"Happy 18th Birthday, Jonathan!"

Today, 10 November 2009, was our son, Jonathan's (we just call him "Jon") 18th birthday! It's so hard to believe that he's 18 already. It seems like it was only yesterday when he had to hold on to my hand when we went to the antique car shows with his brother, Joshua, his dad, and me. He would look to me for protection and security, and he used to be so little. But now...oh my goodness, just look at him now! He must be at least six foot three or four inches tall!

We're very proud of the man that he is becoming. He is a sensitive, caring, young man. For the most part, he is very good to his father and me--much more so than most young men his age. He has been a blessing to us for most of his life. He has been agreeable and helpful, and hasn't given us too much trouble when we've asked him to do things for us or even when we've asked him to just wait for something that he really had been wanting for a long time. He has always been wonderful about doing chores for his dad, like mowing the lawn or helping him clean out the gutters, and when we all got together to clean out and organize the attic and the dining room, he was right there, all ready to pitch in. And when we actually did the work, he was fast, efficient, and he gave me some great ideas to speed up the process that really helped! (In the photo above: That's my husband, Dion...Jon's dad...with Jon, the "birthday boy" himself, today, right on his birthday. I love my handsome boys!)




There are so many memories throughout the years, but I think my favorites are when I'm listening to the laughter of he and his dad as they watched movies/DVD's in the livingroom while I was in the bedroom, surfing the web on my laptop or reading, staying out of the way (they never put it that way—it's just a cute way of stating it) so that the guys could have some special "alone" time—I thought they needed it because they don't get much time together, really, and once the time is gone, you can never get it back.




So, Happy Birthday to you, Jon, and remember that we love you very much and always will.




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

Cynde

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

"Catching Up Again!" (Gerald A. Flora Funeral)

I thought I would post a recent photo of Dion and I so that you could see what we look like, just in case you don't know or don't remember. There is so much to catch up on, too.

As you may remember, one of my two best friends, both of whom are named Penny (I call them "My Pennys from Heaven!") was very saddened by the death of her father in July. Her name is Penny McGill. Well now, ironically, my other friend named Penny—her name is Penny Flora—has also lost her father. He died on August 22nd, while Dion was on vacation so we were blessedly able to go to the funeral.

Gerald A. Flora,72, VAN ETTEN, NY — died Saturday, August 22, 2009, at home. He was born in Brownsville, PA, July 1, 1937. He is survived by his wife, June M. (Pratt) Flora; two daughters and two sons, Penny Flora, Lansing, Allen (Marjorie) Flora, Las Vegas, NV, Pamela (David) Golden, Ithaca, Douglas Flora, Tres Pinos, CA; five grandchildren, Jessica Golden, Ashley Golden, Elizabeth Flora, Douglas Flora, Leland Flora; sisters, Joyce Broida, Long Boat Key, FL and Norma (Donald) Southard, Toano, VA; brothers, Leonard (Barbara) Flora, Horseheads and Danny (Sandra) Flora, Lockwood; aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and very special companion, "Charlie."
Jerry was predeceased by parents, Charles and Pearl (Cundy) Flora; brothers, Charles Jr. and Timothy; sister, Patricia Flora Brown. Jerry retired from Streeter Associates in Elmira after 38 years as carpenter. He was a member of Local 281 Carpenters Union for 50 years. He was a member of Van Etten Fire Department. Jerry had supervised on the Van Etten Town Highway building and worked on the Van Etten-Spencer VFW Post 8139 building addition.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, August 25, 2009, at 5:00 p.m. at Allen-Manzer Funeral Home in Spencer, NY. Friends may call from 3 to 5 p.m. before the service. Interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery, Van Etten, NY. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Van Etten Fire Dept. or Southern Tier Hospice.

Penny's father was always very sweet to me. He seemed to be able to tell that I was shy when I went over to their house with Penny, so he would go out of his way to make sure that I felt comfortable. He would make sure that I always had plenty of pop to drink; he'd always keep the conversation going; he'd show me his new lawn mower or whatever gadgets he just bought and how they worked; he would show me whatever the latest projecthe was working on outside/around the house.

I particularly remember the time I went out to the house when they had first been given "Charlie" (their little black doggie). I couldn't believe that someone would want to give away an adorable little guy like him and I remember thinking that he was a perfect fit for June and Jerry and that God must have wanted "Charlie" to be part of their family. God works in mysterious ways, doesn't he? Look at how much joy "Charlie" brought to especially Jerry (he rode in the front seat of Jerry's truck with him everywhere he went)and vice versa. And now "Charlie" will be there to comfort and cuddle with June — how sweet can you get?

