Basketball Season is Here...and Turkey Day is Near

I haven't posted in a while...been busy. Truthfully, things have been relatively quiet at the Reeder household. Dad isn't sick, Susan is still jammin on Guitar Hero and Cindy is pooping like a well oiled machine.

The college basketball season has started which is awesome. I view George Mason games via the Internet, they are 2-0 so far but have not looked real impressive. The local college here has a 7'7" dude from England so I will go to some of their (Fl Tech) games as well to see that! FYI, he looks nothing like this:

I have gotten strangely obsessed with the new Simpsons game for Xbox. Normally, if you can't shoot, throw grenades, car jack or beat the crap out of someone in a game...I'm not for it. But, I am into this 'quest' game for some reason....maybe it is because it allows me to put off doing something actually productive. the new Medal of Honor game (Airborne) is fun and I ALWAYS enjoy killing Nazis...who doesn't!

Pat is coming down for Turkey day. She will be in Jerusalem for Xmas so she is coming to visit dad...and Susan and I too. She had to put her beloved T-Rex (kitty cat) down recently so we will do what we can to chear her up. I'm sure she will entertain us for the weekend. I already scheduled an extra training session with my trainer (a.ka. the wicked witch of the west) for the Friday after Thanksgiving....ugh.

Rocco (a.k.a. "wig snature") rules:

sigh....all three Susan's cats are still alive.....maybe Pat will take one or two home with her??? Pat?? the weather is cool for down here, around 60 degrees. People have heavy sweaters and turtle necks on LOL!! I'm still wearing shorts.

More later....go Patriots!

Core THIS Bit@*

I started seeing a personal trainer. I met with her last friday and discussed my goals and we started my workouts today. Now, let me tell you...this trainer (her name is Christie) is a petite pretty blond who is all muscle and a real good motivator. She isn't intimidating and really quite sweet.

However, 15 minutes into my workout SHE LOOKED LIKE THIS!!

Christie (a.k.a. Witch Hazel) is smiling because she gets some sort of demented pleasure watching someone do squats until they are about to pass out and leg lifts until your shaking so much you look like a parkinson's patient. Allthewhile, she is repeating "we must work on your core.....we must work on your core..." WTF! I got your core....Arrgghh

Susan finally got a new (used) car. I think she got tired of the duck tape holding up her fender (I thought I applied it quite well, actually). She got a Nissan Altima 3.2 V6. It is neat AND practical. It even has tiptronic shifting, if you so desire. Of course she was getting nervous when I drove it and was fooling around with the shifter, the Bose stereo and the Sun roof all at once....she has no sense of adventure!

If I don't die tomorrow after my workout with Christie...I'll write more. If you don't hear from me, please call the police...I think she is trying to kill me.

Just Wait Until Next Year

99 years and counting.....sigh. Truth be told, I really wasn't expecting much from the Cubs in the post season. They just weren't good enough, I knew, to win the pennant. But...I certainly didn't expect them to get SWEPT! Their division was just so week, winning it wasn't an impressive accomplishment. As Susan said, "Yay, we're the best of the worst!"


Well, there is always next year. And hey, it will be the 100 year anniversary of the Cubs world series win, so maybe they'll get lucky....already can't wait for spring training '08.

On a brighter note, college basketball season is starting up. I do have high hopes for my GMU patriots. They return all five starters and have a good recruiting class that includes a 6'10" Romanian. They play my friend Alison's K-State Wildcats on Thanksgiving...everyone knows I'm a betting person so we may have a friendly wager.

Andy told me a funny story the other day. Uncle Kenny and Aunt Vesta paid him an Anne a visit at Twin Lakes State Park. Apparently when Aunt Vesta took her wig off and laid in on the couch, Rocco mistook it for some sort on hairy invading creature and proceeded to attack it! OK, you have to know both Rocco (Andy and Anne's hyperactive mutt) and Aunt Vesta to get the visual....but trust me, it is funny stuff.

