"What A Flash Sleet-Storm We Had Yesterday!"

My husband, Dion, drove his 1973 Honda CB750 motorcycle to work yesterday (to save on gas money) and his boss sent him home early — just in the nick of time. It seems that while the finance manager was in his office, he heard on his radio that a storm was heading their way in a hurry, so he got on the internet and checked it out. According to Doppler radar, a sleet-storm was almost overhead, so he looked out the window, and sure enough, he could see that the sky was a hazy-looking black, not too far in the distance. He called Dion into the office and told him that he better head on home, because he was aware of how dangerous it would be for him to ride his motorcycle in a storm like that.

In the photo above, the bright white circles that you see are chunks of marble-sized sleet falling down at the very beginning of the storm. The winds were whipping around and tearing the leaves off our trees. Dion was even able to catch a leaf in mid-air in the photo. Do you see it on the right up there? He did a great job, didn't he? However, I have decided that we need a much better camera than what we have, if we're going to expect to take nice, clear shots. I'll have to start saving my coins right away.

Back to the story: The skies had been clear and the weatherman had predicted a sunny, clear day when we listened to the weather report yesterday morning, but we weren't totally surprised to hear that they were "off" in their prediction; we were just stunned that it was "off" to this extent.

In the next photo above, (with the water pump in it) our poor kitties have run for cover, and the sidewalk looks like it has snow on it doesn't it? Well, it's hail stones! And this is still just the beginning of the storm. The wind is tremendously strong and even though our camera doesn't do it justice, the sky is getting dark and has that eerie look to it that it gets just before a tornado comes zipping through causing untold destruction.

My 84-year-old mother was glad that I had called her to warn her that the storm was on the way, because she and my grand niece, Olivia, (my niece, Audra's daughter — my sister, Carol Lee's only grand daughter) were out by her swimming pool, laying in the sun and/or swimming. Mother lives fives miles away from me and the weather at my house had been exactly like hers only minutes before. She tried to call my twin sister, who lives another two miles beyond her (because that's the relay we follow to warn each other of storms coming — and I'm usually the one that starts the relays and I have to call my mother and my other sister, who lives about seven miles in another direction, too) but she must not have been home because she never answered her phone, or returned her call. Anyhooooo...

In this final photo, you can see that our sidewalk has totally disappeared. It's filled with thousands of little hail-stones, and boy, are they cold and hard! We have an aluminum roof on our home and it almost sounds like someone is shooting bb's at us. I'm glad Dion's home because it's kind of scary. And no, it's not more proof that "Global Warming" is true. That garbage is a hoax! If you want to know the truth about it, please read my story here.

Also, please watch this video:


Well, it's time to get up and fix Dion his breakfast and pack his lunch for work. I guess he'll be driving the truck today — it sounds like it's thundering outside. Oh well. So much for saving gas money, huh?

A couple more important notes: First, our prayers go out to the families and loved ones of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, who both died yesterday, 25 June 2009. (It's the same date that my grandmother, Dorothy Denise Davis Carpenter ("Grammy"), passed away on in, gosh, I think it was 1995, at the age of 99 — she would have turned 100 yrs. old that August, less than two months away.)

Second, please pray for my sister Carol Lee's husband, Allen (everyone calls him "Foo"). He had to be taken to the emergency room last night. He had about four episodes yesterday where he couldn't catch his breath and almost passed out. The first time was while he was on his tractor, and he was able to get off it before he got hurt. He went in the house to lay down for a little while, thought he felt better, then went out to hang the laundry. It was beastly hot out and he could not catch his breath, felt a weight upon his chest (does that remind you of anything?) and fell to his knees). He went back in and layed back down for a few more hours. This kind of thing happened two more times!(Why do men have to be so pig-headed and think that they can fix everything on their own?) I guess he finally figured he better call Carol and get some help, so she took him to the hospital.