When I would spend Christmases with Penny and her family, both her dad and her mom treated me like gold — just like I was a member of the family. Those were good memories — memories that I will always cherish.

At his funeral, several people spoke about the nice things Jerry had done for others, about his excellent craftmanship, and there were even a few cute little stories about something funny he had done (he had a great personality). Jerry Flora truly was a lucky man. He was well loved by the community and his family. He was a good husband; father; grandfather; brother; uncle; cousin; friend; mentor; neighbor; fireman; carpenter; and whatever he set his mind to — Jerry Flora was just a good man...period. May he rest in peace in the arms of the Almighty Father. Amen.

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!

"We Went To Court For Our Pistol Permits And It Was A Nightmare!"

My husband, Dion, and I both needed to go before the judge on Thursday regarding our applications for pistol permits and for me, it was an absolute nightmare!

Let me start off by saying that it is our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. With that being said, the following is the story, to the best of my recollection, of what happened on Thursday:

Dion and I submitted our permits, and because I wanted to be honest, I stated that in addition to wanting to use a pistol for target practice, I also wanted one for personal protection. I submitted a letter with my reasons, which included the fact that Dion drives for his job now and quite often gets home late, plus we live close to the Five Points Correctional Facility. My biggest reason was because of the stalker that I had and although I had hoped he wouldn't bother me again, I always wondered about it in the back of my mind and I wanted to be safe rather than sorry.

Had I opted to request the permit for target practice only, which would have meant that I would have had to have been less than honest, I would never have had any of the problems that I am going to describe to you and that is why I think this whole episode was ridiculous and uncalled for.

Almost as soon as I entered the courtroom, the judge, after saying a polite "Good Afternoon, Mrs. Hammond," put me on the defensive. He treated me as if I were a defendant in a criminal case. He wanted to know what medications I was taking, what dosages, and how often, and I wasn't able to list all of them precisely, but I also told him that I wasn't sure what he was getting at. He also wanted to know what my disability was, so I told him that I had osteoarthritis in both knees and both hips and also RSD. Then he wanted to know why I wanted the permit now, when I could have asked for it anytime. I told him there were all the factors in the letter, but he didn't seem to think those reasons were good enough because: Five Points had been there for five years, so why now? And the stalker hadn't been around for eight or nine years, so why now? I told him that for one thing, we had just now saved up enough money to buy a gun. Then Dion also explained, also, that our 17-year-old son had just become interested in target practice, so that was another reason, plus the fact that he had just started the new driving job. He wanted to know why I had to have a 357-magnum. I explained to him that the gunshop owner had specifically picked that gun own for me because it was a "ladies gun" and that I would be able to cock it, because of my hand problems. I told him he could call and check with him if he didn't believe me. I also told him that it was a little tiny thing, but he said the bullets were a large caliber. The judge said he would take it under advisement and that he needed to send my file to the sheriff so he could do some checking.

Maybe you're wondering why this whole thing has bothered me? Well, first of all, the judge treated me as if I had done something wrong by asking for a permit. I hadn't. It's my Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and that right is not to be infringed upon. And secondly, he wielded his "power" like a sledge hammer and hammered away at me, disrespecting me for no reason at all. I, who have never even had a traffic infraction, was made to feel like a common criminal, for merely asking for something that was my "right" to obtain in the first place.

So, needless to say, I'm not at all sure that either of us will be getting our permits. He may have just wanted to give us a hard time, but it's hard to tell. The court stenographer at least had the decency to act as if his show of bravada embarrassed and disgusted her, which made me feel better at the time.

The only good thing about the whole day was the fact that we got to see the kids. First we went to see Josh and Noah while Chrissy was at work. I wish Chrissy could have been there, too, but it couldn't be helped. I hadn't seen Noah in about a month and he has grown so much. He was all smiles for his grandpa and me.

He is the most adorable little guy, and he's so good-natured, too. Josh took him for his shots on Wednesday, and I guess he cried a little, but was really quite good until later. He probably started hurting later in the evening and didn't know how to tell anyone because, gosh, he's only two months old!

Noah stood up on Dion's lap, all by himself, and just looked around, without any trouble at all. He's so strong, and he's so smart, too! I held him for a while and the moment that Dion looked away, Noah was trying to get his attention. He started crying and waving his arms, and I said, "Look honey, he's trying to get your attention!" so Dion turned around to look at him again and then Noah smiled a great big smile and started cooing. It was absolutely adorable.

