • Happy 60th anniversary, Mom and Dad!

    Yup, at 8 p.m. in the evening sixty years ago this evening my parents were married.  To celebrate this auspicious occasion they held a lovely dinner at RCCC.  It wa  s a great time (though we missed Alex and Beth in Japan, and Don), honoring a wonderful couple. 

  • Goodness. I have been quiet of late, haven't I?

    Sorry for the lapse in posting!  This past weekend was fairly busy, AAMOF.  The highlight was the wedding Saturday of Jennifer, the mother of "little Kirsten" - Kirsten's Jessica's stepdaughter, and my eldest granddaughter - to Travis, who Jessica swears is a fine fellow.  Jessica and Jennifer (Jason's exes) get along swimmingly, praise God.  ;^) 

    The wedding was held at Chandor Gardens in Weatherford at 5:30 p.m.  Ouch.  It was in the mid-90's, and there were four vertical columns of seats - with an aisle down the middle, naturally - and the seats toward the back were the ones in the shade so guess where the guests sat?  Leaving the front rows empty except for the families of the bridal couple and the bridal party:

    That's Kirsten, standing closest to her mother.  It was a lovely ceremony but I felt quite bad for those poor guys in suits, standing in the direct sunlight.  They were obviously hot. 

    Here's a photo of Kirsten and Brianna that I took right after I got there:

    There was a breeze, which was pleasant but mussied up Brianna's hair.  And the sun was in a funky position, but still....I thought they looked quite darling. 

    Speaking of darling, here's Charles holding Bridgette, with Jessica looking on:

    Jessica sat at the very back because Bridgette is such a squirmy wormy.  Hoo boy!  She's a handful, always on the go.  The reason Charles was there was to pour the wine for the reception.  Was supposed to be at the NASCAR race, but as is his wont, when Jessica sent out a call for help, he gallantly came to the rescue.  He's a wonderful brother to her!  Spends Saturday nights babysitting, etc. which for a 22 year old single guy is generous, indeed. 

    A photo of Jessica and Bridgette:

    On the tables were disposable cameras, which Brianna snapped up and put to good use when Jennifer and Travis had their first dance:

    There was a barbeque dinner served, which was very tasty, plus two different kinds of sherbert punch.  I'm a big fan of sherbert punch.  It was a very nice wedding, and a treat to see Jessica, Charles, and the girls. 

    The Concerts in the Garden began on the 5th, so here is the annual fireworks photo;  what I like about it is that's the moon to the right:

    Kenny is working on the front porch this week.  The back porch has been a huge hit with Dmitry and his friends, and that's a fact.  Zhenya was over as usual on Friday night (he comes when he gets off work at Alcon, normally between 10 and midnight), and told me the next day that he and Dmitry sat out there and talked until 5 a.m.! 

    Last night was the start of this year's Next Food Network Star, and it's cool that there's a contestant from Keller, where Kirstin lives.  And that contestant is a housewife.  Wouldn't it frost all those professional chefs and cooks who are the other contestants if she won? 

  • It finally happened.

    Half of it, at least.  This afternoon Dmitry drove himself to Carolyn's (a long trip south on Hulen) and will drive himself back home tonight. 

  • You want to get a mother's attention?  Especially a widowed mother?  Just droopily tell her when she walks into the house that "I need you to take me to the hospital."  

    Darn near had an apoplexy, demanding to know what's wrong with him?

    Dmitry apologized swiftly, explaining it was Carolyn who's in the ER with abdominal pain.  Actually she was in the hospital (Harris SW) the day before for several hours, having been taken there by ambulance.  Eventually she was released with no diagnosis. 

    The pain came roaring back on Sunday so this time her parents took her to the hospital where her mother works, with Carolyn asking for Dmitry.  Off we headed to Arlington, where the hospital is, ran into Carolyn's mother and one of her sisters in the parking lot and were lead to her room in the ER.  Poor lamb was clearly pale and in pain.    She had to drink some stuff to aid with the CT, which tasted pretty awful, based on her expression.  After a goodish while it was her turn in radiology and off she went.

    More waiting.  A bit before 10:30 Dmitry and I decided to hit the cafeteria prior to its closing as we hadn't eaten yet.  Tell you what, for a lot of food at a low price, nothing beats a hospital cafeteria.  Especially when the check-out woman glances at one's hair and automatically gives the senior discount. 

    Still, I had a pile of sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, green beans and a Sprite, while Dmitry got a hamburger, mashed potatoes, and beets (heck of a combo!) and a Coke....the total?  $4.54. If we lived in that area I'd quit cooking entirely and just start buying our meals there.

    When we arrived back in Carolyn's room it was to find the doctor had come with the test results and they were all negative:  CT, blood, etc.  By all accounts there's nothing wrong.  Most frustrating and demoralizing!  After another while the doctor came back and said he was sending her home with a bunch of painkillers.

    She's better from what I hear, but still not up to par, and nervous of the pain recurring.

    *****************************

    The other evening Max and Magellan took stock of each other, one a good deal more surreptitiously than the other:

    The sofa table came!  What a mercy there's Kenny for it hadn't occurred to me it'd need to be picked up at the catalog department then assembled.  My apologies for the spots...stupid camera:

    It's lovely, and rather a shame it's mostly hidden behind the sofa.  Kenny took some wood and raised it up to the level of the back of the sofa.  When the table was ordered I hadn't a thought in my head of getting a kitten, particularly such a curious, exploring kitten such as Magellan.  Didn't take him any time at all to locate the new play area:

    Right after this he moved on to the fireplace area:

    All that exploring wears a cat out:

    Oh, and two more additions!  Kenny got the "Tiffany"-style hanging lamp installed in the kitchen corner, replacing the 8" square light.  Those blasted lights were all over the house, and a nuisance they've been, too.  First it's hard to change the bulb, and second, if you want to replace the fixture you've got this whacking big square hole to deal with.  Drove Don mad and has vexed Kenny, too.  He sawed a piece of wood in half, then joined it together and stained it to match the cabinets and used it as the base; didn't it come out well?

    This morning he assembled the chiminea I bought on Monday;  it's going to be great once the chilly weather returns, and in the interim I just like the look of it:

    Haven't had the heart to mention the wood baker's rack thing I ordered from Target to replace the rickety thing currently holding the toaster oven, etc.  Assembly required.