Things are busy at the Reeder abode. The hot water heater broke last Friday. Susan had to take a cold shower....I staid stinky all day until "Paul the Plummer" came to install a new one. Thankfully, he is a nice guy and installed it first thing Saturday morning....Cindy was complaining about my stink and we don't want Cindy upset. Speaking of Cindy, dad has got her so spoiled that he even cooks her own lunch with his. I told him to stop and have to monitor what he gives her. The other day I caught him giving her Chili...CHILI! I can't even begin to explain to you the odors and sounds coming from her later that night. I told him if he did that again, I was going to make her sleep with him!! She has him wrapped around her little paw...and sits there innocently gazing up at him when he is eating a sandwich, giving him the ol' "mommy never feeds me, look at my cute floppy ears and puppy dog eyes." routine. I think I at least have him trained (yes, that is right....HIM trained...Cindy, as you know, is un-trainable) not to give her anything spicy and to limit it somewhat. But whothehell knows what really goes on when I'm at work. Those two are trouble.

HOOSIER....daddy?

My mother was from Bloomington, Indiana...home of Indiana University. My dad and several aunts, uncles and other relatives attended IU. But, other than a great uncles and aunts and second cousins....I have no more living relatives in Bloomington, IN. All of my extended family that read this blog are from nothern Indiana...outside Chicago...just saying....I know.

Back to more important things. My Cubbies are frustating the Casa de Florida de Reeder these days. Rich Hill goes tonight at 6PM in a must win for the boys in blue at Wrigley Field. Forget the damn curses and the scape"goats"....just win the damn game! The big three need to start hitting (Soriano, Lee and Ramirez) or the Cubbies are doomed and us fans will have to fall into the all too familiar "wait until next year" mode. Speaking of Cubs. Everyone knows what a big Steve Stone fan I am. I was extremely disappointed when he "left" WGN in the Dusty Baker era. I read his blog which he updates weekly. You can see it at http://www.stevestone.com/ . But, lately....I gotta tell ya, he sounds more like a bitter old man that a critical analyst. Read for yourself and let me know what you think. I usually agree with most of what he says...

Hokies against the Clemson Tigers at the same time today...what is a girl to do!

GGGGGRRRRRRRrrrrrrrr...Go CUBS!!

Goddamnit! You would think that as long as some people have known me, they know not to engage me in their perky, joyous chatter early in the morning before I have had my coffee! Don't you hate it when you just got back from the cafeteria with your coffee and some cheerleader saunters into your office (uninvited) and plops down in a chair (also uninvited) and proceeds to go on a 10 minute ramble about something you could give a shit about??!!....OK, I'm calm now.

I am officially Mitchell's favorite Aunt. I gave him mom's old cell phone. I had a family account with three numbers for me, mom and dad. And, since the Stalinist cell phone company won't let me cancel one of the numbers for the next year....I figured Champ could use the phone. Man, was he happy....of course my "most favored status", I'm sure, will be replaced by something Pat or Susan cooks up....but I'm enjoying the title while I have it. Now...what can I do to buy....er...um...I mean deserve Matthew’s gratification.....all part of my evil plan to become the coolest most awesomest Aunt in the world!

Speaking of Pat, She is going back to graduate school. She is attending U of Minnesota and is working towards an MS in International Relations...or somethingorother. She is joining us down here next month for Thanksgiving. WOHOO!
Could this be the year the Cubs break the curses of the Billy goat and Bartman? I sure as hell hope so. I am so excited that their overspending summer resulted in a division title. As Susan puts it, "we are the best of the worst" in the post season! Despite the worst record in the post season, I have high hopes. Other than the Diamondbacks starting pitcher tonight, I think the Cubs outmatch the Backs on paper...keep your fingers crossed. With the 10PM ET start though, I doubt I will see much of this series. I can't stay up that late....I am forty ya know!

