Happy Valentine's Day! Love, Hootie

Two weekends ago, I was in Chicago with my daughter.  She had ballet summer camp auditions to attend and I had site seeing to do!  In between, we did a little shopping.  While in one shop, I saw some cards that looked very much like this:  

I think they might have been mass produced, but I didn't look much past the $7.50 per card price.  Of course my crafting wheels started spinning and a little of my grandma came out in me as I heard myself whispering, "I can do that."  

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Now, my grams would always have the best of intentions.  IF she ever did get around to making whatever it was...it notoriously looked like crap it was home made.  

Not being held back by my grandmother's crafting memories, I created the above card for my hubby and added the text below on the inside.  

He had to head out of town this week very early Sunday morning, so I tucked my card into his luggage.  :)  

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If you remember being in elementary school, then you know what a very important holiday Valentine's Day can be!  I made these cards below for my friends...

inside it says, "Owl be...it's me!" 

The perfect Indiana Valentine's Card.  I hope all my cyber friends will consider this their little treat from me to them too.  Hugs and Kisses!  ~Hootie

P.S. Did you notice my roses?  My out-of-town hubby planned to have one of his friends bring these my way!

xoxoxo

Groundhog Day???

Being curious about nature, I can't help but wonder...where, when, how and why did Groundhog Day begin?  

Of course I turned to Google to help answer this riddle:  ????

And because my past week has been a little crazy, I had to look up the declaration of Phil this year.  Did you hear?  I guess I was snug in bed, or else getting ready for my day when he made his prediction:  Phil's prediction for 2012.  

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I started to think of the few animals I have seen near my house over the past month and wondered what their takes on an early spring would be...if they were the official spokes-animal for February 2nd.  

***The Coyote***

Maybe he'd be sly like a fox and tell me to bring him two dead chickens and then he'd give me an answer.

***The Buck***

What?  Are you talking to me???

You wanna piece of me?  Rut time is it?  

I'll tell you rut time, you touch my does and I'll kill you.  

You come near my does, and I'll kill you. 

You even look at my does...and I'll kill you.  

***The Eagle***

Dear Human, come any closer to me and I will snap that little doggie of yours in two and then give chase to you and your camera.  Who cares if spring will be early or not.  Now go, before I get angry. I'm watching you.  Remember, I can see you from two miles away.  Go.

*****

When I commented to my 19 year old son that I wondered if Phil would see his shadow or not, he just looked at me and shook his head.  "That is the most ridiculous holiday of all" he told me.  It's not a holiday, I responded.  

It's just a celebration, and a reminder.  

A reminder that my birthday will be here in about six more weeks!  :)  Which means that the wildflowers will be here soon too!  Yeah!  

Happy Groundhog's Day!

Oops! I am out of town with my iPad and trying to update what I thought was a posting I started yesterday! I can't find my pictures on the posting. I can't upload from my iPad. So I will have to say, Happy Belated Groundhog's Day! I'll update this posting with pictures when I am back at home.

Rules for Hiking with Hootie - #1

Based on personal experience, I have a rule that anyone who hikes with me needs to follow...

If you take your cell phone with us, it must be turned ON.  Unlike going to the movies, we want to hear it just incase it decides to take it's own little tour of the woods without us. 

I don't think I can instill the safety-orange-colored-case-all-cell-phones-that-hike-in-the-woods-should-be-in rule since I haven't actually seen those cases.  Hmm, maybe I can invent them?

P.S. This is NOT my phone in the pictures.  Also, it wasn't the first one to take a little tour on it's own while out hiking with me.  :)

Forgotten...update 1/20

I am sure that this emotional roller coaster I am on can and will continue for some time!  I hope any readers that I do have will be able to bear with me.

Today, I went by early to see my FIL...when my MIL wasn't around.  See, if she is there and she sees you walk in she will loudly say, "Well, look who is here, it's your (fill in connection), (fill in appropriate name)."

That is fine, but my FIL has still stared at us after she's said that with a look that says I should know you, but I don't.  


So I dropped by early today.  Dad seemed more alert.  I have checked his medications and they should not be causing him to have cognitive problems.  I asked if he remembered my name and he told me he'd tell me later.  His speech was pretty slow and labored...like he was really thinking about what he wanted to say.  Later on the speech therapist came to work with him.  He looked at me but spoke to her and he asked if she knew who I was.  She said yes and then was going to make the connection for him but I stopped her.  I asked him if he was ready to tell her who I was.  He not only got my name, but he knew I was his DIL and who I was married to.  He also identified my daughter, who had texted me...yes, she is at high school, when I said I had just heard from her.  He even knew how old she was!!!

A good morning.  :)

It's a really nice feeling when you can see hints of who a person is still inside of them.  Aging pretty much sucks though.  Especially watching it happen so up close and personally.  Thanks friends for being on this ride with me.  Special hugs to Lauranie and Leslie.  xoxoxo

Forgotten...

Shortly after I met my future husband, my own father passed away.

My father was my first love and I did put him up on a pedestal.  When he died suddenly I was devastated but, I was 21 and my relationship with my dad had evolved.

Still, I loved having a father figure in my life.  Someone I could have things in common with (my love of the beach and ocean), someone I could do things with (take my kids fishing when they were little), someone who seemed proud of what I was doing in my life and someone I could ask advice from and I knew they had my best interests in mind.

*****

Naturally my Father-in-Law (FIL) ended up filling that bill for my need to have a father still in my life.  I have been such a lucky girl!  

with my FIL...October 2011

About 14 years ago my husband and I were able to move back to his hometown...where his parents still lived.  Almost four years ago we were fortunate enough to purchase the house right next door to my in-laws.  Right next to the house my husband grew up in!  Maybe 40 feet away from my hubby's old bedroom!  When we bought the house, the folks who lived in it (for the most recent 25 years past), commented that this was exactly what they hoped and dreamed would happen.  If you ever met my in-laws you would understand why, they are wonderful people.  I do feel truly blessed that my life has played out as it has.

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Three weeks ago though my FIL, who is 86 and surprisingly enough is aging, hit a little bump in life.  He has spent his recent time going back and forth from the hospital to a nearby nursing home rehab facility.  He has not been home...nor is he okay.  If you talk to my MIL, she'll sing a different song than I do.  I understand, he is just my father-in-law...he is not my husband or dad.

Two days ago my FIL didn't remember who I was.  Because I had been there at 4 in the afternoon, I thought maybe he was just tired and needed rest.  I went back yesterday at noon.  No change.  I am still struggling to deal with this.  I am gun shy on going back today.  What a chicken I am.

Could this be medication induced?  Or is this just where things have progressed with his dementia?

Family members who do not live nearby do not call or email me to ask how things are going.  Life goes on and that's fine.  Really it is.  I don't even know what to say anymore.

I am very glad we gently pushed for all to come a visit my FIL this past fall.

To make me smile...

Last week, my kids surprised me and cut out paper snowflakes and decorated the house. Being as they are older teens, I was totally touched by their thoughtfulness.

My daughter was mostly the snowflake maker while my son made homemade eggnog. It was a nice Christmas surprise since I had been in a sad mood earlier in the day.

Kids... :)

P.S. this posting is an experiment, since I am trying to be a little mobile and post.