Home Sweet Home

 

Meys family home circa 1960

Can you believe the things you come across on facebook???  This picture is part of a much larger aerial view of Alloueze.  The house right in the middle of the pic is in fact my family home, a few years after it was built, (circa 1958) by my Grandparents.  Four generations of Meys' have lived in this home, and my father ended up paying for it three times.

My Dad actually lived with and was the main support for his parents until he was married in his mid thirties.  So when I say my Grandparents built, well, my Dad footed a large part of that bill.  Then in '68 he took out a loan and bought the house from them, and they built another smaller one on the lot next door.  Then in the early eighties my parents took out a second mortgage to re-side and put new windows on the house.  His death in the early nineties paid off the house in full.

 Dad always claimed that he planted every tree in that yard. He dug them up from the woods and brought them home, for the most part.  I never believed him....... well.......... guess he wasn't kidding!  At one point there were probably thirty trees in the yard, mostly in back.  Mine was a birch, I think Jerry's was the apple, which were both lost to the garage in '87.  Kate's is a HUGE tree that you can't put your arms around, and David's is a weeping birch.  Those two still stand today.  I know this, because the house is still in our family, my brother Jerry bought it after Mom passed away in '04.

I found this picture in my baby book, so it is circa '69, or pretty much how it looked when my parents bought it from Grandma and Grandpa Meys.

Here's the house in 1979.  Yes, that's me on the steps.  By then there were a few trees, and tons of flowers.  I looked through every album I have last night and this was the only house pic I found from that time.  I know I have others, but they are in a box buried in the closet.  Note the large tire on the right side of the pic.  It was filled with flowers.  My Dad loved "kitchy" things, lawn ornaments, etc.  I, do not.  We also had a tire like that one in the back to use as a sandbox. (Which on the other hand was awesome!)  In this pic the house still has the original windows, and the original siding, which was actually roofing material.  The insulation wasn't good, and it was cold, damn cold, sleeping upstairs!  Speaking of which, the upstairs was not finished off by the builder.  My Dad and a friend built the entire upstairs bedroom, closets, and hallway in approximately '74.  Jerry and I slept up there until Kate was old enough, then it became "the girls room".

This picture is from 1983.  In the summertime my parents had the house re-sided, new windows put in, and more insulation added. (yea!)  That front window leaked from then on.......  It's a shame that you cant really see all of the lawn ornaments.  You also can't see the brick cross that my dad built and filled with roses.  It's where the white flamingo and the pinwheel flower are, although he must not have put the rose bushes in yet.  People would drive by from all over and stop to look at those roses.  Around this time my Dad also finished off part of the basement to make a family room.  It has a built in bar on one side, and a built in stereo on the other.  My friends and I spent a lot of time hanging out there. 

Here is the house on 7-27-13

I was in the neighborhood for a funeral, and thought I would grab a recent shot of the house, that now belongs to my brother Jerry and his family.  It's nice to still be able to gather there as a family sometimes, because no matter what, it will always be home. ♥

The Library

This past Spring Tater's Mom and I were having a talk about her (Tater's) reading skills.  It doesn't come easily for the littlest Goover, and frankly, she's not interested.  While talking with her Mom I remembered that I too had a very difficult time with reading, until I hit about fourth grade.  Once I caught the bug, until about five years ago,  I was always deep in the middle of some novel.  I can not fathom a child who "hates" to read.  I really had totally forgotten how much I disliked reading when I was her age, so I guess that offers some hope.  Attitude wise, we are quite similar.

Earlier this summer I asked their Mom to bring the Goovers to meet me at the library here in town, so she could procure library cards for them.  It was totally worth it, to see their wide eyes, and hear "What is this place?" from Tater.  The girls had to sign their own names, I gave them a special bag for their books, and they handle the whole process themselves.  Plus, it's Auntie time. ;)  This whole adventure is, and was,  a total ploy to get Tater to enjoy reading more.  Hannah is in on it, and it's cute to watch her help Tater sound things out.

I haunted the East End Library (now a huge private home) when I was a kid.  I can still remember the musty smell of old books that hit you when you walked in the door.  On summer days we would ride our bikes over and return with backpacks full of books.  I won the summer reading contest there one year, it was a lousy little change purse. :)  If I had known that I probably wouldn't have worked so hard. I  also remember doing research there as a middle school gal, and being so upset when it closed and we had to use the uptown (also closed now) library.  I remember going there once, and that's it.  That building has sat vacant for years. 