Toys, Transformers and Trips to the Hospital

I got a new toy and it totaly ROCKS! I got the IPhone after they came down in price and what fun it is. Even my simple little brain can figure this thing out. Couple it with WiFi and simple touch screen technology and I have to say I give it a 9 out of 10 rating. The only fault being with Itunes not the phone itself. I find difficulty searching for TV and video downloads, plus they don't have any compatible games for the Iphone yet. And lets face it...what in the hell am I supposed to do during meetings if I can't play Texas Hold'em or Solitaire....sigh.

Heard a loud BANG this morning and since I know a space shuttle isn't landing...ok, that and the fact that all the lights went out in the house (honestly, I had a delayed reaction) told me that the transformer behind my house blew. So, no power at Casa de Reeder this morning. I called Florida Power and Light but of course you can't talk to a real person anymore these days, just an automated attendant. Now, I know, normally the less I have to deal with people the better. I mean lets face it....90% of the population are idiots or Republican (ha...redundant, I know). But, when calling in a power outage, inquiring about a bill or some technical problem, why can't we talk to HUMAN BEINGS goddamnit! I know I pay enough for electricity so they could afford the help. Anyway, the computer said it would be fixed by noon....but I suppose the computer isn't flying out there on a magic carpet to fix it so who the hell knows when it will be fixed. Meanwhile, Cindy lays firmly implanted with head under bed and her butt sticking out....ferocious guard dog that she is.


Dad had to go to the hospital on Monday but all is better now. The procedure that he had the previous week resulted in some difficulties. Those details remain somewhat private and those with a need to know have been e-mailed. If you didn't get an e-mail and want to know, give dad a call.

All is good, football is in the air, OJ is back on TV and the Cubs are in first place. Life just keeps getting better and better!!

HOGAAAAAAANNNN!

Dad had his first eye surgery last week on his right eye. Things have gone well and, although he will never gain the eyesight that he lost in his stroke, the sight he does have will be clear. He may only need reading glasses when this all is through. Everytime I tape his eye protector on or untape it to put drops in his eyes, he says "Hogggannnn" ...and I say, "I know nutzing...nutzing!!"...we Reeder's crack ourselves up.

Other good news, after his "procedure" today, it is confirmed that he does not have prostrate cancer. He still has to go back to get another treatment but he should be fine...well, at least not as bad as he was. We are getting the house in order after moving all and I mean ALL of mom and dad's stuff to either storage or here. This last week I spent resting and watching soccer. Something I haven't been able to do since the EPL started a couple weeks ago. Susan is back to her ol' comments about it being "zero to zero...shocker" but now I can lock the TV room's door and ignore her.

Back to normalcy, or what passes for such in my life.

DAMN!

Done and Done!

Susan and I finished up moving all of mom and dad's stuff out of their Bayside Lakes house this past weekend. What a job. We put more stuff in the storage unit and filled a 14 ft. truck full of stuff for the dump. I am now quite familiar with the Brevard County Landfill since I had been last week as well....I'm sorry to say. Susan and I had a bit of fun unloading the truck. We had competitions on who could toss a chair the farthest out of the truck or who could break one of my mom's gazillion vases more spectacularly...I, of course, think did best. We started to get the hairy eyeball from the guy 'guarding' the landfill....let's call him the 'Garbage Master', so we had to stop having fun or we were going to get kicked out of the dump...how low would that be and then where would I go to find my next date. I saw the man of my dreams there. He was about 300 lbs with mullet and he showed me the biggest, whitest, pimple ridden butt crack I had ever seen. It was love at first sight....alas, I fear I will never see him again. Susan and I found out that no electronics at all are allowed at the land fill. Upon entering, you have to go through two 'Garbage Masters' who want to know what you are dumping. They both repeatedly ask you if you have any electronics. When hearing a negative response they both went further, giving examples of what an electronic device is (uh, thanks for the clarification). I suppose maybe people who frequent the dump aren't smart enough to know this....Susan and I figured we would tell the second guy that "no, we have no electronics in the truck....a couple dead bodies...but no toasters or coffee makers. As long as we didn't have a radio on board....we were given the ok to dump the truck, including the dead bodies...isn't America great.

