Current Journal (4/12/04)
...later today - (4/24/04) - It's been so long since I've been into the computer room, I forgot what picture I put in. I remember when we first moved here, it was 1990. Andrew was 4 and Jarrett was 2. Josh lived next door and he was about 12 years old. He'd come over on his bike and pop wheelies in our driveway for the boys. They thought that was extremely cool because although they'd "heard" about kids who could do that, they'd never met one in person!! Whenever he'd ride by the house, they'd always tell him to come on over and show them some bike tricks! Here's what the boys looked like when we first moved in:
Andrew and Jarrett practicing karate moves.
Andrew and Jarrett turning their karate moves on each other.
They never stopped moving, that's for sure. We're finally getting rain. I think that's a good thing. I didn't get the fertilizer on my raspberries, but there's always tomorrow. Better go. Have to search through some more pictures. bye. see ya later, djb
Saturday - April 24, 2004 - It's pretty cold this morning (39 degrees). Of course, I've been awake for hours then I decided that I would be the new guestbook on my home page. Yo homies!! I don't know what I'm doing. I don't even pretend to know what I'm doing. If something works, I'm ALWAYS amazed. The internet still amazes me. It is absolutely unbelievably fantastic. Imagine a few years ago - we didn't even have instant access. Nowadays, we DEMAND it. What a culture shock it would be for someone to come back from the middle of the last century (around 1950). They'd surely ask WHY everyone has a hearing aid up next to their ears!! That's funny. Plus, think of the proliferation of the microwave and I could go on and on and on. But I have to go over to DeKalb to Super Wal-Mart. The only time to go there is very EARLY, otherwise, the students start clogging up the works. No offense....I was once one of them! Let me see what picture I can pop in here today:
Andrew popping a wheelie - not bad for a weasel!
I'm outta here. It's been real, eh! See ya later. bye for now. hasta la vista, djb
...later this day - (4/23/04) - After I went into Elburn and got gasoline, stopped at the post office and stopped to see the boys' stone and take a picture, I came home and since I had my camera in my possession, I decided to take a picture of the RED TULIP:
Red tulip
Every year this tulip comes up on the back side of the fence. It is amazing. It's all by itself and I never do anything special to it and every single year, it looks gorgeous. I took some other pictures so I'll put of those in too. Not today. Have to go meet Bob at Hughes Creek and eat some food. Most likely COD. So, see ya later. bye, djb
Friday - April 23, 2004 - I'm so excited this morning because I've heard that the temperature is going to be in the 60's. Plus it's going to be sunny and not rain. It's so weird to look out the window and see GREEN grass and GREEN leaves on the trees. When I left on April 14th, it still wasn't real green. Those days of 80 degrees really turned on the spring. Too bad I missed them. Oh yeah, I didn't because it was 80 in Florida. People think I go there for a vacation but it's more like a visit. I'll have to look up the definition of a vacation, it could be that all these years of visiting were really vacating!! Pardon me, I'm rambling. Once again, I scanned a bunch of pictures. Here's one of Jarrett with his big blue eyes. You know I always had to be FAIR with Andrew and Jarrett. A toy for Andrew, a toy for Jarrett, etc....and so it continues:
Jarrett was either washing his hands or playing in the sink - I suppose it was most likely the latter.
They were so damn cute when they were little. I have a black and white picture of me standing on a car (well, Granny's holding me) when I was very young - less than a year old. I'm trying to get it blown up and cropped and all that photographic voodoo so you can see what I looked like. I'm wondering if I looked like the boys when I was a munchkin. Well, we'll see about that. Better go. It's getting bright outside, so I'm going out to look at the flowers and pick up my paper. See ya later. bye, djb
...later this same day (4/22/04) - The temperature is double nickels, so I'm not really motivated to go outside. If it gets in the 60's. Okay, then I'm outta here. Today is Earth Day, but I don't know if that has anything to do with Arbor Day or not. I'll have to do a search and see when Arbor Day is so I can plant Andrew's tree. I put those pictures of the muddy Andrew on the Home Page. He had so much fun playing in the mud. I found these pictures in an old album. I also found this picture which I think is so cute with his big blue eyes:
I think Andrew's eating one those toast things whose name I can't remember! He was about 16 months old.