Then we stopped in to see Jon for a minute, the went on home. It was a great finish to a lousy day, but after seeing the boys, everything seemed right with the world again.

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 Fourth of July Weekend!"

I have some really wonderful news. Chrissy, Josh's wife, got a new job! Remember how she used to work as a cashier at the P&C Foods grocery store right near where Dion works? Well, now she works as a bank teller at the Five Star Bank in Geneva, New York (I'm not sure which one, though). From what Dion says, she basically went in, asked if they had any jobs available, filled out an application, was interviewed, and then was hired on the spot. I'm really not surprised at all. Chrissy is very smart, she is also very pretty, and she presents herself to the public in a professional and pleasing manner. I bet she'll boost the business at the bank, too. Furthermore, I won't be surprised if she moves up to a position with more responsibility in a short amount of time, too.

She's an intelligent girl and I bet she'll do well at the bank. I hope she loves it there. I want so much for her to be happy at her job! I don't know what she aspires to be, but if this makes her happy, then I'm happy, too! It only makes sense that if you are happy in your job, then it will carry over into your home life, because it is equally true that when you are unhappy in your job, it definitely carries over into your home life.

I am certain that this kind of job is bound to increase Chrissy's self-esteem, and I'm so happy for her. I think the world of that girl and I pray that she and Josh will be able to get over whatever hurdles they are experiencing right now in their young marriage, especially for the sake of precious little Noah. I don't know if either of them can even fathom what is really at stake if there marriage were to break up. Let's just pray that it never reaches that stage.





Jon was supposed to spend the weekend with us this weekend, starting right after he was done with work this afternoon, but we never heard from him. Dion's not feeling well, so he said not to call anyone because he doesn't feel like talking to anyone. I hope it doesn't backfire on me like it always does. I usually get blamed because they think I'm the one that's keeping him from calling!

I understand, though. He just did not feel good. And when you're feeling like that, you just don't feel like chatting, and I'm never going to go against what Dion says not to do. He's the boss. And if anyone gets angry, then so be it. I have to obey my husband. They Bible says so, and this was not life or death, or illegal, or anything like that...so my choice is to always obey him in those instances. He would never ask me to otherwise, anyways. He's a good man, and I trust and love him totally.

I'm just hoping he'll feel better by tomorrow. I'm so worried about him. He's so run down and worn out from work. They run him ragged and they don't even appreciate him!

Well, here's wishing everyone a safe and Happy 4th of July weekend! We also hope that the Tea Parties around the country had a great showing. If Dion hadn't have been sick, we would have both been there, 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!

"Say 'Hello' To Our Brand New Grandson!"

Announcing the arrival of our first-ever grandchild, I give you: Noah Christian Hammond Noah is the son of Joshua James and Christina Elizabeth (Scowcroft) Hammond, and the grandson of Dion Richard and Cynde Lou (Bond) Hammond, all from Upstate New York. He was born at 3:15 a.m. on Saturday, 02 May 2009, in the Geneva General Hospital. Noah weighed 7 lbs. 9 ozs. and was 20 inches long, with a head full of curly, medium-dark brown hair.

When Dion and I visited Josh and Chrissy at the hospital, Noah was in the room, snuggled in hisMommy's arms. I was so overwhelmed with feelings of love for him that tears immediately filled my eyes. He definitely looks like a "Hammond," that's for sure; he's the spitting image of Josh, and he also looks just like Josh did when he was a baby (and he looked like Dana, too). He looks like a perfect cross between Josh and Chrissy, too, which is great because they are both extremely good-looking kids. Noah looks like Dion, too, because Josh looks like Dion (his Dad) so I'm happy as can be!

This has been, without a doubt, one of the best days of my entire life! I feel so thankful and blessed by the Lord. I am thankful that Noah is well and that everything is alright with Chrissy. I do feel bad that she had to have a cesarean section (C-section) delivery, but I thank the Lord that He watched over her throughout it, and that she's going to be fine. I pray that she'll heal quickly and that she won't have a lot of pain and suffering--I love her so much.

I'll be posting more photos as I get them, and I'll probably bore you to tears with stories about my new little guy, but I promise you...the stories will all be filled with love!

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!

"My Sister Made The Front Page!"

To commemorate Obama's first 100 day's in office, our local newspaper, the Finger Lakes Times, solicited ratings from the public on how we thought Obama's job performance was during that period. We were given a 75-word limit in which to describe how we thought he had done or to mention any highlights we may have noticed during that period.