Everyone knows I'm not the most graceful person. Susan and I had a hard time moving a piece of furniture that I forgot to have the strong guys from the moving company take. It is a huge piece of slate that is part of an outdoor bench my mother had. This thing was still partially crated from the folks move from Tucson and probably weighs around 250. Susan and I could budge it but were able to get a dolly under it and with both of our muscles able to barely get it up the ramp on the truck. When we moved it out of the truck to my backyard we couldn't get the dolly free from it. I bent down to pull from the bottom and the next thing I knew I was flat on my back with a huge headache! My hands were full of sweat and they slipped sending the dolly ricocheting right into my head....the only saving grace (there is always an upside) was that I didn't land in dog poop. A few Tylenols some ice and I was good to go!

I heard from our cousin Kurt who lives in LA. He and his sibs, his wife and kids are doing great. He had a pacemaker put in last May, but now that he is bionic he's feeling great. Lynda sent some pictures of her family, sis Pat, bro Curt and Aunt Louise at the outer banks of NC last week. The link is: (tbd)

Thanks for the photo albums Uncle Kenny!

That's all for now…

My Aching Back!

Packing, moving, packing, lifting, packing….it’s amazing how much stuff two people can collect over a 48 year marriage. I mean, I ask you, does any couple need four full sets of china? And, over 100 serving dishes, 100 pans and dishes and….over 100 decks of playing cards? My mother would say “yes, of course”. But, I can assure you if you are the person who is tasked with the monumental effort to pack all the stuff, you would sternly disagree. Such is my world this week. Susan and I have been moving stuff from Mom and Dad’s over to my house and into storage. I have movers coming to move the heavy stuff like the armoires (everyone needs two, right) and the buffet table….but OH MY GOD did my mom have a lot of stuff.

The fun part is discovering curious items, such as my great-great grandfathers obituary which stated that he delivered mail in the Kansas territory in the mid to late 1800’s using a white horse to draw his carriage…he was from Denmark and his name was Petersen (who knew….my dad did, but he never told any of us about his grandmother’s dad). I came across a whole collection of Dad’s old press passes, from the Senate and Congress to the Department of Justice to the Chicago Press Club to some Rockefeller event….pretty neat collection. ALLLLLLLLL (over 500) of my mother’s recipes, even some I wrote down as a child. Each recipe on an index card and filed in the appropriate section, of course. Anyway, even though it is a seemingly endless task, it has its benefits.

Dad, Susan and I are getting increasingly aggravated over our beloved Cubs playing as of late. The Cubs are doing their late season annual nose dive. We are still hopeful, but if they keep it up, the Cardinals will pass both them and the Brewers. EPL Soccer Season is here!!! Thank God for Fox Soccer Channel!!! Much to Susan’s dismay, I can be found on the couch both Saturday and Sunday morning watching the live broadcasts from England. Look at it this way Susan, you can go back to your old “…Oh look, the score is still zero to zero…SHOCKER!” comments every time you pass by the TV set. (Well, you can do it a few times before I start throwing my coffee cup at you ).

We’ll let you all know how the move goes and hopefully I can post some more pictures soon.

LAH – you still need to tell me about the BIG conversation, I'll call you.

Crazy girl- you reading this? What do you think?

