"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!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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!

"Welcome to my Page, Leona!"

By now, you all know how excited I get when a new "follower" comes on board my site! I whoop and holler; I jump up and down; I dance the jig; and I do cartwheels--well, not really...but I do smile a lot!

Seriously speaking, every last one of my "followers" represents someone that likes my blog; that cares about what I have to say; and that cares about me. I'd say that's pretty special. I owe it to all of them to do my very best to at least write something, now and then, that is entertaining, or at the very least, interesting.

My newest "follower" is Leona G. Shankle, a published author and poet. Her book, entitled "At The Starting Gate," is a collection of assorted poetry and short stories ranging from humorous to serious and inspirational.

Leona also maintains her two blogs: Her first blog is named after her book, At The Starting Gate and it's filled with the things she learned "along the way to publishing [her] book," plus "some tips and insights," and what she calls "a mind-boggling set-back every now and then." Her second blog, Fun n Inspiration , is the sister site to her other blog, and in that blog, she shares inspirational emails and stories as well as things to "help make [our] day a little brighter."

Welcome to my site, Leona, and I hope you enjoy being part of the "Cynde's Daybook" family. I am honored to have you as a member, and I'll do my best to make you glad that you have joined us!

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!

"Dion and Jon go to the Norwich Antique Car Show"

Today we celebrate Memorial Day, which is the holiday whose birthplace is officially recognized as Waterloo, New York and was traditionally set aside on the 30th of May, each year, to commemorate the U. S. men and women who died while in the military service. Throughout the years, this holiday has grown to mean so much to the people of the United States and its allies who have benefited from the sacrifices of the brave military men and women, and their families, as they have fought for our freedoms and sacrificed for the good of our country. God bless them, each and every one!




Before I got into the meat of my post today, I just had to show you the collage I made of our visit to see little Noah on his two-week-old birthday! It turned out so cute. I made it using a simple, free program, that I downloaded to my computer called Microsoft AutoCollage 2008. Try it. Once you do, you'll be hooked for life!







Ok...now let get on with my news. Dion picked Jon up yesterday (Saturday, 23 May 2009) and took him to the 44th Annual Norwich Antique Car Show at the Chenango Fairgrounds. They met Drew (Dion's youngest brother) and his son, Dana (our nephew) there. They live in outside of Ithaca now, so we hardly ever get to see them anymore and I really miss Vikki (Drew's wife) and Katey, too. (our niece--she was born on Dion's birthday)

The photo that you see above, is from last year's Norwich Antique Car Show, which Dion and the boys didn't make it to. However, I wanted to give you a little bit of an idea of what it looks like at one of them. There are usually hundreds of cars, motorcycles, and trucks, etc. all lined up in rows, so that people can look at them. Some are for sale and some are just for exhibit or just there for judging. There are also flea market items in booths and on tables. It's really so much fun to go to. Dion and the boys used to go with Dion's dad every year; it was a tradition, until he died, of course. We all miss Dad so much!

Had I gone to the car show, I would have taken lots of photos. Maybe next year I'll feel like it. This year, Dion and Jon stopped at the Honda shop outside of Ithaca where we bought Dion's motorcycle, "Punkin" from. It's called RiderSport-Ithaca, Inc., and we have both been doing business with them since we were teenagers, which is a lot of years ago, and before the man that owns the business now had it.

He took a couple photos of a beautiful, old, white 1967 Honda CB77 Super Hawk that some man just had on the showroom floor so that he could let people see what one of the old bikes looked like. It's in pretty good shape, too, but not in as good shape as either of Dion's antique Honda motorcycles! We stop in there to see what they have, windowshopping, and dreaming of what it would be like to have loads of cash to buy what we need so we could go on a nice, long road trip. That would be heaven!

I hope everyone has enjoyed the long weekend, which is quickly coming to a close. I think I end this post now so that I can spend a little time with my husband (which happens to be my favorite thing to do in life).

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!

"Two-week-old Noah's photos!"

This past Saturday, 16 May 2009, Dion (my husband) drove Jon (our son) and me out to see our other son, Josh and his wife, Chrissy and their two-week-old baby, Noah, who just happens to be our very first grandchild.

Jon had never in his life held a baby before, so when Noah gets older, I can't wait to show him the photos of Uncle Jon trying to get used to putting a little tiny baby in those great big hands of his. It was really an adorable sight! He did very well, though. I think Jon is going to make a great Dad--just like Josh and just like his own father has been.