Imagine my delight when my husband brought the newspaper home, and I discovered that my sister, Carol Lee Bond Harris, had written such an awesome response that hers made the front page of the newspaper! I have mentioned before that ours is a family of writers, and now I have indisputable proof! As I was telling my husband, the only way that I will ever make the front page is if there's a murder involved...probably mine!

Here is what Carol's article said:

"So much damage in so short a time with so little effort. Millions of American dollars for foreign abortions. Increased wasteful spending on failed embryonic stem cell research, disregarding successful treatments derived from adult stem cells. Irresponsible banks and companies rewarded for their misdeeds. Our children consigned into debt for posterity to fund "spread the wealth" Big Government agenda. Reduction of missile defenses authorized following North Korea launching a missile over our allies. God help us."
Carol Lee Bond Harris of Waterloo

There were three more responses inside the newspaper as a continuation of the article, but they weren't even close to being as good as Carol's.

The response that I wrote did not get published, but if it had, then Carol and I together would have covered almost every issue that had happened within the 100 days. My response was as follows:

"Attempted multiple confirmations of tax-cheaters for Representatives; mismanaged AIG’s bailout; spending Billions of non-existent dollars; insulted British Prime Minister; escaped saluting flag and singing National Anthem at Camp Lejeune: bowed to the sovereignty of King Abdullah; classified our courageous vets as a "terrorist threat;" requested removal of IHS religious insignia at Georgetown University; delayed rescue of Captain from Somali pirates; and "unaware" of Tax Day Tea Parties translates into being out of touch. Great job."
Cynde Lou Bond Hammond of Romulus

Congratulations, Carol! You did a great job, I'm very proud of you, and I love you very much! Not only was it well-written, but it was factual and it was exactly right; you hit the nail right on the head. Way to go, girl!

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!

It's Official: They're Engaged!

Well, it's official, folks! Our eldest son, Josh, and Chrissy, his girlfriend of three years (they had their three-year anniversary on 06 March 2009) are now engaged! He has even given her the Hammond family diamond, an heirloom that has been passed down through the family, originally belonging to my husband's Great, Great Grandmother Hammond. (I'll insert the photo of it on Chrissy's hand as soon as she emails it to me.)

I was finally able to meet her some weeks back when I went in to the P & C grocery store where she works. Dion and I had spent the day together doing shopping and errands. I had a doctor's appointment and blood tests earlier in the day, so we stopped to get a few things on the way home and when he noticed she was working, he took me right through her line and introduced us. Both of us are shy, so I was relieved that we hadn't had to plan our meeting and make a big deal out of it. I always worry that people won't like me, or that I'll embarrass Dion and the boys in some way (low self-esteem left over from my abusive first marriage, I guess).

She's a delightful girl and I liked her right away. As you can see from the photo, she's very pretty. She's also just as sweet as she can be. I think that she and I will become great friends. If she and I can get along a fraction as well as my mother-in-law and I get along, then we'll be doing great!

I'm so blessed because I have the best mother-in-law (MIL) in the world, and I want to be that way with Chrissy. Dion's mother is like no other MIL that I have ever heard about. I have never heard any of my married friends rave about their MIL's like I do about mine. She is so sweet, generous, loving, and I love her so much!

They always tell you that it's easy for a mom to get along with her daughter's husband, but that nobody is ever good enough for her little boy. I can see where that would be true in some cases, but I think Josh made a great choice in Chrissy. Furthermore, for added insurance, I'll be praying with all my heart that these two will be happy together, and that they'll have a close and loving partnership & marriage, like his father and I do. That would be a match made in Heaven!

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

Cynde

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

Happy New Year!

******************Dion, Jon and I had a wonderful Christmas this year (except for the fact that this was our first year without Josh.) First we went to Dion's mom's, where we had appetizers and visited with Dion's brother and sister and their spouses and the nieces and nephew of the bunch. After that, we had a nice lasagna dinner with lots of other entrees; it was a fabulous feast that ended with oodles of homemade Christmas goodies.

There were all kinds of peanut-butter balls; chocolate-covered pretzels; light and dark "trash" (a mixture of nuts, pretzels, M&M's, and cereal covered with either white or dark, melted chocolate--yummy!); and all kinds of cookies! You name it--it was there. Most of it was made by Dion's brother's wife, Cheryl, and we got to take a huge bag of it home, which made Dion happy, because I'm not able to do much baking due to the problem with my hands.