When they got to the emergency room, they took him to: "Trauma Room Two", which happens to be the very same room that Audra was admitted into when she was in that near-fatal car accident years ago where she got hurt so badly and received the horrible brain damage that has changed her personality and her entire life so much. It's been a rough road for her, but she's a real trooper. Anyway, they took a CT-scan of his brain and thank the Lord, he hasn't had a stroke, but they kept him overnight because they think there is something wrong with his heart. So, please pray that he'll be alright, would you? I love him so much! And of course, Carol; their daughter, Audra; they also have a son, Bret; and Livvie (that's Olivia); and the rest of the family love him, too.

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Happy Father's Day!"

First of all, I want to say "Happy Father's Day" to my husband, who I truly believe is the best father in the whole world. It's not easy being a part-time father when your children have been ripped away from you and then you can only have them every other weekend. Trying to keep a close relationship with the kids under those circumstances is difficult, at best, but he has done an amazing job, especially with Jon, the youngest.

For some reason, Josh, the oldest, pulled away from his dad almost right from the beginning. It tore Dion (my husband) apart, but my advice to him was to stop forcing him to come for visits. He was 13, he kept running away and hitch-hiking home, which was dangerous, and he was never punished for doing it by Dion's "ex" (which probably would have put a stop to it right away). I think "she" liked the idea that Josh didn't want to be here, but I believe it was because none of his friends were around and there really isn't that much to do around here. We were not able to ply them with every toy and gadget they wanted, like they were accustomed to at their other home, so being here probably seemed quite boring by comparison.

Thankfully, those things didn't seem to be as important to Jon as they did to Josh. Jon has always been insistant that he be allowed to come on his weekend, and he even tries to come on other weekends, too, if he can. He genuinely loves his father, and miraculously he loves me as well. Not to say that Josh doesn't love us, because I know that he does. I just don't think he knew that he did until he became a father himself in May of this year.

We are so proud of Josh. He's turning out to be such a great little daddy. He reminds me of the way Dion feels about him and his brother, Jon. I don't think they have any idea how much he loves them, but they will someday. Those two boys are the light of our lives and we both love them more than words can possibly express. And now, we have little Noah, Josh's son and our first grandchild, to love as well.

Men are such different animals, aren't they? Luckily, most are learning that it doesn't make you less manly to express your feelings or show your concern for someone. Quite the opposite, in fact. A man that can say, "I love you" or "I'm proud of you" to their son and/or daughter, is a big man in my eyes. I praise God that I had a father like that, and I'm proud to say that I have a husband like that, too.

Finally, I'd like to say "Happy Father's Day" to all those women out there that are having to/have decided to take on this role that was not originally/traditionally intended for them to fulfill. Sometimes, sudden changes can occur so that the family unit is no longer what it once was. It could be as a result of divorce; a death in the family; a parent in the military is away on duty for an extended time; or other unforeseen circumstances. No matter what the reason, the women that step forward to take on this responsibility should be commended. It's a big job, just as being a mother is, and that is probably why they each have their own special job duties and descriptions.

Like the former Miss California, Carrie Prejean, I believe that the Lord intended marriage to be between one man and one woman, just as I also believe that said couple was supposed to be fruitful and multiply, whenever possible, and if that was what they wanted (and no! I would never agree that an abortion was ok, because abortions are murder, plain and simple!). In addition, I believe, without question, that the Lord intended that "she" was to be the mother, while "he" was to be the father...and oh how far we have travelled from those simple truths.

At any rate, God bless all of you that have opened your homes to children in need of them, and who have given them love and direction. I pray that you give them proper direction, because we are all held accountable for what we teach our children, and rightfully so. Children are like open books, and it's such a huge job to be a parent. But it's also the best job, the most rewarding, and the only one whose benefits last generation after generation, while also increasing exponentially.



"Happy Father's Day and God Bless You!"


Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Photos of Noah, Our Grandson, at Five Weeks Old!"

Dion, otherwise known as "Grandpa," dropped by to see our little grandson, Noah, and his mommy and daddy on Wednesday, 09 June 2009, which happens to be my twin sisters', Barbara and Beverly's birthday.