I had never seen Josh and Chrissy's new apartment before--they moved there just before the baby arrived. It is so adorable! It's really quite big and it's really nice inside. My only problem if it were my place would be the stairs. I didn't mind them when I was in my apartment in Interlaken, just before I married Dion, and also when I lived in the townhouses in Virginia and Texas, but my knees aren't in the same shape as they were back then. Plus, I can't imagine myself being able to carry a baby up and down those stairs, but Josh and Chrissy will probably be able to handle it with no problem at all. I'll pray that nothing happens, just to be on the safe side, though. Other than that, it's an ideal place to live. I don't like living in town and this is the perfect combination of being just far enough outside of town so that it feels like it nowheres near, and just near enough so that you don't feel like you're out in the boonies. I think you can probably tell that I love their apartment, right?

I guess it must be just like riding a bike, because when Dion took baby Noah in his arms, you sure could tell that he was a pro. It's been a long, long time since these two boys were little. Jon's almost 18 and Josh is almost 22! Can you believe that?

And now, blessedly, we have a wonderful daughter, too, besides the most adorable grandson in the whole wide world!

I'm kind of ashamed that I haven't pinned Josh down on exactly when Chrissy's birthday is and how old she is, but I'm pretty sure that she'll be 22 yrs. old in December (on Christmas day, I believe). We'll see how close I am when I ask him the next time I see him--or else I'll have his dad ask him.

She let me hold Noah for at least a half an hour or maybe even a little longer, and I was so happy. It felt so wonderful to have him in my arms. I had such an overwhelming need to have a baby of my own, and I know that it will never happen. It's just too late now. Plus, with the way my health is now, I'm not sure that I could handle it. I resent my "ex" so much for what he did to me to make me lose my own babies (he was an abusive husband). I forgave him, but then I pick it up all over again. I need the Lord's help with this one, because it's such a huge ache in my heart. Thankfully, Dion understands and is very supportive and loves me no matter what. I love him so much!

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!

"Query Tracker Turns Two--Let's Celebrate!"

Guess What! It looks like it's a proud parent moment--only I'm not the parent, and Query Tracky isn't exactly a kid anymore. But it's still the same excitement!

They're having a PARTY!

Copy and paste the link below the picture at the bottom of the page for more details. Oh, and there's also a little blog chain contest going on. The grand prize of this hulla-baloo is a FREE WEBSITE designed by the awesome Carolyn Kaufman and QT's daddy, Patrick McDonald. That's right. FREE. (They're the Purple Squirrel Web Designers. Check 'em out.)

You want that, don't you? Um, yeah..

You get one entry into the grand prize drawing for every contest you enter. (Details on the carnival page, click below.) You can also get another entry by helping us advertise!


Thanks, Elana!

Now here's how you do it: Simply make a post like this one you're reading on this blog. Make sure to use the wicked fun graphic and direct them to the carnival page for more deets. Then go here and leave a comment with your link and real name. Or email your link with your real name to any one of the members of the QT blogteam (listed on the right-hand side of the blog) on this page here. Use: Their Name(at)QueryTracker(dot)net.

They'll make sure you get in the drawing.

Be sure to tell your readers to EMAIL THEM (or comment here) your link and real name so they can put your name in the drawing. You can link to this post so everyone knows how to make sure they're entered for the FREE WEBSITE!

And hurry! You must have your blog post up by next Saturday, May 23 to get the extra entry.

Spread the word! Win a FREE WEBSITE!

"WooHoo--I Have Two More Followers!"

Amazing as it may seem, I have two more followers for my blog! I'm so excited about making these new friends, so let me tell you who they are, ok?

First we have: Suzette Saxton.

Suzette is the author of the short story entitled The Bone Setter , that was recently published in the popular, new Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine, called Mindflights. (Mindflights is the new magazine brought to you by Double-Edged Publishing by recently combining two award-winning magazines - "Dragons, Knights, and Angels" ~and~ "The Sword Review" - into one frequently-updated, high-quality magazine.)

Suzette's blog, entitled Shooting Stars is refreshing, informative, and packed with all kind of fun information. You'd be crazy to miss out on all the fun!

Next there is: Michelle McLean.

Michelle is an author who writes young adult novels, children's picture books and sometimes even historical romance novels. She also writes non-fiction articles about varied subjects, essays, and other works. Michelle's blog, which is entitled Michelle McLean's Writer Ramblings , is full of quotes, writing advice, tips, book reviews, and all kids of neat stuff.

Well folks...that about wraps it up. I hope I'm up to the task of keeping my "follower" happy as they go through the ups and downs of life with me.

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!

"Welcome, Elana!"