Yesterday it was library day for Auntie and the Goovers, and as part of the process we each have to read a book to the others.  So, no matter what we're going to do after the library, like playing at the park, Tater picks one of her choices and reads to us first.  I didn't have time for the park yesterday, but  in order to spend a little more time with them I took them along on errands.  It was kind of nice having company in the grocery, someone to push the cart, and they even bagged the groceries!  (this must be why people procreate) I let them pick out something for lunch, and then we had an indoor picnic and reading time before I drove them home.  Plus they got to hear a few stories about their Dad.

The car ride is longer now, so I decided to teach them an old camp song.......  ♫ The other day♫  We sang it three times at the top of our lungs, windows down, cruising along the highway.  These are the things that I will remember when I am an old woman, and I will put down my book, and smile. :)

Brave!

I have posted a few times about my adventures with mice and snakes.  There is this whole blog about how I would handle a Zombie Apocalypse.  http://www.queenie930.blogspot.com/2013/03/fight-flight-or-freeze.html  

Just about two weeks ago (I am so behind on my blogging that I now have a running list.) Nikki and I were having pizza over at Sandy Hughitt's.  After dinner, Nikki had to run and pick up her daughter "Betty Lou" from somewhere, and Sandy asked if I could possibly help with something in the garage.

"I just can't do it, maybe Derek is home next door.  Maybe you can do it?"

Well what the heck did she need?  After a little story she explained that she had mouse traps in each corner, and thought perhaps she saw a shadow in one.  Could I help?  Eeeeeek!  I thought maybe I should try and be a braver version of myself, because zombies aren't going to look all cute and fuzzy, so I asked her to double bag some plastic grocery bags, and away I marched. 

I saw the shadow she mentioned, and promptly ran out of the garage.  So much for that.  Then I sucked it up and went back in, positively identified it as a mouse, and ran back out.  I went in and out several more times, then found a garden spade to help me scoop it up, but that didn't work.

Sandy had used the old time wooden trap, so I only had to get that mouse into the bag and toss it in the garbage.  As Nikki was pulling back in with her daughter, who is an impressionable teen, I decided to grab some garden gloves, and try one last time to get over myself.  I didn't want to be that kind of an example of womanly nonsense in front of Betty Lou, who immediately came over to see it, and offered to take care of it.  I was all, "I've got this." and I tossed the bag over the mouse, grabbed the trap where I knew the mouse wasn't and popped it into the bag.  Trying not to run or yelp I wandered on over to the garbage can behind the garage and voila!

I looked at Sandy and said, "Maybe I can survive the Zombie Apocalypse."  As long as there aren't any snakes......

Scene from the country:  B.E.M. - What would you do if there were a snake in the yard?
                                       Me- (as I can feel the panic set in) Just tell me which way to walk!
                                      B.E.M. Oh, there isn't one.  I was just wondering what you would do.

NOT nice.  I also informed him that although I did it, I am still not a mouse disposer, and I also freaked out two nights ago when I thought there was a mouse in the bedroom. (there wasn't)  So..........

Rent

Eight years ago today I wrote my first rent check for my current apartment.  Apparently the place that was supposed to hold me during my transition phase, somehow became my permanent dwelling. 

Knowing it really has been that long is kind of nagging at me these days.  Am I still in transition? (No.) So I have transitioned into an apartment dweller, and am comfortable shelling out this kind of money for something I have no stake in? (No.) Then what???  (Sigh....)  I'm just still working toward a fuzzy goal, and I'm not willing to settle for something less than I have.  That I do know.  My apartment is a very cozy (although between the neighbors and the landlord very annoying) haven, and even a lateral move at this point isn't likely.  I have looked through apartment listings many times over these eight years, and I have never even found another one to look at.  Until Milkie and I are "movin' on up" we aren't moving. 

A Mobile home would be the affordable option, but financing requires 30% down.  Now I ask you, if I had that, why would I buy a mobile home?  I've already owned two older models and I am not going to play that losing game again.  The right deal would have to come along, on a newer model, for that to be an option. 

My BFF Sandy Hughitt (not her real name) works in mortgages for my financial institution.  We have been having some good discussions, and I do have a plan in motion to get myself set.  It's just a very slow process.