Chrissy is such a lovely girl, and she, Josh, and Noah look so happy together. When I see photos like this one, it makes me wish for just a moment, that I could turn back the hands of time, so that I could have shared moments like that with Dion, but it's such a waste of time to do that. Besides, if we were to change anything in either of our lives, then we wouldn't have the life and love that we now have, and that would be a tragedy, so forget it! I love things just as they are. I only pray that I have many, many, many more years to share with Dion, because I love him so much!

As you can clearly see, little Noah totally loves his daddy! He stares up at him, listens to his voice, and seems to worship him...and believe me, the feelings are returned! Josh loves that little boy so much that I think it's overwhelming to him at times.
And, Josh will finally be able to realize how Dion feels about him! That's a good thing!

While Dion was taking photos and talking with Josh and Chrissy, all the sudden, Josh said, "Watch this, Dad." Josh had been holding Noah as he was standing on his lap, and then Josh let go. Dion couldn't believe his eyes! Little Noah was standing there, all by himself, at five weeks old! Is that amazing or what? It looks like he may beat his father's record, because Josh was up and walking at ten months old, so we'll see what happens.

Josh wears his grandfather's sunglasses now; you can see them best in the picture at the top of the page. They belonged to Dion's father, Duane Richard Hammond. How I wish Duane were here to meet Noah in person. Noah would have been his very first great-grandchild!

I bet Duane would have gone over to Josh & Chrissy's and tried to pick Noah up, and take him with him to different places all the time, but he would have had a big fight on his hands, because I think that Dion is going to be doing that himself.

I think that Dion is surprised at how much he loves the little guy, but I'm not! I knew he would! I can't wait until Noah looks up at Dion one day and says that magic word, in his sweet little boy voice: "Gampa!"

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Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Catching Up!"

This is "Capote." He is the one of "Momma Kitty's" two remaining male kittens that we still have on the premises that we are very close to. The other one's name is "Duke," but he's more of a loner -- but we're working on that!

In case you didn't hear about it yet, our precious "Momma Kitty" has gone on to wait for us at the "Rainbow Bridge." The complete story, with photos, is here. We miss her so much!

My sister, Carol Lee, and I went to the pain clinic together on Thursday, 04 June 2009, and on the way back, we swung over to visit my best friend, Penny Flora.

You've probably heard me mention this before, but I have two best friends, both with the first name of Penny, and I call them "My Penny's from Heaven!"

Anyway, this Penny is the one that runs the Carquest Auto Parts store in Lansing, New York. Her boyfriend, Frank, works there, too. I took a picture of the truck she bought for herself last year, and Frank bought the "cap" for it for a Christmas gift. It's a really nice truck and I'm so glad that finally, after all these years of knowing her, she has gotten herself a decent vehicle to drive.

The thing about Penny is, that she is so generous that she is always spending her money on everyone else, which means that she never seems to have enough to spend on herself, and the things that she desperately needs! She is so sweet, too. She is always there when you need her--especially in an extreme emergency! And she just seems to know ahead of time, what you're going to need! She is, quite frankly, amazing!

After that, we went to our mom's house and met for our usual "gab-fest" with my twin sister, Sande. We didn't get to stay as long as we usually do, because Carol had to get home. She had to go somewhere with her son, my nephew, Bret.

While I was at mom's, I took a couple of picture of the Sunburst trees that are planted out in the front yard. When the house was built in 1955, the year that Sande and I were born, those trees were spindly, little, five-foot-high "starters."

When I look at the house, sometimes I can't bear the thought of someone else living there someday. If only there were a way that it could be kept in the family, just like they used to keep homesteads "in the family" years ago. It was always "understood" that the homestead would be passed on down through the family, no matter what, and that they would do whatever they had to, to make sure that a farm was kept in running order or that a home was in good repair--it was a matter of honor.

But nowadays...it's every man for himself, I guess. And like Scarlett O'Hara always says, "I won't think about that now. If I do I'll just go crazy. I'll just have to think about it tomorrow."

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!