JC Penney...Torn Quad

So, I was watching the Biography channel with my dad the other day and they were profiling James Cash Penney....who started the famous department store above. They talked about how frugal he was, and how he didn't believe in store credit because it would cause consumer's to spend beyond their means. He basically thought credit cards were an evil future industry (smart man). Anyhow, after the show was over I commented to Dad what an interesting man Mr. Penney must have been. Dad nonchalantly blurts out, "…oh I interviewed him, spent the afternoon with him, and wrote an article about him in the fifties...nice guy, he even sold me a tie!" He apparently ended his story with the whole idea that Mr. Penney will always be a salesman (hence my dad buying a tie from him). Now, I know dad has met with plenty of Presidents and US politicians...but it never occurred to me that he might have met some other interesting characters. I am going to ask to ask him to draw up a list (I know he covered the Indy 500 for the AP for a number of years) while he can still somewhat remember. As for the JC Penney article, I'm going to try to get a copy of it. It is probably in microfiche or microfilm in the dusty basement of the Lafayette Journal~Courier in Indiana.

Small tear revealed in Soriano's quad
Star not expected back before Labor Day; Cubs stay confident
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
Sigh……

Musings...a personal side

I was riding my bike today, risking my life dodging potholes and cars, and I was thinking about how much I missed my Mom. Earlier in the day I was looking through some old pictures, prepping for the monumental task of scanning and sending photos to my relatives out west, and wave of sadness came over me. My mom was a beautiful, vibrant, funny, popular, intelligent and humble person. I can say this not only because I knew her, but the old and faded photos reflect these characteristics I speak of clearly. There is a photo of her eight grade catholic school reunion (taken sometime in the 80’s), and there she is front and center glowing, the rest of her classmates flocking around her like a herd of sheep. There is one of her that looks like it was taken the 50’s in a speed boat. My mom in a bathing suit smiling at the camera…the men in the photo fixated on her, not the camera. Another one that looks like it was taken in the sixties, my mom singing by a piano at a party, all eyes on her. Or the one of her in some guy’s letterman sweater in high school as she was lounging with some friends, again front and center. Of course, there are hundreds of photos of her with her children, the center of her life.

My mom was my idol. I know people say that all the time, but I admired my mom more than any other person I can think of. I was trying to remember if ever told her that, I don’t think I did. I can only hope that she knew how much she meant to me, and how I not only looked up to her, but looked to her. My mom was always only a phone call away. I could talk to her about anything and her advice was always wise and beneficial, not that I always heeded it. .

Anyway, as I sit here watching the Cubs with my other hero, my Dad (they’re beating the Mets 6-0), I can smile, my pride overtaking my moroseness. My Mom had the answers to everything. And although I miss my two friends I speak of above, I know my Mom is looking down on me and praying for me. I am the happiest and most content I have ever been…much of it thanks to my Mom. I’m glad I got to spend the last six months of her life with her here in Florida, I feel blessed. So, if you haven’t told your Mom today how much you love her….do it! She can be taken away at the blink of an eye.

On a lighter note, I added some links to a couple of my favorite sites at the bottom...check 'em out.

Here and Now

My favorite two nephews came for a visit this past weekend and it was a blast. Pictures will follow. Mitchell is getting too cool for the room. The innocent, painfully shy child has been replaced by a smart alec, annoying, fashion conscious pre-teen. Naw....he is a good kid...I had to remind him that I wasn't his mother so I was perfectfully comfortable putting him over my knee and whacking him a few times. My Stalinistic threating way of restoring order was almost always successful. Seriously, I swear, his mother (Lynda) and I spent over an hour in a surf shop looking for plaid shorts that fit him PERFECTLY. "Aunty Cathy, these taper in too much....Aunt Cathy, these are too short...Aunt Cathy these are'nt plaid enough...Aunt Cathy these are loose enough...." ARGHHHH. We were finally successful, I told him he was worse than a girl to shop with. He didn't seem to mind the compliment/insult and just slugged me in retaliation. I mean really, this is the same kid who, at four years old, cried when he pushed the air break button in a truck because he thought he broke it. Matt was glued to my new XBOX 360 and 45 inch plasma HD TV playing video games. Their favorite game was Dance Dance Revolution which put them on a pad on the floor trying to match the computers dance move....fun stuff.