While we were eating, we all caught up on the latest news of each others' families and Dion passed around some photos that Josh had just given him of himself and Chrissy together so that they all could see what Chrissy looked like. Everyone was very impressed by how cute Josh and Chrissy looked together and how pretty she is. I was so relieved that I had just gotten to meet her, even though it was just for a minute. She seemed very sweet and I'm looking so forward to getting to know her better, even though I'm nervous about it. (that's what I get for being shy, huh?)

Following dinner, we opened all our packages. Donna (Dion's sister) and Cheryl passed them out and Bob (Donna's husband) was taking pictures while we opened them. I feel bad every year when it's time to open the gifts. Dion's brother and sister always give us some little gift, but we just don't have the funds to give anything to them--especially this year, after Dion missed three months of work! I think they understand, though. There's nothing I love more than giving, but when you owe money to people, you can't put them off to buy gifts for others, IMHO. Someday...I'll get all caught up and then I'll buy, buy, buy! (not really! LOL!) I won't go hog-wild, but I will enjoy being able to give again!

The next order of business was to take family photos. They really have it down to a science where they do it by family, and at least two different people are taking a set of the same photos on two different cameras, so they have backups, just in case something happens with one of the cameras.

They took a set of the grandchildren together: Jennifer, Dara, Matthew and Jon. (I really missed Josh, Dana and Katey!) Then they added Gramma (Dion's mom, Barb) and her dog, Max. Those will be adorable photos and I can't wait to see them!

Next, we took the group family photos. They did the photos of Daren, Cheryl and Dara as a family, then with Gramma and Max, then Daren and Cheryl as a couple, then a couple of Dara and Jennifer together.

The next group were the Harts, which were Donna, Bob, Jennifer and Matthew. Then they added Gramma and Max, then Donna and Bob as a couple, then they did a couple of Jennifer and Matthew together.

Then it was our turn. Dion, Jon and me, then we added Gramma and Max. We had already been seated when I remembered that we didn't get our "couple" photo, so Dion said that we'd have Jon take it of us later on when we were at Mom's, but it never happened--we got so busy that we forgot it. It felt strange not having Josh there, but maybe next year we'll have Chrissy and the baby and Josh with us. Wouldn't that be awesome?

We hated to leave everyone, but we were also very excited to go to my mom's house and see my side of the family for Christmas next,(we don't usually get to do that) so that's just what we did. When we arrived at Mom's, we were just in time to pack up leftovers to bring home with us. After I said "hello" to everybody, I sent Dion and Jon in to visit with the folks and I got busy packing so that I would have time to visit, too.

My twin sister, Sande, her husband, Allan, and her youngest daughter, Amity, were there. Sande's son, Miles and his girlfriend, Brianne, had been there earlier and had already gone, plus her eldest daughter, Ashleigh, had other plans, so she didn't come at all. My other sister, Carol, her husband, Foo, (his real name is Allen) and her son, Bret were there. Carol's daughter, Audra, and Audra's husband, Russ, and their daughter, Olivia, were there also. Olivia is only six years old, so she was having a ball because there were presents there for her and the Christmas tree looked beautiful. My cousin, Stuart, was also there and then when the three of us popped in, and you also include my mother, you have a pretty full house!

After I packed the leftovers and helped a little with clean-up, I went in to join the others in catching up with the family gossip, but sadly, Carol and Foo had to leave and Bret followed shortly thereafter. We had a great time anyway, though, with lots of joking and laughter. Thankfully we remembered to pass the pictures of Josh and Chrissy around the first thing we got there, so they all got to see what Chrissy looked like. Foo didn't remember meeting Jon before, but I think he met him at Audra's wedding. No big deal, though...I think Jon's grown several inches since then, plus Foo met a lot of people at Audra's wedding, and he's quite shy, so it's not to be wondered at.

Oh well...overall, we had a really nice day! I kept thinking about the loved ones that were missing around the table, but I'm so thankful to God for what we have and the miracle of His Son. The Christmas miracle is the beginning of what has made it possible for us to be able to see our loved ones again.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."(John 3:16,King James)



For the New Year's, Dion and I stayed home and watched movies like we usually do, and we cuddled together, bringing in the New Year. Every year, Sande calls me from wherever she is, right around midnight, to wish me a "Happy New Year," and she did again this year. Then I call Mom. In fact, Carol, Sande and I all call Mom around midnight, because we know she still misses Dad, even after all these years. Happy New Year, everybody!

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

Cynde