A Sighting....

Hey Yall! I was outside and saw something. Do you see it?


Look close. You can see it on the grass.


Can you see it now? Look closely....


Yep. Frannycakes has been spray painting again.

An Exciting Phone Call!!!!

Hey Yall! My morning started out like it usually does.......waking up at 7 (stop laughing Dick, I really DID this morning!), getting my coffee, checking the news, catching up with blogs, washing clothes, emptying the dishwasher, drinking more coffee......well, you get the idea! I had just sat back down and was watching Matt Lauer when the phone started ringing. Ugh! No, I don't want to order Omaha Steaks, no, I don't want to take a survey, NO, NO, NO! When I saw the name on the caller ID, I know that I WANTED to answer! It was my friend Sheila. Sheila was my savior when we lived in Bastrop. Truly. My savior. Bastrop was kind of a strange move for us. We were required to live in Bastrop. But my children attended a private school in the next town over, Monroe. So they had friends there. They were in high school and were very, very happy there. And I was in Bastrop and I was not. Until I found Sheila.

Sheila makes me laugh! And aren't all relationships better if you can laugh together? We were both in a town that we didn't necessarily want to be in. We both had family in other places. Our husbands were both very dedicated to their work and spent a lot of time there. We started going to Monroe and shopping. And shopping. And shopping. We went to garage sales. We went to a few craft fairs. And we laughed. A lot.

Weezie, our Shih Tzu, came from Sheila. Now I wouldn't call her a dog adoption agent, but that might be what she could be called. She had helped many people adopt the most fabulous loving dogs that for a variety of reasons just didn't work out for her. She trains them, and then you can enjoy them for a lifetime! My kids still talk about the chihuahua she had named Taco Bell! She definitely can name them too. Weezie's name is actually Louisiana Southern Belle. When she belonged to Sheila, she was called Belle. For some reason, the name Belle didn't click with our family. So we shortened Louisiana and started calling her Weezie. Her vet here thinks her name is Wheezie because she makes the loudest noises! She snores louder than most men. We sometimes have to wake her up because we can't hear the TV! Seriously! Thank you Sheila! We love our Weezie Belle!

She and her husband are building a house in the same town that their children live in Arkansas. I am so excited for her! Finally! A house she knows is hers and she can decorate and not worry about having to leave it in 6 months. And believe me, she will decorate it so pretty. She has that touch. I am going to try and make it to see her. I miss her.

Some friends come and go. Some friends stay in your heart. And Sheila is that kind of friend. Thanks for the call today! It reminded me of the fun we had and all the laughing we did and how I really want to see you again. I miss you!

Fall....Again

Hey Yall! Just in case you are not sick of the fall pictures, here are more. Everyday when I look out, I expect all the leaves to be laying on the ground. And I am totally amazed that the leaves are still on the trees and the colors are even prettier than the day before. Don't worry....I am close the end of my fall photography. Wish you were all here to enjoy it!



Okay, okay! This is the last day I do this with this tree!


This was a couple of days later.


This was taken one day later. It is amazing how fast the leaves fall off.













I hope you all have enjoyed the fall foliage in Maine. It is so beautiful. Hey, I have an idea! Why don't you plan to come up and visit me next year during this time? I think you would love it!

The Leaves are Falling!

Remember this tree?


This is what it looked like today.

Bunnies Everywhere!

Hey Yall! I love bunnies! They make me happy. I have a few.....okay, a lot.....all over our house. Here are some pictures of my cute bunnies.

Friends at the Fair

Hey Yall! Yeah, I know. Go ahead.....I know what is going through your mind....is this Julianne's boyfriend we haven't told you about? hahahahaha....she will kill me over that one! No. I bet you are wondering why in the world would we take pictures of the rear ends of the animals. If you even have to wonder that then you really don't even know my family, cause that's the way we roll! hahahahaha And because that is the way they are tied up in the stalls at the fair. But seriously, we would rather have a butt shot than a head shot!

Dick and Julianne went to the Fryeburg Fair while I was down south. We had such a great time last year! Mom and Dad were here and they seemed to love it too. Lots to look at and fabulous food to eat. Last year we had to best thing I have ever tasted......Deep Fried Whoopie Pies! Oh My Gawd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know that most of you readers from the south do not know what a whoopie pie is and all I can say is it is one of the only things up here (besides lobster rolls) that the north has on the south. They are like 2 large chocolate cake cookies with sinfully sugary (my favorite) icing between them. At the fair, they chill them, dip them in a light batter, deep fry them and put them in a bowl with ice cream and whipped cream on top. I'm telling you....it is delish.

Our temp is in the 60's today. The leaves are such beautiful colors. It is so pretty to walk past a window and see all the colors. The wind is blowing today and leaves are falling. And you know what that means.....winter is just around the corner.

Dick is out in the garage messing around. He has had a bad cold this week. I am going to make him take a nap this afternoon. He doesn't like to do that so I seriously have to make him. I might even take one too.

Julianne is home today but is going to Sugarloaf Mountain with some friends for a couple of days. No, there is no snow for skiing. But they are having some type of festival up there. Sounds like fun.

Chris and Linley are in South Carolina enjoying the last days of their fall break. Hopefully they have had a good time.

Jamie and Lesley are studying all the time. Jamie calls me regularly. And it is not even for money like the other two! He just wants to talk to me! They are doing well. I sure would like to see Grace Darling, their puppy. She is so sweet!

I guess that is all I have now. I will talk to you later! Tootles!

Boys Weekend in New York

Hey Yall! I am a little bit behind on reporting things that have been happening with the family. Sorry! Back in September when Julianne and I were having a fabulous "Julianne's Birthday Weekend", Dick, Jamie and Chris were in New York. They had tickets to a Yankee's game. The next to the last game at Yankee Stadium. You know the story about "that" stadium. We really wanted to make it a fun long weekend get together for the whole family, but due to so many of the family being college students, it just was not possible. They were all supposed to fly into JFK within an hour of each other. Due to a "variety" of reasons (flights canceled, over sleeping...) Chris was the only one who arrived on time. He had the honor of waiting 3 hours for the other two to arrive! Once they got together, they went non-stop until they arrived back at the airport early Sunday morning. It was a quick but busy weekend. Jamie and Chris had never been to NYC. I think they are ready to go back! I know I am.

Here are some of the pictures from the trip. What happened to my little boys? Oh, and the short one? He's the daddy!

Ladybugs Go Away!

Hey Yall! Welcome to our ladybug house. I hate ladybugs. Really hate them. Today, I was walking outside and looked up at the side of the house. UGH! They are here. We get thousands and thousands of ladybugs each fall. They will search and search until they find someway to get into the house. And then they spread the word to all their friends. And then they tell a friend and, well, you get the idea. They will be all over the house. I will have to get the vacuum out and try and get them out that way. If you leave them around until they die, they end up leaving little black dots on the walls. And I will leave that up to your imagination as to what the black dots are. I hate 'em. Ugh.

Happy Birthday Linley!

Monday was Linley Shea's Birthday. I did call her and wish her a very Happy Birthday, but unfortunately, I didn't resume my blogging until yesterday. So, Happy Birthday Linley! We love you!