I'm always so excited when I discover that I have a new "follower" on one of my blogs, and today, when I signed on to add my new "Facebook Badge" on to this site, I found that I had another "follower."

Welcome to the family of "followers," Elana! I hope you'll enjoy the stories about my family, our travels, and our adventures. I plan on adding some recipes and maybe some arts and crafty things to my site in the near future, so I hope you'll feel free to comment. If you have any ideas or requests, I'd love to hear them, too. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your interest and support, and I hope we'll become good friends!

By the way, did you notice my new "favicon" that's located on the tab up above, next to my blog name? It looks like a capital letter "H" in a box, which stands for the "H" in my last name, Hammond, just like the one that is here on the right:

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!

"Our Son Got Married!"

********************** Have you ever heard the phrase, "A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words?" Well, I certainly think that the photo to the left, of our son, Joshua, embracing his new bride, Christina, at their marriage ceremony yesterday, qualifies as one of the pictures that are worth a thousand words, don't you agree? He looks as if he may be thinking, "She's mine now...we can do whatever we want!"







************ On Saturday, the eleventh day of April in the year of our Lord 2009, at 1:00 p.m., Miss Christina Elizabeth Scowcroft was joined in Holy Matrimony to Joshua James Hammond.






The attendees that were present to witness the blessed event, which took place at the town of Junius Court House in the State of New York, are pictured above. In addition to Judge Brian Laird, who presided over the event, from left to right they are: Chrissy's father, Terry Scowcroft; Chrissy's mother, Linda Scowcroft; Cynde (me, Josh & Jon's stepmother--but I love them as if they were my own and I hate that word step in front of mother!); Dion (my husband, Josh & Jon's father); Chrissy; Josh & Jon's grandmother, Barbara Hammond (back row, Dion's mother); Josh; Jon (our other son); and Josh's mother (Dion's "ex," also Jon's mother.)






Needless to say, Dion and I are very happy that Josh and Chrissy decided to get married before little Noah makes his entrance into the world, as there wasn't much time left to spare: he's due on the 18th of April! It's all in the Lord's perfect timing, right?

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!

"Help! I've Fallen and I Can't... "

**********************I've fallen a few times lately, but Praise the Lord it happened in the living room where the carpet is nice and fluffy, or I could have really gotten hurt!

I never know when it's going to happen. I'll be walking along, and all of the sudden, it seems like my hip just *S*N*A*P*S*! When I take my next step...my leg is like a soup ~n~o~o~d~l~e~ and down. I. go! Keep in mind that I can't catch my fall, because it would totally destroy my hands and arms if I tried. I tried anyway, because it was an involuntary reflex...and it hurt me, but not as bad as I thought it would.

I'm very grateful, obviously. But, I knew I'd have to find a temporary solution to this problem, while I'm waiting to be able to go to physical therapy for the osteoarthritis that I have in both knees, both hips and my left shoulder. My sister, Carol, thought of getting a big ace bandage to wrap around my knee, so the next time we went shopping, we picked one up that was four inches wides. I could get one of those leg braces, but I'd have to go back to the doctor's and pay for another doctor visit. No thanks. I already have enough bills coming up. I'm contemplating going to the Chiropractic College's Health Dept. in Seneca Falls for my physical therapy, but right now, we don't have a vehicle. Not even one! My poor 1990 Cutlass Supreme L/S Oldsmobile, "Rocket," (that's what the boys named her when they were little) is ill and is waiting to be fixed.

Yes, I have had this car for nearly eleven years. Now, come on. You have to admit it. She is really beautiful, isn't she? And you should feel how she handles! It's amazing! She's been an excellent car and I love her so much. I just wish that they weren't doing away with the entire line of Oldsmobiles, but alas, that's why they are...because they last too long. They are such good cars that they don't need to be replaced as often as other vehicles do. So why not charge more, then? I would gladly have paid a higher price to have kept the line alive. They were the absolute best! They definitely made a huge mistake and I think that why they're suffering the consequences right now. "Buh-Bye, General Motors GM!"

Anyway...we're very thankful to Dion's mother for helping us out. She is so good to us. I can't tell you how blessed I am to have a mother-in-law like that. And I'm going to strive to be a blessing to Chrissy, too. Speaking of Chrissy...a little birdie told us that she and Josh got their marriage certificate. If I remember correctly, you have to use it within a month. Maybe the letter I wrote to Josh about getting married before the baby comes did some good? I hope so. I didn't want to hurt their feelings...but why start out on the wrong foot if you don't need to? The baby is due soon, so I hope they hurry.