We went to Disney's Typhone Lagoon and played in the wave pool. Mitchell showed no fear and I got to ride some waves. Mitchell liked me throwing him up in the air when the wave came...funny kid. Matthew and I dared to do the 5 story drop water slide. All I can say is, I did it....and I will NEVER do it again. The heart condition sign scared me a bit, but the cardiologist reassures me I get the OK. Damn....no excuse not the ride the scary rides.

I'm now running again and it was fun to go running with Lynda and Susan...the three Reeder's talking away and having a blast (well, Susan was listening to her IPod...but let's face it....she never has anything interesting to say...heehee).

Speaking of Susan, she is going to Chicago this weekend to visit her friend Barry and go root on our Cubbies who are only one game out of first as my tiny fingers furiously type this post.

Work is great. Busy again and the stock is doing well. Anyone who knows my liberal leanings is well aware of my anti-war stance (not to be confused with anti-troop stance....I mean really, do you think putting an overpriced yellow ribbon magnet on your car makes a marine feel better when and IED goes off under his vehicle...), but I have to admit that the war has given the corporation a lot of work.

Hey...you know who... don't let things get to you, we all make mistakes or bad decisions in our lives. Life is too short to hold grudges or be angry, my Mom lived by this credo. Happiness can be achieved by not dwelling on the past or penting up anger. Sometimes things beyond your control happen, just roll with it and be happy. You are worth it! Besides....we all know that HATE leads to the dark side, the dark side leads to....oh wait...that is my inner geekness coming out.

A Shaved Cat Is a Splendid Thing

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHhahahhahahahahhaahhaha



I actually was nice to Mickey (a.k.a. Butternut) when coming home from the Vet for a few days. But now I can go back to calling "Fat Fuc*"....er I mean "Bald Fat Fuc*" It couldn't happen to a nicer cat. The good news is that he is now de-matted and has some healthier teeth...the bad news: he's going to live.... sigh. Cindy is not happy about Butternut coming home, she had high hopes that we were down to two furry feline hair ball coughing, couch scratching, litter box smelling, ungrateful creatures.

Mike gets serious with Guitar Hero II during his last visit:

Hot Rod and Hellion!

My brother Mike, his wife Carol and their cutie patootie son Brandon visited last weekend. They were supposed to fly, but they rescheduled their flight for a later date and drove down JUST FOR THE WEEKEND! It was really sweet and I know Dad was soooooo glad to see them. If you were wondering what $137,000 will buy you in an automobile...see Mike's car below, a Porche 911 Carrera 4S with X-51 Power Pack (I have know idea what that means except it is really fast and it took him 7 months to get it.)

Now they didn't just bring their fast car, they brought their cute son too. He is a real spitfire and full of energy. Mike says he has two gears...6th and Park. I believe it. He is a riot though and his adorable looks just makes you smile. He got his first wipe out wave and played a bit on the beach. Pictures are below:

It sure was good to see them, we'll see them again in July.

My Kind of Town Chicago

Well, I survived a trip to Chicago and LaPorte with Dad. We flew there and met up with bro Andy and his wife and some of the relatives for a Cubs game and dinner at Morton's. Then, I drove Dad to LaPorte, Indiana to visit Grandma. Grandma turned 99 in March and is still going strong. She is a little confused sometimes....but heck, so am I. The Cubs even did us a rare treat and won the game...they were playing the Nationals, so no big victory. Here are some pictures:

Dad doesn't travel well, so it was good to get him out there to visit his mom, allbeit for a short visit. I even got to meet the first living fourth generation of Grandma's family, my third cousin. He is pictured here. His dad is my second cousin Steven (Pam's son). The local paper did a story on the four generations living in LaPorte starting with the aforementioned greatest grandma in the world (Bess Reeder). I also got to see Richie, my second cousin. I hadn't seen him since he was a baby. I got to see my cousins too...but they aren't cute kids so their pictures don't get posted. Not pictured are my cousin Lisa's girls (2nd cuz's katelin and Danielle). I will post thier pics later.