For now I will keep shelling out the rent. If you've ever been to my "house" you know that it suits me, and it's comfy.  I'm going to try to stop thinking about it, and just keep plodding forward, because life is what you make it. ;) As far as being in transition other than housing issues, I am so far beyond the person I was that day, I barely recognize myself! (and that my friends, is a very GOOD thing)

Sparkle

"Never let anyone steal your sparkle"  Tierra (Crazypants) ~ The Bachelor

Looking back over past blogs I realize that I have written very little about the fourth of July.  That seems really strange to me, it's my favorite holiday!  I think it's because it's the only holiday where my Dad actually got involved, other than opening a gift, or eating the meal.  He really enjoyed the fourth, and made it fun for us.

The fourth is also when The Brown Eyed Man and I really started our relationship. (Six years ago if you can believe it.  Wow.)

I have a ton of Fourth of July stories, but I think we'll stick to the theme of "Sparkle", as in sparklers.  My family knows right where I'm going with this one.

Once upon a time, oh we'll call it 1985, while we were shooting off some after dinner fireworks in the back yard, there was an incident.  We didn't usually do sparklers at that time of night, those were reserved for after the city firework display.  We would come home, light sparklers, and run around like fools in the pitch black back yard. However, this particular year, my youngest brother, "Bumpy" had one.  He would have been four. Come to think of it, I had one too, which is why I was distracted.

I must interject here with the fact that I had a pair of brand new jeans on.  I can't think of the brand name, but they were NOT cheap.  They were the only ones I would wear, and I bought them myself from Maurices.  My parents weren't forking over cash for things like that, and I didn't need them to, because I had myself quite the babysitting empire built up by then.

So there we were, frolicking in the back yard.  I had my sparkler in hand, dancing around and drawing shapes, hearts, whathaveyou, in the air, and I stared to feel my butt burning.  That little shit, had taken his sparkler and held it to the seat of my pants, right in the middle.  When I turned around to see what on earth was going on, there he stood, grinning, with the sparkler (now kind of like a little torch) aimed at my posterior.  It left a lovely burn mark, dead center, but didn't hurt me at all.  Once again, Dad in charge........ My siblings probably just watched the whole thing unfold with glee. 

I can see it all clearly.  Me yelling, Davy crying and running, Jerry and Katy laughing, and Dad wondering what the heck was going on.  I did, for the record, get a new pair of jeans, purchased by my Mother.  :)  David had a knack for ruining my clothing.  Next New Years Eve, I'll tell you the sweat shirt incident.

Happy Fourth!  Don't ever, ever, let anyone steal your sparkle!!

Great To be Eight.t.t.t.t

It seems as though half of the blogs I've written this year are about CeCe.  Well, since it's her birthday today, here we are again! 

Notice this child is not wearing a cast.  That actually lasted two days before she had a blow out pee in the night and soaked it.  The doctor was all, well this can't happen, and my sister was like, good luck with that!  It might not happen every night, but it happens a few times a week at least.  So the hunt was on for a new plan, and Cierra was put into a brace, that she can overpower, so when she transfers from wheel chair to bed, she has both feet on the floor for a few seconds.

CeCe had an ortho appointment last Friday and things are progressing well.  She had a bowling birthday party on Saturday with her family and friends, and she really seemed to enjoy herself.  She was more engaged than usual, and even reached for her presents, which she could usually care less about.  Normally in that type of situation she wanders, and that's all she can concentrate on.  Perhaps being forced into staying still she is able to process things a little differently?  Who knows.  She obviously had fun, and that's all that matters.

It has been a difficult first half of the year for C and her parents, but really more for her parents and the rest of us who help where we can.  The lesson that Cierra teaches us every day is to be happy with what you have, and roll with it. 

Eight is CeCe's favorite number, and to my knowledge the only one she says.  Years ago we were counting something and she just spit out the word, but always with an extra t t t t t on the end, eightttttttt. Also, she wouldn't show her mother she could do it, going so far as to whisper it if we were counting and Kate was nearby. :) 

For her birthday I am getting her a Hello Kitty Backpack, that she actually picked out.  Pointed right to it and said backpack!  It's on order, so she'll have another gift to open whenever it arrives.  She got a bunch of new board books, a movie, and some cool music and bubble toys.  Things to keep her busy while she is confined.

About that.......  She isn't so confined today.  CeCe got her birthday wish, and broke a screw off her brace in the night.  So she's hanging out sitting "criss cross applesauce" in her wheelchair while her Grandpa takes the brace to Duluth to see if they can fix it, or NOW WHAT?  :)   Ahhhhhh Cierra.......

Happy birthday sweet girl!! xxoo and a million ♥

Auntie Jo-Jo   (which makes her laugh hysterically.......)