I hope we get asked to go to their little wedding (even if it's at the Justice of the Peace), for Dion's sake, but if not, it's their decision and their day. What's important to us is that they are happy! We are so excited about the baby and want only the best for our Josh and that lovely girl that he has chosen to be his wife and life partner. Chrissy is a precious girl and I love her already. I thank the Lord that He has blessed my Josh with such a sweet, God-fearing little girl from such a nice family. I knew that He would be faithful and answer the prayers that I have prayed for Josh and Jon all these years. (Jon will be next...but years from now, I pray!) Still...it has to be harder to raise girl. I feel bad for what we put my parents through. We just didn't realize...ah, but that's another story for another day. So...

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 Worker's Compensation Insurance Provider Is HOUNDING Me Again!"

******************************************************************************************* When I went to court last month to settle the Workers Compensation case regarding the injury to my left shoulder, I knew something was fishy when things went so smoothly. Didn’t I tell you I’d be hearing from the Insurance Company again soon? You don’t deal with a company for seventeen years and not learn what their habits are. I have also learned what their work ethic and their little tricks are, and they are very underhanded, to say the least. It’s a shame that you can’t trust companies like that anyone; and they’re the ones getting bailed out!

Anyway…A few weeks back, I got a big, thick, legal-sized envelope in the mail from my lawyer, Peter N. Littman of Littman and Babiarz in Ithaca, New York. He has represented me in this case since 1995—so that’s a very long time on one case, I would think.

I remember the first time I went to his office. My twin sister, Sande, took me. I wasn’t driving, of course, because of the problem with my hands, and I also anticipated that I would need her to fill out any paperwork that they would give me on a “clipboard” when I entered their office. The last time I had any dealings with a lawyer before that had been when I had divorced my physically-abusive first husband, and I was suffering flash-backs while we were sitting there. It had to be because I was so nervous.

The time in the waiting room flew by and when we were called to enter Mr. Littman’s office, my knees buckled. I was so embarrassed; I hadn’t done anything wrong, so I had nothing to feel guilty for. Sande grabbed my arm and that bolstered my courage, so in the office we went, only to sit and wait—which only made me nervous, once again.

By the time Mr. Littman finally came to his office, Sande and I were laughing, and making jokes as to how he must have gotten lost on his way to the office. I’ll never share the actual jokes here, just in case I become a stand-up comic some day; I may need them and they were that good!

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Bond,” he said, as he walked into the office, reading my folder with his head down. He hadn’t seen Sande or me yet. “How are you this morning?” (I was single at the time and hadn’t even started dating my current husband yet.)

“Fine, thank you for asking,” we said in exact unison. “How are you, Mr. Littman?”

“Twins!” he said, as he tossed my folder on the desk and gave us both a smile. “Which one of you is Cynde Bond?”

“I could be,” Sande said, smiling mischievously.

“So could I,” was what I said, as he turned to look at me.

He was a very stern, nice-looking man, and this could go either way, but I was guessing that he would take it well. “I have eight-year-old twin boys, so I have to put up with this kind of stuff all the time. Wait until I tell them about you two characters,” he said, and right then, we both knew that he liked us.

We decided to let him off the hook and we told him which “twin had the Tony,” as it were, and then we got down to business.

Getting back to the present, inside the envelope was a letter from my Workers Compensation Insurance provider, which at the time happened to be Great American Insurance Company, and is now Ohio Casualty Group. They made a list of all the medications that I was taking that they covered (inaccurate, of course) and then explained how I didn’t need them or should be taking something else instead. As usual, they didn’t bother to read my doctor’s records, which they had requested in order to formulate this report, but what does that matter? We all know the real bottom line is the bottom line or translated: the only thing these people care about is saving money.

So, back to court we go. It’s all just blackmail, you know. They had threatened that they wouldn’t pay for my medications when they switched to the new provider, and that didn’t work, so they tried to sue me under what they called a #25a provision, but found they couldn’t, because my case was an on-going case. They have been trying to force me to settle early for years, but I said, “No, thank you.” Why would I do that? Are they nuts?

The next best thing, they thought, was to harass her. So they keep scheduling Independent Medical Examinations (IME’s) in the hopes that they’ll finally find a doctor that will side with them some day…but in fifteen years, it hasn’t happened yet.

It is stressful to me, which only adds to my pain level, but I’m sure they don’t care at all. Thankfully I have this voice-recognition software on my computer, plus my husband helps me so I can post these reports. My husband is an angel! I plan on keeping a record of all the things these people do to me, so when I go to get some help, it will be clear that I have been harassed for years. I’m tired of sitting back and being victimized. This has got to stop!

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!