I have contractors working at the house, making room for Dad. I still want to buy a bigger house, but now is not the time to sell or rent. I'll let things settle for a while. Meantime, we are all trying to get along...everyone knows how patient I am. Dad is his usual grouchy self, but he has a lot to deal with so Susan and I cut him some slack. With his health issues and him missing mom so much, he has had a rough time. My parents really loved each other all 48 years of their marriage. That is rare these days. They used to joke that nobody would have either one of them and that they were stuck with each other....but the truth is, they really loved one another. Dad seems a bit lost without her.

Hokie Day Friday April 20th

"We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness...We are the Hokies..."

--Nikki Giovanni, University Distinguished Professor, poet, activist

O.K, the news is full of this unfathomable, shocking, horrendous act by the fuck-nut from Centreville. Pardon my language, but it just tragic that a cowardly, low-life, cruel, insane piece of shit has sadly effected so many lives. There are many insane people in this world who unfortunately kill them selves, end up homeless wandering the streets and truly struggle to live day to day, and I have the utmost sympathy for them. But most of them, 99.9% I bet, don't harm others before they take their own lives. This punk loser was a coward and just down right evil. The hollow point bullets, the fact that most victims had no less than two bullet wounds, and the self promoting "media package" he sent to NBC illustrates the deep seeded meanness this pile of horse shit had in his soul....trouble or not.

That said, tomorrow is Hokie day. I received several multi forwarded e-mails from family and friends who are alums of VT urging people to wear the school colors of burgundy and burnt orange. Anyone that knows me knows that I am a Virginian and a huge Hokie fan (just review my archived posts). I didn't attend VT (George Mason), but have family and friends that attended. My school doesn't have a football team so most of us were either Wahoos or Hokie fans....I chose the ladder early on. Anyway, I will be sporting one of my many hats tomorrow just like the people in these pictures have/will do.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/230/464523040_77ebcd6b00.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/220/464748557_1b66fd50cb.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/219/464748313_fc8e5d4845.jpg?v=0

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20070418/i/r2877489024.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20070418/i/r1005857563.jpg

http://web.mlsnet.com/t200/

Good show of support.

Play Ball and a Picture worth $5000

Well, as if to add to the drama in my life, my beloved Cindy had to have a serious operation. For those who don't know, after returning from Mom's funeral in Fairfax I gave Cindy a bath. I noticed a huge orange size lump on her hind quarter. Turns out she had a tumor and it was the size of a football after the surgeon removed it. It appears to be fatty but the biopsy isn't in yet. They were able to save her leg (for now), they were worried they would have to amputate it even if it was benign due to blood circulation. She is doing well but is wondering why her mommy is torturing her so. Total so far is 5 grand in medical bills, but look at this mug...can you blame me! I think the morphine patch makes her 'happy'.

Susan took my tickets and took Dad to the Nats game today, their spring training opener. They got creamed and their "ace pitcher" (the only sure spot in the five man rotation), Patterson got clobbered in the first two innings. They played the Orioles....so on a happier note, the O's look good! I got Dodger town and Nats tickets for this upcoming weekend.

Too choked up still to write about mom and what happened. It was all so quick. I loved her so much and she really was the woman I looked up to the most. I don't know what I'm going to do without her....I'm looking for a bigger house to buy so Dad can live with me and Susan. Dad and I will buy the house. Can't say anymore yet about Mom....my heart aches every day. And Dad is having a hard time. It was the toughest thing I've ever had to go through.

More later....

The Best Mom Ever

Mary Esther Freese Reeder

June 7th, 1929 to February 10, 2007

Funeral - Friday, February 23rd 11:30 A.M., St. Leo's Catholic Church, Fairfax, VA

Arrangements and Burial - Fairfax Memorial Park, Braddock Rd., Fairfax, VA