This picture reminds me that I have a video cassette of Andrew eating when he was real little - probably about this age. It lasts for hours. Then when Jarrett was born, I made a video of him trying to crawl when he was about 6 months old. It lasts for hours also. Every day, I would tape him so that I could get the actual video of his crawling.....I sound like a maniac. "C'mon Jarrett. Can you crawl for mom?" It went on and on. I'll have to look for those one of these days and get them on a DVD. Okie dokie. I'm headed outside to check on the flora and fauna. Talk to you later. bye, djb
Thursday - April 22, 2004 - I woke up at 4 a.m. - of course, that's 5 a.m. EDT. Isn't that funny? I guess Hobbes was glad I woke up because then he gets his special food. It's a good thing I woke up early because I have a lot of pictures to scan. That 's so much fun. I love the pictures. When I was going to NIU back in the 70's (that was the 1970's), I went to a New Year's Eve party and someone stole my billfold. It had my contact lenses in it (not much money) and a picture of my Grandma O'Malley giving me a bottle. There were few pictures of me from my babyhood because some of Sable's friends got into them in one of the farmhouses we lived in. If you've ever lived in the country, you know what I'm talking about: MICE! I've always said this: I hate meeces to pieces. Anyway, I'm derailing my train of thought. In fact, that's why we have Hobbes. In the fall, the mice want to come in and live with us but Hobbes won't share. Okay. Here's a copy of my picture that I found at the Bergs' house. My copy was stolen on or about 12/31/1973:
Grandma O'Malley holding baby Donna about 53 years ago! Yikes, I'm almost an antique!!!
I think I'm kind of goofy because I woke up SO early. I can't believe how COLD it is here. For quite a few days while I was in Florida, the temperature was between 78-82. That is my all time FAVORITE temperature. It feels perfect to me. Well, enough yakking. I have to get some more coffee and check on Hobbes. He's in the garage thinking that I'm going to let him go outside. HA! no way. See ya later, bye for now, djb
Wednesday - April 21, 2004 - I'M BAAAAACK. I can't believe my tulips....they've gone completely nuts! They're out, they're gorgeous!! While I was down visiting the Bergs, I got some old pictures to scan. Here's one of some Berg girls:
Judy, Kathy, (Granny in the back), Diane, Donna many, many years ago in Florida.
I can't believe how YOUNG we look. Oh yeah, we WERE young!! ha ha Bob's here, I've got to go out and get some food. See ya later. djb
...later this evening - (4/13/04) - I'm all packed and ready to go to Florida. This will be the last journal entry for a week. I don't think I can access my website from Florida. Although, maybe I'll try. Talk to you in a week. Be good. Have fun. Luv ya all, djb
Tuesday - April 13, 2004 - I got up early because that's when I woke up: EARLY! That's the same reason I live in our house in Elburn because that's where all my STUFF is! lol (that was more of a col). I've been working on the pictures and the memorial page stuff. Now, I have to go and make Bob's sandwich so he'll have something to eat at lunchtime. I can't even imagine WHAT picture I'm going to put in here today. hmmm Let's see. Whatever it is, it'll be great! see ya later, djb P.S. It's supposed to get in the 70's later this week. whoohoo.
That's me all right. Swimming - Just can't wait to get in the water!!! oh boy.
...just after noon (4/12) - I was doing some searching on here earlier when the phone rang and it was Krissy calling on her way to work. She requested a picture that I had redone of her mom and dad one day when she here, so I told her that I would put it on and here it is:
Aunt Bev and Uncle Bob in approximately 1985 at Christmas.
When I got home last night, Uncle Ron called me to say that I had taken the wrong coat! Yikes! It looked just like mine. So, I have to go up to Huntley this afternoon to do the old "switcheroo." lol I'm so corny. Right now, I have to copy some pictures so I'll see ya later, djb
Monday - April 12, 2004 - Wow! Do I ever have a LOT to do before Wednesday morning. I'm going to Florida to see the Bergs for a week. They've ordered perfect weather, so I've got that going for me. I'm trying to get EVERYTHING done before I head out. Of course, I'm NOT organized yet. Darn. This is what I'm hoping to do when I'm in Florida:
Me swimming in Diane's pool last year.
I always wear my sunglasses when I'm in the sun because after my cataract surgery in 1997, I don't have any protection on my eyes. I imagine some people think I'm trying to HIDE or be cool. Well, maybe I am. But my eyes are very sensitive to the light. It's funny because when Andrew wanted to get contact lenses I said that I had worn them for 18 years. He couldn't believe that! I still have my last pair of lenses. They're the hard kind. When the doctor tried to put the trial lens in Jarrett's eyes, he had a vaso vagal syncope. I think that's how to spell it. He passed out right in the chair. So, he couldn't get lenses for a while. Then a year later, he tried them again and they worked. They LOVED wearing their contacts. Sweet boys. Better go. Have LOTS to do. see ya later, djb